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Sila nodded. “Not yet.”
Shifting her gaze back to Jussal, Thessa asked, “What have you offered him?”
He rubbed his forehead. “So far, we’ve snared some rodents and river trout. He’s not interested in either.”
“Well, try something else,” Thessa snapped at him.
“We’re working on it,” Sila said softly.
Eyes still fixed on Jussal, Thessa asked, “Howmanydid we lose?”
Jussal sighed, “The numbers aren’t for certain, somewhere between 170 and 180 are unaccounted for, but I can assure you the Elemental Army lost more.”
It didn’t make her feel better. “And children?”
“None harmed.”
Thessa let out a breath. “What are we going to do about him?”
“We wait,” Jussal said, as if his son wasn’t trapped.As ifit weren’t every bit his fault for cursing Soren with this burden. “For now, there are things that need to be settled, and you’re the only one who can do it.”
Thessa snarled at the founder of the southern rebellion. He may be reformed, but his heart was made of stone. “You don’t have to tell me. Where’smyhorse?”
“Thessa, let’s get you fed first,” Sila offered.
The haze threatened to take over her head again. Thessa spotted her boots and moved to slide them on. “I’m not hungry,” she muttered, and stomped out of the tent.
51
LECTURE NOTES FROM SPELLCASTING AND CURATION:
Only a Supreme’s blood is pure enough to perform the Blood Sacrifice. The release of undiluted power is so grand, it can be cast across the land—in exchange for their life.
Thessa rubbed her eyes dry, repressed the pain that was deep inside her chest, and rode Hades back to the Central Divinity.
Rain had fallen all evening, washing away most of the blood from the streets. However, it’d done nothing for the rotting corpses. The reek of decay lingered in her nostrils as she approached the iron gates.
Her magic swelled around her in a thick, shadowy sphere, having regained its vigor overnight. The row of guards securing the gates didn’t attack Thessa, learning the hard way that their powers were useless against hers.
“I’ve come to speak with your Supremes,” she shouted. “And I believe now they will listen.”
The guards eyed each other before one stepped forward. “If it’s a message you wish to share, I will share it.” Her white hair and soft features reminded her of Ivy.
Thessa reached into her saddlebag, retrieving the agreement she’d configured and shook it in her hand.The female guard approached, snatching the parchment faster than necessary.
“I’ll wait,” Thessa said, then watched the witch scurry down the courtyard and into the Central Divinity.
Putting on a mask was easier than settling into despair. Here, anyway. She stroked Hades’ mane for comfort.
“Are you going to summon an army of insects and serpents this time?” A soldier barked the question.
“Do I need to?” she countered, nostrils flaring.
The soldier stayed silent.
There’d been no winner in their battle. There was no victory in so many needless deaths. Killing their Supreme was a long-standing message—their lies would no longer be tolerated, and her kind were here to stay.
It’ll be that, or chaos.