Page 82 of Vanquished Gods
“Show them,” he whispered back, seemingly oblivious to what he’d just claimed me as. “Remind them what you can do.”
I shook myself and gripped my wand, narrowing my eyes on a Luminarus who stood at the base of the castle. The Serpent’s magic coiled through me, and I shot a bolt of dark magic at him.
The man instantly fell to the ground, convulsing.
“You are free now,” I called out, now that I had their full attention. “We will free you from the Order that has crushed all of us with fear, that has pitted us against each other, that turned our neighbors and friends into enemies, and made your family spies, weapons. The Order that killed us all with the loneliness of not knowing who to trust. It’s over now. They made you believe that only through them could you be safe. It’s not true. It’s never been true.They’rethe ones we need to be safefrom. Their reign of terror is over.”
The Luminari went still, staring at the unconscious Pater.
“You are free,” I shouted again, my voice echoing.
Sion glanced at me, then looked down by my feet. “What are you planning to do with him?”
“We need to find Cecily. I have a plan for her rock sculptures.”
I breathed in the damp,mineral scent of the temple to the Serpent as I stared down into the pit. Sunlight poured in from the oculus above, washing over the iron cage and the Pater’s unconscious body lying across the floor, where I’d been not long ago.
Cecily took a step closer, gripping her wand, her long black braid draped over a white dress. She glanced at me, raising her eyebrows. “I usually make art, not tombs.”
I took a deep breath, having expected this. “His immortality comes from stealing the magic of witches. We just need to make sure he can never do it again, and then it’s all over. The trials, the witch-findings, the Purifications.”
She smiled at my words and nodded, pointing her wand at the pit, no further reasoning necessary.
As she did, the rocky ground beneath my feet started to tremble as her magic vibrated through the stone. Cold air rippled over my skin, and my gaze flicked up to the Serpent’s altar, where the stone carvings seemed to writhe and shift.
“An offering for the Serpent,” I whispered. “A king for the god of death.”
I felt his power wrap around me, comfortable as a soft cloak.
The rocks groaned underneath me as they started to move, closing in around the pit—changing, growing. They started to close over the light, casting a shadow over the pit. Darkness swallowed the Pater whole as the rocky ground sealed over him, the Serpent claiming his gift.
Silence filled the temple, death having claimed the immortal king at last.
CHAPTER 38
The stars above glimmered, creating a sparkling dome over Veilcross Haven, more brilliant than ever before. That night, they didn’t just shine—they blazed like the night goddess herself was casting her jewels as a gift into the sky.
Every one of the Luminari had left our shores. With the help of magic, it hadn’t taken long to rebuild anything that had been broken.
Now, the celebration in Veilcross Haven was in full swing, laughter and music swirling together with the crisp, musky scent of hawthorn blossoms—the trees witches planted for protection.
Colored lanterns swayed gently in the breeze, casting a warm glow onto the thatched cottages encircling the cobblestone square. Music filled the air as Godric and Hugo danced in a wild reel, their laughter rising above the crowd. A witch, forgetting I was a vampire, offered me a sweet tart and a glass of spiced wine. The scent of apples and honey lingered, warm and familiar.
I took a sip of the wine, savoring the rich flavors. I handed the tart to Leo. His grin split wide as he bit into it, crumbs already dusting his lips.
“So, we can stay here now?” he asked, eyes shimmering with hope. “Lydia already left.”
“Well, Lydia has a husband to return to. We’ll see her again, I’m sure. But I think Gwethel is the right place for us. Does it feel like home to you?”
“Yeah, I want to stay here. Definitely. But what about the Order?” Leo’s voice dropped to a whisper, as if afraid to invoke their name. “Could they come back?”
“No. The Pater is gone, and with him, the Order is nothing. They unraveled before the Luminari even reached the shores of Merthyn. Our kingdom will have a new ruler. Before you were born, there was a king—Ambrosias V.”
“What happened to him?” Leo’s eyes widened.
“He wasn’t very popular. There was a famine in the north, and people like the Pater thought the king had created it. He’d overtaxed them. Back then, it was easy for the Pater to get support against the king. No one was happy. So, the Order seized control, and they executed Ambrosias. They said he was wicked, that he was a witch-lover. But really, they wanted power—control over everything.”
I didn’t tell him about the king’s death—about the flames, the screams, the jar of ash the Order left on display in Sootfield for a full year. He didn’t need to know that part.