Demigod Kieran lifted his hands, and a blast of air filled the hallway. Any bodies still standing were shoved backward, giving everyone more time.
That wasn’t all, though.
The ground shook. The walls trembled. Water burst in through the windows, flowed out through doors, and took on a life of its own. It gathered and tumbled, a growing wave controlled by Kieran. He was a Demigod of the sea, but…this was beyond what a human should be capable of. Wasn’t it?
“That…is not possible,” Tarian said softly.
“Ha!” Daisy pointed at his face. “Shoe is on the other foot now!”
Tarian squeezed her, glancing back at hisFallenwith wide eyes. Their surprise showed on their faces. He faced forward again and started jogging to keep up with those in front. Zorn was there, ready with a machete, but the Berserker, Alexis, and Kieran were handling it, beating the bodies back. Spirits didn’t have the power of the living, even here. Kieran and Alexis showed they were plenty strong enough to deal with what the god of the afterlife had thrown at them.
“What’s the plan?” Kayla called up.
Tarian shook his head as they turned a corner up ahead. “Follow their lead to get out of here, regroup in the wylds, and choose our next steps.”
Daisy tightened her hold around his neck. “Your next steps better include me. I’m not leaving you.”
He looked at her. Love and adoration shone in her eyes. In his eyes, he knew. “Your mom-type gave you the gift of rebirth. I will not ruin that for you. I will do what needs to be done, and you will go safely back to the human world. It’s been fortified. You’ll be safe there. The rest of Faerie is up to me?—”
He cut off as everything changed. As the yells and shouts of the Berserker, the rush of the water, and the clang of weapons all died away. The castle halls disintegrated into a world of white marble. Grand architecture reminiscent of an ancient temple rose up in columns and elegant details around them. Statues and reliefs were visible throughout.
They stood on a large marble floor in the middle. Daisy’s family and Tarian’sFallenstood behind them, looking around warily. The Berserker—Thane—had been returned to his normal state. In front of them, a wide set of stairs led up to a raised platform framed by columns and domes. Three large marble thrones each existed in their own alcove. Then two more thrones each, on the right and left, seven in all.
The breath left Tarian slowly, and he hugged Daisy to his chest.
“Where are we?” someone asked behind them.
“The white walls of the Divine Collective,” someone answered in hushed tones. “The meeting place of the gods.”
“Oh for fuck’s sake,” Daisy grumbled.
39
Daisy
As one,the gods populated their thrones and chairs, noble beings with purple velvet robes and large crowns of glowing starshine. Each was larger than life, twenty feet tall or more, towering over the marble space with an omniscient presence.
“That one in the middle,” Zorn whispered, pushing up closer to Daisy. He ignored Tarian’s presence entirely. “I saw her as we crossed the Faegate. She was kind of translucent, huge, like she is there, and leaning over the wall, looking at us. Laughing.”
“Yeah. They’re a bunch of absolute fuckers,” Daisy told him. “I’ll explain everything later—if we’re not gruesomely killed first.”
He grunted and stepped away. That was good enough for him.
Tarian turned to glance over his shoulder at Zorn.How likely is he to attempt to kill me in my sleep?
Daisy snickered.If you wrong me, very. Unless he can find a way around your power and torture you when you’re awake. If you’re nice to me, he’ll forgive you. Eventually.
That…I doubt.
The female on the throne in the very middle raised her hand in salute, and suddenly, the raised platform was right in front of them. The gods had reduced to normal fae size, if a bit on the tall and robust side, except for one. The female on the throne to the right of the middle stared at Daisy between strands of somewhat lank black hair. Her face was familiar, her posture and poise more so.
She was the female from the games. The one who had helped Daisy and killed herself in the process.
Daisy also recognized one of the two males. He was the god of the afterlife, his eyes shining with a violet hue and the flames gone. In fact, all of their eyes burned violet in their depths, marking what they were.
The god of the afterlife was looking past the others, appearing intrigued as he noticed Lexi.
“The crystal chalice, in the flesh,” the middle god said, her voice everywhere and nowhere, in Daisy’s head but out loud for everyone to hear. “Daisy, that is your name, correct?”
