And Ophelia emerged from the palm trees, Sapphire carrying her across the sand. They stopped beside Jezebel and Zanox, an assessing glare sharpening Ophelia’s features.
Mora’sfeatures, glamoured to look like Ophelia.
The fae had thought of it after Mila saw her mother glamouring herself as enemy soldiers to infiltrate their camps and take them down from the inside.
And that was a common horse beneath her disguised as Sapphire. The wings on both were a dead giveaway, neither strong enough to actually fly, but we just needed the gorgons to believe the illusion. Needed them to report back to their masterthat Ophelia was truly here with us. That she had been while we travelled far enough from Xenovia that no one would be caught in the crossfires.
Rozelyn smiled as she studied the false Ophelia, the upturn of her lips satisfied. Yet jealousy lurked in her stare. “He will be so happy we found you.”
“Unfortunate for you,” Mora answered as Ophelia. Her voice wasn’t quite right, but aside from that, the slightly off-shade eyes, and the fact that she’d had to hide throughout the day to refresh her magic, the glamour was pretty damn good.
Good enough, hopefully.
Vale was muttering more urgently to Cypherion now, and from the corner of my eye, I caught the slight motion of his hand toward his scythe.
The gorgons did, too, the ones behind Rozelyn studying him closely. And their eyes lit up. The air between us all turned heavy, a thick sludge as my attention flicked between then.
“What does Echnid want with me?” Mora asked, bringing the gorgons’ focus back to her.
“He has told you, seraph,” Rozelyn sneered. “Our god wishes to work together.”
Cyph had his scythe braced now. Vale’s and Jezebel’s fingers were curling tightly into their khrysaors’ manes.
Mora tilted her head. She may have looked like Ophelia, but her movements were still as graceful as the fae. “Again…unfortunate.”
Then, the tension bubbling in the air cracked like a fucking dam. Vale yelled to Jezebel, and the khrysaor reared up, spearing the gorgons. Wings ripped from the demons’ back, and Cypherion crashed to the sand.
Mora raced off into the trees, because if she fought it would be too obvious that she wasn’t Ophelia.
The khrysaor roared as they kicked into flight, and thick white mist poured out from another rip in the air. Echnid’s magic permeated the space though he didn’t deign to show himself.
“Are you okay?” I asked Cyph as I hauled him up.
Fury burned across his features as he watched Vale and Dynaxtar race into the mist, Jezebel and Zanox on their tail.
“Fine.” But his stare was icy. “Fine,” he repeated, as if convincing himself. Then, he shook his head, grabbing his scythe. “Echnid made this switch too last minute—Vale couldn’t see why. But she said Valyrie is taking care of it, and he still thinks Ophelia is here.”
Every word out of his mouth had a bite of annoyance—likely from being caught off guard—but he shoved it all down when a piercing giggle echoed behind us.
Rozelyn advanced—when she’d gotten around us, I didn’t fucking know—and Salteaire.
Fuck.
Salteaire was stalking toward Mila where she dove in front of Mora’s escape route. She had her twin short swords in hand, but her eyes were fighting to glaze over, succumbing to the god-given Reflector powers.
With infantilizing condescension, Salteaire whimpered at Mila. “Are the glimpses into our home too much to handle?”
“Not too much at all,” Mila spat. “Though I think you all may want to return soon. Things are going to get very bloody here.”
Salteaire’s fangs descended, and she flashed a pointed grin, her serpents thrashing. “My preference.”
“Of course,” Mila spat. And the two lunged for each other, Mila’s sword slicing through three of the serpents waving around the gorgon’s head.
Salteaire screamed, and it only intensified the vitriol radiating off Mila.
I hadn’t seen her like this before. I’d seen her fight, had seen her shaken, but something in the claims of the gorgon was driving her absolutely wild. Channeling all of the frustration and aggression that had been bubbling in her since the Gates of Angeldust and losing Lyria.
And I fucking loved it.
