Page 72 of Another Damned Storm
I was tempted to argue that both could be true. Having an innate intelligence didn’t preclude one from making mistakes. Before I could say as much, the air in our small room changed.
Never shot back from the table, snagging the butter knife from her tray as she moved. “What the?—”
“Wait.” I held up a hand. “It’s Criton.”
She lowered the dull blade, but her scowl remained even after his form solidified. Anticipation trickled through our connection. I knew exactly how she felt, right down to the dose of dread coloring her impatience.
Had I not just been lamenting the drag of waiting? Suddenly, I wanted to go back in time and replay the last two days on an endless loop.
“Criton.” I tipped my head.
He offered me a curt nod in return. “We should move fast.”
Never came around the table and grabbed my hand. “We go together.”
It was the only thing that seemed fitting.
I motioned for Criton to get on with it. “Lead the way.”
I use my magic to follow his weaker trail. The quick trip brought us to a stand of weeping willows with yellowing leaves wilting on their branches where angry voices filtered the dying foliage. Two of them. Both male.
Criton vanished with a half-hearted salute a moment later. My initial instinct was to think him a coward for skipping outso quickly, but the truth was, he had no dog in this fight. Whatever happened, this was our battle, Never’s and mine.
“Why is this taking so long? Seriously, how hard is it to rebuild a following with all the ammunition I’ve been giving you.”
Fresh tension rolled off Never as she crept forward to get a look at the men.
“You do have functional eyes in that demon head of yours, don’t you?” Thrain asked coldly. “These… rebels are taking down your pathetic excuses for ammunition as fast as you can summon them.”
The old god played the part well, dressed in a flowing robe that started out nearly white at the shoulders and faded to a stormy gray at the hem. His platinum beard fell to the middle of his sternum, and his long hair hung in wild locks that dangled just above the belt line.
The other man, presumably the infamous Lapalme, sneered back at him. “And if you’d taken out the leader and his daughter when I’d told you to, he wouldn’t be the one organizing the rebels against you.” He shook his head in disgust. “And now the sister is back in the picture.”
I stared in a truly stunned silence. Because if I was hearing them right, their plan was to kill Never’s brother and his daughter. An act strictly forbidden by the Brethren and, at the very least, frowned upon by the gods. I didn’t understand what would drive them to make such a reckless move, but that fact paled in comparison to the fact that the demon somehow knew about Never.
Had Emerson given us away? I hesitated to believe he would betray us in such a way, but it would be foolish not to at least consider the possibility.
The alternative was that the council had discovered her despite my carefully crafted warding. It was only a matter oftime, I supposed. Dropping my own protections to allow for Criton to contact me might have cost us the element of surprise, but it had only been two days.
Were we really such a spectacle?
“Watch your tone, demon.” Thrain’s gray eyes flashed bright, as though the lightning he created was born from them.
The other man scoffed. “I will when you hold up your end of the deal.”
A tense silence stretched between them.
Beside me, I could feel Never seething. I thought I’d seen every shade of anger she was capable of wearing, but the fury spilling through our connection had me turning to find the dark blue of her irises had been swallowed whole by a bright amber glow.
Maybe coming here with her was a mistake. Maybe she wasn’t ready.
Thrain let out a tired sigh. “Come now, Lapalme. You know as well as anyone that I cannot simply strike down a human for no reason. Such an act would draw unwanted attention.”
He sucked air through his teeth as he glared. “Humans get hit by lightning all the time.”
“And as I have told you on at least a dozen other occasions, I need more power to direct my energy with enough accuracy to strike a single human. I must amass more of a following before I can do what you ask.”
“Then don’t aim for just one. Rain lightning down on their camp. Summon a flood and wash the lot of them out to sea for all I care. Just get it done.”
