Page 107 of The Bones of the Cursed

Elion’s scream of agony rips my heart out.

The enemy converges on them again, Malakai doing his best to fight off not only a handful of ghouls but also a few possessed human soldiers. I throw my powers out, taking out as many as possible, but am thrown backwards when Orion tackles me from the side. I slam my elbow into his head and scramble to my feet, sword drawn.

“I love you,” I say through the bond, and then focus on killing this bastard.

He slashes out, his sword barely missing me. I focus on myemotions, letting them boil over. I shoot out a dagger of ice, slicing Orion across the face.

“You’re going to regret that,” he growls, coming at me with all his Fae strength. I dodge just in time, but he still manages to slice across my arm.

“Alanis, please tell me you’re all right.”

Malakai’s voice is desperate. I quickly put him at ease. I need him focused on his fight. Fire is still my weakest power, so I try for water. I tap into every feeling and throw a ball of water at Orion, just as I did with my grandmother. He fights against it, his brute strength making it hard to hold.

The sounds outside grow louder. Flames erupt on the battlefield. Perhaps my grandmother has arrived. And seconds later, a horn blares in the distance, announcing the arrival of the king himself with his inner circle of soldiers that he personally trained when he first took over the throne.

I try to harness my ice, attempting to freeze Orion, but all that manages to do is take my focus off my water and my power sputters out.

Orion drops to his hands and knees, vomiting up water. I won’t give him time to gather himself, so I raise my blade.

“Did you ever question why Elion became so interested in your prophecy?” He gives me a twisted smile. He knows I have him trapped. He’s just trying to buy time.

But damn it, I pause anyway.

“No one would suspect the quiet human. Iclas knew what he was doing. The minute he knew you entered this realm, he placed his second agent into your life so seamlessly. It would have worked out much easier if you hadn’t gone to his house that day, but oh well. Here we are.”

My brain races. A second traitor. One I never would have assumed.

“Levi.”

His teeth are coated in blood. “Levi just had to make Elion question those little tugs, and Elion did the rest. Found exactly what Iclas was looking for. Then we just needed him to remain hidden, so the ghouls took him as well, just to be safe. And now he knows all your plans. Your inner workings…” He breaks off, laughing.

“Levi is a traitor,” I say to Malakai. “He is working against us.”

“Why?” I ask Orion. “Why would Levi help Iclas?”

Orion smiles. “He’s his son, of course. Iclas had me bring him a lovely little treat from a brothel. I thought he just wanted some fresh blood instead of the stored shit he had. Turns out he had another need to satisfy first. He used her for months, and then found out she was pregnant. Keep in mind, he also had Paliri at the time. Iclas always did have quite the appetite. Selfish, too.”

I feel sick. I don’t have much longer before his strength returns. I have to end it now.

Gods forgive me.

I slash clean through his throat. His blood sprays across the room, bathing the white stone in crimson. He drops, eyes vacant, his face forever etched in a sinister smile.

A golden light flares behind me. Viros casually walks up the stone steps of the temple, splattered with blood but uninjured. My spell is apparently unable to keep a God out.

Seconds later, a black glow emanates from the far wall of the temple. Two figures emerge, their presence instantly cooling the space around us.

Hell has arrived.

“What is the meaning of this?” screeches Caselia, Goddess of Law and Life.

The dark figure now leaning against the back wall flicks his sharp nails, looking bored with the entire scene before him. “It seems as if this human has summoned us. How very brave tobring us all together like this. How very stupid, too.”

I tilt my chin up. “I am the child they talked about in the prophecy. My mother was Odessa Grim, my father is one of you. My blood is the only way this curse shall end. The only way to end Iclas. You cursed those who were breaking the ethics and laws of your land, but Iclas forged a deal with hell. He never died; his army is fighting ours as we speak. He has sacrificed, kidnapped, tortured, and possessed countless creatures—Fae, Elves, Witches, and human alike. But you knew that already. What you don’t know is he is playing God, and gaining more power as we speak.”

They continue to stare at me, but I turn my attention to the two who wear all black. The God of Hell and Shadow stands taller than even Malakai or Kailu, his ebony hair slicked back, his jawline sharp. His eyes a ruby red that seem to track my every move. The Goddess of Vengeance and Death has her lips pursed. Her soft, heart-shaped face makes her seem softer than she truly is. Her eyes are the color of charcoal and make her look almost catlike as she squints at me. Her hair is black, but when the light hits it just right, it could almost be dark blue. “You all love chaos and corruption, but I’m sure you didn’t account for Iclas gaining so much that he could beat you. He wants it all. Before long he will try to take you on. There’s no other way. He wants free reign. He no longer wants to be bound by anything. He believes he can obtain everything he’s ever wanted by joining with me and then drinking my blood, but that’s not going to fully free him, is it?”

Ryta scoffs. “He stands no chance against us.”

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