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He snorted, droplets of mucus leaving his nose. Wiping his face with a handkerchief, he grinned at me. "No, you have to be born a god to be one. Eating their food won't make you one." He chuckled once more. "All it does is taste amazingly good for those like you and me. Nothing more."
Well, that was interesting. And I was still hungry. Since I already had eaten most of it, I guess it wouldn’t hurt to eat the rest. Yes, Samuel might be lying to me—he reported to the damn god—but he did try to keep to the truth as much as possible. Not like Octavius.
In for a penny, in for a pound.
I picked up the sandwich and bit into it again, almost moaning over the flavor. Samuel shook his head as I tucked my stray thoughts back into my deepest parts of my mind, making sure my mental shield was still in place.
Turning to the parts of the prophecy that had played out in front of Apollo, I peered at the other man. “Samuel, have you ever been human?”
“No.”
I rolled my eyes. “Have you ever lived some place other than here? Ever been on another planet as a mortal?”
He sighed and dropped onto the side of the blanket the god had sat on. “Yes, I was mortal before I came here to serve Apollo. What do you really want to ask, Lilianne?”
And now he sounded tired, once again. I frowned, studying him before clearing my face of my emotions. Whatever was tiring this man out wasn’t my business. I suspect dealing with a god’s every whim would be exhausting.
I focused on the question percolating in my head, changing the subject. “Do you think the planets are alive?”
He studied me, those bright blue eyes seeing more than I wanted him to. Finally, he replied, “You think they are. No, you know they are. So why are you asking me such a nonsensical question?”
Fuck. He was right. “Yes, I do. But all of this is like a fantasy. I am also here on,” I waved one hand around. “Delphi. And I am a lycanthrope, a being who can change from human to wolf. And I hear voices and can peer into the future.” I paused, looking down at a spot on the blanket, my fingers worrying a loose strand. “Kind-of.” I sighed. “Sort of.”
“Do you think Apollo would have brought just any oracle here? He has always searched for the best ones of the time, but they have always disappointed him. They generally are gone within a few hours. But you are still here. And—” he stopped as if he was picking his words with care. Lingering over them, he spoke, “And he actually tried to do a reading with you. Which is rare. Something happened between the two of you. Your relationship differs from the others that came before you, but I haven't figured out how yet.”
I chuckled, rising to my feet and slapping my hands together to brush off the crumbs. The sandwich had been wonderful going down, but now it sat like a lump in my stomach. I was tired. I was done with peopling and wanted the quiet of my room.
Staring down at the man, I met his gaze.
“All we did, Apollo and I, was witness my world ending.”
Let him take those words how he wanted. For now, I was finished with all the explanations.
I walked straight towards a wall of bushes making up the maze. A doorway opened for me and a path appeared that led me straight to the back door of my prison.
I didn’t turn back to glance at the man, who I knew was staring at me in surprise.
Chapter Seven
Soren
“Only one more year to go.” Lexi’s voice sounded resigned as she marked off another day.
We had moved further into the mountains to get away from those hunting Lexi. But I was afraid of what would happen when we returned to that area. Because we had to since that was close to the spot where Stet would be waiting at to take us home. And those assholes may still be around, lusting after my sister.
Tamerin spent the time going over some of the stuff in the book with us. Not only did it list the prophecies stated throughout all the universes, but it also told the history of the Universa. He enjoyed telling us stories about his species and his family in particular. He had a large family, but his younger brother, Shalen, had been one of his favorites.
His sibling had been carefree and had gotten into all sorts of trouble, being the youngest of them all. And he had been spoiled rotten by their mother. Shalen had been a wanderer, never settling long in one spot or with one subject. Tamerin had decided early on to study history and the Korchamen. One of his older sisters, Belesh, had studied along side his Malen and had become a geneticist. Shalen had thought both of those paths were boring, but Tamerin still loved him.
“We had all scattered, trying to outrun the Trombinone and their dogs. Malen had given each of us a piece of our Universa culture to save. Palen was already gone, killed by our enemies when I was young. I got the book because I was our story-teller and scribe. Belesh got Malen’s notes, even though she had many of her own since she had her own lab by then. And Shalen had a secret mission. Well, we knew Malen wanted to send him to a world where the Trombinone would never find him. Or so we hoped. But Earth was a part of the prophecy, so I am sure he found challenges there.”
“He traveled to Earth,” Lexi repeated, her tone soft as her mind followed some elusive thought.
Tamerin nodded. “Yes, he did.” He smiled, amused.
“So, whatever this prophecy is—whatever happens in it—will happen either on Earth or to us?” She scrunched her face up, the thoughts flying through her head.
“Correct.” The old man’s smile grew a little sadder.
