Chapter 31
Having to change a good plan made Bellanca want to spit olive pits in someone’s eye.
It had been so simple and efficient. Go home, take that bath she desperately wanted, gather weapons, stop the evening sacrifice, and challenge Eryx. Their new army would discreetly position themselves around the temple square. No one would fly over the high wall to the stones below, Eryx would die, and Atlantis would gain magic.
Now, she had no idea what would happen, and their priority had to be getting the children back to their families. She didn’t have the amulet, Hera was about to set Eryx on a path to even more power and violence, and she had no way to ignite magic for the island.
She tipped her head back and gave the stink eye to the entire cosmos as she growled in frustration. With any luck, Zeus might hear her and deign to get involved in his own issues for once instead of just plopping people down in roughly the right place and hoping they figured it all out for him.
Hands on her hips, she focused her attention on the now almost-empty hillside. At least Dex, Silas, and Pav—who’d all gone from centaur and back—seemed to have nerves of steel and had helped them rally the anxious men and corral the traumatized children. They’d paired kids with soldiers who lived in the same general areas of Atlantapol and begun sending them home over the hill, little by little. They couldn’t hold the kids or the soldiers back from their families after everything they’d been through, but there was no way word wouldn’t spread about what had happened, and she had no idea how any of that would play out for them.
Worse, every single soldier who didn’t immediately report back to Eryx would be committing treason. He was still king, after all—until she stopped him.
A smile cut her face like a knife as she watched the final group crest the hill and disappear down the far side of it. She couldn’t wait to see Eryx’s expression when she challenged him. With or without the Shard of Olympus, she’d still end his reign and take his island.
With everyone else on the path to home now, only Dex and Silas remained with them in the valley, waiting for them at the base of the hill. Bellanca turned and walked over to where Carver stood with the horses, the animals now free of any gear. They’d stashed what they couldn’t carry home in a little rock cavern near the edge of the woods and would leave the horses here. Carver stood head against head with Zeph, both of them quiet and still.
“We’ll come back for them.” She reached out and stroked Arete’s smooth, brown neck. The mare nickered and turned to her. While the soldiers had been wary of the horses, both animals had received copious amounts of attention from the children. The horses had done more to calm and distract the terrified kids than any of the rest of them.
Arete nudged her chest and gently nibbled at the buckle of her leather armor. Bellanca breathed in the scents of grass and horse and leather, her smile melancholy. Animals were healers in their own right, soothing and patient, and her heart pinched at the thought of leaving the horses. She knew it broke Carver’s, but they’d agreed that the upcoming days were too uncertain to risk bringing the horses into the city yet. Horses were a rarity in Atlantapol and would instantly draw attention. Now that they’d lost the shard to Hera, they wanted to confront Eryx on their own time and terms rather than have him confront them. And if somehow everything went wrong, they’d also both rather Zeph and Arete run free than end up in someone else’s hands—especially Eryx’s.
“They’ll graze and explore, and we know there are no centaurs to bother them.” Centaurs didn’t tolerate normal horses. They didn’t tolerate anything. She gave Arete a final pat and stepped back from her, sighing. “They’ll have each other.”
Carver nodded as he slowly ran a hand down the blaze on Zeph’s forehead. Finally, he shuffled back to join her, his feet heavy. “I hope they won’t stray too far from the valley.”
Gods, his voice. So dampened and quiet, it screamed his sadness.
Her eyes hot, though not with magic, she reached for his hand and started toward the others. “They’re too smart to go farther north where it’s more dangerous. Besides, they’ll wait for us.” And if for some reason they couldn’t come back, the horses would live out the rest of their lives in the meadows and woodlands north of Atlantapol. “They might even start a family.” There’d been times they’d had to keep them apart to prevent it. Without their interference, there was a good chance of a foal on the horizon.
Inhaling deeply, Carver looked straight ahead, his silence filling her ears.
They walked toward Dex and Silas. The four of them would be the last over the hill. They’d split up before entering the city and then meet again before the evening sacrifice to see what Eryx did—and if he already had the Shard of Olympus.
She squeezed Carver’s hand. “I’m glad you have an army to lead again, even if it’s a small one for the moment.” He was made for leading soldiers, and that was something coming to Atlantis with her could’ve so easily taken from him. And it had for a while. Carver had been willing—she knew that—but it didn’t make the reality of losing leadership over a significant army any easier.
Carver swept his gaze up the hillside. Clearing his throat, he said, “Nothing went as planned, but it’s not all bad. Hera’s spell healed everyone. And they all witnessed what she’s capable of. Word will spread, and it’ll help us, not Eryx.”
“Or Hera.” The goddess’s betrayal of her sacred duties could never play in her favor. Eryx might raise Atlantis in her name, but would Atlantians still love her? “We lost the element of surprise,” Bellanca added, worried about how that might affect what came next.
Carver shrugged. “Did we still have it? Eryx knew someone was up to something. It’s why the soldiers followed us north so quickly.”
“But he didn’t have the amulet, and his ceremony is useless without it. Hera will give it to him, and he’ll do whatever she wants.” She unlatched her hand from Carver’s, aggravation heating her skin. Her magic wouldn’t hurt him anymore, but irritation was a solitary thing, and she needed room to steam. “We can’t just fight Eryx now. We have to counter Hera’s false claims of benevolence instead of igniting magic and simply giving Zeus credit for it.”
“The coming battle isn’t just about the throne anymore—or even raising Atlantis. It’s about information and making sure the truth spreads faster than lies.” Carver nodded ahead, toward civilization. “It’s a good thing we have witnesses.”
Dex and Silas fell into stride with them as they started up the hill. They walked in silence for the first few minutes, but soon, curiosity got the better of the two men. It was the first time they’d been able to talk without anyone else around, and she could tell they were bursting with questions.
Silas finally gave a wry shake of his head. “I always knew you two were different. I just never thought this different.”
Carver’s reluctant smile echoed the one she gave, too. “We’re not that different.” He glanced at her, his brows lifting. “Well, I’m not.”
“And I won’t be either once ancestral Magoi get their magic back,” she said.
Neither Dex nor Silas looked convinced by that.
Dex kept sliding her oblique looks, as if he wanted to stare but wouldn’t let himself. “I was always told power levels between Magoi varied a lot. I doubt just any Magoi can do what you did—or would even be willing to try. You fought an Olympian and survived . You saved us and the children.” The mix of awe and faith in his voice reminded Bellanca of the way people used to respond to Cat. Queen wasn’t just a title when people looked at you that way. It was a responsibility that locked into place.
Her stomach turned to lead. “Fought and lost. Hera got what she wanted.”
“I wouldn’t be so sure of that,” Dex said, looking at her more firmly now.
Silas nodded. “Victory isn’t about one battle. And everyone in that valley today owes you their life—and their loyalty. I know I do.” He seemed to have already put a crown on her head, and she couldn’t help but feel its weight and pressure. His mouth twitched with more words that wouldn’t come out. He swallowed, then more hoarsely, he said, “And you know what? I’m sorry I stood by and watched Eryx’s cruelty all these years and didn’t lift a finger. I protected him. And I’m disgusted with myself.”
“Gods, I feel the same.” Dex dropped his gaze. “I’m so ashamed.”
Bellanca exhaled heavily. She knew that feeling. And she knew redemption didn’t happen overnight. It happened one decision after another, until you cleaned your heart of guilt. “It’s okay. We don’t always know there’s a battle to win before someone else starts the fight. What matters is what comes next, and every choice from now on.”
The cynical curl to Dex’s lips felt like a mirror to her own path to peace with herself. “You’re more forgiving than you should be.”
She snorted. “That’s new. I must be evolving.”
Carver’s smile actually reached his eyes. “Atlantis must be good for you.”
“Sure.” She spread her hands, shrugging. “If it doesn’t get me killed.”
Her words murdered his smile. And she regretted them.
“ Can you die?” Silas asked, utterly serious.
His question was so ridiculous that her snort carried true humor this time. “Yes—definitely.”
“Let’s try to avoid it,” Carver muttered, his humor still dead.
Bellanca understood. He’d seen her nearly die in Thalyria, and she’d believed him lost to her just days ago. His terror as he’d clasped her hand and she’d breathed what should’ve been her final breaths was so real to her now after what happened in the cove. And she should’ve known what it meant—that he was already on the path to them , all steady steps ahead while she’d still been stumbling along.
“Bellanca…” Dex rubbed the back of his neck, hesitating. “Can I see your magic again?”
A smile slid back onto Carver’s face. His brows rose. “Impressive, isn’t it?”
Carver’s friends both nodded, some of their awestruck wonder veering toward boyish enthusiasm now. Emotion panged in her chest. She was glad to be getting to know them better, and under honest circumstances. And most of all, she was glad they’d lived up to Carver’s expectations. She’d have been obliged to show them her unforgiving side if they’d disappointed him.
She smiled. “Why not?” Stopping on the hillside, she ignited. Flames snaked through her hair, swirled down her arms, and gathered in the palms of her hands. She held them up like torches and added a hint of sun-flare magic, careful to keep it close.
Dex’s eyes widened. Silas took a step back, the heat reddening his face. Sweat popped out on their foreheads, and she sucked the magic back inside, not hating how impressed they looked.
“Your eyes…” Silas murmured. “They glow.”
“And the perfume… Like fruit and sugar.” Dex inhaled, long and loud.
“Hey, that’s only for me.” Grinning, Carver gave his friend a shove, pushing Dex away from her.
Smiling at their good-natured roughhousing, Bellanca said, “That’s Atlantis.” Her gaze sailed over the valley and out to sea, her heart unexpectedly swelling with a surge of belonging. “I always sparked and flamed up, but I never used to have shining eyes or luminous hair or that cherry smell. It’s like…” She paused, searching for how to describe the feeling. “It’s like my magic telling me I’m home.”
“Home.” Carver’s eyes softened, sweeping over her face, and she heated from the inside out without a hint of magic. Warmth didn’t prevent her shiver, and the silent communication that passed between them carved itself into her soul, as real as any words written in ink on parchment. Our home. She swallowed, pushing the message deeper, so deep it could never leave her.
“It’s a good place to live most days.” Smiling broadly, Silas clapped Carver on the shoulder, drawing Carver’s attention back to him. “And I have a feeling it’s about to get better.”
Carver smiled back at him, nodding. “And we’re glad not to be alone in this anymore.”
“Yes,” Bellanca confirmed, nodding, too. It was true, and the gods knew she’d always wanted to be alone in everything. Atlantis had definitely changed her.
Or maybe she’d just changed all on her damn own, because that was what life did to you.
They continued up the hill, a new sense of ease settling over them. There’d still be questions, but there was camaraderie. There was trust. There were friends, and Bellanca couldn’t wait for Atlantapol to come into sight beyond the rise. She missed everyone at Spiro’s.
So much danger still clearly lay ahead, but somehow, hope filled her chest to bursting. Place. Friends. Carver. Kingdom. A sense of purpose she’d never known. It was almost painful in its beauty. A new beginning, and it was theirs.
The hot blood pumping through her started to turn ice sharp and steely cold as her footsteps carried her toward everything she’d never thought she deserved and now refused to live without. Anyone who tried to take her home, her happiness, or her island would discover exactly who Bellanca Tarva was deep down.
And they should fear .