Chapter 34

CHAPTER THIRTY-FOUR

R ydon rushed into the cave, Daris at his back carrying Terena.

“MELANOS!” Rydon roared, his eyes wild, searching for the god through the mass of naked bodies before them.

He heard the others skid to a stop behind him and he glanced back to see the Liodari gawking at the scene.

Daris dropped to his knees, cradling Terena in his arms. “Help! We need help!”

Just as it had when they’d first found Melanos, the scene before them winked out and the god strode toward them, a scowl on his face.

“Please,” Daris begged, his voice barely a whisper. “Please help us. Please.”

“Give her to me,” the god said, bending down.

Daris gasped, startled when he saw the giant god pull Terena from his arms. He resisted but Rydon put a hand on his shoulder. “It’s Melanos!”

When Melanos stood, Daris rose as well, only to be pushed roughly from behind.

“Where the fuck were you?!” Croak screamed at him. Daris turned, his eyes bleak. “You fucking let it?—”

“Peace, Croak!” Jason yelled, pushing Croak back.

Gabriol snarled and grabbed Jason’s cloak. Rydon sprang forward and Michael intercepted.

“Enough!” Melanos bellowed as he turned, Terena’s limp body in his powerful arms.

Daris raked a hand through his hair and surged toward the god. “What can we do?”

The god ignored him as he walked toward a sitting area much the same as the night they’d first met him. Rydon yanked his arm out of Michael’s grip and strode after him, Daris close to his side.

Melanos set Terena on the largest couch—almost a bed, by the size of it—then lifted Terena’s arm.

“Well, shit,” the god said, scowling down at Terena’s ashen face. “This wasn’t what I meant, but,” he shook his head, “I get why you keep failing. Came all this way just to die on me? Not now, goddess.”

“Please,” Croak was moaning, “Don’t let her die.”

Rydon’s chest tightened.

Daris moved to the side of the couch where Terena’s head rested and stroked her hair with a shaking hand.

“Move back,” Melanos said, his voice harsh as he motioned with his free hand. “I need room!”

Croak and Rydon moved back a few steps but Daris stayed where he was, glaring at the god.

“What are?—”

“I’m going to remove the fangs.”

Melanos frowned down at the them, his hand hovering. He grasped a fang and yanked.

Terena bolted upright, screaming.

Daris sprang forward, grabbing her shoulders. Croak fell over and Rydon cursed, barely grabbing him before he hit the ground.

“Ready this time?” Melanos asked Daris sarcastically. When the commander nodded, his hands firmly pressed to Terena’s shoulders as she thrashed and cried, Melanos grabbed the other fang and pulled it out. This time, Terena gasped and passed out.

“Eudaemon,” Melanos said. He looked up and his gaze landed on Daris. Rydon stepped into his line of sight .

“Aye, I’m here.”

Melanos narrowed his eyes at Daris and scowled. Daris scowled back, his stare menacing. Rydon caught the look of confusion on the god’s face before he looked up at Rydon.

“What can I do?” Rydon prompted, edging closer to Terena’s side.

“Switch places with this man,” said Melanos. He flicked another glance at Daris.

Daris protested but Melanos glared at him until he stepped back enough for Rydon to sit on the couch near Terena’s head. He scooted closer, lifting her head onto his lap, and looked up at Melanos.

The god looked over at Daris again and ran his hand down over his mouth. He dropped his eyes and pulled one of the short swords at Terena’s hip. He flipped it over and extended the hilt to Rydon. Rydon looked at Melanos, uncertain.

“That’s—”

“You need to give her your blood.”

“What?” Daris shouted, aghast.

Rydon did not hesitate. He grabbed Terena’s sword and sliced his wrist. Handing the weapon over to Daris, Rydon held his wrist over Terena’s slightly parted lips.

“Drink, girl,” Melanos whispered. Rydon watched Terena’s face. A few beads of sweat dotted her forehead, her face pale. She seemed lifeless.

Rydon’s blood dripped into her mouth, and he heard someone moan behind him. He glanced over his shoulder to see Croak huddled on the ground, watching them with huge, haunted eyes.

He turned back to Terena. She was so still. Rydon squeezed his wrist, more blood pouring onto her lips. “Come on, Ren,” he muttered.

His pulse thundered in his ears as he repeated those words, over and over until despair wrapped around his heart. His hands shook and a sharp sting behind his eyes made him gasp.

She was dying. He knew it.

He would die now, too.

Melanos reached out and snatched Rydon’s wrist, bringing it to Terena’s lips. Daris shouted again and grabbed hold of Rydon’s wrist, too, when Rydon’s eyes widened in shock.

Terena’s eyes fluttered open.

Melanos pushed Rydon’s wrist away from Terena and leaned close enough to block out Daris.

“Terena?”

Terena looked up at him and blinked.

Melanos winked at her and patted her knee before standing.

Croak rushed forward, looming over Daris as he looked down at Terena. “She’s alive?”

“Wipe your snot, boy,” Melanos said and slapped Croak on the back, sending him stumbling forward into Daris’s back. “She’ll live.”

“Is she dead?”

Croak had taken a seat on the couch by Terena’s legs. From the gasps around the room at Melanos’s question, the god quickly added, “Is Bethana dead?”

Daris stood and scrubbed a hand over his face. He looked exhausted, his face haggard. It was the first time Croak had ever seen him looking less than handsome, the scars on his face pinched and standing out even more against the pallor of his skin.

Terena continued to sleep soundly, cocooned in the plush couch with several furs thrown over her from a snap of Melanos’s fingers.

“No, she is not,” Daris answered. “As soon as she was free of Terena’s arm,” he said this with a wince, “I severed her tail. She chased after us, but we lost her. My only thought right then was of Terena and getting us out of there.”

“And where were you that you couldn’t stop what happened?”

Daris looked over at Gabriol, standing next to Rydon with his arms crossed as he glared at Daris.

The commander’s jaw tightened, the color high in his neck and cheeks. “I was looking for a way out. Terena was tired from walking on that leg and I set her down for a moment’s rest. I was on my way back when I heard their voices.”

“What were they saying?” Rydon asked.

“The serpent—Bethana—said she smelled like them .”

Croak made a noise and looked over at Rydon, who was watching Daris through narrowed eyes, his arms crossed at his chest.

“What’s that mean?” Michael asked, his eyes moving from Daris to Melanos. The god was stroking his chin, looking off into space.

“What did Terena say?” Croak asked when Michael’s question was met with silence.

Daris stared at him a moment. “She saw me then and told me to leave.”

“Why?” Michael asked, swiveling his head from his commander to the others.

Daris dropped his chin. “I think she was resigned. Wanted me to have a chance, at least.”

“But you didn’t, of course,” Jason said, pacing closer to the couch.

“No.”

“Did Bethana say anything else?” Melanos asked. Croak wondered again if the god could still be in love with the nymph after centuries apart.

“She was insistent Terena was like ’them’.” Daris shrugged. “I asked who she meant, but she kept saying ‘them’. So I asked if she meant Poseidon and she went a little…”

“That wasn’t wise,” Melanos chided.

Daris arched an eyebrow. “No, it was not. She spoke of you, though. Of what Poseidon had done to you both.” He swallowed. “Terena told her you live. I think she did so because the serpent looked close to making me her dinner and Terena… she turned its attention back to her.” He ran a hand through his hair. “She saved me.”

Silence settled around them for a few minutes and Croak turned his gaze back to his sister. Her face was slack, but the color was once more in her cheeks and her breathing was steady. They had wrapped the wounds and only a faint bit of blood now marred the cloth.

“It worked, too,” Daris said, jarring Croak’s attention back to him. “ Bethana was so enraged, thinking Terena was lying to save me, save herself, that the serpent just… struck.” Daris crossed his arms. “It was so fast. I blinked, and she struck. If I live a thousand years, I’ll never forget Terena’s scream.”

“She must have been in tremendous pain,” Melanos said and frowned when he saw Rydon’s eye roll. “Terena is not yet fully into her powers and still mortal,” he said with a scowl at Croak.“How did you extract her from Bethana?”

Daris stared down at the ground in silence. The silence stretched, broken up by the shifting of the men as they waited for the commander to reply.

“That’s the part I don’t understand,” he said at length. “It was like what happened with the wolf.”

Daris looked up and stared hard at Melanos, then at Rydon. “You cannot deny it anymore. Not with the things we’ve seen. The things we’ve seen her do.”

Rydon’s face reddened, his face tight but otherwise he did not speak.

Melanos looked between the men in surprise. At last, he looked at Rydon.

“They do not know?”

The color on Rydon’s face deepened, his eyes locked on Melanos, but still he said nothing.

“Why should they?” Croak spat and curled his lip. He motioned to Daris with his chin and sneered. “They hold Terena’s— our —sister hostage so she can bring them back some fucking teeth that almost killed her! They don’t deserve to know anything!”

Melanos scoffed. “I think you’ll find, boy, she was always fated to bring back these fangs. Whether these men deserve to know more,” he shrugged, “I cannot say. But their lives are in as much danger as yours or your sisters, if they travel with you. Best to be open.”

“Why?” Croak asked, exasperated. “So they can kill her? Do you know?—”

“Croak,” Rydon warned.

“What are you saying?” Daris demanded. “ You think I?—”

“We don’t fucking know you,” Croak yelled, shooting up from the couch. His face was hot and his breath was ragged. “You pretend friendship and then you kidnap Sonah?—”

“We didn’t kidnap her!” Daris yelled back. “ She volunteered to stay with our king, who is a good man and would never harm her! And I saved Terena when I could’ve easily let her die and take the fangs myself if that was my aim!”

“You wouldn’t let her die,” Melanos scoffed. “I don’t know why there are two of you, but?—”

“You stay away from her,” Croak snarled and launched at Daris.

“Enough!” Rydon roared, lunging between Croak and Daris. He had a hand on Daris’s chest the commander slapped away. Gabriol moved a few steps closer.

Melanos laughed.

“You’re afraid the Liodari will kill her?” he asked in amusement. “They are Spartans. Sworn to Ares. If there’s anyone besides you she should trust, boy, it’s these men.”

Daris’s face was thunderous, his chest rising and falling rapidly as he stared back at Croak.

“What?” Daris asked, his brow furrowed as he looked between Rydon and Melanos.

Melanos sighed. “She is the daughter of your god. She’s a child of Ares.”

Croak’s hands drifted to his hips, his lips twitching at the look on the commander’s face. Daris went three shades of white, his mouth dropping open like a dead fish. His men were no better. Michael blinked rapidly, gaping at the others, and Jason had his hands on his head as he tipped it back, eyes closed.

“What?” Daris whispered. “That’s impossible.”

Melanos was genuinely amused. “You’ve been traveling with her for how long and you’ve seen her do the things she’s done, and yet you doubt? You were the one insisting the other Eudaemon tell you?—”

“Why do you keep calling him that?” Daris snapped.

Melanos blinked. “Huh?”

“You keep calling this man,” Daris stabbed a finger toward Rydon, “Eudaemon. Why?”

Melanos’s face scrunched. “He is.”

“I am her guardian,” Rydon said quietly, his eyes narrowed on Daris.

“Eudaemons are myth,” Jason grumbled.

Melanos laughed. When he caught sight of their expressions, he laughed longer, his head thrown back with his hands at his belly.

At last, he looked over at the Liodari, his smile softening as his laughter died down. Then he turned to Rydon with a raised eyebrow. “After all they’ve seen, they still… unbelievable.” He shook his head and waved a hand at them dismissively.

“If she’s who you say she is,” Daris asked after an awkward pause, “how is she hurt? Why does she even need a Eudaemon?”

This time, Melanos’s face shuttered. “She is not yet twenty-two. Which means she’s still mortal and doesn’t have control of her powers.”

“She had a dream about you killing her, ” Croak snarled at Daris.

At this, Rydon swore and glared at Croak. Croak didn’t care. He was savoring the look of horror on the commander’s face.

“What?”

Melanos’s eyes shot to Daris and to Croak’s satisfaction, he looked like he might hurt the commander.

“Was I wrong, Liodari?” Melanos asked in a low, soft tone.

Daris gaped at the god. “I would never hurt her! I—” He swore and hung his head. “She is… it was only a dream. I would never kill her. That’s absurd.”

“Her dreams are memories,” Rydon said, his face grim as he stared at Daris.

Croak felt the first stirrings of sympathy toward the commander. He pushed them back, reminding himself this man allowed his sister to come to harm while in his care. So far, the commander wasn’t living up to his legendary reputation.

Daris rubbed his forehead, his lips thinned. His eyes darkened as they rose to stare at Rydon. “I don’t even know how that’s possible. But if you continue to doubt my word, I won’t give you a chance to regret it.”

“Croak.”

Terena’s soft voice cut through their argument and Croak leaned forward, his face splitting in a shaky smile as he knelt at her side.

“Hey, you,” he whispered, squeezing her knee. She frowned, then flicked her eyes over to Daris and Rydon.

“What’s going on?”

“Nothing,” Croak said quickly with a wink. “We’re sitting here waiting for you to wake up. How are you feeling?”

She groaned and closed her eyes. “Like shit.”

Melanos sauntered over. “You’re weak,” he said. “You should rest more. With the state of you, you should remain here at least for the night.”

“I’m staying too,” Croak said quickly.

Melanos grumbled but did not object. He looked pointedly at the others.

Only Rydon took the hint.

“We’ll… be back in the morning, then,” he said and moved closer to the couch. He bent over and squeezed Terena’s left shoulder. “I’m glad you’re alive.”

She snorted and opened her eyes. “I bet you are,” she said with a weak smile.

The others turned to leave.

“Daris,” Terena called out, then winced and shifted her head on the pillows.

Croak curled his lip as the commander came closer.

“Aye, Terena,” he said awkwardly.

She looked up and held out her hand. Daris hesitated a second before he reached out and took hold of it.

Terena looked up at him and Croak turned away.

“Thank you,” she said.

The commander stared at her for so long, Croak turned back to see his sister gazing at the man with her heart in her eyes.

Gods help us.

The inn was quiet and dark when they arrived. Jason went inside to get rooms while the rest saw to the horses.

No one spoke.

Michael cast furtive glances at the others as they left the stables. Rydon caught his eye and arched an eyebrow.

“Something on your mind?” he asked, not unkindly.

Michael frowned. “Quite a lot, in fact.” But he looked away and Rydon did not press him.

They walked back to the inn slowly, Daris alone up ahead of Gabriol, Michael a few steps behind, with Rydon trailing them all.

Gabriol fell back, waiting for Rydon to catch up. “What a mess, lord,” he muttered.

Rydon only nodded.

When they reached the inn, Jason was waiting for them in the common room, alone, a pitcher and five tankards on the table.

Of the innkeep there was no sign.

“Do we have rooms?” Daris asked, strolling over to join his man.

Jason draped an arm over the back of his chair and smiled tiredly at them. “Aye.”

Daris grunted, then sighed loudly as he took the chair beside Jason. Rydon was loathe to sit, not because he disliked them. They had turned out to be decent men—honorable men. But he was bone tired and not in the mood to be tricked into answers by the commander.

Gabriol took his indecision as participation, taking a seat across from Daris and his men. Rydon scowled, but took the seat at his side.

Jason pushed a tankard toward Daris. “Water.”

The commander muttered his thanks.

The others reached out and took a tankard each, waiting patiently as Jason poured them ale. Rydon sat back and took a long drink, closing his eyes and savoring the bitter brew.

All of them were quiet, lost in their own thoughts and nursing their drinks. Rydon was thinking of taking his leave once he’d finished his ale, but Jason leaned forward with the pitcher, refilling his tankard in silence.

“It will be some time before we can return to Sparta,” Daris said at last.

No one argued against this.

“Poor girl,” Michael said, and Rydon looked at the man from beneath his brows, alert. But Michael looked genuinely upset, his head hanging, his hand shaking slightly as he twisted his tankard.

“Aye,” Gabriol agreed.

“That night at the fighting pit? I knew there was something about her,” Jason said as he stared off into space. “There’s no way she would’ve been that close to beating me otherwise.”

Rydon’s bark of laughter surprised him. The others looked at him, grinning, and broke into laughter as well. Rydon lifted his tankard to Jason, the Liodari grinning at him as he raised his own tankard in salute.

“What will you all do when we return?” Jason asked. “If she is truly the daughter of Ares, then you must stay in Sparta.”

Rydon saw Daris tense. He sat back and crossed his arms. “Once we have Sonah back, we’ll head north.”

“Why not stay in Sparta?” Jason urged. He looked at his commander for support. “It must be why the Fates guided you there. Now we all know she’s the Heir, Daris?—”

“And what awaits in the north?” Daris interrupted.

Rydon narrowed his eyes. “Opportunity.”

“We hear the new king is gathering an army,” Michael said after he took a drink. “For what purpose, I wonder.”

Gabriol leaned forward, cradling his ale in both hands. “To defend against the tyrant Solon, I’d imagine. As any sensible sovereign.”

“Solon has his own problems just now,” Michael replied. “I don’t see him looking north anytime soon when his own nobles are rebelling against him.”

Rydon looked over at the three men. “We’ve only heard rumors.”

“Makes sense,” Jason said, glancing at Daris. The commander shook his head almost imperceptibly. Rydon wondered if he’d imagined it.

“How did the two of you come to be with Terena and Croak?” Jason asked before Rydon could respond. “I know Sonah was at the palace. That she grew up with Croak and Terena when they were in Metilai. But Sonah didn’t mention how you joined their ranks.”

Rydon stared at Jason so long the man stiffened, but he didn’t turn away.

“You know much of Sonah, Youngblood,” Gabriol said as he eyed Jason across the table. “When have you had occasion to speak with her?”

Jason reddened. “We spoke when we met you that night in Sparta.”

Rydon and Gabriol shared a look.

“We met Croak in Laurica,” he said after an awkward pause. “He asked us for help in rescuing his sister when word reached him of her capture.”

Well, it was as much truth as he was willing to offer just then.

Jason grunted.

Rydon wasn’t finished. He leaned over the table, his eyes holding Jason in place. “She is too young for you.”

Jason blinked. Michael snorted, and Gabriol smothered a smile.

The color in Jason’s face deepened until it covered him to the roots of his blond hair as Rydon sat back.

“How old do you think I am?” Jason demanded, his brown eyes narrowed as he pointed to himself.

“Too. Old.”

“I’m twenty-three!”

Rydon leaned forward again but said nothing as his gaze narrowed at Jason.

The others laughed, breaking the tension. Daris clapped Jason on the shoulder, a smirk on his face.

“Is she…” Jason paused, casting a quick look at Gabriol. “Is she with Croak?”

Gabriol choked on his drink, coughing and laughing at the same time. Even Rydon’s lips tugged up .

“Is she promised? Betrothed?” Jason pushed, warming to the topic now as the others smiled.

“No, Youngblood, she is not,” Gabriol sighed.

Jason sat back with a satisfied smile which quickly dissolved at the warning on Rydon’s face.

“Did you know of the king’s visit to the oracle? Terena said she’s the reason we’re all here.” Gabriol asked after a companionable silence.

None of them responded for a long time. Daris looked up at him, then at Rydon.

“Aye.”

“Do you know what Pytho told him?”

Daris blinked. Whether from the fact Rydon had used the oracle’s name so casually or because of the impertinence of his question, he did not know. Neither mattered to him.

“He told me,” Daris answered at last, his voice soft.

“Did you know before or after you saw her in Aurora?” Rydon pressed. Gabriol stiffened.

Daris’s smile was no longer friendly.

His silence was answer enough.

“What were you doing in Aurora?” Rydon asked, his voice deadly soft. The others at the table tensed.

It was a long time before Daris answered. “That is Spartan business.”

“Of course,” said Rydon with a nod, his eyes never moving from the commander. “Does Terena know?”

Daris did not respond.

Rydon registered Gabriol leaning over, yet did not break contact with Daris’s cold blue gaze.

“Does she know you have a battalion of Liodari there?”

Jason swore, shoving back his chair just as Daris’s arm slammed down on his wrist to stay him. After a few tense seconds, Jason settled. Rydon flicked a glance at the man’s scowling face before raising an eyebrow at Daris.

“Again,” Daris said softly, “that is Spartan business. ”

“And what of the Spartan prophecy your man spoke of?” Gabriol asked. “Now that you know of Terena’s paternity, perhaps you’d like to share?”

Daris’s face shuttered. “That is between the king and Terena.”

“Funny,” Rydon said, his hand raised as he looked at Daris over the lip of his tankard. “I thought that might be between you and Terena.”

Rydon watched him, but the man gave nothing away. The commander and his exploits were well known, and Rydon had seen the way he’d torn into the Rivermen at the falls, making quick work of them before racing after Terena when she’d fallen into the river. And to have survived the serpent…

Being commander of the elite Liodari legion known throughout the continent—and one reason Emperor Solon had not immediately invaded—should have been enough for Rydon to see this was not someone to be trifled with. But somewhere along the trials and tribulations of this journey, Rydon had become protective not only of Terena, but of Croak and Sonah as well. Whatever the prophecy he spoke of, if the man was unwilling to confide in them after all they’d shared, then Rydon must remain vigilant around him.

He admitted to being a bit awed by the man upon first meeting, but now, after enduring the past month with him and seeing his eyes on Terena whenever he thought no one was watching…

Rydon was watching.

“I can’t keep my eyes open anymore,” Michael groused and stood, groaning and stretching. He left with a wave and the others grunted in response. A few minutes later, Gabriol reached out and squeezed Rydon’s shoulder as he too stood, draining his tankard. He set it down and muttered his good wishes for pleasant dreams before he went off and up the stairs.

Jason left shortly after, leaving Rydon and Daris alone.

Rydon looked at the commander from beneath his brows as he stretched his legs out. Daris was lost in his own thoughts, hunched over with his arms braced on his thighs.

A long silence descended and Rydon’s eyes became heavy when Daris spoke .

“What is your issue with me?”

Rydon started. He looked up to see Daris’s light blue eyes watching him askance. Rydon rubbed a hand over his mouth to stifle a yawn. “I’ve no issue.”

“Is that so?” Daris snorted.

Rydon stared back at him. “Aye.”

“All those questions earlier? And why do you scowl at me whenever I mention her name? Or ask anything even remotely having to do with her? You also insert yourself whenever I go near her.” He cocked his head. “You’re either interested in her or me. Which is it?”

Rydon scoffed. “Neither.”

“I don’t believe you.”

Rydon opened his mouth to protest but then jerked forward, bracing his arm on the table as he leaned across, his face thunderous.

“I don’t like the way you look at her,” he growled. “I don’t like the questions you ask about her and I don’t like the way you watch her; the way you always seem to be right by her side when she’s in trouble. You find reasons to touch her, her cloak, her hand, her hair when you think she doesn’t notice. But I notice.”

“Oh, this is a pissing contest, is it?” Daris asked, his smile cold.

“This is a warning,” Rydon snarled. “That girl has been through too much for someone so young, and she’s still a good person. Her heart is so big, her compassion so strong, she throws herself into trouble just to spare the rest of us.” He arched an eyebrow and a muscle spasmed in his neck. “Did you know she was in love with Crown Prince Lerek? When he was murdered, she was the one to find him.”

Daris blanched, but Rydon forged on. “If that wasn’t bad enough, the emperor saw fit to accuse her of conspiring with the prince’s murderers and had her beaten, tortured and then sentenced her to death. By drawing and quartering!

“She has the power of the gods in her blood,” Rydon seethed, uncaring he should probably stop, but the words had built up in his chest for too long to be held back any longer. “If she wasn’t already wanted for treason—for murder!—she would definitely be hunted if anyone outside our circle found out what she is. She suffers from these visions that are, more often than not, terrifying nightmares, all the while mourning her lover and trying not to die at every turn!”

Daris sat back, his face pale, looking as if Rydon had slapped him.

Rydon took a long drink, draining his tankard before slamming it on the table. “And on top of that pile of shit, I see how the guilt eats at her, how confused she is because she can’t reconcile how she felt about her dead prince with how she feels about you ,” he fumed, spittle landing on his beard. He wiped his mouth. “So, do us all a favor and leave her the fuck alone.”

Rydon rose abruptly, catching his chair before it toppled back and woke the entire building.

He muttered a curse and left, his heart racing. He put a hand to his chest and closed his eyes for a second, knowing it’d be a long time before sleep found him.