Horror and fury tore through Bellanca, and she erupted in a wash of fire. Dimitri stumbled away from her, his back thudding against the door. “It’s you. The fire mage who took the oracle from the castle.” Staring at her in shock, he visibly swallowed. “Magic. How?”
She cooled without even needing to think about it, iced over by the way he looked at her. Fear. Betrayal. Confusion. Atlantian Bellanca just died, as predicted, and her friendships probably died with her. “Because we’re not from here. We’re from Thalyria. There’s magic there.”
Dimitri’s mouth worked, but no sound came out. Finally, he simply uttered, “How?”
“You might’ve heard rumors from that night at the castle.At least some of them are true. Weareemissaries from Zeus. He sent us here to end Punishment and take over the rule of Atlantis from Eryx.” She paused, letting him absorb that before moving on to the bad part. “But now, Hera is at war with her husband and trying to end Punishment inhername in order to make all of Atlantis grateful to her for it.”
Dimitri squeezed his eyes shut, seeming to process what she said behind closed lids. He opened them again, shaking his head. “Why? Why grateful?”
“Because the gratitude, prayers, and offerings of thankful Atlantians will increase her power enough to rival Zeus’s,” Carver explained. “She wants to take the high throne of Mount Olympus from him and rule by herself.”
Dimitri breathed loudly, his expression tortured and confused. “And Lilika? Why her? Why today when something’s different? Eryx erected some kind of altar in the temple square. He’s calling for huge crowds. He came to Spiro’s and took her himself even though she’s never set a foot out of place to get herself noticed.” His voice faltered.
Bellanca swung on Carver, her eyes widening. “The blood ceremony. Hera already gave him the Shard of Olympus.”
Carver hissed a curse. “We thought this might happen, but he’s not even waiting until this evening.” Turning to Dimitri, he winced. “But why Lilika? I don’t know.”
“I do.” Self-loathing sank through Bellanca as she took an unconscious step back. Eryxhadlinked the two whippings. Only…he didn’t come forthem. “It’s my fault. I didn’t just take Cleito like I should’ve. I took revenge on Eryx, and he must’ve figured it out.” Her words thickened as the threat of tears clogged her throat, regret sharpening the sting crawling toward her eyes and nose. “We feared he might connect Carver to the female Magoi who took Cleito from him, because I whipped him withfire. I whipped him, twenty lashes, just like he whipped Carver. Eryx must’ve linked Carver to me, and me to Spiro’s. He took Lilika out of spite. It’s my fault. I’m so sorry.” Her voice faltered, just like Dimitri’s.
His frown deepening, Dimitri pushed off from the door and moved toward her. He raised his hand, and Bellanca braced for the slap or punch she deserved. Instead, he gripped her shoulder. “I see you’re ready for battle. So let’s go get her.”
Nodding, Bellanca scorched the tears from her eyes. “Let’s go get her.”
Today was not a day she lost two sisters.
***
For Lilika. For Atlantis. For Zeus. They ran through the streets of Atlantapol.
Dimitri—the gutting and boning expert—held a knife in his hand like he’d never seen one before.
“Pointy end into anyone trying to get between you and your woman,” Carver told him as they raced toward the temple square. “We’ll take care of Eryx.”
Dimitri still looked uncertain.
“It ends today. The sacrifices. The fear for your mother and sisters. For Lilika.” Bellanca finished her determined words a little winded as the road sloped upward toward the main temples.
“But no one comes back from the high wall.” Dimitri could barely talk, barely keep up with them.
“Shewill,” Bellanca growled. “You’ll marry her. You’ll have lots of babies. You’ll inherit Spiro’s.”
Dimitri just nodded, his face bright red from running flat out for minutes. She didn’t know if he believed her. She’d have to prove it.
They met Dex and Silas jogging toward them at the nextintersection. They all stopped, breathing hard. Dimitri gave them a wary once-over, lifting his knife between them.
“It’s okay,” Bellanca panted. “They’re with us, not with Eryx anymore.”
Dimitri lowered his knife. “We have to keep moving.”
Silas’s tawny eyes softened with sympathy. “We heard. We saw. We were on our way to warn Carver and Bellanca.”
“It’s all happening early.” Dex’s gaze flashed up the hill, then back to Dimitri. “And then we saw who Eryx chose…” His grimace said everything. Dex and Silas had only met Dimitri and Lilika a handful of times when they’d accompanied Carver to pick up Bellanca at Spiro’s, but they’d talked and laughed, and no one forgot Lilika. She was too kind and beautiful.
Bellanca’s chest lurched, making breathing even harder. “Let’s go.” They sprinted off again as if Cerberus chased them and death followed.
“Do we have a plan?” Silas asked.
“Kill Eryx,” Bellanca snarled.
