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“Can’t you hear that?” I asked. “The screaming, the virus is screaming! They’re killing themselves.”
Judging by everyone else’s worried expressions, none of them could hear the screaming.
I wanted to offer these tortured souls a peaceful death but that smile from the dragon, seconds before he killed himself, haunted me. It was a message from Cedric. He was taunting me.
“What does this mean?” Yelena asked. “Is the virus evolving?”
Finally, the virus's shrieking stopped—after all, its hosts were dead. But it was still alive.
"Or it might be doing what it originally intended," the Goddess mumbled, pointing to the cell. The virus was pouring from the man’s chest, expanding. “This is what happened in the City of Souls. The virus became an attacking force on its own. We need to evacuate everyone out of the castle.”
“That’s already being done,” Armen replied, as we started making our way out of the dungeon. "But even so, if this castle falls, the virus will spread below."
“The castle can be teleported elsewhere—Cedric designed it so,” the Goddess said.
Yelena nodded. “Yes, you’re right,” she said. “I’ve seen him teleport select wings of the castle whenever he loses interest in his old treasures and needs room for more. I can handle it, I think. The virus is confined to the dungeons.” She looked at Armen. “And I’d be more than happy to be rid of it.”
I grabbed Lucian's arm when I heard a faint voice in my mind.
“Wait,” I said. “I can’t hear you.”
Lucian frowned. "I didn't say anything, Natalie. Are you sure you're okay?"
"No, someone's trying to mind-link with me," I told him. I closed my eyes and focused, opening my mind to the faint female voice until suddenly, Felicity was shouting in my mind.
Felicity was the alpha of a pack of Enchanteds, and we hadn't seen each other since we’d first met at the werewolf festival. That festival had also been our first encounter with an infected animal.
"Felicity, slow down. I can't make out what you're saying. Our connection isn't stable," I winced. "What's wrong?"
"The virus!" she yelled. "It's attacking souls. The patches of infected earth throughout the city are rising up and attacking everyone, Natalie! Gods and souls alike are being turned into the infected!"
I squeezed Lucian's arm, my eyes wide with panic. "The virus, it’s coming up from beneath the ground and attacking souls," I told the others.
Without hesitation, the Goddess ran off.
“Go,” Yelena urged us. “Armen and I will handle things here in Aerilon. We'll protect our people. You need to go and protect yours."
I held her hand and hugged her quickly. Then Lucian and I followed the Goddess.
This was the last thing we needed right now. Before the virus had attacked the gods, the Goddess, Zeus, and others had to use a portal to teleport the virus and the White Tower elsewhere, before the virus spread through the city.
That time, it happened because a traitor god had injected himself with the virus. So how was the virus now seeping up from underground, on its own, to attack souls?
Cedric wasn't giving us a moment to breathe. That scarred-face bastard was keeping us occupied so we wouldn't be able to search for him and Rumir.
Still, those innocent souls in the City of Souls were at risk—and many of them were people I cared about. I didn’t have to think about whether or not to go to their aid or continuing to search for Rumir.
Yelena already had dragons looking for him and Cedric. And there wasn’t a moment that went by that I wasn’t reaching out to Rumir telepathically. Cedric might be trying to keep us at bay, but nothing he did would distract me for long.
When the Goddess opened a portal, Lucian ran through without hesitation, and I followed. Cedric had to have allies in the City of Souls, and I was going to find one of them, and get the information I needed, through any means necessary.
If Cedric wanted me to use my chaos the way he did—ruthlessly—then I would give him exactly that.
