Luke looked at me quizzically and I shrugged.
“Scent. Your brother’s a softer touch than he lets on. He was willing to take a chance because he trusted Hel’s judgment over his own.”
“Then why—” Luke began, then he stopped, looking thoughtful. I could almost see the pieces of the puzzle falling into place in his mind. “The Vestal was afraid that Elex would tell everyone he had violated his vows.”
“Why would he think that?” I asked.
“Because it’s whathewould have done in the same situation,” Luke said. “I’ve found that people always expect other people to act the same way they would. Since he would have done it himself, he couldn’t even imagine Elex passing up the opportunity for revenge.”
“Revenge?”
“He was the one who had given me the assignment to the House of Eros. Elex just told me that he had…convinced…the Vestal to let him take it instead. I don’t think the Vestal thought either of us would survive the Calling at the time. When we did, we knew no one would believe us if we told them, so we didn’t even try to expose him. He wasn’t worth it.”
“He must have thought Elex was going to take his vengeance on him,” I said. “So he decided to kill Elex and be the Alexandrian hero.”
Luke nodded.
“Until some silly Soma came along…” he said, smiling at me.
He held a canteen of water to my lips and I swallowed a sip.
It was still early morning, the sun just beginning to appear above the horizon.
“I don’t remember getting back to the ship,” I said.
“I wish I didn’t,” Luke said with a laugh. “Alexandrian sewers stink, quite literally.”
I heard the loud boom and splash of a projectile landing in the water. I tried to scramble to my feet, but Luke held me down.
“Stay down. We aren’t out of projectile range yet.”
Betts was on deck, the wind blowing her long dark hair around her face, her long braids flying. It was odd, but the early morning sun shining on her face made her hair look almost crimson instead of its normal dark brown.
“Did we get them all?” I asked, almost afraid of the answer. “The Mageia, Stergiou and Hel’s Dad?”
We got them all,Luke signed, smiling at me fondly.
There were Mageia all over the deck. Some were injured, some just exhausted. Others had their eyes closed and I could sense them using their magic.
In the prow of the ship I saw the Alexandrians we had rescued allowing their hands to be bound by a Mageian.
“We did. All four hundred and fifty-four Mageia, forty-five human slaves and eunuchs, fifteen Elusians and five Humans guards,” he answered.
“That’s—fuck, that’s overfive hundredpeople we rescued. How the hell is this boat even still afloat?” I exclaimed. TheChrysaliswasn’t made to hold that many people.
“Magic,” my Bonded said with a smile. “The Water Mageians are keeping our boat afloat. The Air Mageia are using their powers to fill the sails to augment the engines, and the Fire Mageiaare discouraging any pursuit while the Earth Mageians try not to throw up on anything.”
“TheChrysalismay be small, but she ismighty!” Betts called out, a smile on her face as she paused for a breath, the sun glowing on her face. “Maybe we should start calling herThe Butterfl—”
Betts’ body jerked, and she looked down in shock at the metal bolt speared through her chest, splashing blood and bone across the decks. Her body fell to the deck as if in slow motion, and she sank to her knees. Oddly, I saw her smile almost beatifically and her lips moved without air as she said, “Yes, of course I’ll help,” before collapsing to the ground.
I couldn’t hear Hel’s anguished scream, but I felt it to the marrow of my bones as he rushed to his adopted sister, desperately trying to push healing power into her body.
Elex tried to pull him away as Betts’ corpse cooled, but he refused to leave her until he passed out himself.
Chapter 39
The Hecate
