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Hermes’ face drained of all color and he took a step back, his hand pushing through his hair.
“No,” He whispered, his voice sounding strained.
Lily continued to smile at him. “Yes, Hermes. Go talk with Apollo. Decide which side of this you want to be on. The war is about to start. But believe me in this, if you choose the wrong side and you win, you will still lose. None of the other species in all the universes will believe in the gods like humans here on Earth do. It is our faith that keeps you alive.”
He pushed past the two, almost running for the gate. Halting, he spun halfway back around towards us. “What about those two I brought with me?”
Lexi answered him this time. “The hawk and the Naga? They are ours. They were fine when they were out there exploring, but you had to bring them back. Still, I have use for them. Leave them with The Protector. Konner will make sure they see the price they will pay if they choose unwisely.”
Hermes nodded, his gaze dropping to the ground before rising once again and meeting Lily’s. “I'm sorry I was such an ass. I—” He paused, searching for words before shrugging. “I didn’t understand. I believed you were trying to take over Delphi. Attempting to get closer to Apollo. He didn’t treat you like the other Oracles.”
Lily shrugged. “I am not like the others, but he is wrong about what he is doing. He cannot kidnap people and contain them on Delphi. Nor should he steal their information from them. Instead, he should open his doors and welcome all there. He has a wealth of knowledge there that should be shared with all who have the sight.” Her look softened. “I know many have forgotten about you, Hermes, while they still remember the sun god. So you hold on to him, hoping you won’t go the way of the lesser gods, unremembered. Fighting me is not the way to survive. Fighting for us, though, will bring your name to people’s lips once again. Think about this.”
He nodded and then turned, taking a step and disappearing before the gate. I don’t think he actually used it, since I didn’t see it open. He must have used his other manner of traveling the universes, the one reserved for the gods.
“He is The Messenger and can travel wherever he needs to.” Lily answered my question as if I had asked it out loud.
I was sure I hadn’t.
I sheathed my blade, watching as Shane did the same.
Lexi shivered, as if she was a dog shaking off water. Then she turned and looked at her foster father. “They now know we have a weapon which can destroy a god. I wish they didn’t have that information yet.”
These words came from my sister and not the goddess.
The Alpha shrugged. “He wasn’t backing down. He would have taken Lily.”
Lily’s smile was unpleasant. “You mean he would have tried?”
Chapter Twenty-Two
Lily
I quickly slipped into my dream land, making sure that all traces of Hermes were gone. His ravens had disappeared, going with their master, but I wanted to be certain.
I was glad I had. One lone bird shivered in the darkness, trying to hide in the shadows. I picked it up and ran a finger down its back.
“Soren.” I didn’t need to raise my voice. My mate appeared on my shoulder, his raven form towering over my head.
I stared down at the bird, noticing its size. It was tiny compared to Soren, about the size of a typical one on Earth. I wasn’t sure if that was because the magic here caused my mate to morph into a larger-than-life raven. But then I remembered the other birds that Hermes had sent here had been large as well. I cocked my head, studying it.
“Why is this one still here?” It was more like I was wondering out loud instead of speaking to my mate, but still he answered me.
That is a crow. Hermes doesn't command those. Crows, though, like to flock with others of its kind. This one is acting strange. Different. I am not sure why it would want to be around ravens. Unless it was gaining something from the relationship. Or someone forced it to stay with them.
“But the birds that were here before—? Wasn’t that a flock?”
Soren readjusted his hold on my shoulder, gently shifting on his clawed feet.
It was a flock because they were all commanded to be one by the god. As a group, not as the pairs, they prefer.
Ah. So ravens like pairs. I gave my mate a side glance. “You are not part of a pair. Why are you a raven?”
His laugh was like a series of caws being barked out, the syllables cut short before starting again. But I am. We are just an unusual pairing, Lily, consisting of a raven-witch-lycanthrope and an oracle-lycanthrope.
I grinned, looking down at the bird. “What do I do with this one?”
Soren started preening my hair with his beak. Bring it back to Earth with us. We can try to determine if it is a shifter or a crow. If it is just a crow, it can find a flock on Earth. Or it can return to where it came from, if it wants. If it is a shifter, we can ask it to shift so it can talk with us.
