Page 9 of The Gods We Defy (All Gods Must Die #2)
CHAPTER 9
T he warmth inside me grows, expanding outward. Glancing down at my hand, I frown as I watch my Sidus light form smoky white shadows before circling around it.
That… is not supposed to happen. Sidus light forms in luminescent strings, not shadows or smoke.
Something is wrong with my powers. I can feel it. Have felt it since I left the underground. My Sidus light is changing and my Caligo powers… are still gone.
Sighing to myself, I focus harder and think about my Sidus strings—something I never had to do before—and the smoke disappears, slowly being replaced by my strings of light.
A measure of ease replaces the slow building dread inside me as I weave my light around my hand, forming a small net that expands outward before dispersing.
I will have to practice making sure the smoke doesn’t appear. But at least for now, I am not completely powerless.
It must be from being in the underground. The energy there was wrong, and Lord Cain did say it would eventually come back.
I just didn’t think it would take this long.
Pushing the thought of the underworld and my unstable powers to the back of my mind, I finish the food Kestral brought for me before making my way to the courtyard I noticed yesterday.
Or I at least attempt to find it in this mountain maze. I probably should have left earlier, knowing it would take me time to find it.
I make it down the hall, and just as I’m about to turn down another, I see some light and my instincts tell me to follow it. I end up walking out onto a sunlit corridor with open arches along the side wall.
The air is bitter cold, the wind a harsh breeze that makes me glad for the mask and heavy clothing. But seeing the sunlight attempt to break through the graying clouds brings a small smile to my face.
I will never take light for granted again.
Muffled sounds reach my ears, and I move toward them, finding a small entrance to another room. I silently move closer and find a male on a small bed. A female healer with loose, dark blonde hair appears to be healing him.
Neither of them notices my presence, the door is far enough away from them and closed half-way, concealing most of me.
The female moves silently, revealing a deep vicious cut down the right side of the male’s face.
“You’re lucky you didn’t lose an eye,” the female healer says with a tired sigh as she heals him. He grunts a reply but otherwise stays silent.
The cut takes time to heal. It’s deep and looks painful, but he barely moves as she touches it and slowly closes it over.
His dark clothes have far more blood on them than the wound, but his dark hair also has dried blood matted into it. The cut on his eye might not have been his only wound.
I quickly inspect the rest of him and find a black mask with swirling patterns that would only cover half his face lying beside him. There’s an uneven crack down the right side of the design, mirroring the cut on his face.
The man that I came across on my way here—the one that was face down with a dagger in his back—comes to mind as I watch him.
I knew the trials would be vicious, and that the chosen here would have to keep their guard up. But seeing just how savage they can truly be makes it feel all too real. I will well and truly need to be on my guard constantly. I can’t be foolish or mess this up. If I want a chance to survive and get home, I need to keep my head down and do what I must in order to survive here.
A crash vibrates off the wall in another room and I jolt before quickly moving away from the door, glancing around to ensure no one saw me.
All I need is a chosen to find out I saw him without his mask, and I’ll have more trouble than I want on my hands.
Those masks, whether for fame, power, or anonymity, seem to be the only thing that is respected here. And it is more than likely the one thing that may keep me alive.
Following the corridor, I spot a familiar line of doors, and remembering the path the girl brought me up yesterday, I come out of the open archway overlooking the courtyard.
Now I just need to figure out how to get down.
Moving down the corridor, I quickly spot a small stairwell leading down to the ground and I follow it.
It took me far too long to find this place from my new room. There has to be a quicker way.
I make a mental note to ask Asra about it later.
There’s a large crowd of chosen already gathered farther down the courtyard. All are wearing different masks. Some shaped like bird faces with long metal beaks, others are similar to Lord Cain’s, and some only cover half or two-thirds of their faces. The rest of their faces are painted in dark colors, or covered in cloth, completely concealing the rest of their face and any identifying features.
A handful of masks are opulent. A couple of them are completely plated in gold, and a handful in silver. Others look terrifying, mimicking black skulls and teeth, or elongated snouts from beasts I have never come across nor hope to. While a small few have simpler masks, using only black cloth.
Some of the chosen have already formed small groups, but the majority stay by themselves, keeping a wide berth from those around them. Though the animosity between them all is as clear as crystal. All are either glaring or sizing up one another.
Ensuring my hood and mask are still firmly in place, I walk out into the large courtyard just as another chosen does. His copper eyes are the only thing visible as they narrow on me. He moves to the opposite side of the courtyard, continuing to glare at me.
I hide my eye roll as a couple more chosen come up behind me. Matching their pace, I line up beside the group but keep enough space between us, just like everyone else.
I glance around, trying to spot Oryn among the masked, but many of them have similar builds as his and no one is speaking.
Familiar bloody clothing and a cracked black half-mask now filled with gold draw my attention as the male that was being healed walks out into the courtyard a minute later. He covers the rest of his face with black cloth.
His gaze finds mine, holding it for a moment, and I think maybe he knows I saw him without his mask. But a second later he moves to the other side of the courtyard just as a tall, unmasked male with long dark gray hair walks out in front of us, his pointed ears revealing him as fae. Six other unmasked fae walk behind him with weapons at their sides.
“Welcome, new chosen.” His dark eyes flit around the courtyard like a hunter searching for its prey. “I am Vidarr. One of the original chosen that won the trials many years ago.”
And someone who seems to be proud of that little fact.
“The royal fae have left me in charge of mentoring you all.” He smiles, a dark, twisted grin that tells me exactly what type of mentoring he will be doing. “They want results and, of course, entertainment. Which means I am the only one in control here. Is that understood?”
His smile only grows when everyone nods.
“Good. This is your last chance to withdraw from the trials. When the first trial begins, you will no longer have that option. The energy that created these trials will meld itself to you, and it will ensure you cannot leave. There will be a servant that will find and bring you to the trials, but should you decide to ignore them, the power of that melding will ensure you do, and it will drag you there in one way or another. I suggest you do not test its limits.”
Shock splinters through me. There is no way out for me with the deal I made, anyway. And even when Kestral mentioned something about not being able to help me once the first trial started, I didn’t realize it was because of some melding that bound us to the trials themselves.
No one dares move after Vidarr’s little speech. I guess the title, glory, and power are worth more than their lives.
“Those that joined a few minutes ago come to the front,” he orders.
A handful of people move, and I do the same, following them up to the front of the courtyard where Vidarr stands.
We line up in front of him and he starts slowly walking between us, inspecting each of us.
I look ahead, avoiding eye contact, ensuring I bring no unwanted attention to myself.
“We do not have many rules, as you will soon come to find. Those we do have in place are not to be questioned,” he starts.
“Do not tell anyone your real name. Choose a pseudo name if you want. But never be spotted without your mask. If me or my men find you without it, you will be killed. The chosen around you will also have my blessing to do so.”
Vicious chuckles spread out behind me, and I see exactly how he likes to run these trials. With fear and threats and malicious intent.
Vidarr narrows his eyes. “All of you have missed our special bonding sessions and will need to catch up if you don’t want to get stuck at the bottom.”
I don’t miss the cunning look he gives us when he says the word special .
“We have our own ranking system apart from the trials. There will be a purge whenever I decide. Those who make it through a purge will have another chance to stay alive. Those who continue to scrape through and end up at the bottom will be eliminated.”
Shock once more spears through me at his words. Not only do we have to make it through the threat of the trials and whatever they may bring, and watch our backs against one another, we also need to make it through these purges he has created. The name alone not instilling any confidence in me, I know they will be brutal. And I will have no choice but to join them.
“We have a responsibility to rid the weak from the trials,” he says, and I can see that he believes it too. Those that don’t reach his standards in whatever tests he throws at us will most definitely not be continuing.
I clench my hands by my side and hold back the slew of curses wanting to break free.
I must have been a horrible person in my past life to pay for the amount of bad luck I’m having lately.
“Now, does anyone have questions?” he asks, a pleasant smile on his face that sends an icy shiver down my back.
A chosen—male, judging by his broad frame—scoffs, his mask a plain black cloth. “We’re here for the trials, not some stupid tests you decided to make up. What happens if we don’t listen to you or follow your stupid rules?”
Vidarr’s pleasant smile grows into something depraved. My entire body grows tense as he nods to another one of his men beside him.
The fae slowly walks down to the chosen with the plain mask and the chosen turns to the fae as if sizing him up. But before he can blink, the fae moves, grabbing hold of his head and snapping it with a quick twist that makes me flinch.
The chosen drops to the ground with a thump, the surrounding snow melting with the warmth now leaving his body.
“The next purge is now. Let’s welcome our new chosen, shall we?” Vidarr says with nothing but delight.
My stomach drops and churns.
“Any other questions?” Vidarr asks, drawing our attention back to him. He glances between us, that cruel smile only growing. “No? Good. Follow me.”
We all move without question through the courtyard and farther left out into the open, where the icy breeze settles inside my bones, making me shiver. We head toward a forest of dark trees, the crunch of our boots through the thick snow the only sound any of us make.
The towering snowy trees blanket the dark gray skyline above, making it seem even darker as we move farther and farther into the forest.
Vidarr stops beside a bank of icy water. It looks like it leads downstream. The rush of water tells me a lake is not far.
“The sidhe hounds are monstrous beasts that roam the forest, looking for their next victim.” Vidarr shares a savage smirk with his men. “Once blood is shed, they will come to hunt.” He looks over at someone behind me. I glance over to find a group of chosen are surrounding us, spread out as if caging the newest arrivals in, ensuring we won’t escape.
“The chosen that have been here longer will, of course, have an advantage,” Vidarr continues. “They will not be marked for the hounds.” He pauses, making sure he has our undivided attention. “Instead, they will be the ones marking you .”
Light gleams out of the corner of my eye as those told to mark us take out their weapons, watching us all like prey as they wait.
“But… they have weapons,” someone points out on the far left of me.
Vidarr narrows his eyes in the direction but he can’t make out who said it. “Then take them… if you can.” A cruel smirk slides across his lips.
“You will know the hounds are close when the fog moves in. They will emit three terrifying howls before they begin their hunt. You will need to find shelter before the third howl, or you risk a horrifying death. The hounds are said to drag your souls to the Otherworld. You cannot leave the forest before dawn. Attempting to do so will result in your death. Those that are still alive by sunrise will earn themselves another day in the trials.”
A chosen jumps off the rock he was standing on and slices his blade across the nearest person. A splash of red blood hits the white snow, and the injured chosen hisses and grabs his arm.
“I’d advise you all to run,” Vidarr warns with a low chuckle.
I heed his warning and get moving. His dark chuckle follows me as I run deeper into the forest where the trees are dense and I am farther away from the other chosen.
It’s not long before I hear footsteps crunching in the snow. By the sound of it, there are at least three people following me.
Silence slithers through the trees, making everything around me feel still… too still. Seconds later, the fog rolls in, as if appearing from the ground itself. Within minutes, it’s covering the entire forest floor and rising.
Ice spreads outward, following the fog, and a chilling howl rings out as if it’s coming from everywhere and nowhere all at once.
I don’t look back. I keep moving forward, hoping I can find some place to hide. I just have to stay alive until dawn. If I can find someplace that will conceal me, I should be fine.
Snowy black trees with claw-like branches scrape my arms and sides as I run past them. I keep running until my gaze is drawn to a rocky spot farther into the forest. There’s a thick tree that spreads outward, its roots twisting into the surrounding ground that I can use to climb up into. With the thick icy fog that’s rolling in, it might be best to get up and away from it until it passes.
I keep to the shadows of the trees, and away from the deeper snow, ensuring I’m as quiet as possible as I make my way toward it. But before I get there, the crunch of boots has me rushing behind the nearest thick tree.
“Where did she go?” a large figure with a deep voice and a black feathered mask whispers to the others. From my viewpoint, I can make out three figures. One female and two males, by the looks of it.
“I saw her coming this way. She’s definitely here somewhere,” the smaller male of the two with a bird-beak mask says.
“Spread out,” the larger, bulky male says. “We’ll find her soon enough.”
The female with the gold mask and the bulky male leave while the smaller male searches around me.
Realizing he’s moving in my direction I edge myself slowly around the tree and wait until he’s close with his back turned before slipping out from behind it. I immediately push my Sidus light strings out, weaving them around his arms as I wrap my hands around his neck, cutting off his air supply and any shouts he might attempt to make. I hold tight and wait until he’s completely passed out before letting him go and dragging his body behind the nearest tree. I cover our tracks before moving, heading next in the female’s direction.
I end up back near the lake. As soon as I’m close enough, I hear a female and male laugh.
Moving out of the trees, I see the two who were chasing me throw another female chosen into the icy lake. I hear the crack of ice and her scream. My heart drops as the chosen breaks through the layer of ice and is dragged under.
I move forward, not caring that I will reveal myself just as the top of the female’s head breaks the icy water and she gasps for air, sputtering behind her silver mask and scrambling to climb out. But it’s no use. The small crack of ice she’s in is too slippery to get a hold while she is panicking. She doesn’t have long before she will die.
“Where’s Miro?” the female asks the male as they leave the other female still in the ice. I assume she’s speaking of the male that tried to find me a moment ago and decide to include myself in their conversation.
“I’m afraid your friend will have to count himself out of your little hunting party,” I say as I come up behind them.
They whip around, as if just realizing I’m there. Either I’m stealthier than I realize or they’re way too absorbed in whatever game of hunt and kill they’ve decided to play.
“What did you do with him?” The female snarls as shadows form around her hand.
A Caligo. And her shadows work. Which means whatever is wrong with mine is definitely not part of being here at Túr Rí. It has to be from the underground prison.
“He seemed a little tired, so I decided to help him take a little nap,” I tell her. And her shadows grow while the male watches on and laughs.
“I hope you know you’re not leaving here alive,” the male says with a glint of cruelty in his eyes.
The female’s shadows grow until they lash out at me. But I instinctively push out my Sidus light, weaving a tight net that blocks her attack. The shadows pull back a bit as the female laughs.
“A Sidus,” she chuckles. “Let’s throw her in the lake like the other one,” she tells the male.
“Let’s.” He nods at her, the vicious look in his eyes not leaving mine.
I move a step back into the trees, and they follow, along with the female’s shadows.
Quickly reaching inside myself, I try to tap into my own shadows, to feel the cool tendrils I’ve felt all my life, but even with her shadows here near me, I can’t reach my own. It’s like they’re blocked.
I push it to the back of my mind for now and focus on the two threats in front of me.
My gaze quickly finds the chosen in the lake, her head bobs above the water but unmoving as if she’s too tired to hold on anymore.
Damn it. I need to make this quick.
The female’s shadows slash out at me just as a glint of metal catches my eyes. I quickly duck as the sword slams into the tree in front of me. But the slight distraction costs me as the female’s shadows wrap around me, yanking me back to the ground.
I glance up and the sword is directly above me. Hearing the two chosen move toward me, I push out my Sidus light up toward the sword and cover my eyes as a blaring light fills the small clearing.
I hear a gasp as the shadows fall away from me. Reaching up for the sword, I yank it out of the tree. While my Sidus light fades, I mark the two chosen and head for the female first, slashing the sword across her stomach. She lets out a hiss of pain as she curls forward.
The male steps in front of her and meets my sword with a clash of his own. “You’re going to pay for that,” he snarls and attacks with rage. I meet each of his strikes with my own, blocking his advances while pushing him back. He seems to realize this a moment later and his eyes widen before narrowing and glowing a deep purple.
Not a Caligo, I see. He must be fae.
I shove him back a few steps more when I feel it. Power .
But it comes from somewhere behind me. I whip around and my eyes widen when I see the dozens of branches stretching out from the trees themselves and rushing straight for me.
Using my sword, I slash through them as they attack. But I quickly become overwhelmed as the female’s shadows join them, creating small daggers that join in to slice and cut against my skin.
Their cruel laughs grate in my ears, but I don’t give up, quickly slashing, twisting, and moving through them, cutting and snapping anything that gets near me.
A terrifying howl, unlike anything I’ve ever heard before, bellows out around us, and their chuckles cut off along with their attack as they whip around looking for the source of the sound.
Using the distraction, I drag up every ounce of my Sidus power, intending to weave a net around them, blinding them. But instead, something else rises inside me. A rush of power that feels foreign.
With no other choice, I let go a blast of power and it slams straight into the two chosen, shoving them backward and knocking them out.
The rush of power quickly expends my energy, but I push myself and move toward the lake where they threw the other chosen.
My heart drops when I realize her body has disappeared.
Panic envelops me as I scan the ice for movement. Seconds pass, feeling like time is moving against me when I hear it. A thump.
I hurry toward the sound, running down the lake to a spot near the edge. Reaching out, I clear the layer of snow from it and jolt back.
Brown hair floats around her panicked face, her matching brown eyes filled with utter terror as she stares back at me. Her silver mask is missing.
She struggles to break the ice from within. But her feeble attempts grow weaker by the second, her lips a deep blue.
A terrifying scream of pain rings out, reminding me of what Vidarr promised. Three howls. I have to get out of here before the last one. The thought snaps me out of my shock and I bend down and repeatedly slam my fist into the ice to break it. But it’s like trying to punch a brick wall. No matter how hard I slam against it, it won’t crack. My stomach drops when I realize how thick the ice must be here.
I quickly search for anything I can use to break the ice, but the face below me turns deathly white, her thumps growing weaker by the second, her last breaths frantically bubbling out around her. I’m out of time.
My stomach churns as helplessness falls over me, I’m going to watch this girl die. Fury pulses through me. Those two chosen killed this girl, all for a stupid game. I slam my fist harder into the ice again and again and watch my blood splatter across the ice. But I won’t give up. I can’t. Not if there’s even the slightest chance that this girl may survive.
My Sidus light comes to the surface of my skin, encasing my fists, but instead of strings, that smoke from before forms once again.
I don’t question it this time. I allow it to flow freely, hoping it will help. The smoke is warm and continues to heat until it’s as hot as flames. Each slam into the ice gets hotter until finally I see a crack.
Working faster and harder, the hot smoke grows, looking more like white flames as I smash into the ice and it melts away.
I reach into the icy lake and grab the girl’s arm just as she begins to sink. I pull her body out of the water, dragging her until we’re clear of the lake and under a nearby tree.
I slam my hands into her chest, and her body jolts, sputtering up multiple mouthfuls of water. Her entire body is shaking violently and even though she’s free from the icy lake, I know her body temperature is still too low, her lips and mouth are a frightening dark blue. I have to get her dry and warm.
“Stay awake,” I demand.
Her eyes flutter open but glance around, unfocused.
I look down at my hands and watch as the white smoke forms once more. Placing them on her body, I feel them heating again and she groans and curls into my hands, holding onto them tight.
I try to focus on the warmth, making sure I don’t burn her, but it’s as if this strange new power realizes it already and doesn’t get as hot as before.
Glancing around, I make sure the two chosen haven’t woken up. Their bodies are still where I left them, unmoving. I wonder if I’ve accidentally killed them.
Small pulses of warmth rush out of my hands and into the girl as her eyes close, her color slowly returning.
I start to move my hand back when she grips onto it tighter and sighs in contentment. Pausing for a moment, I watch as her cheeks fill with pink and her lips and mouth lose their frightening blue.
I feel it as the warmth seeps into her, and within seconds, her clothes are dry, too. A moment later, her body goes limp.
Panic flitters through me, thinking I’ve done something to her, but once I check her pulse, I realize she’s just passed out.
I relax for a moment, but my relief is short-lived as a third howl rings out, shaking me to my core.
Gently placing her on the snow, I move to grab my sword and make it back to her just as vicious growl stops me in my tracks.