“I’m so glad you weren’t shattered completely by me, by Mokosz, by it all,”I tell her sincerely.“You’re so much stronger than me. You can hope.”
She shrugs, looking away.“If I lose hope, I’ll have nothing.”
Strzybog comes back on the wings of wind, his blue eyes twinkling with laughter. I sent him to watch the temple and report back as soon as Perun left.
“He went off like a lightning bolt!” Strzybog says with a snicker. “Never saw the old man move so fast. He took the bait.”
I force myself to take a breath and speak. “Go.”
As my allies depart, each using their particular transportation magic, Jaga finds her way to my side. I surround us both with shadows and bring us straight to Perun’s temple. Chors is already here, pulsing his silver magic as he forces sleep onto the mortals gathered inside and those waiting on the slope. There are even more pilgrims than when we first came here.
Chors and Nyja move them safely off the mountain. The King of Bees is scattered into many parts, each small troop of bees equipped with my special oak-killing poison. The temple is protected by a sacred circle of twelve oaks, and they must die for us to do any damage.
I wait with Jaga, preserving our strength. Meanwhile, the rodzanicas go off into the crowd of sleeping mortals, finding those who already wear Perun’s sigil. We cannot reverse his magic, but we can make it clear to everyone who ever meets a person with that mark that it isnota blessing.
The rodzanicas infect them all with rot. Since most mortals don’t possess natural magic, the sickness will eat at their souls, the only magic within them. I tested it out. The rot is gory in humans, even worse than in bieses.
“I still don’t like it,”Jaga says tightly, clutching my hand in her icy fingers.“They will suffer so much after death. Why curse them while they are still alive, too? Couldn’t we find another way?”
I shake my head.“We sacrifice the few to save millions, Jaga. The rot is obvious and disgusting. Once people associate it with Perun’s sigil, no one will want to get it. This variant is not infectious. Only those with the sigils will have it, so it’s a perfect warning.”
Rod steps out of the air by my side. “She’s done it. Perun’s chasing her through Slawa and into the woods.”
A weight falls off my shoulders, and I quietly bless Jutrzenka in my thoughts. “Good. Keep an eye on them and pull her out if she gets in trouble. Any sign of Swarog or Dadzbog?”
“Not yet.”
The King of Bees coalesces back into the shape of a man, angrily buzzing as his bees reunite. I rise up into the air, glancing at the oaks. All are naked, their leaves scattered, black mold racing up their trunks.
“It’s time.”
I beckon Jaga closer, and she steps into my embrace with a soft sigh. I put my arms around her, and we rise into the air, gently spinning, until we settle right above the temple. It’s a vast structure made of white stone that would be blinding in sunlight. A wide staircase leads up to the central part, and I have to admit it inspires awe, but at the same time, it’s so unoriginal.
I used to have shrines so much more beautiful than this.
Potent spells are woven into the temple to keep it from burning or falling, and if I were on my own, I would have never been able to ruin it in a short time. But Jaga is here with me.
“Ready?” I whisper, pulling her closer until her lips brush mine.
“Yes.”
She opens her mouth and I breathe in, feeding her magic, growing her soul. Jaga rips the bond between us wide open and lets her power pour through in an avalanche. I moan into her mouth, clutching her tightly even as I direct the magic she gives me into every weak point of Perun’s structure.
Jaga could do it with sheer power alone, but she doesn’t know where to aim. I do. Together, we are unstoppable.
It’s an intimate dance, my breath feeding her, her magic fueling me, and I pour more and more into the points where Perun’s spell work is thinner, where his protections don’t quite reach, where he was careless or distracted.
“He made it strong,”I tell Jaga, attacking each weak spot I find with vehemence, pouring more and more destructive power into my brother’s creation.“I don’t know if we’ll make it.”
“Then stop talking and do your job.”
I give her another deep breath, then lick into her mouth for just a taste, my reward. Jaga’s power grows, then subsides. We’ve already burned through her natural resources, enormous as they are, and now, she only gives back what I breathe into her.
The temple vibrates gently, just for a moment. I hone in on the crack that caused this and push all of our magic there until the staircase trembles, dust rising over the enormous dome of the roof. Jaga stops giving me magic, and I pull back with a shocked gasp, my resources spent, too.
“More, love.”
“I have to breathe a little.”
