But perhaps it was time to change that. He did not agree with Cyrus’s methods. And he would not risk Mona’s life.
“We have no bargain withyou,” one of the voices crooned.
“Then, let’s strike one,” Evander said without thinking. “Letmemake the payment in Cyrus’s place.”
Once more, the spirits fell silent, and the air seemed to pulse with excited energy.
Shit,Evander thought.What have I done?
But he couldn’t take the words back. And, if the spirits managed to find Mona for him, he wouldnot regret it.
Of that he was certain.
“You would give your immortality to us?” asked a voice, tinged with disbelief.
Evander swallowed hard. Would he?
If they demanded his life, he would give it, so long as Mona could be safe.
There wasnothinghe would not give to save her.
“Yes,” he said, his voice firm and unwavering.
The spirits chuckled as if they could sense his desperation. His willingness. His heart drummed erratically inside his chest, a pounding rhythm warning him of going too far.
He ignored the warning.
“Prove your willingness to bargain with us,” said the voices, speaking together as one. It sounded like a hundred spirits were murmuring at once. “Give us a drop of your immortality.”
Evander went rigid, his chest cinching painfully as he realized this was truly happening. There was no turning back after he crossed this line.
He wasn’t ready. Not yet. To buy himself more time, he asked, “Why do you need my immortality anyway? You are already dead.”
The spirits laughed again. “Yes, but with the immortality of adeath god,we can live again. We can have a taste of the mortal lives we have craved for millennia. One immortal lifespan from you will feed all of us a morsel of the land of the living.”
Evander held perfectly still. Inside, his pulse thundered even louder.Don’t, don’t, don’t,it seemed to say.
“Will this bargain kill me?” he asked. The logical side ofhim screamed to see reason, to stop before he made a grave mistake.
But the more dominant side of him shushed this voice. Logic was not in control here. It hadn’t been for a long time.
“Silly god,” the spirits taunted. “It will not kill you. You will simply be as a mortal. Weak and fragile. Your existence will be temporary, but you will still live.”
Evander’s mouth went dry. This sounded like a trick. Deception. Could these spirits lie to him?
“How do I know you won’t simply steal my immortality from me right now and go back on your word?” he asked.
“We will not take it from you until the two earth goddesses are returned,” the spirits vowed. “As a sign of good faith.”
Good faith.Those were the same words the spirits had used with Cyrus, to urge him to offer a drop of his immortality. Evander couldn’t ignore the amusement layered within the voices, as if this entire ordeal were a joke to them.
They thought him a fool. An easy mark. Someone to manipulate.
But… what if they were telling the truth? They might believe him foolish, to offer up something as precious as his immortality. But he had no need of it anymore. His life was empty without Typhon or his magic. He was as good as mortal anyway.
Not much would change for him. He would lose the ghost of Typhon, yes. But it would be a relief to be free of that constant reminder of what he had lost.
And… he would have Mona back.
