Page 112 of Rhuyin

Not even Sylvi’s magic could turn you into a blond quickly enough,he signed, a grim smile on his face, his fingers tangling inmy black hair.And I wouldn’t want her to, I love your hair.I need to do this, Rhuyin. It’s the only way I know of to lay these ghosts to rest. The only thing I’m afraid of is that I’ll freeze up and be unable to complete the mission, whatever my part in it turns out to be.

I rested my forehead for long moments, feeling his breath whisper across my lips before finally nodding. I knew he was right, but the thought of him being alone with Aurelius… The gold chain dangled from his collar and an idea sparked in my brain.

What if…What if you didn’t have to go in alone?

What do you mean?he asked, suspicion and hope warring in his eyes.

What if I went with you, as your pet?

Pet? You mean, in your fox form?

I nodded.

Or whatever form is convenient. I could at least be there as backup. We can take on Aurelius together. He barely knows what a Soma is, or he would never have allowed Hel to be released in the Machi to begin with. He wouldn’t be expecting it, and you wouldn’t be alone.

My Bonded pondered the idea for a few moments.

It never seems wise to ‘split the party’ but I don’t think we have any choice. We need to keep him occupied until midnight. Master B, Master Tarek and Sylvi need time to prep the wagon for our escape while Hel and Elex free Stergiou and Kyris.

Andwekill Aurelius,I added.

He smiled at me, the first real smile I’d seen on him since that damned Omada alert had gone off.

Losing his Spymaster would be a major blow to my father, but I don’t think a fox is the best option,he signed.

What would you recommend?I asked.

The symbol of Aurelius’ house is an eagle. Could you do that?

I nodded thoughtfully. I had never tried to change into an eagle before, but I had practiced other animal forms in preparation for this trip and I had my years of Soma training to fall back on.

I think I can do that.

I have faith in you,he responded.

I was glad he agreed, because there was no way I was allowing him to face this particular demon without me.

I took out the Prometheus bag and handed the small, flesh-colored buttons out to the team. The Prometheus techs had created tiny microphones and earpieces that were nearly invisible. The Alexandrians in our group had never seen anything like it before. The buttons sat behind the ear and conducted vibrations directly to the bone behind the ear and couldn’t be overheard.

The sensation was strange. I could feel the vibration, but before Bonding with Luke I hadn’t been able to “hear” the words. Now I could feel the vibration and sometimes make out words, but I still relied on my lip reading and sign language. The microphone was smaller than a button and could be hidden anywhere on the body. Since I was going to be in animal form I couldn’t use them anyway.

I placed Luke’s behind his right ear, right below his hairline. I placed Sylvi’s as well. Since I was changing shape there was no point in me even trying to use them.

“Are you going to be okay with this?” she asked Luke as we saw him nervously tuck his hair behind his ear to cover the dot.

My Bonded nodded his head, but I could feel the fear welling up inside of him.

“How do you do this?” he asked, looking into Sylvi’s brown eyes. “The thought of him… I’m just…”

His voice trailed off, but Sylvi seemed to understand where he was going with his concern.

“Luke might be scared, but Poseidon? Poseidonlivesto torment men like Aurelius with his body. He loves the power it lets him hold over them. You need to let Poseidon use that power, that lust, to make him do what you want. Build your character in your head,” Sylvi said.

“You make it sound like he’s a different person,” Luke said.

“He is.” She replied simply. “Who are you?”

“P-Poseidon,” he responded uncertainly.