Strength (Curse of the Gods #4)(30)

Lancaster wasted no more time, striding over to Yael. His eyes met mine as he passed and it almost looked like he flinched back slightly from me. I didn’t blame him: what I lacked in finesse and skill, I more than made up for in accidental destruction. He took Yael’s hand in his and I felt a burst of energy. It lifted the hairs on my arms and sent goosebumps over my skin. I held my breath, waiting to see the red angry burns subside. At that stage, I’d have taken any improvement to his damaged skin.

Come on!

“It’s going to be okay,” Aros said, wrapping his arm around me. “This wasn’t your fault.”

It was completely my fault, but I appreciated him trying to make me feel better.

After about three clicks, Lancaster released Yael. “I can’t help him. This is god fire. The strongest I’ve ever encountered. He will have to wait for his body to repair the damage, and there will be extensive scar tissue.”

“No!” I cried out, hurrying to Yael.

Lancaster jumped out of my way, and I shot him a confused look, which he turned away from immediately. He couldn’t even bear to make eye-contact with me. As he moved toward the door, Rome shifted in front of it, crossing his arms.

“You didn’t see this,” he grunted. “If anyone asks, Persuasion was brought here, where he promptly healed. Nothing else happened. Is that understood?”

“You can’t threaten me, god-child,” Lancaster muttered, disdain marking his tone. “I’m just as powerful as you are, just as old as you are. You’re not that special.”

“No,” Rome agreed, sounding bored. “I was just born in the world you worked your whole mortal life to get to.”

“Exactly,” Lancaster sneered. “I worked for it. I’m stronger than you. All of you. You think the Beta of Healing wouldn’t have allies in Topia? I have so many people on my side that not even Abil’s family can make a dent in my existence.”

“Maybe.” Yael spoke up, his voice a rasp. “But guess who can threaten you?”

Lancaster spun around, glancing at Yael, before his eyes slid involuntarily to me.

“That’s right.” Yael let out a hacking laugh. “So keep your mouth shut about this, or we set Willa on you. Ashes don’t tell tales, do they?”

I expected Lancaster to sneer again, to shower me in his disdain, to tell me that he had all the god friends and that I didn’t stand a chance … but he didn’t. He shuttered his expression and gave a short, sharp nod. Rome moved out of the way and he escaped the room without looking back.





Seven





The room was silent for only a click before the door burst open again. This time, it was Cyrus. He appeared in a flurry of white robes and flashing eyes as his attention snapped straight to Yael.

He snorted. “I knew Lancaster was lying. You don’t look like you healed yourself. What the fuck happened?” That last part he had aimed at me, his attention shifting from me and back to Yael’s burns.

“I did my fire thing.” I shrugged, helpless. “Just the same as always.”

“Except this time you tried to turn the mountain into a volcano, and you burned one of Abil’s sons. Not that I’m complaining, by the way, this is much more entertaining than babysitting a bunch of dweller-bugs and sol-princesses.”

“I need to heal Yael,” I said, ignoring him. I placed my hands over Yael’s blistered forearm.

“Oh you can heal things now?” Cyrus sounded amused. “Why not, I guess. Let’s see it.”

I could feel the colour rising to my cheeks, humiliation sinking into me. “I can’t,” I countered. “I just meant that I should do something.”

I was embarrassed because it seemed that the only thing my power was capable of, so far, was devastation. Maybe I was the new God of Devastation.

“There’s already a God of Devastation,” Siret said, answering my thought. “And a Beta. Are they still alive, Neutral?”

“They are,” Cyrus replied, watching me.

“So according to Staviti’s rules of the universes, you can’t ascend to Topia when there’s already an established God and Beta with your particular energy.”

“Also according to Staviti’s rules of the universe,” I countered, “Topia is full. Every energy has a God and a Beta. I’m guessing this would have been the case when I died … so why did I ascend?”

“Maybe you didn’t ascend,” Cyrus answered. “Maybe you snuck into the afterlife. Maybe you were reborn. Maybe you were already dead. The panteras wanted to help you, so I’m guessing they know the answers. We need to ask for an audience with them.”

“We?” Yael croaked out, wincing in pain. “Since when are you part of this group, Neutral?”

“I don’t want to be part of your six-way sex group.” Cyrus rolled his eyes. “I want to know what Willa is and what that means for the rest of us. I don’t trust you lot to keep me informed, and without my protection, Rau will tear that girl’s soul from her skin and send it straight to the imprisonment realm. Also, I saved her life.”

“You killed me,” I spat.

“It was the only way to save your life.”

“What the hell are we going to do about Yael!” I was on the verge of a meltdown. I couldn’t stand around talking about it anymore. I needed to do something.