“Irri.”
“Free her from the Forgotten, and I’ll release your precious Huntress. Let her keep her power, keep her life. All you have to do is walk into that void and bring my Ever back to me. Un-fucking harmed.”
The Forgotten.
The one place I couldn’t go.
The one line I couldn’t cross.
But if I didn’t…
Paesha’s broken laughter filtered through the door, mingling with words in languages dead for centuries. Each sound cracked another piece of my resolve, shattering the walls I’d built over millennia.
I surveyed the battlefield one last time. Alastor’s desperation. Archer’s devotion. Minerva’s warnings. Tuck’s unwavering loyalty. Thea’s determination to save her friend, even if it meant trusting ancient enemies. Paesha’s fractured mind housing so many lives, so many deaths, so many versions of me betraying her over and over.
There was only one path left. One desperate gamble that might save her without damning everyone else. But it meant facing those I’d spent millennia avoiding. Those who’d warned me about this very moment.
I’d have to go to the Fates.
And they’d refused to converse with the gods the day Minerva stole some of their Wrath.
“No,” I said, watching his face harden at my refusal. “I need time.”
“Time?” Alastor’s laugh was hollow. “You’ve had centuries. How much more time do you need to watch her suffer?”
A crash from inside the room cut off my response. We burst through the door to find Thea with her hands raised, the scattered metal pieces she’d dropped earlier now twisted into bars, forming a makeshift cage around Alastor’s guards.
She stalked toward one of the trapped guards, her voice ice. “I told you not to put your fucking hands on her.”
“Thea,” Tuck said, hands raised as he walked toward her. “This is not a good?—”
She must have caught Alastor moving out of the corner of her eye. One moment she was facing Tuck and the next, she’d used her power again, trapping Alastor in line with his guards. He roared with fury, and the woman didn’t flinch.
Paesha stood in the center of the chaos, her unfocused gaze darting between shadows only she could see, while Thea turned to face us. “How are we getting out of here?”
“We run. Now,” Minnie and Tuck said in unison.
But I knew better. Archer’s eyes met mine, and we remained rooted while the others fled. Paesha wasn’t stable enough for this.
Metal groaned as Alastor’s Remnants bent the bars of his cage. He stepped out with deadly grace, adjusting his sleeves as if this were nothing more than a minor inconvenience. “Lie down,” he commanded Paesha. “Stop breathing.”
Her body crumpled immediately. The sight of her on the floor, lips turning blue as she fought against his command, made the cage around my free will rattle with fury. I whipped around, facing his entire guard and dug into my own power. Maybe I couldn’t interfere with his manipulation over Paesha, but I sure as fuck could scramble the minds of his guards. They fell with far less grace than she had.
“That was a bit irrational,” Alastor said, walking a careful circle around Paesha.
I had to grab Archer as he lunged forward, knowing Alastor would kill him without hesitation and if I couldn’t fucking save her, at least I could save her friend. Or so I thought, but there was something different about Archer today. Something stronger. He broke free of my grip with impossible force, crossing the space between them in seconds. His fist connected with Alastor’s jaw before the Remnants could react, the crack of impact echoing through the room.
Alastor’s shadows surged forward, pinning Archer against the wall as blood trickled from the god’s split lip. He wiped it away with his thumb, studying the red stain with mild curiosity before releasing Paesha from his command. “Breathe, Huntress.”
She gasped, precious air filling her lungs as color returned to her face. But Alastor’s eyes were locked on mine, his meaning clear as crystal.
“Once again, Keeper, her life depends entirely on your next decision. Now take your dog and get the fuck out of my temple, or say yes to her freedom.”
Paesha froze. Her gasping breaths no longer filled my ears. She turned those stunning eyes on me and the tears trickling down her face nearly killed me.
“My freedom?” she whispered.
The gods would fall. The power would fail. The realms would cease to exist. I couldn’t go to the Forgotten. I couldn’t. Not even for her.
