“You did brilliantly,” Ty said, the awe he felt for her filling his voice. “You were flawless.”
Ena blushed, and he reveled in his prize.
“I’m sorry about what I said, though,” Ty said. “That crude joke about you.”
He didn’t want to look at her too long, not here where everyone could see, but he hoped she could tell by the tone of his voice that he felt like a piece of shit for saying something like that about her.
“No, no, that was smart,” Ena said confidently. “He looks like the type of guy who enjoys dick jokes.”
Ty had to hold in his laughter but gave her a wide smile instead. “He absolutely is, viper.”
After they located Steig and Turner, he left Ena with Lara as the three of them made their way back up onto the dais.
Three wooden chairs had been set on the landing, just a step down in front of the throne. As the three of them took their places of honor, Cole stood, rising to preside over the ceremony.
The room hushed as the drum music stopped and everyone quieted in anticipation before Cole began to speak.
“We of the Underworld bear witness to these followers of our one true God and Master, Iblis, Grantor of Power and Sower of Chaos, as they receive their markings. May the sacredonatabrand them forever as his servants, ones who have carried out the brave tradition of enacting Iblis’s will, our one true purpose, and the most necessary of evils.
“Through their actions of disruption, our Master originates.
“Through their actions of discord, our Master thrives.
“Through their actions of vengeance, our Master is sated.”
With these final words, the room responded in unison, with everyone except Ena speaking the sacred response.
“By his will, do we live. By his will, do we die.”
Ty had heard these ceremonial words many times in the past, and yet it was the first time since learning more about the amulet, and the binding spell, that he had spoken them.
He used to believe, as many others did, that Iblis was their benefactor—granting them Powers in exchange for a purpose. One that was necessary for the functioning of the world.
But when he heard these words now, they felt more like shackles. Lies that were told to explain the status quo. He was becoming increasingly certain that none of this was Iblis’s will, or Gaia’s, but witches, like Heran, who maintained the lie, and daemons, like Cole, who fed it.
Nykol, the skilled artist who’d been givingonatatattoos since before Ty had begun receiving them, approached Steig first where he sat in the chair farthest to the left. He stripped out of his shirt, bearing his olive skin and the myriad of tattoos that already adorned his forearms and shoulders.
Nykol placed a small metal dish on the ground, filled with powdered darkrock mixed with water, and dipped a fine needle into it. Using the mallet in her other hand, Nykol began to tap the design into Steig’s skin, continuing from where his previous tattoos ended on his shoulder, moving onto his back.
Nykol’s tattoos were always unique, but they told a similar story each time—different combinations of whirls and dots to represent locations and missions, the Powers that were used, and the level of success of the mission.
After completing Steig’sonata, Nykol moved onto Ty. He removed his shirt as well, opting to have theonatacontinue from his shoulder onto his chest, right over his heart. As each tap of the needle entered into his skin, Ty felt the weight of what he’d done. Not just burning Ena’s house, but the fight he’d started in Tritam, the Occidens witches he’d injured, the bandits he’d killed.
But he couldn’t bring himself to regret any of it. Not when it had led him back to Ena and brought them together again. His eyes connected with hers where she stood across the room with Lara. She stared at him, unblinking as the darkrock burned into his skin. He was well-used to the pain. He barely felt it now. Instead, all he could feel was his heartbeat aching in his chest as she stared at him with those beautiful eyes.
Fuck, what was this feeling? This overwhelming, chest-crushing need for her? He’d yearned for her for years, he was no stranger to that, but this…this felt new.
Thankfully, Nykol finished his tattoo swiftly, and moved on to Turner. Ty tried hard not to stare at Ena too much. He needed to appear aloof when it came to her. But fucking Iblis, that was hard to do when all he wanted to do was be near her and stare at her in that dress.
The room started to grow restless by the time Turner’s tattoos, which he’d opted to receive on his chest, too, were complete.Usually, by this time, everyone was ready to get drunk as fuck and give in to the chaos of the all-night celebration, but Cole stood again, silencing the room with a wave of his hand.
“I know we’re all eager to resume the festivities, but I’d like to do one more thing. Something…special, to mark the occasion and celebrate the most surprising outcome of this most recent mission.”
Cole’s gaze landed on Ena, and Ty tensed.
“Lara, my dear, will you please escort the witch-slave to the dais?”
Lara looked briefly at Ena, giving her an almost apologetic glance, before doing as her father told her.
