Ideals
Sienna
“You’re one to talk about gods. What god would favour a monster like you?” Jayce asks icily, the scorn in his voice crystal clear.
For a moment, Vincenzo says nothing.
The wind tears through the shattered remains of our surroundings that have been destroyed in the clash earlier.
He glances at Jayce, then chuckles, the same chuckle that Grandpa Al has… It’s eerie how similar they look.
“A god?” The amusement in his voice immediately makes my stomach tighten. “I’m no servant to a god.”
There is no arrogance in the statement, just the certainty of a man who truly believes that, and that’s even more unnerving.
I frown. Is he a primordial?
“Then what are you?” Jayce asks.
“The gods choose champions and hand out fragments of power, calling it destiny.” His gaze settles on Jayce. “Zeus chose you.” Then his gaze shifts to me. “The Will – an entity – chose her.” A cold smile touches his lips.
“What are you getting at?” Ares growls.
Vincenzo ignores him; instead, he raises a brow. “What did either of you do to earn it? The gods call power a gift, but these so-called gifts always come with chains.”
The battlefield seems to still around us.
“Every blessing comes with expectation. Every favour comes with obligation. Every chosen champion belongs to something greater than themselves. The difference between us is simple.” His voice lowers. “You were given power. I built mine.”
A chill runs down my spine because of the conviction behind his words.
“What do you mean you built yours?” I ask.
He glances at Royce. “Whilst others prayed, I studied. Whilst others sought blessings, I sought knowledge. Whilst others waited to be chosen, I tore power from the world itself and claimed it as my own.”
“So what? You think it makes you free?” Jayce asks. “That without a god blessing you, you’re somehow stronger?”
“You think I sought freedom?” Vincenzo’s eyes darken. “Freedom is a consolation prize for people too weak to seize power.”
I stare at him. Is he really telling the truth? Is there really no god behind him? But he has so much power…
I think he is, but who fucking knows, Jayce replies quietly.
“So, if you don’t serve a god, then why are you and your people trying to destroy the barrier?” Royce asks.
“The gods want it gone for their own reasons; who said I’m doing it for them?”
“Or you think you’re not,” Heaven says.
“You’re a feisty one.” He smirks coldly. “For thousands of years, the barrier has protected this realm. The barrier protects us from them, or so everyone says.”
“It’s the truth; that’s why people say it. Should I call you Uncle? Or Cousin? Frankly, I don’t really like you,” Ahren remarks mockingly.
“Likewise, I despise those who run,” Vincenzo shoots back icily.
I know everyone is derailed by his identity, and it’s only going to be worse the moment we get home.
“But that’s actually incorrect. The barrier protects them.”
The words hang in the air, and I glance at Jayce, but his eyes are fixed on Vincenzo.
“From what?” Royce asks.
He smirks and gestures at the barrier between us. “From exactly the same thing that this barrier is protecting you from – me.”
For a moment, none of us speaks, because whatever he’s saying, he really believes it.
Vincenzo continues, “When the barrier falls, they will come. They’ll fight, and they will bleed.”
His power surges across the barrier, almost suffocating.
“And when they’re weakened...” he continues slowly.
Something cold settles into my chest because I already know where this is going.
“I’ll take everything.” His eyes gleam with terrifying certainty. “Kill them all, and only then will there be a world with only one.”
“Let me guess, you?” Ares asks scornfully.
“Exactly,” Vincenzo replies; his confidence makes me uneasy. Then his gaze turns towards the heavens.
“The difference between us, Sienna, is that when you look at the gods, you see something to worship.”
His eyes darken, the air filling with the same dread I felt the first time we met. “When I look at them, I see prey. They are mine to destroy. So play your battle against the gods; we’ll be waiting.”
The realisation crashes into me, my mind spinning. All this time, we believed the Indomitable were helping the gods. Is he – no, that can’t be true; that is pure insanity.
Yet he has people who are favoured by the gods on his side, too. But… is he really allowing the barrier to weaken, using the gods’ own tools for his own benefit? It sounds like complete madness!
If what he’s saying is true, then we got it all wrong… We have two enemies, both of whom are after different causes. Vincenzo isn’t preparing for the gods to arrive; he’s preparing to wage war against them.
And somehow that is infinitely more terrifying.
Then he sighs and looks at the drakath army. “This did not end as I wanted, but it’s an army in your hands, one that will never reach its full potential. And that’s a shame…”
He steps back, preparing to leave. The Indomitable members immediately begin falling back with him.
Ahren takes a step forward. “Running already?”
For the first time since speaking, Vincenzo’s attention briefly shifts.
“No. I simply refuse to waste time fighting battles that no longer matter,” Vincenzo says, sounding bored, as though his attention has moved onto something far larger. His gaze returns to me and then flickers to Jayce, lingering on him for a fraction longer before he continues.
“The two of you should enjoy this. As far as victories go, it’s an impressive one. The world is moving far faster than either of you realises. When the heavens finally descend upon this realm, pray that your gods are everything you’ve convinced yourselves they are.”
“Bring down the barrier, together,” Royce commands.
Power immediately begins gathering around us as our auras ignite across the battlefield, then Heaven moves.
One moment she’s beside Ahren, and the next she’s crossing the battlefield, appearing directly before the barrier before turning smoothly to face us.
My breath catches. Her eyes are… orange, which is normal, but that shade of orange is not.
“You’ll have to get past me first,” she says in a voice I don’t recognise, older and somewhat cruel.
“Heaven?” I take a step forward.
“Careful,” Jayce says quietly.
Several meters away, Ahren’s entire body stills. “Heaven?”
She tilts her head slightly as though examining him, and a second later, a torrent of fire erupts across the battlefield. The blast slams into Ahren, forcing him back several steps before he cuts through it, flames scattering around him.
Neither of them seems focused on the attack. Ahren is staring at her, and whatever is looking back at him is not our sister.
A faint smile touches Heaven’s lips. Not the warm smile she gives the people she loves, and it’s not the polite smile she wears around strangers.
This one is colder, more sinister, the smile of someone accustomed to being obeyed. Then she turns towards Vincenzo. “At least one of my blood possessed the courage to become what he was meant to be.”
The words settle heavily over the battlefield, and then, to my horror, understanding dawns on me, my heart thumping.
Vincenzo pauses and then smiles lazily. “The infamous Endora. I wondered whether the stories were exaggerated.”
“And I have heard of yours.” Heaven – no, Endora answers.
The exchange is so calm it makes my skin crawl.
“Get out of her head!” I snarl as I hear Vincenzo’s laughter fade. They’re getting away, but we have bigger problems. She’s blocking the barrier with everything she has. A wall of fire now spreads across the barrier, blocking Royce and Ares.
“Stand down,” Jayce commands. “Sienna, wait-”
I don’t listen. Whatever is happening, that’s still Heaven, and right now she needs me.
“Aldona!” I shout, my powers surging as I call on my own magic. The instant I call her name, something changes.
The smile falters. One hand rises towards her chest, and her expression tightens.
“No.”
The word is strained.
Her usual orange flashes in her eyes, then a glimmer of green. Power explodes around her as black runes spread across her body.
The wind whips violently, and then she screams; the sound tears straight through me.
She collapses, and I reach her before she hits the ground, dropping beside her and pulling her against me as tremors rack through her body.
For several seconds, she can’t seem to speak, her entire body shuddering as she clings to me desperately.
“I lost control.” The words are barely audible. “I lost control of her.”
My chest tightens hearing the pain in her voice.
“Heaven… It’s ok, you’re here, you’re in control.”
She doesn’t reply, and only the howling of the blizzard can be heard. The drakaths are still lingering, their eyes on us, but none of them moves, still waiting for my command. Even Ahren remains exactly where he is, tension radiating from him as he watches her.
It’s almost as if she’s ashamed. I can see it in the way her shoulders tense, the way she refuses to lift her head.
Her control has always been remarkable, and turning on us shook her more than any of us.
“Hey.” I brush her hair back gently. “Look at me.”
For a moment, I think she’s going to refuse, then slowly she lifts her gaze.
What I find there makes my heart ache.
“You’re in control,” I say with a gentle smile.
For several seconds, she simply stares at me before taking a slow, shaky breath.
“I’m in control,” she repeats in a whisper, closing her eyes and taking another shuddering breath. “Sorry does not excuse it, but I will take what punishment-”
“No one’s getting punished; let’s just… get out of here,” Royce says as his sword disappears.
“Are we all just going to pretend we didn’t see Uncle Al’s fucking double? And why the fuck were you calling him Uncle?” Ares says scornfully.
“He’s Uncle Alejandro’s son, or he claims to be… We have a blood sample; we’ll find out,” Jayce says as I help Heaven to her feet. Ahren walks over and pulls her into a tight hug, kissing the top of her head.
They don’t say anything, exchanging a silent look, and both smile slightly. Forgiven and forgotten.
I smile, glad she’s ok. Yes, she lost control, but it was only fleeting. Endora must have been desperate to talk to Vincenzo, which only confirms in my mind the fact that he is Grandpa Al’s son.
“Let’s not mention the lost son then, not until we at least have the blood tested, just in case,” Royce says, his brows creased in concern.
“Sure, let’s get out of here. But before that, what the fuck are you doing with these fucking dickheads?” Ares growls, jerking his head towards the drakaths.
I look across at them; there are so many of them…
“They’ll stay here until I need them,” I murmur. “They will not hunt, they will not attack, they will simply hide and await my call.”
“Maybe you could take a few back as bodyguards?” Ahren suggests. I shake my head.
“No, I want them here. I’ll just need to ask Prince Mikhail if he’s ok with that. After all, this is his land.”
A wave of unease washes through the four of them, and Jayce and I exchange looks.
“What is it?” Jayce asks as he walks towards me, placing a protective hand on my waist.
“Prince Mikhail was killed in battle; the future of the Siberian Wastelands and our alliance is up in the air right now,” Royce says quietly.
My stomach drops at the news, because Royce is right: without the Crown Prince, we don’t know if the next leader would approve, and with his death, I doubt it.
“How?” Jayce asks.
Royce shakes his head. “I don’t know; by the time we got there, it was too late. I don’t think he wanted this barrier brought down, no matter what.”
“There is a connection to the drakath origins and the vampires,” Jayce muses. “But we can only assume.”
“Well, we can discuss that later; let’s try to find the others,” Ahren says. “I felt I sensed Aunty Ri earlier.”
“How do you feel?” Jayce asks quietly.
I nod. “Perfectly fine,” I say, gazing into his eyes, realising he’s asking because of the binding. Turning, I cup his face. “Better than fine.”
He takes hold of my wrists, and I know this conversation isn’t over, but for now, he simply rests his forehead against mine.
For now, we can breathe that we made it out alive.
For now.