Page 4 of Left Hand of the Divine
Atticus stepped closer and sent his orb of light floating high above us. “Lupus?”
I was still a little impressed he had magic, and I was bursting with questions about what else he could do.
Thane glanced down at Atticus, a frown pulling his sandy brows low over his eyes. “It means the wolf.”
A low growl echoed in the surrounding darkness.
I swirled around to peer into the void behind us. “That doesn’t sound good.”
“I’d have to agree,” Thane mused. “Everyone be on your guard.”
“Rafe, Rayne. Hound form, now,” I ordered as I pulled my Reaper form to the surface. My skin peeled from my bones, and my clothes transformed into the traditional Reaper cloak, a cool ripple cascading over me. My death magic burst to life in my veins, and power surged into my scythe.
Another growl reverberated in the space around us, closer this time.
And there was definitely more than one creature making the growl.
My Hellhounds stood in front of us, their canine heads standing at the same height as mine with menacing snarls that displayed lethal-looking fangs. A spark of fire had my head turning towards Thane as he summoned his own Reaper form. A creature pulled straight from a nightmare, he stood nine feet tall with a crown of fire above his skeletal head and flames licking at his feet. Imagine dying and havingthatbe the first thing you saw. A shiver ran up my spine as I took him in all his hellish glory. But it wasn’t a shiver of fear, more like one of anticipation.
“Figure the door out, Roux. We will hold them back.” His bottomless eyes met mine, and his voice was nothing more than a guttural rasp.
“Okay,” I replied with a nod as I caught the first glimpse of the wolves.
They weren’t just any wolves. They were Lycaon. Men cursed to be wolves by Zeus himself. They were massive, hulking beasts with white fur and eyes that had no pupils or irises. They were just milky white orbs set in a vicious slant.
“Fuck,” Magnus hissed as his nails lengthened into wickedly sharp talons. He took up a spot between the twins and braced for impact. The three Lycaon drew nearer, saliva dripping from their mouths, their footsteps sure and steady.
“Roux,” Thane snapped. “The door.”
“Stay alive,” I whispered.
Thane gave me a short, sharp nod and then lunged forwards towards the gigantic beasts, the others following him into the fray.
I turned my attention to the door and tried to block out the sounds of gnashing jaws and feral growls. They guys would be fine. They’d have to be.
I trailed my hands all over the surface of the door, frantically searching for some kind of lever or button or—
My fingers caught against a ridge.Yes!I pushed on it, and a small compartment popped open, revealing a puzzle. Urgh, I fucking hated puzzles.
I looked behind me, trying to catch Thane’s attention. He’d have this solved in seconds. Unfortunately, he was holding open the jaw of a Lycaon and looking pretty occupied.
Guess this was down to me then.
There were a number of small glass buttons in a grid beneath a line of script.
The key is who slayed thee.
What the actual fuck?
I pushed one of the buttons, and it emitted a small glow.Just like a star.
This was all about stars. Fuck. Was the wolf slain by someone?
I looked up at the constellation, and an image filtered in from the depths of my memory.
Half man, half horse, holding a spear…
“Centaurus!”
