Page 93 of A Haven of Brimstone and Darkness

A familiar face appears in the crowd, walking quickly towards us. Nubo’s bald head bobs up and down and back and forth as he rushes forward. When his eyes raise and I offer him a smile, his dispassionate expression finally cracks. His brow creases, the lack of hair making it almost too difficult to see so far away but it’s too late for him to help her now.

I return my attention to Zalika. Her confident and self-assured gaze is on mine, the corner of her lips turned upward. Kalix appears at my side, easing out of the congregation and drawing her attention as he comes to a stop, an amused smile set into his own mouth.

Zalika’s amusement fades as sweat beads at her brow. She swallows and then seems to realize something’s wrong. She swallows again. She takes a step back, glancing right and left as if she expects warriors to attack. We have no warriors, only each other.

Her breathing turns ragged, though she tries to maintain a calm demeanor. I wait.

“You cannot … kill me.” Her repeated words are followed by no actions. In the distance, I see that Nubo has crossed half of the garden and is still working his way here.

I turn back to the Mortal God that was willing to betray her own kind for power. Running now, Nubo is running for her. His face a mask of pain and something more—resolute horror.

How closely are they linked? I wonder. Does he feel what she’s feeling? Does he feel the numbness in her lips as she parts them to breathe better? The pinpricks of pain up her spine and arms as she crosses them over her chest only to let them drop once more when it heightens the sharp little stabbing sensations?

“What…” Her swallowing comes more often and Theos relaxes further on my left as if he senses what’s coming. “What…”

“You told me I couldn’t kill you,” I say as Nubo finally arrives.

He dives across the small space carved out just for us, away from the Mortal Gods devouring the meat the Gods have provided like hungry animals. Though a part of me wished to warn them, Caedmon had shown me what would happen if I did so. When he’d touched me as he and Ariadne had left, he’d givenme snippets of the future—of the different pasts. What doing so had earned him, I don’t know, but I am grateful nonetheless. Because now I know had I tried to stop them all, none of them would have survived past the first hour. If I tell them after the fact, none of their minds would.

So, I’ll keep this secret and I’ll take the truth with me to the grave.

Zalika collapses into her partner’s arms, shivering, teeth chattering. Bubbly froth rises up from her mouth, red with blood. Her eyes jerk right and left, seeking … seeking … seeking …

I step into her line of vision and lean down. “I don’t have to kill you,” I tell her. “Because you’re already dead.”

Then the screams begin.

Chapter 45

Theos

Venom. That must be the reason for Zalika’s sudden collapse. My sweet, violent little assassin had planned this. No doubt it’s the reason for Kalix’s brief disappearance. Either one of Kiera’s spiders had joined one of Kalix’s snakes or the snakes had done all the work. It matters not as the Mortal God Terra falls and screams rise up from Nubo’s throat.

I dive forward. This is an opportunity that cannot be wasted. I rip one of the daggers strapped to his side free from its sheath and drag the sharp end across his skin, slitting his throat from one side to the other in a quick motion.

The screams cease, but it’s too late. Mortal Gods turn, shocked faces covered in the red blood and juices of raw and cooked meat. I withhold another gag at the sight, knowing exactly where that meat came from.

Tryphone rises from the table along with the other two Gods at his sides. Gygaea lifts her hands to the sky and begins to sing.

“Cover your ears!” Kiera snaps before slamming her hands over her own. I drop the bloodied sword at my feet and without asking why, I cover my ears—as does Kalix.

One by one, I watch the other Mortal Gods drop. Their bodies sagging to the ground, collapsing as if their strings have been cut as they fall atop one another. I squeeze the sides of my head as the Goddess’ song threatens to penetrate my mind. My vision wavers and my knees hit the stone before I realize what’s happened.

Gasping, my hand drops from my ear, reaching for the fallen sword. When the lyrical quality of Gygaea’s voice hits me, it slows my movements, making everything impossibly languid. My muscles ease. My mind collapses inward.

Then my fingers brush the blade coated in Nubo’s blood. The pain drags me back and I shake it off, tightening my hold as I drag it back into my palm, cutting my flesh. Raising the blade until the firelight glints off its flat surface, I turn it sharply and slam it into my thigh. Sharp, gasping agony brings me fully out of the trance that Gygaea’s song had evoked.

As the last of the others in the garden—including the Terra—crash to the ground, littering the surrounding area with bodies, Gygaea’s voice cuts off and I sag forward.

“Are you okay?” Kiera asks.

I grit my teeth as I yank the blade from my thigh, thankful at least that the fabric of themors palliumhadn’t gotten in the way and there are no strings to be cleaned out as my flesh attempts to heal itself. I grip Kalix’s offered hand and get to my feet.

“Fine,” I lie around my clenched jaw.

If they believe me, I don’t have an opportunity to find out, because in the next instant I’m being slammed off my feet and into a statue. Dust crumbles and falls into my face as my back comes into contact with the sharp protrusion of the figure’s weapon.

“Fuck!” I scream as Azai’s face appears before me.

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