Nyssa glares at me, but then a distant clap of thunder sounds across the village, and it starts to rain. Not just rain, but a torrential downpour that this village probably hasn’t witnessed in several hundred years.
We are soaked within seconds, but it drives the mortals back inside.
“Sentient,” she whispers. “This thing is growing more intelligent than we realised.”
I exchange a worried look with Dreven. His expression is grimmer than usual, and that, above all else, tells me how much shit we are in.
Chapter 31
Nyssa
“Sentient and considerate,” I mutter, wiping water from my eyes. It isn’t just rain. It is a deluge designed to empty the streets. The drops hit my skin with enough force to sting.
“We need cover,” Dreven says. “If it is watching, we are exposed here.”
I nod and take off running towards the cottage. My boots slip on the wet grass, but I keep my balance. The guys follow close behind. We burst through the front door of my home, bringing half the weather in with us. Dastian kicks the door shut and shakes his head like a wet dog, sending spray everywhere.
“Do you mind?” I snap.
“Just drying off,” he says with a grin that looks too tight.
“Wards,” Dreven orders, moving to the window. He places a hand on the glass. Shadow spreads from his palm, coating the pane in a translucent film. “We need to mask our signatures. If the First Law stripped you, maybe it can’t see you, but it can definitely see us.”
Voren stands by the fireplace, water dripping from his coat onto the rug before he magically dries himself. “It is trying to draw you out.”
“Into the pouring rain?” I mutter, taking off my hoodie and carrying it to the kitchen sink to wring out.
“No,” Voren says, following me. “You said yourself it can’t sense you. So, it thinks you’re hiding or have vanished. It wants you to come for it.”
“So, it can eat me first. Nice.”
“At this point, I think it is safe to say we don’t know its motivations,” Dreven says, also now dry, joining us and taking my hoodie from me and with a snap of his fingers, it’s dry. Then he waves his hand at me to dry me, and I smile in relief. “Thanks,” I mutter.
“Don’t get used to it,” he murmurs, scanning me for any remaining dampness. “I can’t dry the rest of the world quite so easily.”
“I’ll settle for just me,” I say, pulling the warm hoodie back on.
I walk into the living room and drop onto the sofa. A dry Dastian paces the length of the rug, his energy making the air feel thick with static. Voren stands by the window, watching the rain hammer against Dreven’s shadow-wards.
“So,” I say, looking at the three gods. “Tabitha mentioned a Champion. If the First Law has stripped me, and I have no authority, does that mean whatever test this Judge is about to impart means I need someone else to do it?”
“Potentially,” Dreven replies. “We don’t even know what the test is yet.”
“I’ll do it,” Dastian says instantly, stopping his pacing to look at me.
“No,” Dreven counters, his voice hard. “I will.”
“Stop,” I snap. “We don’t even know what’s going to happen. Tabitha said the Judge tests intent, not just strength. It might be more heavily swayed in one way than another.”
“Intent is my speciality,” Voren says, turning from the window.
“That’s all well and good, but I need to know what happens when this Judge arrives. Do I just stand there? Do I fight?”
“You survive,” Dreven says, moving to crouch in front of me. “We handle the rest.”
I look at him. He believes it. I just hope the First Law agrees.
“I plan to do more than just breathe,” I say. “I want to win.”
