“Let’s finish this.”
Sebastian nodded grimly. “I’m right behind you, brother.”
They launched into the fray as the squadron landed in the clearing.
Chapter 89
“Really? Not even the smallest of hints?” Quentin stomped on a twisting vine, smiling at the way it snapped under his boot. “Such as…where we might be going?”
Krilene shook her pale head. “No. You will understand when we get there.”
Quentin grumbled. He offered his hand to Delaynie as she stepped over the pesky underbrush. She gave him a soft smile, her face paler than usual.
She was still weak, still shaky on her legs, but managing. Whatever that drink was that Krilene had given her, it had done wonders. She’d gone from unsteady and heaving to being able to traipse through the jungles.
They hadn’t talked about her new gift. But that wasn’t exactly easy to do, not when a goddess was always within earshot.
There would be a time. They would be able to unpack all this. And maybe, just maybe, figure out what was next for them.
Krilene led them on a winding path through the Kizar jungles. Quentin had no idea what time it was or how long they’d been walking, but he knew the sun hadn’t yet set. The canopywas thick, but a few rays punctured the foliage, dappling the mossy ground with just enough light to see.
“You said this will all depend on me being strong enough,” Quentin said, desperate to fill the silence with more than just birdsong and the chirping of insects. “What if I’m not?”
He wasn’t even sure what Krilene meant. Or what he meant in asking the question. And really, did the answer even matter?
Krilene glanced back over her shoulder, smiling. “I have a feeling you will be.” She shrugged. “Or you won’t. I am immortal. It all matters very little to me, beyond convenience.”
“Great,” Quentin mumbled. “How incredibly reassuring of you.”
Delaynie giggled, and he couldn’t help but return her smile.
After that, he let the birds win. They traveled without speaking for a while longer—again, it was impossible to tell time beneath the trees. Just when he was about to claw down all the hanging vines that swung in his face with his bare fucking hands, the forest broke. The canopy opened abruptly, spitting them out onto a beautiful white-sand beach. The Mirrored Sea glittered in jewel-toned blues and greens, fluffy white clouds hanging heavily in the pale sky.
On the beach, as if rising out of the sands, was a resplendent building. It was built from cream and white stone, its walls and pillars inlaid with seashells and glimmering with mother-of-pearl. The waves lapped at its steps, seafoam the color of Krilene’s eyes sticking to the stone.
A brilliant, terrifying smile spread across the goddess’s face. “We’re here,” she said with a sigh. “My temple. It’s beautiful, isn’t it?”
Delaynie’s shoulder brushed Quentin’s. “Yes,” she said. “It is.”
Quentin only nodded. A feeling trickled down his spine. This place was beautiful; he had eyes, just as the others did. But his instincts had woken up, prodding him to awareness.
Something waited in this place.
Quentin had kept himself alive his entire life with those instincts. Not once had he disregarded them. He had no intentions of starting now.
“What’s inside your temple, Krilene?”
The goddess’s eyes were piercing, nearly glowing beside the ocean. Quentin swore the tides rose a fraction, the crashing of the waves drumming a bit harder on the sands.
“I suppose you’ll have to see for yourself, Armature.” She lifted an eyebrow. “Or are you not strong enough to even enter?”
Gods, she had to say it like that, didn’t she? “Fine.” He worked a muscle in his jaw. “Lead the way, then.”
Krilene tossed her hair over her shoulder. “I would be happy to.” She sashayed forward, steps light as if floating. Quentin and Delaynie were slower to follow, their feet sinking into the satiny sand.
“I think I’m over all these gods and their superiority complexes,” Quentin said, more to himself than anything.
Delaynie chuckled softly. “That must be the perk of living for an eternity,” she said. “Always new people on the continent to impress, even if your tricks are old.”
