I waited several beats, but when he didn’t continue, added, “Does that mean Liadon was wrong when she said you started these games?”
“No.”
“Then, as I said only a few minutes ago, why the fuck are you here? What is the point of all this?”
He took a step forward, bringing me into the circle of his aura; electricity danced across my skin and lightning flared through my being, once again drawing on the deeper darkness that lurked within.
A darkness I’d been fighting for weeks now.
I clenched my fists tighter still and stepped away. The dangerous brush of energy eased, but I still felt it deep within.
“What are you doing?” I growled, fear, anger, and perhaps even a touch of... avarice?... running through me. I might notlikethe feel of the lightning’s caress, but that inner darkness wanted it.
Bad.
“Iam doing nothing.”
“Bullshit.”
One eyebrow rose. “You have your mother’s straightforwardness.”
“Well, I certainly didn’t get it from you, as you seem to be doing everythingbutgiving me answers.”
“I needed to see if you are worthy, child. Needed to know if you are capable of withstanding the darkness that rises.”
“What darkness are we talking about here? Ninkil? Or the one you’re trying to draw out of me?”
“Both.”
“To repeat—why?”
“Because to defeat darkness, you sometimes have to embrace it.”
“Then we are doomed.”
“Therearedegrees of darkness,” he commented. “Ask the man who would be king.”
My heart skipped several beats. There was only one man in my life about to be crowned, and while he’d been an integral partof the hunt for the missing Éadrom Hoard up until his father had passed, it was doubtful he would remain so now.
“Cynwrig?” I replied, unable to keep the edge out of my voice. “What the fuck has he got to do with anything?”
“Did you not ask who the king to your queen was?”
“Yes, but you’ve already said I’m not your queen, and I will certainly never behis.”
“Perhaps not, but remember, chaos is the point of our games.”
Meaning he’d been placed in my path to cause problems? That he was never meant to be an end game? Which, rationally, I already knew. Trouble was, when it came to Cynwrig, rational and me weren’t often on speaking terms.
“Is the refusal to harbor darkness the reason your first child failed?”
“In truth, she neither failed nor won. Ninkil was not unleashed on this world, but he was not ended either. The game stalemated.”
My eyebrows rose. “How can a god be ended? Don’t you just leave this world permanently?”
“All things can be ended—it just takes the right weapon and motivation.” He motioned to my purse. “You carry two such weapons.”
He was referring to my silver knives, which had been gifted to the females of my line back in the days when we—alongside the Taliesin pixies—had been the guardians of godly treasures. Both had been blessed by multiple goddesses and were capable of protecting me against all sorts of magic. His comment did at least confirm the family rumor they were an effective weapon against male gods, but in reality, there was little likelihood of me ever being able to use them that way. Said male god would simply smite me long before I ever got within stabbing or throwing distance.
