Chapter 12 THE GOD OF BONE AND ASH #2
I reappeared behind her as I let my hold on the essence snap.
The tingle between my shoulders began to burn as bones snapped and fused, slipping through the tears left in the thick material of the coat from the last time.
My flesh thinned and hardened. The shadow of twin arcs sweeping upward appeared in the glow of the moonlight reflected off the floor.
I let her whirl around.
Let her see me.
After all, the shock splashing over their faces and the ensuing fear that followed was quite satisfying. Witnessing it gave me something to look forward to.
The god didn’t disappoint. Her mouth dropped open as she stumbled back, tripping over a tangle of vines. She lost her balance and went down on her ass, the scent of her fear coating the air.
My lips curved up on one side. “What was it that you said you would do?”
She stared wordlessly, her gaze darting from the wings to the crown and its staggered spires shaped like antlers.
“I’m sorry?” I tilted my head. “I can’t hear you over the sound of your pounding heart.”
Her throat bobbed on a swallow. “What…what are you?”
If I had a coin for every time I’d been asked that, I’d…well, I’d have a shit ton of coins. “You don’t want to find out. So, tell me where he is.”
She scampered back as I strode forward, the vines retreating to clear a path.
“Tell me.” I knelt before her as a raven landed on my shoulder. “And I’ll make this painless.”
“He is Death,” she forced out between quick pants, eyes darting to the raven. “He is everywhere and nowhere.”
“Is that supposed to impress me?” I stretched my neck to the side as the essence crawled beneath my skin, the raven mimicking the action. “In case you’re wondering, it doesn’t.”
“It should frighten you.”
I laughed, and the sound was full of frosted smoke and chilled shadows. “It does not.”
“It frightened her.”
Everything in me went still.
Her lips curved up in a thin smile. “I was there,” she said, her voice dropping to a hiss. “Saw her enter with the arrogance of the False Queen whose blood runs in her veins.”
The ravens perched above turned their heads toward me as my blood cooled.
“I heard the exact moment all that false bravado collapsed into nothing. When she learned the hard way what her position is with him.” The god laughed, the sound light. “I can still hear her screams.”
Ice-coated smoke crawled up my throat.
“Do you know she begged? Pleaded with him.” Her smile grew, revealing the tips of her fangs. “Ah, you didn’t know that.”
A deep, animalistic sound tore from my chest in warning as I locked gazes with her. The raven on my shoulder took flight.
“She was weak,” the god whispered. “And once she shows her face again, he will find her and finish what he started. He will take it all.” The glow of essence in her eyes grew brighter. “And there is nothing you can do to stop him. You’ll already be dead.”
The ravens vanished.
I snapped forward, grabbing a fistful of her hair.
Twisting her around, I dragged her back against me before she could take another breath.
Jerking her head to the side, I struck, sinking my fangs into her neck.
It wasn’t a nice, clean bite. I made sure I tore through her flesh, letting the blood pour down my throat.
She fought. They all did. First, with eather that burned my flesh. I ignored it as I drank. Then, with their body. Clawing, struggling, and striking out until they grew too weak. She went limp against me, and I tasted the stutter of her heart. Tasted death in her veins.
Until she was nothing.
Disengaging my fangs, I lifted my head as I let go. She slid to the floor, her flesh as pale as the veils she had been forced to wear. With a flick of my gaze, I destroyed her body, leaving nothing but bones behind.
My head tilted, I eyed the skeleton for a few moments, then reached for an arm, snapping it off just below the shoulder, and then again at the elbow.
Straightening, I strolled across the floor of the Hall, humming under my breath as I idly flipped the bone.
I pulled the essence back, feeling the wings retreat and fold themselves away.
The ravens returned, their wings beating against the air as I reached the dais and leapt, landing silently before the throne.
My head cocked as I rose, eyeing the back of the seat.
I held the bone as several vines unfurled and stretched out, wrapping around it.
The vines retreated, sinking back into the throne, nestling the newest addition beside the femur of the last god who had entered Wayfair.
Pivoting, I let my gaze fall on the closed doors. The castle remained silent.
The humming in my thoughts started again, and I knew I couldn’t stay here. It was too quiet. And when it was this silent, I thought about what had happened in here. To Hisa. To Delano. To my father. And I needed…
My hands fisted at my sides as I stretched my neck from side to side. I needed… I spun toward the throne again, my gaze landing on it. It was a dark, twisted mess of bone, vine, and sin.
My gaze lowered to my palm. The imprint shimmered a faint gold in the dim light. I needed her. I needed him.
I acted without much thought, opening the notam and allowing myself to connect to Kieran for the first time since Poppy had left. By the time he felt the whisper of my presence, I’d already located him.
His shock rippled through the notam like a splash of icy water. Cas—
Cutting him off, I shadowstepped onto the torchlit Rise, directly behind him and the Primal god I’d unfortunately descended from.
The line of Kieran’s spine went rigid as his hand tightened around the hilt of his sword.
Shadows pooled around me as my gaze flicked over the battlement.
The white and gold armor of Atlantian soldiers stood out starkly against the black of the mortal Rise Guards who waited within the rounded parapet, arrows pulled taut against the strings of bows.
Two generals of the Crown’s Guard stood near in another stone nest: the fair-headed Elemental, Aylard, and the changeling, Murin.
Speaking among themselves, their stares were fixed on the mist below.
My attention shifted back to Kieran as commands were shouted.
He had frozen, the rigid line of his spine betraying the cold chill I knew pressed against his back. He turned slowly, vivid blue eyes landing on where the thickness of night was the heaviest. His jaw flexed.
Attes stiffened, then whipped around.
It took the Primal god a fraction of a second longer than Kieran to find me. “Nice of you to join us.”
A shadow-laced laugh parted my lips, curling into the air like smoke settling on the Rise.
Both generals had gone silent. Murin turned first, his sea-glass eyes wide. Aylard, the fuck, took a step back, bumping into the parapet wall, his skin pale in the moonlight.
I let the cloak of night drop as I stepped forward, startling two Rise Guards coming down the battlement.
One dropped the quiver he carried, sending bloodstone-tipped arrows rolling across the wall.
The other let out a short yelp. I raised an eyebrow as the first guard recovered, hastily picking up the spilled projectiles.
“Was that necessary?” Kieran demanded.
Dragging my stare back to him, I didn’t miss the measure of relief loosening the tight lines bracketing his mouth as he saw that there was no need for the hood. I looked like myself.
“Was what necessary?” I countered, ignoring the bland look he shot me as I crossed the battlement to join them at the wall.
Looking down, I saw Craven, struck down by arrows, scattered at the foot of the Rise, their bodies draped over one another.
My gaze lifted, looking farther out, past the trenches to where the mist was expanding, having already blotted out the view of the southern edges of the Blood Forest. Twisted shadows moved within the mist.
“Cas.”
I turned my head to Kieran and raised my brows.
His gaze dipped to my mouth and then rose. “You have blood on your lips.”
“Blood that smells of a god,” Attes commented, crossing his arms over his chest.
I swiped my tongue across my lower lip. The sound of his sigh pulled at the corners of my mouth.
Kieran turned back to the mist. “I’m assuming you had another visitor.”
“I did.”
“I suppose we now know why there is a horde of Craven amassing outside the Rise,” he commented.
“I suppose,” I murmured, scanning the mist.
“Did you happen to learn anything from the visitor?” Attes asked. “Or did you lose your patience again?”
“I was patient.” The thought of the god’s taunts sent a pulse of icy eather through me. “Until I wasn’t.” I placed my hands on the ledge of the Rise, aware of Murin nearing the parapet. “I didn’t learn anything new.”
“Your Majesty.” He bowed slightly. When I said nothing, he cleared his throat, turning his attention to Attes and Kieran. “Do we know what led the Craven here?”
“Kolis,” Attes answered.
The essence flared stronger as I heard Aylard swallow and listened to his heart rate pick up.
“Is he here?” Aylard asked, his voice level despite the pounding of his heart.
“No. He doesn’t need to be here to lead them here,” Attes reminded the general as Kieran shifted so his shoulder rested against mine. “Kolis controls all that is dead. Even the living dead.”
A sound came, drawing our attention to the mist. It was a low howl of insatiable hunger that rose into a shrill wail. The sound came again and again as a horn blew, warning the city of an incoming attack.
Not that the already-silent city needed to be warned.
All along the Rise, archers shifted, waiting for their orders. The other generals on the Rise, aware of my presence, stayed quiet. I could feel Kieran’s stare on me.
“They can be taken care of easily.” I looked at him. A muscle along his jaw throbbed. “You could’ve already taken care of this. Both of you could have.”
Kieran said nothing.