by Jaymin Eve
All of a sudden I wanted to sit down, because my legs felt a little wobbly.
“Are you okay, Will?” Rome moved closer to me, his concerned face swimming before mine.
“Does your power feel really drained all of a sudden?” I asked, having to clear my throat a few times. “Because I’m feeling a little weary.”
He wrapped his arms around me, lifting me into his warm body. “It’s been too long since you rested. Since you took power from us. You’re weakening yourself.”
Part of what he said was true, but there was a niggling worry deep inside that told me this wasn’t a normal “too much power usage, not enough sex” drain.
“Why did Coen suggest this place?” I asked, my eyes searching Rome’s. “And how far is this Peak from the cave entrance? Will it take them a long time to reach us?”
Rome nodded. “Unless they can take a pocket too, it will take them sun-cycles to reach us.” He shrugged. “And I’m guessing Coen was just aiming for the highest peak in Minatsol.”
Sun-cycles. That wasn’t good. Hopefully as the power returned to Minatsol, they’d be able to take a pocket to us.
“How large is the Great River,” I wondered, not sure how far it might spread across Minatsol.
Rome turned, holding me firmly. “Pretty large,” he said, staring out over my head. I’d been focussed on him, but I turned to the view then. “As I said, Champions Peak is pretty far from the banishment cave. But I can see the water.” He pointed out toward the setting sun.
“No freaking way!” I craned my neck further to take it all in.
He was right though. Way out in the distance, I could see trees being uprooted, debris flinging into the air. “I’ve never seen anything like that,” I choked out. “How is water so powerful?”
“When you think about it,” Rome said softly, “it’s the most powerful force in both worlds. Our very life force.”
Which made Staviti’s crimes all the worse. He’d deprived every other living being on these worlds from their life force.
“The others are going to be okay, right?”
Even though they were gods—even Emmy now—and they should all be fine in almost any situation, I’d never stop worrying about them.
“They’re at the base of the mountain,” Rome said, turning around. “They must have managed to take a pocket closer. I’m sure that’s them approaching.”
He strode toward the opposite side to where we’d been standing, the side that faced the ocean. The top of the stairs that had been carved into the mountain came into view. I could hear them now too, and my heart fluttered almost uncontrollably for a few beats.
Coen was first to appear, and I was pretty sure he’d forgotten he carried the dweller. She bounced about on his shoulder as he took the stairs five at a time, somehow not falling off the narrowly carved sections. When he landed on the top of the mountain, his eyes went straight to me. More specifically, to me in Rome’s arms.
“What’s wrong with Willa?” he demanded, storming across. The dweller was dumped to the side. “Are you okay?”
I nodded. “I was feeling a little weak and dizzy before. Rome’s just being overprotective. I can stand on my own.”
I was almost certain of that.
Coen’s expression deepened, and I mentally cursed when I realised he’d heard that thought.
“Put her down,” he told his twin.
Rome slowly lowered me to the ground, and I braced my knees, keeping them locked until my centre of balance kicked in. My legs wobbled a few times, but I managed to remain standing, straightening just as the last of my family appeared on the top of Champion’s Peak.
Emmy rushed straight to me. “What’s wrong with Willa?” she demanded with as much fire as Coen. Her head swung straight to Cyrus. “Her energy feels depleted, which is one of the weirdest things I’ve ever said, but I usually feel it swirling around her. It’s not the same.”
Cyrus took a click to examine me, first with his eyes, and then with a hand across my head. “Her energy is different,” he said slowly. “It almost feels like … that of a normal god now. Not as potent as before.”
Emmy wrapped both of her hands around my forehead, and the moment she touched Cyrus’s hand on my forehead, their combined glow shot to blinding levels.
“She feels more balanced,” Emmy murmured, and Cyrus grumbled, but didn’t disagree. “I think,” Emmy continued, “that Willa is like Staviti. She was filled with more power than she should have because Topia had more power than it should have. Or at least the parts of Topia that Staviti cultivated.”
“What … really?” I exclaimed, before shaking my head. “Why are you always so much smarter than everyone else?” I spun to my guys. “Did you all know that would happen?”
Five sets of eyes focussed on me. “Personally, I suspected there was a possibility,” Aros admitted. “But it didn’t seem like something to stress about until it happened.”
The others nodded.
I wasn’t sure how I felt in that moment. I’d been powerful for such a short amount of time, and I’d had great plans of what I could do to help the worlds with my gifts. But I’d also seen first-hand how power could corrupt, and I truly believed that no god should have more than their share.
“You still are, and always will be, a creator,” Cyrus told me, attempting to be supportive. “Now though, you are balanced, like all gods.”
I nodded. “You know what, I can live with that.”
There was a groan then, from behind, and I remembered we had a kidnapped dweller in our midst. She was once again pushing herself up from the ground, waxy eyes moving slowly between us. “What—what is happening?” she asked mechanically.
“You tried to stop me from taking your book,” Cyrus replied drily, crossing his arms. “I don’t take kindly to anyone stopping me from doing my job.”
She managed to get herself into a half-sitting position. “Those books are kept in our sacred temple for a reason,” she spat out, a little more animation in her voice. “Tell me you didn’t lose it?”
Cyrus lifted an eyebrow. “I didn’t lose it. It’s currently floating in the Great River.”
Her eyes bulged, accentuating their unnatural sheen. “You … you freed the Great River?”
We all nodded.
“We’re all dead,” she choked out. “Staviti … he will not allow you to return things to the old ways. He has contingencies in place for that. He will kill everyone and trap their souls. It’s already starting.” She lurched to her feet, her body moving stiffly, her robes askew. “You have to stop it …” She trailed off, then, and her eyes rolled into the back of her head. Her body seized up, falling backwards and hitting the ground, her waxy eyes staring up at the sky, unblinking.
“What the fuck—” Cyrus started, striding forward and staring down at her limp form. “What was that?”
He spun around, exchanging a look with Emmy before bending down to the guardian, his hands passing over her wrist before quickly pulling back. “She’s cold. I’m not sure she even had a pulse to begin with.”
“This definitely looks like a contingency to me,” Siret noted, staring at the guardian. “She might be right. It’s possible we just triggered something monumentally bad.”
“What the hell do we do now?” Yael was pacing back and forth, his hands in his hair. “What did she say, again? Staviti is going to kill everyone and trap their souls? And it’s already starting?”
“Meaning we started it,” I added, nausea rolling inside of me. “But what did she mean by everyone?”
We all stood around uselessly for a moment, before drifting to the edge where we had a full view of the valley below and the roiling mass of water that was still rushing through the lands in the distance. It looked like it was moving out into the deserts that were visible as well, far out in the distance.
“The water isn’t going to settle anytime soon,” Cyrus noted. “And we don’t have enough power between us to create another pocket. We
’re in Minatsol, and the source of our energy is in Topia. Even with the waters running through both worlds, it’s going to take a long time before the full balance between the two worlds is returned.”
“And I’ve spent everything I have,” I admitted, moving to lean against Aros for support. His hand found the dip of my waist, his arm wrapping around my back.
He smelled amazing, even after dashing for his life and climbing a mountain. There wasn’t a single drop of sweat on his skin and his hair was windswept, a salty texture clinging to the golden strands. He glanced down at me, and warmth spread through me as we shared a brief moment. I could see the exhaustion in the tightness around his mouth, and I knew that the others would show similar signs of wear.
“We need to regroup,” I decided aloud, tearing my eyes from Aros to look at the water again. “Rest. Eat. Regain our strength, and most importantly of all … we need to figure out what Staviti’s plan is before we set off any more contingency plans. People’s lives are obviously at stake. We need to figure out who his targets are so that we can protect them.”
“Maybe we’re the targets?” Emmy asked. “We’ve been his focus this whole time.”
“The guardian said that everyone would die.” Siret seemed to be thinking out loud as he fixed his intense, golden-green stare on the valley below. “This seems to be a larger contingency plan than we could have ever prepared for. But you’re right”—he turned away from the water, meeting my eyes, his features dark with trepidation—“there’s nothing we can do right now. We do need to regroup. The facilities are still here, though I’m sure the sols have all been evacuated. We can stay here this night and hopefully the waters will have settled by tomorrow.”
As though all simultaneously reminded of Rau and Staviti’s attack on Champion’s Peak, we all turned and sought the charred rubble of what had once been the main hall.
“Well,” Siret amended. “Maybe not all the facilities. Let’s go check it out.”
“Pair up,” Coen demanded. “We’ll cover more ground that way. Willa, you’re with me. We’ll check the lower-level residences, since that’s where we’re clearly staying this time. Emmy and Neutral, check the offices, the healing room, and the kitchens. Bring whatever supplies you find back here. Strength, Seduction, Persuasion, and Trickery—stick together. Search the dweller cells and the lower levels, make sure there aren’t any stragglers still hanging around the mountain, but be careful. If those servers that Staviti weaponised and brainwashed are still here, they might be dangerous.”
“Shouldn’t we all stick together, then?” I asked nervously.
“No, it’s better for us to split up,” Cyrus replied for him. “The mountain was designed with caves running deep. The lowest levels are for the prisoners and servers, but I’m sure they’re gone by now. It is still best to check though.”
I nodded. “Okay then. Let’s meet back here in one rotation. That should give everyone enough time.”
Everyone nodded and began to walk toward the areas they were to search. Emmy and Cyrus branched off first, since the main administration-type caves had all been on the first level, and the rest of us descended the winding mountain stairs to the lower levels.
“Be safe,” Rome warned, preparing to leave us and explore those lowest levels.
“You be safe,” I shot back before turning to follow Coen into the tunnel.
“Wait,” Siret called out, jogging after us and meeting us at the entrance.
He stopped beside me but didn’t say anything more; instead, he reached up behind me and touched the glass lantern that had been attached to the stone wall. It filled with a warm, golden glow, and then the next lantern flared to life. In small, happy puffs, each lantern along the wall flared to life, until the entire tunnel was illuminated, just as it had once been. I grabbed Siret before he could walk away, and my hands slipped to either side of his face. The exhaustion was there for him, too, and I realised suddenly that I hadn’t just been expelling my energy.
I had been spending theirs as well.
“Don’t do that for any of the other tunnels,” I warned him, quickly pushing myself to my toes so that I could reach his mouth.
He lowered his head, our lips meeting in a strong kiss despite how drained we both were. His arms slipped around me, crushing me against him, and we only broke apart when Coen cleared his throat in an amused sort of way. Siret set me down, taking a step back and casting a wry grin at Coen.
“I won’t,” he promised. “We can all use this level tonight.” With that, he turned and rejoined the others, and I continued down the newly illuminated tunnel with Coen. We opened each door as we passed, checking for sols, dwellers, or an unlikely armed server, until one particular room caused me to pause.
“Wait.” I put my hand on Coen’s stomach, stepping past him into the room before he could close the door.
It was a well-organised room, with a made bed and several bookshelves that hadn’t been present in the other rooms. There was also a table beneath one of the windows, filled with paper, maps, and other random things.
“I sense Cyrus,” I said.
Coen looked a little closer, his eyes flicking toward the bedding on the floor. “Definitely Cyrus and Emmy.”
I scowled remembering how the Neutral God had once forced Emmy to sleep on his floor, but I quickly pushed the resentment aside. He was one of us, now. He was my family.
“Let’s start on this room,” I suggested, walking over to remove the bedding. “Emmy and Cyrus can share it for some privacy.”
I opened the trunk at the end of the bed, prepared to stuff the bedding from the floor in it, but it was already full of fresh bedding.
“Oh,” I muttered. “That’s where the fresh sheets were kept all this time.”
Coen laughed, moving to help me strip the main bed. It had only been a moon-cycle or so since we’d been at Champion’s peak, but one of the windows had been left partially open, so the bedspread was damp from the salty sea air and a film of dust covered everything.
“You never were very good at the domestic dweller tasks,” he admitted as we switched the old bedding with the clean stuff in the trunk. Together we clumsily coordinated in making the bed again.
“Who was making our bed while we were at Champion’s Peak?” I asked, confused. “It was made every sun-cycle and I didn’t even know about it.”
“Probably a random server or dweller.” He shrugged. “Yael and Siret made it once—but don’t tell them I told you that.”
I smiled. “How’d they do?”
“They made it just like you do. They tucked the sheet into the wrong end.”
I laughed, and for a brief moment lightness filled my heart. It had been too long since we’d just laughed at nothing. We finished the bed in silence, removing one of the outside lanterns from its hook and bringing it inside before closing all the windows. We left that room and inspected the others, finding them all empty. When we entered the large common room that the gods had shared on that level, I knelt by the fireplace, closing my eyes and placing my hand against the wooden logs that sat there, half-smouldered and forgotten. My energy was only a faint stir in the pit of my stomach, but I coaxed it out and thought about lighting a spark to start the wood burning.
“Uh, Willa,” Coen said from behind me.
I blinked my eyes open, seeing that I had, indeed, lit the fire again … with my hand still in it. I quickly jerked it back with a screech, but it hadn’t harmed me in any way. We stoked the fire until light and warmth filled the room, and then we walked around, picking up a few fallen chairs—probably pushed over in the panic of the attacks on the top of the mountain. Only one wall of this room had windows, and they had been closed since the mountain had been abandoned, so we cracked open two of them an inch to allow some oxygen into the space before we continued on to the connected rooms that I had shared with the Abcurses.
We found the room with the beds that they had pushed together and began to change those sheets, findin
g fresh ones in the chests of the adjoining rooms—since some irresponsible dweller had neglected to replenish whatever was supposed to be in the Abcurses’ rooms. We brought a lantern into that room, too, and then after we were done, we made our way back to the main corridor, taking the steps leading up the side of the mountain. It was dark, now, the moon high in the sky, and a light splattering of rain from some scattered clouds sprinkled over us as we dragged our feet up to the top of the mountain. It made me glad for my leather outfit because it shielded me from the icy chill of the wind—but I was more than ready to switch it out for something fresh. There was no way I was going to tell Siret that, though. He needed to not waste what remained of his energy on clothing for me.
When we reached the top of the mountain, it was bare but for the remains of the hall. The moonlight glinted off the charred, broken pieces of furniture, huge slabs of marble stacked haphazardly on top of each other. Coen led me further away from the ocean side of the mountain, hiding us from the spattering of rain beneath the cover of trees. There, we settled in to wait for the others.
Fourteen
“How are you feeling?” he asked me, his hands running up and down my arms as though he could sense that the leather was starting to become uncomfortable. He probably had sensed that.
“I’m okay,” I told him, mostly being honest.
He rolled his eyes a little. “Let’s try again. On a scale of one to ten, how completely shit do you feel, baby?”
“I prefer scales of one to five,” I shot back, poking my tongue out at him.
“Good,” he muttered, grabbing my face and pulling it to his, capturing my tongue before I could pull it back in. His teeth nipped sharply, his power leaking out along my jawline and making me shiver. Suddenly I was filled with an overwhelming emotion, and I barely had time to examine it before I was throwing myself at Coen in a powerful kiss. My arms wrapped around his neck, and his hands wrapped around my thighs, helping me to secure my legs around his waist. His power leaked out again, moving from my jaw to the back of my neck, and fissuring through the tight ball of emotion that had lodged itself in my throat, somehow relaxing me.