Chapter 9
NEAR VESALA, OVENNO
Terena could not speak for the giant knot in her throat. She stared down at Vassori, the woman’s hazel eyes bright with zealous fervor. The fact that this woman knew what Pytho had told Terena was not the only thing bothering her about this conversation.
The man standing behind the tracker bothered her more.
“Your sister wants to side with gods in a war that might not ever come to pass,” Terena said flippantly. “Yet you’ve still not said why you wish to find the amulet for yourself and not your master.”
“Emperor Solon is not my master,” Xoran bit out, his face a storm of anger. As if reading her thoughts, he scrubbed a hand down his face. When he regarded her again, his mask of indifference was restored.
“I have reasons to do so, which do not concern you. I have not lied to you. I will bring Sonah Yahn to you in exchange for the amulet. And Emperor Solon will never see it. I swear on—”
When he stopped abruptly, Terena cocked her head. “Aye? You swear on…”
“Xoran,” Vassori chided, turning her head long enough to glare at her brother before she turned back, earnest once more. “I beg you, goddess. Do not turn me away. I will be your shield when you need it, your sword when—”
“Yes, yes,” Croak scoffed, sauntering closer to them. Terena arched a sable brow at him. “We are all her shields and swords. What else do you bring to the table?”
A fraught silence followed his question, and Terena saw Xoran tense.
“Vassori,” he whispered. She did not turn to look at him, but she canted her head at his plea. “Do not. I beg you.”
“Listen to your brother,” Terena said when the silence continued. “I do not need your sword. I have Rydon—”
“And me.”
“And an Olympian god with an army of ten thousand men that grows every day.” Rydon added with smug satisfaction.
“Hermes is the trickster god,” Xoran fumed. “Do not think because you’re a god he will not use his clever tongue to deceive you. Has he told you what happens when you reach two and twenty? What happens to your eudaemon?”
“Aye,” Terena said, glaring at him. “He’s told me I will become immortal and my powers will manifest fully. And Rydon will be mortal once more.”
“Rydon?” Xoran sneered. “What of Commander Antonius of the Liodari?”
Croak made an unpleasant sound, but Terena ignored him. She cursed inwardly at how the heat rushed to her neck and face at the mention of Daris’s name. Pretending a calm she no longer felt, she shrugged.
“What care have I of the commander?”
Xoran laughed, his face incredulous. His sister hissed at him but the captain was very animated, crossing to Vassori’s side with manic glee.
“Your care, goddess, is most definitely with the commander. And if Hermes told you this one is your eudaemon,” he jabbed a finger in Rydon’s direction, “then he’s already spun lies for you.”
“Speak plain,” Rydon roared, his face a deep red. Spittle gleamed near his mouth where the hairs of his beard shook. “What is he lying about?”
Xoran seemed to revel in the moment, his chest puffed out as he shifted his gaze from Terena to Rydon. “You are not her eudaemon. Daris Antonius is.”
Stunned, Rydon gaped for a moment before erupting. He lunged for the Captain of the Imperial Guard, his hands fisting in the man’s tunic before Terena and Vassori could think to stop him.
“Rydon! Rydon, stop!” Terena yelled over Vassori’s shouts. Behind them, he heard Croak’s distinct laughter. Vassori had a hand wrapped around Rydon’s wrist, tugging ineffectually.
It was Terena’s voice, close to his ear, a breath away from Xoran, who calmed him.
“Rydon,” she whispered. “If it’s true, it changes nothing. You are for Sonah, and I am glad of it. I am glad, do you hear me? I cannot think of a man more worthy to watch over my sister. Do you hear me?”
“What?” Xoran whispered, his mouth dropping open. “What—Sonah Yahn… is your sister?”
Looking between the two of them, understanding dawned and his expression changed to awe.
“And a god. How?” Xoran’s face went through a range of emotions finally settling on satisfaction, a smile blooming as he turned to Terena.
“Shut the fuck up,” Rydon growled, his face so close to the captain, spittle landed on the man’s nose.
“It makes sense now,” Xoran continued.
Clearly, he had a death wish.
“What makes sense?” Terena asked with a sigh, her hand still on Rydon’s shoulder.
Xoran turned to his sister. Her hands covered her mouth and she stared back at the captain with wide eyes. “Emperor Solon has been looking for Sonah Yahn for months now. I didn’t know why he wanted her and not you.”
“Fuck,” Croak said behind them.
“Of course he wants her,” Rydon snarled. “The man is so hungry for power he’d use a child to further his interests.”
Chest throbbing where his heart clearly wanted to escape his ribcage, Rydon’s breaths were coming in hard and sharp. He calmed slowly, still clutching at the captain, whose eyes were now narrowed in a way that made Rydon’s eye twitch.
“You didn’t know? About being her eudaemon?” Xoran asked, incredulous. A look of pity passed through his eyes before he smiled. “And here I thought you, too, were keeping secrets from the goddess.”
“Stop calling me that,” Terena muttered, yanking on Rydon’s wrist. He finally let go, allowing her to pull him away, but he continued to stare at the man.
Terena looked at him a moment more before turning to Xoran, her eyes gleaming. “You lie. You lie because Hermes himself made Rydon my eudaemon.”
Xoran stared back at her, his lips falling to a frown. He wagged a finger at her. “He made him the heir’s eudaemon.”
“What?” Croak asked.
Rydon blinked at Xoran. “Aye. And Terena is—”
“Not the heir,” Terena sighed, her hand drifting to Rydon’s bicep. He swung around to look at her, his heart heavy.
“What?”
“I don’t understand,” Croak said, moving closer to Rydon’s side.
“I… didn’t tell you about my conversation with Hermes when we first arrived in Olympia,” Terena replied. Her hand slipped off Rydon’s arm and she brought both hands to her face as she shook her head.
“That was… that was over a month ago!” Croak cried out, arms spread as if he was the wronged party in all this.
“It just—it slipped my mind!”
“What? How the fuck—!”
“Croak, please,” Terena groaned, finally dropping her hands. She turned to face her brother. “I have a lot on my fucking mind these days and the order of my birth was really low on that list!”
“Well, what do you think now?” he asked, exasperated, as he motioned to Rydon with his palms up.
“How’s that possible? You’re older—”
“We’ll speak on it more later,” she replied through gritted teeth, giving Rydon a pointed stare.
“Terena, I—”
“You’re wasting time,” Xoran cut in. “The emperor tasked Duke Ovenno to return with Sonah Yahn. He has something he’s holding over the duke. I know not what, but he agreed to hand her over in exchange for something. I am to meet them in Calla and escort the lady back to Metilai.”
“What could Solon have over the duke to make him do his bidding?” Rydon pondered.
“As I said,” Xoran replied, cutting him an insolent glare, “it matters not, because the emperor has no plan to give it to him. He ordered me to bring Sonah to the White Palace. Duke Ovenno was never going to get back whatever it is he’d exchanged Sonah’s life for.”
“So your plan is to what, hold my sister hostage for an amulet?” Ren’s face closed up as she stared at the captain.
“I do not wish ill on your sister, I truly don’t. But if I’m to betray the emperor, I at least deserve the amulet in return for my trouble.”
“This is bullshit,” she said and turned, striding for the door.
“I’m going with you,” Vassori said, moving toward Terena. Her brother reached out, grabbing hold of her wrist.
“Vas—”
“You’re playing with a god right now,” Vassori snarled, yanking her wrist away. “How fucked up are you? Do you know what she can do to us?”
“Believe me,” he griped, “I do know. I was there when they were about to execute her.”
“Oh, aye, let’s bring up that joyous occasion,” Croak scoffed.
“The duke’s allies have retreated to their own provinces.
He is all alone against Emperor Solon right now.
In case you haven’t heard, Colinas fell a fortnight ago; The emperor sent Duke Ravos to Calla with half his face melted off.
Duke Ovenno’s facing annihilation if he doesn’t bring Sonah Yahn back from Sparta.
The emperor promised to do worse to him than Duke Ravos if he failed. ”
Rydon could feel Terena stiffen at his side with each word from the captain. Her face turned ashen and a deep scarlet in quick succession.
“How do you know this?” he asked.
Xoran’s lip curled. “You’re not too bright, are you? I’m his fucking Imperial Guard Captain.” He shifted his eyes to Terena. “I can get her for you before Ovenno takes her out of Sparta. I have men already in place.”
“Why are you here?” Terena said, pushing gently on Rydon’s shoulder.
Rydon retreated a step, allowing Terena to fill the space in front of Xoran, her eyes flashing as she glared at the captain.
“You’re his fucking Imperial Guard Captain,” she mimicked.
“So what are you doing in Ovenno and not in Sparta yourself?”
“Solon’s dog has a very long leash,” Rydon growled, his eyes burning into Xoran.
“I’m here for you.”
“Ah! The truth at last,” Croak laughed harshly. “Kill him, Rydon.”
“Enough!” Terena erupted, her face red as glared at all of them. “I don’t give a fuck anymore about why he’s here. I care about Sonah. I will find her myself.”
She turned to leave and said over her shoulder, “If you’re smart, you’ll stay out of my way. Come near us, try to take her from me, I will hunt you to the ends of Elysium.”
Before Terena took another step, Vassori darted in front of her, prostrating before her.
Head bowed and sword lifted, she said, “Take me with you.”
“I do not want your brother’s bargain,” Terena spat, pushing past the kneeling tracker.
“That’s his bargain, not mine,” Vassori said as she stood. Glancing over her shoulder at Xoran, who watched them in frustrated silence, she turned back to Terena. Lifting her chin, she gazed at her with a look Rydon could only interpret as reverence.
“Goddess, please—”
“Come. Stay. I care not,” Terena sighed and stepped away, turning for the door. “I am going to Sparta.”
“You won’t find her,” Xoran called out. Terena paused but did not turn back around. Rydon shoved the captain aside as he strode to Terena’s side.
“Why not?” Croak asked, popping something into his mouth as he followed in a leisurely manner.
Xoran’s face went blank. When he replied, he spoke to Terena. “Because the Fates have other plans for you.”