I give her a deadpan stare.
Slowly, but surely, with a trembling hand, she takes the sword.
“I…” I trail off, straightening my shoulders. “I am not him. I’ll never be him.”
She and Gladian focus on me. Her shoulders drop a fraction.
“I know. It just took me by surprise.”
Yeah, same, my first time.
At least she didn’t get any in her damn mouth.
“We’ll be back,” I say, nodding for Sevryn, Yemi, Doren, and Iric to follow me.
I have no doubt the two of them will be able to handle any of the Dark Gods left. Regardless, we can’t leave them out here long, and I need to find my men.
The double doors fly open as I bash my foot right in the middle where they connect.
Our footsteps echo around the otherwise silent house, and I run toward the hall we took on our little tour.
All of us slam to a stop as we round the corner and three Attendants shriek in fear.
“Whoa, hey, hey. We aren’t going to hurt you,” I say, lowering my sword and holding my other palm out.
“Sterling,” Iric calls, pushing his way forward. He too holds his palms out. One of the females jerks her attention to him.
“I-Iric. What are you doing here?”
“It’s a long story, but we’re here to free the sons.”
Her face pales and all three of them clam up.
“Where are the rest of the Attendants? And are there any Dark Gods in the house?” I ask low.
“N-no guards inside. The Attendants are…in the kitchen or their chamber,” one of them stutters.
“Okay, go round them all up and get ready to leave. None of you are staying here.”
“What?” Iric asks, whipping around to me.
I don’t answer him. I focus on Nero.
“Ellian’s changed the rules that Attendants in the Godsdawn can’t and won’t be assigned to gods in Valveilious. So what exactly are the rules about Attendants already here?”
“We weren’t assigned,” another girl says, gaining all our attention. “The High Chancellor gathered the Attendants together some years ago now, and the Goddess walked around and hand-picked us. There was no formal assignment. She starshoot us from there and we…”
“Could never leave,” I whisper.
She nods.
“If that’s the case, and they have no formal assignment, they’re technically allowed to leave whenever. I suppose in this case, whenever the opportunity arises,” Nero says.
I focus back on the three of them.
“This is your opportunity then. Gather all the Attendants who want to leave and get them ready to go. We don’t have much time. Yemi, you and your Valtrue go with them. If one of you wouldn’t mind, will you tell me the quickest way to get to the room the guys are being held in?”
Sterling, the girl Iric recognized, steps forward. “I’ll escort you, then head back to the kitchens.”
