“What is this Cult of Pollux stuff again?” Ophion asked. Unlike the rest of them who remained blond, he had chosen to dye his hair black, like their father.
“In a word? Idiotic!”
“Archie!” Paris renewed his stern glare. “Stop!”
“It’s fine, Paris. He’s not exactly wrong.” Davyn handed Ophion a small medallion that contained an interlocking circle pattern on it.
Ophion scowled at the piece. “What’s this?”
Urian tried to keep the disdain out of his own voice since he actually agreed with Archie, for once. “Everyone in their community wears that emblem as a sign of solidarity that they intend to honor their pledge. Or they wear it on the night when they come together to be with the family member who’s abiding by the vow they took that they won’t commit ritual suicide to avoid Apollo’s curse and go Daimon. That they’ll sit there on their twenty-seventh birthday and decay as the god intended them to.” Alkimos’s and Telamon’s eyes widened in horror. “Archie’s right! They’re idiots!”
“Thank you. Finally someone who agrees with me.”
Theo snorted at Urian’s words. “I often agree with you. I just don’t admit it out loud ’cause I don’t want anyone else to think I’m an idiot like you.”
Urian’s laughter died as he smelled fire all of a sudden. The scent hit each of his brothers at about the same time.
As did the crackling sound of it. The clashing of steel and screams …
In unison, they went into battle mode and formed a phalanx, pulling on their helms and locking their shields into place. Out of habit, Urian took the weak end. As the strongest fighter among them, he’d volunteered for it years ago. The eight of them present were a well-practiced unit when it came to war, especially against humans.
Unlike Davyn’s family and their village, the sons of Strykerius weren’t Anglekos—the term reserved for Apollites who’d taken a vow never to use their psychic powers or superior strength to harm humans.
They were Spathi. Ruthless. Cold. In it for blood and bone. Loyal only to Apollymi, and hell-bent against the human race and anyone who threatened an Apollite or Daimon. It was why their emblem was a dragon over a sun. The sun being the mark of Apollymi the Destroyer, and the dragon for their father, Stryker.
And as they came up to the village under the cover of darkness, Urian saw what caused the noises and odor.
Human soldiers had annihilated the Apollites who lived there and were still pillaging and burning everything and everyone they could find.
With an anguished cry, Davyn almost broke rank and started forward, but Paris caught him and held him back.
“Nay, love. In the name of vengeance. Remain calm or they’ll have us, too.”
Something proven as the humans saw them and rallied to attack.
Theo came around so that they formed a circle. Urian frowned at his brother, who cast him a smug sneer.
“What?” Theo asked in an offended tone. “I might think you’re an obnoxious little shit … which you are, Uri. But you are my brother. Be damned if I’ll see you die by a human hand.”
“Aye,” Archie growled. “And I’m not about to go home and tell Solren I let you die. He’d skin us all.”
Urian laughed as his brothers let out a war cry and countered the first strike against them and the impenetrable wall they presented to their enemies. He struck with his kopis and his powers, using both to drive the humans back and knock them from their feet as they attacked him and his brothers.
They had intended to remain in a circled phalanx, but in a matter of minutes, the humans had broken them apart with their assault, especially those who were coming at them in chariots with javelins. Urian twisted as one of the charioteers came by and slammed a whip down across his shield. It caught against the edge, yanked him forward, and wrested him away from their protection.
Even so, Urian used his powers to lock the chariot’s axle and sent the bastard who hurt him flying.
As he turned to engage his next attacker, a bright blue flash caught his eye.
It was a blond child, running.
His jaw went slack. Especially when he noticed the boy trying to run into a burning cottage.
Shit!
Urian flashed himself to the child’s position so that he could grab him to protect the boy.
The moment he did, the boy sank his fangs straight into Urian’s hand.
