She cursed and grunted but remained next to me.
The sand parted between us and the Serpent Bearers. They licked their smiling lips. The sand crumbled to reveal a pit of poisonous snakes. The covens gathered behind me, afraid to move.
The snakes hissed and snapped as they slithered out. “Aim for their heads,” I yelled.
Aldric focused his arrows on the ground. He pulled back and snapped one after another with the speed of a machine gun. Valentina crouched down low, holding her daggers out like pruning shears. She slid and dodged while slicing off their heads.
I spun around just as Arcadia roared and flew over the pit, barely making it over to the other side. What is she doing? I cursed under my breath and charged after her but was yanked back.
Zari shook her head. “This way.” She motioned for me to follow. I signaled to the others and they took off after me. I looked back to see Lycos leaping in front of Arcadia to shield her.
The Rain Maker leader led us around the side of the island through a maze of golden kelp, laid out like a thick blanket. Zari pressed a finger to her lips as a warning of silence. The four of us followed her lead and tip toed through the kelp.
A few feet away, Arcadia and Lycos were back to back, surrounded by Serpent Bearers. Zari stopped in her tracks, threw her head back, and a wave of water shot out of her mouth. It swirled and encircled the Serpent Bearers. Their eyes went wide, as they didn’t have time to deflect it and they couldn’t breach it.
Zari planted her feet on the ground. “Go now. I can only hold it for so long. Don’t worry, we’ll find a way to finish them off.”
I nodded in gratitude and took off toward the temple, leaving behind a blood soaked, sandy beach.
The temple was a circle of stones, open with gaps between each marking. It used to belong to Pythia in the days of Apollo, before he had cast her out. There were many myths and stories as to why, but standing here now, it became clear. She failed to guard the eternal flame. She allowed the serpents to enter. She let Lamia have the temple in exchange for her freedom from Apollo. From her duties. And that was when she became Tenebris Sacerdos, the Dark Priestess.
I wasn’t certain, but it seemed that Hera’s memories were stored in the pomegranate. How else could I have known all this? The ruins around the stones were made of clay and ashy rock. A marble archway stood like a statue in the center and standing underneath it was Jezebel.
Twenty-Three
The sky above was black. Not the whole sky, just the sky above us. Jezebel perched in the archway like a banshee. Her eyes were the color of obsidian, a sharp contrast to her porcelain white skin. Her hair was knotted and braided like a sea of twisted snakes, tinted with shades of gold and bronze.
I froze. She looked just like me. My hair was darker, but her bones, her eyes, it was like looking into a mirror. She laughed as horror spread across my face.
Her voice was sweet and melodic. “My daughter. You’re almost as beautiful as me. I knew you would come. This is a special day for us.”
Rage burned through my chest and all the way to my fingertips. “You gave me no choice. I couldn’t let you burn another village.”
She twirled around the pillars like an acrobat. “I was saving them. Like I saved Aldric. Like I’m going to save you.” She batted her eyelashes.
Aldric began to move toward her, slow and steady as if in a trance.
I reached out and grabbed his wrist. “What are you doing?” He paused but didn’t respond.
Valentina shook his shoulder. “Aldric, can you hear us?” Her tone was light, but she couldn’t hide her anxiousness.
Jezebel giggled. “He can’t hear you. He hears only me. Did you really think I’d let you keep him?”
My heart raced. The bile began to rise in my throat. “I healed him. I sucked your magic right out of his veins. How are you doing this?”
Jezebel cocked her head to the side. “There are layers upon layers of my magic, sweet girl. You just have to know how to bury them.”
It felt like the ground was being ripped out from under me. This was her plan all along. She wanted us to rescue him. She wanted us to think that we had a chance so we would come here. She knew that I couldn’t kill her while Aldric was under her spell. Not unless I meant to kill him too.
My throat tightened. I looked to Aldric, who stood motionless, and willed him to fight it. I searched for our link through every fiber of his mind. My heart sank. The link was gone or buried, as she put it.
Jezebel beckoned him with her long bony fingers. He moved forward again.
My lips parted but all I could muster was a whisper. “Aldric…”
I reached out again, but Dragos pulled me back. “Gray, stop. He can’t hear you.”
Valentina’s eyes flashed red. “I’m gonna kill that bitch.”
Dragos shook his head and pulled her back as well. “Not today. We need to go.”
I snapped, “I won’t let her have him.”
Dragos shook my shoulders. “She already does. Do you want us all to be next?”
Black kohl-streaked tears streamed down my face as I watched Aldric climb up the marble podium and stand next to Jezebel. She wrapped an arm around his neck and pecked his cheek. He didn’t move a muscle and his face was expressionless.
She winked at me. “Your move, Gray. Join me and I might share him with you. Go against me and you will all die.”
I clenched my fists. I wanted to rip out her throat and pound in her skull. I could almost feel her bones breaking in my hands, but I was responsible for too many lives today. I could still hear them fighting on the beach.
I cried out, “Why are you doing this?”
She threw her head back and laughed. “You are so naïve. Isn’t it obvious? For power. Lamia promised me I would be like her. A god, but better. With you by my side, we will destroy the false gods and rise up to claim this world. No more protecting humans. They are our servants, and they should bow at our feet.”
My stomach dropped. “That is not why they were created. Hera will not allow it. I will not allow it.”
Jezebel’s eyes shifted to jet black. “Then you will watch your friends die. You will watch your lover die.” She wrapped her hands around Aldric’s throat and started to squeeze.
I forced my voice into my throat. “Wait, if it’s me that you want, you can have me, but not until you let him and everyone else go. And I mean really let him go. No tricks.”
Dragos and Valentina both tried to protest, but I raised a hand to silence them.
Jezebel chuckled as she released her grip. “How noble of you. I wasn’t born yesterday, dear. I know you have the pomegranate in you. The second I let him go, it will be lights out for me. And for as long as you’re under Hera’s power, you will always be a threat to me. I will hunt down everyone you care about until you give yourself over to Lamia. You will have no friends, no lovers, no army. They will all be under my control. Don’t make this harder than it has to be, daughter.”
My hands trembled. I couldn’t breathe. There was nothing I could do. I had to try and save the ones I still could. I said a silent prayer to Apollo and blinked back one last tear for Aldric.
I lowered my voice. “Run.”
Jezebel erupted into laughter as the three of us sprinted back toward the beach. It echoed behind us as we ran.
The sand was red with blood and it dripped into the sea. The beach was littered with snake heads, decapitated Serpent Bearers, and mangled warriors. I breathed a sigh of relief when I spotted Arcadia and Lycos huddled in a group with Zari and Josephine. They turned toward us as we approached, their faces tightening in alarm.
Panic rose in my chest as I feared they were all just sitting ducks for Jezebel. “Get back to the ships. Now. Hurry. Go!”
The look on my face was enough to get them to move. We scrambled onto our vessels and launched them out to sea faster than we came in. I scanned the fleets, my heart sinking. Each coven had lost over half their warriors, and the ones
still breathing were barely holding on.
As soon as the temple was out of sight, I collapsed onto the deck. I pounded my fists into the wood and let out a cry so loud, the gods in Elysium most likely heard it.
Dragos was the only one brave enough to approach me. He leaned in close and whispered. “Imi pare rau.”
I snapped, “Like hell you’re sorry. You wanted this to happen.”
He drew in a sharp breath. “No, not like this. Not if it’s going to cause you pain.”
I screamed through my sobs and pounded my fists on his chest. He grabbed my wrists and folded my arms into my body. I struggled against him as he wrapped his arms around me and stroked my hair, rocking me back and forth gently. I gave in and crumpled in his arms.
Time did not exist. I forgot the hours, the days, and the nights. My tears had dried up, like a barren well. Everything was numb, dull and senseless. There was no hope, no passion, no will to carry on. I felt as bare as a skeleton tree.
Valentina approached with caution. “We’ll get him back. We just need to regroup and come up with a new plan.”
I whipped around to face her. “You don’t get it. It’s too late. If we kill her, he dies. If we drain him completely, he dies. If he stays under her spell, he might as well be dead. There is no new plan. It doesn’t exist.”
My despair consumed me. That feeling of dread had been following me around for a good reason. It was a premonition, a warning, and I didn’t listen.
Valentina sighed. “Gray—”
“You should have left me in that coma.” I wasn’t angry at her, but she winced from my tone.
Her eyes flashed red. “Maybe I should have.” She spun on her heel and stomped off.
It was better for her if she was angry with me. Maybe if they all abandoned me, Jezebel would leave them alone. I led them to the temple for nothing. Their people died for nothing. And I lost Aldric…again.
Lycos comforted Valentina while Dragos watched me like a hawk. I looked across at the other fleets as we neared the Hall and saw faces coated with blood and eyes full of defeat.
There were no victory drums as we pulled into the Sea of Magia. No black flags flapping in the wind. Their heads hung low as we shuffled up the hill in complete silence.
The coven leaders escorted their wounded into the infirmary that The Keeper had set up in the catacombs. There were too many to fit in the healing clinic. Guilt gnawed at me again as I realized I didn’t have a scratch on me.
I dragged myself into the study, poured a drink, and sank into one of the chairs by the fire. Footsteps followed.
I cursed out loud. “Can’t I have one moment to myself?”
Pythia appeared in the doorway. “Feeling sorry for yourself again?”
I snorted. “Go away while you still can. I no longer have a reason to keep from killing you.”
Her eyes filled with sadness. “You never had a chance. Not from the moment of your birth. But I never took you for a quitter.”
My eyes burned black. “You know nothing about me. You think I’m weak. Jezebel thinks I’m weak. Because of Aldric. Well, the joke is on both of you. You’ll soon find out.”
Pythia stiffened. “What are you going to do?”
I gazed into the fire. “What I should have done to begin with. No more attachments. No more chances. No more mercy.”
I closed my eyes and pictured Aldric’s face one more time. A shiver ran down my spine as I let the image go and embraced the Narcissus magic. I let it travel into my bones. It stained my fingers black. My veins pulsed with thick sludge. I opened my eyes and let out a deep breath. My love for him was buried.
Twenty-Four
With a bottle full of whiskey in my belly, I marched up to Dragos’s room. I pounced on him before he could fully open the door and pushed him up against the wall as I tore at his clothes.
His eyes widened as I fumbled with his belt buckle.
He grabbed my wrists and yanked them away. “Stop, Gray. You’re drunk.”
I laughed, waving my hands around like a madwoman. “Isn’t this what you wanted? Well, you won. Here I am. Take me.”
His face twisted in disgust. He spat, “I don’t want you like this.”
I laughed harder. “Figures. Once I’m available, you don’t want me anymore. I guess I’ll go find someone who does. The Hall is full of sex-starved warriors. Ooh, maybe I’ll try a wolf this time—”
Dragos pounced on me and pinned me to the ground. “I’m not going to let you do this. This isn’t you.” His eyes glowed like fireflies and he smelled like cloves and honey.
I swallowed hard. The room was spinning. “Maybe this is the new me.”
He shook his head in frustration. “I’m sorry for this, love.”
His face was fuzzy. I snickered. “Sorry for wha—”
A searing pain stabbed through my head like a knife, and then everything went black.
My eyelids were heavy, and my head was pounding. I squinted as the morning light poured into the room. Dragos sat across from me on the bed, his arms folded.
I gasped as the events of last night came crashing through my mind.
I rubbed my temples. “Did you hit me?”
He pursed his lips. “I would never hit you. I knocked you out with a mild sleeping spell.”
I tried to sit up but fell back down. “I would have hit me. The Narcissus—I don’t feel it right now. How is that possible?” The darkness had subsided, and I didn’t want to kill everything around me for the first time in twenty-four hours.
His muscles relaxed, convinced I was back to my normal self. “I have a few tricks up my sleeve too, darling.”
My cheeks were hot. “On the ship, you were watching us?”
He snickered. “Don’t flatter yourself. I heard a window break and ran over to see if you were all right. I heard the tail end of it.”
I pushed myself up again, managing to stay upright this time. I swung my legs over the bed and hopped down. A sharp pain seared through my head and my knees buckled. Dragos dashed over just in time to catch me. He wrapped a sturdy arm around my waist.
Our faces were almost touching. The heat of his breath warmed my lips. His pulse raced against my skin. Every ounce of anger I had toward him was gone. He could have taken advantage of me last night, but he didn’t. He could have let me break my promise to Aldric. For the first time ever, I understood his heart.
I stepped back, steadying myself against the wall. “Multumesc.”
He nodded. “You’re welcome.”
I walked over to the window and looked out. The sea was calm, bright blue and shimmering from the sun glinting off it. My methods from last night may have been shameful, but my intentions were right.
I blinked back tears. “I have to let him go.”
Dragos tried to protest. “Gray, just wait a—”
“You know I have to. Jezebel will not stop until we are all mindless soldiers, following her cause. Aldric is her only weapon. I have to take that away from her.”
Dragos’s face flushed red. “I can’t believe I’m saying this, but Aldric can’t die. I don’t want you with him, but I’m afraid of what you’ll become if he no longer exists.”
I choked back a sob. “I’m afraid of what any of us will become if he does.”
Dragos sighed, but he knew I was right. She was holding Aldric over my head like a game of cat and mouse, luring me into her trap. I had to call her bluff.
“What would you want me to do if it were you that she had?” I needed to hear it.
His eyes were full of anguish. “I would want you to let me go…”
I nodded, my eyes glistening with tears. “So would I.”
The makeshift healing clinic in the catacombs reeked of blood and magic. Rows upon rows of beds were lined up like matchboxes. Everyone held their breath when I walked in.
My eyes lingered over each one of their faces. “I am sorry for your losses. We will honor the fallen in a ceremony this afternoon. After that, y
our focus is to protect the villages.”
Zari stepped forward, her brow furrowed. “Who will go with you to the temple?”
I swallowed hard. “Just me. I’m the one she wants. I promise you I will end this. Your warriors have not died in vain.”
Her eyes widened. She opened her mouth to protest, but then quickly shut it. She gave me a slight nod and went back to tending to her wounded.
The Keeper motioned for me to follow him. He led me away to a small alcove. Once we were out of earshot, he reached into his pocket and pulled out a vial.
I turned it over in my hands. “What is this?”
A bead of sweat dripped down his nose. “Something I’ve been working on since we extracted the magic from Aldric. Get him to drink it. It’s not permanent, but it will give you a chance to say goodbye.”
My heart sank and my hands trembled. “What if I can’t?”
The Keeper clasped my hands in his. “I told you when you first came here that in the end you would do what’s right. I still believe that you will.”
I looked down at the ground and bit my lip. This war with Jezebel would be over soon, but the war raging inside of me was just beginning.
Twenty-Five
Valentina bounced into the war room as I gathered my weapons. Her red curls danced around her shoulders like ribbons of blood.
She folded her arms and tapped her foot in annoyance. “Dragos and I are going with you.”
I let out a deep sigh. “It’s too dangerous. I need to do this alone.”
Her nostrils flared as she snapped, “Like hell you do. We’re family. We do this together just like we do everything else. Besides, we’ll only follow you anyway.”
I rolled my eyes and threw up my hands in surrender. “Fine. It’s your funeral.”
She chuckled. “Don’t be so dramatic.”
Despite the tightness in my chest, I couldn’t help but chuckle back. Honestly, I felt relieved that she was insistent on coming. The thought of not following through on what I had to do was what I feared the most. Having her there would be a reminder of what I was doing this for.
Flesh and Bone (Blood and Darkness Book 2) Page 13
