Page 57

“The gods willing, he’ll be okay,” Hecate says as she steps back. “Come, you look like you’re dead on your feet. Let’s get you some food, and we can talk, and then you can sleep.”

“Sounds like a plan.”

I follow her, this time only a short way, and she opens a door into a comfortable living space with other doors off it. “There’s a room for you here,” she says. “Would you like to clean up first?”

“Why? Do I smell?”

She nods, and I laugh. It’s true. I can smell myself. Ugh. “Yes, I would like to clean up first.”

“There’s a bathroom through there, and you’ll find a robe and towels. I’ll get food organized for you.”

“Did I ever mention that I love you?” I say.

She snorts a laugh. “It doesn’t take much.”

“If you’d lived on berries and two eggs for the last four days, you wouldn’t think that food is such a minor issue.”

“No, I guess not. Go, hurry, and the food will be waiting.”

So, I do.

Through the door she gestured to, I find a bathroom with a shower. The water is lukewarm, but it’s still one of the best feelings I’ve ever had. I rinse my hair and my body, and then just stand under the cool water, letting the grime and the blood wash away.

Afterward, I dry myself and find a long purple robe made of some sort of silky material hanging from the door. I wrap myself in it, rub my hair one last time, and then head out into the main room. Hecate is seated at a table, and there’s a spread of food in front of her. I fall on it. She watches me, a small smile on her face, as I stuff a whole roll of bread into my mouth. I want to talk, but my mouth is too full. I swallow and then take a big gulp of water. “Tell me what happened,” I say. “After we left.”

A dark cloud passes over her expression. “They came three days later—shadowguard, but they had a sorceress with them.”

“Winter said that her people told stories about a group of witches who fled Astrali five thousand years ago and joined Lucifer.”

She gives me a sharp look. “Did she tell you more?”

“No, she said she didn’t know anymore.”

She nods. “The sorceress was incorporeal—like the shadowguard. When I killed her, she vanished into ash. But she’d already brought the wards down.” She shakes her head. “These are dark times. Sometimes I think that Selene has totally forsaken us.”

At the mention of Selene, I think back to what Thanouq told me about the prophecy. I want to ask Hecate but decide that I’m not really ready to find out. Besides, I can feel sleep dragging me under. The idea of sleeping in a real bed is intoxicating.

“Go on,” I say, wanting to hear the end of the story.

“There’s not a lot to tell. We had to fight for our lives. The sorceress was protecting the shadowguard, but I eventually managed to dispatch her, which gave us the strength to bring them down. But it was a close call, and we lost many people. Friends.”

“I’m sorry,” I say. “Winter buried them.”

“We had no time. They were good people, but then, we’ve lost many good people in this war, and no doubt we will lose manymore.” She sighs. “Anyway, afterwards, there was no point in staying. The wards had been breached. They could no doubt be breached again, and they were my strongest magic. So, we set off to Zandar Aurion. Before he left, Thanouq had offered us sanctuary here if we ever needed it, and I felt the time was right. Besides, this is the place where we will regroup, as it’s as safe as we can be. I’ve warded the city walls. Obviously, strong magic will get through, but it gives us a measure of safety and some warning. And that’s it. We’ve been here ever since. Others are flocking here. Thanouq sent out the word when he got back. He’s building an army. We’re going to war.”

“Well, that all sounds very cheery, and not what I wanted to hear. Why couldn’t you have lied to me just for tonight? Told me everything was peachy. You know, the ‘it’s all going to be all right’ thing that I mentioned?”

She smiles again. “Itisgoing to be all right. We have hope. We have a chance.” She raises an eyebrow. “We have you.”

Ugh.

There’s not a lot I can say to that, so I finish my dinner in silence. Finally, my stomach is so full, it’s almost painful. I sit back and let out a huge groan. It’s been a long few days. “So what now?” I ask. “What happens next?”

“Now we get ready for you to meet your father,” Hecate answers.

“Yeah, I had a horrible feeling you might say that.”

All those years I spent wanting to find my real family… I take a deep breath. “How am I supposed to beat Lucifer? He has an army. He has sorcerers at his command. What can I do?”