Chapter Thirty-Nine

“I assume Anubis knows his blade was stolen,” I said.

“Yeah, he texted while we were panicking over you,” Trevor said. “I think one of us answered him.”

“We should tell him that Vervain is back,” Odin said. “And she knows who has his dagger.”

Trevor shrugged.

“We could use Anubis and his jackals,” I said.

“We dont need them. I can call the Froekn.”

“Uh, and theres us,” Aaron said, tossing back his long, blond hair.

The other Intare nodded and growled.

“I care about all of you and the Froekn,” I said. “The werejackals—not so much.”

“Cannon fodder,” Trevor said. “Im down with that.”

“No matter how powerful he is, hes still just one man,” Odin said. “Too many soldiers may hinder us instead of help.”

“We dont know if hell still be one man when we fight him. Al thinks he might be backed by that unknown force.”

“What unknown force?” Austin asked.

“Something has been working in my life, possibly to help me,” I said. “But Alaric and Faerie dont know who or what it is. And Al doesnt know how Katila got out of the Void. So, we cant underestimate him. He could be backed by something powerful.”

“And hes powerful on his own,” Kirill said.

“Why would this unknown thing bring your enemy back from the dead if it was supposed to be helping you?” Austin asked.

I shrugged. “Why doesnt my star work sometimes? What we view as bad may be necessary to advance us in some way. You cut back a plant, and it thrives.”

“So, this entity is cutting back your branches?” Trevor asked.

“Maybe.”

You must be careful with this god, Vervain,Alaric said in my mind.

“I know,” I said. Then to the confused looks, I added, “Al said I have to be careful with Katila.”

“We are always careful,” Odin said.

Yes, he is. You . . . less so, Al said.

Ha-ha, I replied in my mind. I learned my lesson with him today. I wont underestimate him again.

Good girl.

“Anubis vants to join the fight,” Kirill said, lifting his cellphone.

My other men grimaced. All but Viper, who didnt go through that crap with me.

“Those jackals cant die,” I reminded them. “And anyone they kill joins Anubis. If Katila raises an army, theyll be helpful.”

“How is he going to raise an army?” Re asked.

“How did he come back from the Void?” Odin shot back.

“Lets talk to the Squad before we decide on anything,” I said. “We still dont know how well get him to face us.”

“What are you talking about?” Odin asked. “We know where he is, and we have Torrent.”

“I learned my lesson with Marduk. You dont fight a god in their territory.”

“We killed Marduk.”

“The Jinn killed Marduk, and Marduk nearly killed Arach. I dont think we should go after Katila in Naraka.”

“Its a shared territory,” Re said. “He wont be . . .” He grimaced. “Right. He ate everyone else. Never mind. Im with Vervain. Gods are more powerful in their territories, and this one is super powerful to begin with.”

“We have no other option,” Odin said.

“Of course, we do,” Trevor said. “We set a trap. We know who the trickster is now. And we know what he wants.” He waved toward me.

“I like that plan,” Viper said. “Traps are best.”

“The question is, how do we lure Katila into a trap without being obvious?” I asked. “I ran from him. If I suddenly show up somewhere public, it will be suspicious.”

“It depends on where in public,” Viper said. “And the guys crazy, right? He wont worry about traps.”

“He may not need to,” Kirill said grimly. His phone buzzed, and he looked down to read the incoming text.

“Is that Anubis?” I asked.

“Da,” Kirill said. “He says he has a right to join hunt now zat his veapon is involved. Vhat do I tell him?”

“Tell him to meet us at the Citadel,” Azrael said. “I need to change the ward chant anyway.”