“You will not keep the power you have stolen,” he said. “AndIwill stop you.”
18
TIMOTHY
“Oh, Timothy,” Seth laughed derisively.
“Thoth,” I corrected.
The laughter faded from his eyes, though he remained amused.
He wouldn’t be amused for long.
I reached into the depths of Sinopolis, into the well of power at the center of Vegas, into the quiet heart of the world where the souls of the dead waited for my command.
The ground beneath us shuddered, a deep, rolling groan that traveled up my legs and into my ribs. Neon flickered overhead, colors stuttering across the blacktop as the asphalt cracked. From the center of Sinopolis, a column of blue light surged upward, clean and sharp, cutting through the night like a blade drawn from its sheath.
Seth’s grin tightened.
The radiance rushed toward us, splitting the darkness with a force that vibrated against my skin. Ancient hieroglyphics spiraled through the beam in fluid, looping arcs, then crawled across the pavement in glowing channels that threaded towardmy feet. Each one settled into me with the steadiness of old duty pressing into place.
Seth’s power answered in kind.
A harsh red burst erupted around him. Snakes of magic unfurled from his shoulders and spine, their bodies formed of shifting scales and heat, each one hissing with the sound of burning sand. The air thickened with the scent of ozone and scorched metal.
Dead versus living. Power against power.
Whatever hold he’d had over the crowd broke, and people ran screaming from the streets. I spotted Xander and Miranda helping people get away to safety. They wanted to face down Seth with me, but I had to do this on my own. I had to be enough, or the gods watching this showdown wouldn’t believe in me.Iwouldn’t believe in me.
Our forces collided. A shockwave traveled through the open road with a low, violent crack that rattled windows. My sigils anchored themselves in the air, spinning outward in clean geometric precision. Seth’s serpents lunged through them, jaws striking the blue radiance as the two magics ground together in a battle of endurance.
The strain layered through my shoulders and spine, heat gathering at the base of my throat where my power threaded into my voice.
Only then did my gaze shift to Aaron.
He stood behind Seth, a jeweled collar strangling his throat again, the metal catching the red flare of Seth’s power. His skin was too pale beneath it. His posture too rigid.
The sight cut deeper than any blow Seth could land.
I felt the weight of what I had not been. The god he needed. The protection he had deserved. The power I had denied myself because I clung too tightly to the rules.
The blue sigils around me brightened, answering that clarity.
The scent of heated pavement thickened in the air. Power thrummed through my muscles, tightening every breath as I wielded more power than ever before.
But even bolstered by the dead, the pressure shifted. Seth’s magic surged with the force of the living, millions of beating hearts pouring strength into him. His serpents grew denser, brighter, their fangs lengthening as they fought my sigils back inch by inch. The pavement cracked under the strain. My knees nearly buckled as the living souls he’d stolen bore down on me like a tidal wave.
I whistled low and sharp.
A rumble answered from below the surface, rising in intensity until the ground split along the Strip. Reaper dogs poured out in a rush of motion and shadow, an ocean of sleek black bodies streaked with blue embers. They ran straight into the lines of hieroglyphic light, merging with them, reinforcing the sigils until they ignited with renewed force.
The serpents recoiled as the fused power slammed into them, driving them back in a sweeping surge that restored the balance.
Seth’s lips curled. “Calling your pets? Desperate, Thoth.”
Assirak appeared at the front of the pack, tail high, eyes bright with purpose. He bounded toward Seth with single-minded determination.
Seth scoffed. “Pathetic. What are you going to do, Thoth?” he asked, tone dipped in mockery. “Overpower me with a bunch of mutts?”
