I leave her, moving closer to the fire to give her space to deal with the pain. Thal watches me with keen eyes as I take a seat beside him. I don't speak as I take his wet stone and begin sharpening my own blade viciously. I run the rock over the steel quickly, sparks flying. Thal tuts, and I know he'll demand a new wet stone from me later once I've worn this one down to nothing. Slowly, the hissing of metal over stone draws me into a trancelike state. I feel nothing, see nothing but sparks, hear nothing but the sharpening. It's like a lullaby, and I feel my insides relaxing.
“Finally,” Erzur huffs, rising with a pained grimace. I glance up, rhythm faltering as I see Verity wander closer to the fire. “Have you solved it?”
Verity looks at Erzur with mixed emotions playing on her face. Jealousy, anger, and sorrow. She clears her throat. “I found the spell.”
Serus who has been laying in the shadows, slips into the light. “You did?” He asks with surprise.
“I did.” Verity purses her lips at her familiar and I wonder if she’s still angry at him. “But whoever designed it didn’t want anyone else to use the spell—break it or replicate it.”
“So what does that mean?” Thal leans forward, curious.
“It means I need more time to unravel it,” Verity says. She rubs her temples, scrunching her nose. It’s adorable.
“What do you mean, unravel it?” Erzur presses.
Verity sighs. “Picture an enormous, tangled ball of string. Imagine that some strings are glued together. Imagine that it’s filled with impossibly tight knots. That’s the way the spell feels to me. I have to take it apart before I can understand it and replicate it.”
“And how long will that take?” I ask, chest suddenly tight with doubt.
“It could take days,” Verity mumbles. She drops her gaze, looking guilty. “But I’ll work as quickly as I can tomorrow morning.”
Erzur shakes her head. “The Shades won’t hold back for long. I doubt we have days.”
“I’m doing what I can,” Verity snaps.
She presses a hand to her forehead as a look of pain flashes over her face. My gaze cuts towards Erzur. “Don’t pressure her. Verity is well aware of the dangers here and the urgency of our mission.”
“There’s something else,” Verity says suddenly. She narrows her eyes at Sadal. “How did Freia know I’m from the mortal realm?”
Sadal glances up, eyes focusing on Verity as if noticing her for the first time. He chews on a bone from the carcass. “How should I know?” His dark eyes flash. “Freia is clever, I’m sure she would know you aren’t a Fae even without seeing the ears you’re hiding under all that hair.”
“It doesn’t seem right,” Verity starts, looking suspicious.
“Focus on the spell.” I interrupt her. She glowers at me, but I dip my chin, eyes locked on hers to convey a silent message. “Let us monitor the Gods.”
Verity nods after a moment of tension between us. She lays down with her back to me. Serus pads to her side and I see her reach for him and run her hand over his back. He purrs. A corner of my lip quirks up in a wry smile. I take the first watch of the night as the others rest but I can’t get Verity’s words out of my mind. Sadal is laying with his back to me, facing Freia. She’s still awake in her prison, watching us. I narrow my eyes and wonder just how much about the Gods we don’t know.
Chapter 14
Verity
My magic is restless, vibrating around me so powerfully I worry the others will notice. But they're resting now. Altair is focused on the darkness, watching for any signs of danger. I feel more at ease with him watching over us, but the Third Stratum is the deepest part of the Ether—the evilest and darkest. I'm afraid of what might lurk down here. Sadal told us before that Freia frightened almost every living thing here away. I'm beginning to wonder how she managed to do that from inside her prison. The thought makes me shudder.
I don’t want to leave us vulnerable to the Goddess even for a second. I pat Serus on the back, waking him. “Serus,” I whisper.
"What?" His hazel eyes are sharp as if he was never asleep at all.
“Will you help me cast a spell?” I ask tentatively. The last time my familiar and I attempted anything magical together, we ended up bickering. I don’t want a repeat of that.
But Serus seems more forgiving than mortals—or perhaps less petty. He rises, stretching and curling his tail. “What kind of spell?”
"A protection spell to keep us safe throughout the night." I roll onto my stomach.
“To protect us from the creatures in the darkness, or a certain Goddess?” Serus looks at me knowingly.
“Both.” My eyes flick towards Freia.
“I think a rune will be our best option considering our lack of materials,” Serus says.
He sits still while I begin tracing runes experimentally in the sand. I carve two lines into the dirt, connecting them with a diagonal line. A light breeze ruffles my hair as the magic infuses into the ground. I connect a second diagonal line, careful not to disrupt the runes I've already carved. The shapes come slowly but naturally to me. The last form I create is a diamond and I close my eyes while I let the lines streak past the point. I press every hope and wish I have for protection and safety and peace into the last rune. The ground trembles slightly, just enough for me to feel
