“Had that sword been blessed in any sort of forging ceremony?” I asked. Precious Mystique weapons were forged in the fire of the Spirit Volcano, and each clan had similar ritualsand superstitions. The blades were highly coveted, rumored as able to sever the richest life forces and anoint sacred ceremonies.
Tolek shrugged. “Not that I’m aware. It’s just a normal weapon. I’ve had it for years.”
“It could’ve been blessed centuries ago in your family,” Cypherion suggested, but Tolek laughed.
“You think my father would have a sacred sword andnotbrag about it?” Tol sheathed the weapon, gesturing to the ornate silver dagger at his hip. “If anything, I’d bet my family dagger was the one blessed, but this sword? It couldn’t be.”
“Did dipping it in the pools somehow do it, then?” I asked.
“As in, I’d blessed the blade myself?” Tolek questioned, tilting his head curiously.
“I don’t know how that would be possible.” Cypherion dragged a hand over his jaw. “Those rituals are pretty guarded, performed by priestesses, Angels, the like.”
Something nagged at my mind, and when my eyes caught on the portrait of a desert oasis above the fireplace, the memory snapped to the surface. “There were murals in the Revered’s Palace of blades being imbued in a stream.”
I recounted the ones I could recall, all the while something pounded in my chest.
“Damien painted those,” Tolek said. “Ophelia told me.”
Energy buzzed through the room with each passing second. The three of us exchanged wary looks, as if not daring to say what would come next, but we were all wondering it.
Cypherion added, “When we fought the gorgons, they were focused on my scythe—a weapon that hasalsoinjured an Angel. Vale read that Echnid is interested in it.”
“And Echnid likely was the reason Bant blasted through the tar pits a few nights ago,” Tolek suggested, nodding slowly as he rose from his seat.
“Echnid burned the trove,” I breathed in awe. The memory of the Firebird’s flames seared my skin. My attention snapped up to meet Tolek’s and Cypherion’s. “Every piece of gold and artwork beneath the Revered’s Palace. When Ophelia and I escaped, it was because Echnid was having Ptholenix melt down the trove—full of weapons.”
There was no way. No way this answer had been before us so blatantly, that we’d been seeing it again and again but hadn’t realized Echnid’s plain fear.
“You think there was something in there he didn’t want us to get our hands on,” Cypherion said hesitantly.
“I think it’s very likely there was something in there that could bring about his downfall.”
The trove, Cyph’s scythe, Tolek’s sword. Bantwreckedthe tar pits…
“And with the Blackfyre possibly imbuing weapons…” Tolek began.
I stood now, too. “Do you think there’s a chance that Damien painted those murals intentionally?” I asked, heart fucking stampeding behind my ribs. “That maybe he knew we’d need this information one day.”
“That would mean he’s on our side…” Cypherion added.
“By the fucking Angels,” Tolek said, throwing back the rest of his drink and sliding his weapons belt around his waist. “We have to find Ophelia.”
Chapter Fifty-Seven
Ophelia
Eristaand I were in the war room reviewing more godly texts, desperately trying to find anything ahead of Barrett and Dax’s ceremony.
“None of these speak of traveling between realms?” I asked. “Realmspinner magic?”
“Not that I’ve found.” Erista frowned, tucking a curl behind her ear. “The gods probably didn’t want records kept of that fallible magic, if opening bridges was one of the few things they were unable to do on their own.”
“You’d think they would have found a way, though. Created some way to do it.” I drummed my fingers on the table. “What about killing the gods?”
Erista pulled over another heavy book. “It sounds like Echnid would have had to use magic not born on this realm, since the gods are”—she flipped the page—“unable to fall to that which they created.”
A sour sensation curled through my stomach at how quickly time was passing. Echnid was probably growing closer to his goals each day, especially now that he’d killed one god. It was only a matter of time until he had the others.
