Page 46 of Harbinger
Lilaia and Bostrof exchanged a troubled look.
“To what purpose did he attack Earth and Ivory Peaks?” the Lucifugous demon asked in a hard voice.
“He was after the Sword of Wind,” Morgan muttered. “The plague on Earth was just a distraction to keep Cassius here, while I was lured to the Dryad kingdom.”
Bostrof sucked in air.
Lilaia’s knuckles whitened. “He has your weapon?!”
Morgan bobbed his head, his eyes darkening with regret all over again. Cassius reached over and clasped his hand.
“How are the Dryads doing?” Heavy lines furrowed Bostrof’s brow. “Did their realm incur significant losses?”
“There were fatalities. And some of their forests were destroyed by Rot.” Victor glanced at Atropos and Tisiphone. “Like I said, things would have been much worse if our sisters had not come to our aid.”
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Bostrof’s expression froze.
Lilaia’s eyes rounded.
“Oh. I’d forgotten you and Morgan are the younger siblings of Nyx’s daughters,” she mumbled, her startled gaze darting from Victor and Morgan to the four Goddesses.
Kes frowned faintly. “It seems Hypnos’s spell still has a hold on some of your memories.”
Concern tightened Lilaia’s eyes as she studied Morgan’s wan features.
She gazed at Atropos. “Does Elios intend to use the Sword of Wind to free Chaos?”
Atropos dipped her head. “We believe so, yes.”
Bostrof ground his teeth. Shadows trembled around the Lucifugous, his fury manifesting his unearthly powers.
“But he will need more than the Sword of Wind to do that.”Lines furrowed the Moira’s brow.“The true goal of his current machinations remains a mystery to me.”
“What will happen to Morgan?” Lilaia asked in a low voice. The grim hush that followed her question gave her the answer she sought. Blood drained from her face. She pressed a trembling hand to her mouth. “No! That cannot be!”
Bostrof cursed out loud before glancing guiltily at Phebei where she played with Loki and the Lucifugous demons. The little girl hadn’t heard him. Loki’s ears twitched. A wretched look darted across the imp’s face before he smiled at Phebei.
“How do we save him?” the Lucifugous said between gritted teeth. “Thereisa way to save Morgan, right?!”
Agony twisted Cassius’s heart all over again. “Only Tenebra can do it. She has to remove her poison from Morgan’s soul core. Same for the plague affecting Earth. Kes and Orena may have put a stop to its spread, but the only way to get rid of it for good is to free Tenebra from Elios’s mind control.”
Morgan turned his hand over and interlaced his fingers with Cassius’s where he’d pressed his fists on his knees. Cassius shuddered.
Morgan’s skin felt like ice again.
“Victor was infected with Rot too. It hasn’t affected him as badly.” Theo’s worried gaze darted to the dressing on Victor’s temple. “But his wounds aren’t healing as they should.”
“Is there no other way that Morgan can survive this contagion?” Bostrof asked Atropos harshly after a stilted pause, the deference he’d shown the Goddess up till now superseded by anger.
The Moira shared a strained look with the other Goddesses. She hesitated.
“There…might be another way.”
* * *
Morgan’s pulse stuttered.
