19. The King of Deceit #2
She cut him a disbelieving side glare. “Atlas said only he and Nick could resurrect people...?”
Ambermourn rolled his heavy eyes. “He said that to keep you from sticking your nose in his business. Atlas is a manipulative liar. He does not want to give you your freedoms… but I can.” He pushed her closer to the dome.
“You are one of the only people alive who can touch a God’s fire, as a being from Gehenna and daughter of the Original Gods.
Please, trust me, and I will bring your sister back to you. ”
“O-...Ok...?”
“Isadora!” I yelled, materializing again. I fell to my knees just as she touched the barrier, which made it sizzle wildly before it collapsed into itself. She whipped around in astonishment when she heard my voice, shaking like a leaf. “What have you done...?” I whispered in disbelief.
“Atlas, I-...!”
Ambermourn took the book off the pedestal and opened it, which made the pages illuminate the dark hall. His smile grew ear to ear. “Looks like you’re not so powerful now, are you, Atlas?”
“I’ll kill you!” I raged, whipping my scythe free.
Ambermourn chuckled darkly. “Ruina Dei.”1
The moment he spoke the spell, my body turned so heavy that it felt as if I had swallowed cement. Every ounce of energy funneled from my body instantly, and I hit the ground with a loud thud. Isadora gasped into her hands, turning to Ambermourn. “What did you do to him?”
“Prove that no God is invincible.”
“You will not best me! I swear, I’ll rip that cocky head right off your shoulders!” I weakly wheezed, my arms shaking violently as I tried to pull myself upright.
Ambermourn tsked and walked up to me, placing his foot on my back to shove me back into the ground.
“It’s a shame, really, that you chose the path you did.
We could have built something wonderful together, but you like to play people like violins to your liking.
” I groaned as he stepped on me harder. “You little Gods think you’re so powerful? Let me show you what real power is.”
“You said you wouldn’t hurt anyone, that you would bring back my sister! Was that all a lie?” Isadora fumed, her eyes turning pure red.
Ambermourn rolled his own. “You stupid, gullible girl. Stay out of my way. Do what you do best and go back to being a spineless little bitch.” Isadora went to reach for her sword, but Ambermourn flicked his hand, which made a black portal appear.
With a stretch of his index finger, she flung backwards and into the portal, which made it close with a sharp smack.
With her gone, he flipped through the pages of the book and to the middle, which I knew was the section about the God of Death.
“Let’s see, let’s see... ah, here it is.
The summons for the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse. ”
“Evander, please, don’t do it! You have no clue what you will unleash!” I wheezed.
“Oh, I have every clue.” He let out a dark laugh, his eyes flashing pure black. “I’ll make that little brat Nicodemus Crawford beg me for mercy. The most powerful Elemental to exist, ha! I’ll show him what real power is!”
“EVANDER!” I screamed. The feeling returned to my body, and with that burst of energy, I grabbed his ankle and snapped it forward.
He tripped and almost hit the floor, but instead, spun on his other leg and conjured a portal.
I knew I had to stop him, so I scrambled upright and through the portal after him, racing across the grass.
Ambermourn flipped through pages to get back to his original spot, then turned and held a hand out towards me. “It’s time this world saw you for who you really are, Atlas Crawford.”
“Please don’t do this! I’m begging you!” I choked out.
For a moment, my plea seemed to work. His expression softened, as he could see the pure desperation in my own, and he almost fell for it.
Bodhi raced forward and bit Ambermourn’s leg as hard as he could, snapping him out of that compassionate mindset.
Ambermourn flicked Bodhi across the ground at me; I caught him and cuddled him close as he whined from the pain.
His slick smile lit up like a firework. “You and those mangy mutts… let’s see what happens when they prove to us all what they really are. ”
“EVANDER!”
I went to rush him, but he spoke the spell so fast, so clearly, that it made the entire world crumble around me. “Quattuor Equites Apocalypsis evoco. Chaos in hunc mundum adferte et aequilibrium restituite!”2
The world grew quiet, like sound had been sucked out of existence by a vacuum. My pulse beat in my head wildly, quivering in my chest. My arms swung lifelessly until they hit my sides, where for a moment, a peaceful silence enveloped us.
Ambermourn waited to see if the spell had worked, curious about my reaction. He took a step forward and breathed my name. “Atlas…?”
1. Ruina Dei: Ruin the God
2. Quattuor Equites Apocalypsis evoco. Chaos in hunc mundum adferte et aequilibrium restituite: I summon the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse. Bring chaos to this world and reset the balance