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“No!” I shouted at her, panicking that our gifts were about to disappear. “At this point, you’re becoming one of those powerful forces working against us. Please,” I begged. “You don’t have to come. You don’t even have to be here, but please don’t sabotage our journey before it even begins.”

The men moved silently behind Clive. When I turned back to deal with my husband, the twins were standing directly behind him. Clive spun just as one lifted a hand. His brother pushed him aside and tapped Clive’s forehead before he could attack. It all happened so fast, it took a moment for my mind to catch up and put it all in order.

Clive dropped to the ground and I yelped, following him down, my hand on his face. What had I done? I knew he hadn’t wanted me to come and I’d forced the situation. I looked up at the men, my eyes filling with tears. “What did you do to my husband?”

The one who’d tapped Clive said, “This is Thanatos,” gesturing to his twin. “And I am Hypnos. I am the one who touched him, which means he’s sleeping, not dead. I recommend you leave on your journey before he wakes. If he again gets in the way of you going, my brother will be the one to tap him, and he won’t be waking from that touch.” Both men inclined their heads toward me and disappeared.

Chapter 10

MIND THE GAP

“Thanatos and Hypnos,” Bracken murmured, scribbling in his journal. “Remarkable.” He held out his hand to help me up. “And did they say you’d spoken with Artemis?”

I nodded, feeling like I was stuck in a chaotic nightmare. I looked down at my hand and, sure enough, the gifts she’d given me were still clutched there. “She offered us food that never runs out. It will sustain us and replenish each day.”

“Similar to lembas bread,” he said, and I nodded. “Perfect.” He rubbed my shoulder and some of the panic making me freeze drained away. “The barman is getting us canteens that never empty.”

“Mind you,” the bartender growled, “the four million is the rental fee. If you lose one, it’s going to cost a lot more. Divine gifts are precious.” He laid out the canteens on the bar.

Coco, Bracken, and I all reached for one. I waited to see if Stheno would take one or if she was leaving. Bracken and Coco both uncorked the top and sniffed before taking a swig.

Bracken nodded to me. “Like a clear mountain stream.”

The three of us all stowed our magical canteens inside our packs, removing the superfluous and mundane water bottles. I handed out the unleavened cakes, and they were packed with the same care.

Stheno held out a hand for the grape-leaf packet. “Sorry for being a bitch, kid. I’m dealing with something and not doing a good job of it.” She took the canteen as well, packing both in her satchel.

I crouched down and gave Clive a kiss before turning to Vlad.

“Just go,” he said. “I’ll take care of him. You all need to be gone before he wakes.”

I made eye contact with the others, trying to gauge if they were ready to do this. When I received a nod from each, I headed toward the door. Once we were back in the dark, I waited for Stheno.

“Lead the way,” I told her.

She nodded and took us down a path to the edge of a cliff. She looked back and said, “It starts now. If you’re afraid of heights, you’re going to have to get over it real quick.”

She walked up to the edge, looked over, and then stepped down. My heart flew up into my throat. I must have made a sound because Bracken was patting my shoulder as he walked by. He looked over the edge and said, “Stairs,” before following Stheno.

Coco went next and I stood petrified, unable to make my legs move. I was terrified of heights. I was going to have to descend stairs carved into a cliff without passing out. My head was already swimming. I tried not to think about the fact that if Clive were here, he’d swing me onto his back and jog down the stairs while I kept my eyes screwed shut. Tried not to and failed.

Instead, I internally shook myself and started moving. When I got to the edge, I dropped to the ground and scootched myself forward. I pulled out my phone, left a message for Clive, and tried to ignore my fear-based dizziness as I scooted farther forward. By the time my legs were dangling over, my breath was coming out in short pants and I was tipping toward the ocean. My stomach dropped like I was already plummeting to my death.

This was embarrassing. They were probably all at the bottom by now, waiting for me. Fuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuck. I inched closer and realized the wind that had been whipping loose hairs around and pushing me toward the edge had shifted and was now pushing me back. Someone was still looking out for me. I took heart in that and moved farther out. When one of my feet hit a stair, I pushed myself over the edge.

Was I crying? Yes. Yes, I was, but the wind helped plaster me against the rock wall on my right side. The stairs were only about a foot wide, the edges rounded through millennia of erosion. Scraping my arm against the rockface, I descended one stair at a time. Coco was nearing the bottom, which said more about how high the cliff was and less about how long my panic attack had lasted.

Step by agonizing step, I forced myself to keep going. About halfway down—please, Lord, let me be halfway down by now—the stairs became slippery with sea spray. Sure, why not?

Near the bottom, my foot slipped out from under me. Claws appeared on my right hand, scraping the stone, trying to hang on. My butt hit the stone steps hard, but I didn’t topple to the side onto jagged rocks in the sea. My frantic gaze went to the three waiting for me, and I saw Bracken dropping his hand. Apparently, I’d had some magical help to keep me glued to these steps.

“We don’t got all day, kid,” Stheno shouted up at me, prompting Coco to give her a dirty look.

I really wished the wind had torn more of those words away. Whatever. I was close. Forcing myself upright again, I finally made it to the bottom. My legs were shaking. Hell, my whole body was shaking, but they had been waiting and were ready to move on.

Stheno turned away and continued over a lip of rock leading away from the steps. “Let’s go.”

Bracken started to follow and then looked over his shoulder to check on me. He nodded at Coco and then followed. Coco moved up beside me and wrapped an arm around me.