Page 33

Our once-quiet room had grown into something that breathed chaos, filled with panicked chatter and seemingly endless tension. Others had found their way in, people I hadn't expected to see, some I didn't know. One of them got too close—a man that towered over most of the room, with tall colorful frills that flared over the top of his head—and I flinched away, deeper into Eirik's arms as he snapped his teeth.

I waited for bloodshed, for a body to hit the ground as it had at Kri'Valta's Gala. My lungs froze, fighting to take in oxygen as the room spun around me. It took far too long for my heart to calm down, and for the fight-or-flight response to settle.

There were barely enough people here now to be considered a group. A crowd was going to kill me. The thought of it made me sick.

Eirik's cheek brushed against the back of my head, his purr a steady cadence that I focused on as a snarl ripped through the air. It wasn't one I knew, the sound feral in its tone, and the hair on the back of my neck stood.

"Magelav, you beautiful fool, I've missed you," Xander cooed, standing in front of the one making the sound. He half leaned in as if to hug Magelav. "I do love the new look. It's dashing . "

The surly Chronomancer for once looked something other than crazy as their face contorted, splattering with red as their teeth gritted.

Followed directly by them spitting in Xander's face.

"Dryad. Why are you here? You are never here," Magelav hissed without any break, and Xander just laughed, brushing off his face without a care, licking his lips with a pleased smile.

Xander was an image I remembered all too well, the glaring white of his suit a contrast to the forest green accents that lined it, matching his eyes down to the hue. There was a mischievous glint to them as he stared down Magelav, an unmistakable softness there, too, as his lips tilted into a lazy smile, and he tucked his hands into his pockets. His lips pursed, his shoulders shrugging up as he leaned in to whisper. "Neither are you, my love. Yet here we are."

The room suddenly tasted metallic as Magelav's eyes flashed gold.

"They know each other?" Adrian asked, apparently too loud, as Xander's head tipped back, and he laughed.

It was a rich sound, one that reminded me of the forest around the Vivas house, an endless and dangerous mix of dark shadows and tempting light. Even that sound, so natural, held a weight that I couldn't describe.

Power wasn't new to me, but I'd never seen this much in one room, this many individuals with their own feats and victories. This many that could build something new.

This many that could destroy the hope we held for this Eternium.

"Oh, quite well," Xander said, responding to Adrian's question without even looking at him.

"Barely at all. Nothing more than passing time," Mags added with a scoff, never losing the grit to their teeth or the vein that popped along their jaw.

Xander shook his head with a 'tsk'. "I've known you mentally, physically, and biblically. There's not a person alive or dead that knows you better than me, Magelav," Xander pressed again, the smile slipping away for the briefest of seconds, a flash of history that could have been missed with little more than a blink. "Not even yourself."

Something told me he liked to cause chaos, especially where Mags was concerned. I thought they might pop a vein when they turned to face Xander fully. They were shorter than the Dryad by a couple of inches and were almost reminiscent of an angry kitten as their lips pulled back into another snarl. Their look was much like a wolf in sheep's clothing, hiding the power that I knew hid just below the surface of their skin.

"Then forget, you daft cumberworld !" Mags screamed.

The silence was almost deafening in the absence of words as Magelav heaved heavy breaths. Their hands were bunched into tight fists, years of conflict stored in the malice in their eyes.

Eirik's arm wrapped around my shoulder as magic flooded the room. It felt different from any other I'd sensed before. It sang, humming softly like the flap of bees' wings. It was like a stream of water that kept moving, never staying in one place for too long.

It even got the attention of Red as he fluttered. For a moment, I even thought I could see him. It was enough to draw all my attention to every fine detail. Strong jaw, a narrow waist, the ruffle of long hair on the top of his head.

Then he was gone again.

"Well, that was uncalled for. I can take up plenty of space. Need I remind you—" Xander didn't get to finish, as Mags cut him off.

" Why are you here, Axandre? You do not belong; the fates do not wish it."

Xander crossed his arms, tapping his chin with a long middle finger. The pointed nail on the end glimmered green, as though an emerald instead of shimmering paint. "You and I both know the fates do what they will. You just see the strings. I'm here, because you're here, Mags. You've been ignoring me."

"Is this really a lovers' quarrel? Can we do this some other time?" Prince asked, and both snapped their heads toward him.

He raised his arms in mock defeat as Xander snorted. I expected him to say something about Prince, to mention the fact that he was here, but his lips just tilted in a knowing grin. Though I didn't like the look in his eyes as he stared.

"Oh, don't worry. My being here is worth your precious time. After all, contrary to Magelav's words, I'm not useless. Heidel is only Nymph Eternal because I don't Challenge him for it. He'll listen to me, or he'll die. Fair enough?" Xander asked, a bit of what I'd seen at the meeting at his home sneaking through.

He stood confident, with his shoulders back like a proud statue that had weathered every storm that had come at it, and this was just another bout of wind. I wasn't going to be the one to say anything else about it. He was a brash man who pushed a little too hard. He felt like a snake, like someone we probably shouldn't trust, but in the grand scheme of things, he wasn't bad in the sense that those at Ascension were. Not like Sebek.

Though, that didn't mean I trusted him.

Soft footsteps followed the creak of a door opening. There was something familiar about them, light and steady, that had my shoulders relaxing as the room fell into an uneasy silence.

"Xander, what are you doing here?" Osiris's voice was a delicate mix of control and authority. After my ordeal with Sebek, the need to have them close was nearly unbearable to ignore. I turned and caught Osiris's curious eye as he watched Magelav and Xander with an unreadable expression and a tense jaw, one that was accented by his lack of breath, his eyes set heavy as though bored. Something was wrong.

"Osiris, so nice to see you again as well. I'm doing excellently. Thank you for asking. Can't I stop by and see an old friend?" Xander asked.

Magelav made a disgusted noise in the back of their throat, the protest getting lost in the static of the background as I stood and walked over to Osiris. He watched me with a tilt to his head, his hands flexing at his sides, the muscles in his arms trembling as I reached up. I waited a moment, giving him time to pull away, before slowly curling myself around him. He was tense for a moment longer, his lungs holding the air in them before they released like a deflated balloon on the first breath he'd made since he'd walked through the door. His entire body sagged as he hugged me to him, and I sank into the hands that brushed my back with a gentle care.

I wasn't sure what happened, and I didn't need to ask. Now wasn't the time, and even this might be seen as a weakness, but it let him know he wasn't alone, that when he was ready to talk about it?

I was here.

Cold lips pressed against my forehead, a spark following them that had once been so overwhelming I thought it might consume me. Now it warmed the cold parts of me I'd sworn Sebek had broken when he'd brought me back to Ascension. The parts that were still stuck to that silver table.

He was like a wall, a barrier against everything that threatened to hurt me. His arms were the supports I needed to breathe, his heartbeat a steady drum.

"My God," a voice whispered, partially a grumble, and I realized it was Xander only when I looked up and found him staring. His shock washed away with his next blink. "I never thought I'd see the day."

Osiris didn't respond, just held me tighter.

"Well, this is the shittiest party I've ever been to." A husky, gravelly voice echoed as a beast of a man stepped past Osiris, one I'd never seen before. His presence broke the spell, shattering the silence that had fallen over the room. "Where the fuck is the booze?"

He had brown hair and a smell like welded metal, making my nose scrunch. A peek of red scales stretched up his neck, and when sharp cedar-colored eyes scanned the occupants of the room, it wasn't just him that was watching. There was a brashness to him, a confidence that screamed fighter. He was large, not just the size of him, but the energy he brought, the aura of confidence that bled from him.

An attitude that screamed Dragonkin and a beast behind his eyes that unfurled at the sight of so many powerful people in one place.

This must be Drakon.

"I second that," Prince said with a raised hand before moving toward the kitchenette at a leisurely pace. He stopped at a cabinet, not even looking as he reached in and pulled out a bottle of a deep brown liquid. It swirled as he poured several glasses, and slowly each person in the room took one. Osiris pulled back, tipping my chin up so he could look me in the eye. When he was happy with what he saw, he moved as well, grabbing a glass. "Nothing quite like talking life and death over a drink."

I didn't do the same, my nerves already a little too frazzled and raw. The nagging at the back of my head, the voice I knew wasn't mine but whispered vengeful nothings, pushed me to go to it. I didn't want to make it worse, so instead, I moved back to my seat as Drakon sighed.

"Who the fuck are you?" Drakon grunted, lifting his drink toward Prince, who jolted with a surprised laugh.

He crossed one of his arms over his chest, resting his hand in the crook of his elbow as he leaned back against the island with a smirk that failed to highlight the fire in his eyes as he swirled his drink. "I could ask the same thing, considering you're the one in my space right now. You always this rude to your betters?"

The fight was picked in an instant, and Prince did it with a confident swagger and a swig from his glass as he tossed a shit-eating grin toward Drakon.

The room was silent. Even Drakon was too stunned to move, before a growl started in his chest. There was a flash in his eyes, like Eirik often had, as his Dragon came tumbling forward.

"Nero," Osiris chastised, and Prince rolled his eyes, downing the rest of his drink as he turned his back to Drakon to look fully at Osiris.

"What?" Prince asked, still grinning even as his jaw twitched. He didn't even look over his shoulder as he tossed more words over it. "Should just count yourself lucky I can't hurt you, kid. I've fucked up stronger men than you for much less than that."

Another beat of silence before another in the room hummed.

A man stepped up beside Drakon, and the way he carried himself reminded me of Fallon, with cool black eyes and brushed-back black hair that screamed of perfection. Even his attire, a suit with a charcoal tint to it that molded to his body, was flawless.

"Nero?" His voice was hoarse, cracking on the name as the brittle sound rattled in his throat.

Prince smiled, turning back around with a tip of his empty cup. "The one and only."

Drakon grunted again, looking like he was about to argue. I wasn't surprised; Nero being alive was a shock, and that was what we'd hoped for.

What we were betting on.

"How—" Drakon started, before Osiris cut him off.

"It doesn't matter how. He's alive, and that's all you need to know. The rest of the Eternium will learn today, too." Osiris's words held a finality, and Drakon held his ground for a second, his teeth baring as he struggled with the beast in his head before his eyes cleared again.

Eirik curled around my back, a protective force as Drakon grumbled.

"Well, since we're all here, I'll give you a breakdown. Then you can go pretty up for the party," Drakon said, sipping his drink. "We're riding the line for Exilium. I've talked to everyone I can, everyone that has even considered turning on Sebek. If everything goes right, and I do mean everything. Every Challenge, every promised word, every goddamned miracle, it'll pass."

"Who are our worries?" Osiris asked.

Drakon grunted, shrugging his shoulder at the man at his side again, who was quick to speak up. "There are several. Axius could lose Gargoyle to his brother Hyland, who's already on the chair. Assuming he even fights for it. Alderi'Vidius could be Challenged by someone more experienced, someone older. There are several Demons that came flocking the moment they heard of Kri'Valta's fall, some older than even the Horror of the Depths. There's no limit to what could go wrong."

"Tonight needs to be about observing, getting our enemies to play their hands," Osiris said. "We need them to make the first move. We need them scared , so we can counter appropriately. They won't take the threats to their reign lying down, but they also won't know what rumors are true. That is our biggest advantage."

I looked up, instinctively searching for a clock. I found my answer on the far side of the wall.

Eleven fifteen.

The first night of the Eternium started exactly at midnight, on the eve of the first of the year, and we had just forty-five minutes until it started.

"I'll make sure Axius Challenges. If there are any others that I might be able to push in the right direction, send them my way," Adrian chimed in. "I'll also spread some rumors. Get the mill going to push along the more … jumpy Eternals."

Drakon nodded, his shoulders tensing as he looked at everyone in the room before his eyes stopped on me. Eirik grew tense at my back, his chest vibrating as a growl crept up.

"You must be Aaliyah, the Reaper," Drakon asked, non-threatening, as he showed his palms. I lifted my head slowly, nodding when the words escaped me. "I'm Drakon. This is my Second, Aldric, and my Enforcer, Cassius."

The reserved man with inky-black hair nodded once, his eyes just as sharp as Drakon's. Dragonkin as well, it seemed. His fire was hidden deeper, less noticeable, like the pale scales that hid beneath his shirt collar, but as I looked closer, I knew he was no less dangerous.

The third was one I'd missed. The way he slid into the background was almost comical for his size, his body and stature almost matching Eirik's. Steely-gray eyes held the same fire I saw in Prince, the same brashness that told of age and a want for blood.

His Dragon seemed to think the same, though I couldn't pick anything else out about him, as he dipped his head once, and stepped back into the shadows.

"Just Aaliyah," I whispered, and he nodded his head as Aldric's lip twitched.

"You plan to keep that a secret, right?" he asked, referring to what I was.

Of course I had, and even if I hadn't, I wouldn't want others to know. Not like this. Not when I knew what my blood could do, the reminder as clear as the soulless body of the Gargoyle that Sebek had killed. The chance of a riot or of full-scale anarchy was too high.

No one would side with a Reaper, not now. My hands grew clammy, my breath suddenly catching as I remembered the feeling of power sliding through my veins.

"Pretty sure that about sums it up, yeah?" Drakon mumbled with a huff.

I froze for a second, wondering how I'd managed to say that out loud, when Drakon laughed. "You didn't. I try not to listen in on people, gives me a headache, but you're thinking real loud right now."

Heard it. I'd forgotten that Dragonkin could hear thoughts. The memory threatened to shoot me back to a dark alley, to sinister streets and Fellow Manor hanging just out of reach. Suddenly it was cold, and a weight settled on me as ash from a lit cigarette fell to the ground.

Red hesitated near me, dancing in the air and giving me enough strength to shake the memory from my head.

I hesitated to lift my eyes, to see the man that I knew looked familiar. Drakon was a son of Teviticus, the old Dragonkin Eternal, one of many sons, which meant that Curtis had been his brother, too.

"Oh, I couldn't give any less fucks about Curtis, trust me. I'm not mad he's dead, just wish I'd had the chance to put him out of my misery first." When Drakon huffed this time, a burst of smoke fell from his nose, and fires lit behind his eyes as the Dragon there paced. "Heard it was your blood that did him in. That true?"

I hesitated, leaning farther into Eirik, who grunted against the top of my head. I could only nod and grit my teeth.

"If the Eternals find out what Aaliyah is, there will be nothing short of a riot. The only thing they're missing is true immortality. She's a threat to that," Osiris added, a lethal meaning hiding behind his words as he looked among each person in the room. One by one, as if assessing threats in them. "We keep it to ourselves until it's time to expose Sebek's plan."

It wasn't a question, not one they could push. There was a Charm in those words, a power that promised pain if they went against them. That darkness should have scared me senseless, but the idea that Osiris would protect me, even from them?

It calmed the racing of my heart.

Murmured acceptance filled the room, soft assurances that what we spoke of would not leave this conversation.

"Any more on that?" Drakon pushed. "What does the Butcher plan to do?"

The change in how Osiris stood was minuscule but enough to catch my attention. He tensed, his eyes clouding with that faraway look.

"We found a body at Ascension Rising, where Sebek had kept Aaliyah," he whispered, and I froze. "Sebek used Aaliyah's blood to kill him. I think he plans to do the same to those that oppose him, a way to instill order in the Eternals."

I'd wondered if they'd found him, the man that had been left to rot in that horrible building. We hadn't had much time to talk about what had happened. About the way Osiris had been left, broken on the grounds of our home, about Sebek stealing me away. Or about having to again sit in my glass cell.

I'd pushed it to the back of my mind, buried it so deep I'd almost willed it into not being real. There was a brush of something against me, like a hand on my shoulder, and I smiled as Red's encouragement filled the air, just seconds before Prince was by my side.

Like every time I needed him, he was always right there. He'd always known and now was no different.

I looked up at him, catching his worried silver eyes. I let myself fall into the feeling of his hand on my shoulder and the ache that still sat between my legs.

"How? He can't kill people here," Drakon grunted.

Osiris shook his head, dark shadows claiming the lines of his face.

"It's Sebek. It's best to assume he has a way," Eirik added, his voice a teetering growl.

There was a flash of deep blue in his eyes, the pupils slipping into slits as his nose flared. As if sensing my eyes, he turned to look at me, the raging storms in them making me shiver.

"First Rights is when we make our move on him. We use the Distilled High Fae Mana to prove his intent to destroy the Eternals. Any votes that were bordering Exilium should turn," Osiris finished.

I wanted to believe this was all we needed, that Sebek wasn't going to go down in a ball of fire that would threaten to take us all out, but it was too easy. He'd been too calm when he'd spoken of it before, too sure of himself.

Sebek was a monster with my father's face. He was crazy, but he wasn't stupid.

"There's something else," I mumbled, looking up.

The room turned its attention to me, and I swallowed hard as I flexed my hands, tracing the ink on my wrist as I tried to center myself.

"When we were at Ascension, Sebek didn't just kill that man," I whispered. The moment he'd died still haunted me, the scream he'd released, the way he'd writhed against his restraints … and the cold way Sebek had regarded him, like he was nothing more than a puppet. "Whatever Sebek did with my blood, it destroyed his soul. I never saw it."

"Saw it?" Aldric asked.

Prince's hand tightened on my shoulder. A show of support. I didn't have to speak if I didn't want to. He even moved to stand slightly in front of me, blocking their gazes as I shivered, but they needed to hear it. They already knew what I was. This was nothing.

"I know my blood's the part you're worrying about, but I can do more. Reapers can see ghosts; they send their souls on after they've died, but whatever he did to my blood destroyed the soul before I could see it. He's not just going to kill the other Eternals; he's going to make sure there's no chance of them ever being sent on." At least, that was my theory, the only thing that made sense. Sebek wanted a world he could never lose in. "He wants to stop them from ever coming back."

He didn't want to just kill them. He wanted to make sure there was no way for redemption. A true death, and for people who lived forever … what more could they fear than that?

"Fuck. Nice to know what we're up against," Drakon grumbled, his teeth flashing as he tipped his head back with a groan.

The room fell silent, beyond the ticking of the clock.

"If worse comes to worst, I'll Challenge," Osiris added, and I all but jolted out of my seat, Prince's hand staying steadfast on my shoulder.

"Blood knows blood," Magelav grumbled. "One will pay for their sins before the end."

The words meant something, a piece we were missing, but I had no idea how to put them together. Magelav turned their head up and glared at Osiris.

Osiris's cold whisper followed. "We have already settled this score, Magelav."

"Maybe, but fickle be . You're forgetting something, Vivas." Magelav took a steady step toward him, soulless eyes glancing curiously between Osiris and I with a pity that worried me. I tensed, nearly lifting to go to him, when Magelav whispered, "What of Kali? Or have you forgotten her death so soon?"

The air fled from the room, Osiris's power snapping against his skin as a spark flashed across it.

"Eternal Kali?" Drakon asked, breaking the silence.

Magelav grunted, nodding their head but never looking away from Osiris.

"Blood has been spilled, staining the ground, staining the hands. Haunted again." Magelav could have left it there as their eyes lost the haze that had covered them. Instead, they clicked their tongue. "Fickle be. "

Smoke poured from Drakon's nose, his lips pulling back in a snarl. "That wasn't part of the plan, Osiris. We don't have the force to deal with Darius breathing down our neck."

It was silent for a moment. Osiris reached for his wrist as he covered the ink with a tight grip, and a shudder of disgust rolled through him. "I'm aware. You can hold your tongue, Drakon. No words you say will take back her death. If it comes to it, I will Challenge."

"Fucking typical," Drakon spit, looking like he might combust as embers joined the smoke. Aldric put a hand on his shoulder; one Drakon brushed off with an irritated swat. "You're forgetting that Darius'll call for Retaliation. You won't make it to Challenge, if you even get to the fight! He'll throw you in the Pits and leave you there to rot."

Osiris's face stayed a sheen of calm as he took a step toward Drakon. Electricity filled the air, shining behind Osiris's eyes as he homed in on Drakon's furious complexion. "I will not lose to Darius or his whims."

"Retaliation isn't meant to be beaten. It's meant to be a mockery. A show to appease the scorned." Drakon snorted, throwing his hands in the air. "You've fucked us!"

Magelav clicked their tongue again, my blood boiling at the sight of pride in their eyes. "Death comes for us all, even you, Vivas?—"

"Stop with the fighting ," I said, looking over my shoulder. There was a grunge in my voice, one I didn't push away as the shadows pulsed. "It's not useful; it's not helpful . All it's doing is causing rifts we don't need. If that's all you have to say, then leave. We need to get ready."

"Pull it in, trouble. You're scaring the extras," Fallon whispered in my ear, and the haze over my eyes cleared enough to see the shadows that lurched along the ground.

It had gone silent, the argument dying down with a finality that only furthered to weigh my shoulders down. I nodded, looking away.

I didn't have the energy to deal with it, or to think on it.

"Death always wins, Reaper. Best remember that," Magelav whispered. The door slammed shut seconds later, and I worked my way through the fire that still raced in my blood.

Drakon grunted, reminding me we weren't exactly alone. "Fucking hell. Well, this was fun. Let's hope tonight goes well, yeah? I'd really like to live."

He didn't linger, moving toward the door, Aldric and Cassius following. The others that had come swarmed after him, filing out until we were alone in the room.

I looked at the clock again.

Eleven thirty.

I wanted to stall a bit longer, to pretend we weren't about to walk into the fire. We had to get ready; we had to steel ourselves for what was going to happen, but everything collapsed, and I struggled to breathe.

Cold arms surrounded me, and I breathed in the scent of Adrian. I'd never been in a bakery, but I imagined this was what one smelled like. "One step at a time, Ali."

I tried to hold on to that. One step.

"Ready, smár Valkyrja ?" Eirik asked, and I lifted my head.

It was a silly question, one I knew he meant as deeper than just for tonight. My answer was just as silly, just as scared as I'd ever been. I may be free now, but that didn't mean I felt any more in control than that girl in a glass cell.

I'd never be ready. Not for what this could bring us.

But one way or another, it was here, and I was tired of running.

I nodded, regardless of the fear that still tried to hold me down. Regardless of everything that threatened us. I was Aaliyah. I was more than the torture that led me to this moment. I survived Ascension Rising. I had the blood of Arvand Ra and Iris Imperial in my veins, and I would not be quiet anymore. My mantra died down, nothing more than a whisper that passed through my mind as I took Adrian's hand. The one that was still marked with the scars of the sun, and I moved.

Because I would not be afraid, not anymore.

* * *