Bryce

I was reading while lying on the mattress we had brought in for Esme before we knew she was going to cooperate. Thankfully, we hadn’t needed to use it. But it combined with the arcane sigils that were left over from the teleportation circle, to serve as a reminder of how much of a mess the entire ship was still in. Not that I thought it would stay that way for too much longer now that Thea was here.

There was a knock on the door, followed by the sound of Thea’s voice. “Bryce, we’re coming in. If you’re not wearing pants, then tell me now so I can cover Sami’s eyes.”

The door opened before I could even respond, and I peered over the top of my data-pad with a frown as my entire crew filed in, including Ithnaa. “I could have sworn that was locked.”

“I’m sorry. I didn’t realize that we hadn’t been introduced. You see, I’m Sora, your navigator. I answer to all pronouns, but prefer they/them. Oh, and I have full control of all the doors on the ship. Since you know, my soul was just installed in it.”

“Looks like Sora is feeling better.” I couldn’t help but smile at them as I shook my head. “I take it this means that we’re ready to set off? If that’s the case, then the plan hasn’t changed. Chart an intercept course using the codes Anali provided and let me know when we’re in range.”

“Not quite. We still need to wait a little longer until Sora is finished attuning,” Samira answered. “Maybe twenty minutes? But it might be faster since this is their second time doing it with the Fury.”

“Alright, well, thanks for keeping me informed.” I tried to go back to reading, but the group didn’t make any move to leave. “Was there something else?”

“Thea, did you want to start?” Samira asked, and I let out a heavy sigh as I sat up and put the data-pad down.

“How much did she tell you?”

“Not enough.” Sora gave me a concerned look as they continued. “She was worried enough that she came to us, but still refused to give up any details. Bryce, what’s going on?”

I debated on what to say, but eventually decided that if the worst happened, then it would affect the rest of them too much for me to justify hiding anything, so I stood up and launched into my explanation. “A number of details came to light recently that seem to point towards the Para Vista incident being almost solely responsible for my current condition. If that’s the case, then it’s likely extremely dangerous, and could mean divine intervention if I ascended. Which would at the very least include stripping the mantle from me, and possibly much more.”

“How much more could they do to you?” Samira asked, and strangely enough, Ithnaa was the one to answer.

“Summary execution if the mantle is related to the destruction of souls, like I suspect.”

“What? Bullshit, how could you know that?” Thea asked. “Plus, why would they kill Bryce when they could just take her powers away?”

“More importantly, who could do that?” Sora seemed nervous, and I didn’t blame them, it was the same exact question I asked Chorus back in Hades. “Who would have enough power to strip the mantle from a goddess?”

“If it’s related to destroying souls, then I suspect Tess would do it herself,” Ithnaa answered distractedly before turning back towards me. “It is related to destroying souls, isn’t it?”

“I think it’s more likely consuming or absorbing souls, not destroying them. But I doubt there’s much of a difference. How do you know all of this?“

“I used to have a god in my harem before Mother stole him from me. He wasn’t all that great in bed, but he was fun to talk to, and his favorite topic was divine gossip.”

Sora frowned. “I don’t remember a god in Mother’s harem, and I doubt that’s something I’d forget.”

“It was before your time, and he only lasted about a day before Mother accidentally killed him for being too irritating. Honestly, it was such a waste.”

“Wait, she killed a god by accident?” For the first time in a while, Thea actually looked worried about a fight. “Just how powerful is she?”

“Sora, did you not tell them?” Ithnaa asked, and Sora frowned.

“Mother is a djinn just like every other Syndicate lord. They’re all pretty powerful, and she’s more powerful than most. I could have sworn I said that already. Although, her killing a god is definitely news to me.”

“She’s one of only two progenitors, both of which predate gods. Well, at least by the modern definition. I’ve been told that the whole mantle system is relatively new. Maybe fifty or sixty thousand years old at this point.”

That was definitely concerning. “Ithnaa, if we assume the absolute best-case scenario, what are the chances that we can defeat Mother in an ambush?”

“I don’t know your full capabilities and was assuming you had some sort of plan to avoid a straight up fight. If that’s not the case, then I’d say that we might survive being in the same room as her so long as she doesn’t know we’re there, but even that would be a coin toss.”

I felt an odd sense of calm wash over me as my mind kicked into overdrive. “Alright, let’s adjust the plan then. I believe that with enough preparation, we can ambush her without being in the room. However, I’ll need to spend the rest of the trip researching a new spell, and Mother can’t know that we were ever even on the same planet as her. If I can’t come up with a solution, then we’ll abort.”

“Bryce, are you sure? This sounds dangerous.”

“I’m certain,” I answered Thea’s question with a smile. “I was wracking my brain earlier for what I could do that could compare in scope to the Para Vista incident, and killing a djinn progenitor seems like a pretty decent option.”

“What do you want us to do?” Sora asked.

“Ithnaa, allow Anali to contact her crew. Tell her to have them meet us at Halcyon, and that she’s free to leave with them if they help us. I’ll even sign a contract swearing not to use blood magic.”

“And what of my contract with her?”

“Do what you want with it, but her crew’s willing cooperation will help us kill Mother. So, keep that in mind.” Ithnaa reluctantly nodded, so I continued. “Sora, put us on course to Halcyon, but don’t shift back without warning me first.”

“What about me?” Thea asked, and I gave her an apologetic expression.

“I’m sorry, love, but you need to leave me alone for a while. Take care of the ship and crew, but don’t interrupt me unless it’s an emergency.” She grumbled her assent, and I turned towards Samira. “I realize that this is a lot to ask, but would you be willing to work with this ‘Doc’ person to integrate magical counter measures into the ship? Specifically, something to prevent scrying and teleportation? I’m not sure if it will be possible, but I intend to request it and I don’t want to do that unless you’re comfortable with the idea.”

Samira chewed on her lower lip, but eventually nodded. “I can do that, captain. As long as someone stays with me while he’s aboard.”

Sora was about to say something, but Ithnaa beat them to the punch. “I’ll be by your side the entire time. There’s no way I’m letting anyone take you again.”

“Good. One of you let the siblings know the change in plan, and all of you get out of here.” I dismissed them, and they filed out, but Thea lingered by the door.

“Bryce, are you sure you’re okay?”

“I’m positive. Thanks for worrying about me. I really appreciate it, even if I’m not always the best at showing it.”

She smiled at me before rushing up and pulling me into a kiss. “I know you do, and I’m glad you’re doing better, but next time just talk to me about it so that I don’t have to get Sora to open the door for me.”

“Alright, I’ll do my best.”

“Also, don’t think I’m letting you stay in here alone for days without expecting something in return. You owe me, and I expect to be repaid in full the moment Mother is dead. That means at least four days of just the two of us locked in a room alone together.”

I raised an eyebrow at her demand. “It’s not going to take four days for us to get to Halcyon.”

“I know, but every day without you sucks at least twice as much as normal. So, it’s only fair.”

“Alright, fine. Four days.” I leaned down to seal the deal with a kiss. “Now, get out of here. You’re way too distracting.”

She stuck her tongue out at me before turning to skip her way out of the room.