A Taste for Blood (The Godhunter, Book 6) (43 page)

“He deserved this,” Trevor was looking over my pale face. “You know he's caused probably thousands of fights resulting in murders. He's probably the guy who started the L.A. Riots. Do not feel sorry for him.”

“
That's right,” a female voice I didn't recognize, turned my head around. “Don't feel sorry for him, you won't have the time. You'll be too busy feeling sorry for yourselves”

A woman stood in the door to Phonoi's bathroom. A small woman with long, black hair and a tiny, waifish figure. She had large blue eyes that narrowed on me in hatred and black, feathered wings spread out behind her. I guess not all people with feather wings were angels.

“You've killed my husband, Godhunter, and now you've killed our son,” she continued. “You've summoned war to your doorstep and you'd best prepare for battle.”

“
As far as Ares goes,” I don't know why I even tried to explain myself to this woman. “I was only defending myself and as for your son here, he started it.”

“
He started it to avenge his father,” her eyes narrowed. “His cause was honorable but you cornered him like a wild animal and took his life without honor. You have sounded the horns and now you must return to the stained field. Summon your dogs of war and cry
Havoc
to your cats. I shall be waiting for you, two days hence on the Fields of Strife outside my home in the God Realm,” she tossed a photograph at us. “I'll drop my wards, use that to trace your army in. I even vow not to attack you until you've all arrived. Be thankful that I'm more honorable than you.”

She folded her wings around her body and disappeared.

“Eris, I presume,” I rolled my eyes. “Does it never end?” The emerald necklace pulsed warm against my skin.

The necklace! It had showed me dragon eyes long ago and I'd believed it was a prelude to meeting Nidhogg but now I knew it wasn't. The necklace had been trying to warn me about my own magic. The stone was protective, looking out for me like one of my lovers. I wondered if Arach would have been able to lay his forgetting charm on me if I'd been wearing the emerald at the time. Something made me think not.

Chapter Sixty-Seven

“
Nice place,” I griped as I looked around. Eris' battlefield was stark, hard-packed earth and nothing else.

“
Her palace looks pretty,” Pan pointed over to the black iron gates that separated the battlefield from Eris' magnificent gardens and shining palace of white columns and soaring towers.

“
Whatever,” I looked over our army with a tremor of unease.

We had all of the Intare - already changed into their lion forms, Fenrir and the entire Froekn - ranging in shape from man to wolfman to pure wolf, Odin and his Valkyries, as well as his fallen warriors, my sons, and the entire God Squad - including Thor. I stared at him awhile and then decided to be an adult and go speak to him.

“Thank you for being here,” I said.

“
I'd never refuse a call to arms from you or my father,” he looked uncomfortable and that wasn't fair when he'd been the bigger man and shown up to help me.

“
Thor,” I touched his large forearm gently. “This means a lot to me, truly. Thank you.”

“
Vervain,” he swallowed hard and rubbed the handle of his hammer absently. “I hope we can get past this... this...”

“
Bullshit?” I laughed.

“
Yes,” he chuckled a little. “I hope we can get past this bullshit.”

“
Well, this is a good start.”

“
Vervain,” someone called to me. I looked over my shoulder and saw Rain with the guys from Dark Horses.

“
Thor,” I started but he shook his head.

“
Go ahead, we'll talk later.” He turned and went to speak with Odin.

“
Okay,” I walked over to Rain. “Thank you guys for coming. You didn't have to be here. This isn't your fight.”

“
Aw, we haven't had a good battle in awhile,” Constantin laughed and nudged Adriano in the shoulder.

“
Figured you might need some good mounts,” Rain gave me a sexy grin and I immediately recalled his prediction, that one day we'd ride into battle together.

“
Guess today is the day,” I stared at him.

“
Guess it is,” Rain began to undress, followed immediately by the others.

I turned away to give them privacy, which was ridiculous since we were on a battlefield filled with people. I guess I did it more for myself. I really didn't need to see any more gorgeous men get naked. So while I mused about naked, gorgeous men, they transformed. I felt the shift in energy and turned around to find four black stallions, looking very sleek and a touch arrogant.

“No saddles,” I sighed and Rain, I think it was Rain, lowered his front end so I could mount easier. “Alright, thank you.” I pulled myself aboard and gripped his mane as we started toward the front lines. We got there and Rain trotted back and forth so I could address everyone. “I feel like I should be wearing blue paint and a kilt,” I whispered down to Rain, who snorted and pranced. Then I raised my voice to speak to everyone. “We've fought together before but this time you've come to my aid and for that, I thank you,” there was an answering cheer. “I don't have the words to encourage you. I don't have an impressive speech ready. All I can say is that death may lie in wait on that field for us but I will fight to my last breath beside you and count it as an honor. Oh fuck that, let's kill them all!”

A roar rose and blasted through me but it was met with an answering cry from across the field, and I turned Rain around to face it. There, spreading out before us, was Eris, gods that I assumed were her children, and the biggest fighting contingent I'd ever seen. There were thousands, hundreds of thousands, of men, women, and even children, standing behind Eris, waiting for her signal. They were dressed in clothing from every time period in history, beginning with Grecian warriors in sparse armor and going all the way up to modern day soldiers in camouflage. I felt my jaw drop and I uttered the three words I tried to never say.

“Oh my god,” I felt Rain tense beneath me and I guided him back over to Trevor. “Who are they?”

“
The Ignoble Dead,” he ground out. “All those who have fallen prey to Eris or her children's manipulations. The three who were killed at Moonshine are no doubt among them.”

“
Why ignoble?” I felt my heart begin to race beneath my leather vest. How would we fight all of them?

“
They are considered impure,” he explained as he stared at them, “taken in the heat of rage or whatever else they've been tainted with. Their souls are not the same as they were when they lived. They've been polluted by Strife's magic.”

“
Great, this is just fucking great,” I gestured to them. “How do we kill the dead?”

“
They'll be just as corporeal as Odin's warriors are here. They can be killed but there will be no more of an afterlife for them. They will simply cease to exist.” He looked over and noted my pallor. “It will be a mercy for them, Vervain. Look at them, they're enslaved and trapped in a twisted existence.”

“
Right,” I sighed. So I was going to kill innocents for their own good. Yay. When had I become Roman?

A horn blast rolled across the field from Eris' side just as I noticed a presence coming up fast on my right. I jerked my head over and for the second time in less than five minutes, I felt my jaw drop.

Anubis was riding toward us in a golden, Egyptian chariot pulled by two jackals. He was in black, Egyptian, leather armor and beside him in the chariot, was Ma'at, resplendent in silver plated leather. Riding with them, or maybe I should say floating beside them, was Re. He stood in gold leather and plate, shining as if a spotlight was beaming down on him, as he rode in a small boat that just floated along a foot above the ground. He held a spear and shield at the ready. Behind them, more jackals swarmed, leaping over each other in their haste to get to the battle.

The army across the way had paused to watch the newcomers arrive. How could you not? They were damn impressive. I myself, gaped at them until they came to a stop in front of me.

“What the hell are you guys doing here?” I blurted and Ma'at gave a sexy laugh.

“
Your angel called upon us,” she gestured behind her.

There was Azrael, alighting from the sky, looking as gorgeous as ever in angelic armor. His silver breastplate shone, sparkling with the reflections from his diamond eyes and the tattoo on his cheek glowed. His legs were bare like the Egyptian's, just a skirt made out of leather strips and bits of metal, covering his thighs.

“Sweet baby Jesus,” I whispered.

“
Hardly,” Az laughed and kissed my cheek. “I thought Anubis might like a chance at redemption,” he glanced over his shoulder at Anubis and the Egyptian god nodded his head solemnly. “It's not often that I'm able to offer a second chance to a god.”

“
Thank you,” I said to Az before looking at the Egyptians. “And thank you all for coming. You may wish you hadn't,” I waved a hand out to indicate the strength of Eris' numbers.

“
Pah,” Re laughed. “That's nothing, those are all just dead humans. If they're fighting for Eris, we know they died because they weren't good enough to win the fight. We're battling an army of losers.”

“
Huh,” I felt immensely better. “I didn't think of that.”

“
Yes, my beautiful one,” Re smirked, “just leave the thinking to the men.”

“
After we win, I'm kicking your ass, Re,” I laughed and he winked at me.

“
Everyone focus!” Trevor shouted and we all turned our attention to the oncoming army.

“
Should we advance?” I looked over our front line.

“
Why?” Trevor held up an arm to indicate that we should hold. “Let them come to us. No sense in wasting energy on running when they're so eager.”

“
Good point,” I pulled my short sword and gripped Rain's sides with my thighs. I could feel him tensing his muscles beneath me, readying to leap.

I glanced over at Anubis and he smiled grimly at me. There was a lot I needed to get over, concerning him. Things I hadn't realized I'd just repressed instead of dealing with. Maybe this would help. I looked in the other direction and saw Finn on one of the Dark Horses. He saluted me with his blade and I returned the gesture. Beside him, rode Kuan-Ti and Blue on the other two horses, both men were focused on the incoming army and I decided that was probably the best idea. I turned forward.

Eris was a tiny woman, wasn't she? Yet now she looked more like an Amazon. As she ran across the expanse separating us, she grew, getting larger and larger until she towered over us all, a giantess.

“
Hey, Loki,” a voice to my right called out. “Isn't she your type?”

“
Loki's here?” I glanced back and saw Fenrir's father wave at me before responding to the heckler.

“
I'll have to ask her out after her little temper tantrum is over,” Loki winked at me and I groaned. Everyone knew Loki had a thing for large women.

I, however, was a little concerned. Eris was about the height of a giraffe when she finished growing. Her previously waifish form was now thick enough to do serious damage. Then she pulled something out of the bag at her side. It looked round and gold.

“Heads up!” Hades shouted, pointing at Eris. “Those are the apples of discord. Don't let them hit you!”

A golden missile came flying toward us and everyone shied away as if it carried the plague. It landed with a splat, oozing black goo all over with a sizzling sound.

“Well how you like dem apples?” I muttered and Rain shot forward, taking us into the fray.

A gaunt man, his skin hanging loose over his bones, came at me. His lank, dark hair hung over his glowing, yellow eyes and Rain reared up, then brought his hooves smashing down on Mr. Anorexic’s head. His skull broke apart and seeped a putrid yellow gunk. Then his eyes blinked open and he started to get up. I leaned down and severed his head from his body before the zombie-fest could continue.

A good start, I thought, and glanced around to see that my friends and family were having similar luck. Eris' side was sustaining immediate and crippling damage. I sighed in relief and faced the next threat but this time it wasn't a god, it was a throng of people. I started slashing at them, loosing finesse in the press of bodies, and driving them back little by little.

Maybe I'd been a little hasty in my judgment. Cries of pain started coming from our side and I cringed, wondering which of my friends was in pain because of me. I didn't have time to think about it too long though, I had to turn my attention back to the mob. Rain was faltering, emitting high pitched sounds of distress that had me supremely worried.