Malevolenci Page 19

  Isis was crying. “How are we going to fix this?”

  He had no answer, so he held her tight and continued to watch their world fall apart.

  He looked up as Isis walked around the cracked ruins of their home to join him. Despite the soot covering her from the blowing wind, his breath caught in his chest at the sight of her beauty.

  “Janus!” She swept black curls from her face to smile up at him. “Did you hear? Hades has plans to create new breeds of labor animals for us. He thinks if we train them properly, they can haul away this rubble.” She looked around at the destroyed homes. “I mean, our magic isn’t strong enough to let us snap our fingers and clean up anymore, but pack animals should help.”

  He tried to hide his disappointment in her. “Hades is using magic to create again?”

  She leaned on a chunk of fallen ceiling. “Well, we have to do something. We need to be smart about how we use our remaining magic. Creating animals to help us is smart.”

  “Smart?” he snapped. “You think Hades’s plans are smart?”

  She made a face. “Come on, beloved. Our world is dying. We have to do something to save it. Hades’s plan is…drastic, I’ll admit. But it could work.”

  “He wants to drain the alt-worlds of magic, Isis. Replenishing our magic like that might restore our world, but it would destroy the alt-worlds. It would kill everything and everyone we’ve created.”

  She can’t honestly think this is justifiable.

  Isis blinked at him. “The alt-worlds only exist because we made them. You’d rather the alt-worlds thrive while our home shrivels and dies? That’s…treachery.”

  “And it’s not treachery to betray the thousands of worlds and billions of people we’ve created?”

  “I’m loyal to my own.” Her eyes narrowed. “At our assembly in the pavilion, most of the creators sided with Hades.”

  This Janus knew, and it was a large contributor to his apprehension.

  “But Horus and Ares raged against Hades’s proposal,” she continued. “After the assembly, I heard Ares say he’s gathering anyone willing to stand against us. I told Hades what he said even though I thought Ares was being ridiculous, but Hades said we might have to fight the dissenters. Anubis agreed we’d have to defend ourselves against traitors who’d stop us.”

  Janus held eye contact, his heart racing as he knew she was putting things together. A hot volcanic breeze blew into the space that had once been their home, swirling a cloud of dust across the floor.

  “Beloved, are you with Horus and Ares? Please, tell me you’re not a traitor.”

  “What you’re planning is wrong, Isis. I won’t be part of it.”

  Her nostrils flared. “Well, I won’t be part of your rebellion! This world is our home. We’re gods, and our home is dying. I will always side with this world over our silly creations.”

  Before he could say anything, Isis walked out of their ruins and hurried over the cracked street toward the pavilion. Janus wasn’t sure what he would say even if she turned back.

  The caves below the pavilion were dark, dusty, and silent. Once they’d held shelves of Bacchus’s finest wine, but all that had fallen apart when the earthquake hit. Now, Hades and his followers used these caves to imprison rebels.

  In the darkness, Janus adjusted the shackles on his wrists and leaned against the stone wall.

  They’re doing it right now. Isis and the others are using the Pyramid to suck magic from an alt-world.

  A woman cried somewhere deeper in the cave.

  Poor Aphrodite. I heard Hades selected her sea world to drain first.

  “What are we going to do?” asked Vulcan from somewhere near Aphrodite.

  Artemis, Goddess of the Hunt, had also rebelled and been sent to this prison. From beyond Vulcan’s position, she said, “We still have friends who haven’t been caught. They’re working on a plan to stop this insanity.”

  “And save us?” asked Vulcan.

  “And save us,” said Artemis coolly.

  A faint glow caught Janus’s eye, and he turned his head to see up the stairwell that had brought them to the caves. A red glow was moving down the stairs, and he heard footsteps. Then a deep, horrific growl.

  Aphrodite gasped.

  Janus tried to sit up and prepare to defend himself, but he knew there wasn’t anything he could do.

  The glow brightened, and Isis appeared on the stairs, a ball of red light hovering over her casting hand. Beside her walked one of Hades’s beasts. It most resembled the tigers they’d created in several alt-worlds, but this giant cat had blood-colored fur with bright red eyes. When the beast snarled at Janus, he saw its mouth was red hot and glowing. Isis rested a hand on the creature’s head, stroking its fur.

  Janus hated that he still found her stunning. The magical light tinted her clean white gown pink, and her skin shone bronze. Her hair was done like an Egyptian queen’s, and she wore a necklace of black stones that hung to cover her entire chest.

  “I’m sorry it came to this, beloved,” she said as she stood in front of him. “I warned you that I wouldn’t join this rebellion. I can’t let you or these other traitors stop us from saving our world.”

  Vishnu hadn’t spoken since their capture, but now he sounded furious. “You’re the only traitor here. We’re creators, Isis. You’re planning to destroy everything we’ve created. Don’t you see how–”

  “You should’ve seen it!” Isis laughed with a look of awe on her face. “The magic flowed out of the Pyramid, and we could feel it strengthening this world’s supply again.”

  Oh, no. They did it. They drained Aphrodite’s sea world.

  Aphrodite had realized this too, and she let out a sob.

  “You bitch,” muttered Vulcan.

  Isis lifted her casting hand and looked at the ball of light. “Can’t you feel it? Sacrificing that alt-world returned some magic to our own.”

  Janus realized now that he could feel it. It was like he’d been dehydrated and finally had a drink. The magic he sensed wasn’t as strong as before things fell apart, but it was there. He couldn’t help feeling excited, but then he remembered why the magic was here.

  “This is wrong,” he said to the goddess before him.

  She lowered her hand and sighed. “I’ll admit, it was disturbing. The world’s ocean dried first. Then the sun faded. The main planet shriveled. All life was extinguished. The entire reality crackled as the magic weakened. Then there was…nothing.”

  Aphrodite sobbed.

  The beast beside Isis turned its head and growled, exposing radiating fangs.

  Isis’s eyes sparkled in the light of her spell as she looked down at Janus. “I wish you’d been there, beloved. You should have celebrated with us. And you should be there with us the next time we call our magic back.”

  Vulcan sounded furious. “You’re going to destroy another alt-world?”

  “Of course. We have to.” Isis turned her head in Vulcan’s direction, then refocused on Janus. “A single alt-world’s magic wasn’t enough to restore our world, though it was a start. It’ll at least restore our ability to create.” She stroked the head of the beast beside her.

  I can’t believe what I’m hearing. This isn’t the woman I love. How can she think this is okay?

  Artemis understood and called out, “You’re creating more of these creatures?”

  “Many.” Isis smiled at her pet. “This felicox species has proven to be more useful than Hades planned. Anubis has already designed an armored species to defend us. I myself am working on a creature to fly over our world and report to us what we need to fix.”

  Janus tried to make her see reason. “But Isis, as soon as you start creating again, you’ll use up the magic you stole. You’ll have to destroy world after world just to break even, never mind fixing this hell Hades created.”

  Isis sighed like she was sick of his immature arguments. “Creating these creatures won’t require much magic. We won’t create worlds again until we fix t
his one. We’ll drain as many worlds as it takes to heal this place and restore our full power.”

  He snapped. “Do you hear yourself? You’re addicted! You’ll kill billions just to feed your power! You’ve already killed millions!”

  Aphrodite sobbed.

  Isis glared. “Well, maybe I’ll let Hades have his way and kill you! Then you won’t have to witness us destroying these worlds you care about more than your own people! More than me!”

  “Bitch,” Vulcan muttered again.

  Isis’s nostrils flared. “This is your last chance, beloved. Leave these traitors and come back to me.”

  As he looked up at the goddess, he knew there was nothing to go back to.

  She’s lost.

  “No,” he said. “This is wrong, and I’ll be no part of it.”

  Isis’s eyes glistened, but without another word she turned to the stairs. The felicox at her side growled one last time and sauntered after her. The light Isis had brought to the cave faded as she ascended. The rebels’ prison returned to silence.

  “Great,” said Vishnu from the darkness. “Artemis, you sure our friends can break us out of here?”

  Chains jingled.

  “Well,” said Artemis, “let’s maybe work on rescuing ourselves, shall we? Those idiots brought some magic back – there’s nothing we can do about that now – so let’s use a bit ourselves and get out of here.”

  Janus tried to summon courage. “Let’s hurry before it dawns on them that we have magic too.”

  Janus stood in a huddle with the rebel leaders on a frozen shore. The sand had turned black. The icy water was jagged like stone. Out to sea, lightning darted amongst heavy clouds. Inland, the cliffs of rock along the beach were broken where the earthquake had split cracks from topside all the way to the beach. From horizon to horizon, smoke obscured the sky.

  Looking at those in the huddle of rebels, Janus again noticed how drab he looked in comparison.

  Ceres, wrapped in a green velvet cloak, used his keen eyesight to scan the gray sky for danger. The top portion of the man’s long brown hair was tied behind his ears, but the rest blew around his shoulders. Ceres’s youthful face was clean-shaven and without blemish, and his emerald-green eyes matched his cloak.

  Athena, Goddess of Wisdom, stood beside Ceres. The beautiful, porcelain-white woman’s crystal blue eyes swept back and forth over the beach beyond their circle. Her blond hair was braided tightly, exposing the pointed ears that were iconic of the worlds she’d created. A white and silver gown draped from one shoulder down to her bare toes.

  Beside Athena, the red-bearded Vulcan also scanned for danger, and his fur coat caught the breeze. Aphrodite, dressed in a skintight dress of shimmering materials not found on their world, leaned against Vulcan as he put an arm around her.

  Artemis was the next in their circle, her long red cloak blowing in the breeze. Her beauty lacked the perfection of Athena, but the violet-eyed woman with flowing black hair possessed a spirit of adventure that made her quite alluring.

  Then there was Horus, a man even taller than Janus but far thinner. He wore a long white tunic with golden embroidery at its edge. His head was bald, but his mustache hung in black strands on either side of his solemn mouth.

  Finally, Ares stood at Janus’s other side. This god had instigated the rebellion, and he had the commanding presence necessary to lead the fight. A muscular man with short dark hair and a bushy beard, his strength rested more in his mind than his physical abilities. Under his black cloak, his arms and neck were covered in brilliant red tattoos.

  Okay, thought Janus. Here we are at the secret meeting Ares called. What’s the plan?

  Ceres’s brilliant green eyes lowered their gaze from the gray sky. “We don’t have much time. Those flying creatures could spot us and report our location to their masters.”

  Ares glared at the black sand at their feet.

  He started this rebellion, thought Janus as he watched the man. Everyone trusts him to lead it. But I’m glad Athena is working with him. And Horus. They’ve sharp minds and know Hades better than many of us.

  “I know none of you have been back to the city or the pavilion since your escape.” Ares looked at Janus and his friends. “But we have friends still in the city who say Hades and his followers have destroyed a hundred more alt-worlds.”

  Janus sucked in a breath in surprise. From the others’ reactions, he assumed they were also hearing this news for the first time.

  “We’ve learned,” Ares continued, “that they’ve given up on the idea of restoring this world. It’s too far gone. No matter how much magic they steal back, it won’t heal what they’ve done here. Vishnu and his brothers are hiding in the mountain caves, and he said he saw Isis–”

  Janus flinched.

  “–and Anubis using magic at the mouth of the volcano. They were trying to restore the peak, but their magic only momentarily blocked the eruptions. This world’s wounds are too deep. I don’t think any magic is strong enough to heal our home.”

  The group paused in mourning once again.

  Aphrodite shivered. “So why do they keep destroying alt-worlds? If stealing back magic can’t fix this world, then what’s the point? Surely they have enough magic to create all the horrible creatures they want?”

  Ares looked to Horus.

  The mustached man crossed his arms. “At an assembly yesterday in the pavilion, Hades presented a new plan. They’re going to invade the Sanctuary world and take it for themselves.”

  Vulcan’s eyes widened. “What?”

  Horus nodded with a frown. “Since we infused the Sanctuary with the most magic of any world, it’s the closest thing to…” He looked at the black storms raging over the frozen sea. “Well, it’s the closest thing to how our world used to be.”

  “But…” Aphrodite looked horrified. “What about the people already in the Sanctuary? We made that world as a haven for anyone persecuted in the alt-worlds. Are those poor people going to be…”

  Athena’s jaw tightened. “My guess is, they’ll be exterminated so the destroyers can have their own world without any trouble. I doubt they’d risk leaving anyone alive to rebel against them.”

  Yeah… That doesn’t bode well for us either.

  “Plus,” said Ares, “they won’t want anyone using the Sanctuary’s magic except them.”

  Janus realized the man was right. “We taught the natives how to use it. Their simple spells would never use up the Sanctuary’s magic supply or come anywhere close, but…”

  “But the destroyers are greedy,” finished Artemis, her purple eyes narrowing. “They wouldn’t want to share any of it.”

  “They’ll drain that world dry too.” Ceres frowned as his long hair blew around his shoulders. “They won’t learn from their mistakes, and they’ll keep creating beyond what the strength of the Sanctuary’s magic allows.”

  Artemis frowned. “But could they create in the Sanctuary world? They won’t have the Pyramid.”

  “Yes, they will,” said Horus. “When they invade, they plan to open rifts all over the Sanctuary. That way–”

  “Rifts?” said Vulcan with a look of rage. “Rifts are only for emergencies when we have to intervene right away rather than travel through the Pyramid’s entry points. They leave scars in creation and–”

  Artemis sighed. “Do the destroyers seem like they care about leaving scars?”

  Vulcan scowled.

  “They’ll open rifts,” Horus began again. “Once the destroyers and their army of monsters claim the Sanctuary, they plan to come and go through the open rifts as they please. They’ll turn the Sanctuary and this hell into one joint world.”

  Janus understood. “They’ll come back here and create with the Pyramid, drawing in magic from the Sanctuary.”

  Athena nodded, looking tense. “And I bet they’ll keep using the Pyramid to drain the other alt-worlds.”

  It’s like I told Isis. The destroyers are addicted to magic. They don’t care
how many worlds they kill. They only want power.

  Aphrodite exhaled a long breath. “How can we possibly stop them?”

  They paused. The cold beach was eerily silent.

  Ares glanced at Horus. “We knew when we first stood up to Hades that this wouldn’t be easy. I admit I didn’t realize how ugly this would get. I never thought they’d hunt us with their beasts. I never believed they’d imprison us, chase us from the city, forbid us from entering the pavilion…”

  None of us did, thought Janus as he looked at his friends. But we had to stand against them, no matter the cost.

  “From what we can tell,” Ares went on, “only a hundred creators are on our side. The others have sided with Hades.”

  Vulcan shook his head in disbelief. “This is the land of a thousand creators. You’re saying around nine hundred are determined to destroy everything we’ve built?”

  Ceres waved an arm at the beach. “Well, this destruction wasn’t the result of a few overindulging.”

  Ares nodded. “The vast majority of creators – now destroyers – will stop at nothing to squash our rebellion. So…” He hesitated. “So we must stop at nothing to end their destruction.”

  Artemis’s purple eyes narrowed. “What does that mean?”

  “You want us to fight nine hundred power-crazed gods?” asked Vulcan.

  Janus had to smile at his friend’s expression.

  I can’t tell if he thinks that’s preposterous or he’s eager for the fight.

  “No.” Athena shook her head. “That is a fight we would not win.”

  Ceres made a noise like that was an understatement.

  Ares continued to explain his plan. “The best thing we can do is destroy the Pyramid.”

  “What?” shouted several voices at once.

  “Without it,” Ares explained, “the destroyers can’t pull magic back from the alt-worlds. If we destroy the Pyramid, we save creation.”

  “But without the Pyramid,” said Artemis, “we could never create again either.”