The Heir of War Rises (Eighth Circle #2)

Chapter 1

OLYMPIA

Ormano Peredor scribbled furiously, glancing back and forth between the scroll he was referencing and his notes. Shuffling aside one of the many papers strewn across the table, he frowned in concentration as he searched for the one he needed.

“Any luck?”

Startled, Orry spared a glance at Terena Luca as she strolled to his side, her hand tucked into her belt as she looked at his work.

She must’ve just come from training, Orry thought as she leaned against the desk.

Her sable hair was in its usual style, secured high on her head so the mane hung down to sway gently as she walked, but there were strands loose and a flush of color high on her cheeks.

Snow had melted on her leather breeches, leaving behind dots of moisture, and her fur-lined boots were wet when she crossed her ankles.

Her hazel eyes narrowed as she looked down at the scrolls in front of Orry.

“Nothing yet,” he muttered as he dipped his quill in the ink, careful not to drip any on the ancient scrolls. Hermes had presented Orry with the scrolls when he’d first arrived, months ago.

Orry was searching for anything he could find on the Shroud of Faybhen. He’d yet to discover how it opened a portal to the Olympian gods.

A month after Terena and Croak arrived, Orry was still no closer to discovering the shroud’s secrets and his frustration was eating at him.

“What’s this?”

Orry glanced at where Terena’s hand was settled and he did a double take as she lifted it, frowning at the ancient words.

“Careful!” he snapped and swatted her hand with the feathered end of the quill.

She bent closer as he casually read the dead language and grinned.

“This,” he said, “is a fascinating story I’d not heard before. It is of a goddess we never knew existed, at least, not in Heylisia.”

“What goddess?”

“She had many names. I saw a reference in one of these scrolls to her as Até, but this text refers to her as Ka?ra. The God of Ruin. Her power was so terrible, even the other gods feared her. Except Thanatos. The God of Death loved her and they were to marry, but she was killed.”

“What? How?”

Orry shrugged. “It doesn’t say. Only that Zeus defiled her corpse, stealing one of her emerald eyes and fashioning it into an amulet he then gifted to a mortal.

A shepherd. The goddess had many powers, the most insidious allowed her to invade the minds of mortals and gods, twisting their desires and ambitions to cruelty, depravity.

The affected would turn on one another, becoming so corrupted they destroyed their families.

“Kingdoms were ruined, generations wiped out. She could do this with the gods too, but she was not malicious. Although that’s a guess on my part, with what little is written of her.

And while she never threatened the King of the Gods, Zeus was not happy there was someone out there with this kind of power, something that could be used against him.

“Thanatos, of course, thought it was Zeus behind her murder but Apollo put an end to the rumors with his gift of foresight. But his visions could not find the real culprit. Didn’t stop the God of Death from raging when Zeus used the goddess’s eye as an ornament for some random mortal.

He was broken by her murder, and to have Zeus use her eye for a trinket and gift for a mortal was something Thanatos could not forgive.

In his grief over her loss and fury at Zeus for his callousness, the God of Death altered the power of the amulet. ”

“Well? Don’t keep me in suspense.”

Grinning, Orry turned back to the wonderful scattering of texts across his workspace.

“He made it so even those who did not have bad intentions would have their minds corrupted if the shepherd willed it. The halls of the afterlife filled with so many souls, at one point the Olympians convened about taking the amulet back. They were overwhelmed with prayers from their people, begging the gods to do something about the shepherd’s power.

He took over a kingdom, but I cannot find which one. ”

“Did Zeus get the amulet back?”

“He did not,” a deep voice called out, startling them both.

Orry tensed as the trickster god, Hermes, lounged against the doorway to the library, his arms crossed at his chest. As usual, he wore a black silk tunic opened to reveal the golden skin of his chest, his black leather breeches tucked into the immaculate boots laced to his calves.

His blond locks were pulled back and tied at his nape.

Hermes watched them with a slight frown.

“Did you know her?” Terena asked, waving a hand at the papers before Orry. “The God of Ruin?”

“Aye,” Hermes said. He pushed away from the door, strolling toward them with his arms still crossed.

“She was lovely. Spent much of her time alone, though. None of us wanted to be anywhere near her. Not because she was an asshole or anything. But the power she wielded made us leery, lest Zeus think we were plotting his demise.”

“And yet,” Ren said, moving away from the table as Hermes neared, “Thanatos was the only one among you who didn’t care about that. I find that interesting.”

“Find it interesting all you want,” Hermes snorted as he looked down at the ancient pages. “But I daresay, even you, niece, would quake before Zeus.”

“So who killed Ka?ra?”

Hermes shrugged. “We never found out. Shortly after, war broke out and then we were banished.”

“And what of the shepherd’s bloodline?” Orry asked, twisting in his seat to face Hermes. “What kingdom did they rule?”

Hermes spared a glance at him as he picked up a corner of a parchment near his hip.

Dropping it back onto the table, he sighed.

“Olethros. Tinos was the shepherd-turned-king. The first and only of his line to have the amulet. He was killed during the war, that I know.” He clicked his tongue and looked over at Terena.

“I don’t know what became of the amulet, obviously. We were no longer around to care.”

“So it could still be out there?” Ren asked, her hazel eyes narrowed.

“Possibly.”

“And where was Olethros located? Perhaps we can trace the king’s lineage and see if we can find the amulet.” Orry looked up at the god with barely concealed excitement.

Hermes winked. “Olethros is now called Metilai.”

Terena laughed.

Of course.

Dropping her chin, she grinned as she closed her eyes and shook her head.

“So, it could be in Emperor Solon’s vaults as we speak?”

Hermes waved a hand dismissively. “If it was, I’d imagine Solon would’ve used it by now.

He’s been rounding up trackers who all possess amulets of power.

And I do not believe he’s descended from Tinos’s bloodline.

From what I’ve learned of his empire, that region’s been conquered several times before Justinian the Fair took the crown and Heylisia was born. ”

“Right,” Orry murmured. He was picking at his fingernails, biting his lip in a way Terena knew meant he was deep in thought.

“This arrived just now,” Hermes said after a beat. He held up a folded slip of paper between his fingers, his aquamarine eyes on Terena.

Straightening, Terena took a step toward Hermes and snatched the missive, squinting at the words. Her eye twitched as she read. When she was finished, she lifted her gaze to find Hermes smiling faintly back at her.

“When do we leave?”

Orry turned, his eyes moving back and forth between Terena and Hermes. “What’s going on?”

“Sonah’s in Sparta.”

Orry’s brows shot to his hairline. “That’s… what you expected, right?”

“Aye,” Hermes said without taking his eyes off Terena. “We will leave in the morning.”

Terena’s pulse thrashed as she struggled to maintain calm. “Good. I’ll be ready.”

“I’ve already sent a note back confirming we’re on our way. The cleric stays here until he figures out how to open the fucking portal.” His gaze shifted at last to Orry.

Her friend visibly deflated. “I’d like to join you,” Orry said, his eyes shifting to Terena. “Please? I’ve never been to Sparta, and perhaps the king would let me see—”

“I need you here to finish your studies,” Hermes interrupted in a tone brooking no further argument.

Terena gave Orry an apologetic shrug.

“Go find your brother,” Hermes said as he strode away. “He needs you.”

“What did your men do now?” Terena grumbled as she strode after him.

“You’ll see.”