Page 87 of Kiss of Death
Talon was quiet for a long time.
I heard a glass hit a wooden surface, so I assumed Viper took a drink and set down the glass.
“I don’t despise him.”
A heavy silence followed Talon’s words, a silence that I could feel through the wall.
“He’s not my first choice for my daughter, but…” Talon fell quiet again for a while. “But if I believe that Lily is qualified to rule the Southern Isles, then she’s also qualified to make decisions about her own life. If he’s the man she wants, then so be it.”
Now Viper was the one who was quiet.
“She served, protected, and led the Southern Isles during my indisposition. She’s a grown woman who’s wise beyond her years. She’s earned my respect and my pride. She’s more than I ever could have hoped for in a daughter. Because of that, I will respect whatever she decides. I should have realized it before she took Callum’s place…and I’ll always regret that.”
A heavy silence fell in the room, and neither of the men said anything for a long time.
I wasn’t sure if I should just go back to my room and pretend I hadn’t heard this, but I wanted Talon to know that Lily had protection beyond the armor she wore. I waited several minutes before I rounded the corner and knocked on the doorframe.
Viper sat in one of the armchairs, the first time I’d seen him without his heavy armor. He was in casual attire, but his muscles still stressed the fabric of his clothes. He was a strong man frozen in the prime of his life.
Talon continued to wear the same dead expression, like he was utterly lifeless in his despair.
Viper took a drink as he looked at me, acknowledging me in silent hostility.
“Lily still has my strength—the strength of a god.”
Talon’s dead expression brightened with life. “Why do you assume this?”
“Because the occult is comprised of witches, women who worship power that they can feel. If they believe Lily to be a goddess, it’s because they can feel her power, which means she still has the gift I gave to her. It remained with her from life to death, from the mortal world to the underworld.”
Talon moved to the edge of his seat as he straightened. “You’re certain of this?”
“As certain as I can be. It’s the only possibility that makes sense. And that means there are two gods in the underworld.”
“Why would she still have the power after death?” Viper asked.
“I don’t know,” I answered. “Perhaps because she’s fused with a dragon. They’re possessive over those they love, their treasure, their scales… Perhaps Zehemoth’s power naturally bonded the ability to her without even realizing it.”
“Why did the power stay with her when you were stripped of your title?” Talon asked. “Because you lost the ability to command the dead, but not your strength as a god.”
“I can’t explain that either. It must have something to do with her, specifically. Perhaps the power of her bloodline. It stuck to her like a plate of armor and never came free. Somehow, the Covenant didn’t notice when they chose Leviathan as the new god. They replicated the power while unaware.”
“So what does that mean?” Viper asked.
“It means that she’s Leviathan’s equal,” I said proudly. “Which means she’s as strong and fast as he is. That she has the ability to lead others in the underworld if she chooses. It means that the occult will carry out her orders without question. It means she has power and protection. And I think it means she’ll be okay until I can get to her.”
I slept well that night, knowing Lily would be okay until I could make it there. That she still wore the invisible armor I’d gifted to her, marking her as an equal to a god and superior to all the other monsters that occupied the underworld.
The next morning, we departed Viper’s kingdom.
We only had two dragons, so there had to be two riders on one dragon, and Viper quickly chose to ride with Talon…for obvious reasons.
Because he marked me as an enemy even though I considered him an ally.
It was a three-day journey on the way back because of the wind, and we had to camp for one night before we reached the dead island. We agreed that we all needed to be rested before we made this attempt because anything could happen.
No one kept guard that night. We all slept in the wildlands without a fire, everyone needing a full night of rest before the final step of our journey. The next morning, we ate what the dragons caught for us, and Viper didn’t ingest anything because he’d fed right before we left. Then we departed once more, arriving at the edge of the shore of the dead island, the dragons splashing in the water when they landed.
We all dismounted, the dead island covered in a thick fog that masked the details of the trees and everything farther inland. There was an energy that I could feel as a mortal, an energy I hadn’t felt since I’d walked into that dead forest four hundred years ago.
