Page 79 of Kiss of Embers
Zara hefted the sword. “I’ve been thinking about what you said, Brader. We should combine our packs under one mantle of leadership.” She drew the sword back. The blade glinted in the moonlight.
“Mine,” she snarled. She swung, slicing through Ashcroft’s neck in a single blow. His head bounced to the ground with a sickening squelch, his blue eyes staring at the night sky.
Nobody moved. Silence reigned over the clearing.
Zara flicked blood from the sword, then returned to Finn’s side and handed it over.
“Thanks,” she said.
“No problem.” He tucked the sword away.
A few people down from me, a fae gave an appreciative murmur. “Never seen sleight of hand magic like that.”
I leaned forward and made eye contact. “He’s a trust fund baby.”
Silence stretched. Then Inessa stepped away from the fountain. “Well, that’s certainly one way to wrap up the Games.” She frowned, then mumbled to herself. “Every time, I swear we’re not going to end with a beheading, and then it just keeps happening.”
Bolveg swiped his cloth over his forehead before turning to Inessa. “Goddess? If that’s all, we should really get going.”
She smiled. “You’re right. Let’s?—”
“Wait!” Drute called out. He rose from his knees, his gaze on Inessa.
She frowned. “Again?”
The gargoyle’s throat bobbed. “Zara wouldn’t have needed the dragon tears if she hadn’t been cursed. And she wouldn’t have been cursed if I’d spoken up sooner.”
Inessa put up a hand. “Okay. Stop. I’m going to need a flowchart or something.”
“Zara didn’t get a fair shake in the competition,” Drute said. “She needed that elixir. Her people are cursed. The moon sickness isn’t going away.”
Zara lifted her chin, her mouth tight with strain. Finn put an arm around her shoulders.
Inessa’s expression softened. “I have sympathy for the circumstances, but rules are rules, gargoyle. The bottom line is Zara used another’s magic to aid her in the competition. I can’t force the fountain to change its mind.”
Desperation flitted through Drute’s eyes. “But…you’re a goddess.”
Inessa sighed. “I know. But even goddesses have to follow the rules. I can’t just snap my fingers and change the game.” She paused. “Or Games.”
Drute’s wings sagged. Then he straightened abruptly. “You’re a goddess.”
Her brow furrowed. “We’ve covered this already.”
“You’re the goddess of victory and other sundry things. Including healing.”
Inessa studied him. “Yeah…” she said slowly. “Healing is one of my sundry things.”
“You don’t have to change the rules of the Games. You could just heal Zara’s pack. You have the power to lift the moon sickness.”
Hope trembled in my chest. Finn tightened his arm around Zara, who appeared to hold her breath as she stared at Inessa.
The goddess kept her gaze on Drute. “For what price, gargoyle? Magic demands balance. Godlike healing requires a death or sacrifice in return. An offering. What do you have to offer me?”
Chapter
Twenty-Three
ZARA