Chapter 33
Dressed in his battle armor, Caleb joined Jared at the front of their forces. They were heading out for battle.
Myone was about to place her helmet on her head when she heard Cam call out to them. She turned toward the petite goddess with a frown. “My lady?”
Cam motioned to Jared. “I need your son to stay behind with me.”
Myone was confused by her order. “Is something wrong?”
“We’ve been warned that there might be an attack here. I’m keeping a small group of Mimoroux back, just in case.”
Xev hadn’t mentioned that to her. And he wasn’t the only spy they had. Surely one of them would have known about such an attack and warned them.
But then, it also wasn’t uncommon for their enemies to lead multiple attacks at once. Maybe they’d been unable to get word to them.
So she inclined her head to her goddess. “Jared, stay with Lady Cam.”
He didn’t question his orders. “Be careful, Mom.”
“And you.” She blew him a kiss, then put her helm on her head and led her forces toward the battlefield.
* * *
“Monakribos?”
Xev paused with his friend at Apollymi’s call. Leave it to her to stop them as they were heading out to fight. She often called her son back for a quick hug and kiss.
With an irritable sigh, Kri turned to face her. “Yes, Mother?”
“Anat is leading this battle. I have another one for you.”
Xev went cold at those words. Another battle? What the hell was going on?
Kri scowled in confusion. “Pardon?”
“Grab your forces and head to another site.”
Shrugging, he pulled at Xev’s arm. “All right. Guess we’re off to?—”
“He’s to go with his sister.”
Xev didn’t move as he heard those words. Apollymi had never sent Kri off without Xev by his side.
What was going on?
Kri exchanged a baffled frown with him before he turned to face his mother. “Why?”
“Azura commanded it. She wants him to guard Anat’s back.”
Since when? And when had Apollymi ever approved such a thing?
Something wasn’t right.
Xev felt it with every part of his being. Did they know he was a traitor?
Kri appeared as baffled as he felt. “This is weird, right?” he whispered.
“Little bit.”
“I don’t like being separated.”
Neither did Xev. He had a really bad feeling about it. But he had no choice other than to obey Apollymi. She was his commander.
But in spite of his misgivings, he clapped the boy on his back. “I’m sure it’ll be fine.”
Kri nodded. “Meet me for drinks later.”
“You got it. We’ll celebrate our victories.” Xev left him to return to his mother’s realm so that he could meet up with Anat, who appeared as thrilled as he was at the prospect of fighting by his side.
It was made even better by the fact that she rode with her husband, Mot. Xev sneered at the death god, who sneered back.
No love lost there. They would always hate each other.
Didn’t matter. Battles weren’t supposed to be fun, and they weren’t always fought with friends.
Xev rolled his shoulders and flew in formation behind the rest of their troops. Sooner they got this over with, the sooner he’d be able to see Myone and Jared.
At least, that was his thought until they reached the battlefield.
It’d been a long time since he’d seen numbers this large for one fight. There were demons and Sephirii lined up everywhere. The heat of the sun was scorching against his armor as sweat beaded on his forehead and back. The thunder of wings and the clashing of steel against breastplates echoed in his ears, as did the war cry of a thousand angry warriors.
War drums beat in time to the pounding of his heart. And when those drums stopped, the shout went out for them to charge.
Only it wasn’t a normal charge.
When he went forward to attack, only one other flew forward from the other side.
Myone.
Recognition hit them both at the same time. As well as the fact that the rest of their armies had remained inert.
What the hell?
No sooner had that thought gone through his mind than both sides opened fire on the two of them. He saw the smile on Anat’s face as she gleefully took aim at him, and then Myone.
Arrows flew at them so thick that it darkened the sky. They pierced his flesh and hers. He rushed to Myone, trying his best to protect her.
It was impossible.
As soon he had her in his arms, the others attacked. War broke out between their armies, and a full melee ensued.
They landed hard against the ground. Myone crawled over to him and held Xev against her while he, weakened by blood loss, tried to wipe the streaks from her face.
“I’m so sorry, Dary.”
He laid his head down in her lap. “I failed you.”
“No. Never.”
Xev struggled to breathe as guilt and grief shredded him. “I love you.”
“Love you more.” Her grip in his hair weakened as she lay against his chest.
Suddenly, her troops seized him from her arms and dragged him away, even as life faded from her eyes.
“No!” he screamed. “No! Don’t let her die alone!” It was the utmost cruelty. “She’s your leader! Myone!”
They didn’t care. After all she’d done for them. All the battles she’d fought and won, none of them spared her a second look.
Throwing his head back, he cried out as agony washed over him. This couldn’t be the end.
His heart broken, he expected them to hand him over to his mother.
Instead, he was taken to his aunt, Cam, who sat in her temple with smug satisfaction marring her beautiful face.
They dumped him at her feet. He could barely focus his gaze through the tears and blood that blinded him.
Why couldn’t he just die?
There was no pity in Cam’s countenance. “Do you understand your punishment?”
Xev shook his head. How could loving someone be wrong? What had the two of them done to warrant this? Never in his life had he hated his family more than he did right then.
He should have led his army against them and killed them all when he’d had the chance.
Now, it was too late. He had nothing left.
“Just kill me.” There was no life without Myone.
And before he could move, he felt a searing pain over his body unlike anything he’d ever known. It was a binding spell for his powers. Crying out, he watched as his entire body was altered. His hair, eyebrows…everything.
Words appeared on his flesh—to make sure the binding spell lasted.
He was cursed even worse than he’d been on the day he was born.
Then his mother and father appeared. With the coldness in his father’s eyes that he was used to, Jaden sheared his wings from his back.
None of it mattered.
Compared to the pain of losing Myone, it was nothing.
They had finally broken him. His body might live, but inside he was as cold and dead as his parents.