Vivian stepped forward and dropped to one knee before him. "My lord," she said in an awe-filled tone. "We have finally succeeded in freeing you, and now, after so many years, we await your instructions."
Loki looked at the Reaper girl on the ground before him. "Rise, my Champion, for you have served me well. And together, we will make sure that Chaos reigns once more here in the mortal realm."
Despite the god's twisted features, his voice was rich and smooth, with a low, throaty timbre. A soft, seductive voice, the kind of voice that could convince a person to do almost anything. Even though I knew how evil he was, even though I knew all the horrible things he'd instructed his Reapers to do, his voice was still beautiful, sweet, and pure, and I could feel the hypnotic pull of his words wrapping around me and trying to dig into my brain just like Vivian had done with her telepathy magic. I ground my teeth together and shoved the feeling away as hard as I could.
Vivian got to her feet, her eyes glowing an even brighter red. The god handed her the Helheim Dagger, presenting it like it was a gift. Vivian bowed her head again to Loki, then lifted the weapon high.
"To Chaos!" she screamed.
"To Chaos!" the other Reapers shouted over and over again, their screams sealing not only my fate, but that of the world as well.
Finally, the wild echoes of the Reapers' screams faded away, and Loki looked at Vivian once more.
"Now," the god said. "I want to see the sacrifice you've brought me."
Vivian jerked her head in my direction. The god looked over his shoulder, staring at me with the beautiful half of his face. Loki's blue eye focused on me and narrowed, and the god turned and began striding in my direction. His bones snapped and popped with every step he took, and I realized he wasn't wearing any shoes underneath his long robe. The splintered marble didn't seem to bother him, although I knew the sharp shards had to be digging into his feet with every step he took.
Still, I got the feeling the god was not entirely well. There was a rigid stiffness in the way he moved, and he kept wincing, as if it pained him to be here in the mortal realm. Or perhaps he'd spent all these centuries being tortured, like he had been the first time the other gods had imprisoned him.
Loki stopped a few feet away. Preston and the other man dragged me forward into the flickering torchlight, and the god examined me.
"Another Frost girl," he said, his smooth voice dripping with hate. "I see Nike hasn't changed her tactics, despite all the centuries that have passed."
I had no idea what the god was talking about, and I didn't really care right now. I wanted nothing more than to curl into a ball and whimper at his feet, but I wasn't going to be cowed or frightened, not even by the evil god. I would meet my death bravely, if nothing else-just like my mom had.
It took me a moment to summon up my courage, but I finally looked up and raised my eyes to his. It was bizarre staring into his face, with one side so perfect and the other side so completely ruined. I decided to focus on the ruined side. After all, that's what Loki really was-ruined in every way possible.
"You may have gotten free," I said in the bravest, boldest voice I could muster. "But you haven't won yet. Nike and the other members of the Pantheon will rise up and defeat you just like they did before. They'll put you back down there where you belong-for good this time."
Loki stared at me, and I felt the seconds of my life slowly tick away as the god thought about what to do to me, how to make me suffer just like he had.
Tick-tick-tock.
Instead of smiting me with his burning red eye or whatever kind of evil magic mumbo jumbo he could do, the god threw back his head and laughed. I sucked in a breath and tried to keep from doubling over in pain. The mocking sound had the same effect as a vicious punch to the stomach. I'd felt Nike's cold, raw power before when the goddess had appeared to me, but it was nothing like Loki's evil. The god practically oozed malevolence, hate, and rage. I'd thought Nike was the strongest being I'd ever encountered, but now, I was wondering if I was wrong.
"Oh, Gypsy, poor, pitiful Gypsy," Loki murmured. "Having such misguided faith in your goddess, just like all your other ancestors have over the years."
The god leaned forward and stared at me, his face inches away from mine, his one red eye burning into both of my violet ones. "Don't you realize that I've already won? I'm free, and I've got you here. That's all I need to achieve my ultimate victory."
Before I could think about the god's words, Loki looked over at Vivian.
"Kill her," the god said.
A smile spread across Vivian's face. "With pleasure." The Reaper girl walked toward me, slashing at the air with the Helheim Dagger, which she still had clutched in her fingers. As much as I wanted to, I didn't close my eyes as she approached. I would look her in the face while she killed me, just like my mom had done. Gwen Frost, Gypsy girl and brave to the bitter, bitter end.
Vivian came closer and closer, the crimson fire in her eyes burning a little brighter and a little hotter with every step she took. Finally, she stopped in front of me.
"Too bad it's over already, Gwen," she said. "I had such fun playing with you these past few days."
"Go to hell, bitch," I said through clenched teeth.
Vivian let out a merry laugh. "I think I'll send you there first."
She raised the dagger high overhead. The black blade flashed for a second in the torchlight before it started its downward arc toward my heart-
A fierce growl sounded, and a large shadow leaped out of the trees and plowed into the Reaper girl, knocking her to the ground. The dagger skittered across the stone, and Vivian scrambled after it. But the creature wasn't done. It barreled into the ring of Reapers, snapping its jaws and swiping its claws at everyone within reach. In five seconds, two Reapers were dead. In another five, two more had joined them.
The creature turned to face an attack by one of the Reapers, and I finally recognized it for who and what it was.
"Nott," I whispered.
I didn't know how the Fenrir wolf had found me out here in the middle of nowhere, but I was glad she had-so, so glad. For the first time, a bit of hope rose up in me.
"Nott!" I said in a stronger voice.
The wolf paused her latest attack for a moment to stop and give me a goofy grin. Then, she was sinking her teeth and claws into another Reaper. Preston was so surprised to see the wolf that he lowered his sword from my side. I started struggling against Preston and the other man who was holding me. If I could just get free of them, I could run off into the woods and escape. Nott was here, and she was ripping through the Reapers like they were paper dolls. In another minute, there wouldn't be enough of them left to stop us from escaping-