Blackhearted Betrayal (31 page)

Several tense whispers broke out from our side, and
Mom sucked in a breath as if I’d kicked her. I might as well have.

Triumph lit inside those silver-edged, neon yellow eyes—too similar to Scott’s Hound eyes for my comfort—and she nodded. “I so swear that Trinity Larue will be returned completely unharmed to the mortal realm provided you vacate this field of upcoming battle. Of course, you will understand that I cannot rely upon
your
word alone, not considering the ties you hold to most of the combatants upon your side.”

“Marissa, you can’t—” Mom’s voice choked off when Anubis caressed Trinity’s neck in a deliberate reminder of what Kamanu had earlier done to the Megaera. Durra’s vengeful gaze met my own when I looked at her and nodded. Realization flickered, but she remained silent in order to prevent anyone else from suspecting. She knew I knew, and hopefully she would trust me the way I was about to trust her.

“What
will
you rely upon, then?”

Anubis gestured to the first portal, the one leading to Duat. “Simply step through to—I am assuming—Ma’at’s temple and await the battle’s outcome.”

I clenched the fingers of one hand while caressing Nike with the other. “That’s it? You went to
all
that trouble simply to remove one single person from battle?”

Surprisingly, Stacia was the one to respond. “Don’t be so modest, Marissa. People who underestimate you have a habit of winding up dead.
I
should know. And you are not just a single
person
, but a Nemesis.”

One of three, and the second lay upon the floor behind us with a broken neck, effectively out of this battle, or so it would appear. Meaning that the number of true immortals on our side would drop to two—and one
disembodied Imseti—the moment I quit the field. The thought of leaving my mother and other loved ones—including Scott and my brother—physically hurt, but quit the field I must. I held on to one small ray of hope: Anubis had played right into my hand.

“All right, I’ll go.”

Not even muffled voices met that pronouncement. Those who knew me were too shocked, while those who didn’t merely cursed my weakness beneath their breath. What did
one
person—even mortal—matter against the greater good? A question I couldn’t contemplate too closely, or I would take the easy way out and stay there to protect those I loved.

Anubis smirked again but didn’t take my words at face value, assigning a contingent of lesser gods to escort me to the portal. I forced myself to meet Scott’s gaze as I walked, fearing to see something in his expression that might kill the inner dregs of willpower getting me through. Instead, what I saw humbled—and heartened—me: complete acceptance and faith, followed by him mouthing the words
I love you
. I gave him one short nod, all I could afford, but he nodded back to let me know he understood. Suddenly, it became that much easier to leave those I loved behind to face the swirling storm without me.

FUNNY HOW IT SEEMED EASIER TO TRAVEL
by portal the more I did it; either that or it really
did
get easier. I stumbled across the threshold to Ma’at’s temple in Duat with only minor disorientation—and the grim determination to do what needed doing. A dozen guardians swarmed me the moment I burst out of the vortex,
which evaporated behind me straightaway. The well-armed warriors nearly attacked me before they recognized me as not just Fury, but Nemesis besides. My arms shot up in the universal
I’m unarmed
gesture—something that was never quite true for one of Nyx’s children.

Jeserit suddenly ducked out of a nearby doorway and ran over. “What’s wrong? Durra said you needed help on the other side of the portal.”

“No time for long explanations. Suffice it to say we were wrong about Ala;
Kamanu
is Anubis’s lover, and
he
is now a
she
.” Jeserit’s lips pursed in surprise, but no words emerged. “They took my police partner hostage to force me out of the fight, and I
had
to let them—they’re going to slaughter everyone if we can’t get the rest of the Triad there immediately.”

She nodded in grim practicality, motioning me away from the quiescent mirror. My spirits rose since—while I’d been prepared to
try
—I hadn’t been 100 percent sure I could cast a portal to Ala’s realm. I didn’t know why Jeserit hadn’t already fled Duat to protect her unborn child, but I found myself damned grateful she hadn’t. As if she’d read my thoughts, Jeserit said, “I don’t have the magical strength or finesse of the other priests, but I can manage one measly portal with all the energy running loose from that portal being aborted so abruptly. But I’m afraid the ride’s not going to be pleasant.”

I smiled fiercely. “Quick and dirty is pretty much my
modus operandi
.”

Her hands shot up, and dark energy began writhing in the air, flooding from her straight to the mirror, which began swirling with the telltale mark of a burgeoning portal. She hadn’t lied—her spell didn’t hold the same beauty and grace I’d seen from Sahana or Mijai—but it
most definitely got the job done. Silver light shot through the portal, confirming that she’d managed to break through into Ala’s realm.

“Thank you!” I paused long enough to help her sink to the ground when her legs began to collapse. “I’m not sure how this is going to go down so please, some of you escort this woman to safe refuge. She’s pregnant, and her husband gave his life for ours.”

Jeserit blinked and opened her mouth, perhaps to object, but Ma’at’s guardians nodded, with resolve upon their faces. Arcanes valued children even more highly than mortals, especially in the case of posthumous infants. Gods only knew whether I could save anyone else, but these two lives I
would
preserve.

I hurried into the seething portal before anyone could reply, and
damn
, it was
so
not pleasant, worse even than the initial trip to the Underworld from Boston. Magic ripped my body and soul into countless pieces, thrusting them from Duat into the portion of the Underworld ruled by Ala, then reassembling the fragments in a rush more agonizing than dematerialization had been. I didn’t
stumble
out of this portal so much as I spilled onto the ground kicking and screaming. Commotion broke out around me. I was too focused on trying to
breathe
to register more than that some of Ala’s priests had surrounded me and were demanding answers I couldn’t manage to provide—not until I stopped shrieking.

“Leave the Nemesis be!” A cool-but-authoritative voice suddenly ordered. Ala. Never had I thought I would be so grateful to hear
her
voice, and yet I was. She knelt beside me to lay gentle hands upon my brow, murmuring a healing spell that swept across my body and whisked pain and confusion away.

I sat up with a gasp, hands clutching the folds of her robe. “Mother Rebuker, please forgive my urgency, but I need you to come with me to the Hall of Two Truths at once. Anubis is about to slaughter a roomful of Furies and our allies, not to mention Ma’at, for helping me.” Okay, so technically he couldn’t
slaughter
another immortal, but minor details.

Ala took that pronouncement with her usual cool demeanor, which I was coming to realize was just her natural personality; nothing more sinister. “Oh, clever, clever child. You invoked the Feather against him?”

My cheeks flushed at her praise, so rarely given, now making it that much more prized. “I did, and the Reckoning confirmed everything suspected and more. But we must hurry—Anubis has a—a greater god at h-his side.”

Ala’s eyes took on a steely glint. “Epona—or Kamanu?”

My mouth dropped open. “You suspected that one of them was working with Anubis?”

She nodded, lips tightening visibly. “Yes, which is why I seemed to object to your appointment as Nemesis so much, to increase their insistence that you be the one to serve. I’ve seen your dedication to your duties both mortal and arcane, and I believed you would get to the truth no matter what it took. As for why I suspected, Anubis managed to recruit far too many immortals far too quickly to be working alone—not one unremarkable lesser deity, even a Death Lord. When he then managed to close off Duat to not only other parts of the Underworld but also the Divine Realm, I knew that only one of
us
could be helping him amass that much power.”

“And you knew
you
weren’t the culprit.”

The guilt in my voice had her lips quirking. “Oh, peace, Nemesis, I hardly gave you reason to trust me.
I’m impressed you managed to have such success so quickly and to suspect something it took me decades to see. Now, which is it?”

She didn’t say it out loud, but her bated breath and clenched fingers told me she was praying I wouldn’t say what I had to say. “I’m sorry, but Kamanu is the one helping Anubis.”

Immortal she might have been, but not even
she
could hide the sense of betrayal crossing her face. No tears fell, but I could see them lurking beneath the surface, unshed but there all the same. Despite our rocky start, I regretted having to add to her turmoil.

“Everything I’ve learned suggests the two aren’t merely allies—they’re lovers.”

She recoiled, letting out a hiss that showed she hadn’t expected
that
betrayal. Still, Ala caught on faster than me. “Anubis has assumed his—her—feminine aspect once more.”

“Yeah, she has.” I pushed to my feet, reveling in the fact I could do so without pain, thanks to her. “Can you get Epona here fast so we can get to the Hall before—before it’s too late to stop them?”

Another voice sounded from behind us. “That won’t be necessary, since I’m already here.”

I whirled, assuming a defensive stance that had Nike spitting venom. Epona raised her arms in unconscious—and ironic—imitation of my motion to Ma’at’s guardians. Coming from a greater god, it was an even more deceptive gesture.

“Peace, Nemesis, I came in search of you both at the rather insistent demands of the Alecto Prime, who
finally
made contact with me moments ago. I understand we have a mess to clean up.” Epona waved behind her,
and several dozen lesser gods and Furies, mostly Alectos, stormed into Ala’s portal room. I was so happy to see them, I could have cried. Okay, so maybe one or two teensy tears
did
slip down my cheeks, but they were justified. I’d hoped to bring in the figurative cavalry, but never had I expected to drum up
this
much support so quickly.

Ala began issuing orders to the priests around her, and two scurried to the mirror from which I’d appeared to work their mojo. I couldn’t help but shudder when their portal swirled into existence, thanks to my recent horrendous trip, but I forced myself to focus on how much more elegant and smooth the vortex raised by Ala’s
two
—not one—priests was. Still, only stubborn pride allowed me to grit my teeth, nod to the goddesses beside me, and take the terrifying plunge into the abyss.

My feet hit the floor of the Hall of Two Truths what seemed mere seconds later, fortunately with none of the previous troubles. Chaos surged around me, with combatants battling everywhere I looked and Anubis’s forces having the much better time of it. I let out a battle cry and launched myself upon an Anubian darting forward to block the portal, making short work of the man and leaving him dead beneath my feet. The portal spat out Ala, Epona, their divine allies, then Fury after Fury. The two immortals bade me follow, and with an expectant grin, I did so.

I forced myself not to search the crowd for specific faces; either I would see loved ones and be unable to help them, or I
wouldn’t
and only worry that they were already beyond help. Rage and Mandate suddenly made themselves felt with a vengeance, making me realize I had somehow been ignoring them both so neither could
paralyze me during the unpleasant task of retreating long enough to bring immortal support. That support now bowled through a line of unfamiliar Anubian warriors who must have portaled in after I left. Most of them were shades, a couple of
those
opponents I could swear I had killed during that skirmish where I’d first seen Stacia’s spirit.

You probably
did
kill them there,
Nike pointed out, then fell silent when we had to defend ourselves from another enemy. I fell into a rhythm of
kick, punch, feint, jab, incapacitate
as we made our way to the front of the Hall. Ala and Epona continued inexorably forward, focused upon Anubis and Kamanu, who were now battling Nyx, Mom, and a dozen other Furies on the dais surrounding the oversized Scales. Nyx and Mom fought with fierce resolve and the knowledge neither of them could be killed; and Mom in Nemesis form managed to make
me
look like an amateur, moving with deadly grace and speed that left no question Anubis would
never
manage to snap her neck the way Kamanu had Adesina’s …

As if the thought summoned her, Durra appeared at my side, as unharmed and resolute as Mom, and gave me a tight-lipped nod. Her faith in me had been well placed, and—judging by the pile of fallen (though not dead) lesser gods left in her wake—mine had been equally appropriate, which meant she
would
be my ace in the hole.

We reached the dais, and Ala let out one sharply uttered word. “Kamanu!”

All four combatants froze before us, and Kamanu’s gaze raced to meet his wife’s. Bitter hatred washed over his face, dark emotions that seemed so out of place
compared to his usual tranquil façade. Then again, only strong feelings could have inspired such a fearsome betrayal as the one he’d committed. I could only wonder
what
had happened between them over the centuries to bring things to
this
.