The Warrior God (The Ares Trials #1) - Eliza Raine Page 0,28

He turned and began to march through the courtyard, people moving out of his way with sideways glances, and I began to bob through the air behind him. The minotaur gave me a vicious smile as we passed her.

“How are we floating?” I ground out, as I bounced against Ares’ enormous arm. A spark of electricity zipped between us and he scowled as his hair fell over his shoulder.

“The staff. All the guards have them. They encase people.”

“Right. How do we get out of being encased?”

“We don’t. They’re designed to restrain people in a world inhabited by the strongest and most violent fighters in existence.”

I gritted my teeth, panic beginning to coil in my stomach. I didn’t do well with being trapped. Not since my stint in prison. “I assume they can’t hold gods?” I asked, angrily.

“Of course not. But you do not have the power of full god, and therefore neither do I.”

I balled my fists as I drifted too far from Ares to hear him, and a small creature that I guessed was a satyr walked underneath me. He was a little two-legged goat, his bearded face the only human-looking thing about him. Nobody seemed surprised or concerned to see us floating through the bazaar after the guard. It must be a common occurrence in Erimos. When I drifted close to Ares again, I spoke. “Where is he taking us?”

“Hopefully not to the King,” he muttered. My arm bumped against his again, and more sparks fired. “Is that the staff’s magic?”

Ares just grunted. I glanced down at the ground, wondering where Zeeva was, but I couldn’t spot her. I wasn’t sure if that was good or bad.

Energy was coursing through me with nowhere to go, and I knew I needed to calm it, to slow my panic. I took a long breath, flexed my fingers, and patted the pocket with my knife in it. Enjoy the scenery, I told myself. Learn about where you are. When you’re in a situation you can’t control, make a list.

After ten minutes of being bounced through the air of Erimos, my ‘things that will help me survive in the city’ list didn’t have much on it. There seemed to be an endless array of creatures living in Erimos. Beautiful women were everywhere, some with skin that looked like water, others with skin that looked like tree-bark. Muscular human men mingled with creatures that appeared to be made up of the most bizarre animal combinations imaginable. Many had wings and tails, and all looked like they could take a punch or two.

The guard marched on without pause, so I was only afforded fleeting glimpses. We were heading toward the center of the city and the buildings around us were becoming more opulent as we went. There were no more noisy bazaars, but the shady doorways we passed were definitely selling trade. Several appeared to be drinking establishments, men and women stumbling in and out, clutching goblets. More were brothels, I was guessing from the number of scantily clad bodies leaning against the jewel-encrusted building-fronts. And they were certainly not all women. This place looked to be a pervert’s dream, I thought as I stared wide-eyed at a four foot tall creature with six arms, and six breasts. She gave me a little finger wave as I passed, and I mutely returned the gesture.

The next part of the city we passed through felt different again. The buildings were taller, and a number of them reminded me of churches or temples, bulbous spires over grand arched doorways inviting folk in. It was clear the guard wasn’t heading for any of these though. The enormous central tower that dominated the view above us was clearly our final destination.

Eventually we slowed, and as I turned gently in the air, I tipped my head back and gazed upward. The tower was massive. It glittered and gleamed with colored gems in the bright light, and the curved main body of the structure was adorned all over with intricate carvings of weapons. Small arched windows were cut out of the stone in a curving spiral and I couldn’t help my burning curiosity about what was inside.

We floated over a shining blue walkway, which morphed into grand steps leading up to an even grander doorway. Columns that mimicked the shape of the tower lined our path, and as we entered the magnificent building, my breath caught.

We had floated into an oasis. In the middle of the huge round room was a