“How could you not be?” She beamed up at me. “I’m amazing.”
“And so humble.” I shoved her off me. “So, you think you can hold Kierce?”
“Ankou said Kierce can get out on his own, so I’ll focus on identifying the exit and sealing it shut. As long as you don’t get within touching distance, you should be safe. Ankou can protect you from any lightning strikes. Between the two of us, we should be able to give you a window of opportunity to speak to him.”
“Good thinking on the cage.” I wasn’t sure about Ankou shielding me, not as often as Kierce zapped him, but it was a nice thought. “I would say I want to cause as little damage as possible, but…”
Damage was the only way we had of controlling Kierce when he was beyond restraining himself.
“You’re really going to donate a toe?” She gave a disgusted shudder that resonated in my soul. “And let it ping-pong inside Kierce until we figure out if the Suarez angle will work?”
“As long as Kierce agrees, then yes.” I couldn’t stop them from scrunching in my shoes. “I’m not hot on the idea of amputation, but Kierce is the best shot we’ve got at taking down Dis Pater.” I wasn’t sure if there was truth to the god killer angle, but knowledge was still power, and two divine entities stood a better chance against a bona fide god than one. “No one knows him better than Kierce.”
“True.” She flicked a pointed glance at my feet. “I just don’t want you to regret this come summer.”
“Yes, Mary, I’m so shallow I would rather have a ninth toe than a boyfriend.”
“I do miss your birdfriend.” She leaned in, our elbows bumping as we walked. “He made you happy.”
“You make me happy too.”
“Not that kind of happy.”
“Um.” A flush tingled in my cheeks as my brain took a pit stop at the nearest gutter. “I?—”
“There.” Ankou indicated a split boulder in the distance. “That’s the border of Dis Pater’s territory.”
“How can you tell?” I squinted for any sign of change. “This place all looks the same to me.”
“You’ll see.”
“If you say so,” I mumbled, anxiety thrumming in my veins.
“Watch your step.” He set out down the sharp decline. “That giant snake you killed? They nest here.”
“Of course they do.” I skidded on loose rock after him. “How much farther until we reach Kierce?”
“You’ll see,” he repeated himself, a spark of his mischievous side lightening his tone for the first time since we arrived in Abaddon.
Ankou must be recovering quicker from his tumble if he felt up to taunting me, but that was good news. The next stage in the process was down to him. Our plan relied on his osteokinetic skills, and he needed to be strong enough to manipulate bone for our plan to work.
Nervous to confront Kierce, to at last see where he went when he left me, I instead turned my thoughts toward wishing a mental goodbye to whichever of my toes got the ax next. Ugh. I had hoped thenever met a god with all ten toesthing was a joke, but I was fast realizing that wasn’t the case.
That was okay, though. I could deal. Kierce was worth it.
So was ensuring the safety of my family by taking out Dis Pater before he got to us first.
The second my foot touched down on flat ground, a mental picture of the mirashii formed, and I wanted to yank my leg back and climb to a safer height. Anunit swore there were none nearby, and I trusted her, but I had met enough creatures eager to murder me to be fine with skipping an introduction to this particular one.
Especially reliving the part where it called out my name in a creepy voice that promised my doom.
“You are safe, Frankie Talbot.” Anunit rumbled her amusement when my muscles locked. “I swear it.”
“I trust you.” I braved my first full step onto the barren plain. “I’m just nervous.”
“You have every right to be.” Harrow gripped my shoulder, and I almost jumped out of my skin at the unexpected contact. “But we’re not going to let anything happen to you.” He glanced to Carter and then Josie. “We’ve got your back.”
Ankou strode off without checking to ensure we followed, certain curiosity would win out over caution.
