Page 45 of Courting War
Medusa could’ve played defensively and extended the game longer, but she knew she’d lost. So she placed her following three stones, giving him victory. But as Medusa made her last move, gooseflesh rose on Theo’s arms, and Dahlia squawked.
Something was off . . . but she sensed it too late.
Turning around, she saw Cecile and her russet-skinned priest entering the room with a panther-sized Bella at their side. “Nooooo,” Theo called out, but it was in vain.
Cecile pushed her priest down, successfully blocking his view of the gorgon, but Cecile’s eyes locked directly onto the monster’s. Theo sucked in a breath, and her heart tripped. Every muscle in her body grew taut as she waited for the stone to climb Cecile’s form. When Cecile turned, there was nothing Theo could do to help.
But Cecile didn’t turn. Nothing happened, yet her eyes remained fixed on Medusa.
“What are you?” Theo whispered so quietly only the immortal in the room could hear, but Cecile’s eyes flickered to the Goddess of War in human flesh, raising her eyebrows as if askingWhat do you mean?
Super senses and immunity to curses weren’t gifts given to Godmarked, which meant the Goddess of Destruction had been right; there was something off about Cecile. Something almost inhuman.
“How?” Cecile breathed; her ocean-blue eyes locked on the gorgon.
Medusa smiled like an asp. “I do not affect you, child.”
The Andromedan priest started to stir on the ground. “You need to blindfold him,” Theo called before turning on her champion, “And you need to place your last stone and win.”
“But—” his voice shook.
“Your friends are fine.” Theo climbed a rung and placed a hand on his bicep. “They’re fine, I promise.”
His arm tensed against her fingers, but he did as told, ending the game.
“Wonderful work!” Medusa clapped her hands once. “You have successfully lived and completed the first challenge. Stay or go. It’s your choice.”
At these words, a mirror portal twisted and formed from the branches clinging to the walls and the snakes lining the floor. The exit.
Theo made to move, but her honor kept her rooted. She vowed to watch after Cecile. She couldn’t abandon her Marked here.
Cecile must have finished her first challenge quickly and moved on to her second way ahead of schedule. There were only five challenges to do in seven days but some of the challenges could take days to complete or recover from.
“It is time for you, Cecile Declare, to face the wall.” Medusa stroked the viper curling around her arm. “Place four stones in a row and win this challenge.”
Cecile and Emmett showed perfect teamwork. Blindfolded, Emmett hauled the stones, and placed them while Cecile called out the board. She wasn’t nearly as talented or quick as the Theoden boy, but she managed to win easily. Meanwhile, Bella sat at Theo’s feet and received long luxurious pets. Theo was wretched, but she loved animals.
When it was all said and done, together, the four exited the mirror and entered an even more dangerous game—the Tribunal, facing the gods and their festivities.
Chapter Fifteen
KELLYN
Champion of Theoden
VOLCANIC PALACE, CITY OF THE GODS
“Kellyn Ellis, champion of Theoden, you have survived your first challenge.” Nefeli’s words wreathed through the air like coils of smoke. “And now you will face the panel of gods.”
Anxiety clawed through the grand ballroom, and earth sprites emerged, feeding on it.
Kellyn faced nine thrones—one mockingly empty—and Morrigan stood at his right like a general commanding a battle. Emmett and Cecile were to the side awaiting their tribunal. They finished second so they’d go second—even though they’d made it through two challenges.
The gods glittered with grandeur as they sat in their thrones. Everything from their hair to their clothing pulsated with magic. It was fearsome to behold, and Kellyn’s fingers tensed. He had no carving tools, so he couldn’t keep his hands busy. His veins throbbed, anticipation dancing through his blood as he prepared to face judgment. His performance in the first challenge was mixed at best. He’d nearly died—he would’ve if it weren’t for Morrigan.
A dishonorable death, too.
“The boy is nearly useless like all the Theoden champions who’ve come before him,” the God of Fire said, ash flaking from his flesh, and his dim gray hair dancing on a phantom wind. A song of joy sculpting his features. A joy that churned Kellyn’s stomach, tying unbreakable knots into the lining. “Medusa easily felled him, and the girl,” he waved at Morrigan dismissively, “was forced to save him with a vile kiss. I vote that we give him a nearly impossible riddle.”
