“But what I can tell you for now, is that Heaven saw you needed a Hierophant of your own but given the nature of Issale and her shifters they saw fit to make your spiritual guide immortal—-for reasons which will make sense later.” He pressed his free hand to his chest then flinched when he touched his own. “My name is Akecheta. I was born in the year 1200 in the Appalachian Mountains. When I was nineteen, my soulmate was fleeing a war and sought shelter with my tribe.”

And then he looked right to Saber.

She sighed.

“With her by my side, we traveled to Issale where we met Koth’s ancestors.”

“We’ve been through a lot together.”

Quite a few of the group looked back and forth between the couple and Everest, like they also thought she had been a girlfriend of his. This made me feel better that I wasn’t alone in the assumption.

“Then why . . . why—” Koth pinched the bridge of his nose, “—why have there been—- God, dozens—-of different Shamans? Have those all been you?”

“Yes, my Lord.” Akecheta grinned. “Issale has never known a Shaman that was not me. For reasons we cannot yet discuss, but will soon enough, Heaven insisted I take a different form. To pretend to live a mortal life cycle and return to Issale as someone new. It has not been easy, but none of what any of us do is.”

Koth bent over and put his hands on his knees. “I cannot believe this right now.”

To my surprise, Silas chuckled. Everyone jumped. He shrugged it off. “Guess we know why Elan was so damn strange⁠—”

“Because he’s old as fuck.” Dace laughed with him.

Koth straightened like he’d been shocked. He narrowed those purple eyes on Akecheta. “Wait a minute . . . if you’ve been every shaman then that means you were around when my father⁠—”

“Yes.” Akecheta nodded. “Your father actually figured out my truth when he was a teenager. We were good friends. I have been anxiously awaiting the day you and I could speak of him—-and of what happened to him. But now is not that time, my friend.”

“Soon,” Riah added softly. He held his hand out and Orathain flew straight to him. “Tegan will portal you to Eden where you will remain until I say otherwise. Understood?”

“I assure you he understands,” Saber answered for him. “When you say, we will take him to Issale but not a moment sooner.”

Riah smirked. “I must tend to the students touched by Soneillon’s power tonight. I will come to Eden soon. Thorne, get back to Seelie.”

Then Riah was gone.

Thorne rolled his eyes. “I liked it better when I was significantly older than him. Covenlings, Everest, until next time.”

Akecheta grinned as Thorne vanished. But then the black lines spread across his face again.