“I’m watching Valyrie’s decisions,” Vale whispered to me. “She’s been orchestrating specific moves all day so they would be tied to Echnid—wait…”
Her words trailed off.
I stiffened, hands tightening on her waist. “What is it?”
“Change of plans,” Vale muttered, voice stony.
I exchanged a glance with Malakai, he and Mila pulling their swords. Jezebel tightened her grip on Zanox.
“What kind of change?” Malakai growled.
But in a blink, a tear ripped through the undulating air across the dunes.
And instead of the Warrior God, his gorgons poured through.
The Fatesworn bond shuddered as they eyed Vale. My hands tightened on her waist, but I stifled every instinct to tell Dynaxtar to fly. My tattoo pounded, pulling on the fierce need to protect her.
Guard up, Stargirl, I sent down the bond.
Because even with Valyrie’s aid, the god was one step ahead of us. As fucking always.
Chapter Fifty-One
Malakai
“Of fucking course,”I breathed as Rozelyn led the other gorgons through the veil, the air sealing up behind them. Her sharp eyes locked on me, white hair flowing around her.
“It appears it’s my lucky day,” she purred as her stare dragged up my body.
“And my unfathomably unlucky one,” I grumbled back, hand flexing around my sword.
A second gorgon stepped up beside Rozelyn. When her eyes landed on the khrysaor, her long blonde hair shifted, the heads of venomous snakes whipping around her shoulders with violent hisses that skittered across my fucking skin.
What were they doing here? Where was Echnid?
Vale’s eyes were entirely silver, and I’d bet every weapon on my body she was reading that exact question.
“Not yet, Salteaire,” Rozelyn commanded, and while the blonde one—Salteaire—didn’t respond, the serpents drooped to gently writhe against her shoulders, their hisses a dull hum that rose the hair on the back of my neck.
A third and final gorgon joined them—the one Mila and I had seen outside Xenovia. Only three, though. There was at least one more still alive somewhere on Gallantia.
Cypherion was muttering to Vale as she read, and I tried to pull the gorgons’ attention away from them.
“Where’s your friend?” I demanded.
Rozelyn smiled sweetly. “Occupied. I can show you if you’d like?” And from the sultry tone in her voice, I guessed what that meant.
“No thanks,” I responded, remembering the way these women were frantically infatuated with Echnid.
Beside me, Mila went utterly still at Rozelyn’s suggestion. I stepped closer, a growl rumbling in my chest when the gorgon tracked the movement with a smug smirk.
“Anything?” I whispered to Mila.
She was silent for a beat, reaching through those Reflector powers, but she shook her head.
“Where’s the seraph?” Rozelyn asked. So Valyrie had told Echnid she’d seen Ophelia here. That part of the plan went right, at least. Then, where was the god?
Our entire group tensed, but from behind us, a calm, collected voice called out, “I’m here.”
