months ago, and you’ve returned with a night sphinx as your familiar. I thought these great beasts were extinct. It seems I was wrong.”
“Not extinct,” Rainier said. “Waiting.”
A cruel grin crept up Mazzulah’s lips. “Yes,” she murmured, reaching out a clawed hand to brush her fingers over the animal’s snout. Rainier’s mouth curled back in a snarl that reverberated through the dark realm. “I can see it. Only my true heir could claim such a creature.”
“I upheld my end of the deal. I stayed till my ascension. I claimed my familiar. It’s time for me to return.”
“It is,” Mazzulah agreed. “The war is brewing, and it nears its peak. They will need you to win. No other heir will be able to do what must be done. The glory to mine alone . . .” Her golden eyes turned distant, and the insignia on her forehead glowed, illuminating light into the dark shadows.
“What do you mean?” Risk asked, frowning.
“You’ll see,” Mazzulah said, briskly turning away. “I have said much, but there are still things I cannot say. Some rules must be followed. I cannot risk it . . .”
“Risk what?”
“You’ll see,” Mazzulah said again, returning to her throne.
“When the time comes, tell Quinn that she knows what to do if she wishes to win the game.”
Risk clenched her teeth. “I don’t suppose you’ll tell me more than that?”
“No,” Mazzulah shrugged. “I can’t. I won’t. The wheels are spinning. The board is set. All that’s left is for the final cascade to begin, for the winner will take all.”
The dark god ran her hands over the armrests of her throne. Red-tinted water dripped down her face, running in rivulets over her neck and between her cleavage. If not for Risk’s makeshift shirt she’d created out of palm fronds and leaves of the forest, she would likely look the same.
“Then it’s time,” Risk said, turning away from the god. She reached the edge of the steps, and Rainier came up beside her. When she descended this time, it would be of her own volition.
“Actually,” Mazzulah said. If Risk’s heart had beat, it might have jumped at the inflection of the god’s voice. Risk turned her head and narrowed her eyes. “There is one more thing . . .” Mazzulah said softly. Seductively. Her smile held a secret, and Risk knew that whatever this last thing could be, it was the real reason the dark god had kept her here.
Chapter 34
Champions of the Gods
“Dark and light are as relative as good and evil.”
— Quinn Darkova, fear twister, walker of realms, Neiss’ heir
Draeven’s foot tapping was driving Quinn insane.
“Can you stop that?” she snapped. He paused. His legs stilling as he looked up at her from across the mahogany table.
“Sorry,” he mumbled. His violet eyes were bloodshot and tired. The weeks had been grueling in their preparations for the Trienian army, and while that was important, they could defeat the army itself and it would mean nothing if they couldn’t find the light gods’ heirs.
“Arguing amongst ourselves won’t help us,” Thorne pointed out, stroking a hand through his red beard. Quinn narrowed her eyes but didn’t comment.
“The continent is full of people,” Dominicus said, redirecting the conversation. “It’s impossible to know who all the heirs are.”
“I hate to say it,” Draeven added, “but I agree with Dominicus. We don’t even know for certain which one Nero is.”
Quinn tsked under her breath, and the weapons master bristled while Draeven simply sighed.
“If you have a thought, just say it,” Dominicus said in a hard voice.
Quinn leaned forward, staring at the wooden figures of the gods. She picked up Neiss’ figurine, turning it over in her hand. “I am Neiss’ chosen one.” She set it down on the right side of her and picked up another. “Lazarus is Beliphor’s.” Quinn placed it beside the first. “I have a strong suspicion that Axe is Saltira’s.” At the mention of her name, the young queen simply cocked a brow. She was mercurial these days. More volatile, and prone to even greater mood swings. Quinn and the others let her be because they understood that grief was wild.
Next, she picked up Mazzulah’s. “My sister Risk is Mazzulah’s, though Mazzulah is considered a dark god because they were once king and then deposed. They control the dark realm, but that’s because they are also the god of beasts. We consider beast tamers to be gray Maji. Perhaps the lines between light and dark are not as stark as they seem .