by Linsey Hall
I heard nothing but the slow breathing of sleep. Two people.
“They must have returned and gone to sleep,” I whispered against Cade’s ear.
He nodded, and we slipped inside the roundhouse.
My heart thundered so loudly in my ears that I couldn’t believe I didn’t wake them. But Cocidius slept soundly on a massive pile of furs.
Rowan slept nearby on a smaller pile, a heavy chain extending out from beneath her blanket.
Rage surged through me.
I dropped my invisibility and pointed to the chain, making sure that Cade saw it.
He nodded and walked over on silent feet, picking it up and snapping it like it was made of thread. The slight jingle of metal links made Rowan twitch, then sit upright.
Cade lunged, sliding his hand over her mouth. Her wide eyes met mine as I hurried over, praying for her to recognize me.
She did, her blue eyes flaring with joy and hope.
I nodded at Cade, and he dropped his hand and drew his sword, going toward Cocidius’s bedside. I looked back at Rowan, pulling the heavenly transport charm from my pocket.
Her gaze flashed to it, then clouded again.
No!
I lunged for her, trying to smack a hand over her mouth. She screamed before I could manage, the curse making her a slave to Cocidius’s will.
The god leapt up before Cade could reach him, drawing a sword from the ether. Cade struck with his own blade. Steel clashed against steel. Magic surged in the air. Two gods, blade to blade. Magic to magic. The force of it nearly sent me to my knees.
Gasping, I threw my arms around Rowan so she couldn’t escape.
She thrashed as I hurled the heavenly transport charm on the ground. Golden smoke billowed up. I dragged her into it, determined to save her whether she wanted it or not.
Cade could handle Cocidius, but only I could save my sister.
She thrashed and struggled, but I yanked her into the smoke. The tug of the ether pulled at me. A sense of victory soared in my chest.
I could save her.
But I stopped dead, unable to enter the ether.
Rowan pulled hard in the other direction, away from the portal.
That was impossible! She shouldn’t be able to fight its pull. I tightened my grip on her, trying to drag her through the temporary portal with me.
But she was stuck, as if something chained her to this realm. I glanced at her feet, looking for another chain.
Her elbow slammed into my head, and stars danced in my eyes. My breath heaved as I struggled, panic beating at my chest. I pulled harder, feeling like I was being torn in two by the pull of Rowan and the portal, both of which fought against each other.
Over her shoulder, Cade and Cocidius fought viciously, both of their wounds flowing with blood. They were very evenly matched, though Cade looked like he had a slight edge.
We had this! If only I could get Rowan away from here.
But some dark magic kept her from entering the portal. She was trapped here, somehow. Terrible dread weighed down my stomach.
Five guards rushed in, so fast that they had to have some kind of super speed. In a flash, they overpowered Cade. Just briefly. Just long enough for Cocidius to lunge for us.
He grabbed Rowan around the waist, yanking her away with his superior strength. Several strands of her hair came away in my hand, and she yelped in pain.
Cade broke away from the new attackers as Cocidius hurled a transport charm to the ground. Golden dust billowed into the room. He dragged Rowan through.
Away.
“No!” I raced after them, about to hurl myself into the portal.
Cade grabbed me around the waist. “Stop! You could end up in another god’s realm with no way to escape.”
“But Rowan!”
“You can’t rescue her if you’re a captive yourself. Or dead.”
He was right. Entering an unknown godly realm was a suicide mission.
And we had to save the captives here. I had made a promise. If I leapt into that portal, Cade would follow me. The people here needed us.
I shoved the strands of Rowan’s hair into my pocket—it was creepy, but it was the only physical part of Rowan I could hang onto—and drew my sword from the ether.
The guards who had attacked Cade rounded the edge of the now fading portal, their gazes on us.
“You bastards.” Rage flowed through me. Their interruption had given Cocidius the upper hand. He’d stolen my sister again.
I didn’t even bother to strike with my sword. I called the lightning from the sky. It cracked so loudly my head rang, spearing through the thatched roof and filling the room with a blinding white burst.
It struck them all dead in one blow.
Overhead, the thatch roof flamed. The red glow flickered on the crispy bodies of my enemies, and I left them to fry.
“I’m going to burn this whole place down.” Anger seethed in my voice, and I strode from the flaming roundhouse.
I called on my wings, exhilaration shooting through me as they unfurled from my back.
I launched myself into the sky, observing the chaos down below. My lightning strike had been the signal, and the fight had begun.
On the west side of the village, the fighters were trying to break into the armory. Those who had magic—fire and ice—were using it to take out the guards who blocked the way.
“Cade!” I shouted. “Go west, to the armory!”
He sprinted in that direction, moving so quickly he was almost a blur. They’d have their weapons soon enough.
I scanned the rest of the village, catching sight of Maira’s blond head. She grappled with three guards, managing to light one on fire with her magic. I swooped toward her, directing my lightning at the other two.
They lit up like electric popsicles, and a joyful vengeance surged through me. It was an uncomfortable sensation. It was so wrong. I didn’t want to enjoy it. But I did.
I landed in front of Maira, who watched me with wide eyes. “You really are as powerful as you said.”
I nodded. All around, people wearing collars peered out of buildings. “Let’s go destroy this damned potion.”
She grinned.
We turned and hurried the last few feet to the healer’s hut. The door swung open, revealing an empty space within.
“The bitch fled into the woods,” Maira hissed.
Honestly, I was pretty happy I didn’t have to face her. I had eyes only for the cauldron that glowed at the side the house.
Boris the rat stood on the bench next to it, his little paws pressed against it.
“He’s trying to tip it over,” Maira said.
“Then let’s help him.” I hurried to Boris and looked down at the tiny rat. “I always knew you were good people.”
He chittered at me, clearly irritated. “Get it done, already,” he was obviously saying.
I braced my hands against the rim of the cauldron that held the blue potion, my nose twitching at the disgusting scent of rotted garbage and gasoline. Maira joined me, and we heaved, straining to push over the cauldron.
It tilted, little by little, until it finally crashed to its side, spewing the contents over the floor. I ran around to the front of it, peering inside. A silver collar lay at the bottom.
“Light it up,” I said.
Maira shot her fire at the potion, which ignited immediately.
I looked at Boris. “Can you show me which ones are the healing potions?”
As the fire burned, devouring the potion, Boris ran to the shelves. He hopped onto them, chittering and pointing. I filled up a bag with them. My years scavenging to survive, particularly when we were young, made me loath to leave anything of value behind.
“What are you doing?” Maira asked.
“We need to be able to heal the wounded. Come on, fill a bag.”
We worked quickly, taking everything of value that Boris pointed out. When we were done, I turned back to the cauldron. The room was smoky and hot
as hell, but the potion was nothing but blackened char. Inside the tipped over cauldron, the silver collar was a lump of melted metal.
“Perfect.” I grinned, satisfaction coursing through me.
We ran from the house, Boris jumping onto my shoulder as I passed through the door.
Outside, the people wearing collars were pulling them off. They’d unsnapped once the magic had broken.
“Finally,” Maira said. She hurried toward one of the people and handed off the two bags of potions that we’d collected. “These are for the wounded. Protect them. Give them out when you can.”
The woman nodded vehemently. “I will.”
Maira turned back to me. “I’ll see you when this is over.”
“When we’re victorious.” I shot into the air, Boris hanging onto my shoulder and chittering away in my ear. “Probably should have caught a ride with someone else, pal.”
His annoyed squeaks said he agreed, but he clung fast to my shoulder.
I hovered in the air, taking in the scene. Cade stormed through the village, his sword drawn. He took out a soldier every three seconds on average, moving faster than anyone I’d ever seen. Mayhem had left the dogs and now blew fire at any soldier she could find, chasing them through the village.
Near the armory, the fighters used their stolen weapons. They swung swords, fired arrows, defended with shields, and stabbed with pikes. On the other side of the village, soldiers were harassing the slaves who’d worn the collars, trying to round them up.
Ruthlessly, I struck them down with lightning.
“Your reign of terror is over,” I screamed, so loudly that I shocked even myself.
Most looked up toward me, and I wondered what I looked like, flying in the sky on enormous wings of silver as lightning struck all around me.
“Run or die!” I yelled.
Most didn’t run, so I struck them down with lightning, guilt and satisfaction streaking through me. It was a gross combo. In a sense, it was good. For every evil soldier that fell, a former captive wasn’t being killed.
Still, I hated it.
I steeled myself, though, determined to finish the job.
Finally, the last of the soldiers had fled. The rest were dead. The woman with the bag of potions raced through the village, handing them out to the wounded. I tried to count the wounded as I landed near Cade and Maira, but it was too dark to see without my lightning.
Boris immediately leapt from my shoulder onto Cade, clearly preferring someone without wings. Fair enough. Rats weren’t meant to fly.
Blood streaked Maira’s face and poured from a wound on her arm. But her eyes were bright with joy.
“We did it,” she said. “You did it.”
“We all did.” I looked around as people gathered near. When it seemed like everyone was there, I spoke. “We didn’t kill Cocidius. I am sorry. But we will. Soon. He will never return here, and I will destroy this war camp so it cannot be re-used.”
“You can return home,” Cade said.
Smiles broke out amongst the crowd, then cheers and shouts.
“Leave here soon,” I said. “Gather your things so that I can destroy the buildings.”
Everyone nodded, shouting thanks before departing. Maira lingered.
“Do you want to come with us?” I asked. “There’s a portal to Earth.”
She shook her head. “I have family in my village. And I want to see to it that everyone returns safely. Some have been prisoners for years. They’ll need help finding their way home.”
I nodded, hugging her.
“Thank you,” she said.
“Thank you.” I pulled back. “We couldn’t have done it without you.”
“Come back and visit, if you like.”
“I just might.”
She looked at Cade. “You’re a proper god.”
He grinned and inclined his head.
She smiled at us, then turned and left. I stood next to Cade and Boris. Mayhem joined us. Once everyone had cleared out of the buildings, I struck each one with lightning, setting it aflame.
Last, I used my lightning to explode each of the rock platforms that made up the arena. Soon, it was nothing but rubble.
As I looked at the destruction surrounding us, satisfaction surged through me. I looked at Cade. “Let’s get out of here.”
We arrived back at the Protectorate exhausted and filthy. It’d taken us hours to find the portal again, but at least Cade had one transportation charm left once we arrived at Hadrian’s Wall. It allowed us to cover the last several hundred miles home quickly.
We appeared on the front lawn as dawn was peeking over the horizon. The castle’s windows glowed with warm golden light as gloaming turned to morning.
“Never seen anything look so good,” Cade said.
“I could eat a literal ton of food.”
We started for the stairs, Mayhem zipping off to immediately alert our friends that we were home. Boris chittered happily as we walked into the foyer.
“I don’t think he liked being the healer’s assistant,” Cade said.
“It looks like we have a new friend.”
Ana raced down the sweeping staircase, her gaze riveted to me. Cass followed her. They were both dressed in the same clothes as before, a clear indicator that they’d been busy this whole time as well. “Did you find her?”
“Yes. But I couldn’t save her. Not yet.” The disappointment that welled in me was reflected in Ana’s eyes.
She shook it away. “That’s okay. We will.”
“Did you have any luck?”
She nodded. “Yes. Cass helped me find the entrance to the goddess’s realm. We think she is Eris, the Greek goddess of discord and strife. But let’s call a meeting. The others will want to hear.”
I nodded, and thanked Cass, who smiled.
“Where’s Caro?” I asked. “Didn’t she go with you?”
“Yeah, but we ran into a sticky situation, and she got hit with a fireball,” Ana said. “She’s fine, just getting patched up.”
The things our friends risked for us…
Damn, we were lucky.
Mayhem zipped back through the room. “Did you find Jude and Hedy?”
She yipped.
“Can you tell them to meet us in the kitchen?” I thought my stomach was going to devour itself. Using all that magic—and the stress of losing Rowan—had left me famished.
Mayhem yipped again, and flew off.
We hurried down the stairs into the kitchen, where Hans bustled around the stove, his white apron covered in dusty flour.
A fire burned in the large hearth, and copper pans hung from the ceiling. The scent of freshly baked bread made my mouth water.
Hans looked up and grinned. “You look awful. Sit at the table.”
“Thanks, Hans.”
I lowered my aching body into a seat at the heavy round table in front of the hearth. Ana, Cass, and Cade joined me. Boris leapt onto the table, nose twitching.
“New friend?” Ana asked.
“Yep.” I rubbed his head with a single finger.
“I’ve got a couple of rat buddies you might like, Boris,” Cass said. “Ralph and Rufus.”
Boris tilted his head, considering.
Hans appeared with great bowls of steaming stew which caught Boris’s attention. New friends were interesting, but food was better.
Hans set the stew in front of us, along with bread and butter. Finally, glasses of red juice. He shook his finger at all of us. “Don’t forget your juice. Vitamins.”
I grinned. Boris chittered.
“I wouldn’t forget you,” Hans said. “I do not know who you are, but you are clearly a friend.”
He laid a little platter of cheese in front of Boris, who squeaked with delight.
We dug in, silently chowing down as memories of the fight rushed through my head. Ana was eating just as fast as we were.
“Did you just return?” I asked.
She nodded and swallowed. “W
e found a lead.”
“Good.”
Jude and Hedy hurried into the room, their eyes bright. Ali and Haris followed behind, dark circles under their eyes.
“Well?” Jude said.
“How did it go?”
I reached into my pocket and pulled out the few strands of mahogany hair, laying them on the table. “That’s all I have of my sister.”
“But she’s alive?” Hedy asked.
“Yes.” I explained to them what had happened.
“It sounds like there was a joining spell on her,” Hedy said. “She’s connected to Cocidius—maybe even the other gods—and cannot leave his side without his permission. You won’t be able to rescue her until you break the spell.”
“Which means that when she was attacking us in the fae realm, she had his permission to be there,” Ana said.
“Exactly,” Jude said.
“Is that why her eyes grow cloudy sometimes and she doesn’t recognize me?” I asked.
“So she does recognize you other times?” Hedy asked.
“Yes. Briefly, in flashes.”
Hedy smiled. “That’s good. No, it’s excellent. It means she’s fighting the spell. She’s trying to get away from him, to disobey his influence. Her strength increases your chances of success.”
Both Ana and I sagged in relief. If Rowan’s strength could help us, that was great. She had always been the strongest.
“How do we break the spell?” Cade asked.
Hedy pointed to the hairs. “Those will help. We may be able to get an idea of what the spell was if there’s still a trace of the magic on them. Just a hint is all we need.”
“Can you do that?” I asked.
“I have someone,” Hedy said. “Melusine, in The Vaults.”
I’d met the Ecklektica before. Just once, while visiting her shop.
Boris finished his cheese and hopped over to Hedy. She petted his head, and his little eyes closed.
Jude looked at Ana and Cass. “So you found the bloody goddesses realm?”
“Yep,” Ana said. “It’s on the island of Despotiko, in Greece. The entrance is through a temple that was built to worship Eris, the Greek goddess of strife. Apparently she would visit battlefields just because she liked it. Maybe that’s why she’s covered in blood.”