Page 20 of Vanquished Gods
“A phoenix,” I whispered.
In the air above us, the blazing creature soared, casting a haunting golden glow over the room.
The dancing light sparked off Sion’s honey-gold eyes. “Do you need me to consume it with my shadows? Or will you be able to put that out before it lights my castle on fire?”
Percival smiled as he stared up at his creation. “I can do it,” he whispered.
With a flick of his fingers, the blazing phoenix exploded into a shower of sparks, and the embers fluttered down, snuffing out into ash before they reached us.
Sion arched an eyebrow. “Good. We can use this to light the Order on fire.”
Percival nodded. “The problem is, my magic always runs out after a little while. I become depleted, shaky. Nauseated.”
Maelor nodded. “That’s how it works for everyone. Even vampires.”
Percival stared up at the luminous moon. “I believe these magical powers are a gift from the gods, not a curse from the Serpent.”
“If the gods exist,” said Sion.
“Some people say,” Percival went on, seeming to completely ignore the vampire king, “that the Archon was merely a sun god centuries ago, until the Tyrenians invaded. They only wanted one god, so they chose the one they thought the strongest. And the Serpent? He was the god of the underworld.” He met my gaze. “Sion showed me the place beneath this castle where, in the ancient days, they carved temples to the old gods. The vanquished gods. The goddess of night, the sun god, the war goddess, even the death god. The Serpent.”
At his words, a shudder rippled over my skin.
The moonlight shone off Sion’s rings as he lifted his chalice. “If the gods are real, they don’t seem to do much, do they? They’re not the ones down here making decisions. We’re the ones who will take down the Order, and we don’t exactly have much time to figure that out. And unfortunately for us, we’ve lost one of our best resources.”
“What do you mean?” I asked.
Darkness bloomed around him. “Bran is our master of intelligence. The Order doesn’t yet know where we are, but it seems some among us are tempted by the allure of the riches the Order could grant. The Pater is hunting for us, sending out offers of money, land, and titles to anyone who will give them information. And when they learn we are here, they will try to slaughter us all in the daylight.”
I took a deep breath. “And you really believe I’m important? Percival’s magic seems more useful than mine. He could boil thesea and light their ships on fire before they get here. I can’t kill anyone unless I touch them.”
Percival grimaced. “I can’t boil the sea yet, but I did light that door on fire. I can ignite a blaze for almost a minute. And a witch I know named Cecily made a marvelous statue out of rock using her magic. It really is an incredible sculpture. She actuallyshapedthe rocks out of thin air.”
Sion’s eyebrow quirked. “Great, maybe Cecily can convince the Order to lay down their weapons through the medium of stone sculpture, or if that fails, we could try interpretive dance.”
Percival shrugged. “In any case, I’m not the one the Keeper of Relics identified.”
Sion’s golden eyes pierced me. “It’s you we need, Elowen. And we start practicing tonight. In order to take down the Pater’s army, you will need to release your power from your body. A wave of death.”
“Do you really think I can do that without losing my mind?”
Sion cocked his head. “Losing your mind? How would anyone be able to tell?”
Twat.
Percival touched my arm. “Yes, I think you can learn. Magic is like anything else. It takes mastery.”
Sion stood. “Let’s go practice.”
My fingers tightened on my wineglass. “What do you want me to do, murder a bunch of thralls?”
His eyes danced. “No, we have Maelor for that. For you, I have something different in mind.”
Did I even want to know?
CHAPTER 10
Leaving Percival and Maelor behind, I followed Sion down through a tunnel. “Where, exactly, are we going?” I asked.