I’ve been demoted to a pastry bird?he asked, yet his ancient voice held a note of humor.
Yep, I replied, a small smile in my mind’s voice.Pastries and wine. And lots of time in the sun.
He huffed into my mind.I suppose that sounds like a nice way to spend the next thousand years.
I blew a slow breath through my nose, pulling my attention back to where Tiberius stood before the entrance of the prison. Where were they? Lyvia’s caeluma had used his Transcindiel power to create his shield, and now, we waited. Minutes ticked by. Dawn wasn’t far off, yet it was so dark. The two moons of Vael had provided little in the way of illumination.
From opposite the clearing, a singular blue orb materialized in the darkness of the trees, and my blood stilled.
Ganmira is here, I whispered into my mind, certain that Renova’s bright white body wouldn’t camouflage as easily. Aquila relayed the message to Nishanth and Tiberius, and the caelumas communicated to their respective Bellators. My eyesflicked to Bayne and Queen Antares, and they nodded their understanding.
Ganmira’s body slipped through the trees, her movement barely perceptible as she blended perfectly into the shadows, but Tiberius turned to face where she approached.
“It is time, Animal, to return what your elf has stolen,” she whispered, moving silently through the mossy undergrowth.
Tiberius’s ears flattened, and his body tensed, despite the thick shield that encased him. The Embodied’s too-long legs stretched over a thick, downed tree, and she slipped her thin foot onto a pile of crunched leaves.
My stomach lurched as she neared. Just a few more steps… I cut my gaze to where Raek waited to trigger the rubelline-lined trap as soon as she crossed into its path.
“Your rider is surely dead by now,” Ganmira continued, inching closer to where we needed her. “My sister feeds on her as we speak. And I must admit, I am looking forward to tasting you.”
One more step…
Ganmira’s face snapped up as acrackslapped through the silence of the trees. My heart thundered, and I searched for the source of the sound, feeling for my Bellator bond with Drystan. It had to have been him…What the fuck was he thinking?
My mouth parted as slim, aged hands suddenly appeared on both sides of Ganmira’s face. The feminine fingers pressed into what little flesh made up her cheeks. The Embodied stilled, and her human-like facial features tightened in terror.
My hand slapped over my mouth as the figure behind Ganmira tilted her head, andMarian’sface came into view.
Liquid silver swam in Marian’s irises, and her mouth twisted into a sickening smile I’d never seen on my crewmate’s face before.
“Hello, beautiful Sister,” she hissed, the sound spitty and distorted. Two slabs of muscle slipped from her mouth as she spoke.
Bile burned my throat.
I’d never heard Marian speak before. She hadn’t said a word after Oslo had rescued her from a tribute ship in Stynguard twenty-five years ago. The Sultiran soldiers had punished her and her husband for speaking out after he’d left the Order of the Death Scholars. My stomach flipped over itself as the evidence of her torture slipped through her mouth—the forked tongue of a snake, the university emblem, a mocking nod to the existence she left behind as a Life Scholar. My heart broke for her…
But this wasn’t Marian.
The múritinne ring on my finger seemed to sparkle in the presence of those silver eyes. I’d seen them once before, at Maadon, during our time with the Rhashtai. The Impostor. The Messenger god, who started this whole war thousands of years ago.
Sintarrak.
Before the Vael Lacrima had been opened, he’d simply been watching Lyvia. He’d been able to see through the eyes of others but not take over their minds. We’d known he’d returned when the gate opened. He’d gone after Olienna first. He’d tortured her mind before he’d destroyed it, and then, he’d disappeared.
If he’d taken over Marian’s body, did that mean he’d been in Sultira this entire time? And how had nobody noticed? My stomach lurched as my thoughts spun to Evony… To Ronan.Oh gods, were they okay?
Movement drew my eyes to where Queen Antares and Bayne crouched near me, and I frowned as I caught Antares slip her hand into Bayne’s. Her pale face was a mask of raw terror.
Bayne flinched. His lip curled as if caught off guard by the act, but he didn’t remove his hand from hers. A hot rage pouncedat the sight, and I reined in the urge to snarl. I pulled my attention back to the Embodied, and my stomach lurched.
Ganmira’s mouth opened in a silent scream, and the goddess’s strange skin began to shrivel, her limited flesh sinking into her long bones. Sintarrak stretched Marian’s lips over her teeth as he smiled, silver eyes flashing wildly in greed. Marian’s hands contorted over Ganmira’s shrinking cheeks. Her fingers ripped through the thinning skin as the goddess fell to her knees.
Sintarrak flung Marian’s face to the sky, and he let out an unholy cry as Ganmira’s strange body began to shake. A soft glow of…something… emanated from Marian’s body, and my mind raced. Sintarrak fathered the race of the Starlings… The demigods who stole some of the power from the Embodied, leading to the creation of the Bellators. And we’d learned now that they also had the ability to transfer power, as evidenced by Lord Astraeus’s Conduit abilities…
Oh my gods… He was transferring Ganmira’s power to himself.
I stole a quick look at Bayne, and my brother’s mouth had parted in horror. His green eyes were wide, and his brows pinched up. A terrifyingpoprippled through the clearing as Sintarrak directed Marian’s hands to snap the neck of the goddess. Ganmira’s shriveled body slipped silently to the mossy ground.
