Chapter Twenty-Six

THE LAKE WAS sparkling. Today was one of the first days warm enough for swimming this season. In another life she might have spent the day on its shores, bathing in the sun.

Evaria’s house overlooked one of the many islands that stood in the middle, reminding Briar of better days. When she was younger, she used to come on the weekends and haul her friends across the water in her father’s boat. They’d drink beneath the setting sun and sleep on the beach.

She thought she would be more terrified standing there but she was beyond fear. The days leading up to this had drained her of it. All she had left was hatred and resolve.

For either Eliana or herself this was their last day. They would not both walk out of here. Whatever happened, for Briar, it would be over and that calmed her.

Soren finished talking to Evaria, listening to her explanation of the things they’d done to prepare, and stood beside Briar. The smell of pine and snow and fear radiated off him. He drained the air around them of warmth but when she glanced toward him his lips were not blue. Perhaps he was beyond fear as well, no longer holding his magic inside but letting it leave. She didn’t know. She didn’t need to find out.

“Fauna said she loves you so much.”

The words were a knife to her soul. Their last words had been angry, fighting. “Thank you.”

He nodded and they both jumped when Ansel’s voice came from the hallway, bidding farewell to the taxi who had brought him. Its wheels crunched on the gravel in the driveway as it left.

She turned to find the ghost of a man standing before her. He had once been at least half as handsome as his son but now his fae ears poked out of rapidly graying hair and the lines around his mouth and eyes were deep—too deep for a fae of his age. He looked like a man on his deathbed. And he was.

She moved forward and put out a hand. He grasped it, his grip still firm. “Ansel…this is redemption.” It was all she had to offer this man she hated so fiercely. But he was also the father of a man she loved just as fiercely. And his sacrifice was true, his own body to help his son. Though neither of them had any guarantee of survival, he could have ignored it. He volunteered on his own and she would always respect that. She would remember that at the end he’d made the right choice.

But there was still blood on his hands.

Were hers any cleaner?

“Should I hide?” he asked. His voice was soft but it didn’t tremble.

“No.” Briar shook her head, though she wanted to hide as well—to run. To be anywhere but here. The clock ticked, marking the moments until his death. The dagger in her pocket was heavy. “We’ve warded the house. It should block some of her magic.” Her throat was so dry.

The doorbell rang and the air in the room grew thick. No one moved.

Then Evaria broke free of the trance. “Wait quietly,” she said as if they could do anything else. She poured a glass of wine that Briar knew was poisoned. She looked at the pictures of her family lining the wall and forced a smile onto her face. With a final glance at Briar, she headed into the hallway.

Memories flashed through Briar’s mind, each one gone before she could grasp it. Evaria’s dark hair spread on a sheet. The feel of a closet door handle grinding into her back. Hands over mouths, urging silence. Angry phone calls. Flirting texts.

The sound of Jenia’s voice made her stomach turn. Her very bones grew heavy as she slipped the dagger from her pocket and drew a long slash down her arm. Her blood spilled onto the carpet as she whispered the words to the spell.

Nilaja was nearly solid and they locked eyes with Briar before reaching out and grabbing her arm. They brought it to their mouth. Sharp teeth Briar had never noticed pierced her skin. When they pulled away, their chin dripped blood.

Today they looked ready for battle, sharp cheekbones, strong arms. A true view into the heavens, all the beauty the humans could not see. They nodded, their silver eyes blazing as though the moon itself was behind them, then turned toward the doorway.

Evaria was making idle chatter in the hallway. She offered Eliana a drink and Briar heard Bastianna’s voice. She’d hoped she would not show but she had known that dream was unlikely to come to fruition. Would the Goddess realize they were there soon? Could she sense the presence of others? Of another God?

Briar glanced toward Nilaja who held a long finger to their lips and continued soundlessly chanting.

Snow fell around Soren, carpeting the wooden floor. She toed off her shoes, padded across the room as silently as she could, and pressed the dagger into his palm. A tear fell and froze before sliding down his cheek.

The voices stopped only feet away from their room and faded as they headed into Evaria’s personal library across the hall. Some nearly forgotten part of Briar wished she’d had time to look through the books.

It was tortuous waiting for the mixture of herbs and blood they had made in the kitchen to take hold of Eliana—waiting to see if it would work at all. It was made to bind human magic and it was highly illegal. Briar had never even heard of it. Evaria only knew about it from a sting a few weeks ago and she’d had to bribe the police chief to get some of the ingredients.

Briar didn’t ask what she’d offered or what she’d told him it was for. Magic weaved itself around her, coiling up her legs and arms. It pooled in the crook of her neck.

Nilaja reached down and brushed their fingers along Briar’s wrist, sending a shock through her. “I’ll see you through alive,” they whispered so low Briar wondered if she’d spoken the words directly into her mind. “But I cannot promise I’ll be able to protect you from the consequences of what you intend.”

More magic, golden and strong, curled and rested on her until she felt like she was gilded. None of the purples and blues that only seemed to find her in joyous moments spent with Lillia or the reds and oranges she’d found in anger. No, this was her own golden magic, strong and true and pure.

The power caressed her skin, gently warming her, heating the room. Soon, if nothing else, Eliana would notice the glow coming from down the hall. She needed to control it but she made no effort, because it felt good to let it grow, to let it weave and spark around her. She’d never given in to magic like this before. It was intoxicating.

Nilaja looked over at her and smiled and Briar shuddered to think of their power flowing through her, not the echoes of power she felt when Nilaja touched her but their true power, freely given. She could see magic growing in them, the universe in one person. Flowers bloomed at their feet and autumn leaves fell from their hair.

The roar of wind drew Briar’s attention to the lake. The water was no longer calm and glistening; instead, it was churned by waves. Branches groaned, their ends brushing against the house like fingertips.

A crash of a glass.

“Bastianna?” Eliana’s voice was not yet panicked as Briar had expected. “What’s wrong?” She still suspected nothing, certainly not that the witch mayor of Wesvik would dare stand against her.

Then there was a bark of outrage and they all rushed forward as though the noise had summoned them. But Briar could no longer remember if they had a plan at all. All her thoughts vanished, replaced by adrenaline. Nilaja’s hand wrapped around hers and she gasped at the surge of power, the way it slid against her bones.

Eliana’s eyes grew wide at their appearance. “Wait!” she said, and they all obeyed, each of them pausing, though Soren’s fingers tightened around the handle of Briar’s dagger.

Nilaja released Briar’s hand. “Come back, Lynah. Now, please.”

They held up a hand and the air changed in the room, thick and sparkling with magic. Briar could taste it on her tongue. It filled her lungs. She scanned the room, trying to quiet her mind enough to plan what she needed to do. Bastianna was sprawled across a settee, half of her body dangled off it. Was that the intended outcome of the potion or had it been made incorrectly? There was no time to worry about it.

“Nilaja…” Eliana sounded unsure for the first time. “What is this?”

They took a step closer to the half-goddess and she did not seem as powerful, not with the power of Nilaja to compare her to. But Briar knew underestimating her was a mistake, she had enough magic to enact chaos.

“Come home, darling.” Nilaja took another step and Eliana moved faster than a human ever could.

She lashed out, her magic cutting through the air. Invisible claws shredded through Nilaja’s robe and their arm bled—sparkling crimson blood that hissed as it met the air. They looked down at their arm and Eliana lunged, launching Jenia’s body at the Deity.

She froze in midair and Briar’s heart seemed to do the same. Nilaja had a hand up; flames of fury licked at their pupils. They flicked their wrist and Eliana fell to the ground. “Now,” they growled, and the air lost its thickness.

Briar turned to Soren. Half-frozen tears streamed freely down his face, but Ansel stood stoic. He nodded and Briar shook. This could not be happening. Though she had planned it for weeks, it could not be happening.

Eliana pushed herself to her feet and wind whipped at her hair. Nilaja moved, blocking Briar with their body but staying close. “Now!” they said again, through gritted teeth. Their hand twitched, and leaves fell from the ceiling, coating the floor. “I can only slow her. I cannot contain her.”

Eliana flew through the air, sparks of red magic lighting the air around her, and crashed into a bookshelf. The books fell with large thunks, keeping her from rising just as Bastianna started to stir.

“Soren.” Briar turned toward him, heart pounding in her chest. Magic rose inside her, making her skin tighten. She blinked away tears, horrified to ask this of anyone.

“I’m so sorry,” Soren sobbed. “Daddy, I’m so sorry.”

Ansel swallowed hard and nodded.

Briar wanted to scream, to claw her face, to run from the room. To do anything but stand still as Soren raised the dagger in his hand. She could hear Eliana’s grunts and the whistle of Nilaja’s magic moving through the room but she couldn’t look. Bastianna screamed, then was quiet again.

Time seemed to slow. Her body tensed.

To the side of her something exploded.

“Soren!” Nilaja screamed.

And he plunged the dagger into his father’s chest. Blood seeped from the wound; a dark stain grew around the handle embedded in Ansel. For a moment he stood, blood leaking from the corner of his lip. He looked one last time at his son, his face slack, then he fell.

Nilaja’s hand closed around Briar’s shoulder and she remembered why she was there. She grabbed Soren before he could collapse and pulled him toward her chest. His skin was painfully cold, but he was breathing, though his eyes were vacant. Nilaja’s magic filled her, burning through her veins. The magic seeped through her, bringing color back to Soren.

But she was not here to save him. She was here to stop a demon.

She chanted the spell, strange foreign words she knew too well. It was all too easy; the universe had not hidden the spell or its intentions. It was the sacrifice that had held her back all along. The lies of the Gods, still trying to save themselves, as they always had.

Ansel’s body began to glow a ghastly green and gray color that reeked of death. Nilaja tensed as Briar continued to say the words. Her joints hurt, her knees felt like they might give out, she did not have enough magic for this. But the spell continued to pull from her, faster than Nilaja could give. Her eyes were heavy, her ears rang. Nilaja gripped her hand, and their power responded, burning Briar’s palm.

She continued to chant, though the words burned her throat. The little magic she had left started to lash at her body, shredding her from inside, and she fell with the effort of it. Nilaja and Soren came down with her, their hands still pressed into her own.

Nilaja gripped her fingers tighter, then they started to chant too, and their magic whipped through the room. She felt like she was floating, nothing more than a speck of dust, a wisp of cloud. For a moment the pain eased.

Then Eliana cried out and the magic grew, like fire burning from the inside, eating away at her. Eliana’s screams were tinged with words of her own as she tried to fight the magic. Her cries turned to sobs and she screamed like a wounded animal. A blast of air crashed into them, knocking them back, but Nilaja’s grip held strong.

She steadied herself and looked toward Eliana as words she could no longer control ripped through her throat. The Goddess was writhing on the floor, her body the same sick color as Ansel’s. Wiry trails of magic wound their way around her body, spreading out like green veins, then her skin started to change, from the gentle brown of Jenia’s to cadaverous white.

Briar needed to stop, the magic was too much, but it did not ease as it poured in from Nilaja and Soren. She was not made to control so much at once and it was tearing her apart. Blood dripped from her nose. Her skin bubbled. This was nothing like Nilaja’s touch, this was brutal pain, true magic, the magic of change—not the gentle turning of a tide but the way a hurricane pulverized everything in its path.

Life turning to death.

Someone was screaming and she didn’t know if it was her. Her vision grew blurry, but Nilaja’s magic continued to move through her and she could not stop the spell, not as it ripped through Eliana, who still fought against it. The Goddess pulled herself free of the wreckage of the room and clawed at the ground, trying to move toward Briar, blocked only by Ansel’s corpse.

Behind her, Evaria knelt in the corner weeping.

Eliana gouged at the floor, her fingers bleeding and nails broken, leaving a trail of blood.

“More,” Nilaja said and they grabbed Briar, pulling her into their lap. The contact was too much and she tried to pull away but she was too broken, she had no strength left.

Only Soren kept her in this world, his own magic cooling the parts of her body that were burning away. Soothing her blistered skin. But it wasn’t enough. His power was no match for Nilaja even as snow started to fall around them.

And Eliana looked like death itself. Her silver eyes were black, her skin started to flake and crumble.

With a sob, Briar repeated the spell and blood bubbled on her lips. She hurt so badly. She hurt more than she ever had before. Saving Soren was nothing compared to this. That had left her nearly broken but it had only been her magic moving through her body that night.

Now Nilaja’s power shredded her.

She kept saying the spell and a horrible keening noise sounded through the house, loud enough that Evaria covered her ears with her hands. Rays of grotesque green light shot from Eliana and she screamed as Jenia’s body crumbled around her, blood dripping from her eyes, her nose, her mouth.

She collapsed and ash and debris scattered from her, coating the room, covering Bastianna’s barely breathing body. Eliana’s death was unlike anything Briar had ever seen. Her scream continued to echo through the house and off the water long after she had fallen. It swelled inside Briar and her magic shrunk in response.

For a moment she felt relief and ecstatic joy. She had won. She’d overcome Eliana, she’d outwitted and outmaneuvered a God. She had done it.

“I’m so sorry. I hope you can forgive me,” Nilaja said and they raised their free hand. Soren went flying, crashing into the settee Bastianna was slumped across. Nilaja’s grip tightened around Briar’s wrist.

Magic flooded back through Briar, scorching her insides. She started to glow, white and gold, and this had to be what dying felt like. She was burning alive.

Nilaja’s other hand closed around her face, branding her, burning her skin. Their lips started to move, chanting words much more ancient than any spell Briar knew. These were not the spells that resonated inside her. These words forced their way into her mind, filling it with a terrible buzzing.

She couldn’t move, couldn’t run away or pry Nilaja’s fingers from her body. She was frozen, pain lashing at every inch of her inside and out. She would die and she would never see Fauna again. She’d never find out if Lillia loved her.

And Nilaja continued to chant and the glow coming from Briar continued to grow, becoming tangible. It dropped from her, splattering on the floor. Each spot grew, spreading out and filling the house with luminescence. It washed over Ansel’s body and crept toward Evaria, sobbing against the wall.

Each drop brought miniscule relief to Briar, relieving the pressure and pain building inside her. She didn’t understand what was happening, couldn’t find room in her brain to think about anything besides the fact she hurt so much. She was dying.

The Deity tipped their head back. Autumn winds blew through the room, lifting their copper hair, and rays of sunlight shot from them. Briar squeezed her eyes shut, shielding them from the light, and even that hurt. The temperature in the room rose and Evaria’s sobs grew in volume.

Briar tried to pull free from Nilaja but they were a true God and did not yield to Briar’s efforts. She tried to claw at their skin, at the hand gripping her face, but it might as well have been steel that met her nails.

The spell changed and the rhythm of Nilaja’s words increased. The glow behind Briar’s eyelids dimmed and she opened her eyes. The golden magic dripping from her had filled the room, coating everything not living in gold, but Nilaja’s sunlight had dimmed. Their eyes had changed as well, no longer silver but russet gold. Their eyelashes were gilded and they smiled when they noticed Briar looking at them.

Then they collapsed and Briar fell with them. The pain faded, the gold covering the room started to recede, and Soren stirred.

Nilaja pushed themselves up on their arms, their eyes back to silver, but they seemed somehow even more ethereal, even more beautiful than they had been before.

She glanced toward the spot where Eliana had been but all that remained was Jenia’s body, terribly desecrated, skin sloughing off her bones. The air seemed to vibrate, drawing Briar’s attention out of the window and…the lake was changed. The water had a golden hue that had not been there before, seeming to absorb the sunlight and glow with it.

“What did you do?” Briar whispered, though she suspected the answer. The place now had the same feeling as the park, thick with magic. She turned fully to Nilaja but her hand caught her attention. It was flawless; all the tiny scars and wrinkles were gone, and she…she wasn’t sure how to describe it. It wasn’t glowing exactly but there was something inhuman about it. It was too warm, too bright, too perfect. “What did you do?” she repeated.

Nilaja’s eyes were filled with sorrow. Blooms sprouted, then wilted where their skin touched the ground. “We needed to return. And now you will be able to help. So much magic flowed through you, you’re a conduit now.”