Daris fell back, raising his hand to shield his eyes against the sunrise. Nyx’s form swerved, a shadow before the morning sun, and flapped her massive wings, soaring away.
“Ren,” Daris whispered and swallowed.
Epilogue
HEKATE’S TEMPLE
The land surrounding the temple was eerily silent. There was no wind rustling through the trees. The snow was untouched: no rabbit, fox or bird prints to hint at any wildlife about.
As Lerek trudged behind Gabriol, he wondered again if the Roison could actually call up the portal to the realm the gods were banished to. And if he was successful, what if something—someone—came through? Lerek had a very basic understanding of swordplay. Unlike his brother, Lerek had preferred to study history and politics over martial arts. He hadn’t worried before because there was always someone with him well-trained in warcraft.
Even now.
Turning his gaze to the mercenary, Lerek glared at his back. “Do you even know where we’re going?”
Gabriol didn’t respond. Lerek sighed and tried again. “What if?—”
“The oracle told me what I needed to do,” Gabriol muttered.
Lerek’s mouth dropped open. “What? When? It was Terena?—”
“When we rescued her in Messene.”
Gabriol slowed down and Lerek quickly caught up to him, his narrowed eyes locked on the Roison’s face. He had a shuttered look as he stared ahead, but Lerek thought he seemed troubled.
“She told me Terena would ask something impossible of me. And when that happened, I was to say yes. And when I was ready, I would know exactly what to do.”
“How do you know this is what she meant?”
Gabriol laughed harshly and shook his head. He glanced at Lerek and shrugged. “Terena’s never asked anything of me that I thought was impossible. Until she asked me to come north to Hekate’s temple and open a portal to the world known as Earth and find her mother.”
Lerek nodded. “Aye. I guess that qualifies.”
“Indeed.”
“But you told her you didn’t know how.”
Gabriol’s face when he glanced at Lerek was bleak. “I hoped to dissuade her.”
They walked for a time in silence. After a while, Lerek squinted at something on the horizon.
“Look!”
He pointed and ran ahead, his face breaking out in a wide smile as he saw columns come into view. Gabriol hurried, stopping beside Lerek as they gazed up at the haze-shrouded temple, the sun blocked out by the trees.
The greying marble was home to climbing vines and bird nests in the pediment. The temple looked as if it hadn’t been used in decades, perhaps centuries, and yet as they stepped inside, the small antechamber was immaculate.
Lerek crept behind Gabriol. The antechamber opened into a wide circular room with old braziers against the walls and analtar in the middle. Lerek stepped closer, eyeing the remnants of candles and small vials, some still filled with spices. Tarnished keys and scraps of paper with writing so faded Lerek could only see a few letters, lay beside the candles.
Gabriol pulled the shroud from his jacket. The braziers around the room came to life, bursting into flames and bathing the temple in light. Lerek jumped, covering his mouth with a shaky hand as he stared wide-eyed at the braziers and then at Gabriol.
He was gratified to see a similar look on Gabriol’s face. Lerek shuddered.
“How did that just happen?” Lerek whispered.
Gabriol turned in place as if searching for the answer. “I don’t?—”
He stopped abruptly, his body stiff as he held onto the shroud in his fist. Lerek took a tentative step closer to the mercenary. His skin itched with the certainty they were no longer alone, and yet there was no one else in the temple.
