Goddess Ascending

by Heather Hildenbrand

  “She did this to herself, child. Trying to save you, I might add. A pointless attempt.”

  The energy inside me surges anew. I fling my hand up, and the same liquid from before shoots from my open palm. It hits Nyx in the throat, wrapping around her flawless skin and squeezing.

  Her eyes go wide, and she claws at the mystery-liquid now choking her. It solidifies around her skin, and she lets out a strangled gasp. Then she stops struggling and shoots a layer of fog at her throat. Instantly, my magic melts away, and Nyx draws a deep breath.

  “Stupid, fucking mortal bodies,” she mutters.

  I blink at that, confused. “I thought I was the mortal one,” I blurt.

  She glares at me. “Exactly. A fact that should make all of this so much easier.”

  She raises her hand. Fog shoots from her open palm, but the shot goes crooked as Nyx is knocked from behind by a big ball of tawny fur.

  I scramble sideways to avoid a collision, and the night goddess faceplants into the frozen grass. Before she can move, I shoot her with another coating of whatever weirdo choking goo my body has decided to manufacture. I don’t stop until she’s completely covered and immobilized from the hardening of it against her limbs.

  “Elidi.”

  My head snaps up, and I look straight into a pair of familiar gray eyes. “Kol.” My heart leaps into my throat. “You came.”

  “I’ll always come for you,” he says in a rough voice.

  Before he can say more, the winged monsters held at bay by Nyx charge straight for him. Kol leaps at them, shifting in midair and coming down again on all four paws. He’s a whirlwind of biting and clawing and murder as he tears into two Silenci at once.

  Get Aerina out of here!

  I don’t need to be told twice.

  With one arm completely useless, I do my best to drag Aerina awkwardly toward the trees. I’m halfway there when I spot a figure careening toward me at a speed that my eyes can barely track.

  I halt, my breath catching at the possibility that Nyx has brought friends to help kill me. But then, I see the low-cut gown and familiar brown braid trailing behind. My belly stirs with attraction even as I mentally roll my eyes at myself.

  “Iynx,” I say. “What are you doing here?”

  “Give her to me.” Iynx reaches down and scoops Aerina into her arms.

  “Is she—” I can’t bring myself to say it.

  “She’s alive.” Iynx runs a hand over Aerina’s face and throat, and I watch as something gray is pulled out of Aerina’s skin into Iynx’s hand.

  “I’ll take her to my place and do what I can,” Iynx says.

  “Thank you,” I say gratefully.

  She nods at me then reaches for my injured arm, letting her hand pass quickly down the length of it. There’s a spark, and then feeling returns with a searing pain shooting straight down to my fingertips.

  I gasp, shrinking away from Iynx’s magic, but she’s already done.

  “It’ll hold for a little while. Then you’ll need to get the poison properly removed,” she says quickly. Then she shoves me toward Finn’s house. “Go. Save the others. Already, I can feel her regathering her power.”

  With a final parting glance aimed at Iynx then Aerina, I turn and run.

  The lawn is a graveyard of Silenci. For a second, the sight of so many of them lying bloody is horrifying. Then a sort of grim satisfaction washes over me, and my eyes land on Nyx. She’s still on the ground, but only her legs remain bound.

  Something crashes from inside, and I look over to see Helix running for the front door only to be stopped short by a Silenci’s massive body suddenly blocking his way. Helix growls and snaps at it, and they both disappear inside, a blur of teeth and claws. Finn follows behind, his teeth bared as he lunges at The Silenci from behind.

  I hesitate, wanting to go help them.

  Then a wolf howl splits the air, and I spot Kol locked in a morbid dance with two Silenci. His right hip is bloody, and his throat is caked in black liquid. His right back paw hangs weirdly from the joint, and he’s hopping rather than walking. He’s only barely dodging their attacks now, and I take off at a run for where he’s being backed against Finn’s truck.

  Halfway there, magic hits me, slicing down my spine like an invisible blade. I stumble then go down. At the last second, I twist my body, taking the brunt of the fall on my shoulder instead.

  I scramble to sit up. Nyx looms over me, her black eyes blazing in fury. Fog drips from her fingertips and coats her body, already crawling toward me. The first tendrils touch my toes, sending a deeper chill into my bones.

  “Bitch,” she hisses. “You have been a thorn in my side since the day you were made. But that ends now.”

  She towers over me, black fog pouring from her mouth onto my skin. It traps me instantly, paralyzing the rest of me with whatever poison it holds. A demon-horse falls hard then slides across the grass, bumping me before it comes to a stop. Its gaping eyes and half-open mouth both leak with the same poison now slowly making its way through my own veins.

  I’m too numb to move away. The cold, the poison, and her magic have drained me.

  Nyx glares down at me as the fog continues to coat my body.

  “Kol,” I whisper.

  Barely a second later, a blur of sandy-white fur crashes into the dark goddess, and they both go tumbling. The fog curling around me doesn’t budge, but it does stop thickening. I struggle against it, gritting my teeth in an attempt to lift my arm. My fingers twitch, but that’s as far as I get.

  I can only sit, immobile, and watch as Kol’s teeth sink into Nyx’s arm. She cries out and claws at him, her nail digging into the open wound on his hip. He howls and twists away before doubling back, but the limp slows him down, and she dodges him easily, her magic carrying her out of his reach.

  The fog around me tightens into a squeeze, stealing my ability to breathe as she focuses on Kol.

  She’s playing, I realize, with both of us. Toying with us until she finally tires and kills us both.

  The energy surges inside me, heating at the thought of Nyx getting her way, and I strain to reach my magic. It’s there. Boiling inside me. I can feel it. I just pray it’ll be enough.

  With a final, gasping breath, I raise my good arm and shoot.

  Chapter Twenty

  With a sizzle that burns through the condensation hanging in the air, a ribbon of black fire shoots out of my hand. It hits my ankle and slices clean through the foggy tendrils holding me down then blinks out.

  A blur of gray fur darts by me, snarling. I sit up and watch Helix join Kol’s fight against Nyx. Her fog burns patches of fur from their bodies. She laughs as they circle around her, searching for an opening.

  There isn’t one.

  Nyx looks as fresh as ever. Still playing, she begins to wield her fog like a spear. When she stabs Helix in the throat, drawing a thick wave of blood, he whimpers before going down hard in the frozen grass.

  “No,” I croak. My chest heaves, and I struggle to crawl toward him.

  Kol takes over now, hopping around and striking out with his teeth at the night goddess. She stands over him, smiling in a way that leaves no doubt he poses zero threat to her.

  My throat tightens, this time in fear as Nyx raises her hand.

  Rather than jump out of the way, Kol stops and turns to look at me. Our eyes meet, and I see the acceptance in his gaze.

  An apology laces through my mind. I’m so sorry, Elly.

  My heart breaks.

  “Kol,” I whisper.

  Nyx smiles. Behind her, a figure moves in the open doorway. A wolf. Dark brown with eyes the color of honey. Finn.

  His teeth are pulled back in a silent snarl aimed at Nyx. Blood drips from his jowls. But he looks strong and mostly unharmed and utterly vicious as he stalks out the door toward the night goddess. She doesn’t see him until he’s almost upon her. Too busy aiming what I’m almost positive will be a killing blow for Kol.

  I inhale sharply.
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  Finn leaps the moment before the magic she has aimed at Kol unleashes. The shot goes wild, missing Kol by several inches as Finn rips into Nyx.

  He narrowly misses her throat, instead tearing her shoulder with a snarl that sends a chill through me. There’s violence in his brown eyes, sharper and uglier than any version of Finn I’ve witnessed in the year I’ve known him.

  He rips a chunk of Nyx’s flesh off and spits it away then goes back for more.

  Something brushes my shoulder.

  It’s just me, I hear in my mind as Kol rubs his coat along my back in silent comfort.

  Helix appears on my other side. They press against me, warming me.

  “Are you all right?” I ask him.

  His tongue darts out and swipes down the back of my hand. It’s rough and a little wet, and I scrunch my nose, smiling up at him.

  Message received.

  Nyx screams, shattering the silence, and overhead, thunder rattles the sky. I look back at where she stands bleeding in front of Finn. Her arm is hanging limp, rivers of blood pouring from the hole Finn’s teeth left. But despite the pain, she stares back at him, determined.

  Finn’s eyes gleam, egging her on.

  I can feel Nyx gathering her power now. As if to show the rest of us what she can do, storm clouds gather overhead. Black fog swirls at her feet. Columns of smoke fill her outstretched hands, stiffening and lengthening into spears. In her eyes is pure murder.

  Finn tips his head back and lets loose with a howl.

  One by one, The Silenci still breathing get to their feet. Their movements are slow and forced, but they wander closer to the showdown between Finn and Nyx, their wings twitching as they move.

  More Silenci arrive from the sky, dropping out of the clouds and onto the ground. They surround us, and I can feel Helix and Kol tense. Nyx’s lips curl in a snarl.

  “You’ve made a mistake, errand boy,” she says, and her words drip with loathing. “My army will eat you alive and spread your bones over this frozen wasteland of a planet.”

  Finn shifts suddenly, standing in tiny shorts.

  “You’re the one who’s mistaken. This army,” he says, gesturing to the monsters pressing in behind him. “They don’t belong to you anymore.”

  Nyx falters. “What?” she hisses.

  “They’re mine,” he says. “Kill the night goddess!”

  The Silenci howl and charge.

  “This isn’t finished,” she yells as she turns to run.

  With her goddess speed, she vanishes in a puff of black smoke, her raging scream fading into the woods. The Silenci take off after her, their wings lifting them skyward as they pursue their new prey.

  I blink at the yard strewn with the fallen demon-horses. Blood coats the small patches of snow, and in several places, the ground is burned and smoking lightly. Beyond that is what’s left of Finn’s house. Shards of glass litter the front walk, and the empty doorway offers a glimpse of more destruction inside.

  My eyes land on Finn who is staring back at me.

  Finn walks toward me but stops short when Helix growls a warning at him.

  “El,” Finn says. His dark eyes are lined with exhaustion, and his shoulders are sagging as he stands before me.

  “How?” I say simply.

  He holds up his palm, revealing a fresh scar.

  “Ruling over The Silenci requires a blood bond.”

  His brow is lined with sweat, and I realize the bond he’s made is taking more than just his blood to maintain.

  “I can hold them off you,” he says. “You won’t have to worry about them anymore. But Nyx is a different story. She’ll be back. And you can’t be here when she returns.”

  Kol and Helix shift back.

  “He’s right. We need to go,” Helix says urgently. “Now.”

  I assess Finn’s strained features and shake my head.

  “We’ll never make it to the portal in time.”

  “There’s another portal,” Finn says. “Inside. Aerina created it in case of emergency.”

  I struggle to my feet and attempt to follow, but my steps are too slow for Helix. He huffs and scoops me up, carrying me the rest of the way.

  Kol scowls but says nothing as he limps behind us and follows us inside.

  Finn’s waiting at the fireplace. When he sees us, he turns to the brick and draws some sort of symbol in the air with his finger. When he’s finished, a silvery window appears, offering a brief glimpse of the desert.

  “This portal is only going to last about thirty seconds,” he warns.

  “Where will it take us?” I ask as Helix carries me closer.

  “Aerina charmed it so that it’ll deliver you wherever she is,” Finn says, and Helix stops.

  “You had a portal that led to her this whole time, and you didn’t tell me?” I feel bitter about this betrayal more than any of the others.

  Finn sighs. “It wasn’t safe before, El. Not when we didn’t know who had her. They could have been waiting for you on the other side. Ready to kill you the moment you stepped through.”

  “I trusted you. And you just keep lying.”

  “I saved you, El,” Finn pleads. “Can’t that be enough?”

  “Sure, thank you for saving me after causing this shit storm in the first place,” I say.

  His face falls.

  “You need to go,” he says quietly. “Before the portal closes.”

  The silver shimmers, and Helix carries me toward it. I glance back to make sure Kol’s following. He reaches for me, and I don’t even hesitate. I grab Kol’s hand and hold tight to Helix as he steps through the portal and straight into Iynx’s wall of goo.

  Behind us, I hear the boom of thunder that can only mean Nyx has returned. Helix shoves harder into the slime; the thunder ceases, and I know I’ve left Finn and his betrayals behind.

  Chapter Twenty-One

  Aerina draws a ragged breath then coughs weakly before falling back to the pillow. I bite my tongue to keep from frowning or showing some sign of my worry for her, but she’s too perceptive and rolls her eyes when I try to offer her more tea.

  “No more,” she complains in a raspy voice. “My insides are drowning in that damn stuff.”

  “Iynx says it’ll help you heal,” I remind her.

  “I’ve been chugging it for two days, El.” Her voice softens, and I know she’s trying to cushion the hard truth for me. “If Iynx’s tea was going to help me heal, it would have happened already. What Nyx did to me is beyond the scope of a tea, honey.”

  She’s right although none of us have said it out loud yet. Leave it to Aerina to cut right to it.

  “We just need to wait a little longer until we can get a healer,” I say, but Aerina shakes her head.

  “They’re not going to come,” she says. “Not when the first two were killed trying to get close. Nyx is going to make sure we’re trapped here until she can find a way in.”

  She’s not wrong.

  The portal we used at Finn’s was apparently unique enough to track, thanks to Aerina’s magic signature. For two days, Nyx has camped outside the walls of Iynx’s wards, trying her damnedest to get inside. So far, she hasn’t breached the magic Iynx weaved against her, but it’s only a matter of time.

  I need a plan.

  I need Aerina well enough to run.

  “Exactly why you should be building your strength,” I remind her and hold out the tea again.

  Aerina groans but takes the mug, probably only to shut me up. She sips, her face contorting at the bitterness of the medicine Iynx has brewed, then hands it back.

  “It gets worse every time,” she mutters.

  “I think she added some more herbs to it,” I admit.

  “Of course she did,” Aerina moans.

  “She’s trying to help,” I say, and Aerina attempts a smile.

  “I know. And I’m very grateful she’s done so much to keep us both safe.” She pats my hand. “You’re allowed to be angry with me, you know.” />
  I shake my head. “Of course I’m not angry.”

  She scowls. “Don’t you dare hold back because you feel sorry for me. I don’t regret wanting to protect you, but I can see I made a mess of things.”

  I hesitate to say anything, unsure how to respond. She’s right. Things are a hot mess. We’ve covered a little bit of ground since she woke yesterday, starting with the fact that she never told me I was a goddess. Apparently, she made a pact with my mother about keeping it a secret for my protection. But neither of us has brought up the elephant in the room that is the emotional wreckage caused by my trip to Finn’s.

  “Where is your guardian?” she asks.

  “I already told you. I don’t officially have—”

  “Horse shit. You might not have taken the bond, but any fool can see Kol Valco is your chosen guardian.”

  “How can you be so sure?” I ask. “You don’t know anything about him.”

  “During the few times I’ve convinced you to go shower or sleep, I’ve had visitors.”

  “Kol came to see you?”

  “He’s worried about you,” she says softly.

  It’s getting harder and harder to hold onto my anger, so I’ve resorted to avoidance.

  “He says you haven’t spoken to him since you got back,” she presses.

  “I’m trying to focus on getting you better,” I say, and she groans.

  “Goddess above, do not use me as an excuse to avoid your problems, young lady. I taught you better than that.”

  I sigh. “He lied to me.”

  “So did I,” she points out.

  “Yeah, everyone seems to like lying to me.”

  Aerina’s eyes narrow then close, and she exhales. “I’m sorry about Finn, sunshine. He fooled us all.”

  “It’s not just the betrayal,” I say, refusing to give in to the tears that burn my eyes at the mention of his name. “I still don’t understand why he called Nyx only to turn on her in the end.”

  “His behavior is confusing, for sure. And something I intend to investigate. I trusted him with your life, and while I’m glad he stepped up in the end, the danger he put you in is inexcusable. It’s a matter the Eggther take seriously.”