Page 7 of Salt & Blood (Ivy & Bone #4)

POWERLESS

EVANDER

For so long, Evander had been consumed by darkness, despair, and pain. His body was slowly decaying, ripped apart from his connection to Typhon, his demonic alter ego. Typhon was a creature born of the Underworld, and only in the Underworld could he exist.

In Elysium, Typhon had taken over Evander’s body, unleashing the beast within, with no restraint or control.

Evander had only managed to survive because of Mona.

And now, with another journey through a portal, Evander feared the strain on his body would be too much. That he would finally give out.

Fog clouded his mind as he waited for death to take him.

What would it be like, for a death god to die? Would his soul traverse the rivers, like all the others? Or was something different in store for him?

Would he go straight to Tartarus, because of his tainted demon blood?

From within the clouds of confusion that obscured his senses, he made out one clear sound, like the pure chime of a bell: Mona’s voice. He would know that sound anywhere. He clung to it, to the proof that she was alive and healthy. Her voice was like a melody that called to him, a balm to his soul that soothed the agony that had consumed him for so long…

And then, quite suddenly, a searing, sharp clarity pierced his mind, so intense it burned against his eyes and ears and skin, assaulting his senses. He cried out but had no voice. His back arched as the fog of his mind evaporated, leaving a brilliant and blinding light that illuminated the details around him.

Cavern walls. Burning torches. And people—so many people.

The beast within him stirred, threatened by the presence of so many strangers. Once, Evander might have been able to soothe Typhon, to convince him all was well. But now, he and Typhon no longer knew each other. They were strangers occupying the same body, and Evander was powerless to stop him from taking over.

Before the monster inside him could wrestle control from his weak mind, the clarity exploded, spreading farther and farther into the recesses of his mind, sweeping away darkness from corners he didn’t even know existed.

It was a startling shock to be buried in shadows and, mere seconds later, to be shoved into the light. He felt exposed, stark naked before an audience as he tried fruitlessly to return to the safety of those shadows.

The unknown was a terrifying thing. Sometimes it was so terrifying that the pain was preferable—because it was all he knew.

Then he heard her voice again.

“Evander.”

The sound washed over him, calming his senses and soothing his body. He felt himself relax as that sound caressed his ears with perfect sharpness. Gods, he had missed how beautiful and perfect his name was on her lips. What had once been muffled was now crisp and undeniable.

Mona. Mona was here, calling for him.

He searched for her, his eyes burning against the sharp details of the room surrounding him… until they landed on her. Her black hair was tangled, her eyes were shadowed, but a fierce determination lit her features. She was so much more than the timid and clever woman he had fallen in love with. She had morphed into a powerful goddess, capable of undeniable strength.

He was so unworthy of her.

When their eyes locked, he lunged for her, clutching her to his chest and breathing in her rose and parchment and saltwater scent. Gods above, everything about her was perfection. His memories of her hadn’t done her justice. The softness of her hair. The smoothness of her skin. The way her breath caught in her throat when she was overcome with emotion. The small sigh that escaped her when he touched her.

It was like he was experiencing everything for the first time. He was reborn, though he didn’t know how or why. All he knew was that deep within himself a strange silence echoed into a yawning void. Typhon was gone. But more than that, Evander’s whole being felt hollow.

Something was missing. Something within him had been severely altered.

But that didn’t matter. Right now, he would savor every moment he had with Mona. He pressed himself further into her embrace, stroking her hair and letting his salty tears trace down his cheeks as he clung to her tightly. Gods, he would never let her go again.

An eternity could have passed, and Evander wouldn’t have noticed. He could have lost himself in her arms, holding her forever.

But he couldn’t deny that something felt different within him. Now that he was adjusting to these new heightened senses, that strange emptiness in his chest only intensified. Slowly, he withdrew to peer into Mona’s eyes. She, too, was crying but she beamed at him, her eyes sparkling with joy and relief. He couldn’t resist bringing his mouth to hers in a gentle kiss. He yearned to do more—to ravish her and taste the sensitive parts of her body that would make her moan with desire—but there would be time for that later.

For now, he needed to figure out what had happened, and why he felt so strange and empty.

His eyes reluctantly left Mona to sweep around the vast cavern. A crowd of unfamiliar women with unsettling amber eyes peered curiously at him. He recognized Trivia—or rather, Pandora—and the sun god who had forced her to fuel the portal to let everyone in Elysium through.

Then, his eyes landed on someone he thought had been lost forever. His eyebrows lifted in surprise. “Romanos?”

Romanos offered a tight smile and nodded. Something guarded filled his eyes, making Evander frown. Slowly, he extricated himself from Mona’s grasp, taking her hand in his as he made his way to where Romanos stood.

“What are you doing here?” Evander asked, surveying the room once more. “And… where is here?”

“You’re in the mortal realm,” Romanos said. “In the Rhea desert. This is where the fire witch coven lives. They are friends of mine.”

Evander’s head spun. This was so much information to process. He rolled his shoulders back, and they felt strangely weightless. Then, he froze, realizing why: his wings were gone.

His stomach dipped as he met Romanos’s solemn gaze. “What happened to me?”

He was afraid to learn the answer. Had he already died? Was this all a vision from Tartarus, meant to taunt him?

Romanos opened his mouth, then hesitated, his gaze dropping to the floor as he rubbed the back of his neck. “I, ah, siphoned the death magic from your body.”

Evander’s heart thudded wildly in his chest. “What does that mean?”

“It means, I called the death magic to me, and… it came.”

It took several beats before Evander registered what his brother was saying. “You stole my magic from me?”

“He healed you,” Mona said, squeezing his hand. “Evander, you were dying. It’s a miracle you hung on for as long as you did.”

Evander’s mouth was dry. His death magic—his demonic essence—was all gone. “I—Can you give it back?”

Even before Romanos shook his head, Evander knew the answer. He had to ask, though.

“I cannot. It is irreversible. The death magic within you had become infected, weakening you like a disease. When I siphoned it, it merged with my own magic, changing it and altering it to fit my own powers.”

Evander bristled at the notion that Typhon had been a disease. He had simply been another side to his soul.

“Altering it?” Evander repeated slowly.

Romanos’s brow furrowed. “Yes.”

Evander swallowed, unsure of how to directly ask him if a demonic presence now lived inside him. “I—There was… another being inside me. A powerful manifestation of my death magic. I could sense his presence almost constantly. Do you—Do you feel him?”

A stunned silence rippled over the crowd, and Evander had to fight to keep his gaze from straying from Romanos. He had to know.

Romanos’s eyes were full of regret when he replied, “I’m sorry. But all the magic I took from you has merged with mine. If there was any presence or being that lived inside of you… it’s gone now.”

Gone. The word echoed like a haunting melody in Evander’s mind.

Typhon was gone.

How long had Evander yearned for this, to be rid of the beast inside him? And now that it had finally happened, he felt emptier than ever.

“It was the only way,” Romanos said softly.

“I know,” Evander said at once, his throat tight with emotion. “Of course, I understand, Romanos. You did what needed to be done.” He didn’t sound convincing, even to himself. He knew he should probably be thanking his brother for saving his life, but all he could dwell on was that gaping emptiness inside him.

Romanos had taken a part of himself. And he would never get it back.

“Call me Rom. Everyone here does.”

Evander’s brows knitted together. It sounded so informal and strange. Then again, he had never been particularly close to Romanos. Not like he had with Cyrus.

Cyrus. Gods, was his younger brother even still alive? The last he’d seen, Cyrus had been about to dive into the pits of Tartarus. Then the Underworld had been destroyed.

Surely he had survived. He had to. He was King of the Underworld.

“Does this mean he’s a mortal?” Mona asked cautiously.

“No,” Romanos said. “Look at his eyes. They still bear the mark of the gods. His blood is still silver. He only lacks the magic of our kind. But his god strength and lifespan remains.”

Mona sighed with relief, but Evander couldn’t share the feeling. An entire piece of him was missing. It would take longer than a few moments for him to come to terms with this.

“Why are we here?” Evander changed the subject, looking around once more. The women had stopped staring at him and were now chatting with one another. A few were casting dark looks toward Pandora, who stood on her own, rubbing one arm and refusing to meet anyone’s gaze.

She looked… forlorn. Like a lost child. Not at all like the confident goddess who had taunted him, almost killing him by dragging him to Elysium.

“We came through the portal before Elysium was destroyed,” Mona explained.

“This one is waiting to be judged by the Gorgon sisters,” Romanos added, jerking his thumb toward Pandora. “For her crimes.”

Evander’s gaze flicked to Pandora. He had once held such venom and hatred for her. Perhaps it was because of his healing, or perhaps it just did not matter now that he was reunited with Mona… But Evander found he felt nothing but pity for the goddess.

“Can’t that wait?” Evander asked.

Romanos frowned. “Wait for what?”

“Two realms have been destroyed by Pandora’s magic. It’s still out there, and the Realm of Gaia is next. We have to do something to stop it. Not to mention, the rivers of the Underworld have stopped flowing. That means there are millions of souls who need to be shepherded to their resting place. It’s chaos right now, and I don’t think we should be wasting time with punishing criminals when the war isn’t even over yet.”

Silence rang from his words, and he suddenly realized everyone was watching him once again. The echoing chamber made it easy for his words to be heard, even across the cavern. He felt his cheeks warm from embarrassment. He couldn’t remember the last time he’d spoken to a crowd this big. He often kept to himself.

“He’s right,” Mona said, standing up straighter. “We have to do something.”

“We can’t do anything,” snapped the sun god, crossing his arms over his chest. “No one here is powerful enough to stop that darkness. Believe me, I’ve seen it firsthand.”

“I think you’ll find the realms are far different now than they were when Pandora’s box was first crafted,” said a tall, brown-skinned woman with amber eyes. Her graceful form and commanding tone spoke of authority as she speared a sharp gaze at the sun god. “The three Gorgon sisters have harnessed the power of the Triple Goddess with their united powers. They are a force to be reckoned with.”

“This is not their war, Farah,” murmured an amber-haired witch beside her.

“With Hestia gone, it needs to be,” Farah replied.

“Do you think they can help?” Mona asked eagerly.

“Perhaps. But they aren’t the only ones. You yourself possess the magic of Gaia, do you not?”

Mona went rigid, her hand going limp in Evander’s. He looked at her and found her face had gone slack, her eyes wide, as if—for one terrifying moment—she had forgotten she was an earth goddess.

After one long, slow blink, Mona’s eyes grew unfocused as she concentrated on something Evander couldn’t see.

He knew that look well. It meant the clever side of her brain was working.

“You’re right,” Mona said slowly. “We have two earth goddesses here who can rebuild the realms.”

Pandora stiffened, then looked around wildly as if expecting another woman with earth magic to appear. “I’m sorry, two ?”

“You are a daughter of Gaia,” Mona said slowly, as if explaining this to a child.

Pandora crossed her arms. “I wasn’t reborn like you, Mona. Your powers are ten times stronger than mine. Besides, I have the soul of a vengeful goddess thrashing inside me. She refuses to let me access the full extent of my powers. Not until her revenge is complete.”

The sun god scoffed. “Elysium is gone. Isn’t that enough for you?”

“Apollo still lives, Sol,” Pandora said darkly. “And so does Gaia.”

Mona released Evander’s hand and took a step toward Pandora. “What does Gaia have to do with this?” Her tone was sharp and laced with panic.

Pandora grimaced, then rubbed her temples. Her face was a shade paler than before. Evander wondered what shadows she battled inside her. For the first time, he felt he could relate to her. They shared a hidden darkness they could not escape.

Or rather… they had shared that. Evander wasn’t even sure who he was anymore without Typhon.

“The goddess wants revenge on Gaia, too,” Pandora said.

“Why?” Mona asked. “She had nothing to do with what happened to Pandora.”

“But she had everything to do with what happened to me .” Pandora’s eyes flashed, and in that moment, she looked like the dangerous goddess who had revealed her true nature to Evander before pulling him through the portal to Elysium.

A tense silence passed between them before Sol said in slow, measured words, “You said your actions were fueled by her quest for revenge. Not yours.”

The silence became awkward as Pandora’s face grew even paler. She glanced from Sol to Mona and then to the witches who gaped openly at her. “I—I—Oh gods…” She covered her face with her hands. “It’s all so muddied. Sometimes, I have trouble discerning what is me, and what is… her . I’ve been angry for so long that it often mingles with her anger, and at times, I can’t tell the difference between the two.”

“You assured us you were of sound mind when you made the choice to betray Elysium,” Farah said thoughtfully. “Now you’re claiming the opposite.”

“No, don’t make excuses for her,” Sol said, stepping forward angrily. “She is still responsible for her actions.”

Farah raised a hand, cutting a sharp glance at the sun god. “You have made your position on this clear. For now, I don’t think we should decide anything until we have reached the Voiceless Jungle. We can make our plans from there.”

“How far is it?” Mona asked, chewing on her lip in worry. Evander shared her concern. How much time would they waste visiting these Gorgons when the realms needed immediate help?

“A day’s walk,” said Farah.

Mona nodded, then looked up at Evander with concern in her eyes. “Are you well enough?”

“Yes.” He was still wrestling with the gaping emptiness in his chest, but other than that, he was in perfect health.

If the loss of Typhon was what was required to be with Mona, then he wouldn’t regret it. He would push through that emptiness and come to terms with it.

It would just take some adjusting. That was all.

Farah lifted her chin, then turned to face the witches behind her. “Sisters, gather your things. We leave within the hour.”