Total pages in book: 169
Estimated words: 161535 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 808(@200wpm)___ 646(@250wpm)___ 538(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 161535 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 808(@200wpm)___ 646(@250wpm)___ 538(@300wpm)
A baby cries. A woman sobs. Other than that, it’s utterly silent.
My gaze goes to my Kalos. My heart is breaking, because I can feel the fear building around us. Everyone’s terrified. If it truly is the plague, we’re infected already. There’s no running from it. He’s willing to kill hundreds just to flush me out. I should step out and make myself known. Save everyone here.
But I can’t make myself step forward. I remain where I am, nails tearing furrows into my now-wet palms.
“Rush to save a mortal?” My Kalos leans forward on his throne, a mocking expression on his face. “That’s cute. I like how you’re willing to kill everyone here to prove a point. I could do the same, you know.”
My nose tickles again.
Fuck fuck fuck. I bite down harder on my tongue, my eyes watering and trails of tears sweeping down my cheeks as if I’m weeping for everyone here. Truth is, I’d love nothing more than a big nasty sneeze, but I can’t. I don’t dare. I keep my watery gaze peeled and stare hard into the faces of the cluster of people in Kalos tabards, looking for one that looks as if he’s fighting a sneeze as hard as I am.
Belara raises both of her hands in an elegant sweep of sleeves. Her long sheaf of red hair trails out behind her like a banner. “Let us not bicker! This foolish arguing between us solves nothing and simply makes us weaker, don’t you think? Didn’t we come here to discuss bigger problems than who is hiding their Anchor?” She turns her head, her lovely face indignant. “Do you truly think we came here to defeat you, Apathy?”
My Kalos’s eyes narrow as she approaches the base of his hay-bale throne. He looks at her with suspicion. “Claims the Aspect of Lies.”
Annoyance flashes over her face. “As you are aware, Lies I may be, but it is not all I am. We don’t have bigger problems to be solved! We aren’t weaker fighting amongst ourselves, gentlemen.”
Belara must be losing her concentration, because none of that was a question. It means they were lies, instead.
“Like what?” My Kalos asks. “Bigger problems like what?”
Liar-Kalos must say something, because Belara shoots him a frustrated look. She reaches out to touch him like a lover, but he steps out of her grasp, and the annoyance moves over her face again. She concentrates on my Kalos instead. “The three of us need to work together because that fool in the east is building an army, isn’t he? Shouldn’t we do something about him? The usurper is welcome amongst us.”
The way she bares her teeth tells me that she hates, hates, hates Seth, the Usurper in question. Are they really worried about that guy? I’m a little surprised that he’s enough of a factor that the goddess wants two other Aspects to band together with her to fight him off. Maybe being split into four aspects makes her feel vulnerable. Whatever it is, it’s a losing play on her end. My Kalos is never going to go for it.
“Work with you?” my Kalos asks. “Both of you?”
“Why not both of us?” she replies, eyes glittering. “With three Aspects working together, we’d be unstoppable, no? Didn’t you hear that Aron of the Cleaver has already been removed from the mortal realm? Don’t you think the three of us could run things if we worked together?”
He strokes his chin.
Okay, maybe my Kalos is going to consider it. My stomach sinks at the realization, but maybe he’s got a plan for all of this. Maybe there’s an angle I’m not seeing.
My Kalos stands upright, kicking the chair back behind him. He shoots the two gods a narrow-eyed look. “What makes you think I want to work with my two greatest enemies?”
Oh, thank fuck. I exhale with relief.
“Come now,” Belara says, moving forward. She doesn’t climb the hay bales to be on the same level as Kalos, but she moves to stand right before him. Her hand grips his thigh and she’s face-high with his crotch. “I can be very convincing.”
Murder. I want to murder her.
My Kalos plucks her hand off his leg and steps away from her grasp. “I’m no longer interested in anything you have to offer.”
I make a soft noise of relief in my throat. At my side, the woman leans in close to whisper. “No offense, my darling, but I’m not very fond of your goddess at this moment.”
“Me either.” I pull the veil off my head and stuff it under my arm. It’s probably not a good time to be seen as a Belara worshipper. I’m rather disgusted by how blatant the goddess’s ploys are. Does she really think this shit is going to work? It seems painfully obvious to me.
But as I watch, Liar-Kalos’s hand clenches with anger as he sees Belara flirting with my Kalos.