There were four of them. Each had coal-black hair, dark eyes, and skin was so pale it seemed almost translucent. They also wore a long hooded purple robe that was reminiscent of a time when the children of the gods wore said garments as a proud declaration of their heritage.
They could only be Theseus, Daedalus, Medea, and Scylla—the half-bloods from the Dark Lands.
Talon didn’t signal for us to fire our arrows. Instead, he caught Keyes’ eye and tipped his head toward the fortress within the city walls. With a nod, the Marshall scurried away.
Personally, given that the Sovereigns tended to hang back when there was trouble, I wasn’t so sure there was much point in getting word to them.
Finally, the four newcomers reached the walls. The arched wooden doors didn’t open for them in welcome—no surprise there.
One of the half-bloods slowly raised his hands. “We are not here to fight!” he called out, all assurance. “We come in peace!”
Uh, forgive us if we don’t trust that.
They seemed to be alone, but they weren’t likely to launch an attack without their armies present. Said armies could be lingering in the woods.
“You know you’re not welcome here, Theseus,” said Ajax, a vein of tension running through his long, burly build. “None of you are.”
Theseus very slowly cocked his head. “Can you imagine what it would be like to be unwelcome in what was once your home?”
Ajax stared at him steadily. “You only have yourself to blame for that.” There were no hints of mercy or sympathy in his deep voice.
“The blame does not entirely lie with us,” cut in a female half-blood. Her gaze flitted to Talon, and a taunting smirk curved her mouth. “Talon, you look far better than the last time I saw you. But then, you’d been covered in blood, hadn’t you?”
This had to be Medea. It was rumored that she’d once tried to take his life. And, as such, it was tempting to let my arrow sink right into her heart.
Talon responded to her comment with only a blank, uncaring stare. Well, it wasn’t like he wasn’t using to people making attempts on his life—he was Cardinal of the Black Tapestry, after all. Trying to kill him didn’t make her special.
The second—and rather tall—male half-blood inched up his chin in an arrogant manner. This could only be Daedalus. “Where are the brothers? We wish to speak with them.” It was a demand.
“They’ve been notified of your arrival,” Ajax told him. “If they want to talk to you, they will. If not …”
An angry flush stained Daedalus’ face. “We did not come all this way to be sent home like errant children.”
The curvy female half-blood beside him who had to be Scylla placed a soothing hand on his arm. “The brothers will see us,” she said confidently, her voice soft and almost musical. She smiled up at Talon. “Could we not wait inside the walls?”
Talon gave a hard but slow shake of his head.
“You have no right to deny us entrance,” insisted Daedalus. “Especially not to our childhood home. We are children of the gods.”
The Cardinal gave an unconcerned shrug.
I leaned into Khalida. “He can’t really think he’d be allowed entrance.”
“My guess is he’s hoping that kicking up a stink will provoke the Sovereigns into showing themselves.” Her gazedrifted to something behind me. “And if they hadn’t already planned to, then his little plot paid off.”
I turned to see the Sovereigns walking onto the battlement—cold, composed, menacing.
Theseus’ mouth curved politely. “My Lords,” he greeted, all sarcasm, “what an honor you bestow upon us by granting us an audience.”
Minos sneered down at the visitors. “You woulddarecome here? Putting aside the fact that you werebanished, you recently sicced armies on us.”
Daedalus lifted one finger. “They were merely minor demonstrations.”
“Of what?” demanded Eacus, his usual calm elegance cracking with anger.
“Of what a collective force we are,” Daedalus elaborated, his lips kicking up.
Rhad’s jaw hardened beneath his thick, curly beard. “So it is true that you have all banded together.”
