He rubbed his thumb on the dry wood, glancing downward. His mind seemed to drift, and then his eyes lifted to meet hers. “Your time is up, my dear.”
The door opened before her. She could see nothing past the threshold, only blackness.
“I would wish you luck, but luck doesn’t have much to do with it, I’m afraid.”
She gave the almighty deity a last once-over. A legend of war, appearing to be a simple farmer. A man she could pass on the street and not give a second glance. She found it admirable. No fancy palaces or castles in the sky, just a man and his home. The only thing missing was the great love of his life.
She proceeded up the three steps, hearing the creaks in each floorboard. She gave one final nod to her sire from so long before her.
Then she stepped over the threshold.
CHAPTERSIXTY-THREE
Theo and Callum walked back through the tunnel, Theo’s nerves on edge as the minutes ticked by. He couldn’t stand to wait in that cave for her, not for another moment. As they neared the Azure Chasm, they found it empty.
Odd, he had told his soldiers to assemble. Even if some had already gone above, he expected at least a handful to be waiting here for him.
They proceeded down a corridor of bedchambers, then another. They heard no voices, no shuffling of feet or preparing of weapons. There wasn’t a single breathing soul to be found.
Theo and Callum exchanged glances. They shot through the caves with frantic speed. When they came up to the clearing before the training valley, they saw them. Every member of the Divine lined the arena. Every soldier, even Lionel and his apprentices in their long robes, stood at attention, looking toward a mountaintop.
The lines were precise and deliberate, ready for war. At first glance, it looked like they were following his orders, but their faces possessed a dead, cold stare. One he had only seen when Manos held unsuspecting minds in suspension.
Where was the mind reader? Theo couldn’t see him among the ranks.
He walked the gaps in the lines, studying every single vacant face. He passed Breyer and Fee, standing close together with phantomlike expressions.
“aaron!Aaron, where are you?” Callum’s earsplitting shouts reverberated through the canyon, unanswered as he scanned the ranks, looking for that familiar face. He spotted him at the same time as Theo, toward the front of the lines.
Callum made to sprint ahead for his brother. Theo grabbed his shoulder, halting him in his tracks. He nodded his head toward the hilltop.
Dolion stood there, an outstretched hand gripping Manos’s shoulder.
The mind reader’s breaths were ragged. He looked like he was using every ounce of power to strain against Dolion’s mental hold.
Coercion.
That sick manipulation tactic. Dolion was making Manos hold all their minds at a standstill. Keeping them stagnant and compliant. Dolion’s head slowly turned from Manos to regard the sea of soldiers.
“I would have him hold you, too, but I need someone to go fetch. Where is my future blood bride?”
At the wordbride, Theo’s brutal demon form appeared.
“Let them go,” he gritted out.
“No, I don’t think I will. Better get her quickly. My hand might slip while you’re wasting my time. I might just...” Dolion’s grip migrated to the edge of Manos’s neck. The mind reader shouted in pain, thrashing and fighting to get away until Dolion’s eyes burned bright, calming his struggle. “His spine would snap like a dry twig.”
Dolion focused all his attention on Manos, his eyes burning into the back of his head. “He’s strong, I’ll give him that. All of you are. But I’m stronger.”
Manos let out a string of pained breaths as one of the Divine began to march forward. Manos was a link to all of them, a bridge for Dolion’s coercion. Touching Manos gave him access to all the minds below.
Before Theo could even comprehend his intention, Dagnon took his own blade, raised it to his throat, and sliced.
Theo didn’t react as his soldier dropped to his knees, blood staining the soil. He couldn’t risk it.
“Choose, Captain. I can leave peacefully with what’s mine. No harm will come to the rest of your precious army, you have my word. Or you can sacrifice every single one of them tonight for one insignificant girl.”
Theo pulled out his sword. “Your word is as worthless as your life.”
