The Black God's War (57 page)

“Would you do that?” Caio asked.

The prince looked at Lucia. He did not answer.

“He has told me over and over that he would,” Lucia said.

Why won’t you answer me?

“Let the man speak for himself,” his father said, then gave Caio another glance.

“Speak,” Caio commanded him. “Would you do this to my sister?”

“Your sister has already explained my position. I will not repeat myself. Your only option is to agree to lead your army away from this conflict.”

“Maybe I will,” Caio said, “but I promise you I won’t do so until I hear you say it yourself. Tell me you would kill my sister, that you have implanted some foul magic into her so that you can end her life at your whim.”

Rao widened his stance, as if preparing to defend himself.

Caio sensed the prince’s fear and embarrassment.
You’re lying. You lied to Lucia about your power, too.

“Caio, you know this conflict is unnecessary and cursed,” Lucia said. “There was never any reason for it. We can finally have the peace you’ve wanted.”

“That’s not why we’re here, Lucia,” her father answered. “We came here for you. Rezzia’s soldiers still have their honor to uphold. Don’t you know their citadel is beginning to crumble, thanks to your brother?”

“Caio is the commander of what
was
your army,” she said. “He can make his own decisions now.”

“Are you really telling us the truth?” Caio asked Pawelon’s prince. “Tell me about this foul magic you have used against my sister.”

“Caio, he’s saved my life three times already. Once after the duel. Once when he freed me from their prison. Once this morning, as he fought his own men to save me.”

“And yet I don’t know if I believe him now,” Caio said. Caio continued probing Prince Rao’s emotions, but discovered only anxiety and fear beneath his calm exterior.

“You would actually risk your sister’s life?” Rao asked.

“Says the man who ran a spear through her chest,” Caio said.

After a brief pause, Narayani yelled, “Rao, use Aayu’s
sadhana
! You can’t trust them. Come back with me.”

“Caio, I swore to protect him,” Lucia said. She threw one leg over Albina and dismounted.

“Let me show you again that I am a reasonable man,” Rao said. He handed Ysa’s sword over to Lucia.

Lucia took the white blade and pointed it downward. She took a position between Caio and Rao and held up her other hand to call Caio and her father off. “Can’t we agree with his proposal, Caio? We are on the verge of winning, aren’t we? We can leave with our pride intact, knowing we showed our enemies mercy.”

“I think he lied to you, Lucia. He hasn’t put any magic in your body that can kill you. Aren’t I right, Prince?”

“Can you take that risk?” Prince Rao asked.

“Father, he’s lying.”

Four gods surrounded them. Behind Caio stood Lord Oderigo and his sister Mya, the vine-covered pair. Lord Galleazzo stood to King Vieri’s left; the god’s crimson cape hung flat against his back. The silver-armored goddess, Ysa, watched from atop her own white steed, beside Lucia and Rao, facing the other gods.

Caio’s father surged forward with his falchion raised, around Lucia’s right, to strike the Prince of Pawelon.

Lord Galleazzo took one long stride in sync with the king.

Lord Danato’s message to Lucia flashed in Caio’s mind:
“He said this war will not and cannot end before one of you dies—either you or Pawelon’s prince.”

Time slowed for Caio just as he desired, after he called on The Lord of The Book of Time. Caio observed the panic on Lucia’s and Rao’s faces. He gripped Mya’s holy rod and prayed:
My goddess Mya, if I have ever been a good servant to you,
f
inish him now without warning.

Mya appeared, stepping forward beside him, wearing her dress of vines. The goddess’s eyes were wet with tears. She tilted her head to the right as she stretched out her right arm and pointed her fingers at Prince Rao.

Caio saw an image of the prince submerged in the deepest ocean water, quickly surrounded by the freezing darkness. The prince expelled an involuntary scream as he fell to the desert floor, crushed by the depths of the ocean in his mind.

King Vieri caught up to Prince Rao as the Pawelon fell, swinging his falchion down at the sage’s chest.

Lord Galleazzo crossed his powerful arms as Lucia swung Ysa’s blade upward to crash its white metal against her father’s steel. The goddess Ysa’s cold face merely observed without flinching.

As her father stepped backward, Lucia looked over her shoulder at Rao’s corpse.

Narayani watched the king run forward swinging his sword. She watched Rao crumple to the earth.

She ran for him.

“Caio, you did this?” Lucia asked.

“I knew he was lying. He didn’t use any of his magic on you.”

Lucia turned around to look at Rao’s body and looked up at Narayani running toward her. She raised her white sword and pointed her open palm at Narayani to tell her to stop.

“Let me help him,” Narayani said. She dropped onto her knees beside Rao and felt a burning sensation traveling from her stomach to her mouth. Rao’s face had been instantly bruised into hideous shades of purple and blue. She turned away from him and somehow managed not to vomit, then rubbed her eyes and forehead, hiding from the sight of Rao’s corpse.

“We did this together, Son.”

Narayani felt Rao’s body. His body was already clammy and cold from Caio’s magic.

Caio stepped forward with his arms and chest open. “Narayani, it had to be one of us, either him or me. Now you can come back with me.”

“Do what I asked you to do last night. Kill me! Right now. Let me fall against him and die.”

Still two paces away, Caio raised his palms as if he intended to heal her.

“No more,” she said. “Don’t touch me with your gods.”

“I’ll do it.” The king raised his blade above his head and stepped forward.

“Don’t you touch her.” Lucia bent her knees and brought Ysa’s sword in front of her forehead, horizontal and ready to block the king’s weapon.

“Have you gone mad?” her father said. “She nearly got you and Caio killed. She is evil, nothing but bad luck.”

“Don’t touch her, Father,” Caio said. “She is distraught. She doesn’t mean what she’s saying.”

“I do. I could never go back with you.” Narayani didn’t want the king to be the one to finish her, though. She ran her hands along Rao’s body to look for a weapon, but found none.

Caio extended his hands outward and stepped close to Narayani. “Please. I want to take you far away from here, so you’ll never have to experience any place like this ever again. I want you to live with me in peace and luxury in Remaes. Please let me make it up to you for all you’ve endured.”

Caio put his hands on her cheeks. For one brief moment, she considered his offer.

“Viparyas amrakh!” yelled a Pawelon voice.

Caio’s skin shook and rippled and, like Rao’s, turned dark, sickly shades of purple and blue. Caio collapsed in a lifeless heap before her, beside Rao’s body.

Narayani swung her head around. Rajah Devak stood ten paces away, in a sage’s stance, holding his fingers in a forked mudra. Aayu stood near to him, holding a great spear.

What?

Rezzia’s King took two great steps forward and hurled his sword at the rajah. The blade found its mark.

The rajah screamed in pain, but—he didn’t sound like the rajah. The rajah fell backward and slammed down flat.

Narayani looked back toward Aayu, but Devak stood where Aayu had been standing. She stood and looked again at the rajah’s fallen body. Aayu lay there instead, with the king’s sword in his chest.

She felt Caio’s neck.
Exactly like Rao’s.

Just as the rajah stepped forward holding his great spear, Narayani ran to Aayu. Her cousin writhed on the ground, grunting and screaming in pain.

“What just happened?” Narayani asked as she yanked the king’s sword from Aayu’s shoulder. Her cousin squeezed his eyes shut and unleashed a horrible cry.

Narayani fell to her knees and opened her bag. “This will hurt.” She found her tincture for treating deep wounds and poured the oil onto Aayu’s bleeding shoulder. Aayu opened his mouth like a dying lion, suffering a silent scream. She grabbed a handful of cloth bandages and held them against the deep cut.

“I used my secondary
sadhana
,” Aayu mumbled with incredible speed. “I appeared as the rajah, he appeared as me.”

“Rao is dead, Aayu,” Narayani said as her chest heaved from her misery. “And you just killed the Haizzem.”

“He was about to touch you. I killed him with Rao’s own
sadhana
.” Still on the ground, Aayu turned his head and spit out blood. “What is Devak doing?”

The rajah of Pawelon thrust his great spear forward, backing Lucia and the king away.

Chapter 81: Choosing Death

LUCIA WATCHED AS Aayu’s body became the rajah’s, and as the rajah’s body became Aayu’s. She had no time to consider the sage’s power that made it possible. The rajah pointed his long spear and raced for her.

Her father came forward. The rajah’s spear clacked as her father’s holy shield deflected it.