Chapter 20
Topp Blatz would never argue that he was the smartest man. But he wouldn’t have said he was the dumbest either.
His head cracked above him, causing a loose clod of the gods knew what to crumble down his face and into his eyes.
Fuck me. He’d sworn he’d never come back down here again after the last time.
Topp rubbed his eyes, straining to see in the dark.
Having had a taste of his powers, and then being forced back into stunted scraps was like ripping away a drug he hadn’t known he needed.
He stalked further into the dark, continuing to question his own mental faculties.
Slinking around underfoot the man who had raised him and now had a warrant out for him admittedly wasn’t his wisest decision. Worse than that was being back in these godsforsaken, shit-infested tunnels like he was a rat instead of a fully grown man.
Another clod of dirt disintegrated over him, and familiar tension cramped his lower back as he tried to make himself shorter.
He was always stressed. His muscles wouldn’t have known what to do if they weren’t tight enough to pop his head right off his body.
Swiping dirt off his face for the second time in less than five minutes, Topp eyed the tunnels with disdain.
He doubted they were going to last much longer.
One cursory sweep with his meager power confirmed it. The wildlife was starting to clear out. And when the animals left…humans would be wise to follow.
He had walked into the tunnels in a foul mood, though.
The dirt and shit, along with who he was about to see, were only making it worse.
He scratched at his face and ended up with dirt under his nails.
Elysia had gotten into his head alright.
Spitting out words about their relationship in that tavern he hadn’t wanted to hear, trying to taint the only good memories he had over the last few years.
He’d known their relationship hadn’t been perfect, but for him it had been his only reprieve.
She wanted to write them off as surface and sex, but it had sprung from friendship, and that part of them had never died.
It’d just been suffocated and neglected by the weight of their secrets and duties.
Now, she couldn’t even stomach the idea of him in her life.
He’d seen the hesitation on her face when he’d said they could work together.
He swatted at an insect. He wouldn’t want to be his friend either. But in some ways, as long as Elysia loved him, then it was like the better, younger part of him was still alive. Like there was still hope he could get back to himself.
But she didn’t love him anymore, and he should know better than to think he could ever go back.
Topp turned a corner. In another life…in another life, it would have been them.
Him working with animals. Her slung over his shoulder, screaming like a lunatic as he carried her off to their favorite spot in the Lovestone Woods.
She could have been a journalist. Put her godsdamned nosiness to good use.
She was a pain in his ass. The best friend he’d ever had. And she was proving to be a nightmare to get over.
Dim lights wavered in the air, drawing his eye.
“I might be an asshole, but at least I’m trying,” he muttered to himself.
A dry voice responded from much closer than he had expected. “And all these years I thought you had no idea.”
For fuck’s sake. Topp shook off the temptation to pick Rollie up by his shirt and throw him into the nearest wall. Might take the damn place down if he did.
“Rollickus.” The name came out more growl than greeting.
“Crown squinch.” Turning away, Rollie strode off into the soft flickering candlelight. He didn’t bother to look back as he spoke. “Why are you here, and how do I get you to leave?”
Topp prowled close behind. “You know this place isn’t long from collapsing, right? All the animals are gone.”
“Of course, I know.” Haughty as ever, Rollie’s nose might as well have been in the air.
Topp’s teeth ground together. He was trying to be nice. Fixing his voice, he tried again. “I’ve got a proposition for you.”
“No.”
Sighing, he ran a hand through his hair, grimacing as dirt clouded into the air. “You haven’t even heard what I’ve got to say.”
“Once a squinch, always a squinch.”
Topp’s nostrils flared as he lost the battle with his temper. “Rollie, do you want to die down here in the fucking tunnels like some kind of vermin, or do you want to help me warn as many rulers as I can about my father?”
With white hair and pale skin, Rollie looked ghostlike in the dim light.
“I know this might be too complicated for your tiny royal brain, but how is warning people that a deranged ruler is going to tear out their magic and ravage their lands going to do any good? Doesn’t really stop it from happening. ”
Topp decided right then that Rollickus Timmons was the human equivalent of a sliver in your asshole. And considering that Elysia was no longer his girlfriend, he wasn’t sure he had any reason not to throttle the infuriating and precocious man.
His tone was chilling. “Do you have a better suggestion? Should I let them be completely blindsided then?”
Rollie marched into his lair. “Yes.”
“Yes, what?” There were stacks of books everywhere, like he had pillaged a library.
“Yes, I have a better plan than that.” His tone made it sound obvious.
Topp shoved his hands into his pockets lest they got any ideas. Like squeezing Rollie until his eyes and tongue popped out.
“And that would be…” he drawled, pushing his irritation down.
Rollie gave him a hard look and spoke slowly as if to a child. “Tell the rulers if it makes you feel better, but they’re not the ones you need to speak with.”
“And who would you speak with?” he pressed, curiosity overriding his annoyance. Rollie was the smartest bastard he knew, and he’d known it’d be easy enough to provoke him into laying out a better plan. The key was not killing Rollie before the wisdom was imparted upon him.
“The ones who follow the paths of the undead gods.”
Topp’s heart skipped a beat, and his voice went low. This was why he had come here. “What makes you say that?”
Rollie slammed a thick worn-out book down onto the table between them. “Because if you want to get shit done, then you’re going to need to make them notice.”
Topp ran a finger beneath its title, The Histories of the Undead Gods. “Make the gods notice?” Skepticism rang through his words.
“How do you not know any of this? Did you not learn anything living in other kingdoms?”
Topp’s cheeks heated. “I learned plenty.”
Scoffing, Rollie muttered to himself about royal educations. “I’ll keep it simple, so you can understand.”
The prince gestured for him to get on with it. It was like Rollie wanted to be punched.
“A long time ago, all the gods died because they got bored, and a lot of humans died because of the chaos. And before you ask, yes, gods can die… It’s difficult and messy, but if they try hard enough, they can kill each other.
Thus, the fates made new gods and introduced a drop of magic into our mortal lives and assigned each other roles. ”
“And how does this help us?” Topp kept his voice gruff while fighting to keep a grin down. He knew if he walked in here with a shit plan that Rollie wouldn’t be able to help himself. Insufferable know-it-all.
Rollie shoved the book aside and flung down a map. Unfurling it, he stuck candles on its edges to hold the paper flat. He pointed at a handful of red circles. “Do you know what those are?”
Peering closer, Topp nodded. “Temples.”
“Temple locations are not random. They’re built over ancient founts of power. Liminal spaces where even mortals can knock on the ground and hold the ear of their god.”
Topp folded his muscular arms. “Let me get this straight, you think the gods will devolve into petty drama and chaos if mortals lose magic.”
“Correct—it might take a century or two for them to get bored enough, but it’s inevitable.”
“And you think if we somehow manage to inform the gods of what my father is doing, then they will…” Topp trailed off, his brows raised in question.
Rollie shoved the candles aside, allowing the map to curl back up with a snap.
“How can someone who traveled half his life be so uncultured? It’s not a question of managing to get the gods to hear us.
It’s possible and happens every day. The more pressing concern is how long it will take them to get off their asses and do something about it. ”
Exasperation overtook him. “You want to petition the gods like a religious fool. That’s the entire plan?” Doubt was starting to creep in now.
Rollie scowled as shadowed light bounced off his glasses.
“I’ve done the research, and I’m telling you it’s possible to prey on their insecurities.
Even gods are afraid of death. They won’t want a repeat of history.
” A gleam entered Rollie’s blue eyes. “Speaking of death… Do you have any way to contact Elysia? A direct connection to the god of death would be invaluable.”
His jaw clamped shut. “No.”
Rollie cast him a knowing stare. “But you’ve seen her?”
Topp gave him nothing more than a clipped nod.
“And you didn’t think it would be helpful to secure continued communication with her? She’s working with a god.”
She’s probably doing more than that. Topp stepped away from the table, leaning against a wall and immediately regretting it. “There are other gods. We don’t need hers.”
Rollie’s lips flattened. “I’m not even going to respond to that.”
“Oh, fuck off, Rollickus. Do you want to storm some temples with me or not?”
Excitement flashed across Rollie’s face. “You’re in?”
Gods save us all. “I’m in.”
Rollie raced into a different room, yelling at the top of his lungs. “I’ll get my maps and books. We leave in an hour.”
Topp’s face dropped into his hands. This was a mistake. He just knew it.