He nodded. The book tugged at him too, as it had in the vault. It was farther away, but obvious all the same.
“This way.” He set off down they alley, Fiona at his side and the guardians at front and back. Vivienne stuck close to Loras.
They hesitated at the entrance to the street. Two-story buildings lined the street, their white stone facades watching silently. It hadn’t been evident in the alley, but up close, the buildings were falling apart, stones missing and entire walls downed. They saw no one, and the city streets possessed a distinct air of abandonment.
“No people,” Fiona whispered. “And no guards.”
“The war,” Loras said. “And they don’t expect invaders.”
Of course. These gods had fought so viciously and so thoroughly that they’d alienated many of their believers. As a result, the afterworld must have decayed.
No wonder Carthe was hoping to destroy the covenant and find new followers. He hoped to revitalize his afterworld with the power of mortal belief. At least, it was the only explanation Ian could think of.
“To the left,” Fiona said. “In the direction of the building on the hill.”
They set off toward the hill at the edge of town, upon which sat a white stone monstrosity in better condition than the rest of the buildings. There wasn’t much cover, but they did their best to stay in the shadows of the buildings.
Halfway to their destination, they passed several souls wandering a side street. They were dressed in ancient clothing, robes that fell around their shoulders and laced leather boots. The souls turned to stare, but unlike the gods, weren’t concerned with defending the afterworld.
When they reached the edge of town, Ian halted with the rest. A field of grass separated the edge of town from the hill. Up close, it looked more like a manmade mound upon which the city’s finest building had been constructed. A long flight of white stone steps climbed the side of the mound to the portico and great double doors.
“We should skirt around the edge,” Ian said.
“Aye.”
“Agreed.”
They raced across the field, heading left when they reached the bottom of the mound and circling the base. There were no stairs at the back, nor had there been any on the side of the mound.
Silently, they climbed to the top and pressed themselves against the edge of the building between the windows. The structure was built in a style Ian was certain hadn’t been common thousands of years ago, but then, gods weren’t bound by technology as mortals were.
“We’ll go through the window,” Karrem said.
Fiona looked over. “But the noise.”
“Not a problem.” Karrem touched the glass, and it dissolved.
Ian’s brows rose. So Karrem had hidden talents.
One by one, they climbed through the window into a wide hallway. It was flagged with white stone and had barren walls. Everything in this afterworld was white and barren, Ian realized. Whether it was natural or a product of neglect, he couldn’t tell.
“To the left,” Fiona whispered
Ian followed, fighting the pull of dozens of other precious artifacts, focusing instead on the call of the book that Fiona also felt.
When he heard voices, he pulled up short, breath held. The others followed suit.
“Destroy it now!” a harsh voice echoed through the hall.
“We wait for Celiae!”
They hadn’t destroyed it yet? Ian’s muscles would have sagged in relief had he not been so tense. They listened for a minute longer. Ian desperately tried to pick out voices.
Fiona held up her hand, three fingers raised. He agreed. From what he could hear, there were only three gods within.
But they were gods. More powerful than any of their party by far.
“Ready?” Loras mouthed.