Stryker caught Urian to keep him from being harmed and anchored them to the side of a building with his powers.
But what stunned and shocked Urian most was a sight he’d never seen before. Faster than anyone could blink, Ruyn manifested a long wooden staff that he planted in the ground at his feet. At the top was a silver hand holding an oblong ball that opened to reveal a large green eye.
From an indefinable source, a low-pitched cry built to a shrill war cry that drove the goddess back. More than that, it forced all the Charonte with her to their knees. A bright orange light shot out from the center of the eye, in all directions. It glowed as bright as a sun and it caused the Daimons and Apollites to shrink away in total fear.
Only then did Ruyn lift it over his head so that he could scan them all.
He turned a slow circle, as if looking through the crowd for someone who might attack him. Once he was satisfied that everyone was quelled, he turned back toward Apollymi.
She was once again pale and frigid in her appearance.
“I come in peace, Apollymi.”
Urian arched a brow at the strange way he pronounced her name. It sounded more like “Apple-me,” instead of their way, “Uh-PAUL-low-may.”
She sneered at him. “Yet you dare to ground my Charonte? What kind of peace is that?”
Ruyn offered her a charming grin. “I’m the son of a demon, am I not?”
Her look turned to ice. “You are indeed. And every bit as worthless and treacherous.”
His humor died instantly as hatred settled across his face and turned his features to stone. “There is no need to be insulting. You and my father were allies once.”
“And when I needed him most, he turned his back.” She spat on the ground at Ruyn’s feet. “You’re lucky he cares nothing for you. Otherwise I’d send you back to him in pieces.”
Urian didn’t miss the pain those cruel words caused to flare inside Ruyn’s eyes. A deep-seated torment he quickly hid.
“Again, my quarrel is not with you, goddess. I only wanted to pay respects to my sister and her husband.”
She flung her hand out and this time her powers lashed across him like a razor whip, cutting deep into his flesh and leaving his clothes split and his body bleeding. “You ever breach my portal again without an invitation or key, dog, and I will send your head home to your father and your heart to your mother.”
To his credit, Ruyn barely reacted to the pain of that blow, which had to be agonizing. Rather he stood stalwart before the angry goddess and inclined his head. “Understood.”
And then he had the audacity to turn his back on her and walk toward Urian, who didn’t miss the white-knuckled grip he had on his staff that said he was barely keeping his temper in check.
Pushing himself away from his father, Urian moved closer to his brother-in-law. “I’m sorry, Ru.”
He wiped at the blood on his chest and shrugged. “I can handle physical pain.” Glancing back at Apollymi, he curled his lip. “Hers is no better or worse than my own mother’s loving touch.” Then his gaze turned stormy again. “Did Sheba suffer?”
“Nay. The attack was too quick.” Urian removed the necklace he wore that had belonged to his wife and handed it to Ruyn. A strange blending of her family, the amulet was a design of Thor’s hammer with a wolf and raven. “She would want you to have this more than me.” Urian tightened his grip in Ruyn’s hand. “I’ll also cede kingship to you. By all rights, it’s more yours than mine and I know she’d much rather see you as the leader of her people.”
Tears gathered in Ruyn’s eyes. His hand trembled. “Why would you give up a throne?”
He smiled. “I’m Greek. Apollymian. The Marzanni were Sheba’s. And I know whatyoudid.” He projected his thoughts to Ruyn.Sheba told me the sacrifice you made so that she could live longer in spite of Apollo’s curse. What you did to save her tribe.He tightened his hand on Ruyn’s. “As Sheba said, we will always be allies. You and I will always be brothers, and while I may fight with my brothers over trivial things, I will never screw one over. Especially not for something as inconsequential as a throne.”
Ruyn yanked him forward into his embrace and held him for a long minute.
Urian felt his hot tears as he silently wept. With a ragged breath, Ruyn pounded Urian twice on his back and stepped away to clear his throat and wipe at his eyes.
Gruffly, he pulled his own necklace off and extended it toward Urian. “That is my mark. You need me, brother, you call and I will come. No matter what. No matter when.” He chucked Urian on the arm. “Remember, all roads lead to Ruyn.”
Urian snorted at his bad pun.
Then he sobered and cut a dark, serious grimace toward Urian’s family. “And let me leave you with one bit of advice, little brother, as I’ve lived alotlonger than both of you. Remember that you serve your goddess today. But loyalty given is seldom returned. Take it from a survivor of the Primus Bellum. At the end of the day, it doesn’t matter who we swear our fealty to, we’re just a bunch of demons to them. Useless things they will cast off and leave to die without a second thought. Me, Caleb, Dagon, Shadow, Xev … countless others. They thought nothing of us. Yet we sacrificed everything we had to the Kalosum to make sure they’d win—even though we were born to serve the darkness of the Mavromino, we fought for the Kalosum’s light. In the end, those who were supposed to be good, who were supposed to reward us for our service and had promised to do so, turned their backs on us and chose not to see us for who and what we really are. Instead of looking into our hearts and seeing what we’d given and lost, they threw us aside like garbage. When all was said and done, they were no better than the ones they’d hated, and for all the reasons they hated the other side. So be careful where you lay your trust, and twice as careful who you serve. It’s not so much don’t bite the hand that feeds you as to make sure you sever your master’s hand before it has a chance to strike you down for no reason other than they judge you unworthy of breathing their air.”
Ruyn sighed as he settled Sheba’s necklace over his heart. “It is ever the saddest indictment against humanity that they cannot live in peace. Too many believe the path to happiness can only be achieved by walking over those around them. When the truth is so much simpler.”
“If you can’t be happy alone, you’ll never be happy in a crowd.” Urian said the words before Ruyn had a chance, as they were something Sheba had often spoken to him. It was the philosophy their mother had raised them on.
