“What if the King kills him?” I asked quietly.
“Is it possible to kill a god?” Tandor added. “Kizzi?”
She shrugged. “I don’t fucking know. Why are you looking at me?”
“You held his hand,” Fiella said. “Did you feel his power? His weaknesses? What did you do to the poor sap, anyway, making him bleed like that?”
Kizzi tensed. “I don’t really know. My magic just wanted to seek… something. The truth maybe? But it was locked down tight. I really had to push for it.” She swallowed. “I didn’t mean to hurt him.”
Tandor brushed off her concern. “He’s fine. He got up so he clearly wasn’t harmed too badly.”
“It’s hard to explain,” Kizzi continued. “No, I don’t know if he can be killed. But he was clearly gone for a long while. Maybe he’s weakened in his absence. Something about the magic returning pulled him back… I think I did something at that ritual.”
“Hallow’s eve?” Fiella asked.
Kizzi nodded. “You remember that weird dream I toldyou guys about? Apparently, that wasn’t just a dream. The sprites were on to something with the wholeGodsbloodnonsense.”
“Holy shit.”
“Right. I almost pissed my pants when I realized the truth.” She flexed her fingers. “I was holding his hand and all of a sudden, I realized I was clutching pure darkness. I could already sense his magic, the dungeon was absolutely drenched in it, but the pieces didn’t click together until I pushed through that block in his mind.”
“Can you tell if he’s a danger?” Redd asked.
“He’s been here for weeks now, and he hasn’t hurt anyone. Why would he start now?” I asked.
“Now we know his secret,” Tommins suggested. “Maybe that changes things. We must consider every outcome.”
It was clear to me that the god had just learned the secret about his identity himself, but I didn’t say that part out loud.
“Is there another option?” I asked.
Tommins shook his head slowly. “Not one that doesn’t put everyone in jeopardy.”
I sighed. “You’ll send a missive out tomorrow, then?”
“You can use my mailbox,” Fiella offered. “It’s speedy.”
“It’ll send the message instantly,” Kizzi agreed. “Magic.”
My throat tightened. “That’s that, then? We send a message and let the King’s men come take him away?”
“That’s that,” Tommins agreed.
“Wait,” Tandor interrupted. “The King warned of powerful, dangerous beings popping up around the realm. Do you thinkallof the Old Gods have returned?”
“Oh, fuck,” Redd muttered. “I’ll bet so.”
“I feel woozy,” Fiella said as she rubbed her forehead.
“I might be sick again,” I agreed. I hadn’t considered that major detail.
“We will be fine!” Kizzi insisted. “They seem more like folk than I expected. Surely, they’ve changed in the thousands of years they’ve been gone.”
“But they’re mysteriously strong and powerful and we don’t know if they can be killed,” Tandor added unhelpfully.
“And they don’t eat or drink much,” I said.
“They don’t need to eat?”
