The Divine square of the temple district boasted a robust sixth-day market, which Thad wandered through aimlessly as he waited for Neil to finish his church meeting. He’d originally started the wait with Phoebe and Dustin, but the crowd and distraction had separated them, and now he felt lost despite knowing exactly where he was.

  Unease filled him as priests and worshippers passed. He’d never planned to visit this aspect of the Island or Pallimustus.

  A core tenet of his childhood had been that all other religions and denominations were false prophets, preaching either lies or completely misinterpreting the word of God. Thad had only a few years ago overcome his aversion to religion in general, and now he stood in a place where multiple gods were worshiped and proselytized one alongside the other.

  It was awe-inspiring, if not terrifying, for him to witness such an unmitigated fervor. As it had never been the gods he was fearful of, but the people who worshiped them.

  His father had been the pastor of a zealous congregation. One led by hate.

  Extensive therapy had allowed Thad to call it what it was.

  A cult.

  A cynical mindset telling him his disownment and following emancipation had been a blessing. One he should be thankful for. One he should thank God for.

  He hated that thought, and he wished that he didn’t still find himself falling back to prayer when moments were overwhelming.

  The freedom from his world and its gods didn’t stop the sting of loss he felt. It didn’t save his sister. And the more time he spent with Cassandra, the more he regretted his actions.

  He should’ve tried to reason with Cassidy. Should’ve reopened communications. Not that he’d purposefully closed them, he’d just not kept up with it. She didn’t text, so he didn’t text. She didn’t call, so he didn’t call. And now what?

  Would she one day grow bold enough to leave their rural community, only to find herself alone like he’d been? Would she even know he’d died? He’d requested in his will that his family be notified. That they be at the funeral.

  A final olive branch.

  Would they take it or throw it on the fire?

  Purifying the last of his presence in their mind.

  “Contemplating life?”

  Thad turned to see a young woman studying him with a pleasant smile. She was human, with the local olive complexion and deep brown hair pulled into a simple yet elegant bun. Her flowing robes were blue and white, a sigil of a book prominently embellished on the front, marking her as a follower of Knowledge.

  “Aren’t we all,” Thad said, returning the smile, before spinning on his heels to walk away. He wasn’t about to stand here and listen to some recruitment speech.

  “My lady wishes to speak with you.”

  Thad paused mid-step. Why would the goddess of Knowledge wish to speak to him? What did she actually know… or more, what did she want to know?”

  “I’m sorry, priestess, but I think you may be confusing me for someone else.”

  “I am merely an acolyte, not a full priestess. But no. I know exactly who you are, Thadius Shepherd.”

  Thad’s blood ran cold as the woman walked in front of him, her smile ever present.

  “Now, will you join me in my walk to the temple? Or will more people have knowledge revealed to them?”

  “Are you threatening me?”

  “It is good you understand the implication. That makes things easier.”

  “How do I know that you won’t tell everyone, regardless of whether I join you or not?”

  “As lying is a sin, I hope it will comfort you to know that if you come with me now, my lady will maintain your secret.”

  “I’m not feeling comforted.”

  “I see, it was only a hope. Will you join me, sinner?”

  “I didn’t know Thad knew Gabrielle.”

  “You found Thad, wait, who’s Gabrielle?” Dustin asked, following Phoebe’s gaze, only to notice Thad in the far distance, his hand in the grasp of a pretty girl as she pulled him along.

  “She’s an acolyte of Knowledge. Does Thad worship Knowledge?”

  “His family honors Dominion, but Thad’s not religious… Or at least I don’t think so. But he has been reading a lot, so I won’t rule it out.”

  “Fair, well, I guess Humphrey doesn’t follow Knowledge either and he's still dating Gabrielle—”

  “That’s Humphrey’s girlfriend? Why didn’t you open with that?” Dustin asked, taking Phoebe’s hand, and started to work his way through the crowd.

  “People are not just defined by who they date, Dustin.”

  “I… I mean, I know that Pheebs, but we may have a problem.”

  “A problem?”

  “A big problem.”

  “That doesn’t explain it, Dusty.”

  “I mean, I thought he was fucking over this heidel shit, but he’s going to swoop her.”

  “Swoop her?”

  “It’s something Neil and I started calling it.”

  “Calling what… Dustin, you’re being very unclear.”

  “Sorry, sorry… Do you know why we’re banned from the Geller training facilities?”

  “I mean, you’re not really banned.”

  “Ok, unofficially banned… by Humphrey.”

  “I’m guessing it has to do with the word swooping.”

  “Yes. Thad… well, when he was more Thadwick than Thad—”

  “You’ve mentioned the distinction, yes.”

  “He would kind of swoop every person that Humphrey tried to date or… really anyone that started batting eyes at him.”

  “So, he would what, steal them away?”

  “Kind of, but not to keep. Wooing, kissing, sleeping with… it varied. They were all dumped by the next day, or by the time Humphrey was storming off.”

  “Thad, your Thad would do this? But he’s so…nice.”

  “You didn’t really know him prior to the accident. It was… well, to be honest, it was like he was a different person altogether. First, it was just drinking, then everything just spiraled from there.”

  “And you just allowed this?”

  The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

  “…You’re a Geller, you only owe loyalty to other Gellers.”

  “What does that mean?”

  “It means that my family’s loyalty, their livelihood, their standing is tied to the Mercers. I tried to fight it once, but it didn’t change that fact. And I hope you can forgive me.”

  “You’ve never told me your name,” Thad said as the acolyte pulled him through the double doors of the Temple of Knowledge.

  “It was implied that you would be able to guess.”

  “Was it?”

  “Why would I lie? As I have said, it’s a sin.”

  “Then I’m guessing you’re Gabrielle,” Thad said, looking at the young woman who nodded her head.

  “Are you sure you and my lady are not already acquainted?”

  “I know her only by reputation.”

  Thad looked at the rows of books as he was dragged along. He wondered what rank they were.

  “You know, if you followed my lady, you would be able to study these books to your heart's content. We have plenty of books that would suit your needs.”

  “My family has a library, I’ll be fine.”

  “It’s not really your family, though, is it?”

  Thad felt a slight pang in his chest but didn’t respond to Gabrielle. He wasn’t sure if he couldn’t help but see them as part of his family now, his memories twisted in such a way that both lives stretched before him. He knew it was a lie. But it hadn’t stopped the excitement he’d felt when Thalia finally acknowledged his progress. It had been a dream for years after all. Though… not Thadius Shepherd’s dream.

  Could he even consider himself the same person, or was he some amalgamation of his former selves?

  They stopped in front of a set of ancient wooden double doors.

  “Well, this is where I leave you, Thadwick Mercer,” Gabrielle said, releasing Thad’s hand.

  “Not threatening me anymore?”

  “Whatever do you mean?” Gabrielle asked as she looked at him innocently, if not a little confused. “We’ve only just met.”

  My lady will maintain your secret.

  Thad felt a cold shiver run down his spine with the realization of what Gabrielle’s words had meant. He wondered if she’d known herself.

  Before he could question her further, though, the double doors opened on their own, terrifying power beckoning him in.

  He wanted to run, but his feet carried him forward into the room, the doors shutting behind him.

  “What you did to her is not right,” Thad said, looking toward the statue of a woman holding a book.

  “You would have preferred me to swear her to secrecy? Lying by omission is still lying.”

  Thad turned towards where the voice came from and sucked in a sharp breath as he recognized the face.

  The woman was short, with dark, tanned skin and tattoos running up both arms. Her undercut style was pinned up into a messy bun.

  “Nico…” Thad felt any other words he may have had catch in his throat.

  “You seem to have taken advice from this person in your past life the most. So, I thought her form would be the most fitting.” The goddess masquerading as Nico said.

  “… You’re, how… how dare you, play with my emotions like this?” Thad said, taking a step back, when all he wanted to do was hug his friend.

  “I’m trying to offer you something you so desperately wish for. An exchange, if you will. You see your friends, and I obtain answers.”

  “You’re the goddess of knowledge, surely you must know how I would feel about this. And you know everything I know, I have no answers for you.”

  “Not exactly. Do you know what knowledge I don’t possess, Thad?”

  “Social Niceties?”

  An overwhelming power flooded Thad, and he let out a pained gasp.

  “You should be more respectful. I’m being respectful to you after all.” Knowledge said, walking over to Thad, her hand lightly resting on his hunched shoulder.

  “You brought me here under threat.”

  “Yes, but I could’ve used other methods. I even called you Thad, I know other names—”

  “Don’t. You’ve made your point,” Thad said as he pushed her hand from his shoulder with a glare.

  Nico smiled; it was close to what her usual smile would look like, but slightly off.

  A copy of a copy.

  “Now, where was I? Ah, yes. The future, I can’t foresee it, but like Asano says, I’m a bloody good guesser.”

  “You couldn’t seem to guess how I would react to this. Now, get the fuck out of my friend.”

  “Oh, my apologies. Is this better?”

  A shuddering breath left Thad’s lips. Marcus Shen’s military regulation hair clashed with his casual street clothes. They were the same clothes he’d worn the last time they’d fought, the last time he’d seen him. Sutures running along his right cheek, the ones Thad had sewn up himself. He was still taller than Thad now, but not by as much.

  “My Ex! What is wrong with you?”

  “I can’t see the future, so what’s wrong is that I now can. To an extent, the extent of knowledge that you’ve brought with you.” Marcus said, leaning into Thad’s personal space. “How do you have this knowledge? Why are there redactions?”

  Warning: Do not Violate Recurring Task List [Protect Astral Knowledge]

  “I won’t, I can’t tell you!”

  “But see, I know things about you, Thad. I know what you want, what you wish to hear. Don’t you want an apology from me?”

  “Are you pretending to be Marcus, or asking for me to forgive you for making a mockery of the people I care about?”

  “Oh, don’t be like that,” Marcus said, his hand lightly trailing Thad’s chin, lifting it ever so slightly. “We can make this work. No more secrets, right?”

  Angry tears brimmed in Thad’s eyes as he took a step back. He watched Marcus’s hand fall to his side, dark eyes watching him with frustrated mirth.

  “You’re not going to tell me, no matter what I do, huh?” A slight smirk played on Marcus’s lips as he turned and walked away. “You know, you mortals are endlessly surprising. However, the knowledge you’ve already brought will assist me greatly. To think that Asano would be so hard to bring into the fold is amusing. I guess I’ll need to change my tactics for him.”

  “You already have so many followers, why are you fixated on him?”

  “It’s the pursuit of an answer that is always the most thrilling. Once you know the truth, the enjoyment only lasts so long. And nothing is more destructive than a bored god.”

  Humphrey Geller leaned on the pillar of the Temple of Knowledge. He was surprised Gabrielle hadn’t already met him; her goddess tended to bestow knowledge onto her, leading to very prompt appearances.

  He turned his head as he heard footsteps coming up the stairs and past the pillar, seeing his cousin Phoebe and one of Thadwick Mercer’s offsiders, Dustin Kettering. He’d heard that Phoebe had started dating the guy, but it was odd to see them holding hands.

  “Humphrey, what are you doing here?” Phoebe asked, her eyes going wide with surprise as she spotted him.

  “I’m here to pick up Gabrielle for a date. What are you doing here?”

  “Oh, you know, just um, some shopping and…” Phoebe looked from Humphrey to Dustin, who looked stricken by Humphrey’s very existence. “Have I introduced you to Dustin?”

  “No, but I know Kettering well. He was on my first field assessment.” Humphrey said, looking at the tall, solidly built man with apprehension. He’d never really gotten a good read on Thadwick’s offsiders, but he knew they were talented and loyal fighters.

  “Yes, glad to see you finally passed Geller,” Dustin said, looking at the door of the temple and then Phoebe, anxiety infusing his aura.

  “Is there a reason other than shopping for you both to be at the Temple of Knowledge?” Humphrey asked, feeling the odd tension between them.

  Both looked at each other before nodding and immediately contradicting each other.

  “Of course—” “No reason—”

  Both looked back at each other before Phoebe grabbed Dustin by the bicep and walked out of Humphrey’s earshot, or at least what she assumed was earshot, as she had missed a small lizard that had crawled onto Dustin’s shoulder.

  “We have to tell him, Dusty.”

  “But, what if it’s nothing, what if he just got recruited into the church?”

  “Do you really believe that?”

  “Well…”

  “Confident enough to wager?”

  “Absolutely not.”

  “Then we need to tell him.”

  “Tell me what?” Humphrey said, walking up as Stash jumped off Dustin’s shoulder, causing the young man to let out a squawk of surprise as the lizard morphed into a small bird that flitted around until it landed on Humphrey’s shoulder.

  “It’s… well… it’s about Gabrielle.”

  “What about Gabrielle?” Humphrey asked before looking at Dustin, knowing immediately what the offsider was trying to hide from his expression.

  “It could all be a misunderstanding,” Phoebe said as she saw rare fury in Humphrey’s eyes.

  “It’s never been a misunderstanding with Mercer,” Humphrey stated, crossing his arms. “I can’t believe you would try to hide this, Phoebe.”

  “I wasn’t hiding anything; we’re not sure, really, what we saw.”

  “Well, we’re about to find out,” Humphrey said as he sensed a set of familiar auras approaching the door with great speed.

  “I feel like you have the wrong impression of my lady!” Gabrielle said to Thadwick, who seemed to be actively trying to get away from the acolyte. He looked like he’d been… crying.

  “No, she was exactly as I envisioned!”

  Gabrielle reached out a hand, only to have Thadwick brush it away. Humphrey was there in an instant, his hand catching Thadwick’s arm, who looked up at him with confusion and then surprise.

  “Geller?”

  “Mercer, first you steal Asano, and now you think you can talk to Gabrielle?”

  “What are you on about me stealing Jason? And she talked to me first. I don’t understand.” Thadwick said, trying unsuccessfully to pry his arm out of Humphrey’s grip.

  “Don’t play dumb with me. I know what you’re up to!”

  “I have no idea what you’re talking about. Unhand me!”

  “Humphrey, love, calm down, he’s telling the truth, my lady had wished to speak with him,” Gabrielle said, placing a hand on his shoulder.

  He released Thadwick’s arm, who pulled it close, looking it over before looking at Humphrey with a mixture of confusion, anger, and wait, was that fear?

  “You expect me to—”

  “Yes, you know lying is a core sin,” Gabrielle said, her relaxed aura easing the tension in Humphrey’s.

  He glanced back at the young noble, whom Kettering was now looking over.

  Phoebe stood between the two opposing sides.

  “See, it was just a misunderstanding,” Phoebe said, crossing her arms as she looked at Humphrey.

  “It doesn’t change what he’s done in the past,” Humphrey said, glaring at Thadwick, who glowered back at him, his eyebrow twitching.

  “I don’t know—"

  “You don’t know what you did?! Unbelievable! Well, as always, you seem incapable of taking responsibility for anything in your life! You’re an embarrassment to your family and the city of Greenstone.”

  Thadwick looked like he had been slapped in the face before fury tore through his aura.

  “Give me a goddamn break! I’m trying over here! I don’t know what I did to you personally, Geller, but I’m already having a shitty day, so if you want to fight me, then let’s get it fucking over with!”

  The outburst appeared to surprise both Dustin and Phoebe, who looked at Thadwick with wide eyes. His offsider seemed especially concerned, taking a step back.

  “Like you could last in a fight against me, Mercer. There’s a reason you had to take the Adventure Society exam three times. And let’s be honest, you shouldn’t have passed the last one either.”

  “Well then, this should be easy for you.”

  “I’m not fighting you in the middle of the Temple District. I’ll meet you in the mirage chamber. You have one week.”

  She Knows by J. Cole