Page 87 of A Game of Monsters

Seraphine positioned her body in front of Rafaela, who stopped her with the sweep of a hand.

“You are right, Gyah,” Rafaela said, refusing to break eye contact with her. “In part, thisismy doing. And there will never be enough words to share just how sorry I am for the price paid for my deceptions, but I assure you, Iamon your side. I havealwaysbeen on your side. Everything I have done is to work against the Fallen.”

Rafaela hobbled a step forwards, wincing as the dirty material drew across the twin wounds on her back, where wings once were. She gazed over us, drinking in the weakness and grief.

“I think it is time you tell us everything,” I said, wanting nothing more than to stay in the arms of Duncan and Erix, but knowing that we didn’t have the luxury of time to waste. “And I mean everything, Rafaela.”

She bowed her head, unable to hold my gaze. “I intend to. But first we must ensure the ship stays on course for its destination.”

“What we need to do is turn back,” Gyah growled, the whites of her eyes now stained red.

“Not yet–”

“Cassial has Althea,” Gyah screamed, voice twisted with the creature inside of her. “I will not wait another moment before I skin the fucking flesh off his bones.”

“All in good time, Gyah,” Rafaela said, hands raised before her. “Althea is safe for as long as Cassial believes we have all made it to Irobel and faced the imprisonment he ensured for us. If he catches wind that we are alive, Althea will go from comfortable captive to a tool used to torture us. So, we must gather ourselves beforehand. We are in no state to go against an army of the Fallen. Cassial will face the judgement he deserves, just not yet.”

“I won’t wait…” Gyah bent over, clutching her chest as a wave of physical pain overcame her. Erix released me and moved for her, offering his body as a pillar to lean on. No one spoke until Gyah had the energy to finish her sentence. “I must save her.”

Rafaela took a careful step forwards, a soft hand lying upon Gyah’s back. “I promise, Gyah, you will. But only when we are ready. Cassial is currently the host of Duwar, stand in his way, and he will ruin you before you get the chance to act. It is imperative that we first recoup, gather our numbers and return when we have the strength to go against him.”

“We are alone in this fight,” I reminded her. “The humans hate us. The fey are scattered, and the Nephilim were never on our side–”

Rafaela snapped her eyes to me, the seriousness in them had the power to silence me. “Not all of the Nephilim believed in Cassial’s plans. The Fallen have ruled long enough. I didn’t believe in him, nor did Gabrial. But there are plenty more who have gone against the Creator, just as I once told you. And it is those souls who will help us.”

“Who?” I spat.

“The Faithful,” Rafaela answered. “My sisters and brothers, a slumbering army that we will rally together. But for that, wemustreach Irobel. Either we turn back now weak and broken, or return with a power that even Cassial will struggle against.”

Fallen. Faithful. Titles that were new to me and made little sense.

“Why should we trust you?” Erix asked the question we were all likely thinking. “Continuing to Irobel is what Cassial wanted. The land of the Nephilim – home toourenemy.”

“There is much I need to explain,” Rafaela said. “A web of lies and betrayal that must be untangled if we are to hope to put a stop to Cassial’s regime. But for that, you must understand the truth. Starting withDuwar.”

“The demon-god,” I said, looking at Duncan, who had been uncomfortably quiet this entire time. Although his eyes had never left me, his hand never straying far from me. It shocked me when it was Duncan who replied on Rafaela’s behalf.

“Duwar is not a god, nor is it a demon,” Duncan rasped, voice monotone, so weak the winds almost caught it from his lips and snatched it away. I had heard him, we all had, as clear as day.

His forest eyes fixed to mine, a deep-rooting regret lingering behind them.

“Duncan is right,” Rafaela said.

Discomfort bubbled up through me. “Are you saying this to make me feel a type of way about refusing to believe it?”

“No, darling,” Duncan started, but broke into a barrage of coughs.

Rafaela continued for him. “You are not to blame for your disbelief, Robin. We have manipulated your perspective of Duwar to think it was evil, to see it for what we wanted you to see it. That is only somethingIcan take responsibility for.”

I faced Duncan, drinking in his face, his body – aware just how weak he looked because of my treatment of him. “Is this true? I don’t understand.”

He lifted a shaking hand and traced his fingers down the side of my face. There was so much he wanted to say, weeks’ worth of unspoken words. “Yes. Duwar is corrupted, but to no fault of their own. Years of solitude in that realm broke it, twisted it… but at the root… Duwar is power.”

“I am power,” I said, drawing on the words that had played over in my mind since Duwar had said them using Duncan’s mouth.

Duncan blinked, and I found myself missing those eyes with fever. “Duwar is a source to be drawn upon. A power that Altar and the Creator warred over, tricked for, played a game to harness and control.”

I shook my head, dragging up the reasons why Duncan was wrong. “But I saw Duwar. Their reflection. Duwar is a demon, and it used you to–”

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