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“What will the other gods do?” I ask. “Everyone must know Raven’s intentions now.”
Willow’s eyes darken. “War, what else?” she answers. She nods at me. “Alliances are rapidly shifting. Those who agree with Raven’s wishes, or simply want to align themselves behind someone they think will win, are going to be hunting for you, too. Some will stay neutral, I gather, as if this might protect them.”
Scarlet lifts her chin. “The rest of us will fight,” she says. “There is too much at stake in the immortal world for us to sit idle.”
A war between the gods.
I shiver, thinking of past wars, when the gods have clashed with terrible force, and what will happen to the mortal world as they do.
Willow looks at Silk. “She shouldn’t be here, even cloaked under an illusion,” she says. “Keep her safe. She’s going to be the key to his undoing, or to all of ours.”
He nods without a word. I let out my breath at the sight of him standing before me, so human and yet so unlike how he once was.
An immortal. Still, there is something vicious and becoming about his gaze, the same mischievous light in those bright eyes, the fire of a mortal life, the desire of a mortal soul.
I look at Laine. “Can I have a few minutes?” I say to Silk.
He nods. “Of course.”
I turn back to her and try to figure out what to say. She opens her mouth, then closes it again. I can see the struggle in her, too, of not wanting to leave me behind after so long apart.
“Hey,” she finally says. “You know how we promised each other that things were always going to stay the same?”
“I think we can safely say that didn’t work out,” I reply.
“Yeah, scratch that,” she says, and I have to laugh a little. “Let’s make a new deal, Doc. Something I can be better about keeping.”
“Let’s start easy, then.”
“Always share fries?”
“Okay, too easy,” I say. “Always share new albums you get.”
“Not easy enough,” Laine protests.
“Fine.” I fix my gaze on her. “If you call me, I’ll always pick up.”
She smiles a little. “Better yet,” she says. “If you need help, I’ll always come over.”
“Even if the help is just needing to talk for a sec.”
“Then how about this. I promise never to leave you again. Even if we’re arguing about something, even if we’re mad as hell at each other.” Laine’s face turns serious. “We’ll fight it out. A full-on brawl. But I’m never going to just leave you in silence. I’ll find my way back to you, gods or not.”
I nod. It’s a big promise, because neither of us can predict what might happen from here. The gods are so much more powerful than us, the tapestry of threads governing the universe so much bigger than anything we could possibly know. But if we can’t hang on to something human in the midst of all this, then what’s the point?
Maybe things can’t stay the same. But it doesn’t mean we have to go through change alone.
“For better or worse, we’ll find each other,” I say.
“For better or worse,” Laine agrees.
“Deal?”
She links her arm through mine. “That’s a good deal.”
38
To most people, St. Dunstan-in-the-East is a serene garden in London built into the ruins of an old church, lush green growth blanketing seven acres of ancient stones, a quiet place infused with the ghosts of another time.
