Chapter 10
“Can you fix them?” I ask.
“Yes.” Her hands glow red with her magic as she stares down at the golden thing. “I think I know what to do.”
“Okay, you do that. B, you need to rest. You’re still leaking ichor everywhere. Maybe use the elixir?” Raven says.
I glance down at my shoulder. It’s healing but too slowly for my liking. Am I a danger to my friends like this?
“Nobody got my blood on them, right?” I ask.
“No, I think we’re all good.” Greyson steps next to Raven. “It didn’t even splatter on me when I yanked the spear out of you.”
“Thank the gods for that because I don’t know what would happen if you were dosed again.” I shake my head and wince as the forest spins around me.
Reaching up, I touch the back of my head, and my hand comes back wet with golden blood.
“I’m a fucking mess,” I grumble.
“You need the elixir. You depleted your magic when you fried them all,” Draven says, staring around me instead of directly at me. “You’re weakened right now. That’s why the healing is slow.”
My stomach takes that opportunity to rumble loudly. “Okay, fine, I’m depleted.”
Raven jogs over to the SUV and grabs my bag, digging through it for the elixir, then jogs back over. I hold my hand out for the bottle, and she raises a brow.
“You can’t get my blood on you, Raven. Give me the bottle. I can do it myself.”
“Fine, but you better take it. Jayden is going to be so mad if you don’t take care of yourself after being injured and depleted.” Raven hands over the bottle.
“I promise, I’ll be fine. Nothing hit anything vital.” I take the dropper from the bottle and add three drops to my tongue.
The skin on my shoulder and head flare with heat as the elixir pumps quickly through my system. I grit my teeth as the pain of the skin stitching itself back together burns through me. Healing quickly is almost as bad as the wound itself.
Raven sighs with relief but a glint of something behind the trees freezes me in my tracks. “There are more of them.”
I jump to my feet, calling my whip, but electricity flickers and dies on it. The elixir isn’t a cure-all. I need fuel before my magic will be restored.
“What do we do?” Raven asks.
“Here,” Greyson says, pulling a protein bar from his pocket.
“Snack mom to the rescue.” I chuckle, ripping the wrapper off the protein bar and shoving it in my mouth. “Much better.”
“It’s not enough but will have to do,” Greyson grumbles.
All the guys have started bringing snacks into battle for me, Raven, and Jayden, in case we use too much magic and need to refuel. It’s pretty hilarious but also super sweet of them.
“It really bothers you that I’m depleted, doesn’t it? Not just because of Jayden.” I raise a brow at him.
“We should probably focus on the automatons heading toward us rather than the reasons why Greyson has become a snack mom.” Raven lifts her twin blades.
“You’re pack.” Greyson shrugs.
A golden woman steps out of the tree line with her hands raised in surrender, followed by six other females, all metal and creaking the way the male automatons were as well.
“We will not attack you, demigods,” the first woman says in a robotic voice. “We wish to thank you.”
“Thank us? Are you who they were fighting before?” I ask.
“Yes, they have been losing their magic for weeks,” the woman says.
“What should we call you?” I release my whip back into my charm.
“We are known by the master and those in ancient times as the Kourai. Lord Hephaestus created us with sentience and designed us to be skilled in many things so that we may be his handmaidens,” the spokeswoman says.
“It’s nice to meet you all. Sorry if we were a bit on edge before,” I say. “I got stabbed with a spear, so we were expecting an attack.”
“Understandable.” The Kourai woman nods. “Would you like to come to our home and rest? We can help you to refuel for your journey.”
“Kira? How are you doing reprogramming those things?” I ask.
“Almost done.” She never glances up from the hunk of metal asshole who stabbed me.
“My friend here is Lord Hephaestus’ daughter. She’s sending the automatons to the academy to help with the final battle,” I tell the Kourai.
“A battle is coming and you’re out here?” she asks.
“Hephaestus is weakening from the loss of his hammer. We have to find it before the battle ends.” I run a hand down my face and grimace as blood sticks to my skin.
“If the master is weakening, then more of his inspired inventions will also deteriorate at a rapid pace. Many of the worlds innovations are around because of the fire god.” She glances pointedly at the SUV.
“Shit. We need to get to Montana before the damn SUV breaks down.”
The Kourai waves a hand and several of her sisters walk into the trees. I cock my head to the side, wondering where she sent them, just as Kira jumps to her feet.
“I did it. They are ready for my orders. Watch.” Kira claps her hands.
The automatons all stand at attention, waiting for orders from Kira. Not one moves to attack us.
“Can you give them orders that they can follow? How will they discriminate between our own people and the other side?” I ask.
“We’ll have to tell Jayden they are coming. I can transfer their loyalty to Jayden with just a few words, and then he will have to be specific in what he orders them to do.”
“So he’ll need to draw clear lines. They will be after the monsters only because anything else will muddy everything. They could mistake our own people for the enemy.” I nod.
“Exactly.” Kira grins. “With their ability to jump and throw fire, they could help with the aerial assault problem we just figured out too.”
“Okay, give the order. I’ll call Jayden.” I turn to the SUV and grab the shell. “Jayden, Halfling Academy.”
The mist solidifies in front of me and Jayden appears in my dorm room at the academy. “Beth, what in Hades happened?”
“What?” I ask, glancing around.
“You have blood all over you.”
“Oh, that. We had a bit of a situation, but it’s handled now.” I wave him off.
“What happened to your shoulder?” he growls.
“I was stabbed with a spear, but I got them.”
“I literally just spoke to you a couple hours ago and you already ended up stabbed in battle. I should have come with you.” He runs a hand through his hair.
“She also had a mild concussion and depleted herself,” Raven calls.
“Traitor,” I yell. “I used the elixir, I’m fine. Can we please focus on the task at hand?”
“Hades, you’re going to kill me, love. What’s the task at hand?” Jayden hangs his head.
“We’re sending some big fucking reinforcements.
They are golden automatons created by Hephaestus.
They will only listen to you. When they show up, tell them who you are and you need to be specific in your orders so they don’t mistake our people for the enemy and slaughter them.
When the battle starts, I would just order them to only kill monsters. ”
“How did you get them to stop attacking you?” Jayden asks, dread clear in his tone.
“That’s why I’m depleted. I fried them all with lightning and Kira reprogrammed them.” I shrug.
Jayden squeezes his eyes shut and stares at the ceiling for a beat, blowing out a breath. “Hades, Beth. What are you doing to my nerves?”
“Sorry? We needed to end the fight, and I had been stabbed. It was a split-second decision.”
“Okay, have you sent them my way yet?” he asks.
“We are doing that now. They should hopefully be there around the same time as Tristan in the morning. They’re coming from north of Flagstaff.”
“Okay, I’ll let the Apollo students know. They are standing sentry just inside the wards out of sight, watching for the queen’s attack.”
“Perfect. I have to go. We found an issue that made this a bit more of a time crunch than we expected,” I say. “Love you.”
“Love you too and please for the love of the gods, try not to die. I need you to come back to me, baby.” Jayden sighs.
“I’m not planning on dying anytime soon, Jayden. I promise. Talk soon.” I wave a hand and the mist clears, but my chest constricts.
I take a cleansing breath, holding back the tears that want to fall, and turn to my friends. “We need to move.”
“Please,” the Kourai woman says. “Take some food with you and these.”
She hands me and Kira each a small charm. “What’s this?”
“As I said, we are skilled in many things. These charms will allow you to call us for assistance in a time of great need.” She bows her head.
“Thank you,” I say, bowing to her as well. “We appreciate the kindness.”
My stomach growls and the women step back, startled, staring at my stomach in horror. “What was that?”
“My stomach. I’m depleted and it gets snarly. The food will help. Thank you again.” I wave at them and turn back to the SUV.
“That was some poetic timing.” Raven chuckles.
“I’m just glad it didn’t do that while Jayden was present.” I yank open the back door to the SUV.
Raven hands me a crude wooden bowl with cured meats and cheeses in it and my stomach rumbles again. I glance at the bowl, then my hands and grimace.
“I need to wash the blood off me before we leave.” I set the bowl on the seat and round the vehicle.
I open the gallon jug of water we keep for washing blood off us and dump it over my head. It will have to do so my friends don’t get infected further. Especially Greyson as we don’t know what kind of damage it may cause a shifter who’s been dosed twice.
Once the blood is gone, I hop into the vehicle and pop a piece of cured meat into my mouth.
“If we drive through southern Utah, we can get to Grand Junction in a few hours,” Raven says, staring at the map.
“Let’s do it, as quick as possible. You heard the Kourai. The cars could start failing if we don’t hurry. We may lose our only option to get the hammer and get back for the final battle.”
“Agreed. But Jayden made you promise to stop in Grand Junction for the night.” Raven glares over her shoulder at me.
“I know and we will stay the night. I just want to get there as fast as possible. Especially since we have to stop for the night.” I pop a chunk of cheese in my mouth.
“Wait a second,” Greyson says, turning up the radio. “What did they just say?”