Page 72 of The Endless One

“What is it?” Jessamine asked.

One of the newer witches cleared her throat. “I think it’s likely he’s still in there. Ajax has been seen going into brothels recently, and… taverns. A few people have seen him trying to drink away his sorrows, as they put it, and the ravens have seen the same thing. I believe the old king of Orenda is regretting his choices.”

She had a question on her tongue that Elric answered before she could even voice it. He let out a snort and replied, “That doesn’t matter. Ajax is merely appeasing him until he takes over the body entirely. Why he hasn’t done so yet, I do not know. There were more than enough souls in Inverholm to allow him to take the body over without ever allowing Leon out. If Leon isn’t careful, he’s never going to see sunlight again.”

Agnes bared her teeth in a feral grin. “It would serve him right.”

“Yes, it would,” Jessamine replied. “But it also leaves us with a god who has no weak spots. If he’s not using the souls for himself, though, what is he using them for?”

Elric shrugged. “Likely to prepare for more gods and goddesses.”

She let her mind run over the words before Ajax’s plan unfolded. “He’s building a new pantheon.”

“With himself as the God King yet again.” Elric sighed, planting his hand on the table and looking a bit defeated. “In the old days, Ajax was always the strongest because he made the other gods. Every sacrifice we were gifted went, in part, to him. It was like a tithe we all paid for him making us. Even if all of his worshippers disappeared, he would still be able to steal enough magic from pain to overwhelm all of us. At least, until the gravesingers banded together and killed everyone off.”

“He wanted me to be his consort,” she murmured. “I wonder what changed?”

A knife landed on the table, startling everyone into jumping. Sybil then quietly placed a green pepper on the island and started chopping it. “I’m not sure that we’re getting the entire story from anyone. Ajax has his cards close to his chest. Jessamine and Elric are somehow returned to us, although neither of them can even answer how. I think the coven is in the dark about many things.”

Jessamine supposed that was as good an opening to that conversation as she was going to get. “Right, well… The Huntress wanted my body, like I said. And the only way to come back was to…”

How could she say it without sounding like an ass?

Hello, everyone, I’m now a goddess and I expect you to worship me?

There was no good way to tell them what had happened to her, or at least, that was what it felt like. So she looked at Elric and hoped that her wide eyes might give him the hint that she needed help.

Thankfully, he came to her rescue.

“It has been a long time since a dual deity has been brought into this realm,” he murmured, reaching for her hand. “I’m sure you all felt the shift when we returned. There is not one god for witches now. There are two.”

Jessamine blew out a breath that sounded almost like a chuckle. “I suppose that’s one way to tell them. I… I think I might not be a gravesinger anymore.”

“You mean we can sacrifice to you now?” Elissa asked. “As if you’re… a goddess?”

The coven all looked at each other, their expressions shocked and perhaps a little uncomfortable. It had to be strange to look at a friend and realize they were now so much more.

“I suppose you could sacrifice to me. We haven’t had a lot of time back yet. I don’t know how this is going to work.” Jessamine ran a hand through her hair and squeezed Elric’s in the other. “I was hoping you all could help me figure that out.”

More silence. More stunned faces.

But Sybil stared right at her as she cut that pepper without ever looking at it. “I’ll help,” the dark witch said. “I’ll help and I will make the sacrifices. Tomorrow, though. For now, the rest of the coven needs to sleep. And you need to ground yourself in this world once again before I give you any more power.”

He thought the meeting with the coven went rather well. They got down to business fast enough that he wasn’t wasting too much time on the emotional meet and greet. He’d died already, after all. Elric had no interest in pretending that he cared when people saw him again. He’d only been dead for a few weeks. Really, that wasn’t nearly long enough to miss anyone.

But the moment they walked out of that kitchen, Sybil grabbed onto his arm. Jessamine went with the others, to get them settled and to speak with those who already pulled her out of the room. And then it was just him and his longest-worshipping witch.

“Is it really her?” Sybil asked.

“I fought to get her back, just as I planned. It’s her, Sybil.”

Her shoulders curved in relief, making all the muscles in her body lax. “Oh, thank you. Thank you.”

“You seem adamant that you needed her.”

“Ajax has been hunting for someone to replace her. He’s been obsessed with the princess—at least, that’s what it seems from our side.” Sybil shook her head, her arms curving around to hug her body. “There’s something about her that Ajax knows and we don’t. Well, we do now, I guess.”

He stared at the closed door, feeling her presence just beyond it. The thrum of her magic was hard to ignore. “I never would have thought his spell would turn her into a goddess. It’s good to know, though, that it is possible.”