“They say she only killed the ones who attacked her close up,” Dex said. “That’s what I heard, anyway.”
Carver was glad that news was spreading. It would help them in the end. “Eryx forced his guards after her, and she had to defend herself. She only wanted Cleito. That’s why she went.”
“And Eryx,” Silas murmured. “Or at least the skin off his back.” He still looked torn. He’d been a loyal soldier to the king of Atlantis all his life, despite not actually liking Eryx, his father before him, or either of their actions. Sometimes, a dedication like that was hard to let go of, no matter the circumstances.
“So where’s Cleito?” Dex strode from the room and started searching their lodgings. His footsteps grew louder and quicker the longer he looked.
“Don’t bother,” Carver called hoarsely. “She’s not here.”
“Then where is she?” His hands on his hips, Dex stomped back into the room, scowling. “Where did you put her?”
“Nowhere.” Carver frowned at Dex’s strong reaction. “Bel had barely gotten Cleito away from that sociopath of a king when Hera popped out of the sky and took her.”
Silas gaped at him. “Hera?”
Dex’s eyes shot wide, the definite hints of ancestral Magoi green more obvious than ever as his face paled in shock. “This just gets better and better.” He speared a hand through his dark hair, roughly shoving it back. “But Hera will protect her, right? Mission from the gods and all that?”
Sighing heavily, Carver shook his head. “In this case, no—unfortunately. Hera’s up to no good.”
“Would you like to be a littlemorecryptic?” Dex snapped.
“I don’t want to be cryptic at all,” Carver snapped back. “But I don’t know if I can trust you. These secrets arebig. And they’re not all mine to share.”
“You can trust us.” Silas crossed his big arms, his gaze resolute, his jaw firm. “We’re your friends.”
“That’s right.” Dex mirrored the action, nodding once.
Carver carefully considered the two men. He believed they meant what they said, but only time would tell if new loyalties could truly dethrone the old. He’d rather give them time to think about and absorb what they’d already learned.
“That means a lot to me, and I hope it’s true.” He reached out, gripping Dex’s shoulder with one hand and Silas’s with the other and binding them in a circle of three. He’d had two brothers once. Maybe he could again. Emotion rising in his chest, he squeezed. “Everything will be much clearer soon. And when the time comes to pick a side, I hope you’ll choose mine.”
Chapter 20
The morning after Persephone’s unexpected appearance, Bellanca trudged up the dusty goat path alongside Carver, not sure if she was more in shock that they were finally about to get their hands on the Shard of Olympus or that Carver had spilled half their secrets to Dex and Silas.
“You should’ve fought them off,” she muttered—and not for the first time.
“Have you seen the size of Silas?” Carver shot back despite being noticeably winded from the long, steep climb. “Even just his arms?”
“Well, he’s no Pan, and you killed him.”
“I didn’t want to kill my friend.”
“Friends don’t hold friends down for a whipping,” she snapped.
Carver’s eyes heated with annoyance. “Not everyone can burst into heroics instantly. It took you twenty-five years to stop watching and do something obvious, something that meant real change. Showing a little understanding wouldn’t be the worst thing,” he suggested sharply.
“Hmph.” Feeling like he’d just picked off a scab and then squeezed lemon juice onto her still-healing cut, she kept walking.
His thundercloud gaze cut to hers. “Bel?”
Forcing her molars apart, she ground out, “Fine. Understanding has been shown.” She scowled. “Happy?”
Scowling back at her, he nodded. Sweat glistened on his brow.
Turning forward again, she slowed her steps. Unfortunately, she couldn’t be too angry because Carver was right—about herandthem. She was just loath to admit it. It was doubly hard to hold on to her ire when so much beauty surrounded them. They’d left the northern outskirts of Atlantapol behind and now neared the final rise that would bring them down into a valley and the woodlands beyond. From there, it would be a two-day ride to magical creature territory—ifthey could animate the horses. Athena’s owl-shaped cavern dominated a little cove a few hours beyond the tacit border, which she had serious reservations about crossing again.
They’d explored on foot when they’d first arrived in Atlantis, taking weeks to cover much of the island. The one time they’d crossed into creature territory, they’d seen the owl-shaped cavern—and then been chased off by an angry herd of centaurs. If they hadn’t already been almost over the border again, she didn’t know what might’ve happened. Magical creatures didn’t like humans in general, but these centaurs were known for being particularly violent and intolerant of people. Feral eyes didn’t lie, and every single one of those gleaming orbs had been unnaturally savage.
