Chapter 13
DEATH
The wild, heedless song of magic washes through the God King’s palace.
It calls to me, urging me to join in the battle.
Blood coats the floors, veins of crimson spidering across the white and gold marble.
Flames climb the curtains and engulf the oil paintings that decorate the walls.
Glass shatters as a god is thrown casually through the floor-length window.
It’s complete and utter mayhem—and I fucking love it.
The gods cannot die, but that doesn’t stop them from beating the living shit out of each other. Grunts and screams resound from every room.
I hover like the omen I am, lingering to watch the deities bleed. My sharp canines itch to descend, to morph into the creature that roams wild in the Under Realm. To taste their blood and devour their immortal souls.
The air smells of carnage. I gulp it down greedily as I step over their writhing, mangled bodies. Bloody bootprints mark my path through the once-pristine corridors.
Room after room is the same—more bloodshed, more injured gods—but no Nobus. The Golden Parthenon is doing its best to annihilate each other while their king, the supposed catalyst for this rebellion, is nowhere to be found.
A breeze floats in through a broken window, carrying her smell. I tug on the bond and find Selene still in the palace, and more importantly, uninjured. I follow it, allowing the obsidian bands of my dark magic to search ahead of me.
A burst of light cuts through my darkness as Selene battles a trio of gods who are no match for her power, even combined. One by one, she thwarts their advances, granting no mercy and sparing no injury. Their blood hits the floor, their unconscious bodies quickly following.
A satisfied hum leaves my throat at the sight of my queen. Magnificent, powerful, and all fucking mine.
I am lost in her, adrift in the golden sunbursts of her eyes, wholly ablaze in her light. I take a step toward her, a depraved desire taking root in me. Every part of me wants to devour her, to strip her bare and consume her in their pools of her enemies’ blood.
Selene’s chest heaves with labored breaths. Even now, my darkness sings to her, a siren’s song tempting her to give into the shadows that hover at the edges of her light. She swallows thickly, stepping away from my advance.
“Sunrise, Drayven. Don’t be late.”
The Goddess of Light turns and runs from the room, pulling me from my possessive fantasy. Her power ricochets off the corridor walls as she continues her fight.
And I must continue mine. The future of my queen and my heir must be my sole focus.
I send out the dark magic again, searching every room until it locates the God King. Moments later, with nothing more than the flick of my wrist, the door to Nobus’ private chambers is reduced to a pile of splinters.
The murderous eyes of the Goddess of War meet mine across the threshold.
“Sister,” I drawl. “Always a pleasure.”
“I don’t echo the sentiment, Death.” Drayca’s vicious eyes echo her curse. As if her own offerings don’t hand me countless souls every single day across the realms.
“I’m not here to see you.”
“I’m not letting you anywhere near my king.” She raises her battle axe, preparing to strike me.
“Your king.” I scoff. “One day you’ll call me that.”
“I would sooner waste away in the mortal lands as a powerless, forgotten god than to ever bow to you.” War shakes with rage as the curse falls from her lips.
My own tip up in a smirk at the sight. It is so much fun to get her riled up like this. “That can be arranged.”
“I will kill you one day,” she declares through clenched teeth.
“I’d like to see you try. Truly. I can’t imagine how fun it will be.”
Drayca swings her axe with every intention to slice me in half. Just before her blade can graze the fabric of my shirt, I evaporate into a mass of shadows.
“I was right. That was fun,” I taunt.
The Goddess of War turns to find me lounging casually on the velvet settee inside the king’s quarters. Fury drips from her every pore. I breathe it in, relishing in how my delight further stokes her blinding wrath.
“That’s enough.” Nobus’ voice booms with authority. “You’re dismissed, Drayca.”
“I am not leaving you with him, my King.”
“War,” he scolds. “I didn’t ask.”
Drayca’s shoulders drop in resignation. A dog reprimanded by her master.
“A delight, as always, sister.” I pick a sliver of wood off my shirt, casually dropping it on the floor without looking at the goddess whose ire still vibrates through the room.
“Have you come to fight for me, Death?” Nobus takes the seat across from me, crossing an ankle over his knee with a flippant ease as my sister leaves to join the battle.
“I will never give an offering to War. I am simply here to feast on the souls of dead gods.”
Nobus chuckles. “You know they’re not dying. Come now, tell me why you’re really here, Dark God. Or should I finally see my father’s request through and end your pathetic immortal existence?”
Gods, I love when my assumptions are correct.
Contrary to what the mortals believe, there are fates worse than death.
And, just like I thought, Nobus plans to make the rebel gods suffer.
Why end them when he can cut off the rejuvenating source of their power, end their offerings, and force them to live in pain with no hope of the sweet relief my power offers?
“I am here to make a bargain with you.” It’s a risky gamble to taunt the God King even in the most peaceful of times. But Nobus is a cocky god and I plan to offer him something he can’t resist.
“A bargain?” Surprise flares in his eyes before he chuckles again. “If it's souls you want, I’m afraid you’ll be hungry. They will not be entering the Under Realm any time soon.”
“Exile.” The single word piques the God King’s interest as I bait the hook. “Am I right?” I know I am, but the single nod of his head confirms it. “Exile them to 717.”
“What?” Nobus asks, not hiding the spark of shock that shimmers in his golden eyes.
“That’s my bargain. You agree to exile the rebels to Realm 717 and, in exchange, I will tell you what the Goddess of Truth withheld from you. The real truth about the future of your realm.”
Nobus straightens in his seat, every muscle in his jaw tightening in restraint. His breathing changes slightly, and I know he’s taken the bait. Now it’s time to set the hook.
“717 restricts their power,” I explain. “The strongest will be able to wield an element, maybe two, but the rest will be without magic. And what is a worse fate for a god than to be forgotten and powerless?”
“Powerless.” The word rolls languidly in his mouth as he considers my offer.
This particular mortal realm will end their suffering and kill them sooner than the others, but Nobus doesn’t need to know that.
The image of Gaius the Green’s funeral pyre replays in my mind, the great god burning after only a handful of years of his chosen life on 717.
Of course the God King doesn’t remember that.
He would never concern himself with remembering facts about anyone other than himself.
“Why do you care, Death?” Nobus asks, his words laced with suspicion. “What’s in it for you?”
“Convenience,” I lie. “It’s easier to keep tabs on them if they’re all confined to the same realm. No scouring the ether to clean up their messes and reap the mortal souls they’ll take. And, lucky for you, you only have to seal one doorway to make sure they don’t return, not thousands.”
Nobus stares inquisitively, weighing my words and inspecting them for any hint of a trick. Seconds pass and I grow more impatient with every tick of the clock. He’s taking entirely too fucking long.
“Think about it. If you send them all to a magicless realm, the influx of magic will give the mortals proof of your existence,” I say, preparing to stroke his ego.
“They’ll have no choice but to worship at the feet of the all powerful God King.
Think about how your power will grow with their offerings. ”
I swallow down the bile that arises at the revolting words. Giving Nobus any modicum of praise makes me want to be physically ill. But, right on cue, his eyebrows lift and the muscles in his jaw ticks—and I know I have him now.
“Bulk exile to Realm 717 in exchange for the truth,” Nobus repeats the offer.
I nod once in agreement, willing my expression to remain blank. If he has the slightest inkling how this truly benefits me, he’ll never agree to it.
Life in this particular mortal realm, the one that meant everything to her father, is the only peace I can offer Selene. That and the promise that her suffering will not last forever.
“Done,” Nobus declares, extending his arm towards me. My gaze flicks to his tan hand to his golden eyes.
“The heir will reunite the pantheon.” The paraphrased prophecy echoes in the room with the ferocity of a wrecking ball in a silent hall.
Those weren’t Taura’s words exactly, but they have the intended effect all the same.
The god retracts his still outstretched hand. “When? How?” he demands. “That’s not possible.”
“See that’s the thing about the truth, Nobus. No one can escape it, even you.”
“I cannot die!” he roars. “I made a deal with Creation. I am the exception.”
I lick my lips, tasting his fear in the air around us as I provoke him further. “No one said anything about you dying, but feel free to keep speculating. It tastes delicious.”
“I should kill you.”
“But I’m not done, Your Majesty, “ I mock. “I’ve seen your son in the Under Realm…on his knees.”
Nobus’ fists ball at his sides, perfectly playing into the chess match I’ve laid out before him.
The length of my presence here is precisely timed.
While I occupy the God King, the Goddess of Protection smuggles their son out into the night.
The Prince of the Gods may have been born a lamb destined for slaughter, but it’s a man that kneels in my throne room in the Goddess of Truth’s vision, not a child.
“Crowned in shadows.” Nobus repeats the snippet of the prince’s fate that has no doubt replayed in his mind since the bestowing. “No son of mine would ever bow to you, Dark God. You must trick him! Why else would he have your power?”
“I couldn’t tell you,” I say, leaning forward to meet the god’s challenging stare.
“And furthermore, I could not care less who sits their immortal ass on your cursed throne or how they get there. I do not play your games or fight your wars. I am a king and I only do what serves me and my realm. What happens to your son is of no concern to me.”
The half lie tastes strangely bitter on my tongue, a sensation I am not familiar with. Once the prince is delivered to the mortal realm, once Selene’s life is no longer tied with his, I won’t care. I won’t even spare the boy another thought.
“Prove it.” Nobus calls my bluff. “Swear it in blood at the altar of Creation that you will not give your magic to the Prince of the Gods and I will uphold my end of our bargain.”
Taura often says that fate can be changed if only one is strong enough. I don’t know how the child gains my dark magic, but I hope for his sake that he’s strong enough to overcome whatever curse I am about to deliver to him.
Terror mixes with magic in my veins as the reality of our destination settles in. My last visit to the altar was a century ago, and every part of my being hopes that Creation does not wish to summon us to their realm.
With a deep inhale, I push down my fear, drink in Nobus’ desperation, and stand to my full height.
“Lead the way, God King.”