Page 97 of Godsbane
I know the words that hover on the edge of his tongue, but I can’t bear to hear them. I’ve already allowed Cal to become too close. I can’t change how he feels about me, but maybe if I can stop him from saying it out loud I can spare him from a fraction of the heartbreak that’s in store for him.
We lay in silence listening to the chirping of the crickets outside the cracked window. The rhythmic sounds of his beating heart and steady breathing tug me closer to the sleep that has evaded me.
I’m just on the edge of unconsciousness, tipping head first into the abyss of oblivion when the words of his barely audible confession fill my head.
“I love you.”
CHAPTER 35
Disembodied voices echo across the alabaster hallway as they call to me. Dark whispers propel me forward. I walk, slow and steady, towards the black mass that awaits at the end. Metal chains scrape against the cold stone with each step of my feet.
The voices pull me closer and closer to the golden door, shadows swirling from its hinges and pooling under the frame. Rather than a key, this door demands blood.
Powerful blood.
I raise Arcasia’s dagger, slashing a diagonal cut across my palm. Crimson coats my hand. I turn it, inspecting the rivulet that decorates the white stone as it drops from my finger. A trail of scarlet trickles across the runes etched into the dagger’s blade, each glowing a brilliant shade of blue as it comes to life.
Heat scalds my back, the sudden influx of pain causing me to spin to see its source. A blazing streak of fire races across the throne room floor, flames encircling the unoccupied Amethyst Throne. On its cushion sits a golden crown adorned with six sparkling jewels—a single stone each representing a precious region: Emerald, Ruby, Sapphire, Topaz, Diamond, and, in thecenter, Amethyst. It calls to me, singing in a language I can’t speak, demanding I place the golden diadem on my head.
The fork in my journey is clear: use my blood to open the door to the god realm or stay and save my home.
The sea beast inked on my skin thrashes wildly, her desired choice evident in her desperate plea. The flames rise higher, the voices beyond the door screaming in an ear-splitting crescendo.
The time to make my decision rapidly diminishes; only mere seconds remain. A primal scream breaks through my lips, but it’s not for me.
Something in the core of my being rips. My very soul splinters into two. One name forces its way into my head, my heart, and my throat:Cal.
CHAPTER 36
It’s a strange feeling to walk towards your death. The hangman’s invisible noose tightens around my neck with every step towards the palace. My remaining words are limited, so I use them sparingly as we walk.
Cal blends seamlessly into the fading shadows. He’s a fearsome sight. Dressed head to toe in black, from his cloak to his leather armor. The same armor he wore to my birthday dinner. He slips effortlessly into his role as both strategist and commander. No one, save me and his brothers, would believe this isn’t his true nature.
Rather than our regional colors, we’ve all chosen to wear black today. Each of us secretly hoping that a fraction of the Captain of Corinth’s infamous ruthlessness will rub off when we don his color. I’ve worn every shade of green, braved the ire of men while draped in amethyst, and disguised myself in the drab browns of the common folk, but I’ve never worn black before. Not until today.
Our ragtag army is divided into four groups in order to infiltrate each gate at the same time. Our plan is simple: push from all sides until Marks and his loyal men are forced into thethrone room. Each group is led by anaevus, our power serving as a force multiplier against Marks’ human soldiers.
Silas, along with his fire magic, is stationed with Theo and Quinn at the south gate. I begged her not to fight today, but my headstrong best friend wouldn’t hear of it. We all agreed she was a liability to my focus if we were paired together. Theo, eager to join her, claimed he had sworn an oath that required him to go where she went.
With water magic at his call, Micah is stationed with Henry and Marianne at the east gate. No one was separating the twins, and only a fool would have tried to come between the lieutenant and his lover. With the addition of Marianne’s air on their side, this group was chosen to infiltrate nearest the sea, the second most utilized entrance.
Elias Klein, the would-be traitor, surprised us all when he knocked on the safe house door moments before we departed. Miles volunteered to keep an eye on him and the air-wielding Ruby governor, and the others happily obliged him, no one else wanting the job. They’re purposefully stationed at the least used gate to the west.
Cal and I comprise the remaining group at the main palace gate. Henry lobbied hard for us to be divided amongst the groups, and from a strategic standpoint, it makes sense. I am a liability for Cal and everyone can see it. He made it clear last night that he won’t choose his own life if it comes to that—whenit comes to that.
I made the executive decision to give the group the only evidence that would silence them. My ability to wield threads of Cal’s power was met with gasps, but it was utter perplexity when I confessed how I can pour my magic into him. After that, no one could deny that we must remain together in order to launch a multi-elemental attack while we wait for the others to reach us.
I can grow flowers and shake the earth, but Cal possesses more power than all of us combined. I’ve seen the ebony core of it. I’ve felt its pull and touched its limitlessness. If he could access it, he could topple worlds. And that’s exactly what we need him to do.
The first light of day dances across the horizon. The guard will be changing any minute. If everything goes as planned, Cal’s men will be taking the place of Marks’ soldiers and all four entrances to the palace will be guarded by men who will let us pass without question.
When the last body is carted away and the blood is mopped from the palace floors, the story of what happened here will spread. And whoever’s atop the Amethyst Throne will be the author. They alone will have the power to craft the narrative. A generation of tall tales about victors and villains will be born today.
Dread settles deeper into my bones the longer we hide amongst the empty shipping crates that line the outside walls of the north gate. I scan the faces of every soldier who passes, attempting to discern friend from foe. There is no visual indication of their loyalty, so I wait impatiently for Cal to confirm their allegiance.
The clock tower chimes, signaling the end of watch for the night men. The beast inked on my skin swishes her tail.
One.
