Chapter 50 #3
I’d gone to great lengths to hide his extreme punishments, thinking she would feel guilty that she couldn’t stop it.
Instead, I only told her he kept me confined to my room to explain my absences.
If I had a lingering bruise on my face, I’d say he only slapped me, or I had an accident.
I made up all sorts of excuses to cover up Morgunn and Ulmar’s abuses.
“Oh, I loved it every time you defied him enough for him to send you to the dungeon,” Sariyah said, smiling broadly. “Sometimes, Ulmar would even come describe how he tortured you to me, so I could enjoy how you suffered, too.”
Disbelieving of the woman in front of me, I couldn’t wrap my head around this version of her. How had I missed it? She had always seemed kind and supportive. I was so caught up in my turbulent emotions that I almost didn’t catch the faint sounds of metal clashing against metal in the distance.
Glancing past Sariyah, I caught sight of a skirmish breaking out along one of the side streets across the square.
Veronnian troops were slowly working their way here, killing dark elves and Therressian soldiers while the leaders remained distracted.
They would notice at any moment, though, and then they’d order the rest of their forces against ours.
Already, they dragged Faina away to my left in the direction of the mines.
I needed to keep everyone’s attention on me.
Drawing a deep breath, I lunged forward and rammed my shoulder into Sariyah’s stomach, wanting to hurt her, even if it was only a little compared to what she’d done to me.
We went down in a tangle. She squealed in outrage and got to her knees faster since her hands weren’t tied.
Her face was a mask of fury as she hovered over me.
“You bitch!” she screamed.
Then, she began hitting me in the face while I lay there with my hands bound behind my back, helpless to stop her.
My heart hurt so much that her strikes hardly fazed me as they swung my head side to side.
Let her hit me if it would buy Veronna time to take down more of the enemy before they were noticed.
Commander Norvin was so absorbed with watching us that he missed the battle happening a few blocks away.
“STOP!” a thundering female voice ordered.
Everyone froze in place—and not by choice.
She had that much power. Even the fae across the square didn’t move, though I could still hear the fighting farther in the distance, so there was a limit at some point.
I didn’t recognize the voice, but I had no doubt she was a nameless god by the sounds of it.
Was I really going to meet a fourth? Half the population never saw any of them, and most of the rest met only one during their lives.
“Oh, not you,” she said, plucking Sariyah off me as her hand hung suspended mid-air for the next strike. My former friend landed ten feet away on her hands and knees.
“And especially not you.” The hold on my body eased, and I struggled to my feet.
Finally, I took my first good look at the nameless god, my jaw dropping.
She had long, red hair that ran to her thighs, a delicate face, and bronze skin.
The ice-blue silk gown she wore shimmered with its own light.
I’d thought Desire was beautiful, but this one exuded a cold, exquisite beauty that was incomparable to anyone else.
My original nameless god suddenly appeared in front of me, a contrast to the other with his dark skin, short hair, and crisp, white robe. He practically shook with fury. “Aella is not yours. You can’t interfere in her life, especially not without my permission.”
“Yes, I can.” The female gave him a condescending look. “Your little elf-druid granted me that right when she killed my dog.”
“I…what?” I asked, confused.
“The Cù Sìth.”
My jaw dropped. “It was yours?”
I’d killed the giant mangy creature months ago while on a ride with Rynn.
It had bitten me in the arm before I managed to slice it in half, along with a few trees, with my light powers.
Just before it died, its eyes had seemed to show relief that its life was over.
Few people survived encounters with them because they were so vicious and nearly impossible to defeat, but I’d been lucky.
“Yes, it was my hound, and I’ve yet to replace him, but you—or rather your new nemesis—gave me the perfect opportunity,” she said, gesturing at Sariyah, who now stood trembling, eyes rounded in shock.
After having god sex, I was a little less intimidated by having two others around, but I imagined it would be difficult for those who’d never met one. I hoped it gave my betrayer a heart attack.
“You’re going to turn her former friend?” my regular nameless god asked. It was annoying that I didn’t even have a moniker for him. I’d have to think of something when I didn’t have multiple predicaments to handle at once.
The icy goddess smiled. “Yes. It is my right under our laws to do so, since the Cù Sìth can only come into existence through the deep betrayal of a close friendship. Vengeance is solely my purview, no matter the location or individuals involved.”
“No.” Sariyah put her hands up and began backing away. “You can’t make me one of those…please.”
She lifted a perfect white brow. “You had no mercy for Aella, who was the best friend you could have possibly hoped to have. I will have no mercy for you, but let us see how the little half-druid feels about it.”
Everyone’s gaze fell on me, even the ones who couldn’t move around us. Apparently, their eyeballs weren’t restricted, nor was their breathing. I spent all of a few seconds imagining the life Sariyah would have as a Cù Sìth and how miserable it would be.
“Will she remember me and what she did?” I asked.
The goddess nodded. “With perfect clarity until someone manages to kill her. It usually takes centuries, but not to worry, I will keep her by my side most of the time and only send her out when I get bored.”
Their kind got bored a lot.
“Never near children,” I demanded.
She made a disgruntled noise. “No one else bothers to bargain and simply lets me do it.”
“Aella is not just anyone,” my nameless god said with a hint of pride that surprised me.
I turned to Sariyah. “You think I’m foolish and too soft? Maybe you never knew me at all, but you’ll spend the rest of your days wishing you’d never betrayed me because I’m not as weak as you thought. I’ll gladly condemn you to a life of hell.”
Maybe it was terrible of me to let her be changed at all, but I felt no remorse at the idea.
I never wanted to see her again. She deserved an awful punishment.
Forced to live as a big, mangy dog feared by everyone except a god—one who’d likely make her play fetch for fun and eat foul foods.
It seemed like the perfect retribution. I just had to make sure my decision didn’t cost innocent people their lives.
“Only send Sariyah after people who deserve it, and hopefully will put up a little fight, so it isn’t easy or painless for her,” I said, thinking it through.
“Fine. I accept your terms.” She looked at the other god. “How can you stand this one, let alone claim her?”
“I’m not the only one who has a claim on her, if you bothered to look closely,” he said imperiously.
She squinted at me, then appeared surprised. “Her, too? Truly?”
“Apparently, there was sex involved, and she enjoyed being inside Aella,” he explained.
The exquisite goddess flipped her red hair over her shoulder. “I’m so thankful carnal matters do not tempt me, and I only enjoy revenge for pleasure.”
“You’re strange, is what you are,” the male god said.
“Anyway.” She gestured at Sariyah, who screamed as her body cracked and stretched as it turned into a massive, mangy dog with thick black fur and glowing silver eyes. “Come along, dear. We must spend some time properly training you before I unleash you on your first victims.”
My former friend moved reluctantly on all fours, abject horror in her doggy gaze as she walked toward her new mistress.
I had a feeling she had no choice and would never have any freedom again.
I really didn’t care. She’d broken my heart and deserved no less.
It gave me some small comfort that even the gods wouldn’t let Sariyah’s actions go unpunished.
A moment later, the two of them vanished. Everyone remained frozen. My nameless god turned to me and waved his hand, making the ropes around my wrists fall away. He did it again for Faina, who was almost to the houses across the way—stuck frozen midstep.
“You’re interfering,” I said, managing a tight smile despite my facial wounds and the despair filling me.
He shrugged. “It’s a small thing and hardly comparable to what the goddess just did.”
“Any words of wisdom before you leave?” I asked.
The god looked toward Ulmar, who still stood with his wife twenty feet away, and lowered his voice.
“Your cousin doesn’t know that the magic is now restored within the square—though not the rest of the city.
I am going to linger for another ten seconds, so if you happen to grab someone’s weapon before I go, I will pretend not to notice. ”
“Thank you,” I said, meaning it.
He gave me a solemn look. “I like you, Aella. I’d do more if I could.”
Then, he turned his gaze upward as if finding a sudden fascination with the sky. I dashed for Commander Norvin’s sword, struggling to pull it from his scabbard with my sore wrists. The stupid ropes had been tight enough to cut my circulation. Once I had it free, I raced toward Ulmar.
I almost reached him when everyone unfroze.
My cousin turned toward me, but it was too late.
I thrust the blade straight into his gut and bared my teeth as he gripped the weapon in shock.
While his blood poured forth, I twisted.
The wound was grave and would keep him down, but he’d survive as long as he staunched the bleeding.
I was done playing nice with anyone. We would be introducing him to Darynia’s dungeon very soon, and those many toys I’d seen for the prisoners there.
Pulling the sword back out, I turned to Evrenn. “You’re next.”
“You’re fooling yourself if you think you can take me, little half-druid,” she said with a mocking smile.
I was angry and needed a good fight. She’d do the trick. “We’ll see.”