Page 115 of The Arcane God

“It’s the witches!”

Ena waited for Ty and his signal. She had no idea where he was—there was no way she’d be able to see him in the fog—but his venator allowed him to see better than any of them. So she waited.

In the distance, she heard a surprised grunt of pain, followed by his yell.

“Now!”

She gripped Greya’s hand hard, feeling for her fellow witches beside her as they chanted once more.

{Aeris}

A huge gust of wind bellowed through the chamber, the sound of it exploding through the alcoves like a vicious storm. Her hair blew around her, dancing, as the wind they had created pushed away the stagnant fog.

Ena shielded her face from the onslaught with one hand, holding on fast to Greya with the other, and then just as suddenly as it had begun, it ceased.

She opened her eyes to see Ty standing on the dais at the far end of the Great Antre, holding a knife to Zak’s throat. Ty moving him had broken Ena’s compulsion, and the man looked afraid.

“Tell them to stand down!” Ty demanded.

The daemons, who’d been stumbling around and holding on to the furniture through the fog and the wind, paused. Their eyes went to Cole’s lifeless body, which Ty had drug up to the dais and placed at his feet, then up to where Ty threatened Zak at the end of the same dagger that had killed his brother.

“Do what he says,” Zak said, his voice shaking.

There were clanks around the room as one by one, the daemons dropped their weapons. She could tell some did it willingly, as if they’d been waiting for an excuse, but others grumbled and were reluctant, the need for violence writ across their faces.

“I have killed the king, and as the rightful heir of the Underworld, I claim its dominion until further notice. You obey me now.”

An older daemon spoke up—an upper-level one Ena recognized from the Convening. “This cannot stand, Ty,” the old woman shouted. “To overthrow the king goes against our most basic law as daemons. We will never accept you now.” The woman spat on the ground at her feet, disgust written across her face.

“I am breaking no such law. I acted only to rectify a wrong. Cole should never have been king in the first place,” Ty declared.

Confused murmurs echoed around the chamber. Ena didn’t know where he was going with this—the plan had just been to take Zak and capture him, or kill him outright if he didn’t cooperate in subduing the violence.

“Tell them,” Ty spoke menacingly, tightening his hold on Zak. Ena had never seen her husband’s face so grave. It was full of rage and hurt as he waited for Zak to speak.

“What are you talking about?” Zak asked. He looked thoroughly confused, but Ena knew it was for show. The man was the picture of perfect lies.

“Tell. Them,” Ty insisted again, pressing the knife just enough into Zak’s throat to break the skin, causing a drop of blood to drip down. “Tell them what Cole did to my father, or I will let my wife pry it out of you with her Gift,” he added, locking eyes with Ena.

Zak’s face paled, his throat bobbing against the knife as he swallowed. The mask of his Power fell away, and behind the man who could flawlessly lie, Ena saw true fear. He was conflicted—whatever secret Ty was hinting at, he’d clearly been keeping it for so long, it was difficult for him to contemplate revealing it.

His eyes darted to Ena, though, and Ena let him see her truth as a corner of her mouth tipped up. Ty was right—if he didn’t fess up, she could make him talk in an instant, and she’d relish it.

Zak closed his eyes as reluctant decision fell over his face. “He—he killed him.” His voice was so quiet it was almost a whisper, but the entire chamber had been waiting on bated breath, and they heard it clearly.

“Tell them how,” Ty gritted out.

“P-poison. A witch’s potion that he stole,” Zak replied, his voice filled with shame.

A collective gasp rang through the chamber, followed by murmurs of disbelief.

Ena was stunned. Ty hadn’t told her any of this. How had he known?

“Cole murdered Haden?” the old woman daemon asked, her brow furrowed in sadness and skepticism.

“Yes,” Zak replied stiltedly. “Cole killed our brother. And—and threatened to do the same to me, should I reveal what I knew.” The man squirmed in Ty’s tight hold, but Ty didn’t give an inch.

“Fucking coward!” a large male daemon yelled at the dais.