Page 26 of Vanquished Gods
CHAPTER 13
Moonlight pierced the forested canopy we rode under as we drew closer to Ruefield Castle. Gnarled branches arched above us, the chill in the air nipping at my cheeks. Instead of my usual leather clothes and thick cloak, I was dressed like Verica—a thin, white dress with billowing sleeves and a low-cut neckline hugged my frame, made of a material so delicate, I could feel the wind kissing my skin right through it. No gloves, either. I felt like I was practically riding naked through the woods.
Our team on this mission was small so that we could move discreetly. We had a young blonde witch named Ivy, skilled in the art of glamour. Lydia rode behind us, in case Sion or anyone else desperately needed healing. Percival rode ahead, our master of fiery diversions. If we were captured, Sion’s signal to him would be using his shadow magic to swallow the moonlight. And Maelor was there to help save us if that happened.
Sion and I would be the only two to go inside, making our team even smaller.
From up ahead, Sion slowed his horse, and he turned back to look at me as I caught up with him. “Tell me again, once more: how will you get to the Pater’s room?”
We’d been over this a hundred times already. “We disable the guards by the Invictus Gate, near the Lion’s Tower. You rush inside, head to Verica’s room, and tie her up. I start moving through the east wing, and I pick up the Pater’s tea in the kitchens. I bring it up to the top floor of the Lion’s Tower, where the Pater will be bathing.”
I shuddered at the mental image.
“Good. And the names of the guards who you’ll pass along the way?” he asked.
“Barthol and Crispin in the hall, Aldous and Starphan outside his door.” So many names whirled in my mind, so many winding turns inside the castle. Getting through the castle unnoticed would not be easy.
We were approaching the forest’s edge, and the lights of Ruefield Castle burned like tiny golden pinpricks in the distance. The castle rose up on the hill, looming over the shadowy landscape. Just as Sion had warned me, an enormous line of armed Luminari stood out front, torches dancing in the night in front of them. Just looking at that place sent a jolt of icy dread through my blood. A castle of horrors.
Every part of Ruefield had been heavily guarded since we’d escaped. They were still working on rebuilding the giant front door, but the Luminari now patrolled the entire castle exterior. The weakest defenses, apparently, were by the riverside entrance to the east wing, where we were heading. But even that door was guarded.
Just before we reached the end of the trees, I dismounted. Panicked thoughts nagged at the back of my mind, but I ignored them.
In the chill of the night air, I hugged myself.
Dressed in a black cloak, Ivy crossed over to me, her lank blonde hair hanging before her face. My impression of her was that she’d spent so long hiding from the Order that she barelyknew how to deal with people in general. She tucked her chin down, glaring at me from under her curtains of hair.
“You all right, Ivy?” I asked.
She held her finger up to her lips. “Shh. I need silence for my work. It’s artistry, you know. Glamouring is like a fine artist creating a painting or a sculpture. If I’m rushed or distracted?—”
“Oh, get on with it,” Lydia interrupted. “We will all appreciate your genius when you’re done.”
Ivy glared at her, then cut her dark gaze back to me. She stepped closer and brushed her cold fingertips along my cheeks. A tingle and rush of magic swept over my skin. Sion stood behind her, his arms folded, and watched as she worked, giving her instructions. “Thinner eyebrows,” he said. “Wider nose, a bit thicker around the middle.”
As she worked, Ivy glared at me from between strands of her hair. “It’s very important that you remember this glamour only lasts for about half an hour. You must be out of there within thirty minutes. I think. Maybe less.”
“Any idea how much less?” I asked.
She frowned at me. “It’s hard to predict how it will interact with a person’s own magic.”
Her power continued to whisper and tingle over my skin until she had Sion’s approval.
As she glamoured Sion, I stared at the castle, a shiver running up my spine. This place was pure evil, and the Pater was the beating heart of the beast. He’d assumed so much control, such a godlike reputation, that they’d no longer function without him. Rip the heart out, and the whole thing dies.
“I’m ready.” Sion’s newly black hair flowed over his dark Raven’s cloak. He pulled up his cowl, blending into the shadows. From under his hood, his eyes glinted in the darkness with just the faintest hint of gold.
“Give me a minute,” said Percival.
The air shimmered with heat, radiating from behind me. I turned to see him, his eyes flickering with flames. Percival’s palm glowed, casting an eerie light on his face. On the other side of Ruefield Castle, a distant fire burned, its flames casting an orange glow against the dark sky. It amazed me that he could send magic from his body all the way over there.
Shouts broke out, and I could see a line of guards rushing towards the blaze. The scent of smoke coiled through the air.
Sion nodded at me. “Let’s go.”
Tension fluttered in my stomach as we took off across the fields. If we were captured, there would be no opportunity for escape this time. I’d heard that sometimes, the torturers broke their victim’s bones so thoroughly, they had to be carried to the stake on a chair.
I forced the thought away. Sometimes, my mind was my own worst enemy. I needed to focus on the best outcomes. If I could find out how to kill the Pater, there would be no more broken-limbed journeys to the pyres. No more trials, dungeons, or labyrinths full of slicing blades and fires—no more ghostly, ravenous wolves gnawing on the bones of the fallen.