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“What’s to worry about?” I ask sweetly. “Rune, Ariman and the Blood Stone have all been destroyed.”
“And you did an admirable job of accomplishing all that,” Cato says in his deep baritone.
“Well, Carrick killed Rune, and Amell killed Ariman, and Finley killed hundreds of demons that would have feasted on your bodies had they reached you, so it was a team effort.”
“Of course.” Cato inclines his head in gratitude. “Perhaps if we could understand the why of things, we could be better prepared.”
It’s not in my nature to lie, and I understand these gods are symbolically my brothers and sisters, but the truth is… I don’t trust them. “I don’t know what more you want me to tell you. I got hit by Valshour same as you. It incapacitated me. Ariman said the snake came from Heaven and he powered it up with the Blood Stone. Then he helped Rune escape.”
“But how did he get the Blood Stone?” Veda asks.
“I have no idea,” I say with a straight face, despite it being an absolute lie. I sweeten the sting with a bit of truth. “What I do know is that its power had been magnified from the sacrifice of my life. At least that’s what they told me and why it was strong enough to try to transfer my powers into Rune. Once he had me tapped, his goal was to take each of your powers while you slumbered.”
Circe shudders at the thought, Veda chews at her nail nervously in a distinctly human move and Cato exchanges a grim look with Onyx.
“Where would they get such knowledge?” Veda ponders out loud.
“Ariman probably knew more about magic and dark arts than any creature alive,” I remind them.
That starts a discussion, the gods wondering if Ariman knew such things, could others? Again, I sense their fear and disorientation as they try to reassure one another. I remain silent on the issue because I don’t care. My life as a god is so new I’m not afraid of it being taken away.
Not the way they are.
I use their uncertainty to broach another subject. “I’d like to reincarnate Lucien, and I’m asking for consensus.”
They all turn to look at me with blank faces. It’s Onyx who replies. “We’ve had this discussion already, and we’ve told you that we don’t agree.”
I expected that, and I’m ready to test my newfound independence. “Yes, so you say. But I brought Finley back after she died. I brought Maddox back to life. Those are okay, but not Lucien? It makes no sense.”
Cato steps toward me. “Finley sacrificed you to save the world. You sacrificed yourself to save the world. That was a boon we gave.”
“And Maddox?” I ask, pinning my eyes on Onyx. “You told me not to do it, and I disobeyed you.”
Onyx inclines her head. “I told you not to do it as I didn’t understand what was going on or what led you to that place. We consider that another boon… after the fact, so to speak.”
“So why not Lucien?” I look to each god, one after the other. “You’re talking about boons. He was a faithful servant to you for thousands of years. My understanding is he did your bloodiest and most violent work. To leave him in the Crimson River—”
“He died by his own stupidity,” Circe says. “He played roulette with the fates and lost.”
“So what?” I snap at her. “Everyone makes mistakes. That cannot outweigh all the good he’s done for you.”
“It matters not,” Veda says softly, and I face her. “The Crimson River is utter destruction, not just of the body, but of the soul. It’s violently twisted and tormented and would never be suitable to place it back in a vessel. You can’t reincarnate that.”
“That’s bullshit,” I reply angrily. “I’m thinking I’ve got a lot more leeway to do things than you’re letting on and I have a better understanding of my powers now. I think I can do it.”
“And yet you won’t because we’re not giving consensus,” Onyx reminds me.
“Let’s say I did,” I propose hypothetically. “Are you going to strike me down? Punish me? You punished Rune for meddling in Finley’s fate. Imprisoned him. Is that what you’d do to me?”
“No,” Veda says, an edge to her voice that’s not normally there. “Of course, we wouldn’t.”
“But there could be retaliation,” Circe says.
“Retaliation?” I grit out.
“We have our games.” Circe looks almost proud of herself. “Our pet projects. It’s boring being eternal, so you may need to consider that Lucien’s death in the Crimson River is playing out exactly how one of us wants. If you stand against us, we may stand against you.”
Veda looks uncomfortable that Circe put it so bluntly, but Onyx and Cato nod in unison.
