I turned slowly, plastering a smile on my face. A bird made of midnight perched high atop a burning, steepled roof. His eyes were opaque and as cold as the air around him. “But how else would I get your attention?”
Firelight glinted across his darkened feathers. He spoke, yet his beak did not move.
“Why summon me?”
Fine. Straight to it, then. It was probably for the best.
“Why did you break your most sacred law? You brought Samkiel back from the dead.” I clicked my teeth. “Now that’s despicable.”
The raven tilted his head slightly. “Did I?”
My brows furrowed. Death was many things, but not a liar. My jaw clenched as I stared at him. I thought back to that day, recalling how Ayla had rushed to Samkiel’s side, her dark hair flowing behind her. Then the fate had intervened and they had all disappeared. “Impossible.” I sneered. “Ayla? She has no power over death. None do but you. I am no fool.”
“No, but your arrogance will be your downfall,” Death said.
“There is no downfall for me. You and I both know it. Nor is there any way thatAyla,”her name was like acid on my tongue, “rose someone from the dead. Unless … do I bother you so much that you’d break such an absolute rule?” My hands flexed at my sides, but I barked a laugh so rich the feathers on Death’s wings fluttered. “That’s what this is, isn’t it? You know you cannot have me, and you and that stupid fate are desperate.” My smile was as cold as the winds that followed him. “To have such powerful, ancient beings shuffling and cheating to turn against me honestly touches my heart.”
“You have no heart.”
Fire raged, and smoke danced between us, yet they never obscured his eyes. I summoned my blood-soaked spear from its ether and pointed it at him as I spoke. “You are a fool. Samkiel will fall once more, and the bitch he beds along with him. When I have conquered these realms and the next, I will find a way to end even you.”
The roof he perched on flamed around him, broken beams crackling and snapping, but Death did not falter or even blink at my threat.
“Hubris is such a common trait within your kind,” Death said, his opaque eyes glaring at me. “And you forget that Dianna was not the only powerful being that crossed this threshold when Samkiel fell. You will be overpowered, outnumbered, and you will lose.”
My lip curled in pure, unbridled rage. I raised my spear, energy crackling at the tip as I shot it toward him. Death’s form burst into neverending darkness with a howl, my power having no effect whatsoever. A thick, dark mist swept every soul remaining in Grivmohr and vanished. In Death’s wake, crackling flames consumed the bloodsoaked town as if they were ravenous beasts.
My anger grew. I knew who he spoke of and what that bitch took. I spun toward Henri, my hand slamming down on his pauldron, my nails digging into the metal with a crack. His eyes opened, and he came to attention.
“Ready my legions, summon the armada, and find me that godsdamn witch.”
5
CAMILLA
Amber clouds billowed around the bow of the massive ship, the sleek lines spearing through them with ease. Two identical vessels sailed before us, carrying all the materials needed to build houses and make weapons. The two behind us carried food and clothing material. Of course, the one we stowed away on carried and reeked of what I could only describe as bottom-feeder sea life.
I was unaware of the trade routes crisscrossed throughout the realms, but it made sense. Trade was as old as time itself, and I imagined Nismera encouraged it as it kept lines of communication open and created an excuse for visits.
I glanced down the hull at the sparkling stardust spilling and flowing over floating asteroids. It reminded me of the currents in the oceans on Onuna, pushing and pulling whatever crossed them. Thick paned glass at the front of the ship displayed the brilliant colors of far-off nebulae, the spirals of galaxies, and the glow of distant stars sparking around the planets as we passed. It was beyond beautiful, and even with the danger we were in, I felt lucky that I was able to experience it in my life.
It had taken us two days to find the right ship and sneak aboard. Vincent had knocked out a few workers to steal their clothes and badges. Casting a quick glamour over us, I made sure we looked the part. We were just three older men who maybe moved a bit quicker than we should at our apparent age.
Of course, Vincent had yelled at me, claiming my hands had just healed and that overusing my magic would drain me and cause further harm. It was the first time in a long time I had anyone fuss over me, and I adored him for it.
Shouts rang out as the captain pointed a clawed finger at the two crewmates below. They startled, nearly toppling the buckets of food they were sorting into baskets. I righted the cap on my head and went back to my workstation. A line of us sliced, chopped, and then dumped the parts of the creatures that could not be eaten or sold.
I stopped across from Vincent, and he glanced up at me quickly before returning to his task. A single strand of hair fell across his brow, the dark, rich strands no longer reaching his shoulders. We had fought over his decision to cut it. I argued that I could just cloak us once again, and he insisted it was just hair and a waste of my energy.
He had used his knife to shear it off, and I couldn’t complain at the results. If I hadn’t already been attracted to him, that would have sealed it for me. The shorter cut brought out his defined cheekbones and revealed the sharp line of his jaw. He looked carved from stone, delicious, warm, touchable stone.
“You’re staring,” he said with a slam of his knife. He slid the carcass into the bin, and a crewmate passed him another creature down the line.
“Sorry,” I said with a deep swallow.
Magic coated our lips, twisting our words. Another small spell I’d used so that anyone listening just heard us discussing this week’s catch.
I was ashamed at how small my view of the world was. An entire ecosystem lived amongst the stars. Anaerobic creatures living off the matter that floated between the stars and not oxygen. I needed to watch myself in this form. I couldn’t act as if I had not lived amongst these creatures my whole life, especially if we were to keep up the ruse. Every now and then, Vincent would catch me admiring the beauty surrounding us, and he would look at me as I looked at them. As if I were the most enchanting thing in the cosmos.
