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GHOSTS OF THE PAST

“This is all connected,” I said slowly, as the last particles of Ava’s spell faded away. “The immortal artifacts. The curses on Bella and Stash. The theft of Nectar and Venom. Mysterious deities taking control over worlds from gods and demons. It’s all one big tangled ball of string. And if we want to untangle it—if we want to save Bella and Stash—we’re going to have to start tugging on that knot to see what comes loose.”

“You sound like you have an idea where to start tugging,” said Nero.

“I do,” I confirmed, turning to Zane. “Some time ago, you told me about your quest to save Thea.”

“I went with Bella and Harker to a world called Dayne. Aerilyn was there too. And Khalon.”

“And the world itself?” I asked. “You said the people there worshipped a deity none of you knew?”

“Yes, a deity named Parisa. Khalon called her a ‘false deity’.”

“So, he’d heard of her?”

“I don’t believe so,” Zane replied. “That’s why he called her a false deity.”

Of course. Demons and gods considered themselves omnipotent, so anything they didn’t know was immediately labeled ‘false’ or ‘wrong’.

“Ok, so what do you know about this Parisa?” I asked him.

“Very little. Thea told us Parisa was her captor. And that she’s a god.”

“What?” Cadence gasped. “She’s one of the gods?”

“We speculated that she’s a rogue goddess,” Zane said. “A very old rogue goddess. And that’s why none of us had ever heard of her.”

“Or maybe people don’t know her because she’s been erased from history.” I was having one of those lightbulb moments. “Like Solarian. Like all those other unnamed gods taking over worlds where Nectar and Venom are stored.” I looked at Zane. “Did Thea say why Parisa captured her? Did she say what the goddess wants?”

“Thea said Parisa was interested in the locations of the gods’ armies,” Zane told me. “Faris’s armies, in particular.”

All the pieces were coming together.

“Faris and his council know who these gods are, but they’re keeping this all quiet. And I think I finally know why.” I glanced at Nero. “Dearest, how do you feel about abducting a rogue goddess?”

“If it will help Bella and Stash, I’m in.” Gold fire burned in his green eyes.

“So are we,” Cadence said as she and Damiel moved to either side of Nero.

“We’ll be back in a flash.” Damiel winked at me, then the three of them disappeared.

They returned faster than I’d expected. Harker was with them. He held a chain in his hands. The other end of that chain was tied around a woman’s neck. She was tall—taller than anyone here—and even though she was in chains, she was grinning like this was all just part of her plan. And that’s what I was worried about.

“So, here’s Parisa.” Harker shoved her toward me. “Now are you going to explain why Nero dragged me away from a very important mission so I could help them nab the crazy bitch?”

Parisa flashed her teeth. They were stained with blood.

“What important mission?” I asked Harker.

“Rescuing Bella, of course.”

“From the gods’ castle?”

“Yes.” Defiance flared in his eyes.

“And how were you planning to fight your way through Heaven’s Army?” I asked him.

“Very violently.”