Strength (Curse of the Gods #4)(18)
“A pocket,” Coen whispered, his voice so low I almost couldn’t catch it.
“I created a temple and told my surviving mortal relatives to worship me there, to bring others and spread the word. In the beginning, my realm, Topia, would not allow me to create others of my kind, and it would not allow me to visit Minatsol for long without weakening me. With the bridge created, and with my family spreading the word of my ascension as a god, things began to change. Minatsol began to give, and Topia to take. Soon, I was able to create a new, powerful family, and they were able to exist in Topia. Together we have thrived, we have built this world to something which is strong and proud. My family and I have created a platform for further ascension, an opportunity for immortality that each of you have been gifted with. I fear that if the connection were severed, those who have ascended since me may be immediately rejected.”
I understood what he was saying as far as the theory of it was concerned, but I wasn’t sure exactly what to believe. I knew he was lying about Minatsol regenerating itself, so what else was he lying about?
Did he really need the magic of Minatsol to fuel Topia?
Did he really want the sols to grow stronger? To make it to Topia?
“The Betas of each differing energy group will be expected to teach at Champions Peak.” Staviti’s decisive voice cut through my thoughts, forcing my head to turn toward my guys. I knew for certain that Siret was a Beta, but I didn’t know about the others. I wanted desperately to ask them then and there, but Staviti was already speaking again, drowning out my question.
“Those Betas will be required to remain in Minatsol for the next life-cycle: a sacrifice you will all be making—” his voice boomed over the voices starting to swell in shocked protest— “for the good of Topia. This afterlife has been a gift from the land itself, but now the land must be repaid. The Betas of Topia will have exactly one sun-cycle to prepare for their relocation, and then they will settle themselves into their new lodgings at Champions Peak. A pocket has been opened directly into the new academy, and it will remain open for one sun-cycle only. Train your sols like your afterlives depend on it, because they do. At the end of this life-cycle, I will host an ascension ceremony in Minatsol. Every single sol will be sacrificed in the old temple, and if any prove themselves too weak to ascend to Topia, their Beta-teacher will be executed by Death.”
This information was met with an outcry, but Staviti did not stick around to listen to it. He was gone in the next click, as a sorrowful wail rose up from the crowd. One of the goddesses was crying. Loudly.
“Can he do that?” I asked, my borrowed voice choked-up and fearful. I hadn’t realised that Staviti held so much power. I’d heard that he was the all-powerful, the all-knowing, the all-everything, but threatening to kill off half of the immortal population as punishment for being unable to reverse the apparent natural order of the worlds was …
“He’s insane,” Coen answered in a terse whisper, finishing my thought for me. “But he’s the Creator. He can do anything he wants. We need to get out of here.”
“But …” I stuttered. “But he said that he wasn’t implying anyone would have to die, and then he just said everyone was going to DIE!”
Rome wrapped his hand around my—or Aros’s—mouth, cutting me off before I got any louder. He shook his head once. I worked to calm myself. Locking my panic down, I finally noticed the gods around us were starting to stir in a big way. None of us wanted to be caught in the crossfire of a mass-god-tantrum; Yael grabbed a hold of my arm, a little rougher than usual, though I felt no pain inside Aros’s body. He tugged me into blackness, and I found myself back in Adeline’s room, the others blinking into existence around me. I wanted to ask if I would now have the magical ‘pop on and off marble platforms at will’ power that the rest of them had, but I was aware that it wasn’t exactly a good time for my random questions.
“What happened?” Aros demanded, standing up from one of the couches.
Siret’s hand landed on the back of my neck, and I could feel his magic trickling away from me. I knew the moment I was myself again, because his touch changed. It became softer, his palm settling against my skin, curving around the sides of my neck, pulling me backward and into his body. Yael, who must have decided that he wasn’t okay with where I was standing, reached out while Coen started to detail Staviti’s announcement to Aros.
I was tugged against another hard chest, Yael’s arm angling across my front, his hand settling into the dip of my waist, his chin resting against the top of my head. Siret shot him a look before turning to focus on Coen’s recounting.
“What does this mean?” Aros asked, his expression shocked.
Adeline appeared then, Abil right beside her.
Family meeting time.
“He’s sending all five of you to Minatsol again,” Abil announced, a growl riding his words.
“Six,” Adeline corrected, her eyes on me.
“We could keep her here,” Abil countered.
“No,” five deep, angry voices snapped.
A short silence followed that sudden outburst, and then all eyes seemed to settle on me, waiting.
It was almost funny that they didn’t know what my answer was.
“Of course we know what your answer is,” Rome grunted, turning his eyes back to his parents as he answered my thought. “She’s coming with us. She will attend as the strongest Chaos sol.”