This book is the one I’m planning on publishing and getting money off of, but i really wanna share with more people than just my friend Peanut

I’m going to be doing this a little bit differently so that way i won’t have to make edits and then download them and then edit them.

This was inspired by Percy Jackson, and there are a lot of similarities, BUT, I wanted to see some more depth with the gods, so i gave more depth to the gods. You can call it a Fanfic if you want, but the main similarity is that the gods are real.

Anyway, the real reason to read this is to enjoy.

So go curl up on your Gryffindor armchair with your Percy Jackson Goblet of blue hot cocoa and snuggle into the story.

NEWLY UPDATED IT WILL MAKE MORE SENSE IF YOU ROLL BACK BUT YOU CAN JUST KEEP READING NORMALLY 3/16/24

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Prologue  

City of Blood and Ash 

Cineres was cold. Of course, it was cold. The ashen city froze with the coming winter leaving the already abandoned city emptier, colder. 

The broken city still had the climate above the underground ruins, the beautiful city of Athens in Greece. Of course, Cineres had been the original city before the people had offended the gods. Now the city lay underground, skeletons in the streets and buildings crumbling in the dark gray city. 

Above was pale gray sky, (a lot of grays in the city) not really sky, but the gods created the illusion so the people could have something to look at as they slowly starved to death. 

Such merciful creatures, the gods are. Starve a people for their king’s crime, but hey, bright side, they get to look at the beautiful gray sky as they die!  

They see the gray sky even as their own skin turns the same color and their bones start stabbing from their broken sick frames. And then winter hit, the supplies ran out and then some people turned to cannibalism, others ate their dogs, while still others just died. Finally, the fallen city’s people all died off, and the gods created the city of Athens. 

Lovely, really just lovely. 

But today the dead quiet city was filled with the pained screaming of the first mortal to come to Cineres in three millennia. 

Fracti stretched as she threw the summoning dagger again. 

The halfling dodged it and hissed, “Do you mind?” 

Fracti sighed and held out her hand. The dagger spun back and hit her palm with a satisfying thunk.  

A summoning dagger. Hard to come by easy to use. All you had to do was bond it. Create a connection with it, or more accurately the magical creature that was killed to make it. This one was created by a valca’s soul.  

The blade was crafted by Glints, forged in dragon’s fire and cured in the blood of a valca, sacrificed on holy ground. 

After that you have a beautifully carved dagger, a foot long, silver, glowing in the sunlight. You get a polished leather hilt, perfectly balanced on a fingertip, tittering on an edge. Gently put against a throat, lovingly slashed in a spray of blood, releasing a dying breath 

She wrapped her fingers around the hilt and threw it again, aiming for the halfling’s face. 

Sadly, the dagger didn’t land brutally in the thing’s face, popping his eye out and ruining his pretty golden mug. The halfling snarled baring its fangs. 

Halflings, half animal, half demon. This particular one was part mountain lion. Wearing only traditional sparring shorts, loose down the thighs and over the knees but cinched tight around the upper shins and along the belt. His face and head were entirely belonging to the lion, coming down to his clawed hands, golden fur stretching across the man’s rippling muscles. 

Fracti rolled her eyes, “This got boring way too fast. And yes, I do mind, deal with it.” 

The halfling flung its whip in her direction, “Then maybe you can try to get the prophecy from the brat.” 

Fracti jumped away from the whip and turned to the patroned boy, “I don’t understand why it isn’t working. He’s in pain, his pupils are white, why isn’t he giving us the prophecy? He stopped screaming after the, like, fifth round.” 

The young man’s shirt was gone, leaving only a pair of jeans. Blood was pouring from the cuts on his back, and he was panting hard, his chest heaving up and down.  

His irises were white, a foggy haze over them and his pupils, like starch water. 

The easiest way to trigger a seer’s power was pain and terror, and normally Fracti inspired both but this stupid patroned stopped screaming a while ago. 

Daraz, demigod, son of Lochan, patroned of Lochan, the most powerful seer in a millennium. And he was staring blankly at the ground having a vision of the gods, a vision that Fracti and the halfling were supposed to be getting a prophecy from. 

Fracti screamed, “Ugh! The most powerful seer isn’t seeing!” She threw the dagger at the boy and the halfling snarled and threw his clawed hand in front of the dagger, protecting the boy’s neck. 

The halfling let out a scream and doubled over clutching his hand. 

Fracti grinned. “You scream well.” 

He tore the dagger out and threw it away wincing over his hand, “Are you mad? You know what will happen to us if we don’t do this!”  

Fracti rolled her eyes, “Like I care, I’m sick of this! He ain’t talking so let’s just kill him.” 

The halfling grabbed Daraz’s shirt and wrapped it around his bleeding claw, drawing it to his chest clearly still in pain, “The boy is the most important part of the mother’s plan!” 

Fracti rolled her eyes, “Yeah, whatever. Why do you call her that? She has a name!” 

The halfling snarled as he stood back up, “The name is forbidden.” 

“Celta! Celta, Celta, Celta!” Fracti stood up, “You’ll never use that hand again! I might as well just kill you now, you holn!” 

The creature screamed in outrage, “That name is sacred!” 

“She comes.” A horse whisper came from behind them. 

Fracti spun and without a second thought summoned the dagger back to her and stabbed the halfling in the stomach. 

He gasped in pain and melted into shadows. 

Daraz screamed suddenly. A gut-wrenching scream of terror and pain. The scream echoed through the dead city and the boy’s eyes grew wide as he continued to scream.  

Ice crusted on the chains holding his arms apart. He stopped screaming and Fracti knelt next to the boy watching as he stared off into nothingness. 

The pain in his eyes was clear, vivid. 

Fracti grinned as he whispered again, “She comes.” 

 “A fallen god 

A broken oath 

Promises failed to uphold. 

Dagger through the back 

Goddesses last attack 

Death comes on mercy’s wings. 

And to a tree the people sing 

Hero’s last breath 

Saving five from death 

Weeping child  

Lost and wild 

She comes.” 

Daraz’s eyes slowly bled back to electric blue. His blonde hair was sticking to his forehead with sweat. He collapsed, the only thing keeping him from face planting was the icy chains holding him. 

Fracti grinned as he met her eyes, his face etched with pain, “Who are you?” 

Fracti grinned, “A rewarded hero, returning to her master with a prophecy about how to kill the gods. And it sounds like we succeed.” 

Daraz’s eyes widened, “What?” 

“You gave us a prophecy, or me I should say. My friend sadly couldn’t stay for long.” Fracti grinned and summoned the dagger back, “And now, I get to kill you.” 

Daraz didn’t move. 

Fracti frowned pausing, holding the dagger above her head. She squinted with disgust. “What? No pleas for mercy? You’re taking the fun out of this for me.” 

Daraz just stared off into the distant city before an eerie smile crossed his face, “They call me Daraz, son and patroned of Lochan, god of sight and prophecy, and I can see four Alorians about to kill you.” 

The girl spun around, and Stacy grinned, “Ho.” She slammed one of her arrows into Fracti’s gut.  

Fracti screamed and grabbed the arrow shaft. She ripped it from her skin with a sickening squelch. Fracti grinned, “Wow. That hurt.” 

Stacy stumbled back staring at Fracti’s smile, “What the heck are you?” 

Fracti grinned, “Death!” she grabbed Stacy’s shirt and slammed her head into the other girl’s. 

Stacy screamed and kicked Fracti in the gut, Fracti didn’t even flinch, if she was in pain, she relished it, showing her sadistic joy vividly on her face. 

Roman and Troy appeared next to Daraz and immediately started prying at the locks restraining him as Stacy and Veronica fought Fracti. 

Daraz blinked, “Weasleys. you came.” Troy spared a smile for the nickname, before turning back to the lock. 

The twins’ identical handsome faces were furrowed with concentration as they picked the locks. 

Roman paused to grin at his friend, “Yeah buddy. Course we came.” 

Troy cursed, “I can’t get this.” 

“Then move!” Veronica slammed her axe into the iced chains. 

They shattered and Fracti screamed from underneath Stacy. 

Troy and Roman were there as Daraz collapsed, supporting him as they tried to get him away from the bloody ground. 

The panic and the fear, and the blazing pain finally took Daraz’s senses over and he collapsed, the twins pulling him through the dead city. 

Stacy slammed her bow against Fracti’s head and finally the young woman stumbled. 

Veronica threw herself at Fracti, jumping on her back and forcing her axe up against her throat. 

Fracti grabbed Veronica and, with strength you wouldn’t expect from the young woman, slammed Veronica to the ground.  

A crack echoed through the killing square and Veronica ’s eyes went wide, gasping in pain, “I can’t feel my legs! I can’t feel my legs!” 

Fracti grinned, “Looks like you’ll never walk again. Let me give you a mercy.” 

Stacy shot an arrow at Fracti. 

Fracti snarled and yanked it from her shoulder even as Troy and Roman tackled her. 

The twins slammed a steel net on to the ground around her. 

In synchronization they slammed four stakes into the ground. 

Together they rolled away, and Troy pulled Veronica away, gently feeding her some chocolate. 

Veronica didn’t move she shook her head, “Troy… I can’t- I can’t breathe. It’s all going black.” 

Troy started crying, “Come on, you’ll be fine.” 

She shook her head, staring up at the gray sky, “I can’t go on anymore. I can see the sky, Troy.” She sucked in one last breath and exhaled in a cloud of multicolored mist. She was dead. 

Roman pulled his brother away and they bolted, Stacy running behind. 

Fracti started laughing, “I win! I got one, and it’ll break all of you.” 

Veronica laid there, her eyes wide staring up at the sky, finally returning to her family and fallen siblings. Yes, the gods were merciful. She died looking at a dead sky, died on the ground, soaked by her friend’s blood, died next to a sadistic laughing young woman. 

What truly merciful creatures, because they sent her there, and they let her look at the gray sky as she died.  

Yes, at least she saw the sky as she died in a fallen city of blood, ash and death. 

Part I 

A shattered veil 

One 

The truly beautiful thing about the gods was the veil. Instead of subjecting billions to the truth they subject hundreds to unbearable pain. 

Alorians were people who could see through the veil. They were hunted for their abilities. 

And the gods gave them those abilities. 

The gods burned Alorians to the ground and then killed them, finally, in mercy. 

No Alorian ever made it long, no Alorian ever made it one year without losing someone.  

Veronica had been 16 when she died a month ago in that dead city, only two years after coming to the Alorians.  

Veronica Fuller, patroned of Somnia Goddess of dreams. 2005- 2021. Last words, ‘I can see the sky, Troy.’ 

Jared frowned as a young man sat down across from him in the alley. He nodded to Jared with a grin on his face. “Hey.” 

Jared pulled out his earbuds and frowned. The suddenness of the young man wasn’t helped by the sudden silence, Lumineers no longer playing in his ears. “Hey.” 

The young man took a Hi-chew from his pocket, “You want one?” 

Jared accepted it hesitantly, unsure, “Thanks.” 

The young man nodded and went quiet studying Jared. Jared returned the favor. 

The young man was around 17 or something. He was wearing a light gray sweatshirt that said EVERDALE in big black letters and jeans. His ginger hair was messy and curled over his brown eyes.  

Jared unplugged his earbuds all together and wrapped them around his iPod shoving the bundle into his pocket. “Can I help you?” 

The young man nodded, “Yes. You’re Jared Davis?” 

Jared frowned, “Who’s asking?” 

“My name is Devin Hart.” The boy smile slightly, “And I’m here to help you.” 

Jared immediately felt himself scoot away. For years Jared had been seeing the impossible, for years he had been in and out of homes, complaints echoing through his ears. Was he a troubled kid? No. He was insane. And he knew it. He still saw them still saw the snakes, and the wolves and the lions in the edges of his visions.  

Devin paused, “You see things. Things that nobody else can see. You see a normal thing and then the normal shatters like a mirror revealing a thing of legends.” 

Jared looked up. No one had described it like that before. Devin acted with familiarity, “How do you know that?” 

Devin smiled, “Cuz I see things too. I’m eighteen years old, and I see demons and monsters and gods.” 

“You’re lying.” 

“Wish I was. But let me guess. It started when you were around 10 or 9, where you would see things that no one else could see. Things like horses with wings, or babies with foxtails, or flying cats breathing tiny flames, cute things. And then you got a little bit older, and those cute things turned creepy, like a skeleton bird, or a floating image of a face. And now you hear things. You get attacked by things now, and you get scared and then weird things happen. Like shadows appearing around you or disappearing and then appearing in other places.” Devin pulled his sleeve up and showed off a large scar that trailed up his arm, “And then they start hurting you.” 

Jared felt himself pale, “What?” 

“You’re one of us, an Alorian.” Devin sighed, “When you were born, a god chose you to see through the veil. A layer of magic that hides things from the rest of the world.” Devin shook his head, “I’m here to help you get to our stronghold. Before anything catches up to us.” 

Jared felt himself cave in. What was worse? Feeling alone for the rest of his life or suddenly being vindicated? “What things?” 

Devin shifted into a crouch, “Anything. The only reason I was able to find you was because you’ve been realized. Your patron decided you were ready for this. Meaning they surrendered a sliver of their power to you, and in doing so they made you detectable to the world. To me, to monsters, to gods, and demons. And right now, your life is in greater danger than it ever has been before.” 

This man must be a loon. Must be crazy. This kind of thing only happens in books, in movies. Not in real life. It was just in Jared’s head. Just like everything else. It was all just noise. Noise. So much noise. Screaming? 

Jared cringed back. “I don’t understand.” He did. This guy was crazy, Jared was crazy. 

Devin nodded, “I didn’t either. Me and my group of four were lucky to find each other and stay alive together. None of us understood it, but we survived, and then someone found us.” Devin stood up, “I found you and I’m here to get you safe.” He extended a hand right as a young man was thrown into the alley, skidding on the ground painfully, and Jared knew that this wasn’t a joke. 

Devin’s hand twisted away and drew a dagger from a sheath Jared hadn’t seen. “Yes, or no?” His eyes were staring hard at the new arrival. Jared felt a chill creep up his spine. 

The young man stood up and grinned painfully at Jared, wincing. “Hey. You must be Jared. Name’s Daraz, demigod.” He pulled a sword from the ground and faced the direction from where he had come from. Unlike Devin, he looked like a hero. Taunt muscles, golden blond hair, brilliant blue eyes. 

Devin sighed, “You aren’t supposed to be here, does Amy know?” 

Daraz grinned, “No she does not, and you aren’t going to tell her.” 

Devin looked back at Jared and then sheathed his dagger, “How many?” 

“Half a dozen, two demigods.” Daraz frowned and leaned on the sword, “Why do we say half a dozen instead of six? Like, we say it to make it easier, but it takes up, like,” he counted on his fingers, “three extra syllables.” 

Devin turned to Jared, “Get out of here.” 

“What’s going on?” Noise ripped around them, a buzzing in the air like a million bees flying into his ears. 

Daraz raised his sword again, “Three yummy patroned in an alleyway, one of them recently realized, four monsters and two kinda humans, coming to kill you and eat us.” 

“Not kill.” A young woman walked into the alley. “Nor eat.” 

Daraz dropped his sword, “Dela?” 

The girl looked like a female version of Daraz. Her blond curly hair was pulled back in a ponytail and her blue eyes were cold. 

She raised a bow and arrow and pointed it at his heart, “Hand him over.” 

Daraz turned to Devin and then looked at Jared. “Why?” 

Jared took a step back. 

Dela smiled sadly, “We need him; to kill the gods.” 

Devin paled and he held his dagger up higher, “You can’t kill gods.” 

Dela turned her bow to Devin, “Celta can, the demons can.” She titled her head at Jared, “He can.” 

Daraz’s eyes bled to a stark white and time seemed to stop as he hissed out, “Child of Terror and Death. Makes a god take his last breath. Mortal turned God; God turned mortal. The tides will burn, and the flames will turn. At his hand and at his command the gods will bow staring at the king of Esylum. No god’s blood, only mortal, shall destroy the world or make it immortal.” He took a shuddering breath, “The broken child, weeping and wild shall claim the throne of the gods.”  

Devin lunged for Daraz as he collapsed, right as Dela released her arrow.  

Jared turned hightail and ran down deeper into the alley before, hitting something large. He looked up and stared at a nine-foot-tall monster with clawed hands, red eyes and a snake’s face. 

It grinned and Jared screamed, backing away, stumbling painfully onto the ground. The monster shook itself and then it seemed to fold down into a little girl. She held out her hands, “I’m not going to hurt you. Will you come with me please?” 

Daraz rammed into the girl, “Hey Voldemort! Go find a different Scarhead!” 

Jared stared at the young man as the little girl was thrown away, it was brutal. 

 “See it’s funny because you have a scar on your forehead.” 

Jared raised a hand to his forehead and felt the scar from a glass display he had dropped on himself when he was four. 

The little girl shifted back into a monster and Jared watched in horror as she slammed a claw over Daraz’s chest. 

He was thrown back and Jared could already see blood forming staining his clothes from the monster’s claws. 

The beast hovered over Jared and Jared kicked his foot into the things groin.  

As casually as waving away a fly, it grabbed his ankle and twisted. 

Jared screamed in pain and the thing opened its mouth to reveal two huge fangs. 

It seemed to sense the kill and it threw Jared up like a rag doll, its mouth grinning with those two hideous fangs. 

Jared squirmed as it brought his neck to its mouth and let its tongue taste the air around Jared.  

Jared could smell the things breath as it opened its mouth wider. Feel its tongue tracing around his ear. Hear the things soft breaths as it prepared to kill Jared. See as a sword stabbed through its stomach. 

The beast froze and dropped Jared. 

It clawed at its stomach in confusion and then its red eyes went dull. And it melted into shadow around the steel sword. 

Daraz grinned and sheathed his sword offering a hand to help Jared up. 

His shirt was torn over his chest, and he was bleeding from a three-inch-long wound. 

“Com’ on Scarhead, let’s go.” 

“Who the actual heck are you?” Jared stood up on his own and immediately felt pain swarm up his leg. 

The young man squatted down next to Jared’s ankle and poked it, like a child might poke a suspicious rock. “Name’s Daraz, my friends call me Neville Longbottom.” He glanced up to see if Jared was laughing. He squinted, “Do you not have a sense of humor? Or have you never seen the movies?” 

Jared stared at the man, “Who are you really?” 

Daraz ignored the question and pulled a chocolate bar from a small compartment on his belt. He gestured to the thin case of leather, “The perfect place to sheath, my weapon, Hershey; Destiney’s blade!” He broke a piece of the chocolate and handed it to Jared, “Eat that, it’ll fix your foot.” 

Jared stared at him, “Chocolate, will fix my foot?” 

Daraz rolled his eyes, took the piece of chocolate and shoved it into Jared’s mouth. 

Jared coughed and tried to spit it out, but Daraz hand was clasped firmly over his mouth, “Eat it!” 

The chocolate was already melting on Jared’s tongue. He swirled it around his mouth and swallowed it. 

His foot stopped aching almost instantly. 

More people entered the alley and Jared blinked as Daraz backed up slowly. 

There was just noise. And more noise. And things shifting in and out of existence around them. 

Jared felt panic rising in him. This was happening too fast. His heart beat hard in his chest. Cold icy terror raced through him and the shadows in the alley grew darker, more menacing.  They curled around him, and Jared felt a sharp tugging in his gut. These shifting shadows swirled around him and slammed into Dela and Devin and Daraz and the three others. People screamed and the shadows blocked Jared’s view as he vanished. 

Devin gasped as the shadows hit him. It crushed the air out of his lungs and forced him against the wall. Red hot fear ripped through him and then icy cold pain. Screaming came from all around him and he felt them rattle in his head. All he could see was black. 

Daraz’s prophecy rattled in his head. Child of terror and death. He had heard this prophecy before, it had been given a thousand fifteen years ago. And Devin had heard it once before two years ago, when Amy had come to Everdale, and Daraz had given the prophecy his father (Lochan, God of prophecy and sight) had given before him.  

He had picked the words apart a thousand times. A mortal, without a drop of gods blood, would be patroned by Shadow, god of terror and death, and would kill the gods and destroy the world, killing everything and everyone. 

After Lochan gave the prophecy Shadow had made an oath to never patron another person or have any kids. They killed off his patroned and demigod children.  

And Dela had said that they needed Jared to kill the gods. The shadows. The fear and pain shooting through him, Jared was a patroned of Shadow. 

When the darkness cleared Dela, and the other demigod and the halflings were gone.  

Devin collapsed against the alley wall, Daraz going down with him, his eyes back to a vivid blue.  

Jared was gone. 

“Daraz, we need to get Amy here.” 

Daraz nodded his eyes slightly panicked. 

Devin had always looked up to the demigod. He was brave, strong, a hero, everything that Devin had always imagined in Gina’s stories. 

In those stories the hero was good, just, brave, kind, noble. And Daraz was all those things. On the outside he was a hero. But on the inside Devin knew what was really there. 

Daraz had been raised in Everdale, an innocent demigod, he hadn’t ever wanted anything to do with this, he had just been a kid when he came to the Alorians.  

His mother had fallen in love with a blonde stranger and nine months later Daraz had been born. Shenna had never wanted a child and so she gave Daraz to his father and Daraz had been sent to Everdale, because no one wanted him. He was just five years old when he was torn away from his mother and exposed to monsters. Alone, with people he loved leaving him at every corner. 

  By the time he was twelve, he was sneaking out to complete missions for other people, keeping them safe at the potential cost of his life. Trying to make people laugh so that they feel less hurt. 

Devin had met him 3 years ago although he hadn’t known about any of this back then, and now he would follow the man into Stilis and back. 

But the fear on his face was real now. He stood up and pulled a metal band from his pocket, “Cipher?”  

Cipher was Sterling. Daraz had the problem of nicknaming anyone and everyone. Every time a reference to a movie or book. Cipher was short for Bill Cipher and it referred to Sterling’s odd appearance. 

“What’s up chief?” 

“We need Amy sent to our location.” Daraz was slowly regaining color. 

“Course chief, she’ll be over in three.” 

Daraz shoved the bracelet into his pocket and leaned against the wall. “That little girl was pretty freaky, like that demon baby from Nimona. You’ve seen that, right?” 

“No.” Devin frowned, “Where do you watch it? We’re not allowed to have any outside content.” 

“The Weasley twins have a tv. It’s a good movie, we should watch it sometime.” 

“Are you okay?” 

Daraz paused, “Just saw my little sister after three years of thinking she was dead, but other than that I’m great.” 

Dela was Daraz half-sister, another one of Lochan’s children. She had vanished from the Alorian stronghold, and after three months of searching they had given her a hero’s burial ceremony. 

Her bow, Quicksilver, and her hat, given to her by her mother, burned at a sight sacred to her father, a field of sage flowers. 

The hero’s burial was a sacred ritual. The weapon of the deceased was burned with a prized belonging, at a sacred place to their patron god.  

A shimmering spark of light materialized in front of them and swirled around in the air making a circle of distorted air like heat waves.  

A booted foot stepped out of the portal and a teenage girl followed.  

Amy was fourteen. With dark curly hair that framed her heart-shaped face, and stormy gray eyes, she looked older than she was, far too serious as well. She was wearing armor. A leather breastplate with straps holding c that layered gracefully over her shoulders. Black leggings were under a skirt made from leather straps folded over themselves like layers of dragon scales and leather arm bands that she adjusted the straps on as she walked out. Fine golden embroidery circled her. A silver sword sheathed at her waist completed the gothic warrior princess look. 

She raised an eyebrow at the two boys, as she finished adjusting the armbands. “Where’s the kid?” 

Devin frowned, “That’s why we need you.” 

Amy frowned, “Aren’t you the patroned of the goddess of light and guidance and aren’t you the son of the god of sight and prophecy?” Her frown deepened. “That seems like you two are the best cut out for the job.” She didn’t say anything about Daraz being out of bounds without permission, despite being second in command of the Draconian sector, and being in charge of all its soldiers, including Daraz. 

Devin shook his head, “He’s patroned of Shadow.” 

Amy froze. She folded her fingers over the hilt of her sword, “And so you want me to kill him?” 

Devin gave her an exasperated eyebrow raise, “No! We’re not going to kill him.” He pinched the bridge of his nose and sighed, “We need you to find him and neutralize his powers. That’s all.” 

Amy was the patroned of Blaze, God of fire, of the sun, king of the sky, stars and world, Shadow’s opposite. Meaning that Jared’s powers would push against Amy’s and give them a location. 

“I’ll find him, by myself, and I’ll get him back to Everdale. Daraz, go to the medical ward, you’re bleeding. Devin, go with him.” 

Devin took a step forward, “No, Dela and another demigod and four halflings are trying to find him. It’s not safe to be alone.” 

Amy rubbed the silver ring on her pointer finger with her thumb, “I think you forget who I am.” 

“A patroned of Blaze I know, but-” 

Amy held up her hand, “Fine, come with me.” 

“What?” 

“Arguing is taking too much time and Dela and the others have a head start.” She cracked her knuckles. “Let’s go get the oath breaker’s patroned.” 

Two  

Chelsey Neilson, patroned of Nougat goddess of protection. 1989-2000. Last words, ‘If the gods cared; they would’ve let me save Jon.’ 

There are hundreds of minor gods, but 24 main gods.  

All throughout history you can see different versions of the gods in thousands of religions and mythologies. Sometimes taking on different genders and roles, often combining with other gods. For example, Lillica goddess of love and beauty, appears as Venus in Roman myths, or Gilde, God of knowledge combining with Torii, Goddess of learning and Seldphas God of strategy and planning, to appear as Athena in Greek mythology.  

Blaze, the god of fire, of the sun, king of the sky, stars and world. 

Isadeal, Goddess of light and guidance. 

Lillica, goddess of love and beauty 

Artoro, God of war and blood 

Trachel, goddess of deception and thievery 

Dritus, God of creation and steel 

Henn, goddess of magic 

Grilda, goddess of fear and pain 

Seldphas, God of strategy and planning 

Gilde, God of knowledge  

Shadow, god of death and terror 

Dalras, goddess of the hunt  

Trudia, goddess of storms  

Lochan, god of sight and prophecy  

Finnel, goddess of connection and mirth 

Stephan, god of arts 

Barla, goddess of life and growth  

Somnia, goddess of dreams 

Insanire, Goddess of insanity 

Finis, Goddess of ends 

Lillith, goddess of wind and sea  

Glacies, God of snow 

Torii, goddess of learning 

Nougat, goddess of protection. 

Jared panted awake in the middle of a wooded clearing. What? Where was he? What had happened? 

It all rushed back to him, and he stood up, panting, trying not to panic. 

He didn’t live near any forests. Where was he?  

Looking up at the sky he saw that it was dark, hours had passed. A rustling in the trees caught his attention and he spun. 

The tugging sensation, like he was falling, ripped back into him and the shadows around him firmed sharply around his body, shielding him, responding to his fear. 

Jared stepped back as a teenage girl stepped out of the foliage. 

Amy pulled Devin forward and held out her sword. “Jared.” 

The shadows around Jared vanished as he saw Devin, “You said there was a safe place.” 

Devin nodded, “Yes. A place for people like us.” 

“Alorians.” Jared nodded to Amy, “And she is?” 

Amy sheathed her sword, “Amy, patroned of Blaze, God of fire and the sun, king of the gods. And you are Jared patroned of Shadow, God of death and terror.” 

Jared frowned. A slight pulsing was coming from the girl. It was slight, but he felt it like a weighted blanket being yanked off him and then being thrown back on. “Why can I feel you?” 

Amy’s face was stiff, “Because I’m a threat to you. My patron is your patron’s biggest rival, meaning my powers are in direct opposition to yours, meaning you can’t hurt me. I can feel you too, it’s how we found you.” 

Devin turned around, “How did you get here?” 

Jared shrugged, “I woke up here.” 

“We’re in Idaho.” 

Jared blanched, “I live in Oregon.” 

Devin nodded, “Yeah, that’s why I’m concerned.” 

Amy frowned, “Let’s go.” She stuck out her hand which had a slim silver band on her finger. She snapped a couple times and a silver spark of light swirled through the air. Creating a foggy warping of the air. 

She walked through it and vanished into thin air. 

Devin followed and Jared paused before tripping over a rock and stumbling through the circle and stepping out into a small wooden room a little bigger than the average bedroom. 

Jared blinked as Devin led him from the building. All he wanted to do was find a corner and keep listening to his music pretending that the red haired boy had never come.  

The building was the size of an average wood cabin, surrounded by dark green grass that was sparkling with morning dew. They had crossed a time zone, it had been late in Boise, maybe three hours from sunrise.  

The dew glittered against the rising sun. It glowed pink, orange, blue, purple, yellow, and gold, dying the clouds.  

The clouds painted a large crystal-clear lake, that reflected the sun.   

Four buildings of white marble, that looked like Greek Temples, stood tall on the outskirts of an evergreen forest.  

In the center of the clearing was a circle of smooth stone with tables and couches placed in a haphazard sort of way.  

In the distant trees he could see the tip of another building.  

It was breath taking.  

Devin spread his arms out, “Welcome to Everdale.”  

Jared paused and Amy nodded, “It’s a lot to take in. Good luck.”  

Devin nodded before grabbing her arm. “Hold up, where do I bring him once we’re done?”  

“The Draconian building.”  

Jared watched as she jogged off to one of the huge buildings. It had a large green banner hanging over two large oak doors. It had a gold symbol on it. Four circles connected to a larger one in the center. It was a bird’s eye view of Everdale.  

The other three buildings had the same symbol in different colors.  

Red and silver, blue and bronze, purple and rose gold.  

Devin started talking, “We have four sectors, the Draconian, the Faltins, the Delvaes, and the Sepants.” Jared frowned as Devin started walking on the grass. “What’s the difference?”  

Devin pointed to the Draconian building. Green and gold. “The Draconian are headed by Amy and Jaxon. Alone the two are fierce fighters and brilliant strategists. Together they are smart, calculated, and determined.  

They trained their soldiers brutally, making it so that their sector is of one mind. Everything is neat and perfect.” He held out a small piece of candy, “Hi-chew?”  

Jared put it in his back pocket and Devin continued.  

Devin pointed to a couple of teens, “The Delvaes, red and silver, are led by Ben and William.” The two boys were sparring.  

The tiny black hair boy blocked an attack from the blonde and thrust back.  

“When Will’s not asleep he’s a brilliant mind. You pair that with Ben’s knowledge of battle, you get 35 well trained soldiers that have insane skills.”  

He pointed to the Sepants building. Rose gold and purple, “The Richal twins, Roman and Troy, are smart, devious, and quick. The Sepants are quick on their feet, and work as individuals smartly placing traps built by their own hands.”   

Devin grinned, “The Faltins, blue and bronze, are headed by Jake and Finley. They believe in tradition and learning. They use their brains instead of strength.” He grinned dopily, “Finley’s my girlfriend.”  

Jared felt his face screw up in a grimace of confusion before he shook his head, deciding to ignore the last comment, “Okay, where am I going?” 

Devin shrugged as they entered the tree line., “I don’t know. Someone will claim you.” He pointed to the pavilion in the center of the clearing, “That’s where we eat, have duels etc. We call it the Centrum.” 

Devin pulled another Hi-chew from his pocket, “The eight Duxes, the leaders of each sector, will calculate who would be the best to train you.” Devin popped the piece of candy into his mouth, “And then you’re claimed by one of them and then we go into the forest and try to kill each other.” He grinned. 

Devin raised a hand in greeting a group of teenage girls who were sitting on a collection of rocks rising from the ground.   

The girls waved and one shouted, “Who’s the rookie, Devy?”  

“Jared Davis!” Devin called back.  

Jared waved awkwardly.  

Devin continued walking, “Those girls are all patroned by Lillica, goddess of love and beauty. Fierce fighters.”  

“So how many gods are there?”  

“Hundreds of minor gods, but the ones you’ll be dealing with, there’s only 24.” Devin high-fived a boy who was walking the same trail as them.  

The tall blonde ruffled Jared’s hair. “Welcome, you joining up with the Faltins?”  

Jared shrugged, “Don’t know.”  

The young adult grinned, “Think about it, come find me and I’ll put in a good word. Name’s Drake.”  

Jared nodded and frowned he walked away, “He was nice.”  

Devin nodded, “Yeah, Drake is one of my brothers. We’re all like that.”  

Jared frowned. 

Devin smiled at his confusion, “My brothers and sisters. They’re patroned by Isadeal. We help new recruits mainly.”  

Jared nodded, “Do you get claimed based on your patron?”  

“Nah, but all the same patroned tend to make it their business to have a group of siblings. Like the girls earlier, they were from different sects.” 

The forest opened to a clearing. 

Devin pointed, “That’s the Arena.” 

The Arena was a ruin of an old building. A large circle of pale marble surrounded on one side with broken pillars holding up a broken, black start of a roof.  

Large chests created another semblance of a wall, racks of gleaming weapons in front of them.  

Training dummies were placed near the columns.  

A young man was doing a formation around the circle holding a wickedly, gleaming blade.  

He was maybe close to Daraz’s age, older, maybe 18.  

He had golden blonde hair and silver eyes.  

He wasn’t wearing a shirt, revealing tattoos that stood out against his well-muscled chest and torso.  

In total there were 4. A black dagger on his upper arm with the name Sammy etched across the blade. A large bear paw print on his chest over his heart. A small raven on his back.  And a crown of laurels circling his neck like a choker.  

He paused when he saw Devin and he put the sword carefully on a nearby rack.  

Devin hissed at Jared, “This is Spencer, patroned of Artoro god of war and blood.”  

Jared straightened as Spencer turned around his silver eyes calm and collected. “Devin,” He nodded. “The twins got resupplied They have tropical Hi-chews.”  

Devin turned and started jogging. He paused and turned, jogging in place his eyes alight like a golden retriever puppy, “I’ll be back in like ten, can you manage him until then?” Without waiting for a response, he bolted, doing a heel click; making him look like a very, very tall leprechaun.  

Spencer cupped his hands around his mouth and called after him, “Go get me three cokes!”  

Devin stuck out both his hands out doing double thumbs up.  

Spencer frowned, “I swear he gets happier every day.”  

Jared nodded, staring after the bouncing blob of red hair.  

Spencer sighed and turned to Jared.  

Jared frowned, “Why is he so happy about Hi-chews?”  

Spencer nodded, “Right, you’re a green vine.” He started walking, studying the racks of weapons. “A patroned is what we call someone who is patroned by a god. They’re kinda like a group of siblings. Each of the god’s patroned have a trigger food. A food that triggers their powers without them trying. Devin’s patron siblings are triggered by Hi-chews.”  

Jared frowned, “And you’re triggered by coke.”  

Spencer laughed, “And Dr. Pepper. But yeah, war and blood equals coke. Spencer nodded and opened up a chest. “The Richal twins are basically giving us drugs. Once we find out your patron, they’ll give you a week of your trigger food to kinda boost your powers.”  

“Who’s their patron?”  

Spencer pulled a belt from a large chest. He studied it, flipping compartments open. “Trachel goddess of deception and thievery. The twins are her only patroned in thirty years. She visits them a lot.” Devin had been wearing a belt like the one Spencer handed him, “This is to hold supplies. Interchangeable compartments except for this one.” He pointed to one the size of an average chocolate bar, “The main medical attention you’re going to get on the field will be stashed here. Chocolate made by Heela the goddess of medicine, a minor goddess. She supplies our healers with it.”  

“Magical chocolate?” 

Spencer nodded, “Yes. Get used to it.” 

Jared frowned and then changed the subject back to the twins and triggers. “And the twins’ trigger food is?”  

Spencer laughed, “It’s Hershey’s Symphony bars. They use the chocolate holsters to carry some with them at all times. If you see one of them eating chocolate, run. It strengthens their dexterity and speed. They’re already thieves without Hersheys but with them it’s chaos. They explode things a lot.” He handed Jared a bow and an arrow. “Fire that at the green dummy.” 

“I don’t know.” He fumbled with the arrow. 

“Just try to shoot it.” 

Jared pulled back on the bow string, and it snapped forward. The string skidded across the flesh of his exposed skin, and he bit back a cry of pain. His arm already showed signs of bruising. 

The arrow flew a foot or two and hit the ground with a measly clink.  

Spencer handed Jared a piece of chocolate. 

Jared stuck it in his mouth swallowing before saying, “I’ve never seen one of these in person.” 

Spencer nodded. “Yeah. I can tell. But the weapon chooses you. All of these were crafted by the Dritus patroned and infused with magic by the Henn. Each one has its own soul. 

You don’t pick, it does. It’ll glow if it chooses you. Go pick up something random and swing it.” 

Jared frowned, the pain of the arrow string still in his head but did as directed. 

He picked up a large dagger and swung it at a dummy Spencer set up in the middle. It felt awkward in his grip, clumsy, like a toddler holding a crayon and drawing on a wall. 

“Jared!” 

Jared spun seeing Devin with three other kids. 

Devin grinned and waved, a bag of tropical Hi-chews in his hands, “The twins gave me this to meet you, and Spencer you get four cokes instead of three.” 

Spencer put a hand to his forehead, clearly exasperated, but Jared could see the faint smile on his face. 

The twins were both tall and lanky and neither of them walked normally. The one in green strutted like he owned the place, and the other slinked along simply and calmly. 

Other than that, they were one and the same. Golden brown hair and dark blue eyes and matching smirks. Maybe around fifteen. 

The girl behind them was a platinum blonde. Her hair in a chaotic mess and her green eyes gleaming with mischief. She looked to be around ten or 11. 

The boy in green grinned, “Name’s Troy this is Roman. Pleasure to meet you.” He stuck his hand out.  

Jared took it. His hand was warm. “Jared.” 

The boy in blue coughed, “No wallet. Just one of Devin’s Hi-chews.” 

Jared frowned, “Excuse me?” 

The boy held out his hand; the Hi-chew Devin had given him was in Roman’s hand. 

Jared snatched it back and blinked, feeling in his pocket. It was empty. “How did you- you didn’t even get close to me.” 

Devin nodded grinning, “Pickpocket extraordinaire.”  

Spencer rolled his eyes. 

Jared put the Hi-chew back in his pocket, watching Roman from the corner of his eye, and turned to the little girl. “And what’s your name?” 

The girl giggled. 

Roman grinned, “Jared, it is a pleasure to introduce you to my brother’s and I patron. Trachel, goddess of all things enjoyable, fun, and deceptive.” 

Three 

Out of all the gods, the one who cares the most about the mortals they rule is Trachel. She loves the Alorians as if they were her family, and she treats each one with kindness. To her we aren’t servants. I would choose to die for her. Not because she’s a god, but because she’s my friend.  

Perseus, son of a version of Lillith known as Zeus in Greek mythology, patroned of Trachel. Last words, spoken to his mother and his patron ‘I lived a good life.’ 

Jared paused, “Should I bow?” 

She giggled. She looked like she was ten it was hard to believe that this little girl was a god. She looked like your average muddy kid. “No. I’m not as stuck up as my siblings, if I were Blaze, you’d already be incinerated for not recognizing him, he is such a killjoy.” She rolled her eyes into the back of her head, “Treat me as a friend. That is all I ask. To the twins I am a younger sister, I would be honored to be a friend to you.” 

Devin nodded, “Your grace, Jared was right in the middle of something, if it be your will, could he perhaps return to the task?” 

Trachel turned to Devin, her face twisting into a grimace, “Ugh, you’re worse than Isadeal. Call me Trachel, Trey, Rachel, Chel. None of this ‘Your grace’ nonsense.” 

Devin’s ears started to glow faintly. 

Trachel blinked, “Your ears are glowing. Isadeal does that when she is angered.” She turned to the twins, “What have I done to offend him?” 

Troy responded quickly, “He is patroned by Isadeal, meaning that a rude word against her could very easily be offensive.” 

Trachel nodded. She turned back to Devin, her eyes shifting to a sad gray, “I am the goddess of deception, thievery, and mischief. My name means jesting. Those things aren’t meant to harm. Only bring people closer together. I sincerely apologize for the words against my sister and against you. I have no right to judge you for wanting to respect someone like me. I appreciate your kindness and respect. I would like to give that in return.” 

Devin nodded and his ears stopped glowing, “Thank you.” 

Her eyes shifted back to the vibrant green. She put a hand on Troy’s arm, “Thank you Roman.” 

“Troy.” 

“Ahh, sorry.” She turned to Jared and nodded, “It was a joy to have met you young Alorian, please continue with your outfitting. I’d like to observe for a moment.” 

Jared glanced at Spencer who was sipping on a coke, his irises rimmed with a blood red color. 

He nodded. 

Devin popped a Hi-chew into his mouth and his eyes started glowing softly. 

Jared glanced at the racks and focused on an axe. It seemed to be made from obsidian, although Jared had never seen obsidian. 

He picked it up and chucked it at the dummy. It missed by three feet and Spencer reached out a hand. The axe froze in midair and zipped into his hand. He threw it and in a clean movement it sank into the dummy’s neck making a loud thunk. 

Jared blinked and Spencer smiled thinly, tilting his can of soda towards him. 

Jared rolled his eyes and reached for a staff. And then a dagger, then a sword, then a crossbow, and then a mace. 

As he was reaching for a sword Trachel spoke, “None of these are right for you. No weapon here will choose you.” 

Jared frowned, “And you spoke to them about this?” 

Trachel nodded, “Yes.” 

Jared blinked; it had been a joke. 

“Troy, Robin.” 

“Roman.” 

Trachel nodded, “Yes, Trey and Robin, will you please show the boy your weapons.” 

The boys laughed at the goddess getting their names wrong and nodded. 

Roman unslung a wooden bow from his back. Troy pulled a chain from around his neck. A silver cross pendant hung from his hand. 

Trachel nodded, “Trace, please explain the cross.” 

Troy nodded, “This was given to me and my brother the day before we came here by our parents. It was the most important thing to me when we arrived here. No weapon would bond with me, but when Trachel visited us for the first time she took it to Henn, the goddess of magic and Henn gave it the ability to be a weapon.” 

Troy rubbed the cross with his finger and it exploded into a sword with a cross on the hilt, a silver chain wrapped around the blade closest to the pommel. 

It was beautiful. 

Troy stared at himself in the blade’s reflection, “Her name is Trueblood. It’s a reminder of my parents, and the sacrifices they made for me.” 

Jared blinked and Troy flipped the beautiful blade, turning it back into a cross on a chain. Roman was glaring at the sword. Jared frowned. 

Trachel nodded, “This is what needs to happen for Jared. Any close personal object will work I simply just need it by the end of the week.” 

Jared thought for a moment, “Can it be a wristwatch?” 

Trachel nodded.  

Jared undid his wristband.  

“What is the story?” 

Jared handed it over, “I was found as a baby with that wristwatch, I think it belonged to my father.” 

Trachel nodded, “This is perfect, you’ll have it back by the time you are claimed.” 

The three left and Devin whistled, “She is hundred percent, my second favorite goddess.” 

Spencer snorted, “She’s the only goddess that ever comes to Everdale.” 

Devin shook his head, “That’s not true, Isadeal visited two years ago.” 

“Because three of her patroned died.” 

Devin waved his hand away, “Don’t care. She came, because she cared.” 

Spencer’s eyes flickered red, “The gods don’t care about us. They see us as errand boys.” 

Devin pulled a Hi-chew out and popped it into his mouth. “K, that’s enough doom and gloom, let’s go.” 

Devin practically skipped on the way to the Draconian building. 

A girl with silky, curly brown hair was gently pulling on one of her ringlets, standing in the doorway. 

Devin grinned, “That’s Finley.” 

Finley glanced up, her face nervous, but when she saw Devin, her pale blue eyes lit up. 

Devin embraced her. “Hey, beautiful. What’s a pretty lady like you doing all alone?” 

“Taken, sorry.” She grinned and the two kissed. 

Jared felt heat rushing to his cheeks as Devin started glowing. 

Finley pushed away and glanced at Jared. Her face darkened. “You’re Jared Davis?” 

Jared nodded. 

Finley gestured to the door, her face cold. “Straight ahead, Dalence is waiting for you.” 

Jared opened the door and Devin hissed to Finley, “What’s the damage?” 

Finley sighed, “This isn’t good.” 

Jared felt a chill creep through him, but stepped into the building, walking through a marble foyer to a large dark brown door, beautifully carved. 

He knocked and Amy opened the door. She was wearing denim shorts and a white T-shirt that said Everdale in peach letters. Her gray eyes were cold, “Come in.” 

Jared stepped forward silently. 

The room was a study furnished with green banners and leather furniture. Bookcases lined the walls filled with worn down books that clearly had been read dozens of times. A brown polished desk was in front of a window looking out across the forest. 

A man with shocking white hair was leaning on the desk staring at something. Amy shut the door and took a place standing behind the desk, her hands behind her back. The pulsing he felt from her was softer now, but still present. 

The man was wearing a suit he turned around, his dark hands adjusting the cuffs of his sleeves. “You, Jared Davis, are not supposed to exist.” 

Dalence’s face was old, his dark brown skin a sharp contrast to his full head of snow-white hair, sticking straight up. His eyes were a shocking pale blue and despite his clear age he stood tall, his tuxedo tailored to his muscular frame. 

Jared frowned, “Then why do I?” This man was powerful, Jared could sense that much. He could kill Jared in a heartbeat if he wanted to. 

“Because a god broke a solemn oath, and patroned a mortal.” Dalence’s eyes were cold, “You are the patroned of Shadow, God of death and terror. One thousand and 15 years ago, Lochan, God of sight and prophecy saw a patroned child of Shadow would destroy the gods. And so, Shadow gave an oath to never patron nor sire anyone again.” He sighed deeply, “Until you.” 

Jared felt an icy cold seep into him, “Well then just have Shadow unpatronify me. Problem solved, I don’t have freaky powers and you don’t need to deal with me. I can go home.” 

Amy frowned. “You don’t understand. The king of the gods forced Shadow to kill his patroned and his children and made him agree to never patron someone again. You being realized is starting a rebellion among minor gods, demons, demigods, even Alorians who have turned.” 

“Then just unpatronify me.” 

Amy snorted, “The gods aren’t going to do that.” 

“If they are all powerful then just make Shadow unclaim me or whatever.” 

Dalence sighed, “Shadow has gone silent. He has retreated to the underworld, Stilis, and shut the doors to everyone save mortals and monsters. And now I need to leave and speak to the gods, on your behalf so that they don’t kill you.” Dalence turned to Amy, “Take him to meet the other Duxes. I’ll be back.” 

He vanished in a puff of shimmering mist. 

Jared screamed and pulled away. 

Amy raised an eyebrow. “Come on. Let’s go.” 

The word kill echoed in Jared’s mind and he tried to keep his voice from trembling as he asked, “What happens if the gods decide to kill me?” 

Amy walked out of the door. Her voice sounded bored, almost tired as she responded coldly. “You’ll being incinerated and punished for eternity in Stilis.” 

Jared paled. “I didn’t ask for this.” 

Amy strutted forward. “None of us did. But the gods can’t punish Shadow directly. Meaning they’ll kill you instead.” 

Jared followed behind, wringing his hands. “That seems unfair.” 

Amy didn’t respond. She led him up the stairs to a room with a meeting table with seven other teens around it, and Devin, who was sitting next to Finley. 

Amy sat down next to a brunette boy with dark eyes. He put his arm around her shoulders and hissed something into her ear. And for the first time Jared saw Amy smile. 

Jared recognized them all. Devin had pointed them all out and he had met the twins personally. But he needed names too the faces. 

“Do you have names?” 

The brunette grinned, “Name’s Jaxon. Patroned and son of Grilda, goddess of fear and pain.” 

Finley straightened. Her face and posture serious unlike Jaxon’s aloof manner. “I’m Finley. Patroned of Seldphas, God of strategy and planning.” 

The large African American boy nodded smiling slightly showing white teeth. “Jake, son and patroned of Henn goddess of magic.” His eyes flashed silver and Jared felt a tremor go through his body as the teen’s smile turned into a grin. 

A tiny black-haired boy waved, “I’m called Ben, patroned of Dritus, god of creation and steel.” He pressed his lips together. 

 A boy who had his dark brown-haired head tucked into his arms raised his hand. “William, call me Will, patroned by Finnel, goddess of connection and mirth.” It didn’t seem as if he was conscious, just there physically.  

The last two boys were the Richal twins. Roman, or Troy was eating a chocolate bar. 

 The one that wasn’t eating smirked. “You know us.” 

Amy folded her arms over her chest. Glaring at them. “You already got to him?” 

Roman grinned, “Yep, Trachel told us it would be smart to check him out for the Sepants.” 

Amy nodded, “Fine. But per to our agreement me and Jaxon have first priority.” 

“You blackmailed us!” The twins said at the same time, outrage showing in their faces. 

Troy fingered his necklace, his posture relaxing along with his glare. “And for that we respect you, and your dead gods.” 

Amy turned to Jared. “We are the Duxes of the four sects. Draconian, Sepants, Delvaes, Faltins.” 

Jared held out a hand. “I know. Devin explained who you are.” 

Jake raised his eyebrows and nodded in what seemed like amusement. “Good, did he explain the war games tonight?” 

Jared shook his head. “No?” 

Jaxon grinned wickedly. “Whoever claims you, needs to assess your abilities under pressure, basically we’re going to play keep away and you’re going to be at the front lines.” 

Will sat up, sighing dramatically, his eyes dull. “And when we say keep away, we really mean, we’re going to try to rip each other’s throats out while trying to get a crown of laurels away from the opposing side.” 

Ben nodded, his face turned eager “This time it’s going to be the Faltins and Draconian on offensive against the Sepants and Delvaes on defense.” 

“Why?” 

“To train,” Jaxon paused, his mouth twitched upward to a smirk for a second, “and because the Sepants have too much pride in their cheating traps.” 

This clearly was a touchy subject, because the table fell silent. “At least we’re quiet about how big our heads are.” Roman shot back. 

Jaxon shrugged again and he grinned, “At least I’m not a thief.” 

“At least we aren’t sadistic holns.” The twins said it at the same time. 

Will sat up and Finley put a hand to her mouth. 

Jaxon grinned, “Way of right, I challenge both of you to a duel for insulting me and my patron. Tomorrow.” 

Troy cursed muttering under his breath. “Sadistic hound.” 

Jared furrowed his brow in confusion, “What?” 

Amy grinned, “Way of right, anyone can challenge anyone for a prize due to an insult. Meaning if Jaxon wins, he can ask the twins for anything, including any of their soldiers.” 

“You’re a real brat sometimes, you know that?” Roman glared at Jaxon. 

“Yes.” Jaxon spread his arms out. “We have witnesses to my being a brat and my challenge. Yes, or no?” His half smile turned into a grin. 

Roman sighed ,slumping in defeat. “Fine.” 

They fell silent for a second before Amy sighed. She placed her hand on the table. “We all are thinking the same thing.” 

Jared glanced around as the Duxes faces turned sour and solemn. “What?” 

Roman looked down at his hands. He took a breath. “Jared. There’s a prophecy, saying that you could kill all of us in a heartbeat. And we all want to know what happens when your powers are triggered.” 

Devin put a hand to his chest, wincing, “Maybe let’s not. I was exposed to his powers due to an emotional surge; trigger foods will give him a surge three times the strength and he has no control over his powers yet; we’ve all seen what triggering the powers of a vetitum patroned can do.” 

Jared frowned, “A what?” 

Devin met his eyes seriously. “Someone who was patroned by Shadow or Blaze. The two brothers are the strongest gods, meaning that their patroned are ridiculously strong without trigger foods. When Amy first showed up, they gave her Blaze’s trigger food and she almost burned down the whole forest.” 

Amy held up her hand, “No, I want to see what happens.” 

Four 

Blaze, Zozts 

Isadeal, Hi-chews 

Lillica, Gummy bears 

Artoro, Coke and Dr. Pepper 

Trachel, Hershey’s symphony bars 

Dritus, Doritos 

Henn, green Skittles 

Grilda, root beer barrels 

Seldphas, Smartfood’s cheddar popcorn 

Gilde, Warheads. (MUSTARD!!!) edit made by Sterling House. 

Shadow, Mangos 

Dalras, Nature Valley honey and oats granola bar. 

Trudia, saltwater taffy. 

Lochan, orange slices. 

Finnel, Jarritos soda. 

Stephan sugar cookies. 

Barla LifeSavers. 

Somnia Fun Dip. 

Insanire frozen grapes. 

Finis, mint chocolate chip milkshakes. 

Lillith Jellyfish gummies. 

Glacies, Extra peppermint gum. 

Torii, pretzels. 

Nougat, fruit snacks. 

In fifteen years, I’m just going to be another name in the wind. I won’t live long enough to have a family. I won’t live long enough to have a real home. Everdale is a home, but it isn’t my home. My home was in a little town that no one had ever heard of. But I will live here. And I will die here, never seeing a day where I don’t fear for the lives of my friends. I don’t fear death. 

King Arthur Pendragon patroned of Nougat, 1401-1480. Last words spoken to his grandson and the knights of the round table, ‘Protect Camelot.”  

Roman pulled a canteen of something out of his bag and handed it to Jared.  

Jared screwed the top off and sniffed it, he couldn’t smell anything distinct. “What’s my trigger?” 

Amy gestured to the canteen, “Mangos. Shadows sacred fruit, we have a tree on the other side of the lake. The twins made you a smoothie.” 

Jared frowned, “I thought the fruit of the underworld was like grapefruit.” 

“Pomegranates, in Greek mythology.” Finley gestured to the canteen, “It’s good.” 

Jared tipped the canteen up and took a drink. 

A thrill of adrenaline soared through Jared as he swallowed, and the world sharpened to a single point. Amy.  

It sharpened, highlighting her in a glowing light.  

Anger surged through Jared, and he growled in his throat. 

Amy’s eyes turned dark, and she stood up reaching for her sword. 

Jared stood up as well, his heart pounding in his chest, he could feel the fight coming, feel that in a moment he would lunge for her throat, and she would die underneath his hands. 

The Richal twins, Finely, Ben, and Jake stood up all reaching for weapons. 

He could take them all. Every single one without batting an eye. 

But Jared was simply focused on Amy, on how easy it would be to snap her neck, watching the light fade from her gray eyes. 

Amy reached into her belt and popped a zotz into her mouth. 

The red light around her turned almost blinding as she started to hover a few inches from the ground. 

He could see the anger and hatred in her eyes, mirroring his own. 

The world narrowed to a single point, the rest going red, just Amy and her glowing golden eyes. 

“Jared.” 

Jared ignored Finley’s hand on his arm, just growling. 

Amy glared right back at him. A golden image of angel wings at her back. 

Jared saw the scene as if he were watching from outside his body. 

A boy with glowing black eyes floating inches from the ground, black shadows forming angel wings behind him, encasing him in a dark image of glowing black fire. 

A girl holding a gleaming sword, fire burning on its golden blade. Her dark curls framing her glowing golden eyes. Angelic golden wings moving slowly around her in gentle waves. In and out. 

No one else could see that. The pure form of the vetitum patroned in all their glory, just Jared and Amy could see, understand. 

The rush of adrenaline died out and the red in Jared’s vision died with it. 

He hit the ground, the world going black. 

Jared woke to bonds on his wrists, tying him to a small cot. 

He thrashed upwards pulling against the bonds frantically. Panic flared up inside him and he twisted. 

They snapped off him and he jumped up feeling adrenaline pumping through him. 

Someone grabbed his arm. 

He spun around and grabbed their throat slamming her back into the wall. 

Amy pried at his hand, her eyes going wide. 

Jared felt something whisper inside him. Do it. Kill her. Kill her before she kills you. 

Amy’s feet were above the ground, and she struggled frantically against him. 

Her eyes were still the color of gold, and he knew that his would be pitch black, like boiling tar. 

Anger roared inside him. Telling him to do something about the struggling girl. It urged him to move. 

Her eyes were going wide, she stopped breathing. 

Someone tore him away from Amy. She crumpled to the floor like a rag doll, her breathing coming in rasping gasps. She clutched her throat, her eyes wide with fear, staring at him. She was afraid of him. Good. 

Jared snarled and spun around to face Spencer’s cold calm silver eyes. “Jared!” 

Jared snarled at him. 

“Jared,” Spencer grabbed Jared’s collar and forced him back around to look at Amy. “Look at her. Look at what you did.” 

Amy was clutching her chest, her eyes wide with panic, bruises already forming on her neck. 

Jared felt the fight die out of him and he took a step back, away from Amy, “What? What just happened?” He felt horror creep inside of him. 

Spencer ignored him and crouched down next to Amy. Grabbing her hand. “Are you ok?” 

Her voice was quiet, strained, “Yeah.” 

“Go to the healers.” 

She stood up and walked out the door rubbing her bruising skin. 

Jared stared after her and met Spencer’s eyes. The calmness in his eyes scared him much more than anger would. “I didn’t- I wouldn’t- I don’t know what happened.” 

Spencer sat down on the cot and patted the bed, inviting Jared to sit next to him. 

Jared did so like a child about to be scolded. 

Spencer stared off into the distance before turning to meet Jared’s eyes. “I’m patroned of a god who loves war and blood. Who takes joy from a kill.” Spencer closed his eyes. His face seemed pained, as if he was remembering something he regretted. “When I was younger, before I knew who I was, I went around the neighborhood, in Texas, where I grew up, and find dead rattlesnakes. It always hurt to see them dead, I was never violent, I never liked hurting people. 

One day, I came across a nest of viper eggs in the field behind my house.” Spencer opened his eyes and met Jared’s; they were blood red. Jared fought the urge to run. To move away from the terrible calm, blood red eyes. “And I killed every single one with my thumb.” 

Jared blanched. 

Spencer smiled bitterly, seeming to sense Jared’s fear. His eyes flickered back to silver, and he turned away. “My older brother found me sobbing in the grass next to the broken mess. He pulled me up and made me look at each one of the eggs, saying ‘Look, look at what you did.’ After I had burst into tears again, he grabbed my shoulders and said, ‘Control yourself or people will get hurt. If you were angry at the snakes and you killed them, what’s next? A dog, a cat, your wife, your kids. Do you want to end up like dad?’” Spencer rubbed his tattooed neck and took a breath. “My father was an angry man. He would hit me if I stood wrong. I didn’t want to end up like him and since that day I’ve never let my emotions control me. Now, when I fight, Artoro’s influence clouds over my emotions, and I turn from wanting to simply survive to wanting to kill, to draw blood. But I’ve learned how to control it and I’ve gotten better because of it.” Spencer stood up, glaring at Jared harshly. “You need to learn to ignore Shadow’s influence, if you don’t people are going to get hurt.” He walked to the door and pulled it open. 

Jared stood up, a question in his head, one he knew he shouldn’t ask. But he did. “Wait.” 

Spencer turned around, “Yeah?” 

“What happened to your brother? Is he here?” 

Spencer smiled bitterly his eyes turned red. “My dad got too much alcohol in him and found a pistol. My brother died before I could call 911.” 

Jared stared at the door long after Spencer had gone, an empty terror inside of him, and a loss. He pulled his iPod from his pocket and put an ear bud in, curling up next to the cot, trembling. 

Devin opened the door and smiled. “Hey.” 

Jared looked up blankly, not wanting to talk. 

Devin stepped in and sat down, “So, Spencer told you about his brother?” 

“I asked.” He pulled his earbud out. 

Devin sighed. “Besides that, what do you think so far?” 

Jared looked at him anger bubbling inside him. “I try to kill people when I eat mangos, but only Amy. Just found out that gods are real, and that they all hate me, and I’m supposed to destroy the world because a prophecy I’ve never heard.” They just expected him to be okay with this? For a red-haired boy to tell him he was a servant of the gods? 

Devin stood up and nodded, smiling. “Here, we can go talk to Daraz, he can give the prophecy.” Devin pulled a package that Jared hadn’t seen, up and his smile strengthened. “I was going there anyway.” 

Devin walked him outside of his room. The medical ward was a large building, with a magical charm that could create more rooms as needed. 

“What’s inside of it?” 

Devin grinned, “A book that Daraz hasn’t read. I blackmailed the Richal twins into getting me a copy of it.” 

Jared tilted his head confused. “Why go through all that trouble?” 

Devin paused. Before nodding and patting the book, “Some things give people hope, I’ve only ever wanted to help them get those things.” Devin opened a door and stepped in. 

Daraz was reading a book. His shirt was gone; his sides were covered in bandages along with his chest. 

He lay on his stomach but glanced up as Devin shut the door. He grinned when he saw Jared. “Scarhead!” He rolled to a sitting position and handed the book to Jared and pointed to a paragraph. “This is where I slayed the snake halfling.” 

Jared frowned, “This is Harry Potter.” 

“Yeah, and I’m Neville Longbottom, you’re Harry Potter and Nagini is the halfling.” Daraz bobbed his head proudly. “Yep. I thought you could use the understanding of my humor.”  

He paused, “Or maybe you’re more like Sophie Foster and I’m Fitz, and Devin’s Dex.” He shook his head, wrinkling his nose, flaring his nostrils. “No, that’s weird. Keeper of the Lost Cities, by Shannon messenger, good book. Although Fitz is a disgusting character, so yeah definitely a bad metaphor.” He frowned pursing his lips in thought, “Or is that a smiley- simile.” He glanced at the package in Devin’s hands. “What dat?” 

Devin dropped the package onto Daraz bed, “Alloy of law, Mistborn, second era.” 

Daraz tore the brown paper away the held the book up like a prized pet. His voice shifted excitedly. “I’ve heard about this!” He flopped back down and opened it grinning. “See, I’m really excited to see what happened to Spook after everything.” 

“Who?” Jared asked. 

“Lestibournes, read the first Mistborn era.” Daraz sat back up and studied the two boys before he set the book down, solemnly. “You guys didn’t come to give me a book.” 

Devin shook his head as if he were apologizing. “No. We need to hear the Esylum Prophecy.” 

Daraz’s face turned white, and he threw himself away from Jared. 

Devin stood and drew his dagger forcing Jared behind him. 

Daraz crouched in the corner and started shaking, clutching his head. He was whispering, rambling like a madman. “She’s coming, she’s coming, we can’t stop it. No, no, no. She’s coming. She’s going to kill us, the gods. You can’t kill gods.” the room darkened and Jared felt the ari pressure drop, his ear screaming at him and his stomach plowing into his thoart. Jared stared in fear as Daraz’s eyes turned pale white, his voice came out strained and quiet, sadistic. 

“A fallen god 

A broken oath 

Promises failed to uphold. 

Dagger through the back 

Goddesses last attack 

Death comes on mercy’s wings. 

And to a tree the people sing 

Hero’s last breath 

Saving five from death 

Weeping child  

Lost and wild 

She comes.” 

Devin froze, “I’ve never heard that one before.” 

Daraz’s eyes widened again. Jared’s ear popped painfully. The Demigod’s voice turned ragged. 

“Child of Terror and Death.  

Makes a god take his last breath.  

Mortal turned God; God turned mortal.  

The tides will burn, and the flames will turn. 

 At his hand and at his command the gods will bow staring at the king of Esylum.  

No god’s blood, only mortal, shall destroy the world or make it immortal.” He took a shuddering breath,  

“The broken child, weeping and wild shall claim the throne of the gods.” 

Daraz’s eyes shifted from white to black. And then black to white. 

Devin pushed himself and Jared back against the door as black mist begun seeping from Daraz skin. He stood up and his eyes clouded over completely with black. The room dimmed and icy cold tendrils of mist traced up Jared’s arms. It was like any light or warmth was sucked away, drowning them. 

He cried out and Devin slashed uselessly at the mist, he was shaking. 

Daraz laughed, but it wasn’t his voice. It was deeper, older, wiser, like a middle-aged male librarian. “Oh, I love seers! They’re so easy to take over. It’s simple, slipping in through the cracks.” Not Daraz grinned studying his hand. “The prophecies they give open them to the gods influence,” he paused grinning, “and the demons. This one in particular is being pried apart by the mother demon to give the location of Everdale away. Even right now he is trapped in his own mind.” His movements were twisted, sloppy, like a broken puppet. 

Devin pulled away from Jared. “Who are you?” His voice was shaking. 

Not Daraz bowed. Flourishing his arm. “Pleasure to meet you, Devin.” He looked up, bowed at the waist and grinned, his mouth stretching inhumanly across his face. “I’m Shadow, god of death and terror.”  

“Let your eyes close, Daraz. Let go.” The voice whispered quietly in Daraz’s ear. “Just give me what I want, and this will all be over.”  

Death. All he had to do was close his eyes, and the burden would finally be gone.  

All he had to do was give his friends up. He just had to tell the voice where the Alorian stronghold was. And then it would kill him. Finally. 

Slowly his mind faded towards the location.   

“Just let go. And that’s it. Peace. No more war. No more bloodshed. No more nightmares, just peace.”  

Daraz felt warmth seep into him at the words.  

“You never wanted to be the hero; you were just a kid. Let go. Come home.”  

“But Everdale is home.” Clarity snapped into Daraz’s mind. “Everdale is my home.”  

The voice seemed to sigh, “Aren’t you sick of running errands for dead gods?”  

Daraz nodded, “Yes. I’m sick of being an errand boy. But you’re a dead god.”  

The voice chuckled coldly, “I am no god, just like you are no man. You are a scared little boy who has no clue what he’s wrapped up in.”  

“You are no god? So, what are you? Santa? The tooth fairy?”  

The voice paused in his head, “I don’t understand.”  

Daraz sighed deeply, “My humor is wasted on swine. What are you?”  

The voice didn’t respond and Daraz felt pain creep up his spine as the air was sucked from the room in an icy moment.  

A dull thudding pain that Daraz had been ignoring in his chest and side intensified in a sudden shock.  

He cried out and pain laced every inch he moved.  

It was crushing his lungs, killing his limbs, making everything feel like glass shards had replaced his body.  

He screamed. It was ripped from his lungs along with his air, and then he couldn’t breathe.  

Panic. Panic filled him like wildfire making him thrash on the stone cave.  

The veil shattered like glass and the source of the voice was revealed.  

His cries grew louder, more frantic, but he couldn’t move, from terror, pain, or it being out of his control, he couldn’t move.  

“I’ll let you go back and warn the dead gods. Tell them I’m coming for them, and no errand boy is going to stop me. Nothing will stop me from getting revenge. For what they did to my people. All for control.”  

The pain that raked Daraz’s body had a final tidal wave of agony, and the world around him went pitch black. 

Part II 

Mercy’s wings 

Five 

I see them when I fall asleep. People that no one seems to remember. People who gave their lives, their sanity, everything, and no one will know. And the gods call their sacrifices plain, worthless. Was Hannah’s sacrifice worthless? Was Sammy’s? Was Daraz’s? Will mine be? The gods say what we do is inconsequential. That our sacrifice is expected. To us it’s everything. It’s everything we have, all we can do. And we will always die in the end. 

Pieces of glass appeared and snapped together changing Daraz into a god.  

Shadow was wearing a black suit with a silky red tie. Black angel wings were folded neatly behind him, and he was clutching a black obsidian cane. Otherwise, he looked like a male model, a chiseled face with a neatly trimmed beard, calm black eyes, pale skin and neatly combed jet-black hair.  

Amy stared at the scene before her. She had come to check on Daraz and the other two injured Draconian under her command. 

Devin was in front of Jared, his eyes panicked but his dagger was held out, protecting Jared. 

Amy focused on Jared and paused. Unlike Devin, his eyes were cold and calm. His face hard, his sea glass green eyes staring straight ahead.  

Amy glanced at Shadow and paused. She growled in the back of her throat and drew her sword and slammed the door, lunging at the angelic god. 

“Amy! No!” Jared shoved past Devin and rammed into Amy shoving her against the wall, “That’s Daraz!” 

Amy met his eyes, anger flaring inside her chest. “That’s what?” 

Jared jerked his head at Shadow. “He’s using the veil to appear as himself, but he’s possessed Daraz.” 

The veil cracked like a broken mirror and flaked away showing pieces of Daraz’s face before they slammed back together in a glittering cloud forming back into Shadow’s bored expression. 

Amy met Jared’s eyes and took a breath. “Thanks.” 

“Anytime you need someone to shove you against a wall.” Jared smiled, “Apparently only thing I’m good at right now.” 

Amy rolled her eyes and pushed him away, turning to Shadow. Her voice came out hard and commanding. “Let him go.” 

Shadow raised an eyebrow as he stepped forward. Anger flashed in his eyes. “Don’t tell me what to do mortal, I could kill you in a heartbeat.”  

Amy took a step forward, getting in the god’s face her voice growling, “Not without angering Blaze.” 

Shadow paused and took a step back. He wrinkled his nose in clear disgust. “You reek of my brother.” 

“I’m his patroned.”  

Shadow turned to Jared. His voice was condescendingly disgusted. “And you are?” 

Jared frowned, “Excuse me?” 

Shadow looked him up and down, frowning. “Are you like a worm halfling?” 

Jared grabbed Amy’s sword from her waist, ignoring her cries of protest and drew it leveling it at Shadow’s throat. “You brought me here! Ruined my life!” 

Amy pulled Jared back, grabbing her sword, “Let’s not threaten the immortal being?” 

“You did it!” 

“I’m not a good example!” 

Jared narrowed his eyes at her. “Fine.” 

Shadow was watching the exchange with a slight smile curling up the side of his mouth. He was leaning on his staff calmly. 

Jared turned to him, “My name is Jared Davis, patroned of, well, you.” 

The god blanched and lost his balance on the staff. For a second, he was fluttering wings trying desperately to recompose himself. When he did his face twisted with rage. “You’re Jared Davis? Lochan, he showed me a king! You are a child.” 

Jared straightened, feeling anger rip through him. “Then why patron me?” 

“I didn’t choose you, Lochan and Henn did.” Shadow sighed, and his tone turned mocking, “I risk my life for their stupid prophecy, and I get you.” 

Amy frowned. She blinked as if trying to process the names. “Lochan and Henn?” 

Shadow laughed seeming to not have heard her. “The gods are in a state of panic and rebellion.” He chuckled and smiled as if remembering a favorite toy. “Honestly it was worth making you an Alorian, just to see the look on Blaze’s face.” Shadow’s smile softened. “Shame you won’t last a week.” 

The veil shattered and Shadow vanished revealing Daraz curled up on the ground, shaking. 

Amy dropped down next to his side and gently brushed his hair from his face. His eyes were wide and still white. 

Amy let the tension bleed out of her chest. “What happened?” She was clearly shaken. 

Jared crouched down next to them and started trying to lift Daraz up.  

Devin came over and with Jared’s help pulled Daraz back onto the bed. “We went to ask him to recite the Esylum prophecy.” 

Jared looked at Daraz, panic and worry showing in his face. “He gave us two.” 

Amy nodded and straightened. She regained composure, her eyes going back to the hard leader. “Devin. Get copies of both prophecies to the eight Duxes. Now.” 

Devin glanced at Daraz who was white as a sheet, “Is he going to be okay?” 

“Now, Devin.” 

Devin jogged out of the room leaving Amy and Jared alone with Daraz. Amy sighed and pulled a chord next to Daraz bed.  

Five minutes later a young man with dark blue hair walked in. He was wearing a black tunic with brown trousers. A satchel hung at his waist and his belt was lined with vials of colorful liquid. His voice was laced with thick British accent. “Ho.” 

Amy gestured to Daraz with one hand. “Sedatives, he’s having a prophetic episode.”  

The boy rushed forward and cursed, yanking vials from his belt. “Out.” 

Amy straightened and opened her mouth to protest, ‘She was Daraz second Dux, it was her job to make sure he was okay, she didn’t take orders from anyone.’ 

Jared grabbed her arm and pulled her out of the room. “Just let them take care of him.” 

Amy pulled her arm away and glared at him. Her glared turned to a confused look. “You knew about the veil.” 

Jared nodded, not looking at her. “Yes.” His voice was hard. 

“You’re just accepting this.” Amy blinked, flabbergasted at his calm expression, his hard one. “You just met a god, and you didn’t bat an eye.” 

“Yeah.” Jared kept walking.  

“You don’t have questions?” 

Jared spun on her, and Amy took a step back staring at the intensity in his eyes. He grabbed her arms and gently forced her back slightly. “No. I don’t, cuz if I do it all comes crashing down.” He grabbed her hand and the panic in his eyes turned to desperation. A wild state of panic that she had seen time and time again. She saw it when she looked in the mirror, when she dreamed, when she fought. Someone who was just trying to survive. 

“The only thing that was stable in my life was that I was alone. And then all of a sudden people come and tell me I’m not alone. They save my life and protect me.” He pursed his lips and let her go. Her arms burned where he had touched her, like boiling lightening. “And now I’m more alone than ever, because a prophecy says I’m going to destroy the world.” He slumped against the wall, closing his eyes and tearing his hand through his hair. “And I don’t know what to do.” 

Amy stared at him. And he looked up at her. His eyes were amused. “But you don’t understand.” 

Amy didn’t say anything, too stunned by his outburst. He shook his head, “The broken child, weeping and wild, shall claim the throne of the gods.” He stood up, “I’m not going to claim any thrones. But the gods are just going to kill me.” He shook her head looking at the celling in the medical ward, “I tried to kill you, more than once, and I can’t meet your eyes without wanting to tear your throat out, because of Shadow’s influence or because of my own weakness.”  

Amy didn’t say anything. 

Jared turned away, “And the only person I trust right now is an overexcitable redhead with a dopey smile. And at the same time i resent him for bringing me here.” 

Amy frowned, “You have a point. The gods are at unrest and most of them want to kill you.” 

Jared turned back and stared at her, “Seriously? That’s your pep talk?” He squinted at her trying to make sense of it, “Normally this is the part where you say something decently encouraging so I don’t freak out.” 

“But it sounds like you have the Lochan and Henn patroned on your side, and you have me and Devin. And Devin leads the Isadeal patroned, and the Draconian are firmly behind me and Jaxon, and Jaxon is with me.” She paused, “Spencer and the Richal twins are with you too.” Amy paused her eyes thoughtful. She pursed her lips before nodding. “No one is going to hurt you here. Not the gods, not any of the patroned. Not while I have anything to say about it.” She smiled slightly at him, trying to be encouraging. “The Duxes gave you to the twins but tomorrow me and Jaxon are going to fight for that.” Amy studied him. His eyes were cold. “You are not alone here.” He looked like the panic was sealing away again. “Good luck tonight, don’t die.” 

“Thank you.” Jared paused looking at her, his pale green eyes confused. “Wait, what happened to nothing happing to me?” 

Amy grinned, “Doesn’t apply during war games.” She led him back to his room and put a hand on his shoulder. “Good luck.” 

Amy shut the door and leaned her head against the door. He was strong, stronger than he looked. Stronger than she was.  

Amy still felt his hand in hers, still felt heat where he had grabbed her arms, still saw the terror in his eyes.  

This was every single Alorian’s story. They broke. They burned. They lost everything that was important. But Jared was different. She could see that. He wasn’t going to break. Not now. 

Devin put a hand on her shoulder, and she jumped, fighting back a scream and drawing her sword. 

“Hey, hey, hey, hey. It’s me.”  

Amy sighed, sheathing the sword. “Sorry.” 

Devin nodded to the door and bit his lip. “Are you okay?” 

Amy frowned, “Shadow said Lochan showed him a king. A broken child, weeping and wild.” Amy pointed to Jared’s door. “He’s just like us, isn’t he.” 

Devin shook his head, “No. He’s not. He’s different. We came in crying, screaming, it took Troy weeks to say anything after, well, everything.” 

Amy stared at the wall. Spencer had found Amy after a fire had burned down her house. Amy had watched as her house and her parents burned, wrapped in her older sister’s arms. She had been twelve years old when Spencer, Devin, Troy and Roman had found her and her older sister running from a horde of fiends.  

Her older sister had been a mortal. Nothing special. She just recognized danger. And so, she protected her little sister.  

Amy still saw that day when she closed her eyes, still saw Sammy getting ripped to shreds by monstrous dogs. Still felt Spencer sobbing, against her. 

Amy shook herself out of her memories. “I told him that we would protect him.” 

Devin paused, looking down at her with concern. “We can’t do that.” 

Amy met his eyes. “I know.” Amy looked at the door again, “But I can certainly try.” Amy glanced back to Devin, “You can’t stop prophecies. He’s going to start a war; he’s starting a war.” 

Devin looked at her sadly. “The only question is who’s going to finish it?”  

Amy stared at the door. “I just saw a scared little boy, grab a sword and stare down it’s blade at a god who has been commanding life and death since the dawn of time. And he met death’s eyes, and he didn’t back down.” Amy shook her head. 

The gods had ruled the world since the beginning. They leveled cities, caused floods, sunk civilizations. The demons had been rounded up after the gods had destroyed a city where a king who had been patroned by a demon and offended them. They had been locked up and restricted, only a handful being allowed to roam free to challenge heroes. 

 Amy’s eyes flashed to Devin’s hands. “What’s that?” 

Devin handed over two pieces of paper, “The prophecies Daraz gave.” 

Amy looked over them and her eyes froze on a single line. “And the people sing to a tree. A hero’s burial.” Amy pressed a hand to her mouth biting down, trying to bite back the terror and panic. “Someone else is going to die. We just lost Veronica.” 

Every single time. Every single time she thought she wouldn’t lose anyone else, Daraz or one of his siblings gave a prophecy. At this point she was fooling herself if she thought she was done losing people. 

She hadn’t even known Veronica, but she had fought bravely, and her loss had crushed Everdale. 

Devin tilted his head down, pain ebbing away at his smile. “But Amy, there are only four gods whose sacred sight in Everdale is a tree.” 

Amy looked up at him. She knew where this was going. 

“Seldphas is one of those people. Finley is the only one of his patroned.” Devin leaned against the wall and slid down to the ground. He looked up and met Amy’s eyes, and then his smile was gone, hurt, broken, scared, scarred. “Make me a promise Amy.” 

“What?” Her voice came out as a whisper. 

“She doesn’t leave Everdale. Not until that prophecy is fulfilled. Not until someone dies saving five other people, not until we give them a hero’s burial.”  

Amy shook her head, “Devin I-” He couldn’t make her make that promise. She wouldn’t. She loved Finley, but she couldn’t control her. 

Devin grabbed her hand, “Promise me Amy. No matter what quest, she stays here.” 

Amy saw the determination in his eyes. Finley was everything to him, the only thing that mattered more than his group of friends and his siblings. Finley was like Hi-chews, Devin couldn’t live without them. 

Amy popped her knuckle with her thumb, a nervous tick. “I’ll do everything I can.” 

Devin nodded, relief showing in his face. “Thank you.” He held out a hand proudly. It had a single Hi-chew in the center. “Thanks Half-pint.” 

Jared glanced up as Jared and Spencer walked into the medical ward.  

Spencer pulled a trunk into the room. He opened it and pulled out a breast plate. “Let’s get you ready.”   

Spencer handed him a leather tunic. It was short sleeved. “Put this on and then the breast plate, and then you have the shin guards and then the arm bands, the point of this is for speed and protection. Keep your emotions in check.” Spencer drew a dagger from the chest, “This is just for show, don’t draw it. You don’t have a weapon.”  

A small little girl materialized in the air and grinned slightly as Devin screamed. “Sorry.” Trachel held out a small box. “Jared Davis, as promised.”  

Jared took the box and opened it to reveal a sliver band of metal. He put it on his wrist, and it snapped on. A circle where the watch face should have been had a glowing triangle resting over a titled triangle.  

Trachel grinned, “It will come when it thinks you are ready. Have fun, tell the twins I say hi.”  

Jared bit his lip as Trachel vanished in a puff of smoke.  

Spencer took the dagger back. “Never mind no dagger. Just show the wristwatch with your patron’s symbol.” 

Troy and Roman opened the door and Jared studied them. The two weren’t wearing armor. Instead, both were wearing tight-fitting black T-shirts and black jeans. Roman’s expression was grim. 

Jared felt himself blanch sensing Roman’s unease, “What’s wrong?” 

Spencer stepped out and shut the door. 

“News about your patron is spreading. And Stacy found out.” 

Devin drew his dagger a dark look crossing his face, “What does she want?”  

“Jared.”  

Devin nodded and pulled off his sweatshirt, revealing an actually strong figure.  

The dark look that crossed his face sent a jolt of fear through Jared. “Who’s Stacy” 

Devin ignored Jared. “She’ll have to go through me. I don’t care who she is. Patroned of Artoro or not.”  

Jared stood up, “Artoro? She’s one of Spencer’s sisters.”  

Devin glanced back at Jared and glared, not at Jared but outwardly, towards the world. “Spencer’s a special case for his siblings. He became better because of his challenges; the rest became bitter. And Stacy’s the worst possible to find out about you.”  

“Why?”  

“Her older brother was killed by your patron.” The ginger boy stepped forward. “But I’m not letting anything happen to you.”  

Devin opened the door to a beefy girl with frizzy brown hair, freckles and brown eyes raging. “Where is he?”  

Devin raised the dagger, “Leave Stacy.”  

“You think you can take me, pipsqueak! I’ll crush you and drink his blood from your skull.” She shoved an axe right up against Devin’s throat.  

Devin forced his dagger to her throat, his arm pressing up against hers. “You’ll actually have to kill me to get into this room! He hasn’t done anything.”  

“That thing is the murderer’s patroned, his only patroned in a thousand years, it’s important to him, I’ll kill him!” Stacy’s voice grew louder. “I’ll kill him, and anyone who stands in my way!” Her eyes turned blood red. “I’ll kill him, I’ll kill him for what Shadow did.”  

Spencer appeared behind them and pulled Stacy back and tried to pull the axe from her hands, “Hey, hey. It’s okay.”  

Stacy’s eyes went from red to brown and back to red, flickering like a dying light. “I had to watch him die! I had to watch as that monster killed him. Why? To get revenge on Artoro? For choosing me as his patroned? I didn’t…” Tears filled her flickering eyes, and she dropped the axe. “I didn’t do anything. Did I?”  

“Come on Stacy.” Spencer picked up her axe, keeping his hand on her elbow. “Let’s go.”  

Stacy’s tears overflowed, her eyes stabilizing at brown. “I didn’t do anything. I just- I just- I was right there. I watched him die, screaming. He didn’t do anything, he was a patroned of Isadeal, he didn’t fight, he didn’t know how. The only reason he had to die was because Artoro wouldn’t let Shadow kill me. Said I was important, too important.”  

Jared watched as Spencer gently led her away. A teenage boy with sad eyes grabbed Stacy from Spencer and led her, sobbing, away. 

Spencer glanced at Jared and his eyes flickered red. 

Jared looked to the side, fear slightly trailing up his spine. “He ruined her life.” 

Spencer’s lip curled. “The gods have ruined a lot of lives.” 

“Will she try to kill me?” 

“Yes.” 

Jared winced at the bluntness. But he voiced the next question with a stableness he didn’t feel. “Amy said that you were with me. Can I trust you?” 

“You can trust me.”  

“That’s all I wanted to know.” Jared swallowed “Thank you.” 

“You don’t act like you’re fourteen.” Spencer narrowed his eyes. “You know what’s going on.” 

“I understand that I don’t want to be alone anymore. And that the gods are going to try to kill me, and the demons are going to try to recruit me, and all I can do is learn how to control my powers.” 

“I got your six.” Spencer extended his hand. 

“Thanks.” Jared clasped it. 

Jared felt the noise around him, pounding into his skull. He sat alone at a small table in the Centrum. Alorians were all around him. Chatting, laughing, fixing armor, sharpening weapons, oiling bows. 

He felt people looking at him. Felt them stare. He glanced up and met gray eyes.  

Amy cocked an eyebrow. Jared sighed before he nodded. 

She stood, extending her arms. “Alorians!” 

The Centrum quieted. 

The other Duxes stood and Roman took a step forward, breaking their line at the far side of the stone circle. “Before we get started, we have some announcements. Tomorrow a way of right duel will commence between Jaxon patroned of Grilda and me and my brother, patroned of Trachel.” Cheering. “Also, we will be doing room checks, randomly throughout the week. Any illegal items found will be confiscated. This includes, any outside food, screaming arrows, alcohol and or drugs, Greek fire, and yes to the Lillica patroned, any makeup products.” Roman paused and then winked at a group of girls, “Y’all stunning without the makeup.” 

The group of girls giggled. Amy rolled her eyes. 

Roman continued, “Along with the removal of these items you will lose all privileges including dessert and gain stable duties for the Valca for three weeks.” 

Jaxon stepped up, “Also, we can expect more visitors this week due to recent events. Any questions go to your second Dux. Also, the Lilith and Barla patroned and demigods would like to remind everyone that there are creatures in the lake that need to be respected, meaning stop throwing your trash in the lake. We will get a hound from the woods and track you down.” 

Ben shoved past both of them, “Also, to whoever is putting gum under my pillow, so I roll it over and get gum stuck to my face, I call way of right, fess up.”  

Will raised his hand from under his head. He had sat back down. He let his hand hover there before dropping it. He stood up and cracked his back. “Also due to recent events we are spreading border patrol to the whole city right up against the woods.” 

Jared frowned. City? 

“The Draconian have patrols this week.” 

Groaning scattered through the Centrum. 

 “Now, war games.” Amy grinned wickedly, “Tonight, keep away.” 

Cheering. 

Troy nodded to Jared and gestured with a hand. “The occasion is the arrival of a new Alorian, Jared Davis, patroned of Shadow god of Terror and death.” 

Jared stood up and he felt all 132 Alorians shift their gaze to him. 

Jared scanned the crowd and met Devin’s eyes. He was chewing a Hi-chew. 

He nodded and Jared started walking to the eight Duxes. 

As he walked the Centrum, full of bright lights, darkened. Jared felt an icy chill creep through him starting at his booted feet and trailing up slowly like an ink spill. The Alorians gasped and Jared’s sight went black for a moment. 

His eyes had turned black along with his silver armor and the leather under it, making his pale skin stand out more and the scar on his head look more severe.  

Shadows pooled at his feet like a misty puddle following him as he walked to the front table.  

The watch on his left wrist turned cold and icy. Jared’s fingers curled around the hilt of a sword that appeared from black mist. His sword. 

The obsidian blade glowed in his hand. It was beautiful. The blade two sided and gleaming wickedly. The hilt was decorated by intricate angel wings above the blade a single blood red ruby set like a teardrop in the center of them. The hilt itself was firmly wrapped in black leather and right at the top of the blade, closest to the hilt, was the word Shadowsoul, shining in silver against the black sword. 

The black shadows around him shifted around the polished blade, agitated.  

He stepped up and stood next to Amy who held up a silver laurel wreath and handed it to him. 

For a second, they held it together. The silver leaves faded to shiny iron black near Jared’s hand and spread before hitting a roadblock. 

The pulsing Jared had been ignoring grew stronger as Amy’s side of the wreath turned fiery gold. The two mixed together, shooting throughout the crown making a beautiful pattern of gold and black silk threads throughout the leaves. 

Amy let go. The transformation had happened in a second, but it seemed steady. 

Amy blinked at the laurel crown and shrugged. “As usual the newest member of the defense will hide the crown in the woods. The boundary is the river. You have thirty minutes before the offensive can start searching.” 

Troy and Roman grinned at each other before looping arms with Ben and William and pulling Jared towards the tree line. 

65 soldiers followed and split into two groups, 35 and 30. 

The group of thirty were wearing all black leather and each had a bag of some sort with them. Some had satchels others had backpacks, some sacks swung over shoulders, and one was holding a bright red purse. They broke up into 15 clear teams of two. 

The group of 35 broke up into four groups of five and five groups of three. They were all wearing some form of armor, but it was oddly diverse. Some wore what Jared was wearing. Some only had arm bands or shin guards or breastplates. The oddest one was a girl who looked like she had dipped her arms into liquid metal, all the way up to her elbow where the silver metal died off in diamond shaped points and holes. 

She met Jared’s eyes and gave him a little half smirk. 

Immediately he found himself taking in everything about her. Her eyes were breathtaking, two gems in the evening air. Full of teasing light. Her hair was pulled up halfway in a ponytail, a few strands framing her tan heart shaped face. She tilted her head at him. 

Troy followed his gaze and grinned, “That’s Ivory. She patroned of Lillica. You can feel the fact that you want to memorize every detail about her?” 

Jared nodded, his breath hitching as she turned back to the ranks. 

“That’s Lilica’s influence. Her patroned have an aura around them that makes you want to study them, let yourself drown in their eyes and never come back. Stop staring or she’ll notice.” 

Jared tore his eyes away and started listening to the Duxes conversation. 

Ben was talking, “If we get to the steps, we can put the crown at the top and place guards along the riverside. Plus, your stasis traps in the forest, we place Jared at the top with the crown with one of our guarding teams, and then send the rest of our soldiers into the woods, to hunt down the soldiers who didn’t get caught.” 

Will frowned, “Somethings off.” He squinted. 

Ben looked up, “What? The strategy is perfect.” 

Will studied the trees. “Amy.” 

“What?” Ben rolled his eyes. 

“She can trace him.” 

“That doesn’t matter.” Roman yawned. 

Will faced the twins, “She’s going to find a way up, maybe by climbing the waterfall.” 

Troy snorted, “We’ve all tried that, none of us can do it. She’s a girl, she certainly won’t be able to do that.” 

Ben, Will, Jared and Roman stared at him. 

“What? Girls have weaker upper body strength, it’s a science.” 

Jared shook his head and laughed, “I’ve known her less than a day and I can tell you right now that I have never met someone like her. If there’s a way, she’ll find it.” 

“We don’t have any Lillith patroned to guard the waterfall.” Troy sighed dejected, “We’ll have to risk it.” 

“We could have a team hunt her down.” Will suggested. 

“We can certainly try.” Troy turned to the soldiers. “I want teams 1-5 out set out along the border of trees. Stasis, steel traps; mark them with the symbol of Trachel. Team 6- 11 spread them out in the middle, the rest of you set them up around the steps.” 

Troy closed his eyes and a wave of heat emanated from him, hitting all the soldiers.  

Roman nodded to his brother and turned to Jared, “Trachel’s influence. We can spread it to people so that they can see her symbols, protecting them from traps, and allowing communication throughout our ranks. You can’t be a shadow in the night if you’re screaming out your plans. Me and Troy are constantly in each other’s mind. It makes us one, stronger together. It’s like twin-tuition on steroids.” 

“Are there any downsides?” 

Roman nodded, “Yeah. We have the same nightmares, and we can feel each other’s pain.” 

“Do you ever wish you didn’t?” Jared asked as they watched Troy expand the influence. 

Roman thought for a moment before he shook his head, “No.” He smiled at his brother, “We’re a part of each other. If I ever stopped feeling his emotions, hearing his thoughts, feeling his pain, in addition to my own, it would break me. Like a mirror, shattered in a thousand glittering shards.” Roman’s face darkened and he smiled sadly. “We need each other. He’s all I have left, him, Amy, Spencer, and Devin. We came here together, the five of us.” 

Jared nodded. “Devin told me about him coming here, and how you were on the streets. How’d you get here?” 

“Daraz.” He left it there and Jared got the feeling that he shouldn’t pry for any more information. 

Troy, Will, and Ben were giving orders. Jared focused back on the people as Ben beckoned to a group of three from the Delvaes’ ranks. Two boys and one girl. The girl was Ivory.  

Jared met her eyes and felt heat rushing to his cheeks. 

“Ho.” She gestured to their group, “We’re going to get you to the steps and take care of you up there, make sure you don’t fall off.” She smirked, “I’m Ivory. This is Champion and Jim.” 

“Jim?” 

Jim cocked an eyebrow, “You got a problem with my name?” 

“No, it’s just, well, no. You have a good name.” Just next to the names Ivory and Champion it seemed, well, Jim like. Jared sighed and tried for a smile. “Let’s just get this over with.” 

The steps was a 60 feet tall mountain made of 7 different levels in a rocky video game circler pyramid. A waterfall cascaded down the north side into a deep blue pool that, Ivory had explained, tunneled underground into the river. It was a gift from the gods, for training. 

Ivory gestured to Champion who was the son of Artoro, his father had named him. The tall demigod unslung a bow from his back and in a fluid, motion drew an arrow. His muscles rippling, he pulled the string back and it ripped up a steel wire trailing behind it. 

It slammed into the seventh level. Champion held the rope out to Jared, “You first.” 

Jared hesitated, “I’ve never done something like this before.” 

“You also never tried to kill someone before, until you did.” Ivory pointed out. “Here.” She looped the end of the wire through an oddly shaped compartment on the belt Spencer had given him. “This should help kind of tug you along.” She clicked a button and the wire tensed and he felt himself being tugged forward. “Just keep climbing and don’t look down.” 

“Okay.” He swallowed and started climbing. 

Jared had been in thirteen homes in fourteen years. Maybe someone who hadn’t been fighting their entire lives couldn’t have pulled themselves up each level. But Jared had climbed hundreds of fences, dozens of trees, and that had made him strong. Strong enough mentally and physically to take all of this. He was used to change, is that why he was handling it? 

He was panicking. This was so much to take in. Gods were trying to kill him, he had people fighting because of him. Because he could kill the gods. Twenty-four hours ago, he hadn’t known gods existed and now, there were demons and monsters fighting against them. And whose side was he on? 

The gods? The demons? The was only one option. The only option was the one that didn’t get him killed.  

The demons wanted him alive. The gods wanted to kill him. He could play both sides. The demons wouldn’t kill him, the gods would in a heartbeat. Unless he somehow proved himself. 

If he could make it so that the gods trusted him or trusted that they could kill him in a heartbeat, then they wouldn’t kill him for existing. Then the gods wouldn’t kill him unless he screwed up, and the demons wanted him alive that means that he would have a high chance of living, or at least a higher chance. 

Jared pulled himself up to the next level and let go of the rope. The arrow passed his head and he pulled himself up again. His muscles were straining, screaming against him. Ivory, Champion, and Jim had stopped at lower levels. 

Jared reached the top and sat down taking it all in.  

A man was sitting at the top of the steps, his angel wings wrapped around him. 

“Hey.” Jared sat down, his legs hanging off the edge. He didn’t respond to the god’s presence. 

“Kill the Trachel patroned.” 

“No hello?” Jared’s words were filled with spite. Okay. Why?” 

“It would be a mercy for both of them.” 

“No.” 

“I am a god.” 

“You can’t kill me though.” Jared smiled as the god’s shoulders tensed. 

Shadow’s hand clenched and the sky darkened, “Don’t think you are protected because you are my patroned.” 

“I don’t think I’m protected because I’m your patroned. I’m protected from you because you struck a deal with Lochan and Henn.” Jared raised an eyebrow, “Didn’t you?” 

Shadow paused and met Jared’s eyes. “You’re too smart for your own good.” 

“Not hard to figure out.” Jared shrugged proudly. “They want me to kill Blaze and change the world. You hate your brother, but not enough to risk it all. They showed you someone killing your brother and rising to the throne, a mortal. They asked for a champion, and you gave them one. Me. But in exchange for that you want, what?” 

Shadow shook his head and grinned. His eyes alit with an excitement that Jared could only describe as childlike. “I get the throne of the mortals, I become their emperor, and they worship me with my champion commanding the world outside of the veil.” 

“I’m not going to be your champion.” 

“You’d be surprised how much can change in a couple of days.” 

“I will never serve you. I fight with the Alorians who fight for Blaze, I serve the king of the gods.” Jared raised an eyebrow, “You can quote me on that.” 

Shadow barked out a laugh, “Already you have such devotion to this place.” He said the last word like it was bitter on his tongue. 

Jared looked out across the horizon. “Someone made me a promise. To protect me. She meant it. I mean it when I say I fight with her, and her friends.” 

Shadow scoffed, “Meaningless mortals and their ludicrous loyalties.” He shook his head, “And pray tell, what happens when there’s a ‘bump’ along the way?” he met Jared’s eyes, “When you are attacked from every corner, whether to be recruited or killed. Will they stay with you?” 

“No.” 

“Yet, you trust them with your life.” 

“Yes.” 

“Why?” 

Jared licked his lips. “Because one stood up for me against someone that could have beaten him to a pulp, he risked his life to save someone he didn’t know.” Jared glanced down at his watch, “You know, Stacy.” 

“Who?” 

“You killed her older brother in front of her. Artoro’s.” 

Shadow smiled as if remembering something he had long forgotten, “Oh, yes. Artoro had said something, I don’t remember what and so I selected his pride and joy to kill.” Shadow rolled his eyes mockingly, “But she was ‘too important’ to kill. So, I killed the boy, Isadeal’s patroned.” 

Jared nodded, “Yeah. Devin stood up for me, despite it being his patroned brother that you killed. Amy promised she’d protect me, despite me trying to kill her and being your patroned.” 

“But you don’t trust any of them when it comes down to it?” 

Jared met the god’s eyes, “No. Because when it comes down to it, they’re going to choose each other, not me.” Jared smiled sadly, “And I can’t expect anything else from them.” 

Shadow frowned, “Your funeral.” He shook his head, “Anyway, back to my proposal of you killing the Trachel twins or whatever they’re called. “ 

“No.” 

“Fine.” He stood up and spread his wings, before purposely leaning off the edge of the cliff. He fell and Jared watched as he vanished in a burst of black mist. 

Amy came jogging over to Jaxon. “We can’t get into the forest through the river they have guards.” 

“Good, more of a challenge. Gather the Isadeal kids, how many do we have?” Jaxon fingered his quiver of arrows as the Draconian army prepared.  

“We have five Isadeal kids.”  

Jaxon nodded pursing his lips in thought, “I want five teams of five. The rest in pairs of two or three. An Isadeal kid with every team of five except for yours. The Richal kids are going to be a problem. They will set traps and they have those specialized teams. We need a team to hunt the Richal’s down or we have no chance.”  

Amy scanned over their ranks in her mind, picking out possible candidates. “I would say one Isadeal kid, one Henn and the rest Dalras, goddess of the hunt.”  

 “The only problem is that the Richal twins completely eliminate competition, without them we have more people.”  

“But what’s the greater risk, them against us or everyone else against us. Sepants is the only sect that has a chance against our soldiers.”  

The Faltins would most definitely claim the glory for themselves unless the Draconian got the crown, so right now it was the Draconian against everyone else, the Faltins were just a tool to use right now. 

Jaxon drew a marker on the map, “They are too much of a risk to us. We send that team out first. Which Isadeal should we send?”  

Amy took a breath and let it out slowly.  “Diana, she’ll lead the way and the Richal twins have a higher chance of slipping up if she’s there.”  

Jaxon grinned, “Using their feelings against them. And Kate for the Henn.”  

Amy shook her head, “She’s not trained enough for that, we got her two weeks ago.”  

Jaxon raised his eyebrows and smiled as if he was the only one who got the joke, we call life. “Exactly. The Richal twins are empathetic, despite appearances they care almost as much as their patron. Send an untrained soldier to them and they hesitate, she takes them out with a simple spell.”  

Amy nodded. People could say what they wanted about Jaxon, but his brain was sharp and decisive. “And then I suggest Michael, Gray, and Ginny for the hunters.”  

“Michael and Gray but not Ginny, she’s going with the team that’s going to track down Davis.” Jaxon’s eyes darted back to the map. “Have Stacy go. Keeps her away from him.”  

Amy nodded, “K I’ll get them.” 

Jared sat and watched the sun slowly set. All he could hear was the crashing waterfall. 

Someone pulled themselves up next to him, “It’s beautiful.” 

Jared forced himself not to scoot away. “I’ve never seen anything like this in my life.” 

Ivory nodded, “Yeah.” She tapped her fingers together making clicking noises as her metallic fingers brushed against each other. 

“What’s the deal with the metal hands?” 

Ivory grinned and stretched them out in front of her. “They were a gift from my patron. They’re called reckoners.” 

“The goddess of love and beauty gave you sparkly gloves. Wow.” 

Ivory laughed. It was a musical sound. She flexed her hand and the metal folded in on itself to create claws. Jared flinched back and Ivory immediately pulled her hand back. She smiled sheepishly before saying, “They responded to my needs.” The metal spiraled up her arms and hit her neck blocking off her skin and trailing up her jawline a sharp contrast to her caramel skin. “They’ve saved my life multiple times.” They turned back into gloves, and she grabbed a rock crushing it in her hand. 

“The goddess of love and beauty gave you death gloves.” 

Ivory shoved him gently with her shoulder and laughed. The gloves shifted uncovering her hands. “Love is just like a dagger. It’s used to protect and save. To cauterize a wound, to protect someone, to cut bindings. It’s freeing, healing and it makes you the best version of yourself. But it will hurt you every time you touch it. It will kill you if you aren’t careful. If you give it to someone, they can hurt you in the way you fear the most.” 

Jared shook his head, “Wow, and I thought Amy was intense.” 

Ivory snorted spitefully, “It’s true. I hate it when people say stuff like Lillica’s patroned are just hopeless flirts. Some of us are like that, but not all of us. Like my brother Carter, it’s painful to watch him talk to people. Girls and guys, he doesn’t like any of them he just thinks everyone’s going to worship him because he has a movie star smile.” 

Jared frowned teasingly, “But you don’t have a movie star smile, and that’s the difference.” 

She smiled. And it was a movie star smile. 

“Oh, I stand corrected.” 

She snorted. “So, you got a girlfriend?” 

“Nope. This dagger wielder is as untouched as they come.” 

She laughed.  

It felt good to make her laugh, to see her smile. Stars speckled the sky and Jared frowned remembering something, “The Duxes said something about a city, and border patrol. What city?” 

Ivory nodded and laid-back, stretching. Her back popped. “Everdale is magical on many regrades, but the main one is if we step outside of the border of this place, we’ll come out in the most important city to the gods’ powers.” 

“Lemme guess, New York, New York.” 

“Nah, the gods hate apples.” 

Jared frowned looking at her. 

She bumped him with her shoulder, “Chill, I’m kidding. I don’t think they hate apples. Chicago.” 

“Chicago.” Jared shook his head, “I lived in Oregon.” 

“I was in Argentina when I was realized.” she grinned, “My dad was photographing these rare flowers. And then Hannah showed up and explained everything to my dad and he gave me to her. I haven’t seen him since, that was 5 years ago.” 

“Who’s Hannah?” 

“She’s the girl that brought me here.” 

“Can’t wait to meet her.” 

“She’s dead, she died two years ago.” Ivory’s face darkened. 

“I’m sorry.” 

She shrugged, “Yeah. It’s fine.” She wiped her eye with the heel of her palm. “My dad sends me pictures sometimes though.” 

Jared smiled, grateful for the subject change. “Yeah?” 

She nodded, “Yeah. He knows where I am, and he knows that I’m alive.” she smiled and glanced down. She sighed. “I should head back down. We have just until the horn sounds. See ya’. Don’t die while I’m gone.” 

Jared grinned. “No promises.” 

Ivory grinned back. ‘You’re not what I expected.” 

“I am supposed to be a psychedelic murderer?” 

“No.” she adopted a curious look on her face. “You’re not supposed to be strong.” 

“I’m not.” 

She scoffed, “You just climbed a fifty-foot tower with zero questions, you stood up in front of a hundred kids, most of which want to kill you, and you didn’t waver. No, you’re stronger than most of us.” 

Jared shrugged, “I didn’t know that they all wanted to kill me. Did you want to kill me?” 

Ivory grinned, “No. You’re too cute for me to kill.” 

Her head vanished and Jared blinked. He shook it off. 

Amy nodded for her team to advance her hand stretched out, a zotz foaming in her mouth. 

Greta grinned. She was small, but her being the patroned of Trudia goddess of storms, made her fast. “He’s up ahead.” 

Amy grinned and broke into a run, right into one of the Richal’s traps.  

Stasis stones flared to life and Amy froze in midair and her mind went spinning. No, no, no, no! 

The rest of her team was motionless. 

Amy tried to twitch a finger. Nothing. 

“Amy?” Amy didn’t move, she couldn’t. 

Spencer cursed and tackled her out of the stasis circle. Amy rolled with him. She stood up and turned to her team. “Spencer, where’s the rest of your teams?” 

“Steel net, I’m the only one that didn’t get caught. The Richal twins have been on a rampage.” 

Amy nodded, “Okay.” She tackled Ginny and pulled Greta with her. 

Spencer tackled Fin and they ran forward before pausing at the edge of the tree line.  

The steps with a couple of guards each level. A group of Faltins were at the other side of the clearing. On the south side. 

Amy glanced at the water fall and grinned, “Spence, you think I can climb up that?” 

Spencer grabbed her arm, “Don’t even try it.” 

Amy rolled her eyes, “Fine, I’ll go the easy way, you guys take out the guards on each level, Davis is mine.” 

Jared stared at the crown of laurels, he had put it at the bottom of the pool, per Roman’s and Troy’s instructions. 

Shouts came from below and he glanced down to see Amy pulling herself to the level below him. She had a cut above her eyes that was bleeding but otherwise she seemed unharmed. 

She extended her hand, “A little help?” 

“No.” 

She sighed, “Fine.” 

Jared backed up facing where she had been and watched as she pulled herself up. She drew her sword, “Can I please have the crown?” 

Jared summoned Shadowsoul, “I’m not a Draconian yet.” 

Amy shrugged, “We’ll get there. Do you know how to use that thing?” 

“I used to hit trees with sticks.” Jared smiled slightly, “If you stay still, maybe.” 

Amy lunged for him. 

Jared blocked her sword with his own and it rang in his arms. She grinned slightly.  

Their swords locked she kicked him in the ribs. Jared gasped and stumbled back. Despite the breast plate it hurt like falling from a tree. Shadowsoul vanished. 

Amy raised an eyebrow, “Are you okay?” 

Jared winced, “That was a low blow.” 

“Sorry.” 

She walked over to the pool and Jared frowned. Not at her, but at a circle of shadows that spiraled into existence in front of him. He grazed his fingers into it and pulled back. It was wet and cool; his fingers were dripping slightly. 

Taking a deep breath, his curiosity peaked, he stuck his hand into the shadow. He hit something metal. Knowing exactly what it would be, he wrapped his hand around it and pulled a shiny dripping crown of laurels from a portal of shadows.  

Amy paused above the pool of water. She glanced back and her eyes narrowed at the crown. “How?” 

Jared grinned, “The trees taught me well.” 

Amy stared at him, a look of shock on her face. 

Jared grinned and another sphere of shadow appeared behind him. He grinned and took a step back. In a moment of brilliance, he spun the crown on his finger. 

It went flying right over the edge. 

Amy glanced at Jared who was staring at the place where the crown had disappeared.  

He met her eyes and she dived off the cliff, a dagger in her hands. Jared saw the portal behind him and then stared after Amy. 

Amy felt the wind whip her hair around as she plummeted along the cliff side. She had pushed herself far enough that she wouldn’t hit anything until level two. 

So, for now, she fell. Something not a lot of people understand is that when you fall, it’s not a few seconds for you. For other people, you hit the ground and go splat. But for you as you fall it’s timeless. 

It’s the beat of a butterfly’s wings but for you it’s the space in between everything, because all you feel is the drop in your stomach, the wind in your face. Gravity pulling you down and you wanting to resist, but then letting go and then… 

You fly. 

Amy wrapped her fingers around the crown and then she stabbed the dagger in her hand into the side of the 4 level. 

She slowed down clinging to the dagger, curling her legs up as she came inches from the ground. She ripped the dagger from the wall and grinned at the crown in her hand, right as someone snatched it away. 

“Gonna take that.” 

Amy stared at Jared as he grinned. “How did you get down here?” 

“I have no idea.” 

“I took that, and I can take it again.” 

“Yeah, but I just need to disappear until the horn.” 

He vanished in a puff of shadow. 

Jared leaned against a tree in the woods. The weird shadow portals were hideously draining. Went through them a couple of times and he felt like saying goodbye to lunch. 

He still had the laurels though. 

“Are you okay?” 

Jared summoned Shadowsoul. And relaxed seeing Ivory’s striking eyes, “Yeah.” 

She shook her head, “No you’re not.” 

“Yeah. I just managed to get this away from Amy.” He held up the crown and grinned. 

Ivory raised an eyebrow, “Dang.” she shook her head, “Amy’s never lost a game, ever.” She grinned, “Bout time someone beat her.” 

“This way!” 

Ivory winced, “Spoke too soon.” 

Jared frowned, “No. They think I have it.” Jared handed it to Ivory, “Here. Go shove it in their faces.” 

Ivory grinned, “I’ll come find you once the horn blows. We shall shove it in their faces together.” 

Jared grinned. 

Ivory pointed up to the treetops, “Give me a boost?” 

Jared cupped his hands and gave her a leg up. 

She swung into the tree and Jared watched as she vanished beyond his sight. 

He walked a little farther before collapsing against a nearby tree. 

Amy ran into view, and she drew her sword. 

Jared held out his hands, “I’m spent.” 

She sheathed it. “Yeah, so am I. so you can make portals?” 

Jared shook his head, “Nope, not right now.” 

She held out a hand, “So, if you’re spent can I have the laurels?” 

“I don’t have them.”  

She froze, “What?” 

“I handed them off a while ago.” 

She closed her eyes and Jared grinned as she shook her head. “I left Spencer in a stasis trap.” She cursed and sprinted off. 

“Bye!” Jared waved. 

Ivory fell out of the tree and plopped down next to him, “Ugh, that was worth all the gold in the world, just seeing her realize she lost.” She had pine needles in her black hair and a small cut on her cheek that Jared hadn’t noticed before. 

“You don’t like her?” 

“Nah. She’s cool. It’s just good for people to lose once and a while in games.”  

Jared shook his head and startled as a horn echoed through the forest. 

Ivory grinned and handed him the laurels, “I watched you go against her with your sword.” 

Jared snorted, “Yeah, I didn’t expect her to kick me.” 

“I can teach you how to fight.” 

Jared frowned, “Really? I would’ve thought you would hold to that ‘I’m a lover not a fighter.’” 

Ivory rolled her eyes, “Okay, enough jokes about my patron.” 

Jared grinned. 

“But I’m serious. I can train you, teach you the ropes around here.” 

Jared squinted, “What do you want in exchange?” 

Ivory shrugged. “I wanna see where you end up.” 

“Well, I think we should go claim victory.” Jared stood up and heat rushed up to him as the world went back. 

Ivory caught him, “Woah there. You, okay?” 

“World just went black for a second.” Jared blinked and pulled slightly away. 

Ivory frowned, “Okay.” 

“I’m just exhausted.”  

She pulled his arm over her shoulder, “I got you.” 

“Nope. I’m good.” He pulled away and immediately felt cold. 

She titled her head, “If, you’re sure.” 

“Yeah.” 

Together slowly they walked back to the Centrum.  

They emerged from the tree line to Alorains tending wounds, telling stories, and laughing. 

Silence fell over the group as they spotted Jared and Ivory.  

And then someone started clapping. 

*    *    * 

Jared set the crown of laurels on the windowsill of his room. He had been placed at the top of the Sepants building. He flopped down on his twin XL and stared at the empty walls. 

Ivory and he had claimed victory and then he had officially been assigned a room in the Sepants building. 

Ivory had promised to teach him how to hold a sword tomorrow. Troy and Roman had promised that they wouldn’t let the Draconian take him and, in their words, ‘pollute him with ideas of nobility and honor, and other useless things.’ 

Overall, today had been a good day. He had a warm bed and food and a friend in Ivory. He pulled his trusty iPod from the bedside table and turned on his playlist. 

Pulling the soft blanket over him, he felt like coming home.  

Jared winced clutching his ribs. He rolled slightly to his side, gasping in pain.  

Somewhere nearby someone let out a bloodcurdling scream.  

“Kill the god or I kill her.” 

“Jared! Don’t!” 

Jared felt panic race inside him as someone hauled him to his feet and placed a knife in his hand. 

Another scream and he was staring at a little girl, her green eyes hard. 

Trachel stood tall, in a ragged dress, her arms bound in chains. She was thin and any godly glow she might’ve had was gone, but she held his eyes and didn’t flinch as Jared looked at the dagger in his hands. 

“I don’t know what to do.” 

The goddess shook her head and smiled, “Neither do I, Young Atlas.” 

The name echoed in his head. “You’re the god, you’ve had a ton more experience than me. Just tell me what to do?” 

“Are you calling me old?” she raised an eyebrow. 

“Now Alorian!” The command was punctuated by another scream. 

Jared glanced back but all he could see was darkness, “Who’s back there?” 

Trachel smiled, “You don’t get to know yet Alorian.” Her voice deepened and her green eyes bled to a milky white. “After all, dreams often skip over details.” 

Jared shot up and summoned Shadow soul panting in a cold sweat. Lady Gaga playing in his ear. Poker face. He spun around the room before taking a deep breath. He was alone.  

It had just been a dream. 

Six 

Something not a lot of people understand is that scars don’t heal. Time can’t heal all wounds. It can’t take away the night I lost my baby sister. It can’t give Amy back her sister. It can’t erase Spencer’s dad and brother. It can’t save Finley. It can’t save any of us. It can’t save me. 

Elvis Presley patroned of Stephan, God of the arts. January 8, 1935-August 16, 1977. Last words spoken to a nameless Alorian ‘I told her I was going to the bathroom to read.’  

Ivory frowned, “Are you okay?” 

Jared glanced up on his way to the Centrum. After his nightmare he hadn’t slept well. He felt the waves of zombie energy emanating from him. He shrugged. 

“Dude, you look like you got hit by a bear, and then fell off a cliff, and then died, and then reborn as a hobo in LA.” Ivory of course looked like a goddess who surfaced from the crystal lake. Her jade and teal eyes danced with colors, like twin shimmering pools of glittering liquid gems. Her long silky hair was put up in a messy bun, gleaming like spider silk. Her tan skin seemed to glow in the cool morning light, giving her a halo of beautiful light. She was wearing a sweatshirt and shorts. Two bracelets glittered like diamonds on her wrists. 

Jared closed his eyes, “Thanks.” 

Ivory frowned, “I think you should go to the medical ward. With the shadow portals, you must be exhausted.” 

“I didn’t tell you about that.” 

She raised an eyebrow, “Everyone’s heard. The Faltins are claiming that you used dark magic, cuz they’re sore losers.” 

“King of the gods and witch. I’ll add it to my resamae.”  

“For what?” 

Jared paused, “I don’t know.” 

She smiled, “Come on.” 

The Centrums couches had been stacked on top of each other like bleachers surrounding the center circle of stone. It was an orderly stack of red velvet cushions. 

It was the weirdest thing Jared had seen. 

Ivory pulled him up some wooden stairs and sat down next to, surprisingly, Daraz. 

“Hey, Beauty Queen, Scarhead.” He grinned. 

Ivory held out gold coin, “Add this to the polls.” 

Daraz’s eyes widened, “Where’d you get a gold chen?” 

Chens were the currency of the gods. They were small, no detail save the symbol of Blaze, the sun. 

Ivory grinned, “Last time I went out on the field I found a bag of ‘em.” 

Daraz snatched the coin, “Who are you betting on?” 

“Jaxon.” 

“Deal.” 

Jared frowned, “What? Are you gambling?” 

Ivory smiled, “Best part of way of right.” She pointed at people throughout the circle of risers. “The people handling the bets take stock of everyone that bet and then gives whoever got it right a portion of the money the other person lost. They take what’s left and makes a pretty penny. Like if I gave up my chen and Jaxon won, Daraz would give me the money someone else lost, and keep the rest for himself.” 

“Where do you spend it?” 

Ivory grinned, “The Richal twins sneak off and get all kinds of junk we’re not supposed to get. Trigger foods, games, perfume, all sorts of junk. They use the money we give them to pay for it and then give us the haul.” She paused, “Or some of it. They keep the really cool stuff. Sometimes we trade around. Dalence doesn’t know about any of this, but it works.” 

Jared tilted his head, “And everyone goes along with it?” 

A boy reached his arm out and handed a small coin purse to Daraz. Devin smiled, “The twins.” He turned to Jared, “No.” 

Ivory pointed at a small boy who was staring at them. He was short, maybe 4,10. His platinum hair swaying in distress over his eyes. He glared at Jared with a calf brown eye and a bright yellow eye the same color as a lemon head. A bowl of mac and cheese was in his hands, and he was adding mustard to it. 

Jared grimaced in disgust. “Is that mustard?” 

“His ‘trigger.’ He adds it to everything.” Ivory smirked, “Sterling House. Son of Gilde, God of knowledge, and a tree nymph. He’s a tattle tale to the next degree, he’s not a part of any of the Richal twins’ operations. Same with some others but he is, well, him.” 

Jared’s face twisted into a frown as Sterling blinked slowly, not taking his eyes away from them. “Why is he looking at us?” 

Devin smiled. “He’s just creepy.” Even as he said it, he waved smiling, to the tiny boy. 

Sterling turned away. 

The risers quieted and Jared looked up to see the Richal twins entering the Centrum’s stone circle.  

Roman and Troy, for the first time since coming to Everdale, were wearing armor. 

Devin paled, “What are they doing?” 

Jared frowned, “What? What’s wrong?” 

Devin shook his head, “They haven’t worn armor since our first day here. To them it’s suicide, and against Jaxon too.” He shook his head. 

“I still don’t follow.” 

Ivory nodded. “Wearing armor is used for protection. But a lot of the time it’s awkward, annoying and restricting. Fighting in a steel breastplate that adds five pounds to you, slowing your motions, restricting your breath, it takes practice. Those two haven’t worn it for longer than a couple hours. They rely on speed and coordination, and they can have that in armor, after a couple weeks of training.” She smiled her movie star smile, “Meaning that they’re going to lose.” 

Devin shook his head, “No. They have a trick. They’re smart.” 

Jared studied the two armored boys. Devin and ivory were right. 

Roman fumbled with his bow and kept having to straighten his breastplate. They hadn’t even put it on correctly. 

Troy kept loosening his breastplate and wincing in visible pain. 

Jared narrowed his eyes, focusing on a cord that stuck from Troy’s forearm plate. It looked like… 

A wire. 

Jared frowned as he started picking out more oddities with their armor. Roman’s breast plate had three tiny dots of different colored metal. Troy’s shin guard had a dent in the shape of a heart. 

Jared leaned back and nodded. 

Ivory frowned, “What?” She had seen him study it. His eyes calculating and curious.  

Jared raised an eyebrow, “Do you not see it?” 

She frowned and squinted. After a long silence she shook her head, her hair brushed Jared’s face slightly. “No.” 

Jared pointed at the wire he had noticed first. 

Ivory looked and shook her head, “I still can’t see anything.” 

Jared scooted closer. He gently tilted her head. “Right… there.” 

She frowned and looked up at him.  

Jared realized suddenly how close they were. He became aware of her leg against his, sweet citrus on her hair, the way the sun lit her up, her warmth gently pressing against him. 

Ivory frowned, “Jared?” 

Jared shook his head and focused on the other side of the Centrum.  

Jaxon stood at the other end, he wasn’t wearing armor, but two glittering daggers hung at his belt. His face was smirking. It seemed as though that was all he did. Smirk with confidence. Grilda goddess of fear and pain. 

How was fear different than terror? The answer came to him. 

Fear is weak, unimportant. Terror is the only emotion that can stop a man. Fear makes him question, terror makes him freeze, and that kills him. Fear makes a man flinch, terror the man won’t move. Terror is only one emotion that will ever kill. 

Jared stared intently as Finley stepped into the center of the Centrum. “Way of right! Jaxon patroned of Grilda against Troy and Roman, patroned of Trachel. The twins have asked for a single favor from Jaxon, to be determined later…” she mumbled that last part“, trailing off. “And Jaxon has asked for one of their soldiers, patroned of Shadow, Jared Davis!” 

Jared blinked. He had forgotten that they were fighting over him. “I forgot about that.” 

Ivory frowned, “Well, it makes sense.” 

“How so?” 

Daraz responded, “The Draconian hate losing, you beat them, best way to calm an enemy down is to get them to join you.” 

Jared frowned, “All of you guys seem way smarter than normal teenagers.” 

Devin held out a Hi-chew, “Enhanced intelligence, comes with the job. We pick apart details.” 

Ivory snatched the Hi-chew and popped it into her mouth. “We all are hardwired to be better, stronger, smarter, faster.” She smiled sweetly and batted her eyelashes mockingly, “Prettier.” She scowled, turning back to the fight. 

Jaxon hesitated in approaching. 

The twins didn’t. 

They bolted forward and they seemed to split in half. 

Jared blinked watching as their armor detached from their bodies and slammed into Jaxon. 

Jaxon was brutally thrown back and slammed into the ground. He struggled to his feet and drew his daggers just in time to meet Troy’s sword. Roman was hanging back carefully aiming his bow. 

Jaxon slammed his shoulder into Troy’s chest pushing him away. He lunged in close, slicing at his stomach. 

An arrow hit Jaxon’s back. 

He let out a cry of pain and the arrow fell away; it had a dulled end but clearly still hurt. Troy took the opportunity to slam him to the ground. 

Jaxon rolled away as Troy’s blade slammed into the ground. He rolled to his feet and threw one of his daggers at Roman. 

The bronze dagger slid through the air and Roman’s bow string was cut cleanly at the center. Jaxon, with only one dagger now grinned. 

Jared watched before turning to Ivory. The risers were full of cheering so he had to yell over the noise, “How do they win?” 

She didn’t meet his eyes but watched the fight intently, “Someone is knocked out of the circle, or they surrender.” 

Jaxon jumped over an attack from Troy but got hit hard from behind from Roman’s bow. 

Jaxon stood up panting and raised his hands. Both daggers were gone, a cut was bleeding from his arm and Troy and Roman both still had weapons to use. Yet, he stood tall and held his hand out in front of him grinning. 

He was panting hard, his dark brown hair sticking to his forehead with sweat. But the look in his eyes, the evil glint in his dark brown eyes sent a chill over the sunny fields.  

Jared learned something about Jaxon that day. Jaxon didn’t fight out of necessity, he didn’t fight for glory, or to protect himself. He fought because he liked it. He loved the fight, craved it, needed it like air. And he was good. Smarter, stronger, faster. And he knew it. He knew how to mess with people, how to break them. And he loved the fact that he could. That he could hurt people. That he breathed out calmly while he made people scream.  

Jared watched intently as Jaxon fought the twins. It was like watching a dance, Troy and Roman just didn’t know how to dance.  

Jaxon grabbed Roman’s bow and slammed it forward to block Troy’s sword. The blade and bow locked and Jaxon slammed his full force into the bow. The sword came with the bow and Troy and Roman had their weapons ripped away from them. 

Roman tackled Jaxon and Troy ran for his sword. Jaxon took Roman’s tackling and rolled onto his back. He kicked hard and Roman slammed into his brother. 

Jaxon stood. The twins stood, Roman clutching his ribs, Troy panting heavily. Still Jaxon had that wicked gleam in his eyes. 

Roman shook his head at his brother. 

Troy nodded. 

Roman turned away, limping. He was clearly in pain. His skin was pale and he had an arm tight against his ribs, like he was trying to hold his insides together. The Alorians went silent as he slowly limped to the edge of the circle. 

Jaxon’s grin turned downright demonic. He could sense the win. With Roman retreating and Troy panting and exhausted, how could he not win? 

Troy and he started circling each other and the silence that had ascended through the Centrum turned to screaming as Roman pulled a dagger to Jaxon’s throat. 

Roman hadn’t been retreating, he had been making it seem that way so that Jaxon would lower his guard. But now he was inching backwards, slowly, towards the edge of the circle, Jaxon’s own dagger pressed to his throat. 

Troy picked up Roman’s bow and Trueblood. He spun the sword, and it morphed back into the necklace.  

Jaxon wasn’t putting up a fight. But Jared knew that he wasn’t going to give up easily, so he wasn’t surprised when Jaxon and Roman reached the edge. 

Roman spun and shoved Jaxon out of the circle, or tried. Jaxon moved with the push and easily used Roman’s momentum against him. 

Roman went sprawling to the grass, outside the circle. A medic ran forward and started tending to him, giving him some chocolate. 

Troy blanched as Jaxon turned back around, a dagger back in his hands. 

Jaxon lunged and pinned Troy against the stone, holding the dagger to his throat. 

Troy didn’t move, nobody did. A silence stretched over the Centrum so thick it felt like Jared could  

“Do you surrender?” Jaxon’s voice was calm, barely winded despite him panting hard. 

Troy opened his mouth and then closed it and then opened it again before croaking out, “As per our agreements the Sepants surrender Jared Davis, patroned of Shadow, god of Death, over to the Draconian.” 

Jared felt a tremor run through him as the crowd burst into cheering. Ivory grinned and Devin tousled his hair in a brotherly fashion. Jared wiggled out of the embrace and grinned.  

Jaxon was being paraded around on shoulders as they shouted his name over and over again. Troy and Roman were leading the crowd grinning from ear to ear. 

Jared could see their destination, as plain as day, and grinned as he imagined Jaxon shrieking as the Alorians threw him into the lake. 

*                                               *                                                    * 

Ivory pushed her hands up and caught Jared’s sword. 

He winced as sparks flew from her hands. The blow quivered through his arms and chest, but he ignored the ringing sensation and dismissed Shadowsoul. 

Suddenly with nothing to push against Ivory stumbled. Jared summoned his sword and rammed into her. She ducked his sword swing and claws formed on her hands.  

They glinted in the sunlight as they sailed towards his head. 

Shadowsoul vanished again and Jared grabbed her wrist and pulled her arm up above their head and grabbed her other arm and pulled it tight against her back. 

They stood there both panting hard, faces inches apart. 

Three hours after teaching him how to hold a sword, they stood locked in place, his hand against her back, pressing them together. Jared didn’t move, staring into her green eyes. 

The corner of her mouth tugged upward ever so slightly. Making her look devious in the sunlight. 

Jared could feel his heartbeat pounding against his chest. He could feel the warmth of her back on his hand and arm.  

Her breath slowed, her cheeks were flushed, and her hesitant smile turned into a grin. “Nice Davis.” 

Jared nodded panting, “Thanks.” 

Someone wolf whistled. 

Jared let go and spun around to see Roman and Troy grinning at them. Roman removed his fingers from his mouth and raised an eyebrow. 

Ivory scowled, “Seriously?” 

“Oh, don’t mind us, go ahead and keep ‘sparring.’” Troy put air quotes around the word sparring. He grinned and folded his arms over his chest. 

When they didn’t move, he raised his eyebrows and detached his hand from his chest and made a shooing motion. “Go on. We can wait Davis.” 

Jared glanced at Ivory, her cheeks were pink, and she was fidgeting with her reckoner bracelets, she had retracted them back into the sparkling bands. For the first time since knowing her she actually looked flustered, the calm cool mannerisms gone. 

Jared blinked back to the twins and shook his head. “I’ll see you later, thank for helping me out.” 

Ivory smiled her face going back to its smirking movie star grin, “Course anytime you want to swing a sword at someone.” 

Jared sighed and walked over to the twins, “What’s up?” 

Troy sighed, “Dalence is back from meeting with the gods. And he’s brought Artoro.” 

Jared felt himself tense. Artoro God of blood and war. “And what does that have to do with me?” 

“Everything has to do with you. You need to go to the Draconian meeting room, Amy and Spencer are already there.” 

Amy did her best to meet the god’s glowing eyes. She looked up from the ground and forced herself to look at his blood red eyes. She immediately looked away and blinked rapidly, trying to clear her eyes. 

It’s not that it hurt to look at Artoro’s eyes, it just was difficult. Staring into his blood red eyes washed into your soul and turned your vision red, it stirred your rage and made you want to lunge at the nearest throat and rip it out. You wanted to draw blood, wanted to feel the boiling hot sticking mess sliding down your fingers like water from a hot soapy shower. 

Amy felt Spencer staring straight ahead meeting Artoro’s eyes. 

Amy glanced up at her friend and frowned. His eyes were flickering like a broken lightbulb. Red, silver, red, red, silver, red, silver, silver, silver, red, silver. Each second ripping back and forth. 

He didn’t flinch away, but Amy saw his hands twitching like he wanted to scratch his laurel tattoo. It was a nervous habit.  

The laurel tattoo wasn’t a reminder of a victory.  

Amy remembered when he had come through a portal clutching Barla’s helm to his chest, his free hand locked on his neck. Amy remembered his screams as smoke rose from under his hand on his neck. She remembered a group of medics shoved everyone away. 

And then someone else had started screaming. Not cries of noiseless pain and not cries of pain, but a solid steady voice that had cried, “It’s the mark of the faltri!” 

The faltri were a group of dead souls, heroes that died dishonorably. They weren’t welcome in Stilis or Esylum, they were stuck in limbo, living in between the living and the dead.  

They branded heroes that crossed their paths with one of two marks. A rose or a thorn. 

The thorn represented the weak. The hero’s mistakes, and how they would die worthless, alone, with no commitment to anything. It represented someone’s failures and the memories that would haunt them. 

The rose represented the honorable. How they would live in triumph and die in glory, saving their friends. 

A traitor. 

A hero. 

A failure. 

A victor. 

A liar. 

A savior. 

Someone who is consumed by guilt and hate. 

Someone who rose above his pain and saved others. 

Someone who will join the ranks of the faltri or be punished in Stilis for the rest of eternity. 

Someone who will be welcomed into Esylum or the fields of valor in Stilis. 

Spencer had been branded on his neck, pain racking through him, screaming. He had left the medical ward with a laurel tattoo covering his mark. Only two people knew what the mark was. Spencer and Sherman, son and patroned of Stephan God of the arts, the person who gave Spencer the tattoo. 

Spencer refused to talk about it. He wouldn’t tell anyone what his brand was.  

With anyone else, Spencer’s reaction would mean that he had been branded with a thorn. But knowing him he would hate it just as much if it was a rose. 

Spencer didn’t want to be a good person. He didn’t want to be a hero. Not if it meant killing people.  

Amy had seen him kill before. She had seen him rip a sword through someone’s chest. Seen him break the neck of a fiend. Seen him stare a changeling in the eyes while it was in its human form and stab it against a wall watching coldly as hot blood poured down his arm. He was willing to kill, but he wasn’t willing to be seen as a hero for it. 

But being seen as a failure, someone who killed unnecessarily, someone who deserved punishment, or to die dishonorably. That was just as bad, worse. 

Because it meant that all those deaths were meaningless. Because it meant that Spencer’s life was meaningless. That after everything he had done it didn’t matter and that he had killed for no reason. 

Spencer’s eyes flicked to her, and his calm cool expression hardened, and his eyes stopped flickering, stabilizing at a calm silver. He nodded. And turned back to the god who frowned. 

“You’re ignoring my influence.” The man’s voice was hard and ruff, a thick Texas accent lacing his every word. 

Spencer didn’t respond. 

Artoro frowned and looked at Amy. His glowing red eyes dimmed, and Amy looked up and when the overwhelming urge to kill and draw blood didn’t wash over her, she studied the gods face. 

Amy had only seen four major gods in her lifetime. Trachel had been before Jared Davis, along with her patron Blaze in a vision. But now in two days she had seen two gods. Shadow and now, Artoro. 

Unlike Shadow, there was nothing angelic about the god, nothing beautiful. 

His face was hard, and young. He looked like he was maybe in his late twenties or early thirties. His hair was a dark red almost black, but you could still see the red hints in it. His eyes were full of fire, crimson irises glowing slightly. 

When people say that someone has fire in their eyes you might think of passion or strength. But this fire was burning, all consuming, full of rage and anger. It was a lust. A lust for violence, for brutality. Behind his eyes Amy could see screaming men, fire consuming cities, burning pyres of broken bodies. 

Artoro’s frown deepened as he studied Amy, “You Blaze’s girl?” 

“I’m his patroned.” 

He scowled, “Would’ve thought there’d be more to ya. You don’t look like a fighter.” 

“Often times the best strategies are the unassuming ones.” 

Artoro glanced at Dalence. “I said you could leave.” 

“I said no.” 

“Leave.” 

Dalence winced and stood up. “Of course.” 

Even Dalence is coward by the god. 

Dalence was a minor god. The god of heroes is what people call him. He was really the god of seconds. But he had taken care of Alorians for centuries. He was civil, kind, and smart. But even he must bow to a high god. 

He opened the door to a tall boy in armor with dark shadows in his soft green eyes. 

Amy feels the thumping from him stronger right now. He had sweat beading down his brow, his chest heaving up and down. Had he run here? 

Jared nods to Dalence in respect and steps aside to let the god pass.  

Dalence glances back one more time and meets Amy’s eyes. His shocking eyes were hard, and Amy understood. 

Artoro wasn’t here to kill Jared. 

Jared sat down next to Spencer. “I was kind of in the middle of something.” 

The gods face went dark, but Jared’s eyes were darker.  “So, you are the ant that has the gods on the verge of a civil war.” 

Jared didn’t react, “I didn’t want to.” 

Artoro leaned back, “Will you swear loyalty to the gods?” 

“No.” 

That burning fire behind the god’s eyes flared, “Excuse me?” 

“I’ll swear loyalty to Everdale and the Alorians. They serve the gods, so as long as the Alorians serve you, you will have my loyalty.” Jared raised an eyebrow, “Unless you think that they might stop serving the gods.” 

Artoro stood, “You got a deal, for the foreseeable future welcome to the family.” 

Spencer stood, “Are you leaving?” 

“Yeah, I got what I needed.” 

Spencer’s eyes started flickering. 

Artoro snapped. And then he was gone. 

Spencer’s eye solidified to a blood red and he reached up and scratched his neck. 

Jared frowned, “What are you guys doing here?” 

Spencer’s hand clenched his fist. “We’ve officially been put in charge of you. Meaning if you screw up, we are the ones getting punished, in addition to you.” 

Jared paled, “You guys weren’t meant to get caught up in this.” 

Amy shook her head, “We told you we would take care of you. We decided to be wrapped up in this.” 

Jared closed his eyes and leaned his head back. “I’m sorry.” 

Spencer sat down again, “We are too. You’re just a kid, who’s being forced to fight a war.” 

“What?” 

“The gods are going to war with the demons. Nothing we can do about it. Alorians are going to be on the front lines.” 

“The gods are immortal.” 

Amy frowned, “Yes.” 

“What about the demons?” 

Spencer glanced at Amy, “Why do you want to know?” 

“What if we kill the demons? No more war, no more threat.” 

Spencer stood, “That’s one way to prove your loyalty to the gods.” 

Seven 

Why? Why am I even trying? All I do every day is pretend. Pretend I’m happy, so I can make others happy, and I know they’re going to die. I want to die. There’s nothing left. Nothing. All that’s there is nightmares and screams and training and then watching my friends die and I always hope it’s me, but it never is. It’s never enough. 

Hannah Jansen 2003-2021. Last words, ‘I’m sorry, I wasn’t enough.’ 

Jared felt his eyes widen as he stared at the underground headquarters. 

Large towering shelves of chests and displays and moving boxes created a city of chaos. Yelling came from rafters and little shelves creating an echoing cacophony of noise. 

Alorians brought boxes to shelves, or pulleys that yanked the boxes up to the stone ceiling. They pulled stone chests out of sparkling portals and sending them boxes or bags of coins out. 

Troy grinning, spread out his arms to the ups kingdom and proclaimed, “Welcome, Jared Davis, to the underground.” He slung his arm around Jared’s neck and stretched out his hand as if his hands were scaling over the horizons. “Where all your dreams can come true. We transport goods from all over the world.” 

Jared frowned, “You built this?” 

Troy snorted, “No. I found it under the Sepants building marked with Trachel’s symbol, two days after coming to camp.” 

They passed a little alcove where Roman stood. 

Troy turned into the tiny circular room. 

Jared felt waves of power radiating off of Roman. His eyes were closed, his fist clenched against his sides. 

He didn’t move even as Jared and Troy walked into the tiny stone dent in the walls. 

Troy outstretched a hand to stop Jared, “Just stay here for a second.” 

He closed the door. Jared frowned and gently opened it slightly and looked through the crack. 

Troy put a hand on his brother’s arm. “What’s the news?” 

Roman’s eyes forced open, and he took a deep breath before taking a chocolate bar from his belt. “Travis is the same, the pens and sketch book didn’t work. Sterling is in another depressive episode. Kenzie is having another panic attack, but Clayton and Scott are with her.” 

Troy nodded gravely, “Let’s start with Sterling. Is he safe?” 

“Yeah.” 

Troy sat down crossing his legs under him. He rested his elbows on his legs and press his face into his hands, squeezing his eyes shut, “What can cheer him up?” 

“We can sneak him out.” 

“No, he’d tell Dalence.” 

Roman sat down and copied his brother’s position, “What if we get him a book?” 

Troy shook his head, “No. that only works with Daraz.” 

Although Roman didn’t talk Troy shook his head, “No. that wouldn’t work. Oh! That’s brilliant! Yes.” He stood up, “I have to go take Jared to the Oval. But let’s see if we can get that and then let’s get Travis spray paint, I think Clayton and Scott have Kenzie. I’ll see you later.” 

“I’ll be around it a minute.” 

Troy smiled as he walked out, “Just planning our next chaos inducing crime around camp. We’re think of stink bombing the Faltins.” 

Jared felt his face screw up in confusion. They had been… what? 

Things clicked into place. Roman had been using Trachel’s powers to connect to people’s minds and try and help them.  

Troy led him further into the underground bunker and opened a door to reveal Daraz sitting in front of a TV on the floor. His hands were neatly folded in his lap, and he was quietly, intently watching the show. The room reminded Jared of what he had imagined a college common room would look like. A large couch was at the side and a table was in the center that was cluttered with random objects. 

He glanced over his shoulder, saw Jared and a huge grin stretched over his face. “Scarhead!” He frantically paused the show and stood up. He walked over, grabbed Jared’s arm and brought him to the TV pointing at it enthusiastically. “Scarhead, have you seen this show?” 

Jared paused. There was a blue, cartoonish horse with wings on the screen.  

He was watching My Little Pony.  

“Yeah…” Jared felt his confusion grow, “When I was like 6.” 

Daraz tapped the screen smiling, “That’s Rainbow Dash. She’s my favorite. I’m rewatching the series.” 

“Why?” 

“Cause it’s a good show.” 

He played it again and the theme song continued. Troy hummed along and then in unison they both started singing it.  

Jared turned around as Amy stepped into the room. She glanced at the TV and frowned.  

Jared shook his head, “It’s weird.” 

Amy shook her head, “No this is normal for them I just thought Daraz was rewatching Sofia the First.” 

Jared let out a laugh of surprise. “What?” 

Amy only offered a smile in reply. 

Spencer walked into the room holding a large book. He noticed Troy and Daraz singing and joined in shouting the ending line. “Don’t you know you’re all my very best friendssss!!!” 

Daraz froze, “It’s do.” 

Spencer frowned. “What?” 

“It’s not don’t, it’s do. Do you know you’re all my very best friends.” 

Troy put a hand to his chest, “Spencer! For shame.” He dramatically turned away and Daraz did the same, turning their back. 

“Look I’m sorry I’m not a superfan.” 

Daraz snorted. “Ridiculous, utterly ridiculous.” 

Amy clicked the TV off. 

Daraz and Troy groaned. And Spencer smiled before starting to clear the table to make room for the book. 

Daraz grabbed his arm, “Wait, wait, wait, wait, wait!” 

Spencer sighed, “Go ahead.” 

Daraz grabbed a scroll from the table and took a deep breath. 

In a shock of motion, he swept his arm across the table sending the entirety of its contents on the floor in a clattering array of books, scrolls, and trinkets. 

Jared flinched away as the blonde demigod slammed the scroll he had selected down. With a dramatic flourish he spread it across the length of the oak table.  

It was an intricate map of a small medieval-like town, a river to the side and a forest circling the rest of it. 

Jared traced his hand over the detailed artwork, “Is this what you guys wanted to show me?” 

Amy sat down. 

Devin walked in, “You guys interrupted my date for a DnD campaign?” 

Daraz shook his head, “No I just wanted to do a table sweep. This one of our DnD maps.” 

Spencer sighed and kicked away a small glass ball before sitting down and setting the large book down. “We’re here to tell you about the gods.” 

Devin and Troy sat down even as Roman walked in.  

“DnD?”  

Jared shook his head, “Daraz wanted to do a table sweep.” 

“Ah.” He sat down, eating a piece of chocolate. 

Spencer smiled thinly before opening the book. “There are twenty-four main gods. Blaze-” 

Daraz interrupted, shoving a Hi-chew into his mouth. “Odin.” 

Jared frowned, “I thought that was a Norse god.” 

“Yeah. But Odin is Blaze’s nickname.” 

Jared glanced at Amy, but she shook her head, best not to ask. Now that he thought about it, he had never heard Daraz say someone’s name besides Jared’s, and that had only been once. 

Daraz took over for Spencer. “Shadow, Batman. Artoro-Elmo. Gilde, Rocco. Isadeal, Flashlight. Lillica is Sofia the First. Trachel is Loki. Dritus, Tony Stark. Henn is Twillight Sparkle. Seldphas, Mickey Mouse. Dalras, Gaston. Trudia, Sparky. And then we have Daddy-o, Lochan, Pa, Padre Pater Baba Pops. Stephan, Mr. Peabody. Finnel, Pinkie Pie. Barla is Isabella. Somnia is Barbie. Insanire, Deadpool. Finis is Mike Wazowski. Lilith,” Daraz took a deep breath, “Maui, Demigod of the wind and sea…” he let his voice fade to a wispy breathy trill as he trailed off. The next word he boomed, “HERO of men…” He said the word men in an oddly inflected Spanish accent.  

He continued as if nothing had happened, “Glacies is Capsicle. Torii is Super Why. And Nougat is B-Dawg.” He smiled warmly. 

Troy frowned. His hands were displayed to show 8 on his hands four fingers on each. “That’s only twenty-three.” 

Jared pointed at his hands, “Why are you counting like that?” 

Troy shrugged before turning back to Daraz, “You forgot Grilda.” 

“Boogeyman!” he paused, “Boogey woman?” Daraz shook his head. “Peso, from Octanauts.” 

Jared stared at them. “What the heck is going on?” 

Spencer sighed, “Anyway, for every god there is a counterpart, someone meant to take their place in the kingdom of the gods, Esylum. You said we could try and kill them.” 

Jared nodded. 

“Well, to cripple them, their armies and them, we only need to kill one. Celta, the mother of monsters. Who by all accounts is as immortal as the gods.” Spencer pushed the book to Jared. “But it says you’re supposed to kill the gods, so why not the demons?” 

Spencer nodded to the book. “That is every single monster we know about, and every single thing we know about them. You probably have the most power out of any of us, even Amy. We train you, teach you and then we petition the gods to let you go hunt down the demons, hopefully within the next year.” 

Amy nodded, “We’ll train you, teach you, and then follow you.” 

Roman frowned. “No. We’re not going to do that.” Troy nodded 

Jared frowned, “Why not?” 

“We’re not going to weaponize a little kid.” The twins said it in unison. 

Jared shook his head, “It’s not your choice. It’s mine.” 

Eight 

Was it my fault? Yes. They were there the night my sister died because of me. They killed her, trying to kill me. And I lost my best friend. 

Darek Downy 1982-1999 patroned of NAME REDACTED. Last words ‘No it wasn’t yours; it was mine.’ 

Jared slammed his head into the Faltins helmet. 

She let out a scream of anger before tackling him off the top of the steps. They grappled in midair, each trying to pry the laurel crown out of the other’s hand. 

They were falling fast, too fast. Jared cursed.  

He had been at Everdale for two weeks. When he wasn’t training, he was hanging out with Ivory at the lake, or watching Phinneas and Ferb with the twins and Daraz or talking to Amy.  

Slowly he had been climbing up the ranks, but his victory with Ivory had been short lived. The Draconian had suffered heavy losses after the Richal twins had used their Henn patroned to curse most of their soldiers. Now with half the Draconian in the medical ward cursing in a mix of Spanish, English, and German that the healers were calling Spaglerman, tap dancing, or spewing bubbles from their mouths, it was like being back in middle school, the pit of the pits. 

With the losses every other day in war games, like dodge ball with cannonballs, seize the tower with active flamethrowers, and Marco Polo with the sirens and druids trying to drag you down. Apparently keep away was only used for special occasions, today for example was the arrival of Thena daughter of Grilda, patroned of Barla, the girl Jared was falling through the air with. 

She was around 13 years old and from what he could tell, straight vicious. Her black hair was cropped short, a shocking contrast to her pale skin. She looked like a pixie, short, petite with shocking blues eyes the same color as robin eggs.  

She had been claimed by the Faltins against Jaxon’s wishes, stationed in the forest, but apparently ignored orders to get to the laurel crown. Hence why she had tackled Jared off a cliff. 

Well, I guess that wasn’t a real reason. You want a sparkly crown? Don’t tackle people off of cliffs, go to your nearest dollar store and buy a sparkly crown. 

From the duxes of Everdale 

 ‘Don’t jump off cliffs to get sparkly crowns, go to the dollar store.’ 

Thena’s eyes widened in panic as they neared the ground, “Oh crap.” 

Jared laughed, “You’re the one that tackled me.” 

She paled even further, “You’re not freaking out.” 

Jared raised an eyebrow. “You don’t know how to survive this?” 

“No?” 

Jared nodded and spun in the air, facing the upcoming stone. “Hold on tight, and don’t freak out, k?” 

She didn’t respond even as Jared flipped her on top of him and a black portal appeared beneath them. 

Thena was screaming when they landed hard on the ground. 

Jared released the girl and let out a groan, splaying his arms out as she rolled off of him.  

“Are you okay?” 

Jared moaned out a sigh, “I’ve never taken someone else through one of my portals, that hurt.” 

She stood up, “Well, thank you.” 

She started walking away but paused, looking down at her hands. 

She was still gripping the laurels, so was Jared. “Let go.” 

“Fight me.” 

A pinkish blush shimmered on her cheeks. It made her seem more alive. “What’s wrong with you?” 

Jared pulled hard on the laurels, and she stumbled back falling on to him. 

Jared rolled, forcing himself on top of her and summoning Shadowsoul, pressing it against her throat. “All lot of things, I think the main one is that I’m decently competitive.” 

Someone ripped the crown out of both Jared’s and Thena’s hands. Jared looked up and grinned at Ivory. “Hey.” 

She raised an eyebrow at his smile, “Hey.” 

Jared stood up and dismissed Shadowsoul, “What are you doing here?” 

She pulled a gummy bear out of her belt and smiled warmly. “Looking for you.” 

Jared grinned, “Why?” 

“Cause we’re on opposing sides and I knew you were going to go find the crown.”  

Jared frowned, “What?” 

In a flood of icy cold, Lillica’s influence tore away from him, and the flirty smile vanished from his face. He stumbled as if he had been shoved and summoned Shadowsoul, stabbing the sword into the ground to steady himself.  

He straightened, “That’s cold, Ives.” 

She flipped her silky hair dramatically over her shoulder and started to walk away. She held her hand up and waved, “Always a joy Davis.” 

Jared tore Shadowsoul out of the ground and grinned wickedly. 

She spun and in a flash of silver caught Shadowsoul in her hands, the laurel crown hitting the ground. She stepped on it, and it turned sideways as she deftly hooked her foot through it and pulled up sharply. 

Using Shadowsoul to brace herself she kicked the laurel crown into the air and grinned at Jared, right as she spun, still holding tightly onto his sword.  

Jared grunted as her body slammed into his chest as he was yanked forward. She let go and raced after the gleaming black and gold laurels. 

Jared cursed and turned to Thena who he had forgotten about, thoroughly. She was gone. 

Jared raced after Ivory.  

He grabbed her arm and tore her back, wrapping his arm around her waist and arm, pinning her against him. With his other hand he grabbed onto the cold metal. 

“I’m going take us through a portal.” 

“Wait, don’t-” 

They vanished. 

Ivory screamed as they hit the ground and Jared rolled away, she didn’t fight him for the laurels, in fact she looked horrified. Her face paled. 

The horn blew and Jared coughed. Feeling the waves of exhaustion beat down on him. Ivory let out a gasp.  

“Please do that.” 

Jared summoned another portal fell through, right next to Amy wrapping her arm in a bandage. She screamed and stumbled back, drawing her sword.  

Jared weakly held the laurel crown up, “I got you Princess.”  

Amy took it and the world went black. 

Jared woke up to someone dumping a bucket of icy water on his head.  

He sat up sputtering. Troy and Roman glanced at him with curious eyes behind the buckets they held.  

They grinned as Jared swatted a bucket. They were still in the woods.  

“Are you okay?” 

Jared turned to Amy. Her gray eyes were filled with concern. “Fine I just need to rest.” 

“Let’s get you to the Centrum. You guys coming?” 

Troy shook his head, “No, we have three more traps to deactivate.”  

Amy nodded and helped Jared up. He stumbled into her and she grabbed his wrist to keep them both from falling. She didn’t smile. Ivory would’ve. Instead she just looked pale and afraid and worried. 

She gently pushed him back up and then wrapped his arm around her shoulders. She was a couple inches shorter than him. 

“Thank you.” 

“Course, this is what we do. We take care of each other when we do something stupid. But no more portals. You look…” She trailed off, “Awful.” 

Jared grinned. “Thanks.” 

The Centrum was full of celebrating patroned. Jared saw Ivory and detached from Amy. 

“Hey.” 

She sent a snarky grin at him. “Hey.” She lunged for his throat. 

She slammed him against the wall of the Centrum, her claws at his throat. “Don’t ever take me through one of the portals again.” 

Jared nodded barely breathing staring at the five metal daggers poised above his throat. “Never again.” 

She let go and smiled, “Great thanks.” 

Jared nodded and watched her as she walked away back to a group of her siblings. 

For a moment everything was calm. Happy, real. Until Roman came out of the woods and collapsed, clutching his head and screaming. 

Nine 

Life is such a vague thing to the gods. They don’t understand why humans value their lives because the gods take their own for granted. They don’t understand that to a human, to a mortal, life is short. Life ends. One day you’re with friends and family, and the next you’re looking at your own body, dead in a car accident. All good things come to an end, which is why the gods can’t die. Because it’s the bad things that seem to last forever. It’s the things that don’t end that hurt. Because the things that are good are torn away. And what is left? What is left? Fire and ash, and pain and regret. Death truly comes of mercy’s wings for the Alorians. Death means they can stop running, means they can take a breath, means that they won’t lose anyone else. Death is what comes for everyone, everything, cause even the bad things don’t last forever. Right? The pain the Alorians go through won’t last forever? 

Tomas, patroned of Henn. 1300-? Last known words ‘Limbo, sounds peaceful.’ 

Roman’s screams slowly turned into coherent words. “I can’t feel him. He’s gone, I can’t feel him! I can’t. no. no. no. NO! He just vanished! In a puff of black smoke. No.” The screaming stop, turning into a silent whimper.  

“Who?” 

Whoever voiced the question, that they all knew the answer to, was lost in the silence of the crowd. 

Jared had never seen Roman without his brother. And it looked wrong. And Jared could feel it. Feel Roman’s panic, and fear and pain. Like a million shards of glass stabbing him, cutting him, reducing him to nothing.  

He felt the missing pieces of Roman’s soul. 

God of death and terror. 

He was feeling Roman’s fear. No. not his fear. His terror. 

Jaxon took charge, “Everyone, back to your rooms, curfew will be enforced, starting now! I need the Henn patroned to send out a calling symbol, we need to get everyone back out of the field.” 

Jared gently walked towards Roman’s rocking form. Spencer and Devin were already there, trying to pry his hands away from his head. He was pulling out his hair. 

Daraz  was shaking next to him, on his knees, his blue eyes gone white.  

“Death comes on mercy’s wings.  

She comes. 

She comes. 

Boy all alone 

A pawn in a game 

The pawn plays the king and queen. 

King falls 

She comes. 

She comes.” 

Babbling and frantic. 

Jared felt his terror and fear. 

He felt Devin’s terror. 

Jared crouched down next to Roman who was shaking almost as violently as Daraz. He placed his hand over Roman’s heart and sucked in a breath. Black mist shot from Roman into the air around them before dispelling. Jared took away his terror. 

Roman stopped shaking. 

He opened his eyes glanced around and then ripped up, running straight for the woods. 

“Roman! No!” 

Jared, despite his exhaustion thrust out a hand and created a portal. Roman fell through and rose out of the ground like a ghost. Jared collapsed, his knees buckling beneath him. 

Amy was there to catch him. She whispered in his ear, “Thank you.” 

He took away her fear. 

And then Devin’s. 

Daraz’s eyes bled back to blue as Jared took away his fear and panic. 

Devin, Daraz, Amy, Finley, Ben, Spencer, Roman, and Jared were the only ones left outside. Jared took the Duxes fear away. 

Roman stared up at them, tears streaming down his face. “We have to go find him.” 

Amy glanced around, “Roman, we don’t know- I mean- you can’t feel him.” 

“My brother isn’t dead!” Roman stood up. “I’m going to go find him.” 

“You are not going on a suicide mission; we don’t know what happened.” Spencer rested a hand menacingly on his sword, “I will lock you up if I have to.” 

Roman’s eyes blazed with anger, “I’m going to go find my brother.” 

Jared could barley hear over the buzzing in his ear. Everything was pounding, pulsing. His friends fear slamming into him like hammers. 

Amy gently straightened under his weight. Jared forced himself to stand on his own, before he remembered the bag of dried mangos on his belt. He put one in his mouth and immediately his head cleared. 

“A mercy.” Jared whispered. “He called it a mercy.” 

Amy frowned, “What?” 

“Shadow told me to kill the twins my first night here. He knew that this was going to happen. He said that killing them would be a mercy.”  

Roman glanced at Jared. “And you didn’t. A god told you to do something and you said no. You need to go find my brother.” He shot up towards Jared and grabbed his collar, “Please!” 

Spencer glanced at Jared and gently put a hand on Roman’s shoulder. “Let’s go buddy.” 

Roman started crying again. “I can’t lose him. Not after mom. No.” 

*       *     * 

Jared didn’t sleep well. He didn’t sleep at all. All he could hear was Roman screaming. All he could feel was a denial. Troy was gone.  

He didn’t play music. 

Someone knocked on his door. 

“Come in.” 

Devin and Spencer walked in. Both of them had large backpacks. 

Jared sat up and frowned. Devin was wearing an off white Everdale hoodie, tennis shoes and jeans. Spencer was wearing a gray Everdale sweatshirt and jeans. 

“What’s up?” 

Devin gestured to the door, “We’re going to go find Troy. We could use your help.” 

“Do you know where he is?” 

“No. But we know how to find him.” Spencer pulled his backpack off. “Will you help us?” 

Jared stood up. “Yes.” He grabbed his watch, no, his sword, from the bedside table and shoved the iPod into his pocket. 

*      *     * 

Amy was crouching on the ground, her elbows resting on her legs, her head in her hands. Finley was next to her, her hand on the girl’s back. 

“It’ll be fine sweetheart.”  

Amy shook her head. 

“Amy?” 

Amy looked up at Jared. She stood up, “You’re coming?” 

“Of course.” 

Spencer smiled at Amy and pulled her into a hug. “We’ll get him back half pint.” 

Amy pushed away and folded her arms over her chest and nodded. 

Devin embraced Finley, gently holding her head against his chest. She leaned against him limply. Not returning the embrace, just standing wrapped in his arms.  

Amy looked at them with pain in her eyes. 

Devin took a deep breath before stepping back. He grabbed her hand and gave a kinda half smile. 

“Please don’t leave me.” 

Devin pulled a Hi-chew from his pocket. “I’ll be back.” 

She put it into her mouth. “Can I come with you?” 

Devin shook his head. “No. Dalence is going to be mad enough that we left without his permission. He doesn’t need to be mad at you too.” 

He kissed her, gently pulling her to him. She wrapped her arms around him. 

When they pulled a part Devin smiled. “Green Apple.” 

Finley smiled, pain in her eyes. “I love you.” 

“I love you too. I’ll see you when we get back.” He kissed her cheek. 

“I’ll be waiting right here, I promise.” 

“I’ll wait to see you again, I promise.” 

Roman walked up to the group. He was wearing a backpack and had a duffle bag in his hands. He threw a satchel to Jared, “That’s all the mangos I could get.” 

The satchel was full of canteens. Mango juice. 

Jared nodded, “Thanks.” 

Roman nodded, “Thanks for coming to get my brother back.” 

A sliver of light came from across the lake.  

Roman glanced at Devin and Finley, “You don’t need to do this. None of you do.” 

Jared shook his head, “We do. I do.” 

Roman smiled in gratitude. “Thank you.” He looked to the shimmering border. “We need to go.” His face was severe, but he smiled slightly as if trying to put himself at ease. 

Devin kissed Finley gingerly on the forehead, holding the back of her neck.  

Tears were streaming down her cheeks, and she leaned into his gentle kiss. 

The rising sun silhouetted the quiet goodbye in golden light. And for a moment Jared understood Ivory’s metaphor about love being a dagger. He could see the shaking pain in the way Finley’s lips quivered. See Devin’s regret in the way he held her.  

And then they broke apart. And Jared felt the numbness from Troy’s disappearance strengthen. 

Amy and Spencer took a step towards the border but stopped when someone yelled out. 

“Wait!” 

Jared spun and summoned Shadowsoul.  

Sterling skidded to a stop; a bracelet held in his hands. 

Roman froze staring at the bracelet. “Sterling?” 

He held the bracelet out feebly, “Please. Let me help.” 

Amy frowned. 

Roman retracted his hand to his chest, before raising his hand to his ear. Holding up two fingers he twitched them up and down, and then brought his hand closed touching his fingers to his thumbs and pulling back from his forehead. 

Sterling copied the gesture. He handed the bracelet to Roman. “Go get our brother back.” 

Roman nodded before charging into the border. 

Jared watched as Devin backed up, closing his eyes as he passed through the border, letting go of Finley’s hand. “I love you.” 

Amy and Spencer followed him through. 

Before Jared could follow, Finley put a hand on his shoulder. 

Jared turned and met her pale blue eyes.  

She tilted her head to the barrier. “Bring him back to me. Please.” 

Jared nodded. “I’ll do my best.” 

“You’re a good kid, Davis.” Finley shook her head, “But, you’re not a hero. Don’t be stupid. And smile sometimes, you’re fourteen not Edward Cullen.” 

“I don’t know the reference.” 

“Good, the movies were trash, and the books aren’t appropriate for you. Edward’s way too creepy and Jacob is possessive and creepy.” She paused, “Actually both of them are possessive and creepy. Jasper was a wide-eyed freak, and the only decent ship is Edward and Jacob.” She grinned, “That’s a joke.” 

Jared nodded and forced a smile. 

She nodded, “Good.” 

Jared stepped through the border to Amy, Spencer and Devin watching him. 

They were in a dark alley, dirty stone. The air was freezing, biting his face and ripping through the thick hoodie he was wearing. 

Roman smiled at Jared over his shoulder. He was holding matches and a paper towel. 

“What are you doing?” 

Roman smiled, “Burning a prayer. To Trachel.” His smile fell. “I’m hoping she’ll respond. I felt her presence leave me when Troy vanished.” 

Jared turned to Spencer who was nursing a coke. “Where are we going?” 

Spencer grinned, for the first time, but he actually grinned. It was a bitter, wicked smirk. “There’s only one person who would be able to find Troy. Beka God of crimes. In the crime capital of the USA, Memphis, Tennessee.” 

The bus was cold. Everything was cold. Oregon had been cold, the bus was chilly, Chicago was freezing. 

He slid down into a seat next to Amy. 

“You didn’t have to come.” 

“I did.” 

“Don’t play hero.” 

“I’m playing god killer and sometimes part time witch.” He grabbed his iPod, as ever putting in only one earbud. 

She looked at him. Her eyebrows furrowed in confusion; her eyes filled with subtle trepidation. “Witch.” She said it more like a question than a statement. 

“Dark magic.” Jared smiled and closed his eyes falling asleep on a freezing bus going to certain death, and he fell asleep smiling. 

Part III 

Truth of the Gods 

Ten 

The gods. The gods. The only truth. The only truth they give is that one day, one day, you will die and when you do you will breathe your last breath as a sigh of relief. Because finally, finally you get to stop. You get to take a breath and then sleep. No nightmares, just dark blankets and peace.  

Jared opened his eyes to see Devin holding one of those disposable cameras that print ten pictures and then you buy a new one. 

Jared frowned as Devin grinned and then pulled the picture out and tucked the camera into his pocket.  

Jared straightened up and Amy shot up drawing a dagger and backing up awkwardly. 

She had fallen asleep on his shoulder and him moving had stirred her.  

She glanced around before sheathing the dagger back into boot and slumping back into her seat, leaning against the window.” 

Devin frowned at her, “Liar.” 

Jared frowned, “What?” 

“Not you, her.” Spencer smiled at Amy. “She’ll go weeks without decent sleep, and then she’ll completely shut down, but it’s still a tense restless slumber. She said it was getting better.” 

Spencer smiled, “Here, let’s trade for a bit, Devin’s smiling is starting to get too Devinish for me.” 

Devin smirked and wrinkled his nose, “I think you mean Devilish.”  

Jared stood up and Spencer sat down. Amy cracked opened and eye and shifted so that she was leaning on his shoulder.  

He wrapped an arm around her and kissed the top of her head, before closing his eyes and laying his head on hers. 

Jared sat down next to Devin. 

Devin smiled, “I’m not a big fan of cuddling with bros, no offense.” 

Jared grimaced, “None taken.” 

Devin pulled two Hi-chews from his pocket. He handed the grape one to Jared and unwrapped the green apple, popping it into his mouth and smiling. 

“What’s your favorite flavor of Hi-chews?”  

“Grape.” Devin frowned as the bus stopped. His eyes widened as an old woman walked onto the bus. 

Jared followed his gaze. She was covered in tattoos, her skin stretched over her face like her skull had been vacuum sealed inside her head, her eyes were a dark brown almost black, her eyelids pulled open to a shocking size.  

She was wearing biking leather and a crimson necktie, it looked darker and crusted in some places, like she had spilled some ketchup on herself and left it there. 

Devin leaned down and whispered. “Keltic.” 

Keltic. Lesser demons that feed off the fear of mortals and demigods. Normally disguised as older mortals. Although they are considered lesser, they are very highly ranked, considered intelligent by the gods. 

Jared scanned the woman’s tattoos before spotting the mark of a Keltic. A small black triangle right below her ear. 

Jared grabbed his water bottle of mango juice and gulped some down. He tore the earbud away and shoved it into his back pocket, leaving the iPod in the front. Devin kicked the seat in front of him.  

Roman popped up and looked back at them. Devin glanced at the Keltic and pursed his lips, before mouthing the words, ‘Keltic.’ 

Roman glanced over his shoulder and Jared cringed. The way he did it was so obvious, so noticeable. Any second now the Keltic would notice the feast of patroned Alorians. 

She sat down and Jared spotted the tiny dog she had on a lease. One of those tiny hypoallergenic poodle things, the size of a large rat. 

Devin slapped Spencer’s knee, reaching across Jared. 

Spencer sat up and held Amy down as she tried to draw her dagger again. He nodded toward Devin and Jared. 

They both turned to their companions and silently Devin explained the situation with eyebrow raising, shifting eyes, and a mouthed word. 

Amy’s eyes took it in a calculating way. She shook her head and mouthed ‘Wait.’ 

They didn’t have to wait long. 

The bus lights shut off in an almost empty traffic tunnel. 

They flickered at first and the bus slowed, before the tunnel and lights went black. The bus hit the side of the tunnel and sparks illuminated the old woman standing a grinning. 

Screaming. Sparks. Footsteps. Leather wings.  

“Go.” Devin slammed into the window, “Go! Go, go!” 

The window shattered and Devin, Jared and Roman jumped out the window, Spencer and Amy right behind. 

Devin forced Jared off the ground and started running towards the end of the tunnel.  

Something grabbed Jared’s leg and ripped him to the side of the tunnel, slamming him into the wall. Jared screamed as pain ripped through his leg, warm blood soaking into his pant leg.  

He looked up to stare into golden eyes.  

A griffin. A green and blue snout, striped by darker shades of purple like a tiger, a tiger with black feathered wings, paws the size of dinner plates, and sharp fangs. An oversized rainbow jungle cat with wings in a tunnel in southern Illinois.  

Even with the monster glaring down at him Jared realized with dismay that his fragile already busted up ear buds had probably been shattered. 

Spencer tackled the monster from behind. It flared its wings, flinging Spencer away. He screamed. 

“My pet was getting hungry. He really loves the taste of scared Alorians.” The Keltic had a wickedness in her voice, causing fear to became thick in the air. 

Jared didn’t move as the griffin licked its teeth breathing in Jared’s scent. The pain in his leg was fading, going numb. He was in shock.  

Shadowsoul appeared in Jared’s hand, and he yanked up. It bit the griffin in the stomach. 

The monster roared and reared back, snarling. 

An arrow thunked into the monster’s shoulder and Amy jumped into its back, swinging around its neck with a solid crack. 

The griffin’s neck flopped onto the ground, and it fell, dead, to the asphalt. 

Amy kicked the thing off her legs and slammed her sword into its neck severing the head from the body. 

It melted into shadow and the Keltic screamed from underneath Devin and Spencer. 

She launched up and threw the two young Alorians away. 

“Way of right.” 

Amy froze and Roman’s arm quivered with the strain of holding an arrow back. 

“My name is Eldiphas, daughter of Celta I challenge Amy patroned of Blaz-“ Eldiphas cut off as Roman’s arrow hit her in the chest. 

Amy slammed her knee into Eldiphas’s gut as Devin and Spencer yanked Jared into a sitting position. Spencer ripped the tatters away from Jared’s leg and he let out a cry of pain, squeezing his eyes shut as Devin dug through his backpack. He brought out a canteen and gritted his teeth, “This is going to hurt, really really bad.” 

Jared cracked an eye open as Devin splashed his leg with a light grayish brown liquid. 

This time he actually screamed. Flinching away from the cool burning liquid. “Ooh, what was that?” He felt his leg go numb again. 

“Chocolate milk.” Spencer wrapped Jared’s leg in cotton bandages. “Eat this.” 

He shoved a square of chocolate to Jared.  

Devin lifted Jared to his feet and hissed, “Can you portal us out of here?” 

Jared groaned but extended his hand. He forced his will away, but it didn’t work. 

“I can’t.” 

Spencer cursed, “Yes you can.” 

Jared shook his head, the world was going fuzzy, blacking hanging at the edge of his vision. 

“Then you’re a failure. Why the heck do you think we brought you?” Spencer raised his voice. 

“Spencer!” Devin snapped. 

“No! We brought him so he could protect us! Not so that he could kill us 4 hours in!” 

Jared felt hot anger bubble inside him. 

“You’re nothing, a nobody. And right now, we’re all going to die because you’re too much of a wimp to keep your head on straight!” He was yelling now. 

Jared groaned out, “Shut up.” 

“Oh, are you mad, demon spawn?” 

“Why are you saying this?” 

“Make a portal!” 

The blurry tunnel snapped into focus. The emotions inside of Jared flared and a black portal appeared that Spencer and Devin shoved him through. Roman and Amy launched after them. 

They stumbled out into the street and a car honked at them. 

Spencer pulled them into an alley and Roman collapsed. 

Amy leaned against the wall and took a breath. 

Jared slid down on his non shredded leg and glared at Spencer. “Why would you say that?” 

“Because you tend to keep a level head. And that’s great, but a little anger can be good.” He sighed, “I’m sorry.” 

Jared took a breath and nodded, “Don’t be, you saved the day out there.” 

Amy nodded. “So did you, Davis.” She grinned, “Roman, that was probably the coolest thing I’ve seen you do. Stopping yourself from releasing and then shooting a demon claiming way of right, that was wicked.” 

“She knew who we were.” Roman drew his legs up to his chest. “Someone’s trying to kill us.” 

Devin nodded, “We need to move. Jared, can you walk?” 

Jared nodded, “I think so, with some help.” 

Devin ducked under Jared’s arm and helped him stand. “Where should we go?” 

“We should find a cafe.” Roman gestured to the street.  

Jared frowned, “Why a cafe?” 

Roman grinned, “Coffee.” 

Jared took a sip of his mango smoothie and frowned slightly, it had a faint whiff of chocolate. Jared was starting to really get sick of chocolate. But the results were there. His shredded leg had already started to close, bleeding gone and fresh scabs making it look like it was a couple days old.  

Roman slipped a symphony bar chunk into his latte and took a sip. His face came away with a thick foam mustache. Devin laughed. Spencer smiled as Amy set down his mocha in front of him. She was holding a mango smoothie with strawberry boba. 

Jared smiled thinly at them. Before taking a deep breath, “So, why coffee?” 

Roman frowned, “Because it’s delicious.” He shook his head in disdain. 

Spencer shook his head, “It’s a natural deterrent for monsters.” he paused taking a sip and leaning back, “That’s and it’s really good.” 

Jared pulled his head down under his arms and bit his cheek, trying to keep from groaning out. 

Someone rested a hand on his back, “Are you okay?” 

Jared didn’t respond. He fell asleep, Amy’s hand resting on his back. 

Eleven 

The truth is none of us knew what we were doing. The only thing I knew before that night was that I could always find comfort in stories, because those stories weren’t real. 

Jared woke up to Amy gently shaking him. “You made the news.” Her voice was grim.  

Jared forced himself to sit up. And turned to the small TV.  

A young female reporter was reading off a page. “We have recognized the individual as Jared Davis, a fourteen-year-old boy from Oregon who has a history of running away. He, along with a group of individuals shut down a public bus and attacked its passengers. Thankfully no one was hurt.” 

Five pictures flipped onto the screen. Amy was glaring in her picture. Spencer eyes were caught mid flicker, one of his eyes blood red. Devin had an angry look on his face and Roman’s bow and arrow had been turned into an assault rifle by the veil. Jared’s picture was his seventh-grade picture. 

“Ugh, why did you guys get cool pictures? You all look like post-apocalyptic heroes.” 

Roman grinned at Jared’s picture, “Dude, that’s great, I love the rifle, makes me look like a total holn.” He leaned back and mimed shooting a gun. 

Spencer was the one to bring what they were facing into perspective. “We’re wanted by the police. That’s going to make getting to Memphis worlds harder.” 

Jared tilted his head, “Is that something people say? Worlds harder.” 

“It is now.” 

Jared put his head down, “We could steal a car. Do any of you know how to drive?” 

“I can.” Spencer glanced around. “We’re exposed. If both the mortals and gods are looking for us, we don’t have the option of blending in.” 

Devin smiled and shook his head. “Let’s just take this one step at a time. Let’s go find a car.” 

It took nearly a half an hour to find a car they could use. A busted up old red truck, with four seats in the back and a passenger. 

“Looks like the car from like the car from Twilight.” Devin nodded placing his hands on his hips, “I approve.” 

On a whim, Jared said, “Edward and Jacob are the best ship.” 

Devin let out a bark of surprised laughter and grinned at Jared, “That’s great. Finley told you that?” 

“Yeah, she said ‘Smile, you’re fourteen not Edward Cullen.’” Jared responded, smiling when Devin looked at the sky grinning broadly. 

He looked at Jared and his smile wavered, “That’s great.” His voice cracked. 

‘Somethings give people hope, I’ve only ever wanted to give them those things.’ 

Finley gave Devin hope. He was scared, scared to lose her, or to hurt her. 

“Devin.” 

“Yeah?” 

“You’re going to see her again. Even if I have to carry you, like you carried me.” 

Devin smiled at Jared and swallowed. He didn’t nod. He didn’t agree. He just stared as Spencer and Roman struggled to hot wire a car. 

Amy walked up to them, holding two McDonalds bags and a happy meal. She handed the happy meal to Devin and handed Jared a chicken sandwich and a thing of fries before sighing, “They still haven’t figured it out?” 

A pale blue hologram of Sterling was sitting on the hood. 

“No. we haven’t. Despite having the god of knowledge’ son with us.” Devin sighed, “We need to hurry.” 

Sterling crossed his arms, “I’m twelve, I don’t know how to hot wire a car.” he vanished wiping his nose on his sleeve. 

“Roman, you and Troy steal cars all the time.” 

“No, we steal the rings all the time. Troy could hot wire a car in a pinch, so I never learned.” 

Jared paused, “I can hot wire a car.” 

Devin, Roman and Spencer turned on him. “And you’re just sharing this now?”  

Jared stepped forward, “One of my foster dads was a mechanic. He taught me how to hot wire a car.” 

“And you’re just mentioning this now.” 

“Give me a knife and tape.”  

Roman handed him a roll of black electrical tape and a small pocket knife.  

Cover off. Wire harness. Red wire, cut, twist together, tape. Brown wire, connect to red. yellow wire, peel away, touch it to the red wire. 

The car roared to life and Jared revved the engine with his hand before climbing out, “There.”  

Amy grinned, “Nice, Davis.” 

Jared grinned back. “Witchcraft.” 

Amy furrowed her brow, “What?” 

“It’s an inside joke, with Ivory.” 

Amy’s lip curled for a second before she smiled thinly, “Okay.” 

Jared frowned as she slid into the car.  

“You get shotgun Davis.” 

“Okay.” 

Spencer tossed Jared a canteen and Jared took it smiling at the sweet flavor of mangos. A flare of adrenaline rushed through him. 

It narrowed down to Roman. Jared could smell the fear on him, taste it. Without meaning to Jared lunged towards the boy and grabbed his arm. 

Roman yanked back and cried out in pain as Jared’s nails bit into his arms. Jared felt Roman’s thoughts enter his mind and heard him trying not to yank away. 

What is he doing? 

Calm down. 

How are you in my head? 

I don’t know. I can feel something in your head. Like, like a line. A life line. I think I can follow it. 

What will happen? 

I don’t know. 

Ok. 

I’m gonna do it. 

Wait- 

Jared trailed his mind across the line, and he slammed against a wall. 

Fire sheared into his brain and he yanked back, trying desperately not to scream. 

“What? What happened?” Roman grabbed Jared wrist. 

A voice entered Jared’s head. 

Stay away from him you filthy holn. He’s mine, you can’t have him. The voice was ragged, exhausted. Jared could feel it. But it carried a strength. The only way to describe it was defiance. It was the voice of someone who only had one thing left, and by the gods they were going to protect it.  

Trachel? 

Who is this? 

Jared. 

Patroned of Shadow. You need to help. Please I don’t know how much longer Troy can take this, she’s doing something to his brain. Something horrible. Attack after attack. I’ve been taking it, but I can’t take all of it, shards are getting through. Jared, you need to help him. Please! 

Where is he? 

On the ground. He’s breathing, I think. He’s hurt. You need to help him. 

Where are you? 

No response. 

Trachel, where are you? 

You need to find us, I don’t know, but he- I- he’s bleeding. There’s blood on the stone. 

Stone? Are you in a cave? 

No. I don’t know where we are. You need to hurry I don’t know how long he can take the splinters.  

Trachel, you need to hold on. We’re coming. 

It hurts. It hurts so bad. 

Are you okay? 

I’m immortal. I have to be okay. 

So, you’re okay? 

I live, I am fine. Troy however- 

Can you protect him? 

I will try to block the mental attacks as much as possible. I will take them completely, when you return you will find him safe, I swear it by Blaze’s name. Tell Roman his brother is safe. I won’t lose him. 

Thank you. Help is coming.  

I-  

A wave of flaming pain ripped through Jared, and he let out a scream.  

Jared doubled over clutching his head, screaming as someone ripped into his head, cutting it like knives violently ripping his mind apart, tearing through his mind.  

Jared started to scream. 

Amy cried out in pain as his flare of power slammed against her. She forced herself back, away against Devin, as Spencer pulled into a nearby parking lot.  

Roman jumped from the car before it had fully stopped. He opened the door and pulled Jared out to the ground, wincing back. 

“He’s freezing.” 

Spencer crouched down and tore away, “He’s going into stasis shock!” 

Stasis shock. When an Alorian went through something so painful that it triggered their powers and went into full defense mode. People had been killed by someone in stasis shock. 

Amy took a step forward. Staring at Jared shaking body, “What do we do?” 

Spencer shook his head, “I don’t know. I’ve only seen one other person do this.” 

“I can contradict his powers.” 

Spencer nodded and Amy raced forward wincing in pain as cold icy tendrils of mist grazed her. 

Jared’s powers were going crazy. Black, tar like mist was fanning all around him, pooling on the asphalt like blood. It stuck to Amy like vines on a tree, burning her skin. 

She flared her powers. The mist faded slightly but that was it. 

Amy placed a hand on Jared back and flared harder.  

He didn’t stop.  

The cold night air grew cold and tears shone like silver, bathed in the moonlight on Jared’s face. He sounded like the world was falling, and all he could do was hold it together. As if the world balanced on his shoulder and the only way he could keep it all back was scream.  

What could she do? Mist hung around her like poison, choking her with frost. Roman and Devin stood at the edge both shivering violently next to a crouching Spencer. 

Amy took a breath and her flare died. The cold went from painful to unbearable. She let out a scream of agony. 

“Amy!” Spencer tried to enter the mist but froze, he couldn’t do anything. 

Amy looked up before she flared with all she had. Her scream of pain turned into a scream of exertion and the mist around them vanished. Amy collapsed next to Jared’s shaking form, her back pressed against him. She couldn’t breathe. It was like by stopping Jared’s powers she had given up forty-eight decades of her life.  

Spencer was at her side, “Amy!” 

Amy curled up further next to Jared, “I’m okay.” 

“Your arms.” 

She looked at the pale limp limbs in front of her. In the moonlight, she could see shadows dissolving into her skin, revealing veins and vines of ghost white lines that crisscrossed her forearms like a map of rivers. They were lighter than the rest of her skin, ten times lighter, almost transparent. “It doesn’t hurt.” 

“You’re sure you’re okay?” 

Amy closed her eyes feeling anything but okay. “It’s fine.” 

“I’m fine.” Amy voice was hurt, exhausted. She sounded like she had held the weight of the world on her shoulders. 

Jared’s head hurt. His everything hurt. He started to cry. Someone shifted closer to him. 

“Jared?” 

He didn’t respond. He just shook and cried silent tears as Amy brushed the hair from his face and Roman crouched in front of him and Spencer gently watched with calm silver eyes, and Devin placed a hand on his shoulder. 

Finally, he managed to choke out, “We need to find them.” 

“Beka?” Roman asked. 

“No. Troy, and Trachel.” 

“Trachel?” 

Jared nodded, “I don’t know how much longer either of them can hold on.” he sat up, he was still shaking. “I got a sliver of what Trachel’s blocking from Troy. He’s getting more.” 

Roman started to tremble. “You went into stasis shock.” 

“I don’t know what that is.” 

Spencer jumped in to explain, “It means you went through something so painful, so straining that it triggered your powers as a defense. You could’ve killed one of us.” 

“And you got less than my brother.” Roman’s voice was shaking. “We need to go find Beka. We’re in Memphis, where is he?” 

Twelve 

John George, ‘Johnathan Georgeathan’ patroned of Finnel. 2001-2016, last words, “Nicely done.” 

I never got a chance to be something different. I want one. 

Jared was rocking back and forth. Back and forth. Don’t think, just move. Back and forth. Breathe. 

Amy was next to him, rubbing the marks on her arms, “I think it’s permanent.” 

“I’m sorry.” 

Roman was in the front he shook his head, “Not your fault.” 

Spencer turned into a parking lot. “We’re here.” 

Jared looked up. “This is a McDonalds.”  

“Yep.” 

“The god of crime is at a McDonalds.” 

Roman looked back, “Do you think that their chicken nuggets are real chicken?” 

“No.” 

“But they’re still good?” 

Jared tilted his head slightly, “Yeah.” 

“And that is the true crime.” Devin pulled the door open and smiled. 

Under his breath Jared whispered, “Or witchcraft.” 

Inside it was your basic McDonalds, complete with play place. The cashier blew a bubble with gum and popped it with a smacking noise. She was pretty, ridiculously so. Her chocolate brown hair fell straight down, curling slightly at the tips. Her skin was pale a sharp contrast to her dark eyes, watching them from behind long eyelashes. Every detail on her face seemed perfect, even the small scar on her cheek, adding contrast to the beauty of her seemingly perfect face. “What can I get started for you?” 

“We’re actually looking for Beka.” Spencer smiled thinly 

She continued on like she hadn’t heard him, “Sweet do you have a mobile code for us?” 

“Alorian.” 

She blew a bubble again and it popped, “Wonderful, your order will ready soon.” She handed them one of those signs with an order number on it, but instead of having a number on it an infinity symbol was pasted on. It was made out of electrical tape. 

Spencer sat down and the rest of the group followed. 

Devin started drummer with his fingers on the table. Roman took a rubber band from his pocket and started messing around with it. Amy started shaking the salt and pepper. Roman took three more rubber bands from his pocket and strung them across the sign at varying angles. He started strumming. Devin took the napkin box and started drumming on that, pounding his fist on the table and snapping out a simple rhythm. 

It was a high school musical moment in its finest form. Jared found it hard not to tap his foot along with Devin’s drumming. 

Spencer met Jared’s eyes. “If you start singing, I’m going to kill you.” 

It wasn’t Jared who started to sing an actual song. Roman stopped messing around with the sign guitar and pulled his backpack onto his lap and opened the back pocket that normally would’ve held a computer. He reached inside and grinned as he pulled out a ukulele. 

“What?” Jared barked out a laugh, “Why do you have a ukulele? How?” 

Roman took a pick and started quietly tuning it and grinned as Spencer sighed putting his head down. “Enchanted backpacks, and to bug Spency boy.” 

He played an intro and started humming. 

Devin started singing, “Is this the real life? Is this just fantasy?”  

Amy followed, “Caught in a landslide no escape from reality.”  

Roman. “Open your eyes look up to the skies and see.”  

All three sang, “I’m just a poor boy, I need no sympathy because I’m-“  

Amy, “Easy come, Easy go.”  

Devin, “Little high, little low.”  

Roman. “Anywhere the wind blows doesn’t really matter to me.”  

Spencer, “To me.”  

Jared, “Mama, just killed a man.” 

“Put a gun against his head pulled my trigger now he’s dead. Mama. Life had just begun, but now I’ve gone and thrown it all away!” All of them.  

Amy again, “Mama!”  

They sang the chorus through.  

They didn’t sound very good, but it felt natural to randomly start singing in a McDonalds. Jared stopped singing after a bit and just listened to Devin and Roman trying to outshine each other. 

The girl set a tray of food down and trailed her tongue over her teeth.  

Jared flinched. She had fangs. 

Amy saw it too and her hand found his arm, her skin was cold, he could feel it through the thick sweatshirt he wore. 

Jared looked up, “Are you a snake or a vampire?” 

The girl smiled warmly. It sent chills across Jared’s spine. She pulled on her name tag and let her shirt snap back. It read ‘Bella.’ “I’ve been called a snake. You can call me whatever you want” She leaned down and winked. “As for a vampire, you’re welcome to find out.” 

“Where’s your master, kyriae?” Amy growled. 

Kyriae. Vampire, or the creatures that the myth of bloodsuckers came from. Strangely beautiful creatures who could turn humans into one of them by injecting a small amount of venom into the blood stream. The venom slowly floods the host, killing them, and the only way to stop the poisoning is human blood. And after the venom mixes with the pure blood it causes a sort of high, giving the kyriae super strength, immortality, beauty, telepathy in some cases, but most importantly it gives them an addiction, it makes them reliant on blood to feel good. 

Bella smiled, “He comes out after closing time. So you can rest easy sweet cheeks, he’ll meet with you in around three, two-” 

The table started shaking and Bella slid into the booth, shoving up against Jared, pushing him into Amy. “One.” 

The table dropped. 

Jared forced himself not to scream as his stomach was left behind. Amy grabbed onto his arm, and he heard Bella laughing. 

Everything else was black. 

When light did appear, it was dark. Not dim. It was like a black slip of clear plastic had slipped into Jared’s vision, turning the sparks of neon lights dark. 

Jared was looking through a window, in a tiny dark room. 

Bella stood up and grinned. “Welcome, Alorians, to the crime capital of the undercities, Katalax Prime.” 

Roman looked up, “The… undercities?” 

“The darker side to them.” Bella pulled on a cord and a rickety old lightbulb clicked on. 

The room was covered in dull spray paint over the gray stone. Cracks spread through the wall. 

“What are the undercities?” Jared watched hesitantly as Bella pulled open a closet.  

“Cities that the gods created to keep their religion alive, but the undercities aren’t like this. They’re peaceful, and old, there isn’t electricity.” Spencer frowned, “This isn’t the undercities.” 

Bella pulled a cloak from the closet and laid it over her arm. “No. It’s not. But, that tends to put most Alorians at ease.” 

She grinned and her eyes gleamed. “Welcome, to the Badlands. Our capital Katalax Prime.” 

Spencer’s grip tightened on the table, “You brought us to the Badlands?” He was still as calm as ever, his voice barely showing any emotion. 

“We stopped giving special treatment to Alorians a bit ago. Come on. Let’s go meet with the boss man, I’ll take care of the girl, you guys can get changed on you own.” Bella pulled a couple more items from the closet and yanked Amy away. 

“Wait-” 

They were out the door before Spencer could stand. 

Jared glanced at the closet, “What does she mean get changed?” 

Spencer stood, “This is bad. This is really bad.” 

“Why?” Jared looked out that window, at the dark lights and shifting shadows. His voice started shaking, “Where are we?” 

Spencer looked up. He was scared. Jared was scared. After only a couple of day Spencer had forgotten that Jared was still a kid. 

“I was stuck in the Badlands for a month. It’s not a kind place. And we need to change so we’re not singled out. I’ve never been to the capital, but the same rules probably apply. Stay together, glare at anyone who looks at you, never use your powers in a visible way, and most important never mention the gods.” 

“Why were you stuck here?” 

Spencer glanced at Jared with serious eyes. “Because the Badlands don’t exist anymore. And once you come here, you don’t leave. I only got out because of a rebellion in the outer cities, they’re gone now.” 

Roman walked over to the closet and let out a squeal, “Oh, oh. I call dibs on the leather gloves!” He pulled them out and gently studied them. He let out a cooing noise, “Ohh, fingerless too.” 

The clothes were all leather or worn-down cotton. But they all had random accents of dark or neon colors. Roman’s fingerless gloves were studded and dark red around the metal. 

Roman dug through the closet further. He pulled off his shirt and grinned as he pulled a white tang top over his head. It was followed by him pulling it off again and pulling a dark gray shirt over his head. It was torn at the bottom, frayed and the sleeves had been cut short, showing off most of Roman’s arms. He nodded and grinned, “I slay in this outfit, but it needs more.” He grabbed a vest made of crisscrossed dark-brown leather with tiny accents of red here and there. A sliver chain over his head, a wooden bracelet like thing that he slid up onto his bicep and called it a bangle, it had silver leafing in the shape of the roman numerals XII. He frowned and then placed three beaded bracelets on his left hand and five on the right. He ran a hand through his brown hair and messed it up, spiking it up, and then pulled the shirt’s hood up. 

He grinned widely, stretching out his arms and doing a little spin. “So?” 

Spencer tilted his head, “You actually, look pretty spot on.” 

Spencer had to dig through the closet even more to find something his size but eventually found a leather jacket with some dark blue spray painted lightly in some areas. He held it up, “Roman, this okay?” 

Roman shook his head. “No colors. Metal accessories only.” 

Spencer sighed and went digging through the clothes again. Roman glanced at Jared, “I’ll help out Jared.”   

Biking gloves. A dark blue gray shirt. Black hood, clasped over his chest with a simple metal circle latch. A thin chain wrapped all the way up his bare arm, crisscrossed.  

Devin handed him a pair of headphones. “You were listening to music when we met.” 

Jared took the black headphones and turned them over in his hands. The black coating was chipped, and blood red had been sprayed across them crudely. They were perfect. He pulled out his iPod and felt a little wave of relief as the headphones connected seamlessly. 

He pulled them over his head and around his neck. 

Spencer smiled at Jared, “That looks good.” 

Spencer looked like a sci fi post apocalyptic warrior. He was wearing a black leather vest with a hood and sliver accents, over a torn shirt. The vest had a zipper, more like a jacket without sleeves. A white strip of fabric was tied to his upper arm. He had one of those masks that doubled as a neck scarf, a silver necklace lay over it with a stylized bird pendant on the end. He had a silver ring on his middle finger. 

Devin was wearing a shirt similar to Roman’s but instead of a vest he had left it plain, but he had gone full out on the accerization. He had a leather and metal pauldron on his left shoulder. One of the straps that held it in place stretched across his torso and the other over his left shoulder and met the first. He had a brown leather glove on his left hand, and a silver bracelet on his right. He had replaced his belt with a chain and had taken some clip-on earrings and put them on his right ear, they were studded black. 

Jared nodded smiling in approval, “We look pretty sick.” 

Spencer nodded and smiled thinly, “One of the perks of being trapped in the Badlands.” 

Jared’s face fell. “Right, trapped. How did you get out?” 

Spencer looked out the window. “I met a girl, Crina. She was the leader of a rebellion in the outer cities, she saved my life from a group of kyriae. and when I told her about being stuck here, she led an attack to get me out. The last time I saw her she was surrounded by Beka’s cronies.” 

Jared didn’t respond. 

Devin put a hand on Spencer’s shoulder, “I’m sorry.” 

Roman nodded.  

Spencer shrugged. Suddenly, as if remembering something, his head shot up, “Where’s Amy?” 

“With Bella.” Roman raised an eyebrow. 

“The vampire.” 

Someone scoffed, “Please boys. I fed last night, I’m still full.” 

Jared glanced over at Bella. She was wearing a tight-fitting leather jumpsuit with sheared off sleeves. She had wings now. Just grayish brown dusty angel wings, smaller than Shadow’s by a couple feet. They didn’t enclose her, they stuck out like Roman’s studded gloves.  

Odd enough, the second most normal thing Jared had seen in the past twenty-four hours. The first normal had been Roman pulling a ukulele from his bag and playing Queen.  

Bella pulled back her wing to reveal Amy. 

Out of all of them she looked like she belonged in the clothing the most, aside from Roman.  

Amy resisted the urge to pull at the clothing Bella the vampire had selected. Everything was form fitting and tight. Everything was carefully thought out, carefully poised.  

They had wrapped her hands with bandage looking strips, dirty white, all the way up to her forearms. A thin black leather jerkin that started at her abdomen and trailed all the way up to her neck, clasping in a choker in the back. The front of the jerkin clasped all the way up with gold triangular latches. The back only went up to her shoulder blades showing off the violent intense dark red shirt she wore underneath. The jerkin cut off at her arms. She wore a dark red steampunk jacket tied around her waist. There was a metal mask that reminded her of a gas mask resting around her neck, ready to be clicked into place against the magnetic black ear cuffs that weighed down her ears. She was wearing a single bracelet on her wrist. High rise black jeans and a black belt finished the look. 

She didn’t recognize Spencer, Devin, Roman, or Jared. 

Jared turned away as Bella grinned, showing off her fangs. “Have fun in the city Alorians.” 

Katalax Prime was dark, foggy and cramped. Allies were the streets and the only light came from neon signs and glowing paint. Shadows danced with the fog in the small streets. It wasn’t quiet. Jared could here shouting, coins clicking together, and laughter.  

The laughter was cold, echoes of it dancing to a death march.  

Fiddling with the chain that hung on his belt, Jared followed the group. Bella had left them alone, flying out the window grinning wickedly. 

Spencer had taken the lead, urging them to be quiet. 

Someone grabbed Jared’s arm. Jared spun and met dull blue eyes. The man’s mouth and nose was covered by a black mask painted over with a white grinning mouth, with sharp teeth. His black spikey hair was slicked back and he had a tattoo on his forehead that said ‘Freak.’ 

“Let me go.” Jared tried to pull away, but the man held up Jared’s arm, showing a group of shifting shadows in the nearest alley. He still was wearing his watch, the watch with Shadow’s symbol on it.  

“I told you!” The man yanked his mask down, still holding onto Jared’s arm. He grinned at Jared. His mouth was bloody, he had recently been in a fight. He smiled and Jared forced himself to stay still as the man showed off teeth that had been sharpened to a point. “They carry the symbol of the gods with ‘em.” His voice had a whistling quality to it. 

Spencer forced in between Jared and Mr. Shark teeth. “Back off.” 

The man let go, “We don’t like the gods messin’ with our affairs, we don’t like your type in town.” 

“What do you mean my type?” 

“Alorians.” 

Spencer reached behind him and gently pushed Jared back with his hand against Jared’s chest. “I don’t think you know what you’re talking about.” 

Amy took a step forward, but Spencer sent her a glare. 

Jared didn’t see it happen. All he knew was that all of a sudden Devin had been shoved to the ground, blood pouring out of his nose. Jared spun around and watched as a tall scrawny girl with short blue hair stepped forward and crouched down, shoving Devin’s face into the dirt.  

Devin tried to raise himself up, but the girl pressed the barrel of a gun to his head. “Stay down.” Her voice was ragged, strained. 

Jared grabbed Amy’s arm, knowing that all she wanted to do was charge forward and get Devin away from the gun.  she grabbed his arm in turn and gently shifted, facing away from him, towards Spencer. She slipped her hand down and deftly undid his watch latch with her nimble fingers before tucking it into his palm. Jared shoved in his pocket and grabbed her hand. 

Amy leaned back slightly, pressing her back against his shoulder.  

Spencer glanced over his shoulder at Devin, flicking his eyes away just for a moment. “We don’t want any trouble.” 

Shark teeth grinned. He drew a pistol from his belt and leveled it at Spencer head as five other ragged, armed, men and women walked from the alley way. “Well, you found it.” 

Jared looked at Spencer, as he stared down the gun barrel, and Spencer flinched.  

The constant pulsing he felt from Amy increased. She counted down on his palm. Three fingers, two, one. 

Jared tackled a man next to Shark Teeth. Spencer kicked the gun from Shark Teeth’s hand. Amy grabbed the girl who had held a gun to Devin’s head and cracked the scrawny woman’s head into her knee.  

And then they were running. Devin pulled along by Amy, Roman pushing them from the back and Spencer running faster and faster. 

Jared pulled up next to Spencer, “What’s the plan?” 

“Run.” Spencer wasn’t panting, he could clearly run faster if he needed to, he was holding back for them. “Have you done the obstacle course at Everdale?” 

“No.” 

“Then do your best to keep up, I’ll stay behind you in case you slip up.” He turned and yelled, “Follow me!” 

Amy forced herself to go faster as Spencer took a hard right into a crowded alley. She slid coming out of the corner, kicking up dust. The streets were clogged with junk, junk that they had been carefully avoiding, until now. 

Amy ran faster and quickly overtook Devin, Roman, Spencer, and Jared. This is what she was built for. 

The chase, the run. She could fight, she could confront people, and she was good at it, but her slight frame, long legs, and quick feet, were born to run. 

Cinder blocks, jump over. She made a tighter corner and this time her fingers skimmed the ground, as she swung underneath a low hanging sign. 

Blaze was often seen as the god of fire, but to her it was the god of the sky, and even though it was Lillith who really controlled the winds, Blaze had leniencies, meaning Amy could multiplate the air around her to allow her to practically fly through the streets. 

She jumped. Her left foot hit a crate and forced her higher. She kicked off the wall and spun midair, her feet hit the opposite wall and she kicked off again. She landed on the roof running.  

Jared almost fell as he tried to jump over a crate. Spencer pulled him forward, not letting him slow down. “Keep running kid.” 

Jared watched as Amy landed on a roof and took a dive off, sliding down a tube. Spencer jumped in and slid down before Jared could react. Hesitantly he followed.  

Jared stumbled out of the tunnel to Shark Teeth kicking Spencer in the stomach.  

They were in a break in the buildings, like a pool that had been drained. It was decorated with a huge mural on the wall of a young boy with platinum blonde hair and green eyes. above Jared spun to see Amy struggling against a young man. 

Spencer down, Amy incapacitated, where were Devin and Roman?  

That question was answered by Devin being thrown to the ground and Roman held at gun point. 

Jared studied the group, “Guns are cheating.”  

Shark Teeth slammed his foot into Spencer one more time before looking up with dull eyes, studying Jared. “You’re young.” 

“You’re young.” 

“You with them?” 

“Yes.” 

“Then you’re old enough to die.” 

The shot went off before Jared could react. Fire ripped through the air. Coming straight for him, death. Death and a silver bullet. 

Someone tackled him. The bullet grazed his shoulder, and exploding pain ripped through him, centering around his shoulder. 

A voice shouted, “Beat it sidewalk scum!” 

Jared looked up to see Spencer on his feet. Spencer slammed his foot into Shark Teeth’s stomach.  

The world seemed to move in slow motion as the man doubled over in pain and a girl fell from the sky, kicking off his back and slamming her shoulder into the man holding Roman at gun point.  

Amy slammed her head against her assailant, and burst forward ready to help her friends, only to find Spencer standing back to back with a girl she had never seen. 

Spencer grinned wickedly.  

“Century.”  

He had forgotten how much he missed the rebellion’s code words. He felt her tap his arm. “I take the left you take the right?” 

“Anytime.” 

Roman and Devin sat Jared down and wrapped his bleeding shoulder, it wasn’t life threatening enough for a chocolate milk shower. But they did give him a small square of chocolate. Immediately his vision cleared, and he stood up, ready to help fight off the gang. 

Roman stopped him with an outstretched arm. He shook his head and pointed to Spencer and the new girl. 

They were surrounded by Shark Teeth’s group. The girl was tense, ready to strike. 

Her voice was hard, cold, like she had seen the world and held it together. “Leave them alone Rox.” 

Shark Teeth, or Rox, flinched back, but didn’t step away at her voice. “They insulted me and mine.” 

“Then swallow your misguided pride and walk away.” 

“You don’t run this town; this is my territory.”  

The girl didn’t respond, instead she mumbled something to Spencer who leaned forward grinning. The girl leaned against him and simultaneously they pushed off each other. Jared watched as a gun went flying away, Spencer tossing each one away.  

They fought like a unit, switching back and forth, Spencer would knee someone in the gut and the girl would be there to shove them into the next person.  

The girl grabbed a gun and with a smooth motion she shot Rox in the leg. He screamed and the girl spun the gun on her finger and shoved it into her holster. She kicked a motionless gang member and turning to the groaning mess, “Leave with the rebels blessing.” 

Most of them scrambled away.  

Rox was dragged away, screaming in pain.  

The girl brushed her bright red hair from her face and grinned at Spencer. “Thanks for the excuse to kick Rox’s sorry butt.” 

Spencer grinned back, “Thanks for the help. Even though I could’ve taken them by myself.” 

She cocked an eyebrow, “Oh really, what was your nickname? When you first came here?” 

“Pixal. Means brave and courageous.” 

“It means team player.” 

Spencer opened his mouth, but was interrupted by her slamming into him, wrapping her arms around him. 

Compared to Spencer she was short, even though she was Jared’s height, but hugging Spencer she lost any larger-than-life aspect, her head barely coming up to his neck. “I missed you Spence.” 

Spencer hugged her back and took a breath, “I missed you too.” 

She pulled away and punched him soundly in the face. 

Spencer stumbled back and put a hand to his already red face. “Seriously?” 

“What the heck are you doing back here!?! I revealed my position to Beka, to get you out, and now you show up, in the capital no less and get in a fight with the Steelchasers!” She shoved him back 

Spencer grinned slightly stumbling back. “Maybe I just really missed you punching me all the time.” 

“Don’t give me that crap, Spence.” 

Roman stepped forward, “Who are you?” 

The girl spun and leveled her gun at Roman’s head. “Same question.” 

“I asked first.” 

“I have a gun.” 

“Fair.” He didn’t continue talking, just stared at the gun. 

Spencer stepped in between them, “These are my friends. Amy, Roman, Devin and Jared.” 

The girl side-stepped Spencer and got up in Amy’s face like a child studying a cool beetle. She glanced back at Spencer. “This is Amy?”  

“Yes.” 

She turned to Jared.  

She was a couple inches taller than him with short choppy bright red hair, blue gray eyes and a scar that trailed across her nose among a faint field of freckles. Her face was dirty, both with dirt and a splattering of what Jared hoped was red paint on her forehead. She nodded, “K.” She gave Roman and Devin the same treatment. 

Devin’s face was still covered in blood. 

Jared walked over to Spencer who was still grinning, watching the girl, “Who is this?”  

“Someone I’d thought I’d never see again. The leader of the rebels. Crina.” 

Thirteen 

Mary Jackson patroned of Trachel, 1890-1906, last words, “You were the only one who cared, you don’t need to apologize.” 

The rebel’s headquarters was a skinny apartment building with a large basement where they trained, less like a basement more like a bunker, it was huge. 

Jared stood there now watching as Crina and Spencer fought. Crina didn’t fight with her fist, or her arms, or legs. She used her whole body as one unit, a carefully oiled machine.  

Quick punches as she rammed her knee into his gut. 

Spencer did his best to block the punches. Finally, he grabbed her fist and rolled back with the momentum, knocking her off balance and swinging for her head. She blocked it with her other hand and slammed her fist across his face. She followed by leaning forward and ramming her shoulder against him sending him backwards with a grunt and pinning him to the ground. 

She drummed her fingers on his chest making a tapping noise. She was sitting comfortably on his abdomen smirking. “Glad to see you haven’t lost your touch Spencer.” 

Spencer grinned up at her. He rolled forcing her to get off him, but she stumbled and hit the ground, Spencer pinning her in a fluid motion. 

*     *      * 

Spencer grinned down at Crina, and she rolled her eyes, “You’re a pill.” 

Spencer tilted his head. “Yeah. But tons of pills have tons of benefits.” 

“Well, you weigh a ton, off.” 

Spencer stood up and reached out his hands to help her up. That was a mistake. 

She reached up with her hands and yanked hard. He stumbled and she placed her feet on his stomach, kicking away sending him to the ground, his head right next to her. 

Spencer groaned, “That was a low blow.” He turned to meet her eyes studying him. 

She smiled softly, not and grin or a smirk, but a small little smile. Hesitant, gentle, just so not the strong independent rebel, but so Crina. 

Spencer felt himself scoot closer, “I really missed you.” 

“I really missed you too, Spence.” 

Someone cleared their throat. 

Spencer looked up to see Tinker. 

Spencer stood up and held out his hand. 

Tinker grinned devilishly, “Spence.” 

“Tink.” 

She switched both gauntlets to one hand and clasped his hand in hers. 

Crina walked up to them and frowned. “Where did the kid go?” 

Spencer glanced around. Jared was gone. That was good. “He does that sometime, just vanishes.” 

She grimaced, “He’s creepier than Tinker, no offense.” 

Tinker wore a mask with google that narrowed into slits. Just by themselves it had a chilling effect, but you mix the random metal shards stuck into her three-foot-long braid down her back, all painted to look like they were stained with blood, you got creeped out. Her arms were tattooed with gears and skulls mixed around in an arrayed, frantic pattern, and her clothes had metal patches just randomly. 

The folded her arms over her chest, “Offense taken. I’m not the creepiest person you know?” 

“Well, you’re not wearing your creepy goggles or mask, so right now, no.” 

Spencer suddenly recognized the objects in her hands, “Wait, are those-“ 

“Yeah, I fixed ‘em up after you managed to break them!” 

“It’s not my fault. It’s hers.” He pointed at Crina.  

Crina cocked an eyebrow. “I broke them?” 

“Yeah, you distracted me!” Spencer instantly felt his cheeks turn red. They had agreed not to talk about that, it had been a silent agreement but, dang how could he not.  

Crina made him feel like a child again. Made all of the darkness go away. He remembered spending days with her, training, teasing, or watching her shoot. She made him happy. 

Yeah, he had Amy, and the twins and Devin, but he had to worry about them. He could just be with Crina and crud, he liked being with her.  

She glanced down at his hand and shoved her hands into her pockets rocking back and forth. To anyone else it would look like she was comfortable and teasing, but Spencer knew better. She was nervous, despite the wicked grin on her face. “I remember very vividly that I am not the one who forgot to hit the switch before turning on the generator. And I didn’t show up until after you fried the gloves.” 

Spencer still remembered the painful shock of electricity, frying the gloves and burning his hands. Still remembered Crina wrapping his hands, scolding him. Still remembered her reaching up, pulling him down until their noses were touching, and glaring at him. 

And he remembered when the moment had changed from scolding to something else, and then she had let him go and stalked away. 

Spencer shot a grin at Crina, and she looped her thumbs over her belt before mouthing, Shut it.  

Spencer took the gloves and grinned. “They’re the same ones.” 

“Jeff and Jennifer in their original form, welcome back to the Badlands.” Tinker grinned. 

Naming the two gloves had originally been a joke, but now it was nice to feel the familiarity of wearing the metal plated gloves.  

The closest thing he could compare them to was Ivory’s reckoners. They didn’t form around his body at will, but they were handy in a fight. They gave him strengthened grips for one. Steered his hands to cause the most damage, increased the speed and force. 

Jeff and Jennifer.  

Nothing could compare to the genius of Tinker, not even magic. 

*     *     * 

Devin threw the ball he had been holding at Spencer, right as the other boy walked into the room. 

Annoyingly Spencer caught it and crushed it. 

Devin stared as Spencer grinned at his hand. Spencer glanced up, and he grin faded, “Sorry.” 

“What in Stilis?” 

Spencer held out his hands covered in metal, leather and wires. He nodded, “I used these back when I first got stuck here.” 

“Ah.” Devin nodded, “That’s Jeff and Jenifer.” 

Spencer nodded and sat down on his bed. “How’s your nose?” He pulled a canteen from the bag next to his bed and started drinking. 

“Better. How’s your girlfriend?” 

Spencer choked. 

Devin laid down on his stomach and buried his head in his arms waiting for Spencer to stop sputtering. “She’s not- we’re not- what?” 

Devin raised an eyebrow, “I don’t think I’ve seen you smile this often, it’s a nice break from the brooding.” 

“I don’t brood.” 

Devin nodded and shifted his voice to a sardonic tone, “I don’t glow when I’m happy.” 

“If you glowed when you’re happy, you would be glowing all the time.” 

Devin didn’t respond, he just cocked an eyebrow. 

Right. 

“So, when you came back with the helm, the reason you were gone so long was-” 

“I didn’t want to come back.” 

Devin tilted his head, “So why did you?” 

Spencer sighed, “Because, how could I be happy here with Amy and you and the twins up there alone?” 

“With Crina. And the rest of the rebels, fighting the good fight.” 

Spencer glanced at his friend.  

He had known Devin for around three years now.  

It had been almost a year since he’d run away from home. A year since Spencer had lost anything he’d ever loved. In and out of foster homes for a year. Living on the streets for weeks, trying to get away from the social officers and their constant attempts to get him a home. And now he was stalking through the streets of Oklahoma barely sixteen, all on his own. At this point he’d been realized, and the monsters had come.  

And Devin had been walking ahead of him. Talking to a girl. Her name had been Gina. 

Spencer still remembered the pull of a recently realized Alorian pulling him to them asking him to follow them. And then the monsters had come for Devin.  

Devin still saw Gina’s corpse at night. His baby sister. Almost an adult, dead on the sidewalk. Devin’s arm still remembered the pain of the fiend trailing its claws into his skin. 

“You could stay this time.” 

Spencer looked up. “What?” 

“You could stay and then we could go get Roman and Trachel and send you a letter or something.” He clapped, “We can be interworld pen pals.” 

“What about-” 

“For once in your life, what about you?” 

Spencer paused, thinking. “I could stay.” 

Devin smiled. “Yeah.” 

They stayed there in silence until Roman came in. “We need to talk.” 

Jared and Amy followed him in and Amy sat down next to Spencer.  

Jared sat down in a chair over in the corner of the room. “What’s going on?” 

“We need to go for Beka.” Roman nodded, “But, how do we get a god to give us information.” 

Spencer sighed. “There’s an iPad that Beka keeps all his information on, we steal it we find Troy and Trachel.” 

“Okay, so how do we steal it?” 

Spencer closed his eyes thinking. “We could petition him for an audience.” 

Jared raised an eyebrow, “The god of crime will listen to that?” 

Spencer sighed, “I don’t know, i don’t know the layout, i don’t know what to do. I don’t even know where Beka would be.” 

“The center of the city.” Crina leaned against the doorway. “We call it the Ring. Five levels. Only way in is through the roof and dear Mr. Overlord would be at the bottom. Five city gangs all at his beck and call, they hate each other but they’ll work together if needs be. The kyriae are also a problem but you really just need fristic gas, knock ‘em out.” 

Spencer looked up and grinned. “Can you get us fristic gas?” 

“What are you paying with? Bad pickup lines or a punching bag?” 

“Would a smile work?” 

“Maybe on Tinker.” 

Spencer looked at her questioningly, “You think?” 

Crina grinned, “You four go talk with Dodger, Tinker, Lix and Darius.” She nodded at Jared, “I need to talk to the kid.” 

Jared felt himself pull back. “What?” 

“Come on, let’s go.” 

*     *     * 

Crina bounced on her toes. She was crouched down rocking back and forth, her fist raised. “Avoid the punch, make the counterattack.” 

“What?” 

“You need to learn how to fight. You’re awful. Without a sword I’m assuming. So, punch me.” 

Jared frowned, “I’m not gonna punch you.” 

“Then I’ll punch you.” Her fist made contact with his chest. 

It didn’t hurt, not as much as it could have, barely grazing him. 

“Block me.” 

Jared nodded before dropping into her same position. “This feels stupid.” 

“You look stupid, I would’ve assumed you’d be used to feeling stupid.” She faked a couple punches, teaching him how to dodge and block. 

*     *     * 

Jared let out a groan as Crina again knocked him to the ground. 

“Get back up.” 

“You try doing this for half an hour.” 

“I don’t get knocked down anymore.” 

Jared winced as he stood. This time he lunged first. Crina dodged and slammed her knee into his gut. 

Jared hit the ground again.  

“You need to get better, Jared.” Crina extended her hand. “The only way to survive is to fight dirty.” 

Jared took her hand, and she yanked him up before pulling him up towards her face.  

Her eyes flicked back and forth; she was searching for something in his face with her intense glare. The grip she had on his hand tightened. “You’re strong. You can’t be strong here, not in the Badlands or Undercities or in the real world. You can’t be strong and noble, because you’ll make the right decision, the merciful decision, while the people you fight will always go the easy way, the way where you end up bleeding on the ground people dead around you.” She met his eyes and the sudden stopping of motion ripped through Jared. “Drop one. Stop being noble, or stop being strong.” 

Jared paused. “Why can’t I be both?” 

She let him go and turned around looking down, “Because-” 

Jared took a step forward and she spun, kicking him in the gut. 

Jared flew backward, gasping as the air was forced out of his lungs. He couldn’t breathe. She had been holding back dramatically, and now the sheer force of the blow slammed him against the wall, cracking something. 

He slid down, clutching his chest, trying desperately to breathe. 

Crina pressed her knee down on Jared’s gut, “Because if you don’t the world will make you. If you can’t stop being strong and noble you’ll end up broken, weak, clinging to moralities that never helped you.” She pressed a hand against his chest, “You don’t get to be selfish. You don’t get to show mercy on people who would never show you any. You don’t get to be noble.” 

She left Jared, on the ground, struggling to catch his breath, barely able to think straight, her words echoing in his mind. You don’t get to be noble. 

*     *     * 

Spencer watched as Crina shoved away from Jared.  

She didn’t smile as they started walking away. “He’s a good kid. That’s gonna get him killed.” 

Spencer looked down.  

“I know you don’t like it. But he needs to be strong enough to make the smart choices.” 

“He’s a kid, he doesn’t need to be strong.” 

She didn’t respond. 

Spencer clenched his hands into fist, gritting his teeth. “Should I have been strong? Should I have been strong enough?” 

Crina paused. “No.” She grabbed his hand and forced it open, letting her fingers intertwine with his for a few seconds before pulling back. “None of us should be strong enough. But you know more than most that we don’t get that option.” 

“I want that option.” 

Crina didn’t respond. 

“In those weeks I spent with you guys; did you ever think of coming with me?” 

If she didn’t want to answer she would answer. Which was worse, her responding or her staying silent? 

“Every single day.” The words were so quiet, so frail. “Did you ever think of staying?” 

“Every single day.” 

“And now?” 

“Every single time I take a breath.” 

Crina ran a hand through her hair, folding her arms over her chest. “But you won’t. They mean too much to you.” 

Spencer paused and bumped her with her shoulder. “I never said that I wouldn’t.” 

Crina looked up at him and smiled slightly. She knew which side of the world he would choose; she knew which one she wouldn’t let him choose.  

He would choose to stay. But she wouldn’t let him. 

“How’d it go with the others?” 

“They think they can get enough but they still need your seal of approval.” 

Crina nodded.  

Fourteen 

Maybe it was selfish of me. But they could’ve been happy, and I could live. It’s a good thing though, I hope, for all our sakes. 

Jackie Giles patroned of Isadeal, 2000-2016, last words, ‘I’m going to be okay; we’re going to be fine.” 

Jared winced in pain as again Crina knocked him to the ground. They had been in the Badlands for a week. And in a week, it had only been planning and more planning and Crina knocking Jared down, over and over and over again. 

“I’m done.”  

She kicked him in the side, “Get back up, hit me.” 

Jared stood and sent his fist towards her face. She caught it and twisted his arm painfully behind his back, hissing in his ear, “Fight dirty kid.” 

He winced, “I’m done.” 

“You’re far from done. I’m trying to help you. You can keep hitting the ground. What makes you a hero is whether or not you keep getting up.” She kicked him away and walked away. 

Jared didn’t move from the ground. Not until a voice echoed in the room. 

“Are you okay?” 

Jared rolled on to his stomach and forced himself to his knees. “I already got the spiel from Crina. I don’t need it from you.”  

The girl sat down in front of him and raised her eyebrows. Her eyes were like molten gray metal, burning into him. “I’m not going to lecture you.” 

Jared forced himself to meet those eyes.  

And he found himself immediately wishing that he was back in Everdale, splashing dunking Ivory in the lake. 

Ivory just made things easy. It was easy to meet her warm teal eyes, easy to laugh along with her, easy to pretend that he had a home. 

Amy’s eyes were hard, cold. But they held so much strength, so much broken pain, that held her up.  

“I’m a couple months younger than you.” She smiled slightly. “I don’t think I have the authority to give you any lectures.” 

Jared raised an eyebrow, “Really? Second Dux of the Draconian sector at age fourteen, only two years after coming to Everdale. Strongest strategist, only lost one game since coming to Everdale, six time challenger way of right against not one not against two but three Alorians, winning each one.” Jared tilted his head. “A couple thousand years ago I probably would have been hanged for merely smiling at the gods champion.” 

Amy groaned, “Where did you hear all of that?” 

“In your first week of being at the stronghold you challenged son of Artoro, names lost to the record, and whomever he chooses to fight with him. And decimated them, all to defend the honor of your quirky red haired older brother.” Jared grinned, “People talk.”  

Amy curled her knees to her chest. “I came because- well I don’t actually know.” 

Jared copied her position. The thumping from her powers was dull. Her eyes had dark circles underneath them. She looked exhausted. 

“When’s the last time you slept?” 

“It’s been a hot minute.” 

Jared tilted his head, “Here, I have an idea.” He stood up and grabbed his headphones and iPod from the pile of his stuff. He slid against the wall to sit next to Amy. 

She peered over his shoulder as he created a new playlist. They sat in silence as he scrolled through his library and added song after song. 

Ophelia, Nothing by Bruno Major, Stick Season by Noah Kahan. After he was done, he titled it, in all caps, “GO TO SLEEP YOU NEED IT.” 

Amy snorted. “Okay, so this is going to help me sleep.” 

“Have you ever tried listening to music while trying to fall sleep?” 

“I don’t ever listen to music.” 

Jared raised his eyebrows in surprise. “Okay, now that’s just sad.” 

Amy shrugged, “I was twelve when I left home and my mom had really bad headaches, me and Sammy had to be quiet.” 

Jared connected to headphones and handed them to her. Amy pulled them on skepticism showing clear in her face. 

Jared smiled, watching as she fidgeted with her hands. 

“Just try to relax.” 

She closed her eyes and shifted. 

Jared pressed play. 

***

Spencer smiled watching Amy and Jared from the catwalk above the training room. 

Crina leaned on the rail next to him. “Oh, that’s cute.” 

Spencer shook his head. “Nah. Amy could do better. Besides Jared has a gaggle of girls fawning over him back at Everdale, he just doesn’t realize it.” 

“You got any girls fawning over you?” 

Spencer rubbed his neck, “No.” 

“Really?” 

Spencer shook his head, “None. People tend to avoid me.” 

“Why?” 

“I had a run in with the faltri, after I left. They branded me.” 

Crina paused her face falling, “Oh. Which one?” 

Spencer didn’t respond. 

“Either is awful.” 

“I got both. They said it was undecided.” Spencer whispered the words barely hearing them himself. Only one other person knew that. 

“Oh. I got a rose.”  

Spencer’s head shot up, “What?” 

She pulled her glove away from her wrist, showing a raised black mark, a rose.  

Spencer took her hand and trailed his thumb over the mark. “Who else knows?” 

“Nobody that’s still alive. I got it when I was twelve.” 

Spencer sat down, letting her arm go. “That must’ve been some story.” 

“No.” 

Jared and Amy were still curled up next to each other. Amy had fallen asleep. 

Maybe he could stay. Maybe Jared could take care of them. 

Crina tapped the railing, “We have our first road tomorrow. Who do you want to come from your side?” 

His side. Why did that hurt so much? 

“Roman, Devin and myself.” 

“Roman and Tinker have been hanging out a lot.” 

“Roman likes to explode things.” 

Crina shook her head, “That’s good. Not so much with Tinker but that’s good. Why don’t you want those two to go? From what I can tell the girl can hold her own just fine.” 

“They don’t need to deal with the raids.” 

“Don’t give me that crap Spencer. You don’t want the kid to see you kill.” 

Spencer shook his head. “He thinks that I’m some kind of hero.” 

“Has he told you that?” 

“No. But he doesn’t look at me with the subtle fear I get with even my closest friends. When he looks at me, I feel like I’m more than just a pawn in the game of gods.” Spencer looked down at Jared. “He treats me like a hero. He doesn’t need to see me as a monster.” 

“You’re not.” 

Spencer clicked his gauntlets together, before sliding his hand into hers. 

She stiffened. Spencer felt every muscle in her hand and arm tense. She was either going to punch him in the face or in the gut. She’d done that many times over and over again. But she didn’t pull away.  

“Spencer.” 

“Yes?” 

“Why are you holding my hand?” 

“You held my hand.” 

“Let go.” 

Spencer didn’t. “What happens if I don’t?” 

Crina tensed further. She didn’t pull away either. “Spencer.” 

“Crina.” 

Spencer scooted back and turned to face her.  

She glanced up and quickly looked back at the metal mesh in between her legs.  

“Will you look at me?” 

“Why?” 

“Because.”  

They were whispering. The entire world forgotten, just them, sitting on metal work. 

She did look at him. Finally meeting his gaze, with her own blue gray eyes. 

Spencer leaned forward so that their faces were inches apart. “You said that you thought of coming with me.” The tension in the air was palpable, surging through them. “Do you like me?” 

Crina shifted to look at him, fully. She pulled her hand away. “You are such an idiot.” She stood up. 

Spencer followed, “You didn’t answer the question.” 

She spun and grabbed the collar of his vest yanking him down. “I can’t. You can’t do what you want to do when people look up to you. You tell them to fight, they bring guns. You tell them to jump, they try to fly. Every death is on my hands. Every injury. I don’t have the option of answering that question. I can’t be selfish, because it clouds my judgment.”  

“Just answer the question Crina.” 

And then she was kissing him. Shoving him against the wall, her hands still clenched around his collar.  

***

Nothing Crina did was uncontrolled. Everything was poised, treated like a battlefield, and she never slipped up. Until she found herself pressing a stupid boy to a wall, kissing him. This was so wrong. But how could it be wrong if it felt so right. Pressed up against him. Feeling his heartbeat as she let her hands rest on his chest.  

It was fast. Too fast. And she felt hers in kind, screaming. Her head in anger and her heart in relief.  

How many times had she wanted to pull this stupid boy down and kiss him? How many times had she wanted to tell him how she felt? To give into the urges she felt every time he even smiled? 

He mumbled against her mouth, “Can I take this as a yes?” 

She pulled away slightly. “Ye-” 

He flipped them around. 

Holy gods above.  

The wall pressed into her back. Making her shoulder scream at her in protest. She had hurt it tackling Jared out of the way from that bullet. But that didn’t matter right now. 

He was pressed up against her, his arms on either side of her. They weren’t kissing anymore. But the intensity in his eyes made her want the heady rush to continue. 

“That was a rhetorical question.” 

She felt cornered, trapped, and she didn’t want out. His eyes were always so calm, always so controlled, but right now, they burned. 

“Can I still answer it?” 

“No.” 

“Why not?” 

He grinned.  

“That wasn’t rhetorical.” 

Spencer leaned down, until she could feel his breath on her cheeks. “Shut up.” 

And then it was back. And she wasn’t the one in control.  

***

Spencer felt every place where their bodies met burn.  

She wasn’t pulling away. He didn’t want her too. All he could feel was the heat that raged through him, her mouth pressed against his, her arms wrapped around his neck, her hands tangling in his hair, his hands around her waist, pulling her closer even as he pressed her against the wall. 

This was something he had wanted to do for over a year. 

She turned her head away, breaking away. “This is wrong.” 

Spencer rested his head on the wall next to her. Gently leaning over her shoulder. “Oh?” He mumbled. 

His breath was hot on her neck, and she could barely hear him over the rushing of blood in her ears. “We shouldn’t be doing this.” 

“I shouldn’t be in the Badlands. You shouldn’t have to worry about being selfish.” 

Oh, dear gods. She couldn’t have a straight conversation with his hands resting on her waist. Not with the heat of his breath on her shoulder, his hair tickling her neck. All she could focus on was him against her. 

“Spencer-” 

“Crina.” 

Even saying her name he managed to send a rush of heat through her body, into her cheeks.  

Spencer lifted his head, looking at her. He grinned sticking his tongue out slightly. “Yes lo?” His Texas accent broke through. Dear saints above. 

“Spencer- Spencer this isn’t- we can’t-” 

And then his mouth was against hers again, silencing any protests. 

The gauntlets on his hands fell away and he was holding her face, his thumb pressing against her jaw, his fingers curling in her hair. She was losing control of the situation. This was bad, very bad. She couldn’t care about him more than any of the rebels, it would cloud her judgment. 

Crina tried and failed to pull away again. Try to talk some sense into both her and him, try to stop it from spinning. Her dang heart wouldn’t let her. 

***

Spencer opened the door to his and Devin’s room and collapsed on his bed, grinning. 

Devin glanced up and his eyes went wide. “What happened to your face?” 

Spencer touched the bruise on his cheek. “I got punched for being an idiot. A cute idiot, but still an idiot.” 

Crina had pushed him away and then punched him firmly in the mouth, before kissing him one more time and walking away. 

“What did you do?” Roman was sitting on the floor next to Devin. 

Spencer’s grin widened. “She started it. I just continued it. And she finished it.” 

“Spill, spill the tea brother!” 

Devin and Spencer both turned to Roman. 

Roman cowered back, “That’s how the girls do it.” 

Devin hit him on the head with his pillow, “That is not how the girls do it.” He threw to pillow at Spencer, “But yeah, spill the tea.” 

Spencer shrugged. “She kissed me. I kissed her back.” 

“And then she punched you.” 

“Yeah.” 

“What did you take it too far or something?” 

Spencer’s lip curled, “What? No gross.”  

“You mean you guys didn’t-” 

“Roman!” Spencer glared down at his friend, “Stop talking.” His face fell. “It’s just complicated. For both of us. She can’t choose herself over the rebels. She can’t like me because it clouds her judgement.” 

“So, you kissed her. Even further clouding her judgement.” Roman raised an eyebrow. 

Spencer groaned, ‘Wow, wait to rain on my parade Roman.” 

“Sorry. Here.” Roman cleared his throat and took a breathy gasp. “You made out with a really cool rebel girl, with red hair and a gaze that would make a grown man weep with longing. Congrats.” 

Spencer scoffed. “You make it sound so crude.” 

“Does she make you happy?” Devin’s voice wasn’t mocking like Roman’s. 

“She makes everything feel so much more, alive.” Spencer sighed, leaning his head back. “I don’t need to be responsible when I’m with her. I can just be.” 

Roman rolled his eyes, “Nasty.” 

“I think it’s sweet.” Devin smiled at his friend. 

***

Jared felt Amy shift awake. He opened his eyes and nodded at her. “How’d you sleep?” 

She didn’t respond. She just took off the headphones and handed them to him, laying back. 

***

Roman coughed as he walked through the hallways of the rebel’s headquarters. 

It was dusty. Everything was dusty. He missed the sun, and flowers, and his brother. 

Troy would’ve loved this place. Dark, dusty. Easy to slip a hand into a pocket, easy to insult someone and cover it with a cough, easy to just live. 

Again. Again, he found himself trying to rekindle the connection between him and his brother. 

Nothing. 

He passed the shooting range and peeked through a window. 

That girl was there. The one that liked exploding things and painting metal. He opened the door and a gun shot rang out. 

Tinker’s arm yanked back as the target shattered. 

She turned around. “What’s up?” The metal mask around her mouth and nose gave her voice a ringing tone. The goggles were gone revealing orange eyes that studied him like a cat studying a mouse. 

“What kind of gun is that?” 

She raised an eyebrow. “We call it a blazer. Four different chambers, four different kinds of bullets.” 

She handed it to him. 

Roman paused and trying to seem like he knew what he was doing he held it out, two handed, and squinted. 

Without firing he handed it back to her and nodded, “That’s a quality make.”  

Tinker shook her head. She pulled her mask down. “You’ve never shot a gun before. You’ve never seen one.” 

That was true. 

“I’ve seen a gun before.” In movies and video games. 

“You’ve never held one, and certainly not one of these.” She handed it back. “With most guns you need a two-handed grip to avoid the kick back, but if I see you hold one of my guns with two hands, I will kill you.” 

She went on. Explaining how to hold it, how to switch the chambers, the tech behind the safety mode. 

She adjusted his grip and raised his arm. “See that black target?” it was the same size and shape as a dinner plate, around twenty feet away. 

“Yeah.” 

“You hit it, I’ll give you any pick of gun or piece of tech from my workshop.” 

Without thinking twice Roman nodded. Troy could sell it on the markets for three gold chen. 

Troy.  

Troy wasn’t here. 

Roman felt his arm falter. The pit of loneliness was just there. The harder he tried to ignore it, the more apparent it became. Troy would’ve loved this. He would’ve been completely mystified by Tinker’s orange eyes, and he would’ve known how to switch the chambers without a second glance. Troy would have been the first to see how much Spencer liked Crina. He just knew those things. He understood the world in a way Roman only understood when he was in his brother’s head. 

Tinker grinned slightly, “Come on.” 

He raised his arm again, aimed the way she had taught him in five minutes, and fired. 

The target shattered. 

Tinker grinned and again, Roman felt a pang of loneliness. Troy would’ve talked for hours about her. About her smile, about her nimble fingers, the hands of a thief, about her orange eyes. 

Tinker gestured for him to follow her, clicking her mask back into place. 

He did, following her up through the halls. She paused in the middle of the hall and pulled a cord from the wall. A ladder fell from the ceiling and Roman let out a cry. 

Tinker grinned, “Up we go.” 

Roman paused, studying the ladder. Right at eye level was the familiar symbol of Trachel. “Hold up.” 

“What?” 

Roman looked at her, studying the mismatching of gears and skulls on her arms, picking out three interlocking circles, the symbol of Trachel. 

He reached out with his mind. Something he had done so many times before with Troy, but instead of trekking to the empty pit, he sought something different. 

Can you hear me? 

Tinker’s eyes widened and she pulled her mask off. “Did you just say something?” 

“No.” Can you hear me? 

Get out of my head. She smiled, “Let’s go.” 

He felt the pathway opening. Not as strong as Troy’s, but still there. He could sense her unease. 

She put her mask back on and started climbing up the ladder. 

There was an Alorian in the Badlands. And she was like him. 

Fifteen 

I wish that he had had chosen to stay. It would have been simpler, easier on my conscience, but trying to prevent the future it just a sure way that it will happen. 

Jolie Cartwright 2005-2017. Patroned of Somnia. Last words, ‘What’s an Alorian?” 

Jared felt his eyebrows raise.  

Roman folded his arms and huffed as he concluded, “And that is how I will win all arguments from this point on.” 

“I asked you if you wanted some candied conya berries.” Amy held the stick of candied fruit out. 

They had been introduced to conya berries by Tinker.  

Jared nodded, “We didn’t need to hear about your fool proof method for the winning of arguments.”