Page 79 of Court of Heathens

Dark magic . . .

Every single eye turns to us, but this time, they are filled with life.

“We have a big fucking problem,” I snap. “Those aren’t just resurrected?—”

“They are stolen.” Phrixius glances at me. “This was his plan all along. He has broken the mask and freed the trapped souls of the necromancers within. They have taken over the bodies. He built an army of them and was waiting for us.”

“Really?” Adder groans. “Like one wasn’t bad enough, now there are hundreds of these fuckers?”

“You handle him while we handle those.” Phrixius sighs. “If we stop him, then we might be able to stop everything. They have taken over, but without his powers keeping those bodies alive, they are nothing. They are wandering souls with nothing to inhabit.”

“Easy-peasy,” I whisper, my eyes turning up to the roof where he is waiting. “I guess I’ll see you on the other side.”

My gaze lands on all three of them, standing tall and strong at my side. They watch me back, and Adder grips me, kissing me hard. “We’ll clear a path for you. Do not fucking die, do you hear me?”

“I won’t,” I promise.

“You better not, little witch. Your soul is mine, remember that,” he says before letting me go, only for Sha to pull me into a sweeping kiss. No words are needed, as he gives me all of his emotions in that one move.

Nodding, I kiss his forehead and turn to Phrixius.

We should be enemies, but as he pulls me close, I know we are anything but. We are just two beings who never should have been on the same side but are. His big hand wraps around my neck, pulling me close until our foreheads touch.

“Remember who you are, Freya. Remember your differences, notyour similarities. His war is fought with hate, yours with love . . . . We will see you when this is over.” His lips touch mine in a scalding kiss, and then he steps back. A change comes over him, shifting from my soft, loving Phrixius to the god of magic.

His hair glows with his power, and his skin shines like the sun is trapped within. Golden armour grows upon his skin, shimmering with runes and magic, and two giant swords unfurl in each hand, moving like snakes until they snap into wicked points. Sometimes it is easy to forget he is a god, but not in this moment, especially as he takes a step forward and starts to levitate.

I glance at Sha as he groans, and I see the change coming over him as well as they prepare to battle. His skin turns the colour of coal, and shadows wrap around him as he triples in size. His bright red eyes move farther apart and higher, slanting and turning devilish.

“Show-offs,” Adder mutters, drawing my gaze to him. He winks when he catches me staring, and despite knowing him all my life, he shows me the truth behind the demon who follows me around like a lost puppy.

Fire crawls along his skin and up his horns, blazing between them. His nails lengthen into claws as long as daggers, his tail transforms so barbs slide out, glistening at the points, and his body bulges with power.

I gulp as I glance between them. They are facing an army . . . . Can they do it?

I have to trust in them the way they are trusting in me.

If I want to save them, then I need to end this.

“Go.” Adder winks. “Let’s finish this, little witch. Let’s be the heroes for once.”

Nodding, I steal one last look at them before turning to the unmoving army. Their dark eyes track our movements, but there are no expressions on their faces. For some reason, that bothers me most.

There are no more words. My guys surge past me with silent calculation, forming a line and heading straight for the waiting bodies.

Phrixius uses the air to his advantage, hitting bodies in the front line and sending them flying back. All of us know these people aredead, there is no saving them, but watching them be tossed like bowling pins still makes me wince and beg for forgiveness for their souls.

There is so much death, it horrifies me.

I have no time to linger on the pain, though, as Sha leaps into the air and lands farther into the crush, where I can only see his shadows. Adder simply disappears before the front line and appears within them, all of them focusing on the middle as they tear through the black-eyed soldiers with precision until an opening forms.

They are clearing a path for me just like they promised, and when Phrixius’s eyes meet mine, I nod and burst into a sprint. I hurry into the clearing they made, not wanting to use my magic and touch the bodies here to move them in case it consumes me like before. They are right, I have to trust them in this.

Phrixius flies above me, using his magic to clear away as many as he can, even with soldiers clinging to his legs, trying to climb him.

Sha roars and bulldozes through more, knocking them down like bowling pins, his shadows consuming them as he goes.

Adder laughs ahead, his fire burning bright and hot as bodies fly through the air.

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