What could kill a god? Certainly no demon Jacen had ever encountered in over twenty years as an exorcist.
Most extradimensional invaders were mere pests. Some, when joined with a host, granted power. But Jacen had observed a number of those himself, and none should have posed a danger to something thatcould not die.And if the gods could die—if that critical tenet of his faith was an outright falsehood—there was no stopping those already-leaky floodgates from bursting.
He vomited again. A shiver wracked his body, whether from guilt or withdrawal or existential panic, he could not say. His head hurt. Gods, but he needed to drink.
He stared at the rancid contents of the vase. What a nuisance that he’d lost the only mouthful of liquor he’d gotten his hands on tonight. What afuckingnuisance. Had he been left alone much longer, he worried he might have tried to drink his own sick.
Light, uneven footsteps registered at the fringes of Jacen’s hearing. He hadn’t sensed a presence. Unnerved, he looked up to see Neri Semira emerge from behind a column into a pool of cold yellow light. His arms were clamped around a large black cat with a crumpled ear. The beast appeared more or less resigned to its predicament.
Jacen pinched the bridge of his nose and said, “You have to be more careful. Very few people can sneak up on a telepath like that.”
“You weren’t exactly paying attention,” Neri retorted. With no small amount of alarm, he added, “Are you all right?”
“What are you doing awake?” Jacen asked.
“I was looking for my cat. I heard . . . noises.” Neri’s voice was very small. “What happened to the man who came in with you?”
Children grew up fast in Zivora, especially if one had a man like Ged Semira for a father. Especially with senses as sharp as Neri’s. Still, Jacen could not bring himself to reply.
“He’s dead,” said Neri. “Isn’t he?” Jacen nodded several times. “Yes.” “Why?”
Something about the quiet and the predawn darkness, perfusing the hall like a heavy fog, drove Jacen to answer more honestly than he otherwise might have.
“I don’t know.”
Neri’s black eyes narrowed. He started to speak.
Just then, the audience chamber doors banged open, echoing from down the hall and drowning Neri out. A large figure stormed toward them.
All the outrage vanished from Neri’s face as his father approached. He shrank behind Jacen and clutched the cat tighter against his chest. Ged stopped before them, radiating undisguised fury.
“I was just leaving,” Jacen said.
Paying them no mind, Ged punched the palestone wall. His fist came away bloody, leaving a red smear on the rock. He only grunted and ordered, “Stay where you are.”
Though the Semira family were little more than figureheads for the Church, this meant nothing for a low-ranked priest. Akkani could have told Ged to go bother someone else, but not Jacen. Not anymore.
He schooled his expression into respectful neutrality. “Of course, my lord.”
Ged’s glare lingered on Neri. “What are you doing out of bed? I won’t have you dozing off through another training session tomorrow.” The boy was frozen. He stammered something unintelligible. The cat squirmed in his arms until he released it. Jacen did not miss the way Neri moved then, forming a barrier between Ged and the animal as it darted away.
“Speak up,” Ged snapped.
“It was my fault,” Jacen said hurriedly. “I . . . caused a disturbance.
He came out to check on me.”
Ged stared at Jacen, unimpressed. He made a cutting gesture at Neri, as if to swat a fly. “Get out of here. And don’t let me see that insufferable creature again.”
Neri scurried off after the cat at a pace that was half-limp, half-run. Ged watched him disappear through narrowed eyes, then said, “You and I both know what we saw in there.”
With a fresh surge of nausea, Jacen recalled the way Ged had looked at the skull, face lit with something like religious fervor.
“My brother speaks highly of you,” Ged said. “He considers you trustworthy.”
Jacen struggled to keep his face neutral. That came as a surprise, considering his last conversation with Seth.
Ged glanced over his shoulder. “Are we alone?”
