Page 35 of The Gods We Defy (All Gods Must Die #2)

KESTRAL

Oryn. Even with a different mask, I spot him immediately along with his lie. He hasn’t been able to use his Sidus light, not since Nevan died. Something I think he had a hand in.

But now I see it. He’s been lying to us. He doesn’t have dual powers, after all.

There were signs. So many signs. He always made sure he and Nevan were together. Even when Asra wanted to train them separately to work on their skills. But they always made an excuse. Always a need to be close.

Oryn could never show me his Sidus light either, not without Nevan there. And Nevan could never show me his shadows alone, either.

The truth was right there in every action and choice he made.

Neither of them ever had dual powers. They were working together, sharing and hiding their powers. But for what?

The trials? They’d have to be fools to want to enter them. It was a death wish. And something I never wanted for Seren.

Keeping the corner of my eye on Oryn, Seren quickly draws my attention when I realize she isn’t fighting. In fact, she isn’t moving at all. She’s just standing there drowning in her pain.

And then the chosen attack, slicing and cutting her, making some kind of sick game out of it. Laughing while she just stands there. Not moving an inch.

“Fight, damn it! Fight,” I scream to her, begging and pleading that she listen.

Her eyes flicker to me and then to my mother. Whatever she sees snaps her out of her frozen state and I silently thank the useless being beside me for whatever look she gave her to bring her back. Or at least her rage.

I watch it slowly build up inside her. How her hand tightens on her sword, and she glances around at the chosen attacking her.

That’s it… fight…

And she does. Striking and attacking with skill far beyond any of their own.

Something else builds up inside her and I watch the change as she draws every piece of pain, agony, and suffering into herself and unleash it.

My eyes widen when I finally see her shadows. A huge dark mass twice the size of her seeps out and around her.

Shock splinters through me like a spear as she disappears before my eyes, only to reappear beside the chosen nearest to her.

She’s moving through the void. Something that should not be possible within the arena. It’s blocked so no chosen can escape.

She moves through each chosen with skill I have not seen in her before, shadowing in and out of the void in a blink—a power no Caligo I know of has—and quickly finishes them off before moving to the mimic beasts.

Doubt and fear twist my insides as I continue to watch her.

Please… please… If there is some form of deity up there that has an ounce of goodness… please do not let the horrors of my thoughts come to life.

A spike of fear rushes through me as all the god beasts surround her as one. But that fear quickly grows into something even more horrifying as I watch her destroy each one with ease.

Screams and shouts draw my eyes away from her for a moment to find the crowd in chaos and uproar as a dark group moves through them.

Demons.

Another thing that is not supposed to be able to enter the arena. It’s shielded from all, not allowing anything to enter or leave once the trials begin.

I move in and around the crowd and Asra and Cyra follow me, working through them quickly, destroying their essence in one fell swoop.

“How did they get in?” Asra asks.

I shake my head, not understanding it either, but then I spot it. An almost translucent glimmer ripples across the entire arena. Except in one place. Farther down from us, almost concealed behind one wall, is an enormous hole ripped into the shield.

There aren’t many beings here that have that kind of power.

Glancing over to the front row where I sat moments ago, I narrow my eyes when I find my mother conveniently missing.

Oryn has also managed to escape among the chaos, his new mask nowhere to be found, but my only concern is getting to Seren and getting her to safety.

Veles moves beside me, appearing from nowhere, holding a green, jagged rock the size of his palm and a wide smile on his face. He found it. He found it. And Seren…

My gaze whips to her, my wide smile instantly dropping along with my heart as I watch her.

No. No, it can’t be. It can’t be her. Please…

My heart shatters as I watch on in horror as light surrounds her, her shadows following, melding, joining with her light. It moves in and around her sword as she slams it down into the beast and destroys it, turning it to dust.

A beast that is not a mimic but a god. Cernunnos, the god of beasts.

And Seren just killed him.

Veles reaches a hand out and grabs hold of my shoulder, but I barely feel him as agony, vast and fathomless, grabs hold of me.

The truth has been in front of me this entire time. I just didn’t want to believe it. Because it means that my mate, the other part of my very soul, is the Godkiller. And when the time comes… I’m going to have to kill her.