CHAPTER 27
“I’m coming with you,” Lana said, plopping down beside me.
I eyed her innocently over the toast I was nibbling on.
The mess hall was quiet at this time of day, in between the breakfast and lunch rush.
Kilian, Syrina and Septimus had run over the plan with me three times before heading to an armory I had never heard of before, but I should have known Septimus would spill his lovestruck guts to Lana. “Coming where?”
Lana smacked the toast from my hand, and it fell to the plate with a clatter. “You are not going to Dorisport without me. That is my home.”
“You aren’t coming, Lana.”
“Like hell I’m not. I will be waiting at the scry whether you like it or not. I’m not letting my best friend enter the land of the gods alone.”
“I won’t be alone. And besides, it’s too dangerous.”
“Too dangerous?” Her voice rose in pitch, and I winced. “I’ve just competed in the most dangerous challenges in Tarlor. Fuck that. I’m coming.”
I sighed. I should have known by now that trying to stop Lana from doing anything was impossible. It was easier to give in. “Fine. We’re leaving this evening.”
She pressed a kiss to my cheek, then stood. “I have to get weapons. Speaking of, isn’t it kind of pointless heading to Tuscan without the dagger imbued with Primus’ magic? Don’t you need that to kill him?”
“We’ll have to look for it after the curse is broken. I think Septimus has a new lead. It’s not ideal, but at least if Kilian’s unbound that’s one issue resolved.”
“And explain to me, why does this unbinding have to take place in Tuscan?” Lana asked. “Why can’t you do it here?”
“The powers of the gods are amplified in their homeland. And it’s where the curse was performed. It can only be broken there,” I recited what Kilian had said when I’d asked him the exact same question.
“Right.” Lana sucked on her teeth. “So, we’ll be needing weapons, then.”
“Lots of them.” I pushed away from the table, my toast no longer appetizing.
If the gods caught us in Tuscan before I managed to unbind Kilian, Septimus and Syrina, it would be over for all of us.
I doubted the gods would take kindly to a renegade pitching up after centuries only to unbind the one who could kill them all.
We could only hope that we managed to slip into Tuscan undetected. I supposed we could try to fight our way out, if it came to that. But truthfully, I didn’t think four elven and an amnesiac goddess stood a chance against eight wrathful deities at full strength.
It was best to be as prepared as possible. Steeling myself for the day ahead, I followed Lana as she led the way to the armory.
The sun had just begun its descent, turning the sky a beautiful shade of peach, when Lana and I stepped into the courtyard. We were both armed to the teeth, an extra bandolier of weapons slung across my hip.
Syrina paced across the courtyard. She looked up when she saw us, her face breaking into a grin.
“You’re cheery,” Lana said to her.
Syrina’s smile grew wider. “I’m going home! I haven’t felt the Tuscan breeze on my face in centuries. And there are so many things I want to paint. So much music I want to create and share with the world. How can I not be excited about that?”
She seemed to not be remembering the threat of egregious bodily harm that the land of the gods posed were we to be discovered.
The door opened behind us and Septimus and Kilian strode out, dressed in full battle armor.
Metal dripped from every inch of their bodies and Kilian’s mouth was set in a grim line.
He looked like the elven who had taken me from Serila on Augustine.
Except this time, I was going into war at his side.
“Are you sure you want to come?” I turned to Lana.
“Yes, Lirah.”
“I tried convincing her not to,” Septimus muttered, but the look he gave Lana was so soft, so loving, it felt like I was intruding on a private moment. “But arguing with Lana is like trying to take on a hurricane.”
The same conclusion I had come to myself earlier that day.
Kilian’s gaze slid to Syrina, who was tinkering with the scry. “Are we all ready?”
I took a quick gulp of the cold air and marched forward. “Ready.”
My fingers linked through Kilian’s and, together, we stepped through the murky smog.
My feet touched smooth, even stone. A loud blare blasted through the air, grating against my eardrums. It sounded like a horn.
My eyes roamed around my surroundings, drinking it all in.
I had only ever lived on Serila, and now, Lortan.
Aside from my brief trip to Greyhaven, I had never been anywhere else in Tarlor.
Dorisport was a coastal town. The scry had spat us out on the edge of a pier, around a large harbor. Rust-covered ships lined the dock, towering above us. Shipping containers were stacked across the length of a massive vessel, and I marveled at their size.
Septimus and Lana appeared behind us, and then Syrina. The scry hummed quietly and went silent.
The pier wasn’t empty at this time of day.
The mortals who milled about, walking along the wooden planks, eating food and slurping at drinks, took one look at us and turned in the opposite direction.
I knew they were used to seeing elven on the mainland – Lana had told me as much.
The governor of Dorisport often had meetings with the elven to broker trade agreements, and they were free to come and go as they pleased, so long as they kept to the terms of the peace treaty by blessing the land and only ever taking the mortals needed for the Trials.
Kilian paid them no mind as he tugged on my hand, pulling me away from the dock.
I could hear the others’ footsteps behind me as we hurried across the quay, toward a set of steps.
The scry had brought us to the closest beacon near the Amber Temple, and I could see the pointed peak of its centermost turret.
It was a solid block with a sharp spire made entirely of amber.
The gemstone glistened in the setting sun, the orange glow of the sky seeming to set it ablaze.
Even at this time, mortals gathered outside, pointing out the architecture and history.
The slabs of amber which made up the temple had been stacked and arranged so that several smaller chambers formed a semicircle around the larger chamber in the center, the one the tallest turret rose from.
A large archway was nestled right in the middle, against the centermost chamber.
The door was left open, and mortals spilled out as a bell chimed.
“It’s the last prayers of the day,” Lana said, gesturing to those who were slipping their shoes back on at the base of the temple.
If only they knew their gods were closer than they thought.
When the last of the mortals had filtered out, we strode for the temple.
The steps echoed beneath my feet, and I felt an odd sense of familiarity wash over me as I entered the chamber.
Stained glass and mosaic murals decorated the windows and walls.
There were several washbasins lined against the wall and an altar at the epicenter.
Thirteen statues made of amber circled the dais. I peered up into the faces of the gods.
It was clear that the statues had been hewn by hand, and I did not recognize any of the faces set in stone.
“Over time, many of the gods have chosen new bodies to occupy,” Kilian murmured beside me as I peered up at a stunning female. Her eyes were closed, lips curled into a gentle smile. “That was once Winipyr. And this is how I remember Aerie.” He pointed to a statue on the opposite end.
The female’s face was perfectly symmetrical, so beautiful my chest constricted. Whoever had carved the statue had managed to capture the wrath and fury that burned in her eyes. She held a sharp, angular helmet. With a pang, I realized I had seen it before, falling to my feet on a sandy beach.
“We should keep moving.” I tore my gaze from the statue. Whoever I had once been, it was patently clear that I was not her anymore.
Septimus, Lana and Syrina had moved past the statues and were now heading through a second, smaller chamber. I followed them, Kilian trailing behind me. The second chamber was not as decorated as the first. It only housed a set of wooden pews before a wide altar.
“Over here,” Septimus called from behind the altar. It seemed as though a hidden door had been fixed into its back. It was dark inside, but I could see the top of a set of steps leading further down.
“This leads to Tuscan?” Lana asked dubiously.
“It’s a portal, yes. Only a god can open the doorway,” Septimus explained. “It’s not too late to chicken out, sunshine.”
“I’ll show you ‘chicken’,” Lana huffed and stepped across the threshold. She turned to look back at us. “Well, are you coming?”
Septimus grinned and followed suit. Syrina went next.
Kilian gripped my wrist, spinning me toward him before I could cross into the stairwell. He pressed a soft kiss to my lips, and my hand rose automatically to cup his cheek.
“What was that for?” I breathed.
He ran his nose along my neck, and I shivered. “In case I don’t get the chance to do it in Tuscan. I don’t want to regret not kissing you at every chance I get.”
“There’ll be plenty more chances,” I murmured, my eyes shuttering as I breathed him in.
“I know.” His hand skimmed my side, reaching for my own. I let him pull me through the altar and into the depths below.
The steps were steep and the darkness endless. It consumed me the second I entered the stairwell. But Kilian’s hand clasped mine, his grip steady as he guided me through the descent. Eventually the stairs plateaued, the ground evening out, and, in the distance, a pinprick of light appeared.