“Me?”
Yes. You alone have to make the choice if you wish to return to earth to live a mortal life, or continue to stay here in the Ancestral Lands.
A voice cried out from above.This is preposterous. She has seen the Ancestral Lands. She cannot be permitted to return!
It was a badger, with green and silver lines running through his fur. He had to be Badger Spirit— the god of stubbornness.
This really wasn’t his business, so I wished he’d just butt out. Voices from the other gods cried out, to say they agreed with Badger Spirit.
She is much more than an ordinary Elementai, as all of you know, Coyote barked viciously.An exception must be made.
Preposterous! Badger Spirit said.You do not have the power to decide—
She belongs to me! It is I who was there when she was formed, Coyote snarled, turning around to stare at Badger Spirit with bared teeth.
“And I,” Whale Spirit said, coming forward in her human form. “We are the gods who oversaw her creation. It is we who shall decide their fate, and we say, Ava will decide.”
This is a task for the Great Spirit, not us,Badger Spirit argued.
“But aren’t youallthe Great Spirit?” I protested.
Yes and no,Coyote admitted reluctantly.The Great Spirit is a much greater power than we. I am the laugh in the Great Spirit’s voice— Whale Spirit is the kindness of the Spirit’s touch, Eagle Spirit the adventure that inspires us all. Each of us have different qualities of the Great Spirit, but even together, we cannot match the Great Spirit’s power.
“Well, let me meet the Great Spirit, then,” I said.
The entire congregation broke out laughing. I didn’t get what was so comical. Their harsh laughter rang over the rafters, inspiring anger to well up within me.
I bunched my hands into fists. “If I have a chance to go back to Charlie, and the Great Spirit says I can’t, then I’m gonna kick his— or her— ass!”
Most of the gods gave offended gasps, but Coyote chuckled.Are you offering to battle the master of creation?
“Yeah! Just put me in the ring with him. Then he’ll be sorry.”
Don’t be ridiculous, Badger Spirit said.The Great Spirit would never allow that.
“One of us must go to the Great Spirit in her stead,” Eagle Spirit stated. “That is the only way for us to agree.”
“We shall go,Coyote and I, and plead her case,”Whale Spirit said. “Then the matter will be settled.”
“If all of you are going to make the decision for me, then why am I even here?” I asked harshly.
“Be patient,” Whale Spirit told me. “We shall see what the Great Spirit says.”
Coyote and Whale Spirit disappeared on the spot. I started to pace the moment they were gone, while the gods above made conversation, watching me with eyes that felt greedy and keen.
Long moments passed. It felt like I was waiting around forever.
“What’s taking them so long?” I barked at Eagle Spirit. I knew I was being disrespectful to a freaking god, but fuck.
“Have you truly considered the consequences if you return?” Eagle Spirit asked me. “You are leaving an eternal paradise for a world that is full of agony and pain.”
I huffed. Yeah, heaven was great. And to be honest, I didn’treallywant to leave. This place was wonderful. I wasn’t up for leaving it to return to a body that was mentally ill— not to mention in pieces.
But I had a destiny to fulfill, and more than that, the other half of my soul was still back on earth. I’d give up heaven to be with Charlie, for as wonderful as heaven was, my real paradise was with him and Oberi, wherever they were. If we were together, we could get through anything.
And I wouldn’t abandon him to walk through life alone if there was any chance I could spare him that pain.
Eventually, Coyote and Whale Spirit returned. They didn’t give me an answer right away, which pissed me the fuck off. The gods whispered amongst themselves, until eventually, Coyote and Whale Spirit turned back towards me.
