“That’s where you’re wrong,” she bit out. “Love is a fickle emotion. You humans give and take it so easily. But fear, fear is eternal worship. It’s forever.”
Cyrene laughed. “Hardly.”
“You never stood a chance,” Malysa gloated. “No one else really did. Not after I killed off most of the magical bloodlines.”
“All these years, and you’re still upset that your sister found love and had children, and you didn’t.”
“You have no idea what you’re talking about!”
“Actually, I think I do. Vera showed me exactly what happened.” Cyrene lowered her voice, hoping to reason with her. “What those men tried to do was awful, horrible. But it doesn’t justify all of this.”
But Malysa just let out a laugh and then another. And then her madness shone through. “You think that I do this because a bunch of little boys tried to take my body? They deserved the end I gave them. But Benetta knows that is not why I do this. I do this because she dared to bring magic into this realm. She dared to defile our claim as goddesses. We were meant to rule. It is not my fault if little Benny was duped by a human boy with dimples.”
“And now, you want to kill everyone with Doma magic and, what? Infect them all with blood magic, so they’re subject to you?”
“I want to set up a new society in my image. Start over as it should have been,” Malysa said, lost in her own insane ideals. “The righteous and powerful will rule all. You just aren’t powerful enough to stop me.”
“I think that I am,” she countered, taking that last step toward Malysa. Making it appear that she was just disagreeing with her while she got as close as she dared.
Malysa shook her head. “A full-blooded Doma? Hardly. And now, you have brought all the magical people of this world together for me. I didn’t even have to lift a finger. I can wipe them all out in one fell swoop, and you can watch.”
“That will never happen. You’ll lose,” Cyrene assured her.
“Oh, my little Domina,” Malysa said, using her title like an insult. “No, I won’t.”
Cyrene took that moment and lunged for Fenix. All she had to do was grab him, and they could be gone. Her fingers brushed his sleeve, but then a shield appeared out of nowhere. Cyrene bounced off of it, her path to Fenix gone. Obliterated. She used her magic to break it down, but it was too late. Malysa had seen that she was just getting her to talk so that she could get to Fenix.
Malysa shook her head. The humor gone. Replaced by the evil goddess bent on destruction. “Just for that.”
Then she used her magic to push Fenix. He gasped and windmilling his arms before he plummeted into the Voldere pit.
“No!” she shrieked.
Without a second thought, she dove into the pit after him. The Voldere was fast, and it was already upon Fenix when she got to him. She brandished a sword of flames and brought it down onto the leathery claw that sank into Fenix’s gut.
The flames broke through the wrist, severing it from his body. The Voldere screamed and whirled on her.
“Enough!” Malysa cried from far above.
But Cyrene was now engaged with the creature.
And it had realized she was much more interesting than Fenix.
It came for her, using that razor-sharp intelligence and even deadlier talons to push her back into a corner. She fought with all the magic at her disposal. But it didn’t seem to matter. Air didn’t knock it over. Water didn’t seem to have any effect. And it could fly to avoid her earth magic. Only flames worked but not to burn. The thickness of its skin seemed immune to the flames, just like dragon scales. But she could still kill it. And she knew from the last fight that decapitation worked.
You are a different type of treat, the thing spoke into her mind.
She shuddered at the slimy black taint that seemed to come from that touch. It was like talking to Sarielle but twisted and damaged.
“I am no treat. I am the Domina. And your kind should never have existed.”
He cocked a dangerous smile. Neither should yours.
Then he flew toward her. He kicked at her, twisting something in her knee. So she had to duck and roll under him, bringing her flames toward his talons, but he dodged the attack. The tip of his claws ran along her back. She could feel it burn through her as if she were on fire. But she didn’t stop.
Instead, she plummeted into her energy well. And, just as the thing dove for her again, she blasted it in the face with her spirit magic.
This time, the Voldere went flying, slamming into the far wall with a crunch.
She limped forward with all the bravado she could manage. But, in the span of a few seconds, the Voldere had recovered and began to walk toward her.
She faltered for one second.
Made it see the weakness in her leg very clearly.
I would like to kill this one slowly, it said to her.
“The feeling is mutual,” she barked, enhancing her limp.
The Voldere kicked off, doing exactly what she had hoped it would do, throwing its body weight into her injured side. But she had signaled that for a reason. She spun on that leg, sprinted twice, and then jumped, using her air magic to propel her off the ground. She twisted in midair and brought the flaming sword up to its neck. It dug in deep but not all the way through.
The Voldere crashed backward into the sand and bones. Cyrene was thrown back a step or two. Her flames extinguishing. Her injured back took most of the impact. She groaned as she slowly came to her feet.
She looked up at Malysa as she hobbled toward the Voldere, whose head hung halfway off. She reignited her sword, letting the flames bathe her in light, and severed the beast’s head.
Malysa held her gaze for a moment. “You will regret that.”
Cyrene ignored her and sprinted for Fenix. Blood gurgled out of his mouth. And his eyes were half-open, staring up at her.
“I’m…sorry,” he gasped out.
“You don’t have to apologize. I came for Rhea. She begged me to get you out of here. I’m going to get you out. I swear it.”
“Don’t…worry. Just…get…to her. She…needs…you.”
“I won’t leave you,” Cyrene whispered.
“Tell her…I love her.”
“No, you’ll tell her,” she gasped. “You will.”
Tears ran down her cheeks. She had no knowledge of healing. Had no idea how it would even work. Her body healed on its own so quickly. She’d need someone else for something this advanced. The claw was still in his stomach. Her hands hovered over it. She had no idea if she should take it out or not.
“He will be dead within minutes,” Malysa taunted. “As will you.”
Cyrene felt Malysa’s influence within her body. Felt her reach for that place where her blood magic resided. That dark, empty place she had gone to after Maelia died. The place that she had filled with light and let the diamond strengthen.
But…Malysa didn’t know that.
She gasped as loud as she could manage. “Oh Creator, no!”
She shook as if she were trying to stop the blood magic from taking over. She fell to her knee, letting her hand dig back into that pocket where Merrick had found the first coin.
“You will die for killing my favorite beast. And I will bring your head to the first battle as I wipe out your friends one by one just for fun,” Malysa spat. “You were never immune to me. I’ve always controlled you completely. So long as you have blood magic in your veins, you are mine.”