Book 2 The Gods of Light and Liars

Chapter Twenty Eight: Catastrophe

Hawk had to sit down. Her knees seemed to come unstrung with Nasheth's last words. She knew in the back of her mind that the collapse she was moments away from would give the whole game away. She had to stand up for as long as she could. But her heart...oh, God, her heart was bleeding. To have her loved one reduced to dead matter, to be eaten and stolen by these...these ghouls, these monstrous creatures—it might not be the truth. It probably was not. It didn't matter. Those words kept reverberating. "He's the one who stole the last piece of Alex West."

And then she felt a hand slide around her waist. It was the Light Archon, who had come to stand beside her at some point. When her knees did give out at last, he caught her with that grip around her waist, and drew her to his side so that it looked like an embrace of reassurance, not a rescue.

"And tell me, Archon of Light, how this woman managed to deceive you so thoroughly."

"To the contrary, I knew she was lying, and that there was something quiet special about her. I am an old man, My Lady, and growing older still by the day. I need an apprentice, and a desperate young woman with a lithe mind fell into my lap. I named her my heir honestly." A pause, and Hawk was able to find her feet once more. The Archon let her go, and added, "Not quite unlike how I was chosen by my predecessor, if you remember rightly. Did I know she was from the God-World? No. But I can teach her honesty. I cannot teach her subtlety of mind. She brought that as her gift to us both." A pause, and something glinted in the Archon's masked eyes. "Unless My Lady has decided to support the Green-Robe faction and erase the post of Archon of Light entirely. In which case I bow to your wisdom and—"

"What foolishness is this you're spouting?" Nasheth said. "I have not closed the Temple of Light and I will not. It will be ready when my husband does finally come at last. It will be soon."

"As you have said, Mother," Argon said, and raised his own glass to the sky. "And now that you are here, we may continue to sanctify my altar."

***

Nasheth ordered a set of screens be erected in the rear of the tent, nearer the kitchens and living quarters for the majority of the public, and demanded that the Light Archon accompany the "outlanders". Hawk knew from the way he flinched that this was an insult to the Archon, but she didn't care. Anything to get away from Argon before he started abusing his people again.

"We have to stop it," Em said. "We need to stop it. They're going to burn—"

"—with or without your vengeance. Attempting to save them will only add your body to the flame. Blood-gift is considered sacred by many. To interrupt it is to ask death. Argon saved your life, Em, by speaking before His people could fully process what you'd just done." The Archon patted her hand. "I will not say it will be alright, because it will not be. But this has been life for as long as I have breathed, and as soon as they've finished sanctifying Fire's altar, we'll be able to rejoin them."

"Rejoin them?" Em said.

"It is never wise to leave your enemies to talk amongst themselves. Earth Archon and Fire will ally together to speak badly of me. I struck the first blow in that argument—reminding Nasheth that both Argon and her own Archon are against her most sacred edict—but that won't hold for long. And I do not dare leave any of you alone."

"I'm sorry. I blew it in there." Hawk said.

"Oh, you did no such thing, my dear girl. I was actively impressed that you got even this far. I bid you leave for your own sake, Hawk-of-the-..." and he stopped, transfixed for a few moments as he made the connection she'd damn near given herself a hernia over. "West. Hawk West. You lied to Nasheth. To her very face! And succeeded! But why take that risk?"