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Both men conjure their crowns. It’s been a long time since I’ve seen Xavier in one, but the gold band with skyscrapers blended to look like spires all around the circlet does seem very King of the Gods-ish. Essos’s looks every bit like it belongs to the God of the Dead, with skulls and bones crossing on it.
The weight of a crown settles on my own head, and I frown at Essos. He gives a small lift to one shoulder, the only indication that he’s acknowledging my displeasure.
“Wait, are you a queen?” my mom asks, turning to face me. She looks at the crown on my head, and then she’s looking at me in a whole new light. She surveys my body…and her gaze snags around my midsection.
“Yes, but it’s a very long story,” I warn. “One I’m not sure we have time for.”
“Oh, I think finding out our daughter is a goddess is something we can make time for,” my dad hedges.
“A goddess andpregnant,” my mom points out, challenging me to contradict her.
“I, well, yes, I am pregnant.” I look to Essos for help, and he seems just as unsure as I am.
He slides an arm around my shoulders. “We’re excited to expand our family?” His voice lifts up at the end like it’s a question, which it isn’t, but I understand. I also feel uncertain of how to handle this turn of the conversation.
“And really, congratulations to everyone involved,” Xavier starts. “I’m excited to welcome a new niece or nephew, but–”
“Nibling,” Cat interjects.
Xavier’s head whips in her direction. “What?”
“If you want the gender-neutral term for niece or nephew, it’s nibling.”
Xavier narrows his eyes. “Of course, I’m excited to welcome my newnibling, but all that is hard to do when your government wants to bomb our home. So, we are here, pleading with you, Daphne’s parents, to stop it from happening.”
There’s a crack of thunder, and all of us jump except for Xavier. I narrow my eyes at him for the unnecessary flex.
My dad clears his throat. “Right, I can see where you’re coming from, oh great one, but I don’t know how common it is for people to come back from the dead in your world,” my dad says, and I know Xavier probably enjoyed being called a great one way too much. “But it’s not all that common here. So, excuse me for taking the time to swallow the enormous, horse-tranquilizer-size pill that my daughter is still alive, and notjustalive, but married and pregnant. Oh right, and a goddess. Does that sum it up?”
“Pretty well, yes,” Cat confirms.
Dad blows out a calming breath and smooths his hand down his chest where his tie would usually be. “Great. It seems you’re all very eager to get down to business, so we can move to my office to see what it is I can do for you.”
“Oh,hellno,” my mother snaps. “No, you can have this discussion in front of me, right where we are now. I will go to the kitchen and grab some snacks. You—” she nods at me “—need some folic acid, so let’s see what I have for you. But don’t make this a matter of the men handling something the women can’t.”
“Of course, Melinda. I don’t know what I was thinking.” My dad gestures for us all to sit. “So, how can I help?”
“We need you to encourage the President to not bomb Solarem,” I say, my voice near pleading.
“I take it that’s the floating city in the sky?”
“The very one,” I confirm, grateful that Essos and Xavier are letting me take the lead on this.
“There are going to be alotof questions, mostly how do I know you don’t mean us any harm? How are we going to negotiate with you? Where did you come from? How long have you been there? I mean, that’s just what I can think of off the top of my head. I can assure you that there are going to be a lot more once you get to the global stage.”
“We’ve been here longer than humans have existed. My parents created humans and are the reason you exist. As soon as we can drop the veil between our worlds again, it will be like we were never here.”
So much for being glad that Xavier was letting me take over. I suppose I should let him drive this negotiation if he’s going to be the main contact between the two realms. But though Xavier is many things, a diplomat is not one of them.
“What Xavier means to say,” Cat interjects, “is that we understand that this is not going to be an overnight fix, and we would be happy to work with you to try to resolve this conflict as peacefully as possible. We don’t need any Independence Day nonsense.”
“I understand that, and the last thing I want to do is bomb your…island? Homes? I don’t even know what to call it, but I also don’t even know where to start with this.”
“Can’t you call your president? Tell him to stand down.” Xavier makes this sound so simple.
Dave hops up on the couch beside me and Essos. When my mom comes in, she scowls but still gives him a treat I know she saves for the neighborhood dogs when she goes for walks.
My dad laughs at Xavier’s suggestion. “Can your people just call you up and demand you do something?”
