“It’s likely Sirius. He is the God of Beasts, after all.”
Now we truly understood what that meant. The pookas, the wraiths, and whatever these new scorpion-like creatures were, they came from the gods. We’d guessed it before, but this was confirmation.
Toryn sighed and palmed the stone wall, pausing our walk to gaze down at the shrouded war camp far below us. The mists were too thick now for us to see anything at all. “Perhaps it’s all four of them.”
My silence was the only confirmation he needed that I’d been wondering the same. We had no reason to suspect anything but the worst. Of course, the gods had wings. They could have flown after Tessa and me, if they’d wanted to. Perhaps they just wanted to lull us into a false sense of security before they attacked.
“I’ve been thinking,” Toryn said, his eyes still locked on the mists below. “We’ve seen no sign of Andromeda. She wasn’t in that cave beneath Gailfean. Only the four were. Where is she?”
“I wish I knew,” I said bitterly. “She could be anywhere. The mortal kingdoms…or somewhere else in Aesir. She could even be in Teine or Albyria.”
It was a troubling thought. If she was on the southern side of Aesir, she might be able to wipe out Ruari and his army before he could join us here. Then she would set her sights on Endir…I shook my head. I couldn’t think like that. If Endir was in danger, Gaven would have notified me by now.
“True, but…” Toryn turned to me with a sharp glint in his eyes. “She likely isn’t with the others, right? I think that means the four gods aren’t at their full power yet.” When I frowned, Toryn held up a hand and continued. “Think about it. We faced Sirius in Gailfean. He was incredibly strong but not as powerful as we’ve been led to believe all these years. Nellie took him out so easily. And then there’s the question of their wings. They’re not using them, as far as we can tell. If they had their full power, why would they need beasts and storm fae to attack us? They wouldn’t. Unless all the stories about them are wrong, their powers are at a low level.”
“Hmm.” I nodded. “And you think they need Andromeda with them to be at full strength.”
“She’s their leader. She was kept separately from them all these thousands of years, hidden in an onyx gemstone instead of in that cave. It has to mean something.”
“You may be right.” I braced my forearms on the stone ledge and leaned out into the mists. “Unfortunately, I’m not sure it does us much good. Unless we find her and stop her—and we don’t know how to do that yet—she will reunite with the others eventually. Any issue with their power will be resolved then.”
“I know.” He joined me, leaning against the stone wall. He was the only real brother I’d ever truly known, other than Alastair. I was glad he was here beside me, at the end of everything. “But it might be enough for now, for this battle. We can save Dubnos today. And then we’ll take on tomorrow as it comes.”
I clasped his shoulder. “You’re right. We will. I just wish Niamh were here, and Alastair. It doesn’t feel right, fighting for this city without them.”
“Me, too, Kal. Me, too. But we will see them soon.”
* * *
After doing the rounds along the battlements where the archers readied themselves, I swung by my quarters, where Tessa was still sleeping like the dead. As soon as we’d reached Dubnos, she’d slumped over as if the full intensity of her actions had finally hit her. Quietly, I took the chair beside the bed and touched her cheek. She was warm. That was a good sign.
The first time I’d used my powers—reallyused them—I’d been wrecked for hours. My body had shut down, so taxed from the onslaught of all that magic rushing through me. No wonder she was exhausted. She likely hurt, too.
Her eyes cracked open. When she saw me sitting there, she smiled. “We made it back.”
“Yes, we did. You were amazing.”
Her smile dropped, and storm clouds swirled through her eyes. “How long have I been asleep? We need to get ready for the battle.”
“We’re getting ready. You don’t need to worry about any of that. Sleep as long as you need.”
She shook her head, and then she was on her feet before I could argue. “What’s the plan?”
I frowned as she moved to the basin and splashed fresh water on her face. “The archers are on the wall, ready to loose a storm of arrows on the enemy if they try to scale the mountain. As for the rest…I was just on my way to meet with the others and make our final preparations. I wanted to check on you. You really should get back into bed and rest.”
She turned to me with fire in her eyes. “I should help.”
“Youhavehelped, love. If you hadn’t gone with me to scout, I’m not sure I would have returned. Now the city knows what’s coming for them. You’ve done enough.”
“That’s not nearly enough, not with all those creatures out there. Not when you might have to fight a god. Your power isn’t working, butmineis. I should be out there with you. I should fight.”
My heart beat painfully. Always so brave. “And Nellie? Her powers work, too.”
Her eyes narrowed. “I see what you’re trying to do. If I don’t think Nellie should be out there fighting, despite being one of the only people in the world who can harm a god, then I shouldn’t be out there, either. Right?”
“Something like that.”
“No. That’s different.”
