Page 28 of Vanquished Gods

My stomach fell. “Right, yeah.” I shook my head with sympathy. “You must have been devastated. I can’t imagine.”

“Devastated?” She looked outraged all over again. “She stole my husband! She even tried to kill me once. Were you not listening at all, Verica? Honestly, sometimes I think your head is well and truly empty.”

Fucking hell. I needed to get away from this conversation. I pulled boiling kettle off the stove. “Sorry, I just, a lot on my mind tonight. You know me. Muddle-headed as usual. Nothing but wool gathering in my skull.”

She nodded, satisfied, then let out a heavy sigh. “True. I do know you, Verica.” She returned to her kneading. “Not the brightest,” she muttered.

Gathering everything I needed and placing it on the tray, I clutched it tightly and crossed out into the hallway, my palms slick with sweat. I passed a soldier, who nodded at me and simply said “Verica” as he continued by.

I flashed him a broad smile. Mentally, I was calculating how much time I had left until the glamour wore off. Thatconversation had thrown me. But even if I wanted to break into a run, I couldn’t. I had to maintain Verica’s slow, meandering pace with a smile on my face. Any sign of anxiety or stress would set off alarm bells in people’s minds.

I turned into the winding stairwell that led all the way up to the Pater’s room, my heart racing with every step. Distant echoes of voices flowed through the castle.

In there, flickering torchlight danced over stone walls carved with the symbols of the Order—ravens, suns, a crescent moon, and a bull. The heat from the torches felt strangely oppressive. A bead of sweat trickled down my spine under my dress. Narrow windows gave a brief view of the courtyard where the stakes still stood, ready to burn their next victims.

As I reached the stairwell to the Pater’s room, I found two guards standing at the bottom. I put on a well-practiced smile, trying to summon the charm of Verica, and let my hips sway. “Evening, gentlemen.”

One of them glared at me, his gray eyes cold. Their bodies tensed. Instantly, I knew something was wrong, and my pulse quickened.

“What are you doing?” the guard asked. “The Pater changed his evening tea time on account of feeling poorly.”

My eyebrows shot up. “Oh, did I get the time wrong? Gosh, I’m such a ninny. You know how I am, Barthol. I’ll bring it back.”

His jaw tightened. “The thing is,” he said, “you already brought it an hour ago. So, what are you doing coming up here twice?”

My heart slammed hard in my chest.Shit.And where the hell was Sion?

One of the guards shifted and started to point his sword toward me. “I’m just wondering why you’d come up here twice and not remember the first time.”

CHAPTER 14

Ididn’t give them a chance to sound an alarm. I threw the tray at the closest guard, and the boiling water spilled over him. He started to scream, but his screams were cut short when I lunged forward. Shifting my body between the two of them, I touched their faces simultaneously. Instantly, their skin turned gray, and they slumped to the ground.

I stared down at the bodies, vibrating with fear. My heart pounded against my ribs.

Two corpses in the hall weren’t exactly discreet.

Shit.

I looked to the top of the stairs. The Pater’s room was just up there, and here I was with two dead soldiers. I was also running out of time with my glamour—I had no idea how much time was left, but I felt that it couldn’t be much.

Dread coursed through my blood, and I turned, looking behind me. I knew I didn’t have enough time to clean up the bodies, and I wassoclose now. In any case, who would connect two corpses to sweet, merry, muddle-headed Verica?

I cleaned up the tea, tidying it back onto the tray, and marched up the stairs. I could improvise.

On the top floor, I kept walking, imitating Verica’s happy little saunter until I reached the landing and turned the corner to the Pater’s room.

Aldous and Starphan stood outside. Aldous stared ahead while Starphan glowered at me. I flashed him my most charming grin. “I know, I know. I was already up with the tea earlier. But it was just, with the Pater feeling poorly, I thought he could use another visit, along with a warm pot of chamomile.”

“Does he know you’re coming back?” asked Starphan.

I giggled. “I really do love how protective you are. I would love a big, strong man protecting me and warming up my tea kettles on a cold winter night, do you know what I mean?”

Starphan nearly cracked a smile. “Sure.”

“Well, the Pater doesn’t know I’m coming back, but I do like to do nice things for him. So, I just thought a bit of extra tea wouldn’t go amiss.”

“Right. All right, then.” Starphan opened the door a crack and called into the room, “Sacred Pater, would you like another visit from Verica?”

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