Page 223 of Children of Fallen Gods

They were new recruits. Young. Untrained. No rank to speak of. No family names to protect them. If war came, they would be the first to be thrown at the feet of the enemy. The first lambs to be sacrificed.

I closed my eyes.

“Fuck,” I muttered, beneath my breath.

“I know what it looks like when people trust their leader,” Tisaanah murmured. I almost laughed. Figured that it took less than an hour for my own words to be turned back on me.

“I’d rather not be one,” I said.

“If only we all got to be what we wished.”

I opened my eyes to see hers already picking me apart. In the silence between us, our fantasy disintegrated and floated into the night sky like dust. Neither of us had to acknowledge its departure. We both knew the dream was gone, replaced by duty.

It was nice while it lasted.

I sank down onto a street bench. “Then what, Tisaanah? What do we do with all of this? We either do Nura’s insane bidding or turn ourselves over to a Fey man we met five minutes ago. Are those our options?”

“If what Ishqa told us is true…”

“I don’t trust him.”

“He could bring back my magic. Or try.”

“If by that, you mean bring back a vengeful Reshayeandkill youandprobably turn you over to this omnipresent immortal threat looming over us, then likely yes. Sounds fantastic.”

Tisaanah rubbed her temples in a way that told me she’d had the same thoughts. “But I am useless without magic. No matter what we decide. And he did not seem like he was lying.”

A part of mewantedTisaanah to be useless, or at least useless to all the people who just wanted to use her for the power she carried. “Even if he’s not lying, there’s a world of difference between that and the real truth.”

A humorless smile flickered over her face, nearly a wince. “And a world of difference between one person’s truth and the right thing for everyone.”

I scoffed. Ascended, didn’t we know it. More than ever, now.

“Perhaps we could try to make things better from the inside,” she said, weakly. “Guide Nura. Control her worst impulses.”

The image of Nura’s face flashed through my mind. I had never seen her look quite like that. I had already lived the consequences of what she was capable of. The idea of her pushed to true desperation? Terrifying.

I shook my head. “No. Nura’s not an easily manipulated person. We couldn’t control her, not as long as she has all the power.”

A long pause.

“Perhaps we wouldn’t need to,” Tisaanah muttered.

“Hm?”

She didn’t answer. She rose. Paced slowly. She wouldn’t look at me.

My eyes narrowed. “Let me into that brain of yours, Tisaanah.”

“Perhaps we are making an assumption too soon.”

And only then did she turn to me. Her eyes were a little too wide, bright with an unmistakable sheen.

I knew immediately what that meant. A plan. Tisaanah did love a plan.

I braced myself. “And what would that be?” I asked.

“I will warn you,” she said, “you are going to want to say no.”

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