Page 12 of A Haven of Brimstone and Darkness

Theos

The others, Mortal Gods and Terra alike, gather at the edges of the sand where the ocean meets the land in an age-old greeting as the ships ease to a standstill before an invisible line that they cannot cross. Smaller boats are dropped into the water, one after the other and just as quickly make their way towards us. My heart thuds a rapid beat in my chest, and instinctively I pull the woman at my side closer. Not that Kiera notices, her eyes are focused on those ships and the island beyond.

Her lips are pinched and tight, her face wan and pale. A low hiss sounds to my side and I look over as one of Kalix's serpents peers out from beneath the collar of his tunic and flicks its tongue, tasting the new air. We all knew the Gods were powerful, that fact was never in question, but this...

I look around again, noting all of the faces of the Mortal Gods. More and more continue to arrive, stepping out of the fog behind us, confused expressions plastered to their faces as they take in their new surroundings. This is a whole new level of power. The ability to transport hundreds of people, even if it took several of the Gods to perform the task, is incredible.

"It's Dolos." Ruen's quiet words have me turning in his direction only to find that much like Kiera, his eyes are focused on the ships. I pivot back and realize that he's right; Dolos is at the head of the closest boat, his dark swath of power somehow more gray than ink-black. It's just transparent enough to see past to the shadow of a man standing, arms crossed, and staring down at the rest of us.

My eyes move to the next boat and the next and the next. "It's all of them," I reply. Each boat houses one God or Goddess. Dolos. Axlan. Demia. Hatzi. Narelle. Even Maladesia.

"They're not taking any chances," Kiera says. "There will be no escape."

I see what she means. As the other Mortal Gods wave excitedly and gather together in clumps to chatter enthusiastically, the Gods' eyes are closer and more fixated than ever. I peer over the crowd with new eyes, searching. Amongst the prattle of jumping and eager students, there are a few here and there that remain side by side with Terra who were also called to serve here and don't look nearly as thrilled by this turn of events.

"I don't recognize everyone here," I say, nudging Ruen to take a look.

He pulls his gaze away from the approaching boats to examine the others as well. "They must have called upon the Gods at Perditia to perform the same transport ceremony," he guesses. Because after years of living and surviving in Riviere Academy, we know all of the Mortal Gods there. The fact that there are Mortal Gods here that we aren't familiar with can only mean they're from the other Academy.

"Do you think they'll restart the battles with the other Academy students?" I ask, frowning.

Ruen shakes his head immediately. "No, they don't want us to kill each other," he answers. "They want us for somethingelse." For now, at least. If any of us survive, no doubt they'll go right back to their expectations. My head begins to pound with an ache that has become all too familiar.

The fact that there are more Mortal Gods should be a sign of hope as the more Mortal Gods there are, the more potential allies we might gain. As I scan the faces of the strangers, though, I recognize that we know nothing of these Mortal Gods. Though they may be the same as us, descended of the Divine Beings, there's no telling if they would be amiable to allying themselves with us. For all we know, they are the chosen of Perditia and they could be even more ingrained within the Gods' plan. I linger on the few faces of seriousness in the horde, committing their features to memory.

There's a set of what have to be twins, a girl and a boy, with features so similar that were it not for the woman's longer hair and the slight rise of breasts beneath her light gray tunic and shorter stature, I might assume they were both sexless. They stand together, close enough to touch with a shadow standing at their back—a mortal by the aged look of the man. Something radiates from them. The longer I focus on them, the clearer it becomes.

It's almost as if there's a barrier encircling them, a ripple of air that doesn't touch their skin or hair, but causes the image around them to blur ever so slightly. They look past the group that's collected at the ocean's edge, past even the slowing boats and ships to Ortus Island itself. Just like Kiera.

"Students!" Dolos' loud voice calls out over the open air, sending a shudder through my bones. I tighten my hold on Kiera, pulling her impossibly closer even as Kalix and Ruen both step in. She doesn't bat a lash though. Not Kiera. She keeps her gaze trained forward, upper lip curled back into a grimace as she glares directly at the God of Imprisonment. "Welcome to thevery first Spring Equinox celebration between the Mortal Gods Academies."

A cheer from the front of the crowd rises up likely spurred on by Axlan arriving alongside Dolos and the fact that there's no pressure of Dolos' power sweeping over us. The second Axlan's boat hits land, he jumps from the front, leaving behind the two Terra at the back of the vessel, their faces impassive, but their arm muscles broad and bulging. Next is Maladesia. The gentler Goddess descends from her boat and smiles widely as she approaches her charges. To say I'm surprised the Goddess of Praise is present would be an understatement.

"Each of you is the result of Divine Blood," Dolos continues, "and as such, you are the chosen souls amongst this mortal plain. You will all board these vessels and prepare to set forth upon the Ortus Island, the first of its kind and the mountain from which we, your Gods, descended to this realm."

Chitters of excitement. The crash of ocean waves. A breeze lifts a strand of fine, spider-web silver hair and flicks it across my vision. I glance down as Kiera pulls away from my hold, her eyes still on the God of Imprisonment. A fire burns in those depths, one that has my heart increasing in tempo as I reach for her, snagging her arm and stopping her forward momentum.

"Don't," I warn her quietly.

Her chest pumps up and down, body practically trembling with the effort it takes her not to pull away from me. Every muscle beneath my palm is drawn taut like a bowstring. She's vibrating with the urge to move. "Kiera," I growl her name, digging my fingers into her arm. "Do not make this mistake here."

"He's right," Ruen urges, grabbing ahold of her other arm. "Don't do anything rash."

Kalix snorts and I want to punch him. "Rash?" he looks at the three of us and shakes his head. "It wouldn't be rash to wishdeath upon our enemies. I say let's start the battle." He grins broadly and reaches up, cracking knuckles against one palm before performing the same on the other.

"No." Ruen's order is low and full of anger. "We are not prepared to fight them now. It would be a massacre."

"Sounds like my kind of party," Kalix replies with a shrug.

"What?" The startled questioning word comes out on a squeak of breath.Shit.We should have been paying better attention to our surroundings. Thankfully, it's just Maeryn and Niall, both standing wide-eyed like dual owls blinking at us a few feet away.

"Don't worry about it," I say to them, smiling tightly. "He's insane."

Maeryn recovers first and shoots Kalix a dark look. "That's for damn sure," she agrees.

"Sh-should we be worried?" Niall inquires.

Kiera sucks in a breath and seems to realize our situation as she turns to them, shaking off both Ruen's and my holds. "No," she says. An easy lie, it seems. "It's nothing."

---