Vanquished Gods (Hallowed Games #2)

Chapter 2

CHAPTER 2

A fter the previous day’s dramatic berry-picking mission, breakfast almost filled my empty stomach—a strawberry pie with an acorn crust.

I sipped a cup of tea by the hearth, mentally planning out my day. It would start with searching for a new cottage, if I could find one. And while I was at it, I’d hunt with my new spear. Apparently, just like every day, today would revolve around trying to eat.

My clothes hung drying by the fire, and wood shavings littered the ground by my feet. I was wearing a ridiculous outfit—Godric’s linen undershirt, which hung down past my knees, with a mismatched pair of socks: one from Godric with a diamond pattern, and one from Hugo with stripes. Both were eaten through with holes.

Leo looked at me plaintively. “Can I at least go outside to explore? Yesterday, I found a hedgehog, and he was very, very still. I thought he was dead at first, and then I saw a little twitching nose. I named him Archibald.”

“They curl up into a ball or play dead when they’re threatened,” I said.

“He was so cute,” said Leo. “I want to find more today. Maybe we could have a hedgehog pet? Do you think they’d ever relax around us and stop playing dead?”

I arched an eyebrow. “You’re staying here, my darling, where it’s safe. But you can help Hugo and Godric tidy up. And all our socks need darning. I’m going out to look for a new house, if I can find one. Or if not, we’ll have to build one.”

Leo frowned at me. “Why do we need a new cottage? We just planted the vegetable garden here.”

“Because the vampires know where we are, and they’ve already threatened us once. We can plant a new garden.”

He held my gaze. “Or there’s the castle option.”

“When we find a new cottage, you can go outside. We’ll plant a new garden. But just sit tight for now. Godric and Hugo will keep you safe. Keep the door barricaded while I’m out.”

Godric sat by a window, braiding his long hair. “And what if you run into a vampire again while you’re out there?”

“I’ve carved myself a spear to slow him down, and then all it takes is a little necklace theft to end his life for good. Remember that if one comes to the door. Injure him, then rip the necklace off. One of you push him out into the sun, the other one cover Leo’s eyes so he doesn’t see it.”

Leo worried at his tooth with his tongue. “Elowen! I think I’m about to lose this one.”

“Put it under your pillow, and you’ll get a penny.” The words were out of my mouth before I realized I didn’t have a penny. “Or a very special acorn.”

A shudder ran through me, thinking of the way that vampire had stared at the blood drop on my fingertip. All it would take was Leo losing a tooth for a vampire to lose control around him.

Maelor had managed to display remarkable restraint in Ruefield—well, until he’d snapped.

At the door, I cast a long look around the cottage, my stomach tensing. Given the way Hugo was dreamily making a flower crown and Godric was plaiting his hair, those two didn’t look like much of a force. But they were both former soldiers, and we had the advantage of sunlight here.

Thanks, Maelor, for telling me that vampire-killing trick.

As I pushed open the door, I glanced down at my absurd outfit, the mismatched stockings hanging loose beneath the tunic.

Whatever. It wasn’t like I was going to see anyone out here in the depths of the Thornwood.

As I walked through the woods, I inhaled the earthy spring air. Sunlight streamed through the trees, dappling the mossy earth with flecks of gold.

Sion seemed desperate for me to join his kingdom, working all angles at this point. The jovial letters from Lydia extolling the luxury of Gwethel. The threats against Leo, delivered by his messenger just yesterday—as if that would make me better convinced that Leo would be safe there.

My mind roiled with anger as I walked deeper into the forest. First, the Baron used Leo to control me, then the Pater. And now, Sion knew exactly where to strike where I was most vulnerable.

My fingers tightened around the spear, and I scanned the spaces between the trees, looking for any clearings or signs of cabins in the woods.

The war-ravaged years of the Harrowing had left remote houses abandoned after their owners had died on the battlefields. Harrowing Houses , they called them. We just had to find a new one.

I walked closer to the river that carved through the forest, picking up my pace. Tension made my heart race at the thought of moving so far away from Leo.

As I walked, my foot cracked a log hidden beneath a blanket of moss. Immediately, a sharp pain pierced my ankle like a pin piercing my skin—then another, and another. I stumbled backward, my pulse racing as the forest around me erupted with buzzing chaos. I’d stepped on a bloody beehive, and they surged through the air around me, humming around my face.

Bollocks.

I broke into a run, my feet snapping over twigs, branches whipping at my face as the bees swarmed around my head. I sprinted straight for the river.

I felt the stinging welts rise on my skin all around my legs and ankles—until at last, I reached the rushing stream that carved through the forest. I leapt, plunging in, and its chilly waters enveloped me. The cool water soothed my smarting beestings. Somehow, I’d managed to keep my spear with me, and I swam with it under the water.

I kicked my legs, putting some distance between myself and the bees.

Finally, as my lungs started to burn, I came up for air, dragging myself onto the riverbank. I dropped the spear next to me. On my hands and knees, I gasped for breath.

Mercifully, I didn’t hear a single buzzing bee. As I caught my breath, my fingernails dug into the dirt, and I filled my lungs.

My little house-hunting mission was going wonderfully so far.

And it only got worse as I realized I was now staring at a pair of black boots. The tip of a sword flashed beneath my chin, and my heart skipped a beat.

Gently, the sword nudged my chin upward.

I looked up to find myself staring into Sion’s golden eyes.

“Elowen. I thought I smelled you.”

“Is that an insult?”

“In your case, no.” The tip of his sword rose, ever so gently nudging my chin to look at him.

He was leaving me down there on my knees.

I’d forgotten exactly how big he was—twice my size and pure muscle.

Golden eyes stared down at me, narrowing. “I’m looking for my seneschal, who just disappeared from our castle. Vanished. By any chance, have you seen a large, blond vampire? Bran Velenus?”

I glanced at his sword that still rested beneath my chin, and it glinted under the sparks of light that streamed through the trees. “No idea who that is.”

“Regent of Gwethel in my absence. I have spent many years away from my kingdom. And when I returned, he became my seneschal. He’s also one of my oldest friends, but he left my castle without telling me where he was going.”

My throat tightened. Sion had friends? “Why would I have seen him?”

“I have no idea, but maybe he came round to see you…you know, your heart is racing, almost like you’re scared of telling the truth. Tell me, Elowen, is that fear or lust making your heart pound? I suppose when I’m around, both seem plausible.”

“Maybe my heart is racing because there’s a vampire pointing a sword at my throat.”

“So, lust then. I thought so.”

My jaw clenched. “Are you going to lower your sword?”

“Hmm. I must confess, I do usually enjoy a beautiful woman on her hands and knees before me, soaking wet, but this particular scenario isn’t exactly the way I like it.”

“Do you have any idea how much I hate you?”

He narrowed his eyes, but slowly, he lowered his sword. “So, Bran never came to see you?”

Slowly, I stood, gripping my spear. “No.”

Sion’s gaze swept down my body. And as it did, I looked at myself. Godric’s undershirt clung to me, nearly transparent. One of the mismatched socks has fallen to my ankle. My cheeks flushed, and I found my arms folding in front of my chest.

“Your letters said you were doing well and leading a normal life here. Why, then, are you swimming half naked in a river, dressed like a raggedy, scavenging urchin?”

Because I was, in fact, a raggedy, scavenging urchin.

I lifted my chin. “This is actually how people dress in the forest. It’s in fashion here.”

Amusement glinted in his eyes. “The gutter-waif look is popular, is it?”

“I do hope you’ll leave us alone now.” Gripping the stick, I took a step back from him. “Because I don’t know where your friend is, and I’m not going to Donn Hall.”

“Our oracle told us that the Order would find you soon if we didn’t intervene. I have no idea why she thinks you’re so bloody important, but she does, and every single vampire in Donn Hall believes every word out of her mouth. Including me. She’s never been wrong before. It seems the forest-dwelling gutter-waif is the answer to everything. If the gods existed, I’d say they had a fucked-up sense of humor.”

“So, I’m supposed to believe in this oracle, who you could be entirely lying about.”

Sion quirked an eyebrow. “She’s always right. Without our help, you and Leo will be in the Order’s dungeons soon. As usual, you are making the worst possible decisions.”

I glared at him. “What other bad decisions have I made?”

“I don’t know, maybe that time you tried to murder me, even though I was on your side?”

I raised my eyebrows. “Well, I didn’t murder you, did I?”

“Not for lack of trying, witch.” Sion glanced down at my homemade spear. “Oh, look. You’re holding a twig. Are you going to stab me with that again? Time to get your stuff together, Elowen. You can’t protect Leo fighting the Order with pointy sticks, dressed like a vagabond jester from your squalid forest hovel.”

“Hugo told me that vampires are incredibly charming. Is that just a myth, then?”

He shrugged. “There are some absolute lunatics who are immune to my charm, I concede. But even if you’re too mentally far gone to understand my allure?—”

“You’ve got to be kidding me.”

“—I do think you’re clever enough to understand that at some point, you need to join forces with an army greater than just yourself. How long will you really survive out here with those two geniuses you live with, anyway?”

I could envision what the future would be like with him. “No. You’ll try to domineer every decision I make, using my powers for your own purposes. I’m not going to Gwethel. And just to be clear, the problem, specifically, is you, as a person.”

His lips quirked. “Of course, how could you leave all this behind?” he continued, completely ignoring my insult on his character. “Why leave a shanty hut with two idiots in the woods to live in a castle? You look half starved, you know. Let me guess. You don’t have enough to eat, so you’ve been giving your food to Leo?”

“And what do vampires know about proper meals? You really want me to believe that a ten-year-old boy will be safest in a castle full of people who survive by drinking human blood, and who are ruled by the monster who killed my father?”

He sheathed his sword and took a step closer. His golden eyes gleamed, piercing me. Such a warm color, and yet his expression was ice-cold. “You would be safest among those who could protect you, and my kingdom needs to see that I have their Underworld Queen safe. Their symbol of resistance.”

A chill rippled over my skin. “ Underworld Queen ? What are you talking about?”

“The Oracle.” He closed the distance between us, his eyes narrowing. “I suppose it was expecting too much of you to actually read the letters I sent.”

“How long, exactly, have you all known about this prophecy?” My stomach twisted. “Did Maelor know as well?”

He sighed. “Yes, he knew. Fine, let’s start from the beginning, then, shall we? In Gwethel, we consult an oracle known as the Keeper of Relics. Before your trials began, the Keeper of Relics told us that only one person could take down the Pater. She said we needed to look for a woman known as the Underworld Queen. A woman with a deadly touch. We thought that might be you. Maelor contrived to run into you once or twice. Then, you were captured in the trials, and we had to keep you alive without blowing our cover. It really wasn’t easy, you know, but you must have wondered why he fought so hard to keep you alive.”

My jaw dropped. “That’s why he kept me alive? And brought me to his room, kept saving me? It was just because of an oracle from a vampire island?”

“This feels like some kind of emotional situation I really don’t give a fuck about, but let’s focus on the important thing, which is that apparently, you are needed to kill the Pater. The Keeper of Relics is unhinged, but unfortunately, she’s always right. She said the Underworld Queen kills with her touch. That’s you. Looks like we’re stuck together, even if you did shove a fucking stake into my heart and you dress like a slatternly clown.”

“Great, well, the answer is…absolutely not. I’m going to stay here and lead a normal life.”

“ A normal life .” His lips curled in a mocking smile. “Sure, you’re doing a bang-up job of that.”

“I’m staying with Leo. And if you think I’d ever trust the man who killed my father to keep either of us safe, you must be out of your mind.”

“I did what I had to then, and I will do what I have to now. And I’d rather you didn’t end up like your father?—”

My fist flew at his face before I could stop myself, but of course, he caught it in his hand, not even flinching. His grip felt crushing.

“Now, now. There’s really no point in fighting me, Elowen. You might be the Underworld Queen, but I am faster and stronger than you, and I could end your life, quick as the beating of a dragonfly’s wings.” He dropped my fist. “You’ll join us eventually.”

As his dark magic whispered over me, I glared at him.

Over my dead body.