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Cain and the other Ancients formed a circle, going back to back so that the Aeons surrounding the town were always within the sight of at least one Ancient.
Abel sent out a blast of power that made large pieces of rock tumble forward and block the tunnel. He grinned at the Ancients. “I can’t have anyone escaping, can I?”
Cain inwardly snorted. No one would have tried to escape; they would protect this town that was their only point of safety, even if it killed them.
Flames sparked to life on the tips of the arrows being held by the troops.
“This town will burn tonight,” Abel swore, his eyes glittering with hatred as he glared at the Ancients. “As will all of you.”
*
Before Wynter even had the chance to react, Demetria formed a partly transparent wall of magick to separate the coven from Wynter, Saul, and the oracle.
Curses rang through the air as Wynter’s coven members punched, kicked, and blasted the wall with their own magick. Nothing happened. It remained intact.
Standing side by side, Saul and Demetria chuckled, looking rather pleased with themselves.
Wynter didn’t find the situation whatsoever fucking amusing, but she didn’t try knocking the wall down for two reasons. One, it was what these two assholes wanted her to do—they meant to divide her attention as well as ensure that she had no backup. Two, her coven was safe from Saul and Demetria while behind the wall. That suited Wynter just fine.
Her monster wasn’t so placated. It slid just beneath her skin, practically trembling with rage. If it wasn’t for the otherworldly breeze urging it to wait, the monster would have surfaced by now.
Demetria raised her hand as if to send a gust of magick Wynter’s way, but Saul tutted and said, “I told you, she’s mine.”
“You never left the city,” Wynter guessed, glaring at him.
“No, I didn’t,” he admitted. “Demetria helped me hide, just as she helped me escape my cell.”
Yeah, Wynter had figured as much. “I have to say, Demetria, I can’t for the life of me work out why you’d go and do something like that.”
“I had no choice,” the oracle claimed. “Kali wouldn’t back off and let me contact my deity.”
And then realization dawned on Wynter. “You never really had a vision of Saul and Abel meeting on the badlands.”
“Of course she did not,” said Saul. “But we needed people to think that I was gone.”
“Cain was supposed to then pull his guards off you, but he didn’t,” complained Demetria.
“So let me see if I have this straight.” Wynter glanced at Demetria. “You freed Saul so you could sic him on me like a Doberman?”
“If you’re dead, Kali will be gone too,” said the oracle. “I can’t kill a revenant for good. But an Aeon? They’re a match for you.”
“More than a match,” said Saul.
“I don’t know why you’re flashing me a smug grin,” Wynter told him. “You haven’t managed to kill me yet.” Not permanently, anyway. And now that she was immortal, he’d find it even harder to end her. But they wouldn’t know that.
Very few were aware that Wynter had exchanged her soul for immortality. She’d kept it quiet, knowing that the element of surprise would give her an edge if whoever freed Saul ever came after her. And lo and behold . . .
“You will not return from the dead this time,” Demetria insisted. “Saul will kill you for certain. And then I will be rewarded by Nemesis. At first, I couldn’t understand why She would allow Kali to be such an obstruction. And then I realized: It was a test.”
Wynter frowned. “Come again?”
“Nemesis was testing me to see how far I would go to preserve and protect our bond.”
“Or She’s abandoned your fickle ass.” Wynter was leaning toward that theory, because . . . “Your mark has faded.” Only slightly, but still. “I suspect it’ll keep on fading.”
The oracle shook her head. “Not once I’ve proven my dedication to Nemesis.”
Wynter snorted at her. “You’re betraying a fellow Favored witch. The deities really hate that sort of thing.”
