by Amy Sumida
“You bargained with bloodthirsty water spirits, imprisoned your family members, and tracked me all over the globe just to snag my husband?” I huffed. “How desperate for a man are you?”
“Oh, you misunderstand, Godhunter.” Marena sauntered over to me. “I don't vant Kirill. He's vhat she vants.” She waved a hand at Nastasija. “She vent into Kirill's dreams and disguised herself as you. Slowly, she seduced him—made love to him—and slid ideas into his subconscious.”
“As you wish,” I whispered in horror, my suspicions confirmed and then some. I glared at Nastasija. “You evil bitch. You stupid, evil bitch.”
“He is hard man to forget,” Nastasija said softly as she slid her hand up Kirill's arm and stared down at him adoringly.
“If you don't want Kirill, what do you want?” Wolf snarled at Marena, the words barely understandable through his growling.
“I vant a star,” Marena whispered, her stare fastening on me. “Her star.”
Chapter Forty-Four
“Oh, fuck me,” I whispered.
The whole damn thing had been a setup. From the very beginning. We'd been drawn to Latvia like lambs to the slaughter and had gone, happily bleating the entire way. Enjoying the sights. Shopping. Eating. Running through the forest. Roasting fucking marshmallows. My stomach rolled. I was never eating lamb again. Thank goodness I didn't eat that stupid mutton.
“I had no idea you vere so powerful, Vervain.” Marena drew her fingertip along one of my horns. “But zen I vatched you go dark. I saw you in all your glory,” her voice went worshipful and her eyes widened. “You had vorld at your feet. Nations bowed before you. Gods knelt! I vant zat.”
Marena drew away, her breath coming in short pants. If I didn't know better, I'd think she'd gotten aroused by me. No, not by me; by my magic.
“Zen you recovered,” she sneered. “You gave it all up. And for vhat? Goodness?” she scoffed. “Love? You're a fool who doesn't deserve such magic. I vill use Trinity Star to its full potential.”
“You can't have my star,” I said smugly. “Even if you were capable of taking a god's magic—which you aren't—you couldn't take that from me. It chose me, it's a collection of pieces of me, it won't go to you. It can't.”
No, I didn't forget that taking Marena's magic was an option. I had my emerald on, I could do it if necessary, but the process takes awhile and I had a feeling that as soon as I started, Perun and Nastasija would go for my head. Or Kirill's. And my backup was currently imprisoned in stone or running through a labyrinth. I had to be careful about this. Smart. As cunning as they had been. Nearly all the men I loved were in that courtyard; one mistake, and they would pay the price.
“Are you sure?” Marena grinned wickedly.
“I reminded her zat she had connection to you; extended, but still connection,” Perun added. “Vith magical bonds, much can be done. Much can be transferred.”
“Kirill,” I whispered.
“Kirill,” Marena repeated gleefully and beamed at me. “He is bound to you and to me. A conduit leading me straight to your heart.”
My heart; where the Trinity Star was rooted. She knew. She had felt it. Through Kirill.
“My bond to your lion vasn't strong enough at first,” Marena went on. “I needed more power. I needed blood.”
“So, you found a bunch of vicious water sluts to make sacrifices to you,” I concluded. I know; I don't like using the S-word, but it felt appropriate in this instance.
“It vas my father's idea.” She cast a smile his way, and he grinned proudly. “Rusalki don't get to feed zeir urges often. It's too risky, especially in Latvia vhere Vodyanoy protect vater.”
“They protect the lake?” I snapped and shot Perun another glare. “I thought they like to drown people?”
Perun chuckled. “You and Jarilo; so easy to lead. Vodyanoy used to drown people ven angered, but Vodyanik put stop to zat ven humans grew in numbers and power. He is veak and stupid, living in fear of humans ven he is god. He only protects zem so zey don't discover his people.”
“I offered Rusalki my protection from other gods, including Vodyanoy, and in exchange, zey made zeir victims sacrifice vives to me,” Marena practically purred. “Ve started in Russia; tested plan and it vas success.”
“The men sacrificed their wives?” I gaped at her, images of silent souls holding hands filling my mind. Then I remembered the woman outside of the police station in Saint Petersburg. The body in the river. They'd started in Russia. How many people had they killed just to test their plan? “You really are a monster. And not the good kind.”
Marena shrugged. “It vas necessary. Rusalki are gods, zey cannot make sacrifice directly. So, Rusalki make men sacrifice vomen to me zen Rusalki take men. Everyone happy.”
“Even I am amazed at the depths of your evil, and I was on the High Council of Atlantis,” Re declared derisively.
“Zen you should know cost of power,” Marena shot back. “You should understand ambition.”
“Oh, I do,” Re drawled. “But you didn't do your homework Lady Death. You should always research your enemies before you attack them. I don't need my hands free to hurt you.”
A ray of searing sunlight burst down from the sky and encased Marena. She screamed and started to steam, her winter magic automatically activating to protect her from Re's sun. Ice tried to form over her skin but was instantly evaporated. I added my fire to the heat, blowing it right into Marena's face. Talk about bad breath.
That's for Anubis, I snarled in my head.
Before any of the others could add their magic to ours, Perun ran up to Re, grabbed my husband's head and, with a furious roar, twisted it sharply. Re's beautiful eyes went wide as his spine snapped. The sunlight died and my fire went with it, replaced by my screams.
“Re!” I sobbed and struggled against my stone prison. “Re! I'm going to fucking kill you all! I'm going to kill you and eat your fucking hearts! Re!”
Marena sighed as her skin grew back, first forming a red welt then pale perfection. Dark hair sprouted over her bare skull and coursed down her back. Perun took the leather tie from his braid and transformed it into a silk robe. He helped his daughter into the robe, covering her bare body, and she belted it in place as Nastasija gaped at them. Nastasija was the Goddess of Healing, not Marena, but that didn't seem to matter to a goddess who had been sucking up sacrifices like Slurpees but without the pesky brain freeze.
Yeah, Marena had some power stored up.
But that didn't register right away. Mainly because I was still screaming. I even slashed my horns and frothed at the mouth. I'm sure it wasn't pretty, but losing a loved one never is. I could barely think straight. My mind was filled with Re; his face above me, him smiling as he made marriage vows to me, his thumb pressed against my chest as he made the even more binding Blood to Heart. Re's laughter. His love of life. His Sun to my Moon. I roared.
Perun slapped me across my face. “Get control of yourself, voman! He's god; he's not dead. You should know better zan most; you have to remove head to kill Gods. Re's head is still attached. He vill heal.”
I went calm with shocked gasps, my breath panting from me as my brain started to work again. Perun was right; I could feel Re through our blood bond; he lived. I wound down from rage and as I did, other thoughts rose. Re and I may not have succeeded in killing Marena, but we had to have at least weakened her. And now, Perun stood directly before me. I could hit him and Marena with one blast. It wouldn't hurt Perun, him being a lightning god, but it would at least keep him busy while I killed his daughter.
“Re lives but he may not have chance to heal,” Perun added as he picked up a pebble and changed it into an executioner's blade. “All of you had best behave yourselves or I vill start swinging.”
Marena cackled as my men and I went still. “Zis is best birthday I have ever had!” She went to stand behind the altar and laid her hands on Kirill's chest. “Now, it's time to blow out candles.”
Chapter Forty-Five
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Marena retrieved a knife from the base of the altar.
“What are you doing?” I asked as cold dread entered my heart.
“Spells are cast; ve are connected.” Marena waved a hand over Kirill's muscular chest. “Now, I must finish sacrifice. Vhen he is dead, his power vill be mine; including his bond to you. I vill—”
“Nyet!” Nastasija screeched and jumped on Marena. “You promised he vould be mine! You promised he'd live!”
Perun's mouth fell open as the women rolled on the ground together. He didn't move; he couldn't help his daughter without possibly hurting her. Marena struck out with the knife, but Nastasija grabbed her wrist and smacked it hard onto the courtyard stone. The knife clattered away. Part of me was impressed, but the other part was streaming down the cord that connected me to Kirill.
I'd felt a twinge when Marena was making her speech and I had a suspicion that she had to open the bond between Kirill and me before she could steal it. I pushed myself down that gleaming, golden rope and found the barest glimmer of awareness beyond it.
Kirill! I screamed through the chink in the wall. Kirill you have to wake up! Kirill!
Vervain, his voice was soft, distant, but it was there.
It's me, baby. Now wake up. I need you. We all need you. Marena has you chained to an altar, but I'm going to give you as much strength as I can. She's distracted. You have to break the chains.
Silence.
Kirill!
Da. I'm trying. Give me minute.
I almost laughed. Then a jolt snapped my eyes open. The women had rolled against the stone that encased me. My hair whipped about my face. Above us, the tunnel of wind and lightning had sped up, responding to Perun's distress. The menacing blade in Perun's hands lowered as his stare followed the fight. Beside him, Re came awake, his golden eyes shifting, taking stock silently. A breath of relief left me. Now, I just needed to figure out how to get free. Only one thing came to mind.
Never attack a god in his own territory, Marduk's voice taunted me again.
“Yeah, yeah, I know,” I muttered to myself. “Which means that as much as I'd like to go for Marena, we have to kill Perun first.”
I have never collectively spoken to my men, wasn't even sure it was possible, but necessity and all that.
We need to kill Perun! I shouted at them all.
They heard me; their heads swung in my direction and all of their stares, except for Viper's, met mine. Inside my mind, magical mists of brilliant white, amethyst, and gold billowed; the presence of Azrael, Odin, and Re respectively. Kirill and Trevor weren't there. Only Gods can give a Blood to Heart vow that places a piece of their soul inside the mind of their lover. I had been able to make the vow to Trevor and Kirill, but they couldn't return it. Re and I had exchanged a Blood to Heart on our honeymoon, but Trevor and I hadn't thought to complete our vow after I'd given him a piece of my moon magic and made him a god. I don't know why it had never occurred to us, but it didn't matter; I was in Trevor's and Kirill's minds, and we shared other bonds that united us. I could still speak to them. It did, however, make me realize that I hadn't made any such vow to Viper. Which meant that he'd be in the dark about our plans. Oh well, he's a smart guy, he'd figure it out.
Kirill is waking, I said urgently to the men who could hear me, including, I hoped, Kirill. The only chance he has of breaking free is if we take out Perun. Perun's distracted and so are the women; we need to strike now. Anyone who can attack, do it!
Vervain! Kirill's voice roared through me and the chink in the darkness blasted open until there were no obstacles between us.
Kirill, break the chains! Free yourself!
As I spoke to Kirill, Re and Odin attacked Perun; Re with the heat of the Sun and Odin with his death magic. You'd think that death magic would have trumped everything, but it's difficult for one god to kill another, especially with their magic. That was the main reason I scared the Gods so much when I first entered the war. As a human, I was able to kill them without my magic pulling punches. I tried my best to do so now, adding my fire to their attack; blowing it over the heads of the brawling goddesses and onto Perun.
Perun screamed pitifully and fell to his knees.
The women continued to fight, oblivious to everything else, even a shrieking god. In their defense, they were making quite a ruckus themselves and the sounds of the storm added to it. Blasts of frozen magic rolled off Marena but were countered immediately by Nastasija's Healing. Sleep and Healing aren't exactly aggressive magics, but Nastasija used them to great advantage; healing every injury she took while sending Marena into bouts of sleep. During those brief moments of slumber, Nastasija would physically pummel the other goddess. Despite this, I thought for sure that Marena would win, what with the hoards of magic she'd stockpiled and both Winter and Death on her side. But the spells she used to enhance her connection to Kirill and our earlier attack on her must have taken a good chunk of her power. It seemed to be an even—if not precisely fair—fight.
Past them, out of the corner of my eye, I caught movement. Kirill strained against the chains. I needed to help him, send him as much energy as I could. I'm Kirill's goddess; it's my responsibility to sustain him with my magic, but I can also give him some extra energy if I want to. I poured power down our cord and as I did, my flames winked out.
Re and Odin were doing well without me, and Viper had joined in, his starlight searing the Russian god as determinedly as Re's sunlight. What is a star, after all, but a sun without planets in its orbit? Fire is fire, and both of them had raging infernos at their disposal. They'd be fine without me.
Perun had no healing magic, but he was associated with fire. All lightning gods are; a lesson I'd learned from Marduk. Perun was immune to flames... to a certain extent. The extreme heat wasn't burning him but it was weakening him; sucking his energy enough to give Odin's death magic a chance to work, even against another god.
Azrael may be the Angel of Death, but he doesn't actually possess death magic, not like Odin's. He'd have to shift into his reaper form to access what he does have and even then, it was more of a hands-on attack. So, my angel had to sit the fight out along with my wolf. Neither of them was happy about it but when Perun's face started to sink in upon itself, going skeletal, they smiled nonetheless. The vortex above Perun vanished as he drew power back into himself. Sunken cheeks refilled and blue eyes flared with lightning. Perun roared, arms extending as a wave of lightning blasted out from him.
My men and I went rolling, freed from our stone prisons but trembling from the electricity that had jolted through us. It hadn't been the dreaded ball lightning, but it had been enough to send all of us into palsy. My arms shook as I pushed myself upright, most of my energy going to Kirill. No, it wasn't the lightning that had hurt me; lightning does not affect on Dragons. Still, it had stung a bit and gave me a wild ride.
I lifted my head. Kirill's eyes were open, his stare fastened on me. I nodded. Don't worry about me, honey, do what you have to do.
The muscles bulged in Kirill's arms and chest as he tried to pull his wrists down from above his head. Metal creaked but the sound was lost to the shrieks of goddesses and the fury of a god.
Blood streaked the ground like splashed paint but it was hard to tell who it belonged to. The goddesses tumbled and stood, struck and retreated, punched and bit. It was a good old fashioned catfight with the addition of magic and an intent to kill. That battle wouldn't end until one of them was dead. Which brought a small smile to my face.
But I had my own problems. Tapped out, I could only watch as Perun lifted his hands and filled them with golden light. Crackling energy formed spheres, and he grinned menacingly.
Here was the dreaded ball lightning; Perun's golden apples.
“You have all reaped a fatal harvest.” Perun strode forward, ignoring his screaming daughter as she punched Nastasija in the face, just inches behind him. “Even other gods fear zese fruit. One vill be enough to paralyze any of you, and zen I vill take your
heads. Believe me ven I say I am angry enough to do so.” He swiveled his head toward me. “I may not be able to kill you, Godhunter—not until you give my daughter her prize—but I can kill men you love vhile you vatch. Just as you said you vould do to Marena.”
Perun focused on Odin and the Wolf.
My men stumbled to their feet, gathering their magic and strength. About to pounce. I laid limp and helpless, waiting for some amount of power to restore itself. Inside me, my star glowed, pulsing with my heartbeat. I could almost hear it. The sensation steadied me. If I could just shift, I could snap Perun's head off with one bite. But my dragon had given of herself too, and she panted from the effort it took to transform.
Perun took another step.
Kirill broke his chains with a triumphant roar, and I smiled against the cold stone. This weakness had been worth it. Kirill sat up and tore open the manacles around his ankles. With lithe grace, he swung off the altar and leapt for Perun, muscles bunching and body moving like a cat.
