AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Lairus will want to see Galen. He’s known all along,” Octavia confirms. She moves to stand behind her golden son, running her hands through his hair.
“Lairus has knownwhatall along?” Galen asks, looking around, confused.
I feel Essos’s hand close around my wrist, ready to whisk me away at the slightest threat. Everyone in the room goes totally still, unsure what to do. No one wants to be the one to break the news, but someone has to.
Helene takes the plunge. “Galen, Titus wasn’t your father. Mom confirmed that Lairus was.”
Galen stares at Helene before twisting toward his mother. “Did everyone know except me?” Anger is radiating off him in waves of heat. Xavier edges closer to Cat, knowing that while she might have powers, she is next to defenseless if Galen strikes out.
“We all just learned for sure,” Helene confirms, pity in her tone for once. “Like, right before we brought you back.”
“That’s it. That’s why Dad, or Titus, was a bastard to me all the time. It’s becauseIwas a bastard.” Galen’s cry of rage sends out a concussive force. I feel time slow as Essos grabs me, stepping in the way of the blast and transporting us away from its radius. We land on the beach, farther out, so we only stumble when it reaches us.
“Are you all right?” he asks, checking me over for any possible injuries.
“I’m fine,” I confirm, looking over his shoulder at everyone else. The windows along the back half of my house are shattered. It’s an easy fix, but tiresome all the same. My vine creatures, his guardians, have been demolished, having been too close to Galen when it happened. I’ve never seen Galen demonstrate such a destructive power before.
We make our way back to the deck. Xavier is picking glass out of Cat’s hair, and for the most part, everyone seems no worse for wear. Bria is tucking her wings back in from where she protected both Finn and Dion from the blast. Even as she shrugs them into her shoulders, I shake my head, having forgotten that she evenhaswings. Callie is burning with the same fury that Galen was.
“This,thisis why I ran off with your sons the moment I found out I was pregnant! You and your temper. You may be the God of War and Suffering, you may be strong and powerful and whatever else you tell yourself, but at the end of the day, you’re always the same little boy, throwing a tantrum and blaming everyone else for your own actions. You would hit me and then blame me, and you attacked Daphne and blamed Essos. You’re going to blame this outburst on being lied to your whole life, and you’ve blamed your shitty attitude on Titus your whole life. Iknowyou. I know the scum you are.Thisis why you don’t know your sons. This is why they know what a monster you are.”
Callie’s visibly shaken by what happened, and she stalks away.
We’re all surprised when Tink follows her, leaving his box of treasures behind.
* * *
Tink comesto see me in my office that night. It’s after dinner, and Essos is giving me time to try to find my way back into the swing of things. Now that souls are coming back into the Underworld, it’s about finding the balance we had before I died. It’s actually soothing to have this time. The rhythm is familiar, like putting on that pair of old sweatpants you love.
What I want to focus on is ensuring souls have a chance to recover from being zombies. I want to go to the Underworld again, but Essos isn’t keen on the idea.
“Your Majesty,” Tink teases with a bow.
I snort and gesture for him to sit. “Stop that. You were never one for such formality. Thank you for the help fixing the windows.”
After Galen’s tantrum, Essos and Tink repaired what had been broken. I put my energy into creating new guards that Tink helped to reinforce.
He offers me a kind smile as I lean back in my chair, taking my tea with me. I’m not there yet, but soon enough, I’ll be able to use my belly as a table.
“It was my pleasure. You have quite the crew assembled. You should hear the things Posey is saying about you all.”
I take a sip, giving myself a chance to decide how to proceed. “Do I really want to know?”
“No, but I’m glad Essos contacted me when he did, just before your second wedding, hoping that I knew enough to funnel him information. Posey is spinning quite the tale of what happened.”
“Of course, she is.” I tap my pen on the stack of papers in front of me. “I didn’t see you at the Trials.” I try to keep the accusation out of my tone.
“Some of us like to do what we’re supposed to and spend time in the mortal realms, letting our presence be inspiration. I found a new inventor. He’s no Da Vinci, but I think he has a lot of promise.”
Annoyance flares in me at the insinuation that Essos and I aren’t doing our jobs. “I thought you were the God of Craftsmen and not a muse?” My words are biting, and I try to soften them. “Is there something you needed?”
“I come with a gift,” Tink tells me softly, reaching into his box and producing a pair of gloves and a belt. I don’t have to touch the items to feel the plant life within them calling to me. Gently, he places them on my desk. I sit up and take them, sliding the supple leather of the belt through my fingers. It’s thin for a belt, but woven into each stitch is a seed—organic material for me to pull on and grow. Etched along the accessory are acorn symbols, and when I touch one, I feel the energy in it thrum to life, waiting for me to manipulate it and grow it. I set the belt aside and pick up the gloves. Similar energy runs through them. They’re not leather like the belt, but instead woven with roots and vines alike. Holding them in my hands has me imagining myself with dyed red hair and a green bodysuit.
“These are exquisite,” I murmur, totally forgetting about Tink. I slide them onto my hands, the inside feeling like smooth, comforting suede.
“The acorns are actual acorns. You’ll have the full power of whatever it is you do with trees. I tried to weave in as many different types of plants as I could.” Tink slouches in his seat, looking very satisfied with his work. By his accounting, these should look like Frankenstein gloves, a mixture of colors and materials, but they’re a lush green, the color of moss that carpets the forest floor, deep and rich.
“How did you know I needed these?” I ask, flexing my fingers. I tease some ivy off my hand, feeling like Spider-Man, only with more control. The vine stretches out, growing toward Tink, thickening. When it reaches his face, a single leaf emerges and tickles him.
