“Your message sounded urgent,” Eryx said, worry lining his face. “And Calix wanted to talk to you anyway. There’s no time to waste right now.”
Nithe nodded tiredly, and I looked him over more closely. His clothes were rumpled, in a way I’d never seen from him before. He was always careful with his appearance, wanting to look his best. The man was vain at the best of times. But now streaks of dirt even covered his face.
“What the Tartarus happened to you?” I asked, my brows creasing.
He sighed, shaking his head. “It’s a disaster in Dusk, Calix. I assume that’s what’s so urgent?”
“Yes. We don’t have much time before we need to leave for the Otherworld, and we need to have a plan in place for Dusk. I can only imagine we’ll have to move quickly when we get back. Unless Cyrus moves first,” I explained grimly.
I didn’t like any of this. I wanted to get ahead of Cyrus and any moves he made, but the lack of information, paired with what the gods required, left us in a bit of a bind.
“TheOtherworld?” Nithe exclaimed, eyes practically popping out of his head.
“Never mind that. I’ll explain later. Tell us what’s going on in Dusk,” I told him, frustrated.
“It’s a horror show, Calix,” Nithe admitted heavily. “I’ve never seen anything like it. Cyrus has these horrible camps set up. Humans are tortured and drained of blood. They’re using it to make not only blood magic for Cyrus, but there are secret workshops working on weapons.”
Fuck.I’d hoped he hadn’t been able to get that far yet, but he’d apparently been busy setting everything up even before his father died. I was sure he must have killed Astraeus to get him out of the way. He wanted power, and he needed the crown for that. Men always thought a crown gave them license to be as much of a bastard as they pleased.
I looked forward to proving him wrong.
But first…
“We need to get the humans out of there,” I told him urgently. “We can’t let them suffer further, but it’s just as important to prevent Cyrus from amassing more stock of blood. The more he gets, the more iron we have to worry about.”
Nithe and Eryx both nodded in agreement. Fury was a spark in my blood I had to push down. It wasn’t the time.Not yet.
“The humans themselves have started rebelling,” Nithe said, and it brought some hope to my heart. It had been so difficult for the humans to rise above what they were forced into. Asteria would be happy to hear they were finally straining against their chains.
“But it’s small and unorganized. They need help,” Nithe continued, and looking him over, I could see his desire to do something more.
“What about Kian?” Eryx asked, “Has he been able to get out from under Cyrus’s watch?”
“Barely,” Nithe sighed, running a hand through his hair. “Cyrus has such a tight guard around all of them, watching and waiting for them to slip up. I had to sneak into Kian’s room and visit him that way.”
His worried tone spoke of how much danger they all must be in.
“He did mention…” He trailed off, and I raised a brow, urging him to continue. “Vikal. His brother. He’s quite fond of his human. He apparently got in a bit of an argument with Cyrus about it. Kian wants to get them both out.”
“How does Vikal feel about that?” I asked, weighing my options. “Would he join us? Or take his own human and leave the rest to wither?”
“I’m not sure, honestly. I can find out when I return,” Nithe offered, but I shook my head.
“Things will be moving too quickly for that. Just make your best-educated guess and go with your gut. I trust your instincts.” I smirked slightly at him, lightening the mood for a moment as I winked. “They are house Erebus’s instincts, after all.”
“I will.” He laughed hoarsely. “I appreciate the trust, my King.” His words were almost uncomfortably honest, in a way we rarely were with each other. I put a hand on his shoulder, realizing how deeply his time in Dusk had shaken him.
“You’re my blood, Nithe. You know what that means.” I said, squeezing his shoulder. He swallowed hard, nodding, and I brought our foreheads together for a moment, gripping the back of his head. “I trust you, cousin. I can see you want to help, not just spy. Which is why I have a new mission for you.”
I pulled back to see his eyes widen in surprise. Eryx glared at me, and I laughed, turning my head to him. “Relax, I’m not stealing one of your spies.”
As he relaxed his glare, looking more curious than angry, I turned back to Nithe. “You said the humans need help?”
He nodded hesitantly, and I smiled, tilting my head back toward the palace.
“Then come. It’s time to talk to your future queen. She’ll kill me if I don’t let her help plan your mission.” I laughed fondly, and Nithe raised his brows.
“Future queen, huh? Has the star queen finally arrived?” he joked, but his smile faded as I nodded, a hug smile growing on my face.
