Page 85 of He Who Ignites The Flame
I ignored the beast’s words, anger curdling in my gut at the creature and its foolish ‘instincts.’
“Is this all that remains?” Lucia asked as she scanned the warriors at Micah’s back.
He nodded. “It was a massacre. Hundreds of darklings flooded the city.”
A member of The Underworld stepped forward, a scar etched diagonally across his face, splitting through his short brown hair. The way he carried himself, he appeared to be in charge. I watched him cautiously as he approached. “I expect you to keep up your end of the bargain. Lost a lot of my men defending those fucking humans.”
The beast bristled within me at the way he spoke to Lucia and Damien.
Damien lifted his cold gaze to the male. “I didn’t forget our agreement, Atlas.”
He growled but turned, his gaze briefly meeting Barrett’s, and they nodded to one another as he returned to his own fighters.
“How are we going to cover this up?” I asked no one in particular as I looked over what remained of the city. “The humans...”
“I will alter their memories,” Lucia said, stepping away from Damien.
Damien grabbed her arm, drawing her back to him. “You’ve used enough magic.”
“Do we have enoughNoususers to manipulate the minds of tens of thousands of humans?” she asked calmly, avoiding his gaze. He didn’t respond, because even I knew we damn well didn’t. “I’m the only one who can alter the minds of so many people.”
Barrett and Damien exchanged nervous looks.
She drew a deep breath. “I will force the survivors to leave their dead and evacuate the city...”
“That still leaves the bodies,” Micah said.
Lucia looked over the city, the air a heavy silence. “The dam.”
Barrett took a step toward her. “You want to flood the city?”
“It would cover up the lost livesandput out the fires.” Her gaze didn’t falter, her silver eyes near soulless. “I will alter the memories of the surviving humans so they believe the flood caused the destruction and loss of life.”
Micah shook his head. “That would take forever to do, and we don’t even know how manyNoususers surviv?—”
“I can do it in one pass,” Lucia said, her voice unwavering, near cold.
Something twisted in my chest.
“You’ve used enough magic as it is,” Damien said once more, stepping in front of her as he cupped her cheeks. “Surely, we can find another way to clean this up.”
“Selene cannot aid us,” she said, and thunder roared in the distance, the scent in the air shifting as the wind picked up. “TheNoususers can only manipulate the minds of a few people at most.” She looked toward the sky, where thick clouds had gathered, blocking out the setting moon. Lucia then offered Damien a smile, and it was too forced. “I will only guide them to leave the city and manipulate their memories until the plan has been completed. The other teams can handle sabotaging the dam.”
Damien didn’t respond, and he glanced at us nervously before looking back at her. “Lucia?—"
“After this, I won’t use any more magic,” she promised, her hand rising to his chest. She then turned to me. “Can I entrust the dam to you?”
I stilled at the request but dipped my head. “I will see it done.”
“Gather any surviving water wielders,” Lucia said in a cold commanding tone as she turned back to the city, her hands rising before her as she closed her eyes. “Earth users may be beneficial as well, but you must ensure the dam failure appears accidental. Allow it to fail naturally if possible.”
I stopped at Damien’s side as Micah hurried through the field, calling for any water users to aid in falling the dam. “What happened to her?”
He didn’t respond at first, but eventually, he shook his head. “She won’t tell me.”
33
THALIA
