Page 97 of Gods' Battleground

I swallowed hard. “Nero, what do you think?”

“I think we should ask Sierra,” he told me.

I nodded. “Ok. Let’s do that.”

Nero dropped to his knees in front of the sofa, leaning over until his gaze was level with Sierra’s. Then he took her hands in his and said, “Do you understand what we’ve been discussing?”

Sierra nodded. “Yes,” she said in her sweet, fairytale-princess voice.

“And what do you think?” Nero asked. “Can you do the spell?”

Sierra’s wide, glassy, green eyes narrowed. Her gaze was suddenly sharp, focused. “Yes,” she said with conviction, her fists clenched, her exhaustion forgotten—for now, at least. “Sierra fight big bad. Sierra make him sorry.”

Nero wrapped his arms around her. “I am so proud of you,” he said thickly. Then he stepped back, rose to his feet, and told Cadence, “Ok. Let’s do it.”

CHAPTER 31

MAGIC THREAD

And so it was decided that Sierra would fight Mordon. And we would stand with her for support.

Damiel casually whisked the coffee table aside to clear space for Cadence to work. The ancient piece of furniture floated effortlessly across the room, then set down in front of the glass doors that led to the balcony.

“Ok, Sierra,” Cadence said. “I’m going to put you to sleep now. When Mordon comes, we need you to distract him. The longer you can keep him busy, the longer you can fight off his magic—the more time we have to track him back to where he’s hiding.”

“Mordon hiding.” Sierra narrowed her eyes and stomped her foot. “Mordon coward.”

“He most certainly is,” Damiel told her. “Give him hell, sweet pea.”

“Give him hell,” Sierra repeated, nodding. And stomping again. “Beat his butt.”

“You are stronger than he is,” Nero told her. “Remember that.”

“Yes,” she agreed with a snappy nod.

“Just remember to keep Mordon busy,” Cadence repeated. “The longer you hold his attention, the more time we have to follow the magic thread that connects you back to him. Then we can find him and the other bad people working with him. We will all be watching over you the whole time, Sierra: Mommy and Daddy, Grandma and Grandpa.”

“And Angel,” Sierra added.

“And Angel,” Cadence agreed, smiling.

Angel trotted over to Sierra.

“Ready, Sierra?” Cadence asked her.

Sierra squeezed the big cat to her like a teddy bear, then declared, “Ready.”

“Then let’s begin.” Cadence clapped her hands together once, and Sierra collapsed onto Angel’s thick white fur, sound asleep. Cadence glanced at her husband. “Ready, Damiel?”

He set his hand on her shoulder. “Ready.”

“Nero? Leda?”

“Yes,” Nero said.

“We’re ready,” I told her.

Nero grabbed Damiel’s free hand and I grabbed Nero’s.

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