Cyrus and I walked hand in hand to a temple that featured a statue of Astan, midair, with massive diamond-encrusted wings outstretched, casting shadows across the room. I tried to wrap my mind around the architecture. Nothing held him in the air. Not a cord nor a base. The stone was justthere, centered between the ceiling and the floor. More shocking, his horns had risen yet again and were now almost at full height.
I pressed my free hand over the pulse pounding in my throat.Closer to the end than ever.
There were other statues as well: Bala and ten hybrids. The pet dragon crouched behind Astan to watch over him, roaring at the world, ready to leap at one and all. To the right of her was a couple wrapped together in a highly suggestive lover’s pose. Both beings possessed four arms each, and those arms covered a lot of ground.
To the left, two men reached for a large, round orb that hovered several inches above them, and like Astan, it had no anchor. One of the males looked to have daggers rather than fingers, while the other’s fingernails coiled like whips.
A female with three legs, each from a different animal, appeared to dance in flames, while the hem of her gauzy, transparent dress rippled at her feet.
Some kind of lizard man stretched across a dais in the back, his expression projecting boredom, anger, and glee all at once.
A catlike man raised a goblet as if toasting the others, while crystal tears glistened on his cheeks.
The being next to him possessed the lower half of a warhorse and the upper body of a man. He held two swords in the air, the tips crossed.
A man with four faces rode him, looking everywhere at once. One face was that of a human with thorny protrusions, the second some kind of goat, the third what might be a prehistoric lion with two sets of razor-sharp teeth, and the fourth that of a snake-monster-thing.
In the very center of the room posed a beauty I recognized: Briar Rose. My breath faltered. Flowers coiled around her throat, while vines covered her arms and legs. Leaves and petals created a dazzling gown. Roses bloomed in her hands.
Unlike the other statues, these were made with shiny obsidian. Shadows slithered around them all, flowing in and out of cracks.
All of it left me disquieted.Tick tock.
“Astan’s council of gods,” Cyrus muttered. “Prophecy tells us Astan, Briar Rose, and two of the others will be the first to gain their freedom in the coming waves, but it won’t be long before the others follow.”
“Are the gods inside these specific casings?Here?”
“Yes and no.” He lifted our joined hands and kissed mine. “These stones contain their essence, which seeps from a different dimensional plane than ours.”
Like Domino and me when one of us was spirit and the other flesh, the two of us one?
Shudders rocked me on my feet. Did the statues in Ourland contain the essence of actual beings as well? Entities determined to rule our world as their own?
Deep breath in. “Let’s get this over with.”
Cyrus led me forward with his arm around my waist. The emperor and Mr. Vyle had yet to arrive, but everyone else was present, the royals dressed in formal attire. The trainees wore clean fatigues.
I swallowed a groan. As if I’d needed another reason to alienate them. Although, when they discovered my engagement—and my allegiance to Soal—true separation would come.
Lolli especially stunned in a slinky black gown with less material than mine and a higher-wattage sparkle. A headpiece made of obsidian created a fan of spikes. Beads dangled over her brow, resembling bangs. Rubies arranged to resemble roses circled her neck and climbed both of her arms from wrist to elbow. They also wound around her calves from ankle to knee, glittering with her every step.
Masked waitstaff flittered about, carrying trays with the most delicious-looking delicacies. Desserts, meats, and fruits never served to commoners. Still full from dinner, I wasn’t even tempted to partake. Some kind of pale, sparkling beverage flowed from a fountain, and judging by the laughter coming from the trainees as they imbibed, they loved it.
Roman wobbled on his feet as he saluted Cyrus. None of the others bothered to salute at all.
Lolli spotted us and, with a grin teasing the corners of her mouth, sauntered over, selecting a drink along the way.
“Hello, Cy.” She kissed his unscarred cheek and brushed her fingers over his broad shoulders, seemingly unconcerned when he stiffened. “Send your favorite accessory to play with her friends. There’s something we should discuss.”
I rolled my eyes. This high princess had no power over me, and we both knew it. “They aren’t my friends.” Roman had assured me of that.
“She stays with me,” Cyrus said, tightening his hold on my waist.
I could’ve gloated and remained, but I wanted her to understand I no longer viewed her as a threat. More than that, I trusted Cyrus, my fiancé. “Go ahead, have your chat. You can tell me all about it later.” I grazed my nails lightly over his brand in a mimic of her, and he leaned into my touch. “I love you.”
“I love you too,” he told me, unashamed for others to hear.
Lolli conveyed only boredom.
