Zyros surprised him even more with a light and playful smile. She tipped her head to the sky, her whole body going loose and relaxed with her joy. “Oh, that! I didn’t ask Safa to do that. The girl showed her own initiative. She knew she’d need military help to keep the guardians of the godstones busy, and Emperor Naram Suen was so very easy to manipulate.”
Which resulted in both his mother and father being killed, along with a few hundred Stormbreak citizens and members of the Royal Guard.
“And it doesn’t matter to you what kind of chaos Suen creates in his quest to claim your power as his own?”
The Goddess of the Hunt snorted and shook her head. “We both know I’ll wipe New Rosanthe from existence before the emperor gets access to me. They’re just a tool, like your sword.”
“In the meantime, the Empire slaughters countless people. Probably even your own people in Green Spring…and Hidden Falls.”
He felt like she tried hard to hide any emotion, but Caelan still saw the twitch of her eye. She cared about what happened to Hidden Falls, possibly even more than Green Spring.
“Was it all Lore’s plan?” he continued, softening his voice.
She laughed, low and rough. “Rebuilding Green Spring? Yes. A cheap apology.” A little snort rose from her. “He had them sent for decades, their heads filled with old stories, memories, and even our old language. As if these new things could be as good as the original.”
The goddess cleared her throat and pushed to her feet. Caelan rose as well, his body tensed and ready for her to attack him. His hand was open at his side, prepared to call his sword in a heartbeat.
But she just stared at him for a second, her smile almost mocking. She walked along the path she’d taken away from the falls, while Caelan turned in one spot, remaining facing her at all times and making sure not to get any closer to the cliff.
“I’ll not kill you now, little godling,” Zyros declared. “We’ve had an interesting chat, and I respect your sense of honor. I’m hopeful you’ll put up a good fight.”
Caelan shook his head. “And that’s it? You leave, and we meet up in Green Spring, where we kill each other. Is that winning this game? Killing me?”
“No, winning is killing Tula.” She leaned toward Caelan, baring her teeth at him in a snarl. “It’s killing all the old gods and taking the power they’ve held back. That’s winning this game.”
“What about the people of Thia? What will happen to them? Do you even care?”
Zyros was quick to shake her head. “In this game? No, I don’t. But assuming they survive the death of their Goddess of Life, they will get to see Thia remade. Do you know what the Ordas means in the language of my people? It means ‘green rebirth.’ The survivors will find themselves in a new Thia, a better Thia, without the toxic influence of the old gods.”
She straightened and tilted her head to the side. “You have as much reason to hate the bitch as I do,” Zyros murmured. “Safa told me about the death of your mother. How she threw herself in front of the godstone to protect a goddess who did nothing to save her. Help me kill her.”
“In return for what? My life?”
“I’ll leave your Erya untouched. I swear it. Help me kill Tula and that two-faced bastard Kaes, and not only will I let you live, but I’ll not touch one thing within the borders of your Erya. It will be your domain for all time, little godling.”
Caelan’s heart gave an uneven thump in his chest. He was considering it. He was truly thinking about her offer. He did hate Tula for her failure to protect Amara—all so she could position him in this impossible situation. And maybe he wasn’t strong enough to save all of Thia, but he could save his home, his people.
“Will you allow me some time to think about it?”
Both of Zyros’s thin brows jumped in her surprise. She’d clearly expected him to toss her offer back in her face, but if his journey to visit the godstones and bond with the gods had taught him anything, it was to be practical. Every step along this narrow, dark path carried him closer to what looked like a dead end. But if she was offering him an alternative that could at least save someone, shouldn’t he at least consider it?
“I’ll expect your answer when you arrive in Green Spring.” She paused and tapped one long, slender finger on her lips. “Though if you want to keep your family safe, godling, don’t allow them to accompany you there. Send them home. Humans have no place where gods war.”
“I’ll think on your warning if you’ll consider mine. Regardless of whether we reach an accord or not, if Safa comes anywhere near my people, I will destroy her.”