Anubis might’ve smiled if the situation weren’t so dire. “We need to mask our powers. I will transform and watch fromthe outside.”
Hypnos grumbled something that sounded like agreement and vanished, his divine presence dampening to nearly nothing as he moved through the house.
Anubis shifted into his jackal form, his paws sinking into the snow-covered ground. His ears twitched, listening for anything unnatural, but he heard only the sounds of wildlife. The lack of noise amplified his turmoil as he prowled around the perimeter, remaining on edge.
During his watch, the only movement came from nocturnal animals. No enemy gods, no monsters, and no assassins. Nothing.
It started snowing again, dusting his fur. He shook off a flake that landed on his nose, frustration only adding to his sour mood. All he wanted to do was return to Iliana instead of wasting his time on an attack that wouldn’t come.
Had Hermes been wrong?
The atmosphere changed in an instant when a presence joined him.
Anubis didn’t feel threatened; just watched. As if whoever it was had no interest in interfering with what was going on here. The sensation was familiar in a way he couldn’t place, tickling memories from long ago.
Before he could pin down the source, the nocturnal sounds cut off abruptly. Unnaturally. Anubis froze, his jackal ears attempting to pinpoint where the being could be.
There was a slight movement to his right. Anubis’ body coiled, ready to strike.
A shadow too dark to be caused by the moonlight lengthened, stretching toward him like fingers.
Anubis bared his teeth as he sent out his power to search for the threat.
What he found stopped him cold. It wasn’t an attacker. It was something old and familiar. Something he’d encountered only a handful of times in all his existence.Observing. The same energy from those who watched fate unfold but never interfered with it.
Kabeiroi. It had to be.
A shape against one of the trees moved, its energy touching his senses, curiously.Then it was gone, leaving a slight odor of iron and burnt oil.
Hypnos appeared next to him a moment later, his sword in hand and looking around the area for threats. “I sensed your power. What is it?”
Anubis shifted back to human form, staring at where the specter had been. “Something was here. Not an enemy.”
“What then?” Hypnos asked, still on edge as he looked in the same direction.
Anubis shook his head, trying to put his thoughts together. “I think that was one of the Kabeiroi.”
Hypnos’ expression changed from perplexed to annoyed, then concerned. He lowered his sword but didn’t sheath it, his knuckles going white around the hilt. “Kabeiroi? You’re sure?”
“Not entirely, but it fits,” Anubis admitted. “They are beings of mystery. Of passage. I have only been near them a handful of times. All moments when something significant was about to happen. Or when someone was about to step onto a path where there was no return.”
His friend’s eyes narrowed. “I know some believe they’re record-keepers. They’re secretive and rarely seen, always seeming to be present during major events. But they’ve also fought when it suited them or granted boons. Why were they here this time?”
Anubis frowned at the empty tree line. “The last time I saw one was the night before Osiris was murdered. I sensed the same thing. This one was only here to watch.”
“Were they watching us, or waiting for Iliana?”
The being had been neither hostile nor benign. Not an ally, but not an enemy either.
Anubis met Hypnos’ eyes. “If they are watching Iliana, it is because whatever is coming could change everything. For all of us.”
“The prophecy,” Hypnos began. “The Fates gave her a prophecy, and now the Kabeiroi are watching. Whatever the Fates saw in her destiny, it’s big enough to draw witnesses from these beings.”
Anubis nodded, though the confirmation did nothing to ease the knot in his chest. “She knows. Whatever the Fates told her, she knows how significant this is. That is why she will not tell us.”
“Because knowing might change how we act,” Hypnos finished.
After another minute of silence, Hypnos asked, “You don’t seem nearly as upset with her keeping things from us. From lying.”
