Chapter Seventy
Ellowyn
Istood in the same position when Kaos finally reappeared.
“Where did you take her?” I raised my eyebrows at him, proud when my voice wavered only slightly, the rest of my anxiety hidden deep beneath a false bravado of confidence.
“Somewhere safe. Somewhere her other half should find her first,” he admitted, and my heart thumped in relief.
I nodded, clutching the smooth crystal in my hand until the point of it dug into my palm.
“There is . . . something else, godling,” Kaos said, his voice soft. I flung my gaze to him even as shivers of anticipation erupted across my skin. “You, not my sister, must be the one to kill me.”
I stood frozen for a moment before barking a laugh completely inappropriate for the situation, one Kaos did not reciprocate.
“Gods, you’re serious,” I deadpanned, cold dread washing over me. “This is the bargain that you wanted me to uphold? The one you made with me on Meru?”
Kaos sent me a grim smile. “If you don’t, she will have partial command of Destruction.
You’ll never have full control over it, and she’ll be able to bend it to her will.
Even take it from you if she so desired.
” I broke into a cold sweat at his words.
“She’ll also have partial command over Fire and Earth, rendering the other godling powerless. ”
Torin.
“I—I don’t understand,” I stammered, shaking my head so my braids flapped against my back.
“Listen to me, Ellowyn,” Kaos urged, his words hissing through his clenched teeth.
“If you want a chance at stopping Solace, this is the only way. Yes, only a god can kill another god. But do you not have Original Magic flowing through your veins?” He cocked a dark eyebrow in my direction, and my eyes widened as I recalled the maddening conversation with Fate and the Bondsmith on Meru.
“If Solace kills me, then Elyria is lost. Meru will follow soon after, and Fate will cease to exist. Unless you find a way to stop Solace.”
Kaos reached out to grasp my shoulders, his enormous palms covering the entire upper half of my arm as he pinned me with his intense stare. “This is the only way.”
“You’re serious,” I whispered, and Kaos jerked his massive head in a nod.
“Your tether,” I said suddenly, stomach churning at what was to come. It felt too much like when I was forced to choose between Peytor and Finian. Could I kill another being simply to save myself? To save Torin?
I wasn’t sure I wanted to come to terms with that answer just yet.
“It’s in capable hands,” Kaos said solemnly.
I licked my lips, suddenly dry from the air that huffed rapidly from my chest. I clutched the crystal harder, certainly drawing blood with the force of my grip, as I frowned over his words.
“Do you mean for us to destroy it?” I asked, and Kaos simply shrugged.
“I’m certain the Rune Master will know what to do if that time comes.”
Sweat beaded against my brow despite the coolness of the chamber, loose tendrils of my hair sticking to my forehead and cheeks. I wiped them away with the back of my hand as I blew out a breath, desperately willing my heart to calm.
“Is there anything else I need to know before I . . .” I asked dryly, trailing off before finishing my thought.
Kaos quirked an eyebrow at me as a small smile played on his lips. His massive hands squeezed my shoulders once before falling back to his sides.
“Be quick, if you would. I’d rather not feel this.”
“Okay, okay,” I muttered, shaking the tingles from my hands and arms. I pocketed the crystal before holding both hands out in front of me. Just as I called forth a tendril of Destruction Magic, I faltered, letting both my hold on my magic and my arms fall.
“I . . .” I started, my voice cracking, “I don’t think I can do this,” I whispered.
Kaos’ expression softened—a look I’d never seen the god wear before—before it hardened once more.
“You must, Ellowyn. I’ve known for quite a while now what needed to happen.
I’ve come to terms with my death. Dying at your hand would be a mercy compared to what my sister has planned.
Besides, there are a few someones I’m ready to meet in the ether,” Kaos said, his voice soft as if he was cajoling a startled animal or small child.
I opened my mouth to protest further, but a loud crack sounded from somewhere above, the reverberations of it echoing in the underground chamber. The floor rocked as the earth rumbled and stone and dirt rained from the ceiling in response to whatever cataclysmic event just took place topside.
“My sister is here,” Kaos explained, his whole being betraying the urgency he felt. “If you’re going to do this, godling, now is the time.”
My hands shot out once more.
“Remember, the crystal can only be destroyed in the place of its creation. Use the Valley to your advantage. There are spirits here—restless ones. Use them,” he whispered, his eyes darting to the staircase to my back.
“I’m going to give you some Pleasure Magic first,” I said as I conjured a golden tendril of light, the power viscous like honey. Kaos inclined his head once, and in the next instant, I had my magic winding around his neck and caressing his body.
Kaos’ eyes closed, the tension easing from his face.
With his expression relaxed and a smile teasing his lips, it was clear how much Kaos held, how deeply this war and his eternity on Meru had affected him.
“Goodbye, Kaos. May Fate welcome you into the ether,” I said, surprised when I felt a tear run down my cheek where it fell against my exposed collarbone.
Kaos peeped one obsidian eye open for the last time, shooting me a wink. “Goodbye, godling. You’ve turned into quite the formidable woman, one that I would not want as my enemy. I will rest easy knowing Elyria has a chance with you in it.”
My breath hitched at his compliment, words I felt down to the marrow of my bones. The ground shuddered again, as if the goddess was hammering at the ruins above, trying to fight her way below.
I inhaled, filling my lungs completely with musty air before I called forth my Destruction Magic. With whispered words, I directed the tendril of ashes and embers to wrap itself around Kaos.
My gaze hyper-focused on my magic, everything else fading to black as I watched the diaphanous strand dance across the open space until it met Kaos’ flesh. The dark god stood with his head tilted back, arms outstretched as if welcoming the bite of pain I knew accompanied my magic.
The magic consumed him faster than I would have thought possible, his body disintegrating to dust as I watched, transfixed.
If I thought this would be like killing Finian, I was wrong.
Something akin to euphoric relief was writ on Kaos’ expression as my magic consumed every inch of him. There was no screaming, no pain, no forced calling of my Destruction Magic. Just an immortal who never looked more godlike than he did now, meeting his death with a smile.
“Thank you,” he whispered just as the diaphanous strands consumed his face, leaving nothing more than ash in their wake.
The silence in the catacombs was deafening, almost eerily surreal.
Dust from Kaos’ body floated lazily in the stagnant space, falling to rest in a scattered pattern on the stone floor.
My eyes followed each mote until I was staring without seeing at the remains of the God of Truths.
With no preamble, a roar echoed throughout the chamber, and I bent to cover my ears against the sudden onslaught of sound.
Was Solace here? Am I to die?
Even as I pressed my palms hard against the sides of my head, I found that the sound still echoed inside my skull; almost as if the noise came from inside me.
The noise, like the wind in a tempest, never dissipated, morphing into a pain that burned from the inside out. I screamed as the feeling intensified, like my heart was liquefying in my chest, my lungs disintegrating.
At some point, I’d fallen to the floor, thrashing as pure, raw, unadulterated power ripped through my body.
I’m dying. Kaos was wrong. Killing him doesn’t give us the advantage, it gives it to his sister.
For without me, could Elyria’s forces withstand countless attacks from an immortal, all-powerful being?
Despite the heat in my body, my blood ran cold with the sting of betrayal.
Pain sliced through me like hot knives, a parting gift before it dissipated completely, leaving me a sweaty, panting mess on the floor of the catacombs.
My breaths sawed through my raw chest, my body too exhausted to move my hand to check and make sure there were no outward wounds that needed tending.
Each breath was agony; the expansion of my lungs and beating of my heart sending ribbons of burning pain through my torso and down to my fingernails. Even my hair was sore.
I wept then, my tears coating my sweat-soaked cheeks and pooling beneath my head. My despair did nothing to change the fact that I was lying completely defenseless on the floor while a maniacal goddess stalked the earth feet above my head.
I’m going to die, I lamented, my wracking sobs sending shots of fire through my chest.
Please, gods. Don’t let this be the end.