Page 79 of Salt & Blood

Cyrus roared again, then brought his hands together. A ball of lightning formed between his palms, and he unleashed it toward the crowd of Titans attacking his people.

The light collided with them, and white light sizzled through them, scorching their bodies. The Titans went flying in different directions until they collapsed into charred heaps on the forest floor.

“No!” Apollo roared, but when Cyrus flexed his arms toward him, the sun god paled and backed away from him, his face stricken with terror.

Prue gaped at her husband, unable to comprehend what was happening. Her heart pulsed a frantic rhythm in her chest, and she thought she might faint from a mixture of shock and relief.

He was alive. And yet… whatwashe?

He was not a human, but this wasn’t death magic, either.

“Cyrus,” Prue said again, her voice louder now.

Cyrus’s eyes shuddered, and gradually, the white light faded to the usual icy blue. Slowly, his gaze lowered to meet hers. Her heart lurched painfully as their eyes locked. She held her breath, waiting for recognition or hatred or…somekind of awareness to dawn on his face. Would he despise her again? Would he forget her entirely?

“Prue,” he said, his voice raspy. In a swift movement, he closed the distance between them, grasping her arms and helping her to her feet. Prue threw her arms around him and wept into his chest. The scorch mark still stained his shirt, and the sight of it only made her cry harder.

“I thought I l-lost you,” she sobbed, clinging to his shirt.

“Shit!” Cyrus cried suddenly, shoving her behind him. He brought his hands together once more, and lightning split the air before barreling into a Titan, who had been only a few steps away from reaching Prue. The Titan’s entire body seized as Cyrus’s strange magic electrocuted him. Then, he fell over, motionless.

Prue stared, wide-eyed at the fallen Titan. He did not rise.

“Cyrus, what is this magic?” she asked. “How?”

“I—I think I siphoned their powers.” Cyrus lifted a hand, staring at it in disbelief. “When they struck me, I absorbed the magic.”

Prue’s blood ran cold. “You—You haveTitanmagic within you?”

Cyrus met her gaze. “Yes. I do. But I’m not sure how long it will last. We need to use it while we can.”

A shadow slammed into the ground before them, pearly wings outstretched. Panting, Evander strode toward them, not even fazed by Cyrus’s appearance or his new magic. He merely inclined his head. “Brother.”

Cyrus offered a grim smile. “It’s good to see you, Evander.”

“I can’t hold them off forever.” Evander gestured to Cyrus’s raised hand. “But it looks like your magic can do more damage than mine.”

“Did the civilians get out?” Prue asked.

Evander nodded. “One Titan tried to cut them off, but I took care of him. Unfortunately, my blows are not fatal, so it’s only temporary.”

“That’s all right,” Prue said. “With the crowd gone, we don’t have to hold back any longer.”

She stepped around Cyrus, now standing side-by-side with him. Mona appeared on her other side, her eyes bright with determination.

In front of them stood Apollo, still shouting orders to the Titans. But there were fewer of them than before; now, only seven remained, and many of them looked reluctant to follow Apollo’s orders.

“Apollo!” Cyrus bellowed, his voice ringing around them.

The sun god turned to face him, then blanched at the sight of the four deities prepared to fight him.

“Your Titan attacked me,” Cyrus said, his voice loud and commanding. “You have breached the terms of our challenge.”

“No,” Apollo sputtered, shaking his head.

“You have forfeited your right to the throne,” Cyrus continued. “The kingdom is mine.”

“No!” Apollo screeched. He frantically flung his hands toward the Titans. “Stop him!”

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