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The three of them looked at each other, then Merrick nodded. “I say we do it. There’s no reason to wait any longer.”
Trace dipped his chin in agreement, and Lachlan shot me a slightly feral look. “So how are we doin’ this? Are we usin’ magic to disable them, or are we goin’ to smash some heads?”
I laughed softly, sliding my pack off my shoulders and hiding it underneath a bush so that if we actually made it back out of the gods’ city, I would be able to find it. Merrick did the same, setting his pack next to mine.
“I think we should use magic,” I told the burly Irishman. “I’m pretty sure smashing skulls is going to catch the notice of at least one or two guards.”
Lachlan looked highly disappointed, and I patted his shoulder as we began to make our way down the hill, sticking to the cover of the bushes as we headed toward the city. “Don’t worry, big man. I have a feeling there’ll still be plenty of chances to fight.”
I just hope we can win those fights.
I shoved down the worry that tightened my stomach. We were all powerful and good i
n a fight, but there was no doubt in my mind that the gods were stronger than all of us. But there was no point dwelling on that or letting fear paralyze me.
After we reached the bottom of the hill, we waited for several long minutes, barely daring to breathe. Finally, a group of four mages emerged from the servant door and walked along a small path that would bring them close to the shrubs we hid behind. We were out of view of the guards posted at the main entrance, so this would be the best chance we’d get.
Trace whispered a spell as he held his hand out, palm up, and blew on it. A burst of sparkling magic fluttered from his hand and up around the mages’ faces. One of them let out a low grunt of surprise, but before they could do anything more than that, all four of us leapt on them. Trace’s spell had slowed and disoriented them, and it gave us the opening we needed to gain the upper hand. I managed to wrestle my target to the ground, wrapping my legs around his neck in a chokehold and squeezing with my thighs until I felt his body go limp. I let magic pour out of me as well, wrapping around him and binding him tight.
By the time I was sure he was out, the men had taken care of their mages as well. Just like the ones who had come to the school, the four messengers we had disabled practically oozed magic. If we hadn’t taken them by surprise, I wasn’t sure we would’ve been able to take them out at all.
That was a good sign though. It meant that perhaps the gods’ city wouldn’t be too closely guarded. They clearly considered themselves safe from any threat in their own realm. The messengers had been relaxed, not on alert.
I grabbed the man’s ankles and pulled his body into the bushes. The men did the same with their targets, and we began to take their robes. We needed to move quickly, before they woke up.
Once we’d removed their garments and slipped them on, all four of us combined our magic to create bindings to hold them. I was sure it wouldn’t immobilize them for too long, but it was the best we could do.
Straightening the stolen robes, which were just a little too big on me, I looked around at each of the men. “Alright, let’s go. If we get separated and can’t find each other, we meet back at the hill crest where we first saw the city. Whoever doesn’t show up, we’ll come back for you.”
All three men nodded. Their gazes burned intensely, and I could practically feel their muscles bunching and shifting beneath their robes. I could tell they were on guard, and I didn’t blame them. My body vibrated with a fight-or-flight impulse too.
We had come all that way though, and I wasn’t turning back without answers.
Decked out in our robes, pulling the hoods as far forward as possible to shield our faces, we rose from the bushes and headed back toward the city. No guards stopped us, and no other mages seemed to question our presence as we passed through the servants’ city gate. We didn’t speak to each other, just walked in formation, doing our best to keep our heads down and blend in. It was hard not to look at the city though. The place was unlike anything I had ever seen before.
The buildings appeared even more enormous from the ground, and everything looked spotless, as if they polished each stone every single day. We turned the corner onto the main thoroughfare leading to the large palace. As we did, the men slowed, and I glanced around at them.
Merrick leaned toward me, whispering. “Look ahead and to your right.”
Keeping my head tilted down, I shifted my gaze up and to the right and saw two men, taller than everyone else, draped in golden robes in an opulence that rivaled the city around them.
Gods.
Holy fuck. Those were the gods, walking the streets of their city followed by an entourage of mages.
With my head still angled down, I talked quietly, just loud enough for the guys to hear me. “Coming from behind and to our left is another god. There are at least twenty servants behind him. As they pass, we need to fall in behind one of the groups.”
I could see the slight movement as my men nodded, and we waited patiently as the gods passed with the mages trialing in their wake. We instantly stepped to the side, picking up our pace to match theirs. No one seemed to notice that we fell in, which was perfect.
My heart thudded hard and fast in my chest, and I did my best to keep my steps steady and even. As we walked, I picked up snippets of murmured conversation between the mages in front of me.
“Did you bring your offering to him?” one asked.
The other mage gave a nod. “Of course I did. He’s our god. They’re all our gods. It is my privilege and duty to give of myself for them.”
I looked slightly to my left, catching Trace’s gaze. His brows pulled together as he frowned.
This is so fucking weird. The mages voices were reverent, worshipful, and awed. They served the gods in this city, and apparently, they worshiped them too. The way they talked about their offerings and duties was almost cult-like.
