Arcus made an angry sound. I turned to him with a warning look.
“And now that I have you,” Eurus continued, “the first successful Nightblood, the very thing I’ve wanted to create for a millennium, I can make more of you. You have shown me that sending the Minax to possess an unborn child is the only way to create a vessel that can accommodate one indefinitely. I’ll form a people who will conquer both Frostbloods and Firebloods—or kill them all off, for all I care—and rule the mortal world.” Ice ran down my spine as he rubbed his hand over his chin and added thoughtfully, “I haven’t decided whether to let the rest of the mortals live. The ones without any powers are so dreary. But I suppose they’re useful in their own way. Serfs. Servants. Chattel. What have you.”
My pulse surged, my hands clammy. I didn’t know what I felt. The Minax held the barrier between body and mind.
“They do have their uses,” Marella said, moving closer to Eurus, hands loosely clasped, her white gown and gaunt frame making her appear frail and pure. “And if you prize drive and ambition, I’ve proven myself to you time and time again.”
He turned his head and looked her over. “You’re a pretty little thing, aren’t you? A bit starved, but rather fetching in a wasted sort of way.”
“Lady Marella,” she said, offering her hand as if she was meeting him at court. He continued to stare. After a moment, she let her arm fall back to her side.
“I suppose I have you to thank for all this?” he asked sardonically.
“Yes.” She lifted her chin. “And I expect you to recognize that you couldn’t have done it without me.”
He chortled. “You expect it, do you? And what do you expect in return? Currently I’m offering your continued ability to draw breath.”
“You want to storm the Gate of Light and liberate the rest of the Minax. I’ve helped you already by opening the portal to bring you here. Both Minax are here for the taking, so they can fight the sentinels that guard the Gate. In return, I would like you to gift me with Nightblood powers so that I can be a bridge between gods and mortals for you. You need someone who understands the Minax, who can communicate with them when you return to your own realm. If you give me the power to rule the Minax, carrying out your orders, I will be your mortal queen—your faithful servant—forever.”
“Please,” said Eurus, clearly enjoying her speech. “Tell me more of what you think I need, Lady Ghost.”
My muscles were coiled with nervous tension as I watched the tall stolen body of Eiko face the frail body of my one-time friend. Why she thought she could bargain with the god of the east wind was beyond me. The Marella I knew wouldn’t have been so foolishly daring. The Minax must have ruined her judgment, twisted her mind so that everything she was saying seemed reasonable. I wanted to shake some sense into her.
But this wasn’t the time for sudden moves. I spoke evenly, trying to make her see reason. “You surely don’t want what you’re asking for, Marella. Imagine what the world would be like, this place you’re envisioning with the Minax possessing mortals and controlling them. Look at what it makes them do.”
“The whole point is that I’ll be controlling the Minax, so I’ll get to decide what they do. Someone needs to make sure they don’t just wipe out all the mortals with their hunger. I’ve shown that I can control the frost Minax. I’ll be able to control the others, too.”
“You really think you can do that?” I asked, the urgency of my emotions breaking through the Minax’s hold. “That anyone can fully control them?”
“Any misgivings I might have had were burned away over the past few weeks. In time, you’ll see my side of things.” Her eyes narrowed. “Stop fighting the Minax, Ruby, and let it do its work. You’ll feel better for it.”
The Minax rushed to the forefront of my mind, overwhelming me. I felt myself losing touch with my thoughts, my identity. Then Arcus’s hand touched my back, the cold shocking me into awareness again.
Eurus watched all this, amused. “A delightful fantasy, Lady Skin and Bones. But you are not a Nightblood. You wouldn’t last a day in the Obscurum, not like my Ruby.”
My reply was quiet but fervent. “I’m not your anything.”
In an abrupt change of mood, his eyes darkened. “Your protests bore me. Time to leave.”
My muscles locked. “I’m not going anywhere with you.”
Arcus edged in front of me.
“Yes, my dear, you are. We’re going to the Gate of Light to release the rest of my beloved Minax—and I need a Nightblood alongside me. Haven’t you been paying attention? Please tell me I didn’t sire a dullard.”
“I’m not going with you. Anywhere. Ever.”
His lip curled. “You’re in that rebellious phase of adolescence. How tedious.”
He reached out for my hand, and Arcus slammed his forearm across Eurus’s wrist. Eurus cried out, his eyes startled, his body bent at the waist. “This experience of human pain,” he said breathlessly. “I didn’t miss it.”
With a deep breath, he straightened up again. His eyes were dark green and full of murder. “Normally, I’d make you die slowly for that, you bastard spawn of Fors.” He spat the name of the god of the north wind, his hatred clear. “But I don’t have all my usual talents in this mortal form. I’ll have to settle for using the powers in this borrowed body.” He whipped his arm back, fire coiling in his palm, but Arcus was faster. He sent a massive beam of frost at Eurus’s chest, which lifted and threw him across the room. Eurus moaned and tried to stand, staring with fury at his uncooperative human legs.
The Minax quivered in reaction to Eurus’s pain, freeing my mind a little. I focused on Eurus. I’d spent most of my fire melting the throne, but I summoned what was left to bathe the god of the east wind in flames.
I threw a quick glance at Kai to make sure he was still safe; a slight movement showed that he was waking. As I turned back, cold fingers wrapped around my wrist, sharp nails digging into my skin. Marella yanked my arm down and punched me, her fist landing on my shoulder as I twisted automatically to avoid the blow. I gasped and staggered, amazed at the strength in her skinny arms.
From the corner of my eye, I saw Eurus attack Arcus with twin blazes that curved together and met in a swirling column. Arcus dodged and countered with ice that knocked Eurus off balance.
“You’re not ruining this for me, Ruby,” Marella snarled near my ear. “You’ve ruined everything else.”
She aimed at my feet, coating them in a layer of ice that crawled up my ankles to my calves. I sent out a pulse of heat to my lower limbs and kicked free, but before I could regain my balance, she’d hit me with a bolt to the stomach, making me double over and fall to my knees.
“You’ll do as you’re told,” Marella said, spraying my bent back with a barrage of ice arrows that cut through the robe and silk tunic. Hot blood welled in the gashes and spilled down my back. “You will cooperate in every way or be gutted like a fish, and I will find some other willing host for the fire Minax. Do you understand?”
“Not sure that Eurus agrees I’m expendable,” I replied, snapping out a whip of flame that caught her around the neck before hissing away.
She gasped and clutched her throat. “I’ll kill you.”
“Try.” I stood and snapped at her with another fire whip that made her stumble back. The Minax reveled in the fight, pushing my conscious thoughts to the fuzzy edges. Elation coursed through me in blissful waves. I could hear Eurus and Arcus brawling several yards away, but my interest in the outcome faded. The scene lost color. Torches flickered white instead of orange. The lava from the melted throne flowed in light gray ribbons toward the corners of the room. I could see Marella’s heart in her chest, a white pulse of energy that begged to be targeted.