I nodded. “He is. I’m not saying he’s an ally, but he doesn’t like the fact that Omari is killing off humans. Apparently, there’s a good portion of the gods that don’t like it either. I don’t know how many people in the school are on Omari’s side, but this is why we’re here. They came up with this whole thing just to monitor ‘wild magic’ users and try to get rid of the strongest of us.”
Lachlan gritted his teeth. “Fuckin’ hell. I’ve never wanted to punch somebody straight in the face more than I do right now. That Omari, he deserves to get his arse whipped.”
I laughed humorlessly, but it turned into a choked noise as I remembered the end of my visit to the godly realm.
“There’s more. I fucked up. I used an invisibility cloaking spell while I was there so I could watch them. They started to move away from me and I wasn’t thinking—my mind was a fucking mess. I made a noise, and when Ryker glanced over, my cloaking spell had slipped. It all happened in a matter of seconds, but I know… I know Ryker saw me before I slipped through a portal back to the school.”
Merrick and Lachlan instantly reached out and grabbed my hands. The blond-haired mage looked absolutely terrified. “Did he follow you? Did anyone follow you?”
Lach shook his head. “Dammit. That’s it, sweetheart. Ye’re not leaving our sight. This could be really bad. We’ve got to figure out a way to keep ye safe if the gods follow ye here.”
Trace put up his hands, seeming to rouse from a stunned silence as he shook his head. “Hold on. Hold on just a second. You guys are missing one of the craziest parts of this. The most important thing we’ve learned.”
We all looked over at him, and I blinked. “What’s that?”
Trace stared at me for several moments before speaking. “We all use designated portals to travel to and from the godly realm, Snow. Even the messengers the gods sent arrived in the portal room. If you went to the godly realm on your own, that can only mean one thing.”
Lachlan dropped my hand, and so did Merrick. I looked back and forth between the three of them, my eyes wide. “What are you talking about?”
Merrick’s face was a mask of pure shock.
“Aria, you’re a god.”