“Thal,” I say without breaking her gaze. “Take Sadal near Erzur. Watch him closely.”
“You’re afraid I might pollute your mad little dog?” Freia cocks a brow.
“I brought you here,” Sadal hisses. “Leave me be.”
“Shut up,” Thal says, gripping Sadal’s shoulder tightly. He forces the Dark God away from Freia and I feel a wave of relief knowing that the two Gods can’t conspire against us.
“So, you’re the one in charge, then,” Freia muses. “I wasn’t sure, you know. You don’t really give off that air of authority I’ve come to expect in Fae kings.”
“Sorry to disappoint,” I say.
“And her.” She lifts her chin towards Verity. “Is she your lover? Or perhaps the dark-skinned warrior over there?”
I press my lips into a thin line at Freia's probing. The questions seem innocent enough, but there's a warning voice in the back of my mind. The more this Goddess knows the more danger we are in. "Tell me," I say, intent on changing the subject. "How long have you been imprisoned here?"
“Oh,” she sighs. “So long I can hardly remember the sensation of a cool breeze, or the rain, or why I was trapped here in the first place.”
“What did you do?” I ask, curiosity piqued.
Freia grins. “Something terribly wicked.”
“Altair,” Thal calls.
I turn to him and he lifts a hand, gesturing for me to go to him. I scowl, eyes flicking back to Verity who seems focused on the cage. I don’t like the idea of leaving her alone with Freia. “Go,” Freia says, watching Thal. “I won’t hurt your little witch.”
My frown deepens and I turn my gaze to Verity. “I’ll be right back.”
I’m not sure if Verity heard, enraptured as she is by the spell. I stride towards the others, feeling Freia’s gaze drift away from me like a physical sensation. A shiver trails down my spine. I stomp over the dried earth and it crunches beneath my feet. Thal is crouched beside Erzur, already her skin is looking less ashen and I know she’s healing well. Sadal sits cross-legged nearby, looking bored.
“What?” I snap.
Thal lifts his chin towards Sadal. “The former Dark God has decided to share some information about Freia.”
I eye Sadal and notice a bruise blossoming on his chin. “You hit him?” I look disapprovingly at Thal.
“Only a little.” He shrugs. He pins Sadal with a glare. “Tell him what you told us.”
Sadal sighs, pursing his lips. His black eyes are locked on Sadal, bright with hatred. “Freia, the Goddess of Vengeance as you may have surmised, is a bit of a bitch. She’s also terribly wicked and cruel.”
“I gathered this,” I say.
“The reason she’s locked in the Third Stratum of the Ether, the very deepest depths of it, is because of an unspeakable crime she committed against the God of Light.” Sadal shudders and I suddenly have an awful feeling. "Freia and the God of Light had a short affair, and when she learned he had betrayed her, she was furious. She planned for years how to get her revenge. When it suited her, she killed all of his children in cold blood and placed them throughout his realm like puppets—moving their corpses with strings."
A wave of nausea hits me, roiling my stomach. I look over my shoulder towards the beautiful woman, dressed angelically in the cobweb cage. She lifts her fingers in a small, flirtatious wave. My blood has run cold with fear and trepidation. I don’t want any of us around her for more than is necessary—especially not Verity. A Goddess like Freia could find many uses for a witch.
“It makes you wonder if Sadal was truly deserving of his title,” Thal murmurs.
Sadal bristles. “Wickedness comes in many forms. Consider the fact that I got to keep her as one of my trophies. She was mine. Still is.”
Chapter 12
Verity
I circle the cage, staring at the iridescent, gossamer tendrils. Altair sits a few paces away, cross-legged on the ground with his arms folded over his chest. He glowers at Freia suspiciously while I work. Warmth and happiness spreads through my chest at his silent vigil. I smile wryly to myself. I don’t think it’s necessary, but it’s a nice gesture from a man who has given me very little to demonstrate he still has any sort of affection for me.
My gaze wanders towards the make-shift camp the others have set up. A fire is burning, and Erzur is laid out next to it, warming herself. From here, I can see that the purple bruising around her eye has faded somewhat. Thal sits between Erzur and Sadal, sharpening his blade. His green eyes stray towards Sadal from time to time, as if ensuring he hasn’t wandered off.
“Pay attention,” Serus hisses, batting at me with a paw.
I eye him irritably but turn back to the prison. The spell is complex, more so than any I’ve ever seen. But the first Bloodbane warned me it would be. It’s even more challenging because touching it, feeling the magic, stings me. I brush my fingers over the bottom of the enchanted prison and grimace. It feels like painful thorns are digging into my fingertips, though no blood pools on my hands. I try to push past the spell that causes pain and to the foundational enchantment.
The spell is elusive as if it doesn't want me to understand it. I clench my eyes closed, biting my lip as I search for it, chasing the magic. My brain throbs with the effort. I hiss, loosing a long breath through my teeth and falling back from the cage. The pain in my fingers ebbs, but the headache remains.
“What are you doing?” Serus asks. “Continue.”
“It hurts,” I sigh, rubbing my temples.
“Being ripped apart by the Shades will be even
