Drakon’s claws clicked over the floor as he prowled along the balcony, until we arrived at the wide, curving stairwell that led to the lower level.
I followed him through a vaulted hallway. Windows on my left overlooked the dark, churning sea. To my right, arches opened into the wider marble hall. Stained-glass windows in the panes were decorated with pictures of red flowers, white butterflies, and upside-down torches.
Through the colored panes of glass, I had a view of the sea.
Apparently, Drakon was growing frustrated with my pace, because he began to weave in between my feet, nearly tripping me as I walked.
As I moved farther down the hall, the scent of garlic and roast meat curled into the air, and my mouth watered. If Hazel had known we were headed for more delicious food, maybe she would have come with me.
At last, the arched corridor opened into an enormous stone hall.
There, I found Adonis sitting at a long, oak table near two demons. Tanit stood in a dark alcove, sipping from a silver goblet. She wore a short red dress and shiny thigh-high boots.
At the table near Adonis sat a male demon—this one in a throne-like chair, his feet resting on the tabletop. The demon’s long, black hair flowed over his broad shoulders, and a few delicate green scales lined the tawny skin of his cheekbones and the backs of his hands. His pure-black eyes locked on me.
Light burned from iron lanterns hung high above us, bathing the room in amber. Drakon scurried over to Adonis, crawling into his lap. The Dark Lord stroked his pet’s black, scaly skin.
Here, in his own castle, Adonis seemed a little different—no longer staging the situation to intimidate, no longer seating himself on a dais or in a spiky throne.
Adonis’s gray eyes pierced me, and his wings draped over the sides of his chair. He lifted his chalice. “Ruby. You’ve joined us, fully clothed.” He nodded at the male demon. “May I introduce you to Kur.”
Kur nodded, his inky eyes on me. “You’re the one who woke everyone up last night.” His voice was gruff. “Lucky for you, Adonis informed us we’re not to kill you. Apparently he likes the way you look, and something about saving the world.”
“Sorry. I was just looking for a book,” I muttered.
Tanit examined me through narrowed eyes. “This one is really supposed to defeat the Heavenly Host?”
Adonis nodded at an empty chair next to him, already pulled out. “Join us.”
Servants had laid the table with food—a bowl of apples and herbs, roasted with leeks. Browned chicken legs, covered in a delicate sauce that smelled of garlic and lemon, bread with mint leaves and olives, and salads. It looked very different from the meat-heavy pies I’d had in Kratos’s castle.
I plopped down in the chair, serving myself apples and chicken. “So you all know about this plan, I take it? I’m hoping you’ll fill me in.”
Kur knocked back a long swig from his cup, then wiped the back of his sleeve across his mouth. “Ruby. I assume Adonis has told you of his plans to rule the celestial realm. But what are you hoping to get out of all this? What do you want?”
“Right now, I want this chicken, and then to work my way through the rest of the food. Beyond that, I want things to go back to the way they were. At least, as much as they can. I just want a simple home with my sister, free from demons and angels and everything else that might try to kill us. I want my human friends to be safe.” My gaze slid to Adonis as I cut into the chicken. “I want the horsemen and dragons to leave us alone so normal people can rebuild civilization from the rubble. That’s about it.”
“You want a normal life,” Adonis said quietly.
I helped myself to a bit of wine. “Simple pleasures are the reason that life is worth living, aren’t they? Sunlight, good food, good company. I don’t need to rule the heavens.”
Adonis traced his fingertips over his wineglass. “You sound like a human.”
I shrugged. “Or like a fae. Pleasure is the purpose of our lives.”
Adonis’s eyes flashed. “You might find that a bit empty after a while,” he said. “Or at least you would if you’d lived as long as I have.”
Tanit slowly walked closer, swaying her hips, her dark eyes locked on me. “How much time have you spent among humans?”
I speared another apple in the bowl. “I have more in common with humans than I do with demons or angels. Or even the fae. I just want what we all want—happiness.”
I caught a faint glimmer of a ruby-red drop on Tanit’s lips. I was pretty sure she was drinking blood.
“Happiness,” she hissed.
“Now, how exactly are we going to defeat this Heavenly Host I’ve heard so much about?” I asked.
Adonis leaned closer, his intense eyes piercing me to my marrow. “Here’s the first thing you need to understand, Ruby. You’re not ordinary. You never will be. You’ve spent your life pretending to be a human, hiding your true nature. If you want to defeat the Heavenly Host, you’ll need to stop running from yourself. If you’re divided from yourself, the power of the Old Gods could tear you apart.”
“I don’t even know what that means.” A dark memory flickered in the back of my mind—dragons, ripping Marcus to shreds in front of me. If I’d been a hero like I was supposed to be, why couldn’t I have saved him? My stomach clenched, and I pushed the thoughts away, strangling the life out of them.
I shook my head. “Anyway, I’ve been harnessing their magic already.”
Kur folded his hands behind his head. “Listen, Ruby. Adonis tells me that you’re our only hope. I’ve never known him to be wrong. But if he is, and if you fail, every living creature on earth will probably end up dead, slaughtered by the Heavenly Host. They’ll just kill everything and start again. Earth will become a bone garden. Your fault.”
My mouth went dry. “You guys really suck at pep talks, you know that?”
Chapter 16
“Look,” said Adonis. “Assuming you can handle the power, our task is simple. We need the Stones of Zahar.”
I remembered what I’d seen in the book. “Blue gems by any chance? That form a shield?”
Kur had resorted to simply drinking straight out of a wine bottle, which right now didn’t seem like the worst idea. “Exactly. Only a Bringer of Light can wield them. They’ll help you channel the power of the Old Gods. Your kind are the ancient and powerful enemies of the Heavenly Host. As long as you’re not…divided from yourself or whatever Adonis was talking about. He’s got some abstract sayings.”
I nodded. “Garden of paradise and that kind of thing.” At last, they were filling me in. “I need some concrete specifics. What’s the power like?”
“We don’t have a ton of specifics,” said Kur. “We know in the right hands, the stones can repel the Heavenly Host. They can create a shield of some kind. And you can use them to fight the other horsemen.”
“Okay,” I said. “And where do we get them?”
Tanit smirked. “You’re not the only spy, darling. While you were running around in the woods outside Hotemet Castle, I was discovering the location of the Stones of Zahar.”