Free Journey Into Nyx by Jenna Helland Page B

proveyou’re a man when no one has questioned it,” Cymede said.
    Anax’s face turned purple, and Elspeth stepped forward. “There is another way …” she began. As she explained the plan to raise the river and sweep the invaders into the gorge, she spoke quickly and without hesitation. It almost felt like the words tumbling out of her mouth weren’t her own. Shy by nature, Elspeth didn’t like speaking to large crowds. But she spoke with rehearsed perfection, and when she stopped, everyone in the room stared at her. She saw the respect in Daxos’s eyes, and it made her feel worthless. But it was too late to go back and tell them that the idea had come from the satyr prisoner chained several floors beneath their feet.
    “That’s brilliant,” Cymede said.
    “It’s madness,” Anax said, but there was no fire in his voice. “You would have to have a mage of incredible power to manipulate the Deyda. Where could you possibly find one in time?”
    “Well, you’re in luck,” the queen said brightly. “Daxos is revered by Heliod. His skills are unequaled in the all the world.”
    Daxos frowned at her for her exaggeration.
    “Can you raise the river by yourself?” the king asked. He looked at the young man with new interest.
    “I’ll have help,” Daxos said. He glared at Cymede, who said nothing. Apparently, she wasn’t going to admit her own awe-inspiring ability to manipulate the elements.
    “It’s fine as our killing blow,” Anthousa said. “But it’s not enough. We need a distraction. The minotaurs must be focused on something else until the spell is completed. Or else they might be warned and escape their fortification before the river reaches them.”
    A war horn sounded from outside on the balcony. Anax rushed outside, and the rest followed. The beleaguered inhabitants of Akros were spilling into the streets. All eyes were on the heavens, and many people were cheering under the blazing light of Nyx. In the sky there was a brilliantvision of Iroas, the God of Victory. The honorable god was challenging his twin brother, Mogis. The God of Slaughter charged headlong into battle. Just before they clashed, the astral light shifted into chaos again.
    “Is the Silence over?” Anthousa asked.
    Daxos shook his head. “No, Iroas had challenged Mogis
between the pillars
,” he said. “He’s furious that the minotaurs would dare to assault his city.”
    Anax said. “It’s a sign that I must do the same.”
    “Challenge Mogis
between the pillars
?” Cymede asked sarcastically.
    “Challenge the Rageblood instead,” Anax said. “If I could challenge Mogis, I would. I would rather die at his hands than let these brutes hold my city hostage.”
    Cymede opened her mouth to speak and then closed it. Anax turned to Daxos.
    “You may pursue your course of action,” Anax said. “Raise the river. And I hope you succeed. But I have no choice. I must fight the Rageblood, man against monster.”

    While Anax went to his armory to prepare for his duel, Elspeth accompanied Cymede and Daxos down into the tunnels below the Kolophon.
    “You’ll work together?” Elspeth said. “Together you can raise the river?”
    “That’s the plan,” Daxos said as Cymede jerked open the wooden door onto the sheer drop-off above the river. “Cymede could probably handle it all by herself.”
    “Will you act as Anax’s second?” Cymede asked Elspeth. “If he falls in the duel, will you stand in for him?”
    “Anthousa would gladly be his second,” Daxos interrupted.
    “I’ll do it,” Elspeth assured Cymede. Anthousa had already departed for the camp to warn the Meletian generalof their intentions. Anthousa had insisted on a backup plan, just in case the Deyda River failed to engulf the invaders.
    “Manipulating the water is going to take some time,” Cymede warned. “We’ll be deep in the gorge, and it won’t happen immediately.”
    “I understand,” Elspeth said. “I’ll do my best to help the king. Why