Page 68 of The Ruin of Gods


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And then it becomes clear that Rune has indeed been holding back all along. As if waiting for the perfect time to showcase his might, he laughs maniacally.

The Blood Stone in his chest starts glowing, brighter and brighter—from crimson to salmon to pale pink and finally white. It shines so intensely his entire body seems to erupt in light.

Impossibly, his frame gets bigger, muscles swelling and bones lengthening. The ax starts to move with Rune twisting it inch by inch so the blade angles toward Maddox’s head.

Jaw locked and straining, Maddox lends his other hand on the grip in an effort to stop its momentum.

I don’t want to see the outcome of this battle of wills and immortal strength. I bend distance to Maddox’s side and with both palms facing Rune, I slam as much power into him as I can. I’m heartsick to see that while it knocks him backward, it doesn’t do so by more than a foot. The ax is wrenched free from Maddox, now clenched in Rune’s hands. He arches it over his shoulder, prepared to swing.

I pull on my magic to launch it at him again, but I’m stunned when Maddox slams his shoulder into mine, knocking me aside. He faces Rune, his intent to take him on without my interference.

He’s protecting me.

Rune laughs as if Maddox is a sentimental fool, shaking his head. “And here I thought Zora was the only one with a soft heart.”

Maddox grimaces, as if the idea of having any care for me is abhorrent, but Rune doesn’t see it. His eyes flick to something beyond my shoulder, and Carrick and Finley are running toward us. I spy Amell, who has Ariman pressed to the stone wall, the handle of the mace against his throat.

Rune looks back to me. “I guess I need to even up these odds a bit, don’t I?”

I don’t like the delight in his tone nor the nefarious grin on his face. I’m startled when Rune makes a fist and slams it downward, as if he’s striking something into the ground.

The mountain rumbles so violently I stumble sideways and a crack opens in the black stone. It separates me, Maddox, and Rune from the others and then widens. I scramble backward as large chunks fall into a dark abyss, and then my skin prickles when I hear low growls echoing from below.

I glance at Finley, gripping Cato’s lightning bolt with white knuckles, and then look back to the fissure.

It’s with horror that I see hundreds of oily black creatures crawling over the edge. Demons of every nature you could conceive, twisted straight from the dark souls stranded in the Crimson River that runs up the mountainside.

Misshapen bodies, fangs leaking poison that hisses when it hits the shale floor, and claws so sharp, they could eviscerate a grown man.

I’m stunned to inaction, but Finley lets loose power from the bolt. She sweeps it left to right, mowing down the first swarm so they explode first into sparks and then black ash. It jolts me out of my stupor and I fire up my own power, but a loud grunt catches my attention.

Rune and Maddox going at it again—Rune swinging the ax repetitively and Maddox narrowly dodging the sharp blade.

There’s no hesitation. I rush to help Maddox and have to trust that Carrick, Finley and Amell can handle the demons. I flash right into the thick of things, appearing between Maddox and Rune and deflecting a jolt of energy from the gemstone. I refract it back to Rune, and he doubles down, focusing his ire at me. He conjures throwing stars, more than I can count, spinning so fast they blur. He launches them with such stunning speed, I barely have time to react.

But then I’m knocked out of the way, Maddox shoving me hard with his hand. Several of the stars slice into his skin, embedding into muscle. He grunts with pain but then uses his power to turn the mini weapons to dust. His wounds start to knit, but it takes precious seconds of his attention. Rune launches another attack of energy from the Blood Stone. I attempt to jump in front of Maddox, and once again, he knocks me aside while throwing a hand up to repel the force.

“For fuck’s sake, Zora!” Maddox yells while straining to keep up the shield. “Stay back. I can’t worry about you and take him on at the same time.”

Worry about me?

“Go help Carrick and Finley,” he orders, and he sounds so assured… as if Rune is nothing but a fly for him to swat at.

I glance back across the crevice, and I’m horrified to see the horde of demons still flowing out.

Carrick conjures two double-bladed swords and slices through them like butter. They’re not smart or overly strong, but they are in multitudes with no end in sight.

Finley uses the lightning bolt to mow them down, keeping them off Amell who is so focused on battling Ariman he doesn’t even see them coming.

But Finley and Carrick won’t be able to hold all of them off. There are simply too many.

I can’t hesitate. I do as Maddox asks and bend distance to the opposite side of the crevice to help stem the flow of evil pouring from the rock. I settle in closer to Finley because even though the gods gifted her with immortality and she has some magical abilities, she’s the most vulnerable of our group. While she wields the bolt, it can only destroy, not protect. I throw power out alongside her, destroying demons as soon as they crawl over the crevice edge. Carrick slices and dices those that make it past us.

And then an idea strikes. I blast a swath through a new group of creatures emerging and then take the few seconds of respite to look around the upper edges of the cave.

There… a ledge. Perfect.

I turn to my twin, grip her hand tight, and bend distance with her to the ledge.

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