The god crept closer, mindful of the tangle of vines covering the floor and climbing the dais.
Interesting.
Somehow, they had discovered that the vines were connected to me. They weren’t careful enough, though. They hadn’t looked up. If they had, they would’ve seen dark eyes lit by the silver glow of eather watching them. Through those eyes, I saw the intruder.
The god was female, her skin pale as bone and stark against the muted black cloak she wore. She stood at the steps, her heart calming as she got a good look at me in the gloom of the Hall. I was sure I looked pretty harmless while at rest and without the othernew additionson display.
Let them think that.
She ascended the stairs, her footsteps quick and light as she reached into her cloak with a gloved hand, parting the fabric. There was a brief flash of an unnaturally vivid red cloth and then the too-bright white flare of a dagger.
A bone dagger chiseled into a fine point.
The god moved like a ghost, blending in with the shadows and avoiding the slivers of moonlight that reached the dais.
I severed my connection with the ravens as she neared the throne. A second passed. Her heart remained calm as the nutty flavor of resolve coated my tongue.
She didn’t hesitate.
I had to give her that.
The blade whispered as it sliced through the air.
She gasped when I caught her wrist, stopping the dagger just as it nicked a brass button of the fitted surcoat I wore.
The humming in my thoughts ceased. The pressure relented.
I cracked open an eye, and a series of gravelly croaks came from above as the ravens took flight.
“First, you interrupt me while I’m resting.” Glancing down at my chest, I frowned and then raised my gaze to her amber-hued eyes. “And now you scratch my button?”
The god recovered quickly, her surprise vanishing as a scowl twisted her mouth. “Fuck your buttons,” she spat.
“That sounds uncomfortable,” I replied, giving her a closed-lip smile. “So, I will have to pass on that.”
Her nostrils flared as she jerked on the arm I held. When that didn’t work, she started to twist at the waist as she leaned her weight, lifting her other hand. The air charged, rushing over my flesh.
“I wouldn’t do that if I were you.”
Eather flared in her eyes and crackled over her knuckles. Like the six or seven before her, the essence behind her pupils was normal. I hadn’t seen another with the essence of death in them since the female god had vanished from Pensdurth.
Eather sparked to life, crackling and bright—because of course, she didn’t listen. They never did.
Sighing, I turned my wrist.
The crack of bone was like thunder, breaking her concentration. She clenched her jaw, choking off her cry of pain as her fingers spasmed open. The bone spike fell with a dull thud against the floor.
Lifting my gaze once more, I winked.
Then, Ipushed.
Not with my hand. I didn’t want to waste the energy in doing so. I pushed with my will.
She flew backward through the air, crashing to the floor with a nice fleshy smack.
Swinging my leg off the arm of the throne, I rose as a raven flew in front of me. I walked to the edge of the dais. “Did he send you?”
Groaning, she rolled onto her side as several ravens circled above her, their wings cutting silently through the air.
