Page 219 of A Dawn of Gods & Fury

“You will not.” Zander cups my face. “You will do well. Just … choose your words carefully.”

“You mean, don’t tell a god that they owe me?” How arrogant Neilina must have been.

He leans in to kiss my lips. “Return to me quickly.”

“Always.” I chase his kiss with my own and then break free, aware of our audience.

Jarek looms on my other side. “I am going to assume they do not share your sense of humor.”

“Don’t be a smart-ass. Got it.”

His jaw tenses. “Be careful.”

My heart swells as I squeeze his shoulder. “Hey, Lucretia, keep him company?”

Jarek rolls his eyes as the sylx slinks over. “Thank you so much for that.”

With a wink, I step up onto the pavilion, studying first the stone altar in the center and then the two pillars I need to choose between. Vin’nyla ignored Neilina three times. Aminadav punished the entire realm of Ybaris because of her. I chew my bottom lip in thought.

Eeny meeny miny moe?

With one last smile at Zander, I pull a thread and reach forward.

64

Zander

“Where the fuck did she go?” Jarek barks, voicing the words a beat before I can.

One second, Romeria was standing there, smiling at me.

The next, she was gone.

Vanished.

“She is still there, but she is in a different plane of existence.” Agatha smiles, but I see the worry in it. “That means the fate she summoned has answered her call.”

“But she is in there.” I jab a finger toward the sanctum and then move forward.

“Stop!” Agatha yells, freezing my feet. “That would be unwise, Your Highness. While you cannot see them, once you step into the pavilion, they can see you, and within those four pillars, the fates take a physical form. If you anger them, it will not bode well for her. It has happened before.”

“What has happened before?”

“Various things. They sometimes take things. If they choose to demand it, Your Highness.” She averts her gaze. “It is expected that the caster complies.”

Her meaning dawns on me. “I should never have sent her in there.” I charge for the sanctum.

Jarek’s solid body blocks me. “It’s too late. Now you must trust her.”

“It is not her I do not trust,” I hiss, struggling to get around him.

Abarrane steps in. “In this regard, I agree with Jarek. You are no help to Romeria in there.”

Jarek shoves me back, setting his hand on his pommel. A warning that he will use it against me to shield her.

“You are a loyal protector, and I appreciate that. But if you do not get out of my way, I will kill you,” I push through gritted teeth.

His eyes are cold and hard. “I think Romeria will have something to say about that when she returns.”

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