Shattered Heir (Broken Gods Book 1)

by N. M. Howell

  Her defensive magic worked well and none of the energy made it past her skin. She closed her eyes, though, and relished in the sensation. She had never felt such strange and exotic magic before. It was as if a fire ignited deep within her, consuming her with a desperate need to learn more about who these people were what they were doing here.

  Roan led them reluctantly through the circus gates. They were stopped by a small man who stood in front of a red cord blocking the path.

  “Sorry, no horses allowed.” His voice was small and crisp and as they neared him Rhea noticed he had large, sharply pointed ears and beady black eyes. His nose was long and hooked, and his head would only reach her waist if she’d been standing. She wasn’t sure exactly what he was, but by the menacing look he gave them, she knew he wasn’t to be messed with.

  “We came from a long journey,” Taelor said, walking his horse up next to Roan. Roan simply glared down at the small man, unable to speak. Rhea shook her head, wondering why he had suddenly become so tense. It wasn’t like him to respond that way to anything, threat or otherwise.

  “We have stables in the back,” the man said sharply. He lifted his small clipboard and made a note. He then glanced back up at them. “Well, are you going or not?”

  Taelor nodded. “Yes, thank you.”

  The man pointed around to the back of the tent, and Taelor led the way. The group followed, slowly, and as they rounded the other side of the large structure, they came upon an opening large enough for the animals to pass through. They entered and were greeted by three small pixies—young females wearing form-fitting suits that sparkled in the multicolored lights above.

  “Are you here for the show?” one of them squeaked.

  Taelor nodded and hopped down from his horse, handing her the reins. “We are,” he said slowly. His eyes scanned the room, inspecting his surroundings. “Are our horses okay to rest here for the night?”

  One of the pixies, with blond hair with bright pink eyes, nodded furiously. “Of course they’re welcome here. We’ll take good care of them while you enjoy the show. How long will you be staying?”

  “How long is the show?” Rhea asked, stepping forward.

  She jumped down from her horse but was reluctant to hand over the reins. She rested her hand on the horse’s nose.

  The blue-haired pixie who reached toward her, tugging at the reins. “People stay here anywhere from a few hours to a few weeks. It all depends on what experience you’re looking for.” She winked at her, licking her lips seductively, as if there were some dark and dirty secret Rhea didn’t know about.

  Rhea blinked back at her, unsure how to respond.

  “Well perhaps just for the night then?” the pixie asked, rolling her eyes.

  Rhea nodded and reluctantly let go of the reins when the smaller woman tugged them. “Just the night is fine, thank you.”

  “Whatever you want, so long as you pay.”

  She glanced back at her guardians and raised her eyebrow.

  Keaven nodded. “It’s fine, the horses can manage here for a night,” he said quietly to her as he moved to stand beside her. He nudged her with his shoulder, and she smiled back at him.

  “Is there accommodation?” Grayson asked the pixies. The pink-haired one nodded and waved her hand haphazardly behind her, not meeting his eye. She seemed unfazed by the fact that there were five large demigods four times her size standing around her. “Yeah, yeah, plenty of places to stay.”

  Rhea smiled. She was grateful that they would be camping somewhere more comfortable. At least she wouldn’t be cramped in the same small tent from the night before. Hopefully at least whatever they offered here had a warm bed and hot food.

  Taelor led their way out of the makeshift stables, following the path the pixies pointed them toward. The path was small and winding and maze-like as it went through flaps of tent and flashing lights. Rhea was nearly blinded, and she held her hand above her eyes as she followed Taelor’s lead.

  Roan was beside her, his muscles still tense and his body rigid. She placed her hand against his back and he softened slightly, but didn’t relax fully.

  “You okay, Roan?”

  He nodded but didn’t meet her eyes. She strung her arm through his and pulled him tight as they walked through the maze until they finally arrived at an opening. What they stepped into made Rhea gasp.

  They had walked into a massive opening. The ceiling of the tent reached nearly ten stories. Lights and swings and decorations of all kinds hung from the roof, completely mesmerizing in their display. Rhea didn’t know where to look, her eyes darting back and forth between an endless supply of flashy objects.

  The small man who had met them at the front gate coughed, drawing her attention downward. “One gold a piece,” the man squeaked.

  Rhea’s eyes went wide. It had been ages since she’d been in the Otherworld, but even she knew that was an obscene amount of money.

  “That’s robbery,” Keaven said to him.

  The man looked up at him, unimpressed. “One gold a piece.” His voice sharpened as he narrowed his eyes at the group, daring them to protest.

  Keaven finally sighed and handed him six gold pieces, muttering something about ridiculous prices and thievery under his breath. The man ignored them and pulled the ribbon aside, letting them pass through into the main circus tent.

  Her nose was filled with spices, and her ears were overwhelmed with the sound of music and laughter. Creatures she’d never seen before raced around, both guests and performers and workers alike. She saw animals in the distance, and different tellers selling wares and foods of all kinds. It was an overwhelming sight and she couldn’t help the smile that spread across her face.

  Her guardians all stood close around her, nearly blocking her view. Rhea stood on her tiptoes so she could look over the shoulders of her five guards. She finally looked up, her eyes settling on a large round man wearing a shimmery silver suit, spinning wildly from a rope above her.

  Rhea had no idea what she was expecting on this journey, but she could definitely guarantee that this was not it.

  14

  The common area of the circus tent was an assault on the senses.

  “What I don’t understand,” Rhea heard Keaven say from behind her as she gazed about, overwhelmed by everything around her, “is what the hell a circus is doing set up in the middle of a war?”

  She could barely pay attention to his words. She was too consumed by what was going on around her. Five small children, each with skin different colors of the rainbow and eyes larger than saucers, ran past her carrying batons that sparkled with shimmering bubbles erupting from either side.

  “Entertainment and distraction, I guess?” Arry suggested. He stepped next to Rhea, threaded his arm through hers, and gave her hand a squeeze. He was positively beaming and looked right at home among the circus people. His eyes sparkled and his grin was infectious. It was clear he was in his element surrounded by this chaotic energy and vibrant entertainment.

  “I don’t like this,” Grayson said. He was frowning, his eyes flicking back and forth between everyone around them. “Something doesn’t feel right.”

  Rhea placed her hand on his chest as she stepped toward him. “Grayson, it’s okay. We’ll stick together, nothing can happen.”

  He frowned at her but nodded. He was always so negative, Mr. Grumpy of the group. One day she was going to crack that shell of his, but she suspected it wouldn’t be anytime soon. Not until the war was won, at least.

  “I, for one, am extremely grateful for this,” Rhea said to them, smiling. She hoped she could lift their spirits and calm their nerves enough to enjoy the evening. “What a great distraction from the horrors of war.”

  Taelor frowned. “But what is a circus doing in the middle of the Crimson Plains?”

  Rhea raised her eyebrow. “What do you mean? Circuses travel around, don’t they?”

  Taelor peered at her, his midnight eyes nearly black in the shadows from the overhea
d lights. “I mean, it’s not like there are many people walking by. Who is their clientele? Where are these people coming from?”

  Rhea shrugged, her attention pulled across the room where a loud explosion erupted, followed by cheers and shouts of excitement as swirls of every color imaginable climbed up to the roof of the tent and fell back down as shimmering stars. “I dunno, you said Harborfell is not far, right? Perhaps this is catering to them.”

  “Harborfell is still a few hours away from here,” he replied.

  “Maybe just for one night you can stop over-analyzing everything, hmm?”

  He frowned, and she quickly realized she had insulted him. She added, “I just mean, Taelor, perhaps you can use this as an excuse to relax. Enjoy yourself just for a minute, and stop worrying about the war around us. While we’re on the inside of this tent, we can forget about the horrors of what is going on outside and take some time to replenish our energy. Have some food, maybe even some wine?”

  His ears perked up at the mention of wine.

  Rhea noticed, her expression cunning. “There we go, that sounds good, doesn’t it?”

  He narrowed his eyes at her, frowning. But then he finally offered a reluctant smile. “Okay, fine, but stay close and don’t do anything stupid.”

  Rhea feigned mock surprise. “Me? I’d never do such a thing.” She winked at him and turned back to her surroundings. She heard Taelor grunt, but she ignored him. She was too consumed by the magical energy in the space. It was all-consuming, overwhelming in the best possible way. There was not an unhappy person in the tent, apart from perhaps her guardians. Roan still looked particularly grumpy, but perhaps he was just exhausted from the journey. She was tired, too, but the energy in the room was invigorating. The buzz she felt on her skin was intoxicating and she wanted to explore more.

  A loud voice came booming through the space, echoing around them in the electric air. “The next show begins when the sky goes dark. Make your way through to the arena and prepare to be amazed.”

  The word amazed echoed around them multiple times before disappearing in the excited murmurs around them.

  “How long do we have until the show?” Rhea turned to Taelor, her eyebrows raised.

  He peered out the opening in the tent behind them toward the darkening sky. “Perhaps an hour?”

  Rhea beamed. “Perfect, let’s go explore before catching the show.”

  “Perhaps we should find a place to rest for the night. We can catch a show another time,” Roan offered.

  “I doubt the show will go that late,” she said. “We can find a place to stay after. By the sounds of it, we’ve got a few options. There were a lot of smaller tents outside, and I’m sure between some of those, we’ll find something that suits our needs.”

  Before Roan could protest, she marched off, her fingers grasping Taelor’s wrist and pulling him behind her. Again he groaned, but she ignored him, a large smile spreading across her face. She was determined to enjoy herself tonight, allowing herself to be distracted at least for a few hours. A circus was the last thing she’d expected to pop up in the middle of a desert on a journey toward her possible death at Greystone, so she was going to enjoy it while she could, dammit.

  They slowly made their way through the bustling crowd and came upon a shimmering red booth. Smoke billowed out from under the front table, and a tall woman with long black hair that reached the floor sat peering at them. She smiled a sly grin, her eyes pitch black with no whites around them.

  As she met the woman’s gaze, a slight chill made its way up Rhea’s spine.

  “Welcome,” the woman said, her voice echoing in Rhea’s mind. Her lips didn’t move.

  Rhea turned to her guardians, who raised a brow back at her. From the expressions on their faces, she could tell they had heard it, too.

  “I can tell something troubles you, child,” the voice echoed again. Glancing back once more to her guardians, she saw they were distracted now with their surroundings. Perhaps they hadn’t heard the voice after all.

  “How are you doing that?” Rhea asked her.

  The woman’s lip twitched, but her face remained neutral. She folded her hands on the table and gazed up at Rhea with intense eyes. “Come inside, my child, and I will tell you how to make your wildest dreams come true.”

  Rhea grinned, her eyes sparkling. “Are you a fortune teller?” She had never met a fortune teller before.

  The woman’s eyes flared for a moment, her expression growing dark for the briefest second before forming a crooked smile. “Of the sort, you could say.”

  “That sounds fun.” Rhea had met plenty of people who claimed to read minds in the streets of Detroit, but none of them ever had a fancy tent with smoke, and none of them claimed to read fortunes. She was excited to give it a shot, even though she knew it to be nonsense. “I’d love to have my fortune told.”

  She’d heard about such things before in the human world. Lanei often went to a woman who would read her tarot cards. Rhea never was all that interested in that stuff, but somehow being in the surroundings of the circus made it seem all that more magical.

  “I can tell you have many troubles, child. Perhaps I can help you find your way.”

  Rhea swallowed, her mind eager. “Sure, why not.”

  The woman slid from the table and lifted the flap of a much smaller tent for her to enter.

  Her guardians responded right away, put themselves between her and the tent. The woman looked taken aback for a moment, but regained her composure when she saw the guardians were doing nothing more than protecting Rhea. She eyed them curiously, her eyes darting back and forth between Rhea and the five men.

  “You’re not going in there,” Roan growled. His hair stood on end and his eyes flared angrily. He looked more lion than human.

  Rhea took a step back, her eyes narrowing. “Roan, what’s the matter with you?”

  He was on edge, too upset to even hear her words. His eyes flared as he looked around them, finally settling on the woman who held open the tent.

  The two met each other’s gaze, the woman looking up at him as he stood a full two feet taller than she. He loomed over her, making the woman look positively diminutive by comparison, but the fierceness in her expression suggested she wasn’t fazed in the slightest by his size.

  Her eyes widened as they held each other’s gaze, and the deep blacks of the woman’s eyes swirled into a lighter gray, and then the same red brown as Roan’s eyes.

  “Do not fret, my young lion.” She spoke to him, her voice almost a whisper. Again, her lips didn’t move, but Rhea could hear her in her mind, quieter this time.

  Roan growled at her, a deep menacing sound emitting from his chest. “You don’t know me.”

  The woman raised her hands and motioned around her, her expression softening. “There are no forced animals here, young one. Look around you. This is a place of peace, not of war.”

  Roan looked like he was going to speak, to argue against her, but he faltered. His eyes flickered around him, taking in his surroundings. His expression was wild but calculating, but after a long minute, his eyes finally settled back on her. “No lions?”

  The woman shook her head and placed a delicate finger on his chest. “No cages, no chains. We are all here by choice, young one. You can relax now.”

  Rhea turned away, feeling as though she had eavesdropped on their private conversation.

  Roan’s shoulders relaxed, his body deflating somewhat. He looked as if he had finally allowed himself to breathe out his stressed energy.

  Rhea shook her head slowly, unsure what was going on, but she was grateful that he could finally relax. He even offered her a small smile as he stepped aside. His eyes were still curious, flashing around the room and taking everything in, but he no longer seemed afraid or angry. He simply seemed interested.

  The teller grasped Rhea’s wrist with her thin fingers and pulled her inside. Before her guardians could protest, Rhea stumbled into the dark tent and the fla
p closed. She could hear Roan speaking softly to them on the other side, telling them it would be fine.

  The air was cooler within the tent and the loud bustle of their surroundings quieted. The woman settled herself on a cushion on the floor and motioned for Rhea to do the same. A small glowing orb sat in the middle of a rug, and Rhea gazed at it as she allowed herself to sit comfortably on the pillow. The orb wasn’t resting on the floor, Rhea noticed. It hovered a few inches above the dark red rug, casting a dark shadow over the colorful patterned weavings.

  “Relax your mind and allow your thoughts to be free,” the woman said in her head.

  The fortuneteller closed her eyes and raised her hands above the orb. The glowing gray clouds within the ball suddenly turned a deep crimson and purple, swirling around in a wild maelstrom, threatening to break free of the glass.

  “What are you doing?” Rhea asked, curious. She couldn’t take her eyes from the orb.

  “Close your eyes, dear,” the woman said. “Close your eyes and allow your mind to be free.”

  Rhea tried not to laugh, knowing full well that fortune telling was nothing more than entertainment, although the woman looked exceptionally serious about her job.

  Rhea closed her eyes, allowing the woman to put on her show. She tried to free her mind as best she could, whatever that meant. She pictured the glowing ball in her head and listened to the woman as she spoke.

  “You are troubled,” the woman said, slowly. “I can see here that you have a mistaken identity. You don’t quite know who you are, not uncommon for someone so young. But there’s something more to you than that.”

  Rhea’s muscles tightened as she listened to her, taking in her every word. She tensed before realizing that the “fortune” so far could apply to any young person on this planet. She remained calm and critical of the words the woman was saying.