Page 4 of The Gods We Defy (All Gods Must Die #2)

CHAPTER 4

W armth continues to wrap around me, seeping deep into my body and bones, making me feel as light as air. As if I’m floating peacefully in an abyss.

Away from the underground prison and the constant fighting, I am cocooned in its safety and for once I just allow myself to fall into it.

But as soon as the peacefulness completely settles over me, a jolt rattles through me, yanking me from one of the most peaceful sleeps I’ve had in a long time, and drags me back to the reality of the world and its darkness. But it is not the dark that greets me this time.

I open my eyes and a beam of light flitters across them, making me wince.

Light… There is no natural light underground.

I force my eyes to open wide, wincing when they begin to burn and water after not having seen it for so long. My gaze lands on the soft quilt beneath me and the open wooden carriage around me.

A soft brush of wind slides across my face as I sit up and glance around.

I’m no longer in the underground cell. Unless my mind is playing tricks on me, I most definitely see trees, green trees, and grass. The edges of them look like they are slowly rotting away, turning black as if burned, but they are there.

I look to the white-haired fae that has his back to me as he directs the horses, and as if sensing my eyes on him, he turns to me with his mask still in place.

“There’s a stream up ahead.” He dips his head toward the spot before looking down beside me. My eyes follow his gaze and find a plate full of food and a jug of water. Beside it sits a small pile of clothing. “Eat up and then you can freshen up. You smell like a rotting corpse and have already frightened away our next meal.”

Raising my arm, I wince at the vile smell I’ve accumulated from living in the underground prison, but my stomach grumbles loudly, making me quickly forget it. I reach out to take a piece of bread off the plate when I pause, realizing there is no more pain in my wrist.

It was broken. I was sure of it. I felt and heard it snap. Then how…

“You healed me?” I ask while testing my wrist and body. Apart from a heavy exhaustion that is settled deep within my bones, nothing feels bruised or broken anymore.

The masked fae nods. “No powers work in the underground. Once we escaped and made it topside, I paid a healer to see to your injuries.”

Relief spreads across my chest as his words filter past the sleepy fog. I’m free of the underground. A place I never want to see again.

“Thank you.” I take my first bite of bread and seconds later, it’s devoured, along with the meat and most of the water.

The fae shrugs. “It’s part of our deal. I need you at your best. The trials of Túr Rí are not for the weak, you will have to be at your strongest to get through them.”

Strength . It’s something I still feel lacking even if I am free. Or as free as I can be right now.

“It will take us a couple of days' journey to reach Túr Rí.” He glances over at me, his frown mostly hidden by his mask, but I can sense it in his eyes. “To find the green healing stone, you will need to use your Caligo abilities. Shadow below to the tunnels and abandoned temples.”

He assumes I’m a Caligo and even though I’m grateful for his help, I’m not foolish enough to correct him on his assumption.

“There is no block or barrier in place?” I ask.

He shakes his head but pauses. “Not that I’ve heard. There might be some in or around the location of each trial for shadowing or portals, but there shouldn’t be any block within the main building where you’ll be staying. And apart from shadowing or opening a portal, you will have full access to your abilities. It’s one of the things that will help keep you alive. The trials are not only about fighting, they will test you and push you to your limits. You will need every weapon at your disposal.”

Even though his words hold a thread of ominous warning, an excited thrill rushes through me at the thought of having access to my powers once again. I nod and finish off my food before reaching down inside me. I search for the cool tendrils of my shadows beneath the layers inside me, searching and searching, but soon find… nothing.

My stomach drops the longer I feel the barren emptiness around me. I move quickly to reach for my Sidus light, only for dread to fill me, churning my stomach when I don’t sense it either.

“My powers are gone,” I tell him with a harsh breath as my lungs grow tight and begin to burn. The excited bubbles in my stomach moments ago now fizzle out, replaced with lead.

“Shouldn’t they be back now that I’m out of the underground?” I hear the hint of panic in my voice as I try to remain calm.

What if being in the underground did something to them?

“Not necessarily,” he says, his eyes not revealing any worry or shock from my little revelation. “It might take a couple of days for them to come back. They’ve been siphoned from you. It feeds the barrier they have.” He shrugs and looks ahead.

My panic comes to a halt with his words and is replaced by shock and swiftly followed by anger.

“I didn’t feel anything in the underground.” I assumed I was just weakened from the constant fighting, but it seems that place was also draining me daily.

“You couldn’t access your abilities so you wouldn’t have noticed them slowly being drained from you. They will return,” he says, unbothered, and the carriage comes to a stop.

I watch him and try to spot anything that would reveal a lie. But he needs me to make it through these trials alive in order to retrieve the green stone he’s looking for, and he knows I will need my powers to get through them.

Keeping my doubts and worries to myself, I grasp onto the hope his words hold and glance to the large stream surrounded by dark green trees and bushes.

“What is your name?” I ask, and he turns to me silently. “Or would you prefer me to continue calling you the masked fae like I do in my head?”

His eyes lighten with what I assume is mirth. “Lord Cain.”

Of course he’s a lord. The lush fabric of his clothing reveals his wealth.

“Seren.”

He dips his head in greeting, his eyes still full of mirth.

“Where are we?” I ask as I get out of the carriage and move closer to the stream. The sun glistens off the top of the water, and I move closer. Before I can step into it, Lord Cain is beside me.

“Just south of the Túr Rí border of Temair.” He hands me the pile of clothes he had laid out for me in the carriage.

“Temair?”

“The fae lands. They are divided into four places. Túr Rí, where we are heading, is mostly a cold, barren land with harsh terrain and weather. You will begin to feel its brutal winds the closer we get.” He glances around. “At the moment, we’re in the between. A land that is ruled by none. While most have been ruined by the taint or taken over by beasts. Closest to Túr Rí are the Annals of the Four Masters, a place where all knowledge is kept safe. And in the center of Temair is Tairngire, the central city of the Kingdom. Most that live there have a far better life than those in the outskirts. To the West and curving around half the fae lands is the Iron Wall, where most fae warriors live and train to guard to protect us all.”

“A wall?”

His eyes find mine. “A huge barrier of iron, fortified by power and sealed with old magic. It’s one of the main reasons the gods have not already infiltrated the Kingdom of Temair.”

“It’s that powerful?”

He gives me a solemn nod before moving a step back and glancing around. “I’ll put up a small barrier around this place. No one will know we’re here.” He looks back at me. “It’ll be dark soon. Go clean up. You do not want to be in the water when night hits.”

“Why?” I glance over at the water, trying to spot any movement. “I don’t see anything.”

“But it is only in the darkness that they awaken,” he says with a chuckle, and an icy shiver slides down my back.

“We’ll leave in a couple of hours.” He turns and leaves, heading through the trees and out of sight. Seconds later, power rumbles from his direction, followed by light. It wraps around the area, encasing us in a small shield.

I wait a moment to make sure the barrier is in place and no one is around before stripping and heading into the water. Ignoring the cold shiver that works its way through me as I step into it, I tread lightly and keep an eye out for any movement as I wade farther in.

Moments pass with no disturbance in the water, so I quickly submerge myself and start to rid the layers of the underground from my skin.

I duck my head under the water again, and the cold clears my mind, quickly reminding me of the mess I’ve got myself into.

The deal with Lord Cain. The Túr Rí trials.

Emerging from the water, I take a deep breath and try to calm the rush of panic that shoots through my veins. I’ve already made the deal. There’s nothing I can do about it now except take each day as it is and keep moving forward. Having that choice now has to be much better than staying in the underground and fighting until I die.

I push my fingers through my hair, but they quickly get caught in a mass of knots and tangles, and the cold water does nothing to help get rid of them. I do what I can and at least get rid of the buildup of grime on my skin before heading back to the shore.

The cold breeze hits my wet body and an icy chill rushes through me. There is a long cloth among the pile of clothes. I use it to dry myself before getting dressed in the clean clothes Lord Cain has left for me.

Everything is black. The pants, top, and slim-line armor. But they all fit me like a glove. It’s as if he had them specifically made for me. Which only makes me frown.

Sighing to myself and the ominous feeling growing inside me, I grab my discarded dirty clothes and wrap them in the long cloth before heading through the trees to where Lord Cain left the carriage.

I’m halfway there when gray clouds roll in overhead, quickly amassing into an imminent storm.

Lord Cain comes into view as I walk towards the carriage. He’s placing a heavy tarp over the top of it to act as cover.

“Every night for two weeks the storm has come.” He frowns. “I wonder what has angered the prince.”

“The prince?” I mirror his tone.

Lord Cain nods but continues to fix the tarp, making it into an arc that covers the entire carriage. “The fae prince has control over the four elements. The weather being his specialty. But it seems something has really angered him.”

My entire body turns to stone as my hearts stops for a moment before picking up speed.

The four elements. But… It can’t be him. His royal status was only part of the facade he was playing… wasn’t it?

Lord Cain frowns as he glances at the storm forming overhead. “It’s strange. His control is usually unyielding, but maybe the gods have done something that have pushed his limits.” He turns back to the tarp to tie it, unaware of my growing internal panic.

“Does this prince have a name?”

“No one knows his name or what he looks like. He is covered when out in public to protect his identity from the gods.”

“Is his power… Is he known for making whirlwinds?”

Lord Cain whips around to me, his eyes narrowing.

“How did you know?” he asks with a hint of suspicion in his voice.

I steady my heart, swallowing hard against the lump forming in my throat. “I heard rumors in the underground prison of a fae that can control the weather. That he was beyond powerful and could create whirlwinds at will.”

He stares silently at me for a moment before nodding slowly, accepting the lie I so easily wove.

“He is the future king of Temair and one of the most powerful fae that has ever lived. They say his power rivals even some of the gods. Though there is no proof.” Lord Cain turns back to the carriage as my stomach churns with dread.

I glance up at the sky and see a huge whirlwind form farther in the distance, making my heart drop.

It’s Kestral. Everything inside of me is telling me so. He is the future king of Temair and one of the most powerful fae ever to live.

And also… my mate.