I grip the dagger in my hand and glance toward the door. The Immortals and everyone else are frozen in their spots, but I see the panic on their faces. I need to get back to them. I promised Morgan I would go home, but that’s not going to happen right now. I’m not ready to open that door and see what’s on the other side. To risk the Upperworld. To lose my life and the lives of the men behind me while trying.
I’m almost at the doorway when the monster gets on its back haunches and leaps into the air, mouth open in an ea
r-splitting scream. I panic, holding out the dagger, and stumble backwards. The monster’s claws reach out, swiping through the air. Pain sears through me and I cry out, feeling the grip of a hand on my shoulder, dragging me back.
The monster moves to the doorway and screams in anger, but it makes no effort to cross over. It obviously can’t, and Agis breaks from whatever held him in place and slams the door between the realms.
Natural warmth washes over me, and I look up, seeing Miya’s face. He’s got me in his arms, and Marshal touches my cheek, eyes filled with bewildered fear. “You’re hurt,” he says, looking at my arm. A gaping cut. The monster landed a hit.
Agis tears off his cloak and wraps it around my arm.
“What the fuck was that?” Luke says, voice trembling. “No seriously, what. The. Fuck. Was. That?”
“That’s obviously what we have to get through to open the temple,” Professor Christensen says.
“A fucking winged monster with fangs and claws and all those eyes?” Marielle says.
“That’s what your parents sent you here to fight,” I tell them, fighting off the wooziness of pain. “That’s what this is about. It’s not a game. It’s not playtime. People are going to die. Lots of them. Gardener was the first one.”
“You killed him,” a twin says. Her tone isn’t accusatory. She’s impressed.
“Yeah.” I wince. “I’m a Valkyrie. It’s my job to decide who dies on the battlefield. Gardener is the first casualty. There will be more, unless…”
“Unless what?” Luke asks. “Because I didn’t sign up to be eaten by that…thing.”
“Unless we figure out something different. Another way.” I glance at Christensen. “There has to be another way, right?”
He frowns in thought. “Things are already very different than expected. That happened when you six came through the portal. It’s always possible. Like I’ve said, the gods like to be entertained. The Crusade can’t be stopped, but maybe we can figure out an alternative.”
I look up at the guys. I know they made a deal to disband once the mission was complete. “It means we’ll be here longer. Someone has to make sure the door stays locked and those monsters are under control.”
“Did you say monsters?” Luke repeats. “More than one?”
“Yes. More than one.” I look at the Immortals. “Are you in?”
Agis’ jaw tightens and he says, “Where else do we have to be?”
A slow grin tugs at Marshal’s lips. “I’ve barely even started to enjoy myself here.”
Miya nods.
We’ll have to ask Armin and Rupert, but neither of them are in fighting shape right now anyway.
“What about you four?” I ask, looking at the others. “You ready to find an alternative?”
“I came to the Academy to play a game, date lots of guys, and find a prince.” She rolls her eyes when Luke raises his eyebrows suggestively. “I did not come here to get eaten by a monster.”
“Yeah,” Luke says, “I’m starting to think my dad may have sent me here to get rid of me. What an asshole.”
“Your father is the king of Hell, you just now realized he’s an asshole?” Marshal asks.
“Well, I didn’t think he’d send me to a death trap.”
“Tell me now what you want to do,” I say. “Because we can fight to the death now and go back out there. Or we can do something different.”
“Different how?” Marielle asks, clearly not interested in going through the door.
“We make a deal to not open the door. Hold back on the apocalypse and find an alternative. We refuse to play the gods' game.”