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“Yes?”
Tempest squeezed Sylvia’s hand and smiled. “Thank you.”
Sylvia’s shoulders relaxed as she offered a warm smile in return.
“Of course,” she said, grabbing the edge of the mirror as Tempest stepped inside. “Come find me when you return. I want to make sure you get rest and whatever else you need.”
With a small whoosh, Tempest was dropped into the dark. Her eyes soon adjusted, and she walked steadily through the tunnels. Even if she didn’t have directions from Sylvia, the pull in her chest would have guided her towards Emperor Aiden.
As she drew near, however, the feeling changed. A sense of urgency shot down and became a sharp pain in her gut. She doubled over and gasped for breath, leaning on the wall for support. Something was wrong.
She pulled herself down the hallway, unable to fully straighten as the pain grew worse with each step. Even though she was getting closer to Aiden’s room, she could feel him pulling further away.
Tempest usually kept her goddess powers tamped down, but let a fraction of it fill her now to overcome the pain. A strength and renewed energy filled her and allowed the pain to lessen to only a dull reminder and guide. Her footsteps quickened as she rose and searched for Aiden’s room.
Her fingers fumbled on the stone wall until she heard a small click and the wall opened a crack. She shoved it open and went through, her concern for the emperor overriding her need for secrecy. But it didn’t matter; the room was empty.
She closed the hidden door behind her, allowing the wall hanging over it to drop back into place.
Frustrated, Tempest closed her eyes and focused on her connection with Aiden. He was moving away at an alarming speed. Her best guess was that he was about to leave the castle and disappear into the streets of the capital.
She quickly unlatched the double doors and stepped out onto the balcony. She was three stories high, and a walled garden spread below her. Unsure how many walls she would have to climb over or how many guards she would need to avoid, she decided it would take too long if she went that way. Instead, she directed her attention towards the tiled roof above. She could move much more quickly and avoid detection if she could get on top.
Calling Soulshadow to her hands, she spun it a few times to gain momentum and tossed it over the roof’s peak, where it hooked on the side of a chimney. Tempest climbed up the cold metal chain onto the roof and, with a flick of her wrist, released the hook and called Soulshadow back to her hand.
Her sandals quietly padded on the tiles as she ran across the rooftop. Tempest leapt from one section of roof to the next and used Soulshadow when she needed to bridge a gap too large to jump across.
She stopped as she came to the end of the palace. There was a large gap between her and the somewhat shorter castle wall. Luckily, there were no guards in sight, and Tempest sent Soulshadow to the top of the wall below her. She jumped from the roof and allowed the chain to shrink as she dropped. Her feet hit the wall with a thud a few feet below the top.
Tempest leaned back and walked along the wall as the chain continued pulling her up the wall. She flung one leg over the top, repositioned Soulshadow, and quickly dropped to the street below.
Following the pull towards Aiden, Tempest darted toward the nearest alley and let her power push her faster than any mortal could run. A small amount of relief trickled through her as she sensed the distance closing between them.
She stuck to back alleys to avoid any lingering in the main streets. While she didn't fear mortals, she didn’t want them to slow her down as she raced through town. After one last turn, she skidded to a stop, kicking up a cloud of dust that surrounded her. He was here.
The way was blocked by a dozen masked individuals dressed in anonymous black, each of them armed.
“What have you done with Emperor Aiden?”Tempest growled, letting every syllable drip with her power. To her surprise, none of the individuals appeared phased by it in any way.
“Leave now, goddess. You have no power over us,” one of them replied.
Tempest’s eyes widened, then narrowed to slits. “How do you know who I am?”
Another individual spun a dagger in their hand and laughed. “You really think your antics have gone unnoticed? You literally announced yourself in front of all of the gods only a few days ago.”
Her mind raced. They must have been sent by one of the gods. But which one? And why would a god want a mortal emperor dead?
“Hand over the emperor and I will spare you.”
“You think we fear you? You are a weak god. He is long gone.”
Tempest scoured the group in front of her, verifying the claim. Aiden wasn’t with them. But she could feel him. He was either nearby or Fate was messing with her. She swore she would find out who Fate was if it was the latter and make them pay.
Without the need to avoid harming Aiden or hide her identity, Tempest released the bonds on her power and set Soulshadow free. It wrapped around the neck of one of the masked men and hooked into the shoulder of the one behind him. She pulled and slammed both of them into the wall, where they crumpled, unconscious.
She summoned Soulshadow back, the chain slipping through her fingers, and kept it spinning between her and the now-rushing group. With a yell, two darted to her left while another two skirted around Soulshadow to her right.
Soulshadow arced to her right and slammed into the two men as Tempest jumped over the larger part of the group. It ripped into their chests as she called it back again. The men screamed and dropped to the ground as blood stained the street.
