by D. S. Murphy
I stopped by my room and grabbed my gloves. It was stupid not to put them on earlier. They were the long, black ones Able had given me. The ones Mist made. I pulled them on and felt the smooth, soft leather against my skin. With winter approaching, it was almost cold enough to wear them. They don’t do much, except stop the violent visions when I touched someone who was about to die. Thankfully, most residents at Nevah were practically immortal, but I didn’t think I could handle any more surprises today. Besides, they made me feel safe. Part of me just wanted to go back to bed, but Able said something about training, so I put on a fresh pair of jeans, then layered a long sleeve sweatshirt over a tank top, and a long, hooded jacket just in case I went outside. I brushed my wild, dark hair behind my ears, and headed to breakfast.
My arm was still throbbing painfully; it had been broken twice in less than a week. First by the blunt edge of Athena’s sword, then when Zeus grabbed my arm and the bone shattered again. Not even Alice’s magic could take all the pain away this time. Despite the pain, I felt surprisingly good, all things considered. Maybe it was the energy of Nevah; being in a room with a half pantheon of gods sapped the exhaustion out of me and made me strangely optimistic. Despite everything that happened, I still felt a sparkling confidence and lightness, like everything would somehow work out. But I didn’t trust it. I couldn’t afford to let my guard down. Nevah might be safe for now, but I knew it wouldn’t last. With the shears, I was a bigger threat to Zeus than ever, and he wasn’t the type to just let it stand.
The kitchen and dining room was empty, so I grabbed a mug of coffee, scarfed down some scrambled eggs, then smeared butter and raspberry jam on a croissant before heading downstairs to find the others. Stephanie said we’d prepare for war, whatever that meant. I wondered if they’d try to train me again. That had ended poorly last time. It seemed like ages ago that I was cowering in the corner, clutching my thin sword and shotgun. How differently things would have been if I’d actually used them on Puriel. It seemed silly now, to train with a sword or a gun against the hunters. I could never be as fast or as strong as they were.
I went down to the basement, looking past the cell where they’d kept Puriel. He wasn’t there of course, but the cell was still full of his things – gold coins and candles; mementos of honor and respect from the other torches at Nevah. As I approached the rear door, I heard a shriek that sounded like Sarah. I ran outside quickly through the back door and saw her, rolling on the ground. My panic subsided when I realized she was laughing, and covered with kittens.
Alice was standing nearby next to Sam and Puriel.
“What’s all this?” I asked. I couldn’t help smiling at Sarah’s laughter. I couldn’t remember the last time I’d heard that sound, and I felt my heart open, like petals unfurling from a flower.
“A welcome home gift, from Able,” Alice said.
“He freed them?” I asked. I wondered if Alice knew what Able had been doing with them; the brutal tests that led to my discovery. Still, it was a nice gesture. I knew he didn’t need them anymore, now that he’d found me, and I was happy to see them out of the cages.
A small white kitten came up to me and rubbed against my ankles.
“Ghost!” I said, picking him up.
“He missed you,” Alice said. Even Puriel seemed taken in by the kittens. He picked one up by the back of its neck and stared at it quizzically. The kitten licked his nose and Puriel looked so surprised he almost dropped it. I laughed out loud, to see the sturdy torch befuddled by such a tiny creature.
“We’re taking Sarah to Heph’s workshop,” Sam said. “After that, maybe a tour of the grounds?”
I nodded, before I realized he was talking to Puriel. I’d forgotten, Puriel hadn’t even seen Nevah yet, at least not past the walls of his cell. How quickly he’d gone from prisoner to esteemed guest of Able’s estate.
“We should wait for Jessie,” I said, looking back at the house. The massive stones of an ancient temple rose like ribs out of the ground, which made the lower level of the mansion look like an open-concept doll house.
“She went out this morning,” Sarah said, pointing towards the camp. “To look for Maddie.”
“Maddie’s here?” I asked.
“A lot of seekers have been arriving,” Sam said. “Refugees. They know with Athena gone, things are only going to get worse, and quickly.”
“They’re staying in the camp?” I asked. That meant Able had softened his policy on humans.
“Beyond it, near the border,” Sam said. “They wanted their own space. I can show you.”
“But first,” Alice said, with her hand on her hip, “go see Heph.”
I helped Sarah up, marveling again at her lanky arms and legs. She seemed awkward too, like she wasn’t sure how to use her limbs anymore. Her face was leaner, less soft and round, but her clear blue eyes and smile were just the same.
I realized suddenly, she looked a little bit like Sam – a family resemblance I guess. Almost like blond twins, only Sam had been like this for thousands of years, and Sarah had only aged a day. We looped back inside so I could show Sarah the armory. Puriel’s eyes widened as we passed through the massive relief carving of Ares, god of war, and the nearly endless assortment of antique weaponry.
People were already training, and each mat was surrounded by a dozen trainees, heirs, roots and shifters. I’d never seen it so crowded, but apparently news of Athena’s death was motivating everyone to sharpen their skills. Able may not have announced it yet, but we all knew war was coming. The sounds of fighting died down as people turned to stare. We were halfway through the room when someone burst through a crowd of heirs and blocked our path.
“You have some nerve, coming in here, murderer,” Priya said, flashing the tip of a dangerous looking blade. “Why isn’t he bound?”
“Matt’s death was an unfortunate accident,” Sam said. “But Puriel has proven himself loyal.”
“He’s a leech,” Priya said, dropping the word like it disgusted her. “Leeches aren’t allowed in Nevah. Leeches need to be exterminated.”
Priya swung her sword, but I stepped quickly in front of Puriel. She pulled the blade at the last second, her face full of surprise and betrayal.
“You’re protecting him? After what he did to you, to Matt?”
I wanted to tell her everything, about how it was all my fault, how I’d let Puriel escape, but there were too many spectators. This wasn’t the time or place.
The rest of the crowd looked torn, and shifted uncomfortably. Many were friends with Matt. On the other hand, word had spread, and I heard more than one person whisper deicidium. Godkiller. I wasn’t sure if they were referring to me or Puriel, but I supposed it could have been meant for either of us, or both.
Sam stepped in front of Puriel, and faster than I could see him move, he’d disarmed Priya and held the sword loosely behind his back.
“The leech is not to be touched. Special exemption. Able’s orders.”
Priya’s jaw went slack, but then she shoved past him and stormed out of the training hall. I knew I’d just made an enemy, but I wasn’t sure talking more would fix it. If she found out what really happened to Matt, she’d hate me even more.
Heph smiled when we entered the forge, his face lit up from the orange glow of the fire. I felt my skin prickle immediately and start to sweat. I don’t know how the heat didn’t bother him. He was shirtless, apart from a sturdy black apron, even though a cold wind blew in from the open door that led outside. A raised visor held his long hair away from the fire.
“Just in time,” he said. He pulled something out of the forge, sizzling hot red metal, and put it into a tank of water – letting out billows of steam and a loud hiss. When the metal was cool, he lifted it out and polished it with a rag until it shone like silver. The long metal cuff was decorated with intricate swirls and patterns. It was more than armor, it was art.
“They’re beautiful,” I said. It was deceptively light, and practically sparkle
d when I lifted it up.
“Here Sarah, raise your arm.”
Heph strapped one around her wrist while I attached the other. It clicked snugly into place with nearly invisible clasps. It went from the back of her hand to just before her elbow, but she could still move her arm and wrist around freely.
“Not too tight?” Heph asked.
“I can barely feel it,” Sarah said.
“You look badass,” I said. “Like a Greek soldier. Like an Amazon.”
“What did you think?” Heph swung around a panel, revealing a tall oval mirror. Sarah looked at herself and bit her lip. I realized it was probably the first time she’d seen her own reflection. Her eyes started to water, but I knew she was too tough to cry.
“Why do I have to wear these?” Sarah asked, turning her wrists, and sending diamonds of light around the walls and ceiling. I shared a look with Sam and Heph. Sarah still didn’t know what she’d done to the Fates, and I wasn’t sure I was ready to tell her.
“Well, do you understand what’s happened to you?” I asked gently.
“It was Jadius, right? He tricked you and took five years from me, instead of you.”
“Right,” I said. “But there’s more. We didn’t know it before, but you’re an heir. That means, a descendant from the gods. In your case, Zeus. Heirs start displaying their powers when they become teens, so, when you aged so quickly, your powers activated.”
Sarah considered this information seriously.
“Is that what happened to my room?” she asked.
“Yes.”
“And Mr. Ackerley?”
My eyes widened as I thought back to the man who attacked us at the museum. The exploding lights, the electricity. I thought it had just been a random event. It seemed so obvious now.
“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to kill him.”
“I thought you told us everything,” Heph said, frowning. “Any more bodies you forgot to tell us about?”
“Listen to me,” I said, ignoring them. I bent down to Sarah’s height, before I realized she was almost a foot taller than she had been before. I barely even had to crouch to be eye level with her.
“That was an accident,” I said. “And you saved us. If you hadn’t done what you did, we may not have even made it out of there alive.”
“But we were stealing from him. Then we killed him.”
“It was an accident, you couldn’t control it. That’s why we’re here, that’s why you need to wear these, okay sweetie? They’ll help you control your powers, until you learn more about them. We’re safe here, you don’t need to protect me.”
Sarah nodded. Sam led her outside through the side door, but I stayed back a moment to talk with Heph.
“These will really work, right?” I asked.
He shrugged, keeping his voice low.
“Zeus shouldn’t be able to possess her, not fully, with the bangles on.”
“Can he still listen and watch though?”
“I don’t think so. Not within Nevah. But... we should keep an eye on her, and don’t mention anything you wouldn’t want Zeus to hear, not in earshot. Just in case.”
“There’s one more thing,” Heph said, fishing something shiny out of his pocket. It was a gold ring with a large solitaire diamond.
“I wasn’t sure what to do with this. It’s Matt’s,” he said. “I finished it, before... Priya should have it, but I wasn’t sure how to give it to her.”
“I doubt it would be any better coming from me. Did you see what happened in there? And even if I were to mend the fence, if she ever found out what really happened, she’d never forgive me.”
“Still, it’s here.”
“Matt’s death, it was all my fault. If I hadn’t predicted it, if I hadn’t tried to avoid it, to escape, he’d still be alive. Maybe we can’t change our fates.”
“If that was true, Puriel would have killed Matt immediately. You stopped him, vision or not – you gave him a longer lease on life. Without that, he never would have realized how much Priya means to him. You’re not responsible for his death, but maybe this is a chance to move forward. For both of you.”
I frowned, I didn’t want the ring, and especially didn’t want to talk to Priya. Not about this. But Heph folded the ring into my palm, and closed my fingers around it.
“Just knowing you’re wanted,” he said, “knowing someone chose you, it’s a powerful thing. Whether or not they’re still around.” There was a sadness in his eyes, and I wondered if he was talking from personal experience. Then I remembered what Sitri said earlier, about Hera tossing him out of Olympus, and Tori bringing him back.
***
Outside, the grounds were filling up with training sessions, as the armory spilled into the backyard and moon-shaped amphitheater. It was a relief to be back in the cool air. It tasted like fall—decay and pine needles.
Sarah’s eyes went wide at the torches, and she reached up to squeeze Puriel’s hand. The gesture made my breath hitch. The torches had coal-black, unnaturally large eyes, and dark brands on their arms where their angelic marks had burned off during their fall. They were grotesque at first. Inhumane. But we’d gotten so used to Puriel, we’d come to depend on him for safety. I hadn’t realized Sarah was opening up to him as well, but I suppose it was inevitable that they’d become close, after all we’d been through. He protected her from the leech in the gas station bathroom, and then saved us from Athena. She felt safe with him. Still, it was strange to see the two of them together.
Puriel was tall, dark and handsome; not in that golden, perfect way, like he’d been the first time I saw him, leaning back on a tombstone at the Halloween party. Now he always looked wrecked and forlorn, like a lost puppy. The dark marks in his arms, the depth of the pain and loss in his eyes. It was hypnotic and captivating. It was weird seeing Sarah in battle armor – even if it was just a pair of lightweight, decorative sheaves; and I was still getting used to her new body and face. She was taller, but still only about half the height of Puriel.
I’d always wondered why that leech had gone after Sarah – now I knew. Because she was an heir of Zeus, and a powerful one; her magic just hadn’t been brought to the surface until she came of age.
I saw Eligior skirmishing with a battalion of about twenty torches. I didn’t want to interrupt, but he smiled and came to greet us. He grasped Sam’s hand warmly, then studied Puriel. Seeing them together, I realized he’d changed even more since becoming a leech. Eligior’s marks and eyes were dark like charcoal, while Puriel’s had faded to a dark brown. In the daylight, I could even see flecks of the original amber.
“I’m glad we are meeting under better circumstances, Brother,” Eligior said. “I look forward to training together, and perhaps, I can show you the hives. We find it more comfortable to be among our own kind, away from the temptations.”
I hadn’t thought about that. Puriel was a leech now, which meant being around this much magic must be physically painful. I supposed it made sense for him to live in the caves with the other torches, at least they didn’t have any magic for him.
Would he become as monstrous as that leech in the bathroom? Puriel once described it as a fate worse than death; the worst fear of any torch. Twice-fallen, as Athena had called him. For a second I worried about him being in the house with us. But he didn’t look that bad, for now. Able said the thirst would increase until he lost control of himself, but that we could keep him stable with a controlled dose of magic.
“How many of you are there?” Puriel asked, looking out over the fields, towards the piles of boulders on the hill that marked the entrance to the hives.
“Thousands,” Eligior said. I was grateful Eligior was being friendly. I knew he was one of the leaders of Able’s army. Torches usually lived quiet lives of desperation, tortured by regret. Here at least, they had each other, ritual, a sense of purpose and service.
Sarah’s eyes went wide when we passed through the twin sphinx statues at the top of the hill and cut
into the forest, past the large, modern cabins of the lesser heirs and roots. The main street – a wide dirt path between shops and restaurants – was busier than I’d ever seen it. I pointed out the obstacle course and told Sarah how I’d nearly broken my neck trying to balance on the log.
“Can I try?” she asked, her eyes tracing the nets and rope challenges that stretched high in the trees.
“We’ll come back later,” Sam promised.
“Kaidance!” A voice shouted. Curt pulled me into a hug, then froze when he saw Puriel and recognized him. He flinched, looking at Sam.
“What the hell,” he said breathlessly, looking back at me. “We heard you got kidnapped, but then someone said you killed Athena. Like, holy shit. We thought you were just some runt root when you got here. People are freaking out, is Athena really dead?”
“Yes,” Sam said. “Kaidance and Puriel killed her.”
“But he’s a hunter. He came here to kill her. Then he killed Matt. Can we really trust him?”
“He’s a leech now, actually,” Sam said.
Matt’s eyes widened and he took a step back.
“Listen, Curt. I saw Priya earlier. I understand she’s upset, but I don’t want her to do anything stupid. Matt charged us, he knocked Puriel over and fell on his sword. It was an accident.” Which wouldn’t have happened, if I hadn’t let him out.
“Also,” I continued. “He saved me. More than once.”
“Right now we’re looking for Jess,” Sam said, “have you seen her?”
“Probably at the refugee camp,” he said. “I’m heading there myself. We haven’t got this much fresh blood in forever. Plus they’re all humans. It’s crazy out there.”
We continued through the forest, past the epic statue of the Colossus of Rhodes, his giant face half-swallowed by moss and ancient cedars. The field with the practice dummies was full of torches and roots, swinging swords and axes. We had to speak louder as the air filled with the sound of weapons striking wood and steel.