Page 114 of Wings of Betrayal

I let out a long breath. “Gods above, thousands of years? How old are you all?”

He chuckles low. “Old. I knew you were mine the moment I laid my eyes on you. You are the spitting image of your mother. It both hurt and shocked me, and so I lied.”

Hearing this truth doesn’t fill the void I have been living with like I hoped it would. Instead, I find myself feeling more confused and alone than ever, as well as unsure of who this male is. Can he even be trusted?

He reaches out and gives my shoulder a squeeze. “I know it’s a lot, and it will take time. But I am glad you found me. And I will try to answer your questions, but for now, I fear we do not have the time. Amaros and Zalore are planning something, and it isn’t good.”

I know he’s right. We do need to focus on the task at hand and figure out a way to stop them before it’s too late.

“There must be other portals to Earth,” I say, “and these weapons of the gods are controlling them somehow. Allowing them to remain open. Do you know of these weapons?”

He runs a thick hand through his blond, dishevelled hair. “I do. These weapons are powerful, created long ago by the God of Death, Alaron. Used to control the realms. For Zalore and Amaros to be in possession of them is bad news. For all of the Kingdoms.”

I glare at him. “Why didn’t you mention this before? When we were talking about it with Apollon?”

He gazes out over the forest. “Because I don’t know who I can trust.”

It warms my heart that he feels he can trust me, his daughter he doesn’t even know. But it surprises me he doesn’t feel he can trust Apollon, one of his oldest friends, and I can’t help but wonder why Apollon doesn’t know of these weapons and who they belong to.

“You can trust Apollon and Kyle. And I haven’t seen Alaron for some time,” I say quietly, trying to remember the last time I saw Alaron.

I hope Zalore and Amaros haven’t hurt him. But I can’t imagine Alaron willingly gave them his weapons.

Atticus frowns. “You know Alaron? How?”

I smile at the protective undertone to his words. “Yes, I do. He helped me. The details don’t matter.”

Atticus scoffs. “Just as stubborn as your mother was. We will find Alaron, and we will find those weapons. Amaros thinks he’s far smarter than he is.”

I nod. Suddenly it occurs to me what we must do. “We need to go to Galespo.”

CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR

We sit around the same wooden table where I attended my first feast in Zarquon. The awful night I caught Em kissing Kyle. The memories of that night plague my mind, and I do my best to shove them aside. Kyle is my mate now, and nothing else matters, least of all Em.

I scan the uncertain faces around the table, confusion and worry etched into their expressions. Apollon and Zeta sit at the head of the table with Atticus to their left and Kyle and me to their right. Several of Apollon’s trusted guards are spaced around the table, and Em and her mother, Klara, sit at the opposite end.

Apollon clears his throat, kicking off the meeting. “The situation has grown increasingly worse. Amaros and Zalore are in the possession of a powerful weapon, and they are using it to control the realms. We cannot allow it. We must stop them, and we must act now before it’s too late.” He turns his attention to me. “Zarla, I believe you have something you would like to discuss?”

I give a small nod as all eyes focus on me. “I do. We need to go to Galespo, find the weapon Zalore has there, and take it.That should be our first step. And although unrelated, he has my sister, Astelle, and I owe it to her to get her out of there.”

I risk a glance at Atticus, who is staring intently at me. I wish I knew what’s going on inside that big head of his.

Kyle gives my thigh a squeeze under the table, and the reassurance of his touch is a welcome relief for my nerves, helping to relax me.

“I believe Zalore and Amaros are using this weapon to force the realms open,” I continue. “They’re taking lost ones from the Realm of Lost Souls and then funnelling them down to Earth and into the Kingdoms via portals. I believe they’re also taking spirits from The Spirit Realm and feeding them into the Realm of Lost Souls to turn them into lost ones.”

Em sits back in her seat and scoffs, and everyone’s attention shifts to her.

“Have something you’d like to say?” Atticus questions, his tone cold.

She folds her arms over her chest. “It’s just, why in the gods would they want to turn spirits into lost ones? It doesn’t make any sense.”

Atticus slams his fist down on the table, and everyone, except Apollon and Kyle, jumps. “Because he’s building an army. It’s about as clear as it gets, or at least it is if you’re not an idiot!”

She purses her lips but doesn’t dare respond, and I chuckle under my breath.

Apollon clears his throat, and everyone refocuses their attention on him. “Alaron, the God of Death, is a strong male. For Amaros and Zalore to have managed to overpower him and take his weapon… Well, I fear the worst.”

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