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Hel’s jaw muscles flickered, and his eyes darkened like a hawk set on diving for a mouse. “This place is testing my patience.”

Without him even saying a word she knew he was contemplating killing the merchant. “Don’t. We can’t afford to draw attention to ourselves right now. In and out, that was the plan.”

“If he disappears in the night that won’t be a problem.”

Thane glared at him too. “No one will know it was us.”

“Stop it, both of you.” She quickened her pace hoping they’d keep up and leave it alone.

There was a definite mysterious gloom about Rogue, the god of justice and order’s, territory. Someone disappearing in the night may not seem all that out of the ordinary, especially in a city of at least half a million. Tall evergreen trees loomed high around their destination outside of the main town. A light drizzle from a heavy coat of gray clouds left the air humid. Rogue, one of the eleven council members lived where high mountain ranges on one side and the sea on the other made for a perfect concoction of being the dreariest and greenest territory in Runevale.

They made their way through the city and followed the road to the beige-stoned castle with an aqua roof that looked to be made of terracotta tiles. A clocktower at the east end was the highest peak but there were several turrets of various heights. A quick scan of the many windows had Valeen guessing there were at least a hundred bedrooms in the four levels.

Standing behind a tall bush with dark blue berries, she inspected the grounds. Several guards walked the black iron fence surrounding the property, more at the entrances. The quiet buzz, almost like a swarm of bees, gave away the magical wards present.

A set of guards with tall metal-tipped spears in hand laughed loudly on top of their silver- and blue-feathered griffin mounts. The large beaks of the creatures could easily tear off a limb, as could their razor-sharp talons on the front. Their hindquarters were that of a large gray feline with a tail tipped with a tuft of black fur.

The guards all wore black domed hats with a wide brim and aqua-blue feathers peeking out on both sides. Although one of the males on a griffin wore white feathers in his hat.The colors must be of significance in ranking,Valeen thought.

Hel stepped out of the cover of the bushes, turning nearly transparent and pressed his palm to the invisible barrier. After a moment he glanced back at them, “The magic is weak. I’ll be able to teleport us in.”

Moments later the three of them stood in the center of a room with wide dramatic wood arches above. Although the wall to the left was lined with many windows, it was dark and dreary enough outside to need more light. The glow stones on the chandeliers were only marginally brighter than firelights and offered a soft ambiance.

Valeen scanned the many shelves filled with precious items—a bronze scepter in a glass case, a golden egg adored in rare rubies and sapphires, gaudy necklaces, and the skeleton of a hand of someone he must have found important. The day her immortality was taken it was siphoned into a hollowed crystal hung on a necklace. None of these items looked like it. Valeen knew she’d feel it if it were near. Like a call to her soul that had been, in some ways, ripped in half.

Hel flicked his fingers, and a shimmering veil trickled down the walls and moved across the ceiling and floor. “Silencing spell.”

“You’ve been in this house before? You knew where to take us,” Valeen mused. Rogue was one of the Primevarr, heropposing side and the one Hel and Thane had been loyal to as young gods. She’d only met him at her execution.

“Rogue had the same tutors as us,” Thane said, pulling open drawers on the desk. Hel immediately went for the shelves of scrolls.

“Was Synick one of those tutors you shared?”

“Synick was very selective.” Hel’s fingers lightly passed over the scrolls, as if whatever he was looking for would reveal itself. “Rogue didn’t make the cut.”

“Your lessons may be the reason that Rogue was the only one to vote against our exile. Which is why I have to ask why we’re here if this is a retaliation mission.”

Thane and Hel glanced at one another then Thane answered, “Synick gave us something on him that might get him to tell us where our immortality is.”

“Something?”

“He has a secret child I doubt he wants anyone to know about.” Hel grinned and pulled a scroll free and unfolded it. “Also, Rogue didn’t like me, and I didn’t like him. He usually had his face in a book about the law and thought he was smarter than everyone. It’s more likely he didn’t feel our punishment was justified than he felt any kindness toward us.”

“He liked me,” Thane rifled through the drawer.

“Yes, Mr. Popular,” Hel drawled.

“A secret child he doesn’t want hiswifeto know about?”

“Something like that. You’ll see.”

“What do you mean, I’ll see? Do you have to be cryptic?”

“I mean, you’ll see. It’s a surprise.”

She and Thane exchanged a glance, and he just chuckled and shook his head. “Are you in on this too?” she asked.

“You really don’t like surprises, do you?” Thane took out a stack of papers and peeled through them.