I shook my head, storming right past Yael, hitting him hard in the shoulder as I went. It hurt the way you’d expect bashing your shoulder into a boulder to hurt, but I didn’t just have plenty of experience in feeling pain … I also had a decent amount of experience in stalking away from people angrily. I was in familiar and comfortable territory—or at least I had been, until the sky started to darken, drawing tight and heavy, the clouds swelling as night-time accelerated across the horizon. I stopped walking, my head drawn back, panic building somewhere at the base of my spine.
“What the actual f—” the words were barely even out of my mouth before the Abcurses were suddenly all around me.
They were standing in a circle, their backs to me, and they were completely ignoring the doomsday sky, peering around us at the land instead.
“Which god did you stab, dweller?” Rome growled, his eyes roving over the slope of a nearby hill. He was turned just enough for me to see half of his face.
“I didn’t catch his name,” I replied automatically.
I found myself drawing closer to Rome, even though he appeared to be pissed at me. I couldn’t help it. His was the broadest back. My shoulder bumped against his spine and his arm suddenly twisted around, pulling me fully into him. I pressed my forehead to his shirt, keeping my hands tucked beneath my chin and my eyes closed.
“Please don’t let me die right now,” I started whispering, as the world darkened further, the ground starting to rumble beneath our feet. “I’m not ready to die, yet. I still don’t know how to cook, and I’d like to punch someone in the face not by accident. Just once.”
“Shh,” Aros interrupted. He was standing beside Rome, evidently close enough to hear my panicked prayers. “You stabbed one of them. They aren’t going to do what you say just because you ask nicely.”
“They’re not here for her,” Yael spoke up, his words dark. “Trickery? You would know better than us … is it D.O.D.?”
“No. It’s not a trick.” Siret seemed to be speaking through clenched teeth. “He has no idea we stole the cup.”
“Show yourself!” Coen suddenly shouted, his voice carrying all the way to the cluster of trees we had left behind, almost seeming to shake their leaves.
From the darkness caused by the stormy sky and the shelter of the short forest, a man suddenly materialised, walking toward us. He was cloaked in a blood-red robe which swept over the ground, collecting sticks and dust as he swooped in toward us.
“Rau.” A collective growl announced the name from five different directions. I could even feel the name as it vibrated the entire way through Rome’s body.
“What’s with the nightmare illusion, Rau? What do you want?” Yael demanded, stepping away from the circle.
I craned my head away from Rome, trying to see the man better. It was difficult, because as soon as Yael moved, so did the others. They tightened the circle around me, Aros and Coen spinning around to face the man called Rau, though Coen still had one eye on the rolling hills behind us.
“It’s not an illusion,” Rau answered, his voice oddly high-pitched for his imposing stature. It made him sound more than a little unhinged, as though he would break out into a maniacal laugh at any moment. “It’s just a bit of fun. Who are you hiding back there?”
“Coen’s current plaything. He seems to like this one so we’re trying not to scare her off.”
“I thought fear was a big part of Coen’s playtime.” This time, Rau did laugh manically.
I shivered, huddling back into Rome. I was pretty sure that Rau was a god, since he was wearing one of those flowing, coloured robes, and he would have been considered massive, standing next to a normal sol. He just looked average standing next to Yael. Either way, I didn’t want to look anymore. I didn’t even care that they were making me sound like a dim-witted, dweller toy. I just wanted the sky to go back to normal and for Rau to stop talking because his voice was creepy as hell.
“Let’s get to the point where you tell us why you’re here,” Rome said, probably well aware of the way I was trembling against his back.
“I think you all know why I’m here,” Rau shot back, his laugh fading away. “There hasn’t been another Chaos god in hundreds of life-cycles. Whenever one gets close, Staviti finds a way to kill them. I need someone to help me. Someone who has access to Blesswood. Someone to find the Chaos student and protect them until they finally reach the threshold of power. After that, they are free to die. Staviti can kill them all he likes. It won’t stop them from joining me.”
“Tiny problem with this plan,” Yael replied, a smirk in his voice. “We don’t really want another Chaos. I mean, no offence, Rau, but it’s pretty fucking exhausting.”
The god’s already dark features hit black-out level then. I counted my loud heartbeat as I waited for whatever horrible thing was about to come from his fury.
One … two … three … four …