Page 1 of Tangled Power
PROLOGUE
500 years ago
Arie’s pace quickened.A loud rattling sound interrupted his casual walk into the grand entry hall of the temple at the top of Mount Bury. He broke into a jog, hastening to the open circular room with the four gods’ altars when the noise grew louder. He was early to meet Zrak and hadn’t expected to encounter anyone else. Arie paused to survey the room he entered. Offering plates before four statues decorated its interior, one set at each cardinal point. The path he’d come down placed him at an ordinal point. Above, the open sky decorated the roofless temple, designed to make the worshiper feel withdrawn from the continent. Nothing seemed out of place.
Arie was always impressed with the offerings here. The mountain trail was a challenge. He always flew. He couldn’t picture the human—or now, fae—that could endure the hike to the top. His gaze caught on an opening in the floor in the center of the room. Tilting his head, he walked toward the unexpected hole and looked down. A gilded, spiral staircase unfolded below him into the heart of the mountain.
This must have been the source of the noise. How had it opened? Down, down, down it circled. He couldn’t make out what lay at the bottom. Arie spun on the spot, searching again to see if anyone else was in the room. This stairway hadn’t been here previously, and as one of the gods honored here, he considered himself an expert on the temple. Confirming he was alone, he shrugged and began his descent.
Each step took him deeper into the mountain. His pace slowed as he realized this was no quick walk. Whatever lay below was still out of sight. Meaning he would be going down these stairs for a long time. Suddenly remembering he was a shapeshifting god, Arie transformed into a large, black bird and glided toward the bottom.
Ever since the Flood, the disaster that overtook the continent the last time the gods sought selfish gain over protecting those under their care, Mount Bury had boasted more wild magic than most. He wasn’t sure what it meant, but his feathers tingled as he got closer to the floor of the cavern. Finally, the shape of a figure in the middle of the open room came into view.
Zrak was directing his wind to shape a cavern rock into a table. Arie’s eyes lit up as Zrak repeated the process twice more and then placed a small glass vial on each of the three tables he’d created. Arie’s gaze locked on the table in the center. The vial called to him. Intrigued by what Zrak was up to, Arie prepared to make himself known.
“About time you showed up,” Zrak said without turning to look at the bird.
Arie shifted into his human form, and the wild magic hit him harder, his skin aflame as if his fire magic had been set free to dance beneath it. “What are you doing down here? What is this place?” Arie asked.
“I’m glad you followed me. This is why I asked to meet—what I wanted to show you.” He turned and gave Arie a pointed look,his face cast in shadow. “You will need to know about this when I’m gone.”
Arie sucked in a breath. He still hoped to find a way to stop Zrak from going through with the sacrifice. They could find another way to maintain the balance.
“There is no other way,” Zrak said, answering Arie’s unspoken question. “Wipe that sad look off your face. We all agreed, and I intend to go through with it.”
Massaging his temples, Arie buried his objections and gestured to Zrak. “By all means then, please tell me what I’m looking at and why we’ll need it.”
Zrak’s lips quirked up at the corner, trying to hold back a smile. “That’s more like it,” he replied flatly.
How dare he take this so lightly? How dare he be so cavalier about removing himself from the continent? Arie wanted to shake him. Fire danced under Arie’s skin again as the wild magic amplified his power, inflaming his rising anger. “What is this place?”
“I can see the wild magic is already having its way with your fluctuating emotions.” Zrak’s gaze raked over Arie as he tried to shake off the magic.
“Is it not affecting you?”
“It seems to choose only one power at a time,” Zrak said, his hands resting on his hips.
Arie shook his head. It was so typical. Zrak always had to know how things worked. “You’re trying to distract me,” Arie replied, balling his hands into fists.
Zrak stepped forward, a sliver of light in the cavern falling across his face. He looked his age—which wasn’t a compliment to an immortal god. His usually vibrant skin seemed dull, and the laugh lines around his eyes and mouth were downturned. He was still breathtaking. Not even a bad day could ruin Zrak’s otherworldly beauty. It was a small comfort to Arie. No matterthe front Zrak put on, this decision, this direction from Aurora’s compass, was clearly wearing on him.
He raised his hands in a gesture of peace. “I didn’t mean to. I’ve found wild magic in a few places across the continent, and I’m simply intrigued by it.” He paused, remembering what Arie asked him. “But to your question—yes—I believe in our plan.” He gestured to the tables behind him. “I also believe in contingency plans.”
Arie couldn’t hide his smirk. Of course he did. Zrak had more plans and backup plans than a fire had embers. “And what, may I ask, is this particular plan we’re working on?” Arie stepped forward to inspect the center vial—the one that called to him.
“Be careful with that,” Zrak chided. “Each contains a remnant of yours, Aurora’s, and Aterra’s magic.”
Arie wrapped his fingers around the glass tighter as he felt the essence of his magic within. He held it to the light and saw flame dancing within. Anger bubbled inside him. He wanted to smash it. “You took some of our magic when we created the fae courts?” Arie asked.
“I siphoned a tiny amount for this trial,” Zrak said offhandedly as he gestured to the tabletops before him.
Arie wanted to scream or laugh at how casually Zrak had violated their trust during the Creation. He let out a long breath. His trust in Zrak was absolute. Though the others would likely not agree. “And what is this trial? What is it for?” Arie set the vial back down.
“It’s for when things go wrong.”
Well, that was reassuring. “Are you expecting things to go wrong?” Arie asked.
“We already failed once, and look where that got us.” Zrak gestured around them. The cavern, this meeting, and Zrak’s appearance were all reminders of the cost of their failure. Zrak would pay the price for their selfishness. “This time,” hecontinued, “we must plan for everything, even if we don’t want to look too closely at what events would lead to certain paths.”
