Calista lifts her chin, then runs her hands down to her hips, my eyes following the trail. “Ari has Essentria’s ethereal magic.”
“How do I know you are not lying?” I lean closer, then hiss, “With that venomous tongue of yours.”
The sound of her teeth grinding gruel in my ears. “You don’t, but are you willing to take that chance?”
I bite my tongue, then grab her wrist. “Have it your way. You’re staying with me until I know which sister to kill.”
The boy races to her side, like the good lap dog he is. “Let her go.”
“Speak again, and I’ll tear your tongue out.”
“Drake, back off,” Calista snaps, harsher than expected, quenching the murderous thirst toward the traitor. “I want to go so shut up and come with us or stay here.”
“You’re taking his side?”
“He is a god!” Calista shouts. “An asshole, yes, but he can actually save her.”
She’s chastising him? Shock roots me to the spot, and I release my grip on her, then clear my throat. “I’m going to the temple.”
“Alone?” Calista asks slowly, disappointment etching in her face.
“Keep up,” I say and walk into the forest ahead of her. “Or I’ll leave you behind.”
I pause by a tall, narrow graywar tree, the scent of lavender perfume lingering over the bark, the same smell left in the trees after she snatched the sister right under my nose.
I’ve watched mortals die in the most imaginative of ways over centuries, but Dephina’s will be spectacular. They must have headed to my temple. There are altars there from when those who inhabited this island performed human sacrifices.
“Why did we sto—”
“Quiet,” I command, then close my eyes. First, I must make sure.
The island is a blur as I sift through animals on Tenenocti, scrying into their minds, temporarily melding with them. I observe the wilds of the forest through the perspective of a viper, silently maneuvering through the foliage in search of its next meal. My mind links with the creature, then another, but the viewpoint is too limited.
My magic surges, flying me high into the sky as my consciousness connects with a crow. I witness the sprawling labyrinth of tangled vines and towering foliage, concealing the remnants of a society long gone. In the distance, I spot one of the sacrifices walking into a building on the east of the island, far from us. However, it is not the sister.
After several minutes of circling, I command my powers back to the island, and my mind melds with a spider, skittering across intricate, rain-stricken webs spun between ancient ruins. Weathered by the passing of time, crumbling stone structures stand tall, reminiscent of a time I can barely remember, but that remains entrenched in heartache and regret.
After searching, glimpsing visions of the inside of the temple in search of Arabella or the elders, I retreat and open my eyes, back in my body.
“What was that?” the boy asks, remaining quiet until now. His hand remains on the dagger on his belt, as if it’d do any good.
“Animal scrying,” Calista answers before I can. If I wasn’t so focused, so angry, I’d praise her observational skills. She turns to me. “Did you find them?”
“No.”
“Did you check the temple?”
“Only a few rooms. The perspectives of animals are limited,” I explain.
“Well, try again, and this time focus on the rooms she could hide in.”
“It doesn’t work like that,” I bite out. “Do you have any idea how long it would take me to find her through the eyes of a spider? Days, Poison. The temple has many rooms. There is still a strong chance they’re there.”
Cali huffs at the condescension in my tone and brings her hand to her throat, grazing a finger over her clavicle. “Let us not waste more time, then.”
A wave of panic ripples around us, but Calista is oblivious. Footsteps pound in my ears, and I whip my head to the left.
“Someone is running in our direction.”
Darkness seeps into my hands, my power vibrating through my body as I prepare for the chase. As the girl comes into view, her brown eyes widen when she sees us.
Calista’s touch jolts electricity through me, as her fingers entwine around my wrist. “It’s Elenore,” she states. “Whatever you are considering doing, don’t.”
The girl runs to Calista, tears streaming down her face, twigs and skeletal leaves sticking out of her curls. I breathe in the scent of blood, and my eyes trickle to the girl’s stomach, and the dark crimson seeping through her robes.
The girl looks me up and down, and my nostrils flare at her tears. “Help me,” she pleads, then crumples to the ground.
The boy reaches the girl, then drops to his knees beside her. She lies on the ground, grasping at her stomach.
“Who hurt you?” I boom. “Was it an elder? Tell me!”
The traitor covers the girl with his arms, as if to shield her from me.
Rage splits through every pore as I glare at him, wondering if I could gauge his eyes from his face before my touch turned him to ash. My sudden interest must have been apparent on my face, because he quickly averts his eyes.
Calista frowns. “Leave her alone. She’s dying!”
“That’s what people do, Poison.” I force my way to their side. “Who stabbed you, girl?”
