Worse, every single soldier who didn’t immediately report back to Eryx would be committing treason. He was still king, after all—until she stopped him.
A smile cut her face like a knife as she watched the final group crest the hill and disappear down the far side of it. She couldn’t wait to see Eryx’s expression when she challenged him. With or without the Shard of Olympus, she’d still end his reign and take his island.
With everyone else on the path to home now, only Dex and Silas remained with them in the valley, waiting for them at the base of the hill. Bellanca turned and walked over to where Carver stood with the horses, the animals now free of any gear. They’d stashed what they couldn’t carry home in a little rock cavern near the edge of the woods and would leave the horses here. Carver stood head against head with Zeph, both of them quiet and still.
“We’ll come back for them.” She reached out and stroked Arete’s smooth, brown neck. The mare nickered and turned to her. While the soldiers had been wary of the horses, both animals had received copious amounts of attention from the children. The horses had done more to calm and distract the terrified kids than any of the rest of them.
Arete nudged her chest and gently nibbled at the buckle of her leather armor. Bellanca breathed in the scents of grass and horse and leather, her smile melancholy. Animals were healers in their own right, soothing and patient, and her heart pinched at the thought of leaving the horses. She knew it broke Carver’s,but they’d agreed that the upcoming days were too uncertain to risk bringing the horses into the city yet. Horses were a rarity in Atlantapol and would instantly draw attention. Now that they’d lost the shard to Hera, they wanted to confront Eryx on their own time and terms rather than have him confront them. And if somehow everything went wrong, they’d also both rather Zeph and Arete run free than end up in someone else’s hands—especially Eryx’s.
“They’ll graze and explore, and we know there are no centaurs to bother them.” Centaurs didn’t tolerate normal horses. They didn’t tolerate anything. She gave Arete a final pat and stepped back from her, sighing. “They’ll have each other.”
Carver nodded as he slowly ran a hand down the blaze on Zeph’s forehead. Finally, he shuffled back to join her, his feet heavy. “I hope they won’t stray too far from the valley.”
Gods, his voice. So dampened and quiet, it screamed his sadness.
Her eyes hot, though not with magic, she reached for his hand and started toward the others. “They’re too smart to go farther north where it’s more dangerous. Besides, they’ll wait for us.” And if for some reason they couldn’t come back, the horses would live out the rest of their lives in the meadows and woodlands north of Atlantapol. “They might even start a family.” There’d been times they’d had to keep them apart to prevent it. Without their interference, there was a good chance of a foal on the horizon.
Inhaling deeply, Carver looked straight ahead, his silence filling her ears.
They walked toward Dex and Silas. The four of them would be the last over the hill. They’d split up before entering the city and then meet again before the evening sacrifice to see what Eryx did—and if he already had the Shard of Olympus.
She squeezed Carver’s hand. “I’m glad you have an army to lead again, even if it’s a small one for the moment.” He was made for leading soldiers, and that was something coming to Atlantis with her could’ve so easily taken from him. And it had for a while. Carver had been willing—she knew that—but it didn’t make the reality of losing leadership over a significant army any easier.
Carver swept his gaze up the hillside. Clearing his throat, he said, “Nothing went as planned, but it’s not all bad. Hera’s spell healed everyone. And they all witnessed what she’s capable of. Word will spread, and it’ll help us, not Eryx.”
“Or Hera.” The goddess’s betrayal of her sacred duties could never play in her favor. Eryx might raise Atlantis in her name, but would Atlantians still love her? “We lost the element of surprise,” Bellanca added, worried about how that might affect what came next.
Carver shrugged. “Did we still have it? Eryx knew someone was up to something. It’s why the soldiers followed us north so quickly.”
“But he didn’t have the amulet, and his ceremony is useless without it. Hera will give it to him, and he’ll do whatever she wants.” She unlatched her hand from Carver’s, aggravation heating her skin. Her magic wouldn’t hurt him anymore, but irritation was a solitary thing, and she needed room to steam. “We can’t just fight Eryx now. We have to counter Hera’s false claims of benevolence instead of igniting magic and simply giving Zeus credit for it.”
“The coming battle isn’t just about the throne anymore—or even raising Atlantis. It’s about information and making sure the truth spreads faster than lies.” Carver nodded ahead, toward civilization. “It’s a good thing we have witnesses.”
Dex and Silas fell into stride with them as they started up the hill. They walked in silence for the first few minutes, butsoon, curiosity got the better of the two men. It was the first time they’d been able to talk without anyone else around, and she could tell they were bursting with questions.
Silas finally gave a wry shake of his head. “I always knew you two were different. I just never thoughtthisdifferent.”
Carver’s reluctant smile echoed the one she gave, too. “We’re not that different.” He glanced at her, his brows lifting. “Well,I’mnot.”
“And I won’t be either once ancestral Magoi get their magic back,” she said.
Neither Dex nor Silas looked convinced by that.
Dex kept sliding her oblique looks, as if he wanted to stare but wouldn’t let himself. “I was always told power levels between Magoi varied a lot. I doubt just any Magoi can do what you did—or would even be willing to try. You fought an Olympian andsurvived. You saved us and the children.” The mix of awe and faith in his voice reminded Bellanca of the way people used to respond to Cat.Queenwasn’t just a title when people looked at you that way. It was a responsibility that locked into place.
Her stomach turned to lead. “Fought and lost. Hera got what she wanted.”
“I wouldn’t be so sure of that,” Dex said, looking at her more firmly now.
Silas nodded. “Victory isn’t about one battle. And everyone in that valley today owes you their life—and their loyalty. I know I do.” He seemed to have already put a crown on her head, and she couldn’t help but feel its weight and pressure. His mouth twitched with more words that wouldn’t come out. He swallowed, then more hoarsely, he said, “And you know what? I’m sorry I stood by and watched Eryx’s cruelty all these years and didn’t lift a finger. I protected him. And I’m disgusted with myself.”
“Gods, I feel the same.” Dex dropped his gaze. “I’m so ashamed.”
Bellanca exhaled heavily. She knew that feeling. And she knew redemption didn’t happen overnight. It happened one decision after another, until you cleaned your heart of guilt. “It’s okay. We don’t always know there’s a battle to win before someone else starts the fight. What matters is what comes next, and every choice from now on.”
The cynical curl to Dex’s lips felt like a mirror to her own path to peace with herself. “You’re more forgiving than you should be.”
She snorted. “That’s new. I must be evolving.”
