Page 13 of Tangled Power
“No, I’ve only seen villages suffering its aftermath.”
“And has any of the lingering mist…felt familiar?” Rose asked.
“Just say what you mean,” Juliette said, sipping her drink. It was clear she knew she wouldn’t like hearing whatever Rose was about to say.
“Well, we believe my magic-infused blades work against the mist plague because I inadvertently infuse my weapons with my wind magic. The mist seems unwilling or unable to hurt its own.” Rose looked meaningfully at Juliette. “In this case, its own is strong wind magic. We believe that the mist plague is sent by the Lost God, Zrak, and he’s been trying to tell the Compass Points that Aterra is interfering with the balance that he sacrificed himself to preserve.”
Juliette’s hand tightened on her drink, the glass shattering. The brown liquid seeped across the table. She stared openly at the bird on Luc’s shoulder as if she wouldn’t believe Rose’s claim without a second opinion.
Carter’s mouth opened and closed a few times. No words came out.
Arie’s beak dipped in assent.
“How?” Juliette asked through clenched teeth. Her hand went to a necklace chain that disappeared beneath her dress.
“We’re not sure,” Rose said.
Carter finally found his voice. “If he’s warning us of Aterra, why is he leaving the Suden worshipping villages alone?”
Juliette seemed to regain a modicum of control. “I thought that was simply a rumor because everyone feared the Suden Point.” She gestured to Luc. “Is it really true?”
Rose shrugged. “We don’t really know. Luc and I were looking at a map of taken villages, and honestly, it seems like the mist started further north where there happen to be no Aterra-worshipping villages.”
Juliette looked thoughtful. “But the first village taken all those years ago was in the northeast?”
What was Juliette thinking? “Yes.” Rose nodded slowly. “That’s what the Suden records indicate. What about it?”
“Nothing,” Juliette said, pulling herself out of whatever thought process she was in. “I think to get the real answer about which villages the mist is attacking and why, we’d need to ask the Lost God himself.”
Rose wanted to ask if such a thing were possible. The Osten Point had said at the Solstice Ball that she still worshiped the Lost God. What did that look like? It seemed too personal a question to ask in this setting. Tucking the topic away for later, she said, “I think we should focus on how to stop it.”
“And how do you think we do that?” Carter asked.
“We do what the Compass Points were created to do—keep the gods’ power in check. We don’t know everything he’s done, but we know Aterra is out of line. We need to balance the scales.” She gestured around the table to emphasize she meant everyone in the room. “We need to go after Aterra. We need to ensure his meddling on the continent is done.” Rose looked around the room, a little nervous to ask her next question. “Does anyone know how exactly we stop a god?”
Carter’s gaze fell to Arie before responding, as if deferring to the god to answer. Arie remained silent. “I’m not sure it’s ever been tested,” Carter said. “We’ve not had this type of situation since before the Covenant was established.”
“I was told that our magic would know what to do once we were aware of the situation.” Juliette gestured casually. “But as Carter says, none of our predecessors have had to test it.”
This wasn’t promising, but there was really no choice to be had. “Well, we have to go after Aterra and Aiden and see what our magic can do together as we track them.”
Carter interjected quietly. “Isn’t this no longer a breach of the Covenant by nature of Aiden no longer being Norden Point? Aterra is no longer breaking the Covenant if he’s not interfering with a Compass Point.”
“It’s a good line of thinking,” Luc said. Carter flinched away from his voice, even as it issued a compliment. “Unfortunately, there is more to the story than just the Compass Point interference and the mist plague.”
“Of course there is,” Juliette said. She leaned forward, her elbows on the edge of the table, her head resting atop her intertwined hands. One could mistake her for serene if they had missed her blatant display of rage moments before.
“Yes, I don’t think we fully understand what Aterra has done to disrupt the balance. We know he’s been recklessly pursuing the growth of his own power for longer than the mist plague has existed. Inhabiting Aiden is not his only sin here. He is also holding Aurora hostage.”
Juliette couldn’t hold in a deep chuckle. “I’d call you both liars”—she glanced between Luc and Rose again—“but the things you’re saying are too ludicrous even to make up.”
“I’m not sure this is funny,” Carter replied.
“No. It is not,” Juliette said, getting up to get another drink after using her wind to effortlessly sweep the glass from her last one into a neat pile on the table. “How do we pursue this rogue god, then?”
Rose pulled Aurora’s compass from beneath her tunic. “This will lead us to what I want most on the continent. I want to stop Aterra more than anything. We can follow it to him.”
Juliette stretched her neck, like this might be one revelation too many for the day. “So, let’s go through what you need us to do,” Juliette said, focusing on action. “We need to find Aiden and Aterra.” She gestured with a wave of her hand as she crossed the room. “We must stop a god from further inhabiting a fae’s body. Setting aside, we don’t know how often he inhabits Aiden or what we would do with Aterra once he’s separated…” She lifted the bottle of golden-brown liquid as she continued. “Then, we must determine what else Aterra has done in his quest for power, which at least includes freeing a goddess who has somehow been imprisoned.” She glanced at Rose as she poured a little more of the liquid into a new glass. “And finally, we have to convince the Lost God, Zrak—who’s been missing for five hundred years—that we corrected the mistakes he’s angry about, we’ve maintained the balance, and he can leave the continent alone and return to being lost?” She moved the glass to her lips and asked, “Did I sum that up correctly?”
