The look she shot at me could have killed.
Okay, maybe not the time for a lesson.
“I got you,” I assured her with a cocky grin. Walking straight toward them, they split for me, leaving the perfect trail for us to walk through. “Stay close,” I told her.
Miranda was practically plastered to my back, her breath on my neck, causing goosebumps to rise. Despite needing to be on guard, part of me reveled in her closeness.
As Miranda and I edged closer to the epicenter of chaos, I couldn't help but marvel at the scene before us. “You know, for a goddess of scorpions, she's really got a flair for the dramatic,” I quipped, eyeing the swarming arachnids with a mixture of disgust and fascination.
Miranda gave me a sidelong glance. “Dramatic? She's turned the hotel into a death trap.”
“Oh, come on. You have to admit, it's kind of impressive, in a terrifyingwe might not make it out alivekind of way," I said, trying to lighten the mood.
I’d never let that happen to Miranda though. The goddess wouldn’t lay a finger on my angel of death.
I led us to the main lobby where people stood like statues surrounding the massive obelisk at the center that glowed with purple energy. The humans’ eyes were glazed as they murmured praises to their new master.
A towering figure of dark majesty loomed in the center of the chaos. Serqet was tall, her presence commanding the room like a queen of shadows. Her dress, a flowing garment that seemed woven from scorpion shells dripping in ichor, clung to her form, accentuating her menacing grace. On her head, a scorpion-shaped crown glinted in the dim light, each segment of its tail articulated, moving with a life of its own. Her eyes were a merciless cold, a black void.
Around her, the scorpions swarmed as if drawn by some invisible force, a testament to her control over the creatures of darkness. The air crackled with malignant energy, the power of the obelisk amplifying her already formidable abilities.
I glanced at Miranda, a sense of foreboding tightening in my chest. “Be careful,” I warned her, my voice low. “Serqet doesn'tjust control scorpions. She gets inside your head, dredges up your deepest fears and darkest thoughts. She'll twist your mind if you let her.”
Miranda's jaw set firmly, her grip on the Blade of Bane tightening. “Bob will protect me.”
I could only assume the talking blade only she could hear had assured her of this.
Strangely, a stab of jealousy went through me at her having secret conversations with an inanimate object. For the millionth time in the last several weeks, I was reminded I was an outsider in this world in every respect. But I shoved off the self-deprecating bullshit for later when I’d inevitably brood alone.
“That obelisk,” I nodded towards the towering structure in the center of the lobby, “It's not just a fancy decoration. It's a conduit for power, amplifying whatever energy it's fed. She's using it to bolster her control.”
Miranda's eyes narrowed as she assessed the situation. “Great, so we're not just fighting a goddess, we're fighting a supercharged goddess.”
Serqet’s voice, cold and haughty, cut through the commotion. “Bow before me, mortals. Witness the resurgence of a goddess scorned. This city, this world, shall know the might of Serqet.”
As she said those words, an ether of life force emerged from her followers, fueling the obelisk. She was going to drain them to death.
“Hey, goth scorpion lady,” Miranda called out. “Let everyone go and maybe I won’t stab you into your old prison.”
Clever girl. We had no element of surprise here, and we needed to distract Serqet before she killed these people.
Serqet’s gaze snapped to Miranda, her lips curling into a sneer. “A mortal wishes to challenge me? You are but a tool for my divinity.”
With a flick of her hand, a wave of psychic energy surged towards Miranda, intent on ensnaring her mind. But the blade in Miranda's hand glowed, creating a barrier that repelled the attack.
“Thanks Bob,” Miranda said quietly. “Pretty sureyouare the tool,” Miranda shot back at Serqet.
Tension coiled in my body, a mix of admiration for Miranda's bravery and a gnawing fear for her safety.
Amidst the chaos, I caught sight of a Black man laying slumped against a pillar. Fallon. His dark suit was rumpled and neither his blue nor his brown eye opened or so much as twitched. A wound oozed a purple liquid from his neck, a clear sign of Serqet’s poisonous touch.
“You think you can defy me?” Serqet hissed, her form growing more imposing as she tapped into the obelisk’s power. “I will crush you.”
It was my turn. “Hey there, sis. I may have been underground for the last several thousand years, but I know a couple things you don’t. We don’t reveal ourselves to humans, we don’t take followers anymore, and we sure as fuck don’t throw tantrums for the glory of what, your ego?”
I held her attention as Miranda crept around to the side.
Serqet's sinister laughter filled the air as she raised her hands, the scorpions on the floor surging towards us like a living tide. Within moments, we were surrounded, the venomous creatures forming a barrier that held us in place.
