Gretta gritted her teeth against the pain and forced the shift. Her tiger form vanished into the astral, replaced by her human body in the realm of magic. The molten-hot spear tumbled to the ground, its weight suddenly real in this plane. Gretta rolled away, barely in time.

  The occasional rock tumbled from the ceiling, landing on the heap where Rowan lay buried—alongside Marcus, trapped in Gabriela’s body. Sofia was still bound somewhere on the other side of that heap.

  Gretta scrambled to her feet and sprinted, dodging shifting and falling rocks. She saw Sofia struggling to free herself from her ropes. Within seconds, she closed the distance and yanked the gag free.

  “I’ve got you,” Gretta said.

  Sofia gasped for air. “He’s still here—I can feel him.”

  Gretta nodded. “I can feel him, too.” She started pulling at the knots of the rope restraining Sofia. “Hold still.”

  “Rowan—” Sofia’s breath hitched, a stifled sob trembling on her lips. “I think he’s gone.”

  Gretta forced confidence into her voice. “He’s a god. I’m sure he’ll be okay.”

  Sofia shook her head. “I can’t feel him, and when I try to pray to him, he won’t answer me.”

  Gretta’s fingers twitched mid-gesture. “What am I doing?” she murmured, then spoke the unbinding spell—“Draleq.”

  Nothing. No hum of chaos, no flicker of energy—only empty air.

  Gretta tried again, this time louder, “Draleq!” She reached for chaos magic, but there was nothing to grasp. She blinked.

  “What does that spell do?” Sofia asked.

  “It should undo any knot,” Gretta said.

  The giant mound of rocks over the two gods shifted.

  “Hurry,” Sofia said.

  Gretta rushed to the spear, then back to Sofia. The metal felt wrong, more than just heat. There was an awareness to it—sharp, unmistakable loathing. Maybe it was an artifact, like the one the Wild Mother had made her, imbued with part of Marcus’s soul. Somehow, it knew her.

  “Hold very still,” Gretta said as she brought the searing hot tip closer to the ropes on Sofia’s legs.

  Sofia was perfectly still.

  The spear began to jerk and buck in her hand—as if rebelling against her control—nicking the rope until, with a pop, Sofia’s legs were free. Gretta spun and jammed the spear into the boulder pile as deep as she could, hoping to keep the weapon anchored there but imagining it flying after them.

  “We’ll get your hands later. We have to run now,” Gretta said.

  Sofia awkwardly climbed to her feet, and they both ran for the only entrance to the room. Gretta imagined the hordes of demons waiting for them as they stepped through, but she feared them less than she feared Marcus.

  The air pulled inward, twisting around them as they stepped through the light. Gretta’s stomach lurched. The cavern vanished, replaced by thick, humid, cloying air. Whispers slithered through the dark, and the uneven ground felt wrong beneath her feet, shifting as if alive. They were in a narrow corridor—nothing like the vast cavern they had passed through to the realm of magic. The rough walls and uneven floor were unsuitable for running or even walking fast.

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  Sofia tugged to free her wrists. “Can you get these off me?” She nodded at the ropes.

  “Marcus will probably follow us soon, and the demons will sense us and come. They aren’t fast, but if we stay long enough to undo those ropes, they will catch us.” Gretta considered the jagged, rocky terrain. “I’ll carry you on my back.”

  Gretta knelt as Sofia rested her bound hands atop her head. Once in position, Gretta raised one hand and murmured, “Ilthar,” conjuring a small globe of light. Then, clumsily at first, she set off down the corridor—the only way out.

  Whispers in an unknown language echoed through the corridor.

  “Do you know where we are going?” Sofia whispered.

  “I think this place is some sort of bridge,” Gretta whispered. “I don’t understand it, but I think we’ll find the way out as long as we move away from where we came from.”

  “It didn’t look like this when they brought me,” Sofia said. “It was a straight, gray hallway. It wasn’t very long.”

  Gretta missed a step and caught herself against the wall, scraping her hand. “That’s not how it looked either time I’ve been through. Maybe Gabriela knew a shortcut.”

  “When we came through, she was talking to herself out loud. She said something about a deal,” Sofia said.

  “If we run into any demons—Rowan warned that seeing their faces can drive you crazy—keep your eyes shut, and I’ll get us through,” Gretta said.

  “There’s a light ahead,” Sofia said.

  Gretta slowed long enough to look further down the tunnel without tripping. A faint glow of white light was coming from down on the left. They were getting close. They might make it through without having to deal with the demons.

  She picked up the pace, hope rising with every step. The ground was becoming less treacherous, and while not even, it was not as jagged.

  From the shadows ahead, a tall, muscular figure stepped into the middle of the tunnel.

  “Where’s my brother?” Thadius asked, a smile playing on his lips as he bared his pronounced fangs.

  “I’m sure he’ll be along soon enough,” Gretta said.

  A drumbeat started, and Gretta’s heart stumbled into its rhythm. Thump-ba-da-thump. Thump-ba-da-thump.

  “Something’s wrong.” Thadius stilled, head tilting, nostrils flaring. “He’s not…” His fangs bared slightly. His eyes narrowed, as if listening for something beyond mortal senses. A long pause.

  Then his expression faltered. “I don’t feel his soul anymore.” His voice dropped, suddenly uncertain. “Is he… destroyed?”

  “When I set you down, get through the light,” Gretta whispered. “I’ll be right behind you.”

  Thadius’s eyes narrowed. “I was promised his soul.”

  “He doesn’t feel… right,” Sofia whispered. “Are you going to turn back into a tiger?”

  Gretta inched forward as the sound of drums closed in. “I can’t. I’m cut off from my other shapes here.” She didn’t add that her tiger form was badly wounded—it needed time to heal.

  Sofia’s eyes widened. “You can’t shapeshift?”

  Thadius crouched down, preparing to pounce.

  “The shadows,” Sofia whispered, her head tilting slightly. “They’re connected.” She sucked in a sharp breath. “If you drop your light, the one to your left will lead straight to the portal.”

  “What?” Gretta asked.

  “Trust me,” Sofia said. “I can feel it when shadows are connected.”

  “I can’t go through a shadow,” Gretta said.

  Thadius launched himself forward.

  “Trust me!” Sofia shouted.

  Gretta let her light spell wink out and leaped toward the solid rock wall to her left. Thadius’s clawed hand lashed out. The world tilted. Gretta fell forward—stumbled—then suddenly, she was in front of the portal.

  She looked back and saw Thadius collide with the stone wall where she had been moments before, his nails making sparks along the surface.

  The drums hesitated as the tunnel shook—as if a nuke's impact was shaking the Earth's foundations. A wave of magic washed over them, a presence that was unmistakable.

  “Marcus is here,” Sofia whispered.

  Gretta stepped into the light just as Thadius whirled. She caught one last glimpse of his furious snarl—then the light devoured her.

  The air shifted. Cool, dry, thick with dust and gasoline. The sun burned her eyes.

  Four AR-15s snapped toward her. A metallic click shattered the silence.