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“Did Amell deny you help?” I venture a guess.
Maddox smiles wanly. “No. He agreed to help. He sent me to Vyronas to get something called the Book of Shadows, but when his daughter went into the vault to retrieve it, she discovered it had been stolen.”
I nod at the revelation. I thought Amell could use the book that Kymaris created when she was first expelled from Heaven. Over millennia, she congregated information on every piece of dark magic that came her way.
“Amell thinks that book will help get Lucien back?” I ask.
“He’s not sure but said he was willing to look into it.” Affection for Amell rushes through me, for him looking past his issues with Maddox. “And you need to lift his punishment.”
I’m so surprised by the change of subject and Maddox lobbying on Amell’s behalf, my hand jerks in his. He holds tight and squeezes.
“Lift his punishment?” I ask.
“Yeah… it’s ridiculous to lock him up for doing nothing more than defending his daughter.”
“He was ordered not to interfere,” I say, my voice sounding robotic. It’s the party line.
“Yes, I know. Onyx likes her conflicts to play out a certain way, and punishing Amell lets all your subjects know you can’t be questioned, yada, yada, yada.”
“I’d be careful about the way you talk about the gods,” I warn.
He smiles at me. “Why? Are you going to destroy me?”
“Of course not,” I snap in irritation. “But Onyx might.”
Maddox lets my hand go and brings his palm to my chest. He pushes me on my back and slides close to hover over me. “You know it’s wrong to keep him there, especially because he has a mortal daughter. His time with her is nothing but the blink of an eye to an immortal, and every day without the privilege of seeing her is a colossal waste.”
He’s not telling me anything I don’t know. “I don’t disagree with you. But what am I supposed to do?”
“Convince your brethren to lift the punishment. I know you’ve got a backbone, Zora. Use it.”
Stand up to them. That’s what he’s telling me to do. Fear of inadequacy, because I have no clue what my role is or where I stand among them, floods through me.
But Veda told me to vote my conscience. She told me I needed to find my own way through this new life, and I know the only way to do that is to poke at boundaries and learn how far I can go.
The real fear is failure, particularly in this instance. Failure to help Amell would crush me, so it’s almost easier not to try. It’s also another reason why personal connections are too dangerous. I wouldn’t be afraid of the failure if I didn’t care for him so much.
But Maddox is asking me to try, and really… I should have already. “Okay.”
“Okay?” Maddox blinks at me. “Really?”
I glare at him. “You don’t think I can do it?”
His answer is a hard kiss, and when he pulls back, his expression is dark. “You’re the most powerful of all the gods, Zora. You can do anything you set your mind to.”
I lean back from him, pushing against his chest because that confuses me greatly. “The most powerful. No… I’m the newest. A babe, really.”
“You are utterly and completely different from them. You willingly sacrificed your life for the better of mankind. It’s something none of them would have ever done. It shows a courage that humbles them. It’s why they gave you a new life. It gives you power over them, at least as far as governance goes.” Maddox taps a finger to my temple. “Use that brain of yours and figure out how to convince them the error of their ways. I’m quite confident you can free Amell.”
I nod in understanding, relaxing my arm so I’m not pushing away from him. “And maybe I can convince them to bring back Lucien.”
Maddox smiles and pulls me in close, kisses the top of my head. “Sorry to burst your new bravery bubble but that’s not going to happen.”
“Why not?” I ask, settling into his embrace.
“Because they’re not bringing him back for a reason. A very specific reason.”
Once again, I’m pushing away so I can make eye contact. “What do you mean? How can you possibly know that because they’ve not said anything to me?”
