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The godstone of Ilon stood in the center of the village, the elegant facets catching and reflecting the torchlight so that it looked almost like gold against the velvety shadows of the cavern. Such a beautiful thing and it felt like a waste to have it locked away underground when it should have been at the top of one of the city’s spires.
About a dozen New Rosanthe soldiers were patrolling the area with a couple on their side of the riverbank and a few on the bridge itself, while the others circled the godstone. Caelan was about to speculate where Safa was when she strode out of the largest building.
She didn’t approach the godstone as he expected. She walked right past it and stopped near the riverbank. Tilting her head up slightly, it seemed as if she was sniffing the air. A slow grin spread across her wide mouth, revealing the tips of fangs, and Caelan’s blood ran cold.
“Come out, little prince!” she called, her harsh voice echoing off the stone walls and carrying down the long tunnels. “I know you’re here. I’ve been waiting for you.”
He didn’t hesitate. There was no point in hiding or denying they were there. She knew it, and they had no intention of running. His goal was to bond with the God of Wisdom, and he was not leaving until that was completed.
With a reassuring pat to Drayce’s shoulder, Caelan stepped away from his companions and strolled around the final turn to stand on the opposite side of the riverbank from Safa. Behind him, the sound of his friends’ footsteps on the rocks echoed through the cave.
The New Rosanthe soldiers all lifted their guns, aiming at them, but they didn’t move beyond that. They were simply waiting for Safa’s command.
Caelan smiled at Safa and then let his eyes drift up to the godstone sparkling in the darkness. He released some of his hold on Tula’s power, allowing Lore’s energy to wash over and through him. She hadn’t bonded with the god. Not yet. He would feel if she had.
“I’m surprised,” he started, looking at the woman again. “I thought you would have claimed your prize already.”
“Tempting, isn’t it?” She motioned with one hand over her shoulder. “So close. The knowledge of countless ages. The history of all the civilizations that existed before either of us. All of it right there.”
“But he rejected you, didn’t he?” Caelan taunted.
Her snarling grin didn’t waver as his jab missed its mark. “No, I was waiting for you. I wanted to see your face when you discovered you failed. I want to see your horror when you learn the truth.”
Caelan clenched his teeth against the uneasiness that sloshed through his stomach. The truth had become this ominous thing hanging over his head for months now. Did she know something that he didn’t? The gods were hiding something from him, something big enough that none of them were willing to speak a word about it.
But it didn’t matter in the end. Safa was a threat to Thia.
Zyros was a threat to Thia.
He would do whatever it took to eliminate those threats to protect his home and people. This truth everyone was so afraid wasn’t important.
“But we don’t need all these other spectators. Your horror is enough for me.” She waved her hand at them. “Kill the rest. Leave the King of Erya alive.”
Gunfire and knives instantly filled the air. Caelan and his companions ducked behind large rocks for cover as they slowly picked off one New Rosanthe soldier after another. Safa retreated to the godstone, standing just a few feet behind it as she used it as a shield.
Impatience mounting, Caelan rolled out from cover, Nyx’s power already in hand. He stretched out and grabbed the time of each of the soldiers and pulled. Each one jerked and fell like puppets who had their strings cut.
“Bastard,” Safa snarled as she lunged out from her hiding place. “Kill them!” she screamed again. He started to reach for her life chain when half a dozen alligators the size of small dragons erupted from the river waters and surged up onto the bank. Mouths filled with sharp teeth open wide and tails whipping wildly, they ran at them.
Caelan sucked in a breath to shout “Toaster” but a ground-shaking roar filled the cave, threatening to destroy his eardrums. A giant black dragon filled the cave. Its massive wings of fire stretched above their heads and brushed the ceiling. Two feet came down on a pair of alligators, instantly crushing them while a third was chomped in Drayce’s jaws.
For a second, Caelan could only stare in horror at sight of Drayce holding off the alligators as they continued to pour out of the river.
A hand clamped on Caelan’s arm, freeing him from his paralysis. He looked over at a sweaty and pale Rayne. “Run to the godstone! We’ll hold them off!”
Caelan’s heart screamed “No!” as he nodded and shoved away from the boulder he was using as protection. He stumbled a couple of times to get his feet under him, but caught his balance and bolted to the bridge, leaping over the bodies of the dead soldiers along the way.
His feet pounded across the wooden bridge. Something snapped and the bridge shuddered. He spared a quick look to see that an alligator had bitten through one of the brittle support beams to get at him, but the bridge still held. His heart skipped and raced on. He couldn’t stop now. This could all end if he killed Safa or touched the godstone.
As he reached the other side of the river, Safa was waiting for him, hands open at her sides, her talon-tipped fingers slightly curled. Caelan called his sword to him, and the familiar hilt instantly rested heavy in his palm. The same energy he’d felt when he’d attacked Nyx crackled through his frame.
Safa’s eyes widened briefly as if in surprise, but she didn’t hesitate to launch herself at him. He blocked one swipe of her claws with his blade and deftly dodged the second. Drayce’s roars continued to rattle the cave along with the intermittent sound of gunfire. Caelan couldn’t spare a glance in their direction. They could handle themselves. Rayne could heal them.
Over and over again, Caelan blocked Safa’s blows while he circled and backpedaled toward the godstone. He remained patient, learning her pattern even as sweat slipped down his brow and along his spine despite the chill in the air. Muscles burned, but even after the long walk and the fight, he wasn’t tired. Energy crackled through him, building to some explosion, but he didn’t know how to release it. He could only channel it into his every movement.
But it wasn’t enough.
He clenched his teeth against a scream as his bones threatened to snap under the pressure. He reached for the gods, demanding to know what was happening, but they were silent. He couldn’t even sense them watching him. It was as if for the first time in months, he was truly alone.
