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“A goddess.”
Now it’s my turn to laugh, and I can only imagine the over-the-top reaction Eliza will have when I tell her I’m not only the savior of humanity but a fucking goddess.
“Trust me, I’m a hot fucking mess and I just want my husband back.” I switch the torch to the other hand and let out a defeated sigh. “I don’t know if you’ve noticed that the world is teetering on the edge of going to shit thanks to some powerful demons and family drama on my dad’s side and…and…” I trail off as the thought occurs to me. “And it’s not fucking fair they can fuck things up so much.” I sweep my hand out to my surroundings. “They’re not the only ones with power.”
The sound of wind whipping through trees surrounds us, and the flames on the torch start to dance. Osiris stands there unfazed, still looking at me with interest.
“Be at the place I first appeared at your witching hour. I’ll show you what I can do.” He takes the torch from me and gives me another bow. “It was nice to officially meet you, Callista.”
“No,” I shout, reaching for him. “I’m not leaving without—”
“Callie?” Evander’s voice rings out around me and I feel his hand on my shoulder. “Can you hear me?”
Taking in a sharp breath, I open my eyes. I’m back in the office, and blue hellfire sparks from my fingers. I snatch my hands back, taking my fingers off the oracle, and ball them into fists, putting the flames out.
“Yeah, I can hear you.” I close my eyes, waiting for the moment of disorientation to pass. The world is spinning a bit right now, like how it does when I’m transported via archangel.
“Well, what happened?”
“I went to the Underworld and talked to Osiris.” Opening my eyes, I look up at Evander. “He said he’s going to help but I don’t really know what he means. And I…I didn’t see Lucas.”
“I’m sorry, sister.”
“Thanks. He told me that Lucas is okay though, and he’s still him.” A tear rolls down my cheek but a small smile pulls up my lips. “He’s still Lucas and is in a suspended state that’s keeping the demon from getting to him or something.”
“That’s promising.”
“Yeah. I think.” I get to my feet and shake my head. “The whole thing was almost confusing. I think Osiris is…” I don’t even know how to finish that sentence. He’s the God of the Underworld yet seemed so human and normal. “…trustworthy,” I finish. “I did find out the terms of the deal Julian made. Basically, he just wanted Osiris to take the Horsemen off our hands and was able to negotiate three hundred years of them being locked up. And then Osiris is free to do what he wants with them.”
Evander’s eyes widen. “I don’t wish death and destruction on my family line, but knowing I’ll be dead by then almost brings comfort. Which is fucked up, I know.”
“It is, and I think that’s why Julian did it. Three hundred years gives us time to either die or figure out how to actually kill the Horsemen, which is what Osiris says he wants to do. And if he can’t kill them, it seems like he’ll keep them locked up.”
“That’s great. It’s like they’re back where they were, only in a different Hell.”
“It would be great if Lucas wasn’t a Horseman,” I say slowly and wave my hand over the salt on the floor, magically sweeping it into one pile.
“Of course that’s what I meant,” Evander rushes out. “Did Osiris have any advice on how to fix that?”
“No. But I did find out that without a rider, the horse morphs back into its true shape. Kinda like a familiar, but programmed to bring about as much death and destruction as possible.”
“Then you really need to think about getting Lucas off the horse.”
“What?” I grip the scarab tight in my hand.
“If pulling Lucas off means Famine will bleed into the world, then we need to really think twice, Callie.”
“Oh.” I stare at Evander incredulously, able to read between the lines. He thinks I should leave Lucas and move on. “I’ll figure something out.” Grabbing the velvet bag, I put the oracle back in. I’m certain it’s not cursed now, but was used incorrectly. Still, I’d rather be safe than sorry. If this thing can communicate with the Underworld, it means anything in the Underworld can communicate with me—or maybe even escape from Osiris’s watch. “Thank you, Evander. This worked just like you said and I’m a little closer to getting Lucas back.”
“He knew what he was doing,” Evander says, repeating something several of my friends have told me recently. “He wouldn’t have gotten on that demonic horse if he didn’t know it would buy you time and keep you safe.”
“Buy me time?” I question and the tiniest amount of panic crosses Evander’s face, like he said something he hadn’t meant to say.
“Speaking of time, I do need to get to class. The end of the year is coming up and it’s hard to get the students to focus.”
“Yeah. They’ll be done before the summer solstice.”
“Best way to kick off the summer, as you remember.”
