Page 26 of Lost and Stolen Gods
His long, dark hair rippled in a breeze that seemed only to favor him as he surveyed us with storm-gray eyes. He had the sharp knife-edge features of someone whose bite would sting as much as his bark, and right now, he was pissed.
“You have no idea how privileged you are, and that is theonlyreason I will forgive your insolence,” he said. “But after orientation begins tomorrow, any insubordination or speaking out of turn will be severely punished. Am I clear?”
Who the fuck was this guy in his body-hugging black armor, and were those sword hilts poking up over his shoulders?
Silence continued. No one in my party even breathed too loudly because this guy had presence, the kind that demanded respect. His gaze skimmed over us, and one by one each person dropped their gaze. When it got to me, I understood why. There was power in his regard, a domination that demanded that I submit, but I fought the silent command, locking the muscles in my neck and fighting the urge to blink until my eyes threatened to water. The corner of his mouth lifted, and he released me from his regard, moving on to the next person in the line-up.
My shoulders sagged, and the conviction that I’d passed some hidden test bloomed within me, whichwas stupid because all the winged guy had done was look at me and allI’ddone was stare back. But still…
Someone started crying, and a quick look confirmed it was the same woman from earlier. Her terror was blatant, open, and unfettered, something I was sure we were all feeling, although most of us hid it well, and the root of it all was uncertainty and half answers.
Maybe I could help assuage that if the winged dude obliged.
I took a breath and slowly raised my hand.
The winged guy’s gaze snapped back to me. He arched a perfect dark brow. “Yes?”
I cleared my throat, nerves threatening to steal my voice. “I have a question, if you please.”
“Go on.”
Now that I had the floor, I wasn’t sure where to start. Survival? That was as good a place as any. “Araz said we were demigods brought here to be cannon fodder for a war. Is that true?”
His body dipped in the air a little, and his wings beat deeply, once, to lift him back up before continuing their regular paced rhythm.
His lips tightened. “Youaredemigods, but I can assure you that you arenotcannon fodder no matter what thedrohisays.”
Drohi? Was that what kind of creature Araz was? It was one of a long list of questions I could wait to have answered, but there was one that couldn’t wait, one Ineeded the answer to now. “If we’re demigods, will we be given powers?”
He canted his head in a jerky manner, reminding me of a bird of prey. “Do you want power? Do you thirst for it?”
It felt like a trick question, but all I could do was answer honestly. “If Ithirstfor anything, then it’s revenge, and if power can help me achieve it, then the answer is yes.”
“Revenge?” His dark brows dropped low over his eyes. “On us, for taking you from your home?”
“No.” I swallowed the lump of emotion in my throat. “On the shadow monster that killed my grandmother.”
Someone gasped, and then everyone began talking at once, concern for their loved ones rippling over the crowd.
“Silence!” The winged guy’s command echoed around us, and the cacophony stopped. “Describe this shadow monster,” he asked me.
“Huge, shadowy, red eyes and…teeth. Lots of teeth. It attacked us in our home and…” My throat tightened, forcing me to take a beat before continuing. “It ate my grandmother.”
Several gasps chased my words, but I kept my attention on the winged man, on assessing his reaction. His gaze flicked to Umbra, whose eyes had gone wide.
He knew what it was. They both did.
“What was it? Tell me.”
“Did you send shadow monsters after our families too?” one of Lomis’s demigods demanded.
“No one sent any creature after your families,” Umbra replied, her attention on me. “What you describe sounds like a pishacha. A creature that feeds on flesh and uses the souls of its victims like a battery. The pishacha work for the same force as the revenants you encountered on your journey here.” She shifted her attention to the winged guy. “It would explain our small haul. It seems that the devouring force has a new plan in place to whittle our numbers before we can claim them.”
My stomach dropped as I put the pieces together. If the pishacha were coming after demigods, then there was only one way to find them: by using the mark. And if it was attracted to the mark like the reapers, then anyone with the mark would be in danger.
Priti let out a whimper, her hand going to her mouth as she came to the same conclusion.
Dharma put an arm around her sister. “Are you saying that anyone with a mark is in danger from these creatures?” Dharma looked from the winged guy to Umbra, inviting either of them to respond.
