Urian scowled. “You hunt the dark? Isn’t that a little futile?”
As expected, he had no sense of humor. Rather he glared at Urian as if he could cut his throat. “A warrior of Artemis. Charged with putting an end to your kind.”
“Isn’t that a little harsh? Brother, I just met you. Shouldn’t you get to know me before you want to kill me?”
Baring fangs, he lunged at them and stabbed Manades right through his Daimon’s mark. Poor Manades didn’t even have time to scream.
He burst apart into a shower of gold dust.
Theo turned pale as Urian’s humor evaporated.
“Did you know we did that?” Theo breathed.
Urian opened a portal as the Dark-Hunter moved to engage them. He blocked him from Theo and shoved his brother through so that he could return home.
Or at least he tried to. Stubborn bastard wouldn’t go, and Urian didn’t have time to argue as the Dark-Hunter pulled out a kopis and made ready to carve him like a roast.
Using his powers, he manifested his own. But before he got a chance to parry, Theo bit into the Dark-Hunter’s neck. They both screamed out. However, the Dark-Hunter’s cry turned into cruel laughter.
“Didn’t anyone tell you, Daimon? Dark-Hunter blood is poisonous to your kind.”
Urian blasted the bastard with a god-bolt, then used his powers to fry him with everything he had. He didn’t wait around to see if it killed the Dark-Hunter. Instead, he seized his brother and carried him into the portal.
By the time they landed in Kalosis, Theo was barely breathing.
His father shot to his feet and came down from his throne as Urian laid Theo on the floor. “What is this?”
Theo gasped and choked as he shook from head to toe. “He’s been poisoned. By a Dark-Hunter.”
“A what?”
Urian met his father’s gaze. “A Dark-Hunter. Apparently Aunt Artemis has been busy. She’s created something to hunt and kill us.”
“Apollymi!” his father called.
Urian felt his arm begin to glow, but he wasn’t sure if his powers would work on this. He’d never tried to use them on a Daimon. “Theo? Look at me!”
Theo was barely coherent.
“Don’t you dare die!” Urian choked on his tears.
Apollymi appeared at his brother’s feet, then froze. “Xedrix! Fetch the sap!”
Her Charonte flew off to obey.
She immediately rushed to Theo’s side and knelt down to touch his forehead. Urian didn’t miss the tears in her own eyes as she met his gaze. “I didn’t know about these creatures.”
His father glared at her. “When were they created?”
She glanced toward his father. “I don’t know. But I will find out, and I promise if they have a weakness, I will learn it for you.”
“Uri?” Theo reached up and grabbed his chiton.
“Aye?”
“Be a father to my children for me. Tell Prax—” He burst apart into nothing.
Urian couldn’t breathe as he stared at the golden dust that had been his brother. Stunned disbelief kept him paralyzed. How could this be?
