He drew his knee up and stomped down on my cracked shield. It shattered, and his foot slammed into my chest, sending me to the ground. I sprawled on my back, and he held me there, pressing enough of his weight on me that he was nearly standing on me.
“That,” I said, a growl in my voice, “I do not want you to see.”
“Enemies across worlds.” He blinked as if memories were still trickling in, his gaze distant. “You are in so many of her thoughts.”
All right, maybe he did not mean what I assumed he did. “Makes sense.” I groaned, grabbing the spiked tip of his boot. “She’s obsessed with me.”
His arm twitched, and from the look of surprise on his face, he hadn’t been in control of that movement. Hope and elation blossomed in my chest. My Dianna was still alive and well in there. I pushed with all my might against his foot, pushing him away from me. He stumbled back, and I pushed to my feet. To my surprise, Oblivion did not raise its head and crawl over my skin. As if it only responded to threats to her, but would never rise against her. My rings, however, vibrated, responding to the danger and readying to produce a weapon I would never summon. Not against her. Never against her.
Gathrriel growled, enraged that she’d been able to take control for even a second. He charged at me with a bellow, and I braced myself. We came together in a crash of sound and power. We grappled, and for a moment we were locked in a stalemate, until he simply lifted me off the ground and slammed me onto my back. The air hissed out of me in a low, wheezing groan. Yes, he was definitely stronger than I.
I rolled to my feet and faced him, knowing if I stayed down, I was done. He stalked to the right, orange striations bleeding into the black of his irises. I countered his steps to the left, the two of us circling each other in a dangerous dance. We waited, watching for an opening. Without warning, he lunged, closing the distance between us between one heartbeat and the next. He was quick, even with his height and bulky stature. I leaned back, barely avoiding his strike, but he expected the evasion and swung with his left hand. I threw my arm up as a shield, and his hand clamped around my forearm. He squeezed and twisted, denting my armor as he pulled me close.
“A god alone may hold power, but you are weak.” He bared his teeth and snarled. “Where is the fight, silver-eyed one?”
“Hold on, I have an answer for you.”
I reared my head back and slammed it forward, connecting with his forehead. We both stumbled back before correcting ourselves. I shook my head, trying to clear the stars and black spots swimming before my eyes. It had probably been a very foolish thing to do, considering he had horns on his head, but it got him off of me.
“Sorry, baby,” I said. His lip lifted in a harsh snarl. I chuckled darkly and added, “Don’t worry, Gathrriel. I wasn’t talking to you.”
“You’re trying to reach my vessel,” he growled.
I felt power unfurl in a maelstrom under my skin at his words. “She’s not yours. She’smine.”
He swiped at me, his claws scraping against my armor. I dodged his second strike, and then another. I guess evasiveness was a good plan. It could work. That was only true until I ducked and found him waiting. He grasped the face shield of my helmet and tossed me. I went airborne and crashed against the cobblestones with a clang. I sprang to my feet, but he didn’t give me a chance to catch my breath before he was coming at me again. My hands came up to block his punch, but I was too slow. I sailed back, careening through the remains of a dilapidated building. I coughed as I landed in a heap of broken timber and crushed glass.
Lying there, I waited, listening for him to follow me into the ruins of someone’s home. When I didn’t hear anything, I rolled over and slowly pushed to my feet. Looking down, I saw the dent in my armor at the center of my chest. Good thing I had it on, or I would have had a hole in my body. I walked outside, stepping through what used to be a door.
Gathrriel stood on the other side of the courtyard, his voice clipped and snappy as he argued with himself. He was looking at the hand that he had used to toss me, but it was no longer his. He flexed the slender, feminine fingers. His eyes blazed, and he cursed as it returned to his form.
Dianna was fighting, and gods, I loved her even more. My reckless, beautiful woman feared none and fought brutally for my safety, just as I would hers.
“What befell you?” I asked, stepping out of the wreckage. “The great and powerful General Gathrriel was loved and respected by all. The texts never said what you truly are.”
His smile was full predator as he regained complete control. He rolled his shoulders and cracked his neck as if he were resettling his skin. “History is written by those who survive. In the scrolls, I am anything they wish as long as I am not their truth. You’re a fool to trust any of the gods. They are liars, cheats, and above all, deceivers.”
My brows shot up, not in agreement, but in acknowledgment. “I suppose to anyone who is a threat to them, it would seem so.”
Gathrriel’s laugh was dark and rich, his beast present and close to the surface of his skin. “You are young and naïve, it seems.”
“Thanks?” I said.
“Or perhaps you are so well indoctrinated and blind to the suffering they cause.” He snapped his teeth. “Or worse, you enable it.”
He spoke as if those who had wronged him lived here and now. Dianna was right. Death had corrupted his mind. His vengeance had tainted him to the point that he no longer even knew what time period he was in. I took a deep breath. It was not for me to explain. I didn’t care about him or what caused him pain. It was only her. She was my priority.
“I won’t let you hurt innocents because you are on a quest for revenge against those that no longer exist.”
Gathrriel tipped his head, his amusement clear. “Of course you won’t. It’s your great purpose, is it not? The gods molded you as a hero, yes? They fed you those words as you suckled at your mother’s teat. They taught you a noble regime of selflessness and courage, to always uphold justice and protect those who needed it from monsters. I believed their rhetoric once, but did they ever look at their own reflections to see the monsters that lay beneath their skins?” His smile turned forlorn, sorrow flashing across his brutal features. “I was taught a valuable lesson then. No matter the blood you shed in their names or what they say, the gods will only care about two things. Their power and preservation are their first priorities.”
“You sound like you know firsthand, and I am sorry for your pain,” I said. “I know the texts lied about you, but not Vvive or your love for one another. Amatas wear your mark to prove it. What would she say to this blind rage and your desire to wreak revenge on enemies no longer here?”
His features turned deadly. “You are right. Vvive taught me a very valuable lesson. It doesn’t matter what you have done for them, killed and won for them. Eventually, they would have proven themselves. You are nothing but a tool for them, an instrument for their gain, and you are expendable. Worse, those you love most are expendable. I am doing you a favor by slaughtering you here. You will not live for them to disappoint you.”
I opened my mouth to respond, but snapped it closed as talontipped, leathery wings crawled from his back. The horns along his face, head, and shoulders elongated. He was already massive, but in his current half-changed shape, he looked like a damn giant next to me. I had never seen this. Dianna either changed entirely or remained mostly in her mortal form. She could change small things, such as her teeth, claws, and piercing red eyes, but often those changes were involuntary, brought on by anger or fear. However, it seemed Gathrriel could mold his body at will. Was this the true power of the firstborn Ig’Morruthen?
Gathrriel lunged for me, and I forced myself to face the gaping, fanged jaws, flared wings, and talons.
