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“The God of Memory,” I absently explain. “But how are we going to find him?” He’s hard enough to track down on a normal day. We needed Finn to find him before, and if he can’t even get messages, what are the chances he can find the elusive god?
Essos turns to Spot and whistles. While the dog had been content in the dog bed my parents apparently got him, he jumps up and runs to Essos for his command.
“Find Rafferty, then find us,” Essos orders.
Spot gives a small bark of acknowledgement before he’s gone.
“I willneverget used to that,” my dad says, still staring at the spot where Spot disappeared.
“He would do it in the morning when it was time for his walk or for food. He would be in one part of the house one minute and the next…poof…he was by our side, leash or bowl in his mouth.” My mom is squatting to pet Shadow.
I give my mom a smile. “Don’t let him fool you. They can be fearsome things.”
“Yes, I bet you can,” she says not to me, but to Shadow, who has rolled over with her tongue flopping out.
“How have things been since the eradication of the zombies, Phil?” Essos asks. It’s strange, not only that he’s making conversation with my dad, but that it’s about zombies. So many parts of my life that I never expected to intersect are colliding. I can only hope that, when this is all over, I’ll be able to introduce Phil and Melinda to Ron and Linda, the parents who raised me and the parents who birthed me.
My dad turns to look at me, aghast. “Did you ever think the eradication of zombies would be a topic of discussion? With a god no less?” He turns back to Essos. “Did you do something about the clean up too? After the zombies all… died? I don’t know what happened. They all stopped fighting, and then they just ceased to be there. It’s been a little bit of a reset. That’s why the president hasn’t been too worried about dealing with your floating city, but to be honest, I know he’s getting daily briefings about what you’re doing up there.”
“My siblings took care of the cleanup.”
“Can the government see into Solarem?” I ask as my mom starts to herd us into the living room while we await Spot’s return. I don’t think he’ll be gone that long, but at the same time I want to stick as close to the one-hour transportation wait time as possible. As our little pomegranate has gotten larger, I’m getting less afraid of something happening to her during this jaunt, but I also haven’t been eager to leave the house. What was once my prison is now my safe haven.
My mom waves her hand generally at the sky. “I mean, they see your floating land mass or whatever the media is calling it these days, but it’s not like we’re able to see what your streets or technology or anything look like. From the reports I’ve seen, there’s some sort of haze or mist around it. There may have been a few attempts to get close, but each time it’s tried, the jets run out of fuel and fall. I think that’s what scares everyone the most. You’re hovering over us, and we’re just waiting for the other shoe to drop. Well, not me. I know that you don’t intend any harm, but the general world. But again, the zombies were sort of distracting,” she explains. She sits beside me on the couch, then gestures at my bump.
“Of course,” I tell her, responding to her silent plea.
She places both hands on my stomach and leans close. “I know you’re going to be some sort of god or goddess and have a king and queen for parents, but that doesn’t mean that your grammy isn’t going to spoil you.”
My gaze catches Essos’s, and I can feel tears well in my eyes. “We’ll figure out some way for you to see her.”
“Her?” My dad asks.
“Yes, we’re having a girl,” Essos confirms, giving me a wink.
My dad brings out shots of vodka for him and Essos, and I have to hide my laugh behind my hand because my husband is not a vodka man, nor is he a shots guy, but he refuses to say no to my dad.
“I have to warn you, son, there’s been discussion of a special mission. They haven’t wanted to shoot a missile at you, because for now you haven’t done anything but exist, but people are getting restless. They want answers. If you’re planning something to hide your little island or make it disappear again, you should do it sooner rather than later.”
My father toasts this claim with a third shot, after which Spot returns to us. My mom is more than happy to reward him with treats, which gets the other two dogs excited, and for a second, I can see it. I can see our happily ever after with my families all together. From having our baby fawned over by two sets of grandparents to having my dad discuss the merits of golf with Kai. I can see it all, and I want it.
I didn’t need the encouragement to have something more worth fighting for, but it did give me a goal to work toward. That’s why we let Spot rush us from my parents and to Rafferty.
* * *
I’m notsure what I expected from the God of Memory’s home, but a dark cave off the coast of Ireland wasn’t it. Spot takes us to a rainy cliff overlooking a raging ocean below. I can see the cavern Rafferty must be living in just ahead of us. The air around it looks oily, like there’s a film over it that would force a mortal’s gaze to avert.
“I feel like we’re going to turn around and grumpy Luke Skywalker is going to emerge and lecture me about the force.”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Essos whispers in my direction as he hedges in front of me.
I stop walking. “Seriously? You’ve gotten all my other pop culture references before now.”
Essos stops walking too, so he can face me. “You misunderstand. I got your reference. I just don’t acknowledge the sequel trilogy as canon.”
“Okay, fine, but you can also not gaslight me about it. You don’t like it…fine, but you understood my reference perfectly well.”
“If you two are attempting stealth, I have to say, you’re doing a shit job.” The god we’re seeking emerges and runs a hand over his head. “How did you find me?”
