Chapter 11

Typhon hated waiting.He hated not knowing. Hated being as weak as a mortal. But most of all, he hated seeing Deino go off without him.

The dog whined. He glanced down at it. "Yeah, I'm not pleased with the situation either."

John didn't find it odd he spoke to the dog. That, or he assumed Typhon addressed him. "We can get closer to the town if you want. I can have the illusion move with us."

"Won't they notice we've shifted position?" Typhon asked.

John pointed. "Pretty sure our watchers are heading back."

Sure enough, a glance and a squint showed the self-appointed guardians heading for the town.

"Did they leave someone behind to spy on us?"

"Maybe. Do you care?" John asked.

"No. Let's get closer." The nagging sensation of something amiss refused to leave. With the dog hugging his heels, Typhon matched his pace to John's, his gaze scanning. Not that he could sense much. He could only assume Enyo was nearby. The warrior truly blended well with shadows, to the point even if right in front of her, he couldn't spot her.

Annoying. He had to wonder what else he couldn't see with his mundane senses.

The professor of the arcane didn't say much, which Typhon appreciated, seeing as how he dealt with a strange new feeling.

Worry. Not for himself. For his witch.

He didn't like she'd gone off without him even as he recognized her plan as the best one. It bothered him she'd be without his protection even as she was more capable of protecting herself right now than he was. Most of all, he hated the feeling of anticipation in the air. A sense of impending trouble. They should have left the moment they heard about the deusvenati. They should have left once they realized the oracle couldn't be spoken with. But to go where?

Knowing Ariadne worked with the deusvenati—willingly or not—changed everything and nothing. If she was with them, getting to her would be almost impossible. At the same time, until he could have her release his power, he'd be useless. What choice did he have?

It shouldn't have surprised—but it did irritate—that his release from his prison was fraught with complications. He'd assumed once he'd escaped he'd find Ariadne and, poof, he'd be a powerful god again. Instead, he'd been beset with problems. Not all of them bad. The witch proved to be more delightful than he'd have expected.

She'd kissed him before leaving. Kissed him, and when he'd been unable to resist and kissed her back, had mentioned something about more later.

Had she not heard him when he said getting involved was a bad idea? Although he couldn't articulate why, unless it was the fear of letting her get close. It had been a long time since his last emotional attachment. It didn't end well. None of them ever did. The whole problem with being a god. Either they wanted something from him or they feared him. No one ever just loved him.

John nudged Typhon's arm and pointed to their left.

Caught up in his maudlin musings, he'd missed the fact they'd caught up to the group that warned them earlier. They appeared to be arguing amongst themselves.

They remained hidden behind John's illusion, but just in case, Typhon unleashed his cloak, the billowy fabric forming a shadowy cover that encompassed John and the dog. The wizard must have done something to enhance sound, because he suddenly could hear them talking.

"…should have let them go to town instead of telling them to leave," said the one with blond whiskers.

"We're just handing magic users over to the deusvenati now?" scoffed the bald fellow.

"It's called keeping them happy so they give back our families," grumbled Whiskers.

"Not by sacrificing innocent travelers," the fae woman argued.

"Better them than us," insisted Baldy.

"Would be better if it was no one at all," insisted the dwarf. "Can't believe the oracle didn't see them coming."

"She must have. How else did she know to hide?" a sour Whiskers stated.

"I heard they found blood in her place. Maybe she's dead," Baldy offered.

"Then where's her body?" countered the fae.

"I don't know. Maybe it turned to dust. She is really old, after all." Bald man had an explanation.

"The deusvenati seem to think she's still alive."

"The deusvenati can suck my dick," Baldy insulted.

"You'll get to ask them soon enough," Whiskers stated.

"Wait, have you heard something? Are they supposed to return soon?" The fae woman sounded worried.

"Those travelers should have left when they had the chance. By now, the hunters are aware of them."

Typhon stiffened.

"How? Ain't none of us returned to town yet," the dwarf reminded.

"You think that matters?" Whiskers scoffed.

"Maybe we should have let them go looking for the oracle," mused Baldy.

"You gonna hand her over?" snapped the dwarf.

"If it keeps me and my family alive, yes," Baldy stated with no shame.

"You're an arsehole," the fae woman declared. "I'm done with you lot. I'm going home to pack and get out of here."

"Me too," said the dwarf. The pair of them headed off, sharing a lumbering beast, while the remaining humans eyed each other.

Baldy pursed his lips. "Maybe it is time to move. Somewhere with less shit to deal with."

"Where?"

"I hear Earth is an interesting place," was the last thing they heard as the last of the group began walking toward town, holding the tethers of their beasts.

John waited a moment before whispering, "Not a happy bunch."

"Can't blame them. They went from a peaceful existence to one threatened."

"You think someone ratted us out to these deusvenati?" John asked.

"Yes." Typhon stood. His cloak rippled despite the lack of breeze. He glanced around.

"What's wrong?"

He couldn't articulate it other than a sense of wrongness. "Something's not right."

The dog sensed it, too, rising to its four stubby legs and whimpering. Typhon pursed his lips before snaring Jinx and murmuring, "Let's put you somewhere safe. I have a feeling things are going to get difficult." He tucked the dog inside the satchel with its extra dimension of space. The mongrel would be protected, which, while not important to him—in his time dogs served a purpose and it wasn't as an accessory—he knew would matter a lot to Deino. For some reason, he cared about that.

He slung the bag across his shoulders, and the cloak re-formed over it. John eyed him. "You're expecting trouble."

"I think we should go find our women."

"That patrol isn't far ahead of us."

He glanced at John. "That's unfortunate for them. If they're smart, they'll stay out of our way. I have a feeling Deino and Frieda are going to need us."

"Then let's get moving." John adopted a rapid pace that Typhon matched. The town neared enough for him to make out details, including the fact the human part of the patrol had arrived.

A sudden stillness in the air paused him.

"What's happening?" John murmured as the air became charged with static.

"A portal is opening."

Not unusual in a nexus place like Zuzamenn with permanent doorways that didn't require users to have magic. Typhon didn't start running—and worrying—until he heard someone scream, "The deusvenati have returned!"