“V, I rule the Internet, and the Internet runs through the Aether. It shouldn't be able to cut me off.”
“It hasn't. It's simply blocked your path.” I paused, considering our options. “If you try to unmake it, it could unmake the Aether.”
“Yes,” he whispered. “We're trapped.”
“Don't say that. We'll find a way out.”
Torrent dropped the vein of Internet, and the other gods immediately bombarded us with questions.
Torr held up his hand even as he took Artemis's hand. “It has blocked me.”
“Even I can't get through,” I added.
The gods stepped back, their expressions going from anger to shock.
“I sensed something, though,” Torr went on. “The Aether isn't doing this. Another magic loiters around this entrance. I believe the machine is keeping us here.”
“Not us,” Hephaestus said. “Her. It wants the Godhunter. Maybe we should give her to it.”
“Say one more vord about harming Vervain, and I vill kill you.” Kirill delivered the threat with all the coolness of his Winter Magic.
And then the other death gods in his trinity stepped up beside him—Odin to the left and Azrael on Kirill's right. They stared Hephaestus down.
“Fine,” Hephaestus growled. “You'll come to the same conclusion eventually.” He turned and stormed back to the house.
The remaining gods looked from him to us.
“Well?” Athena demanded. “What is our next course of action?”
“We go inside and try to come up with a new plan.” I walked out of the tracing room and followed Hephaestus. “If we ever want to get out of here, we have to kill that machine.”
As I entered the living room where Agwusi still sat chained in a chair, I stumbled. Hephaestus was already gone, heading in the kitchen's direction.
But Agwusi saw me, and her eyes went wide. “Vervain?”
“Vervain?” Kirill, coming in on my heels, took my arm to steady me.
“I feel strange,” I whispered.
“Get her to the couch,” Odin said.
Kirill picked me up and carried me to the couch. He sat me down, propping me against a pillow, and then brushed my hair away from my face. But I barely noticed—my focus had shifted inward. Something was pushing on my magic, trying to invade.
“Vervain!” Odin shook me. “What's happening?”
“The machine is trying to infect my star.” I rubbed my chest. “It's heavy.”
“It's trying to resolve you,” Agwusi said.
“Resolve her?” Viper snapped. “What does that mean?”
“It doesn't understand her. Outside of destiny, of three races, each one complete, and able to travel through time. Able to break it. The machine cannot define Vervain. It's trying to change that.”
“It's not the first time,” I murmured.
“What?” Odin shook my arm. “Vervain, what did you say?”
“When I started to go dark, back at Pride Palace, it was the machine. I thought it was trying to control me, but if Agwusi is right, it's trying to change me.”
