Page 189 of The Wishing Game

Now it makes sense why Ze was so condescending or why he never stopped using the termhumanin such a derogatory manner. For him, I'm an ant—if that. But though this sheds some more light on his personality, it doesn't excuse what he's done or how he's behaved with me, or Thea.

He crossed a line, and for that, I can't bring myself to forgive him.

The line moves at an insane pace, and soon, we are almost in front of the portal. I shake myself from my Ze-ridden thoughts and try to put it all behind me—though it's easier said than done. Even when I should be watching for the competition and cataloging those who are left in the game, my thoughts always go back to my disappointment toward Ze.

"Do you think there are other deities participating?" I ask Thea.

"Hmm, who knows. The only way they can sense if a deity participates in the game is by their power signature. You see, to qualify as a deity, your abilities need to be at a certain level. It's why you undertake a series of exams that track your power signature until it's within the acceptable parameters for a deity. The game tracks god power signatures. It's why Cer and Ze were so careful with their abilities so they wouldn't trigger the game security mechanisms."

I mull over her words.

"But what if someone is as strong as a god but is not actually a god?"

I remember Ze telling me that although gods are forbidden from entering, others descended from deities or hybrids are not.

"That is reflected in the power signature. There is a level, but there is also atypeof power that denotes whether someone is a god or not. The first thing that triggers the game is the level. If it's high, they look into the type of power used to determine if it belongs to a deity or not."

"And what happens if a deity is caught participating?"

She purses her lips.

"They're sent before the Supremes, who decide on a fitting punishment. The few times it's happened before, those deities barely got away with their lives."

I nod thoughtfully.

"I didn't realize it was this dangerous for you."

"I could get away through the loophole—technically." She forces a smile.

"It was Ze, wasn't it?" I ask softly. "The one who made you vow."

She purses her lips, yet her lack of answer is answer enough.

"I'm sorry. I cannot speak of it. I've already said more than I should have."

"It's fine," I assure her. "I do have one question, though."

She nods, urging me to speak.

"Do you know any god who would mark a human?" I say as I tug on my neckline so some of my marks are visible. She's seen them before, though, so she knows what I mean.

"No." She shakes her head. "Gods don't concern themselves with humans. They rarely leave Aperion. Why do you think a god had something to do with that?"

"Ze tried to heal them for me, but he couldn't."

She frowns, touching her chin with her forefinger as she thinks.

"You can ask my parents. They should know more. I am a youngling compared to them—and everyone else." She chuckles.

Our conversation is cut short as someone purposefully bumps into Thea, making her stumble forward and almost fall to the floor. I grab onto her, helping her balance on her feet.

"Oh, I'm sorry. Did I hurt you?" a fake voice calls from behind, followed by a crowd of laughter.

I look back and see a group of guys leering at us.

Thea's lips twitch with annoyance as she releases a loud huff.

"Don't mind them," she whispers. "It's not the time to get into a fight."

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