Honestly? He didn’t trust any of the others at his back. Not even Grim. It just seemed like a bad idea and one step shy of suicide. “Can I pick Simi?”

Tiamat rubbed at her forehead. “You have to pick from your šarras.”

He’d really rather not. “Kody?”

Chronus glared at him. “Do I have to subtract time from your life sands to get the point across?”

Nick was beginning to not like him.

Truthfully, he didn’t want any of them. They weren’t his allies. Not really. Grim didn’t like him, and that was a major understatement. Laguerre terrified him—she was N-U-T-S, with a cherry on top. Bane … was ambivalent to basically everything. Nick didn’t know Yrre at all. That only left one, and something in his gut wasn’t happy about it, but he had no other choice.

“Livia, then.”

Chronus screwed his face up. “Strange you pick the two you’ve known the least amount of time. Why them?”

Nick shrugged. “I know Grim isn’t reliable. Laguerre even less so. I barely know Bane and I’ve yet to meet Yrre. Xev is the only one I really trust.”

Chronus exchanged a puzzled stare with Tiamat. “Then why put Livia at your back?”

“She says I can trust her.”

“And that’s good enough for you?”

No. Not even a little. But they hadn’t really left him with any other choice.

Besides …

“If she does me wrong, the shame falls on her shoulders. Not mine. As my mom says—shame comes to those who do shameful things.” Nick sighed, dreading what was next, but knowing he couldn’t avoid it. “Now, what do I have to do to make them better?”

Tiamat held her hand up and a bright red crow flew to light upon her wrist. She stroked its creepy little head.

“Lerabeth will lead you to the cure you need to awaken your mother and Caleb. You must go to the sacred Nemed in the center of the darkest part of the forest and pick the berries from the largest tree there. Three berries each. Six in total. No more. But be warned, the way is long and fraught with danger. Nothing is as it seems.”

“Have you seen the things that attend my high school? I’m kind of used to that.”

Tiamat snorted at his humor. “Be careful who you put your trust in, as it could be the last mistake you make. You should also be aware that Noir and Azura are trying to claim bodies for themselves. Should they get to your loved ones first, you will never cure them. Your mother and Caleb will cease to exist. Forever. Therefore, your time is extremely limited. You must beat your brother and the other gods to their mission. Whoever finishes their quest first, wins. The loser dies painfully.”