Page 34 of Gods' Battleground

She sighed. “Then who am I?”

“You’re my sister.” I moved in and wrapped an arm around her. “You’re our family.” I pivoted us to face the others. “Andwhatever happens, we’ve got your back. We’re in this together, always and forever.”

A tear slid down Bella’s cheek, cutting through the thick layer of dust and grime.

“And we’ll start by helping you get that grimoire,” I decided.

“I have a plan,” said Bella.

“To sneak into the Night Prince’s castle unnoticed and steal it?” I shook my head. “Yeah, we’re aware of your plan, and it won’t work. In fact, it will only get you killed, at least according to Vertigo.”

“Vertigo?”

“The telepath we were telling you about, an escaped prisoner from Faris’s Orchestra.”

“And you trust her?”

I shrugged. “I trust that she wants to be free of Faris. I saw that much in perfect clarity inside her mind.”

“What else did this Vertigo see?”

“She saw that the only way for us to get that grimoire is to work together,” I told Bella. “So how do you feel about a full-frontal assault?”

“A full-frontal assault?” she gasped. “No, that will never work. The Night Prince has too many soldiers guarding his castle. We have no chance of overwhelming them.”

“Who said anything about overwhelming them?” I wiggled my eyebrows. “I just want to get their attention.”

Bella sighed. “That’s an insane plan, even for you, Leda.”

“Look, there’s no way to sneak inside. See all that glowy stuff all over the castle’s exterior walls?” I pointed at the Night Prince’s fortress. “Sensors. Proximity alerts. And one big gigantic sun-sized spotlight. Stealth won’t work here. If we want that grimoire, we need to try to break in. And we need to make certain that we get caught.”

Bella was slowly shaking her head.

I patted her on the back. “Don’t worry. This will totally work.”

“Oh, I’m quite sure that your crazy plan to get us all caught will most certainly work,” Bella said quietly.

“Things are going to get real complicated, real fast,” I told her. “So you just keep up that optimism, ok?”

Bella set her hand on my arm, sighing again. “Sure thing, sister.”

“Fabulous.” I turned to address the rest of the family, “Ready, guys?”

“Absolutely,” Tessa declared. “Let’s go make some noise.”

PART II

WITCH'S CURSE

CHAPTER 11

THE TOURNAMENT

For the fourth time this week, my family was preparing for battle. And I wasn’t sure if they’d all survive.

I really hated feeling powerless.

“Who are we up against this time, Leda?” Calli asked me.

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