24. Chapter Twenty-Four

Mortum Se.

Fight to the death.

A magic only able to be called upon by a god challenging another god. Once the words are spoken and intentions are made clear, the two gods become trapped inside an inescapable prison—left to fight only with whatever they had on their person and nothing more.

Magic is stripped from the inside. The world around us can be seen through the wall, but not heard. The magic will not release the gods from the prison until one kills the other.

That is the only way out.

But that's not the worst part. Not the part that I'm retching over.

When a god calls the magic, it sweeps through every being involved in the war and determines their loyalties. It holds each individual hostage, forcing them to stand unmoving to watch the two gods face-off. The problem is…when one of the gods dies, every living thing in the war who was devoted to their cause dies alongside them. That's the price for this magic.

Each soul loyal to the defeated god joins them in their journey to the fates.

I had no expectations about my chances of making it through this alive, knowing that if I died, so would all three of my bonds. But there was still hope…there were many ways we could have all left here together, even if we did not win the war.

But now? The odds of us living through this are nearly zero. It's me or Andras. His side or mine. And I am not strong enough to fight him right now.

I fall to my knees, pressing my forehead against the wall while tears stream heavily down my face.

This cannot be happening.

I take a deep breath, filling my lungs over their capacity before lifting my head. I look at each of my bonds, feeling terrible about the male's panicked faces. They've no idea what is happening, or why they cannot move their bodies. Xamira stands next to them, watching me with golden eyes that always seem to see more than I give. I nod, telling her everything I need to say if I do not get the chance again.

I tell her how much I love her. How thankful I am that she was by my side for decades while I lived cluelessly with the mortals. She listened to my commands, even when everything inside her said they were wrong; I tell her I understand how hard it must have been, but I appreciate it. She sees the apology in my gaze. How incredibly sorry I am for everything she's had to go through for me; how I will never be able to repay her.

Through my nod, I tell her that she is the best friend I've ever had and my truest soulmate. She dips her chin slightly in acknowledgment, not able to move it further.

I take in the features of my males, trying so hard to hold in the stuttering sobs as I watch an eternity's worth of emotions play through their features. My sweet, gentle Casmir stares at me with a longing that penetrates my skin and burrows inside my chest. Where his and Em's souls reside. Those perfect, hazel eyes match the forest that surrounds the outer parts of the field. The trees that sway in the wind and catch pieces of the golden light. His dark hair—even with all of its dried blood—still looks like the softest, most inviting thing in the realm.

"I love you," I mouth to him, hoping he can read my lips enough to understand. His resolve breaks as he bites his lip to hide the tremor. I swallow, nearly choking from the object lodged in my throat.

My attention shifts to Emrys, who looks like he's completely given up. His body is slack in the magic's hold, honey-rich eyes bathing in utter defeat. I would give almost anything to hold him right now. I wouldn't tell him everything will be okay, but I would make sure that he understood just how deep my love runs for him. His normally curly hair doesn't move when he drops his head, letting the tears fall freely onto the blood-soaked ground.

I smack my hand against the wall, knowing he cannot hear me, but hoping he does anyway. Casmir thankfully says something I'm unable to make out, but gets Em to look at me once more.

"I love you so much," I whisper. He blinks slowly, and I know it's time for me to stop sulking. Meeting each of their eyes one last time, my lips form the words, "I'm sorry," as I stand and turn my back to them.

Andras watches me with his arms crossed, something almost like guilt shadowing his expression, though that absolutely cannot be what I'm seeing. I am more tired than I thought.

"You planned this, you stupid fucking bastard." My voice is barely audible, though the silence in this cage is so deafening that I know he heard me clearly.

He shrugs, lacking the confidence he normally exudes. "What did you expect, Nell? You brought the gods here, along with so many of the demi-gods and sorids…why would I not do this? I only need to face you to get everything I've worked for."

"At the cost of everything our realms stand for."

"A cost that I do not pay. The sacrifices made for the price of power mean nothing to me as long as they get me what I want."

"And what is it you truly want, Andras?" I walk forward, each step crunching loudly in the grass. "What happens when you get to Europa? You have no one but demons loyal to you. You had to manipulate your soldiers to fight their own people in your name. You'll be just as lonely there as you are here, but the difference is you'll no longer have anything to fight for. To live for. So what, then?"

He pauses and looks behind me, staring at my bonds. I've known for a while that he's really only ever wanted someone to love him. But the yearning streaming from his tense body tells me his loneliness runs deeper than I imagined.

"Do not look at them," I spit, getting so close that our chests nearly brush. "You do not deserve to witness even a mere moment of what it's like to be loved.

"Your attention is mine, Andras. So pay it."

The way he is able to go from gentle to evil in the span of a second is unfathomable. He straightens before swinging a fist in my direction; I block it, wincing at the pain in my arm. I do not get a moment to straighten before his other fist slams into my jaw, throwing me to the side.

It will do no good to stall, so I jump to my feet and we fight.