Chapter 38
COLINAS, RAVOS
Croak dropped to the ground as soon as the asshole holding him let go. Blinking against the void, Croak crawled forward, stretching out a hand to keep him from bumping into anyone else.
Especially Hermes.
Croak had no idea what had just happened, except Hermes had hit his sister and no one had done a thing to stop him.
Someone stepped on his hand and Croak slapped his other hand over his mouth to hold his scream in. There was shuffling and Croak sat up in a crouch. This same darkness reminded him of when they’d first met Vassori. And in Agraboda, when he’d found the Shroud of Faybhen.
Magi had attacked after everything went dark.
Croak stood slowly, his arms outstretched. He heard a low growl and some of the men cried out.
Screams erupted from all sides. Croak dropped back down, covering his head as a body fell over him. He hoped he was going in the direction of the stairs where Orry had been but then he doubled back when his hands slid in something wet on the stone.
Croak sat up when he heard Rydon cry out Terena’s name. He shuffled as fast as he could on his knees, keeping his hands up to guard his head. Terena answered and Croak whipped his head in the direction of her voice.
“Ren!”
“Croak!” Her panicked voice sounded like it was coming from everywhere. “Croak, stay where you are. I—”
Her voice cut off abruptly and Croak swore under his breath. Gathering his courage, he sprang up and ran full speed. He smacked into something solid and grunted as he stumbled back. A voice whispered, overlapping and echoing, the sound building with unintelligible words and the howl of dogs.
Dogs?
Croak rubbed at his face and shook his head to clear it. “Ren! Ren where are you?”
Something bubbled in his belly. Croak laid a hand over it. “I know, buddy. We’ll get food soon. After this fucking family drama is over with.”
As he stepped again, the bubbles became more intense and Croak paused, frowning. His insides fizzed and the sensation was so foreign, Croak smacked his stomach a few times to make it calm down.
Light came back, or rather, the world came back and Croak was no longer in Sydney Hall. He was outside in a courtyard near the stables. Gasping, Croak swung his head and body around, his panting breath squeaking on the inhales.
“What the fuck? What the fuck?”
A moment later, Rydon materialized, followed by Gabriol, crouched down low and holding onto a blubbering Orry. They all exchanged a look before Rydon surged forward, his clunky steps looking like the first steps of a baby learning to walk.
“Ren!”
As his voice died away, Ren rounded a corner with stumbling steps. Breathing raggedly, she sobbed when she saw them and ran. Croak and Rydon shot forward to meet her. Throwing her arms around Croak, Terena cried into his neck. He choked back his own sobs as he tightened his arms around her.
“Terena!”
They all startled as Cassandra came careening around the side of the stables with Migela.
The assassin pushed Croak aside and hugged Terena.
Cassandra came up to the women and enfolded them as best she could but she was not as tall as them.
“What the hells happened in there?” Croak asked, swallowing hard and asking again when his voice cracked.
Melanos thundered toward them on his horse, his eyes wild as he leaped off and stalked toward them. Arms out he yelled, “What’s happened? The—”
“We need to go! Now!” Cassandra said, pulling Terena toward the stables.
“Wait,” Ren said and pushed the seer away. She ran to Rydon with Melanos hot on her heels. “I need you to go to Lethe. Please go. Go get Sonah and meet us in Metilai.”
“I’m going with you,” Melanos said, his narrowed eyes on Rydon. “Bethana’s there with Sonah.”
“No!” Croak cried out. “Ren, no! We can’t keep fucking splitting up! We need to stay together. Please!”
“It’ll be the first place he looks!” Ren shouted, and Croak hung his head, his fingers threaded atop his hair.
“Even if they follow him there, it’s much easier for Rydon and Sonah to get away than if we were all there.
From what just happened, I don’t think Hermes will get over my mouthing off to him anytime soon.
No, we need to separate to save everyone. Meet us in Metilai. At the—”
“Wait!” Orry’s eyes darted around as he found himself the center of attention. His cheeks turned ruddy and he swallowed as he turned to Terena. “If my rooms remained untouched since my departure, it would be the safest place to meet up.”
“And if someone else is staying there now?” Croak snorted.
“We’re wasting time!” Rydon cried out with a slash of his hand. “Meet us at the Boar’s Head Inn on Chivanos. It’s a mile or so from the White Palace. The innkeep’s a friend.”
“Done.”
They all scrambled to leave. Croak had never saddled Cerberus faster in his life. He growled when Orry couldn’t get his saddle fitted and pushed his friend aside so he could finish the job. Mounted and ready to go, Croak looked back as Rydon started down the path.
“Rydon!” Terena called out, her face streaked with dirt and tears. She wiped at the blood crusted on her nostrils and gave him a wan smile.
“Thank you.”
“Thank me when we’re all together again,” the mercenary said. He nodded at all of them and turned, heading for Lethe Monastery and Sonah.
Daris stumbled forward. The men had released him when all the light disappeared, leaving them surrounded by a black void. As soon as he was free, he swung his blade behind him, grinning when he hit someone. He moved away, about to call out for Terena when he heard Croak calling for her.
Swinging around, Daris swore under his breath. He couldn’t see a thing, not even his hand in front of him. All around, the room had descended into chaos with men crying out and screams echoing. There were growls and barking coming from all sides, as if a pack of dogs had been let loose in the hall.
He kept his sword up and moved his left hand in an arc. Terena called out to her brother and Daris moved toward her voice. Her voice cut off and his heart stopped.
What just happened? Was Ren hurt?
Before he spiraled further, the dark dissipated and the survivors swung their heads around, looking at each other and at the carnage.
Daris took a halting step forward, his head swiveling wildly when he realized Terena was gone. Hermes let out a roar that shook the ground.
“Where is she? Find her!”
Hermes grabbed a sword from the ground near one of the bodies of his men and ran for the doors. Daris was still trying to figure out what had happened. He took note of the other missing people.
Terena’s friends were gone, too.
Daris ran after Hermes. He was still lethargic after Hermes had failed to make him immortal, but he shook it off. Shuddering, he recalled the pain as Hermes’s power raced through his flesh. Yet, nothing happened. He felt no different, despite the agony that had seized his organs.
The god had been frustrated, eventually saying it must not have worked because Daris was still eudaemon.
Daris didn’t know how Hermes had known it hadn’t worked.
The god had ranted about his powers being weakened.
He’d mumbled something about not being himself, of something twisting his thoughts and the fact that he couldn’t make Daris’s immortality permanent enraged Hermes further.
There was no time to worry about the god’s wrath. The look in Hermes’s eyes when he’d left the hall just now made Daris run faster.
“Terena!”
Hermes’s bellow made the ground tremble even more so outside than when he’d done it earlier. Soldiers, servants, courtiers all scrambled away from Hermes, their cries trailing Daris as he ran to catch up to him.
“The horses are gone, lord.”
Daris looked over at the man who’d spoken, seeing the thin little man who’d introduced himself earlier as the steward. He couldn’t recall the man’s name, but Daris wanted to skewer him for giving Hermes any information endangering Terena further.
“Fuck!” Hermes turned, his eyes landing on Daris. He still had his sword out, and he tightened his hold as the god stalked over. Grabbing the collar of Daris’s tunic, Hermes brought Daris uncomfortably close.
“Don’t ever do that again. You are mine now.”
“It didn’t work on me, remember?” Daris spat. “And don’t you ever fucking hit her again. God or not, I will come for you.”
“Come for me,” Hermes sneered, shoving his face nose to nose.
“But remember I’m your only chance of breaking your soul bond.
Good luck trying to find someone else to help you.
It may not have worked now, but only because you’re still eudaemon.
Once that is done, I will honor my end of the bargain, Commander.
I fully expect you to honor yours.” He thrust Daris away.
“Gather your men. We ride for Lethe. Soros!”
The captain came bounding forward, his lips compressed as he nodded.
“Stay here and hold Colinas. Take as many men as you need. Send the rest with Scar to Metilai.”
Soros thumped his chest and departed.
“Where did those dogs come from? What happened in there?” Daris asked, striding after Hermes.
“Nothing I cannot work around,” Hermes fumed, his aquamarine eyes an inhuman hue with the silver in them swirling around.
“Why don’t you port there? If Terena can do it, I assume you can as well.”
Hermes screamed and Daris widened his stance, ready for the inevitable quake.
Nothing happened.
“I cannot! She—she bound me!”
Daris knew there were many aspects of Terena’s powers he had yet to discover. Gods, there were aspects she had yet to discover, but he suspected she wasn’t strong enough yet to bind Hermes.
Unwilling to antagonize him further, Daris remained silent as Hermes raged. When his men left to do his bidding, Hermes turned and Daris gawped at the change in his expression. The god looked confused, frightened.
Catching Daris’s eye, Hermes looked at him, his face white. “I don’t know what’s happening. I’d never hurt her. I don’t—I don’t understand…”
A soldier approached, drawing the god’s attention.
More of his men arrived and Daris frowned as he watched Hermes speaking. It was as if his brief confusion never happened. The god’s fury returned, barking orders at his soldiers as if he hadn’t just confessed his remorse and horror over hitting Terena.
While Hermes was occupied, Daris marched toward the stables. Someone had already saddled his horse. Frowning, Daris looked around as Jason, Elias and Trojus rode up with Fane and another Spartan.
“Fane,” Daris grunted as the soldier dismounted, his hand to his heart.
“Commander,” Fane said with his head bowed.
Daris thumped the former Liodari on the chest. “I’m glad you found us.”
“Aye,” Fane said with a grim smile. “And not a moment too soon.”
“Indeed. We must ride for Lethe Monastery.”
“Aye,” Jason said with a grin. “I figured we’d be going after her so we readied the horses.”
Daris slapped the side of Jason’s leg as he passed, thanking him.
As they set off for the monastery, Daris hoped Terena had gone elsewhere.
LETHE MONASTERY, RAVOS
Rydon thanked the monk, Talian, as he and Melanos passed him and entered the small antechamber of Lethe Monastery.
“Lady Sonah and Lady Bethana are in—”
“Let me guess,” Rydon said over his shoulder, smiling grimly at Talian as they walked. “In the courtyard?”
Talian smiled, his craggy face brightening as he bowed and turned back, leaving Rydon and Melanos to continue on through the large corridor dividing into three smaller ones.
The one on Rydon’s left led to the dormitory and Abbot Malis’s office, while the one to the right led to prayer rooms, classrooms and other rooms Rydon hadn’t bothered to visit.
They continued straight, reaching an arched wooden door with iron rivets and a simple latch handle opening into the courtyard.
Surprised to see many of the monks out and about so late in the day, Rydon’s lips curved in a knowing smile as soon as he spotted the likely source of their continued enjoyment of the outdoors.
Sonah sat on a stone bench next to Daniel, a beautiful blonde woman beside her, speaking with sweeping arm gestures and animated expressions as the small group of monks sat enraptured by whatever tales she was spinning.
“I knew I’d find you here.”
Sonah did a double take when she spotted Rydon and Melanos. Jumping up with a gasp, she flew to Rydon, bouncing up and into his arms as she rested her nose in the crook of his neck. Rydon grinned and spun her once, her squeal of delight causing his cheeks to hurt with how wide he smiled.
“How are you here? No one heard you coming! Is Ren with you?”
“It’s just us, Sonah. And we need to leave as quickly as possible.
” Before he let her go, Rydon squeezed her hard one last time.
He glanced at the woman embracing Melanos.
After a quick introduction that left Rydon reeling, he recovered as he took in Sonah’s radiant smile. “Come. Get your things and—”
“We can’t!” Sonah said. She gripped Rydon’s forearms and looked over his shoulder. “I’m not alone! You’ll never guess what happened to me on the road.”
“It’s a good thing we have time on our way to Metilai. I definitely need to hear your story, Sonah.”
“Wait, what?” Sonah darted forward to grip Rydon’s arm. “Why Metilai? Where’s Ren?”
“I’ll tell you on the way,” Rydon said. “Hermes is on his way here and will take you if we do not leave now.”
“Bethana and I will meet you at the gates in five.”
“Aye, good.”
“There’s something else,” Sonah said as she chewed on a fingernail. “I—”
“Riders at the gate!”
Rydon looked at the man who’d come running with the news.
“Fuck!”