Page 123 of Wings of Death

My focus shifts to Hethenos, standing outside my cell, her eyes brimming with fury as she glares at me.

“So much like your mother,” she spits out. “Always putting your mouth where it doesn’t belong.”

I’m confused at her words, but I have no time to ask because Rimel appears behind her. He takes one look at his brother’s lifeless body and reaches for his sword. Before he can do anything else, Hethenos flicks her hand and throws him across the corridor like a rag doll. He, too, lands in a twisted and unnatural way.

A gasp escapes my lips, and I cover my mouth before refocusing on her. She lifts her hand toward me as she steps into my cell, and dark magic swirls from her fingers. She grips the air so hard her knuckles turn white, and an invisible force tightens around my throat.

I gasp for air and drop to the ground, clawing at my neck. Hethenos’s lips part as she smiles, revealing an evil side I’ve never seen before, and I know she’s going to kill me this time.

“You think you’re so special, but you’renothing,” she taunts as her grip tightens even more. “You’re not the only goddess around here.”

Confusion reels inside my mind. What in the gods is she talking about?

“You will only ever be a nuisance, just like your mother was. You are unworthy to rule this Kingdom.”

White dots flicker across my vision while dizziness sets in. I feel light-headed, like I could pass out at any moment from lack of oxygen. My eyes struggle to stay open as I look up at her.

“You are a threat to our Kingdom, just as your mother was, trying to conspire with the enemy Kingdom. You should be ashamed of yourself.”

“Pl—ease…sto—p…” I choke out, my voice nothing more than a strained whisper.

She laughs, and it’s an evil sound. My eyes droop closed as the pain pulls me into darkness.

And then my eyes flicker open to see a figure standing behind Hethenos.

“Stop.”

The voice is familiar, and I take a moment to register it’s Amaros. The grip on my throat loosens, and I desperately suck in a breath of air and cough and splutter on the ground.

“Not now,” she warns him.

I’m barely able to move as I struggle to regain my breath. I focus on Amaros while he pulls a familiar sword from his belt. My mind is hazy, and I’m struggling to remember where I’ve seen it before. He points it toward Hethenos, and she turns to face him as the invisible hold on my body completely dissipates.

The sword glows, and then it hits me. It’s the sword Finlay had, the one he tried to use on me down on Earth before Amaros swooped in and took it. I completely forgot about it.

Hethenos stares at the weapon, and for the first time, she appears rattled.

My body is so weak at this point I’m barely holding on to consciousness. My vision blurs a little as I try to focus on what they’re saying.

“The Sword of Silanthia,” she whispers.

Amaros looks at me for a moment. “This wasn’t part of the plan,” he says in a hushed voice.

Plan? What plan?

“Zarla was never supposed to be harmed,” he says.

Hethenos laughs. “It may not have been part ofyourplan, but it was always part of mine. You’ve always harboured a soft spot for her, just like Yimel. And look where that got him.” She gestures to his lifeless body.

Amaros glances at Yimel, then focuses his attention back on Hethenos.

“Forget about her. She has to go. You are a god, and you have Astelle now, a goddess who wants you. You know how powerful she is.”

My mind is spinning. He’s a god? How is that possible? And Astelle a goddess? My head hurts at this new information.

Hethenos turns back to me and raises her hand, and I brace myself for the same torture. Then Amaros unleashes a powerful magic that blasts out of the sword and into Hethenos. She screams, and I have to cover my ears at the sound. The power of the sword sends her flying across the corridor and into the wall.

She knocks her head and then levels a death stare at Amaros as she stumbles to her feet. “You will regret this,” she says before fleeing out through the tunnel.

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