Nothing.
Gods. V said there were very few barriers that could keep him from me.
“Is there a barrier around Hellveilious?”
“Multiple. One on the outside keeping us in, and one around these cells. That’s what’s keeping you from accessing your power right now.”
Damn it. That’s not the only thing it’s blocking.
“But if we get out of these cells, our power would return to us?”
“Yeah, that’s kind of the point.”
“Enough with the fucking—”
“Let me do the talking,” Yemi says as she grips my wrist.
I try to get my breathing and soul under control, but it’s nearly impossible as my fear and anger merge into one.
Yemi senses my shift and her fingers coil tighter around my wrist, but she keeps her eyes forward. “What’s your name?”
His attention darts between us as he pulls his shoulders back.
“Sevryn.”
He says it as though that’s supposed to mean something to us. Those bouncy little orbs in his skull continue to watch us, waiting for a reaction more than the scowl on my face and whatever that is Yemi has going on on hers.
Tentatively, almost as if he’s relieved we didn’t react, he relaxes the tense posture he’s had.
That’s pretty premature on his part.
“I’m Yemi and this is Thayla. She’s my—”
“Best friend, asshole, so you and your wandering eyes remember that,” I cut her off.
I’ll be damned if she tells him I’m her Attending God. I don’t know anything about these beings down here other than the horrid little snippet the guys told me. For all I know, they treat Attendants, if there are any here, far worse than they do in the Godsdawn.
Plus, he keeps looking at her like he simply can’t help it.
“I’d say it’s nice to meet you, Yemi, and…Thayla, but these are probably the worst possible circumstances to meet someone.”
“Yeah, we got that much. Can you tell us what Dimitri meant?”
His face grows dark as he glances over at our neighboring cell that’s oddly quiet, then back at her.
“The Judgment Rings are where and how you can earn your freedom back. You can live your sentencing out in the level of Hellveilious you’ve been sent to or come here and fight your way free. Seven wins and you’ll be released.”
I scoff. “What kind of judgment is that? And seven wins? That wouldn’t happen to have any damn thing to do with us having seven Beginning Gods now, would it?”
His lips tighten as he nods. “That’s exactly what it means. Dimitri won his sixth fight last week. Tonight, if he wins, he and two others of the six men fighting with him will be freed.”
“Wait, six others, so there are seven of them and three of us. Where are the other four for our team?” Yemi’s voice trembles and it’s my turn to grip her wrist.
He examines the gesture with a keen sense of fascination, then lifts his gaze at her sniffle.
“It’s just us. I always only get two teammates.”
“Why? Who are you?” The accusation in my voice cuts through the air like a sword.
