Path of the Traitors

by Charles E Yallowitz

  Unlike Yola, the man’s black and white skin is neatly divided down the middle and his green hair is carefully maintained. The billowing robe matches his body, the garment appearing to connect at his shoulders and waist to hide his nakedness. Wiping salt from his sleeves and hands, the God of Order avoids meeting his twin sister’s gaze. Having not seen each other in centuries, the awkwardness leaves his mouth dry and his mind blank. Odigar chuckles since he has practiced thousands of speeches in case their paths crossed again, each one filled with the drama and love that he has held inside since her exile. Now, the only thing he can get his mouth to do is smirk and twitch.

  “Who are you?” Yola asks, unwittingly destroying the tension. The sight of the god running his hands through his hair jogs her memory and causes her to tackle her brother. “Odigar! I thought you were turned into a bunny. Wait, that was what I did to one of your high priests when he insulted the birthday cake I made for you. Hope you managed to fix that since bunnies don’t live very long. Then again, I’m sure the old goat is dead now even if he was made human once again. So, how are you doing? Have you been eating all of my vegetables while I’ve been away because mom would be angry if those went to waste? I missed you!”

  “I missed you too,” Odigar says with a cough. Uncomfortable with the warm embrace, he turns into fog and reappears behind his sister, who continues to hug empty space. “I have been watching you since Aeriel took your place. To be honest, my job has become harder since she feels it is chaos’s place to destroy order. At least you thought it was more of a game where fun was more important than winning. Of all of our kind, you were the one who reveled in being a god instead of acting like it was a job. Since I can see your attention wavering, I will tell you that this does have a connection to what I came to talk to you about.”

  “I will take my chocolate chip and barnacle cookie recipe to the grave!” the female immortal declares, raising her fists to fight. She makes a quick jab and the force circles around to hit her in the back of the head. “I hate it when you do that. Means you aren’t interested in having fun and want to get to business. Look, same age brother, I can’t go to Ambervale and take my power from Aeriel. She’s stronger than me now. Not to mention returning to my station would mean I get sealed, which is why I ran away in the first place. Besides, all of that sounds like it would interrupt my wandering. I have a whole world to see after I’m done crying about getting kicked out of the only home I really loved.”

  The Order God draws a scroll out of his sleeve and hands it to his sister, who juggles it for a few seconds. She is about to open the message when the sensation of someone else watching makes her skin tremble. Tendrils lance out in every direction, those heading for Odigar becoming intangible to avoid harming him. Lightning dances around the points until bursting forth in a wave that stuns a nearby flock of terns. Not wanting the animals to drown or be eaten, Yola stretches her arms to scoop them up and tucks them into her thickening hair. Remembering the scroll, she swallows the parchment whole and waits for the information to digest and appear in her mind. The only thing that happens is a loud burp, which leaves her throat covered in paper cuts.

  “Only Gar the Knowledge Lord can do that trick,” her brother groans while rubbing his eyes. Waving over his shoulder, Odigar gets closer to Yola and takes her hands in his. “There is a way for you to become stronger, reclaim your godhood, and avoid being sealed. Gabriel has promised to defend you since you have been in exile for centuries. That should negate any future punishments. As for gaining enough power to defeat Aeriel, you can get that by ingesting a mortal who has benefited from your magic for years. This will not break the Law of Influence since you are no longer a god and we cannot hold you responsible for what you do prior to ascension.”

  “Like I could find any . . .” Yola begins before her voice trails off. A growl slides from her throat and she grabs her brother by the face, a brewing rage causing her hair to devour all of the terns. “You want me to eat Trinity? She’s my best friend and took care of me even though I was a headache to her. I would never kill her. Not for power, my godhood, a fresh watermelon, or anything!”

  “That is very noble, but it does not have to be permanent.”

  “What are you talking about?”

  “Once you become the Chaos Goddess again, you can resurrect Queen Trinity and not lose any power.”

  “That could get me sealed.”

  “But would it not be worth it since she is your friend?”

  “My head hurts.”

  Releasing her brother, Yola opens her skull to let the revived birds escape before turning away from Odigar. She lowers herself to the shifting ocean and pricks her finger to let a drop of blood fall into the water. The immortal frowns when no sharks appear, the predators kept away by a large pod of dolphins passing through the area. She lies down to watch the clicking animals leap over her, the spray of water thick enough to hide Yola from view. Memories of her time with Trinity appear within the droplets, each one staying in the air until struck by another dolphin. Sinking below the surface, Yola sighs at the feeling of foam on her skin and tries to remember if the sensation is the same as it was when she was a goddess.

  Not wanting to be rude, the immortal rises back into the sky and remains upside down while facing her brother. Focused entirely on business, Odigar keeps his arms crossed even after she experimentally flicks him in both ears. Yola takes the other immortal by the face and stares into his rainbow eyes for signs of deception. All she sees is concern and brotherly love, which causes her body to transform into that of a child. She makes funny faces at the Order God and pinches his nose, but his refusal to respond in kind forces her to change back. Without warning, she plunges her hand into her chest and removes an ebony orb that is eternally on the verge of dripping tar-like magic. She rolls it around her palm, which leaves a trail of glistening ooze that seeps into her pores.

  “I’d be lying if I said I didn’t want to return to Ambervale. Being cast out again has left me with a bad taste in my mouth, which could also be the saltwater,” Yola explains before swallowing the piece of chaos. She shudders at the sliminess that coats her throat and continues into her aching gut. “You swear that I won’t be stopped from reviving Trinity if I’m forced to eat her? One thing I’ve learned from mortals is that there can be another way. Maybe she can transfer it to me or I only have to eat a part she won’t miss. There are many ways to regenerate and heal, which I would help her find before returning. Does it count if I swallow her whole and spit her back up later?”

  “I am sorry, taller sister, but I have done the research and found that there are no shortcuts to this,” Odigar replies, putting his hands on her shoulders. Curling his legs beneath him, he sighs and lets the black and white in his center smear together. “You can reject this option and find a new path if you wish. I came to you out of selfish reasons, so do not think you have to follow my words. A friend is very important, which is why I promise that you can revive her later. It can be your first act after coming home.”

  With an ear-bursting pop, the immortal woman disappears, leaving only her voice behind in the form of a shimmering dust mote. “I need more time to think about this. Thank you for this opportunity, Odigar, and I will consider everything you’ve said. Right now, my stomach isn’t feeling very good. I need to lie down. You better not have made my bed because it looks better messy. Be seeing you later.”

  “She will follow the path in some form,” the Order God states after his sister’s presence vanishes completely. Wiping tears from his eyes, he turns to face the black-armored form that is materializing behind him. “I have given her my word that Trinity can be resurrected, so you better not turn me into a liar, Hell Lord. My sister has never had a true friend until that mortal came into her life. Even if she returns to us, she will never forgive me if her actions cannot be reversed. Yola may be ancient and have control over a primordial element, but she is more vulnerable than most of our kind. Heartache could make her dangero
us enough to warrant an eternal sealing or, even worse, destruction.”

  “This is not the time for dramatics,” Gabriel snarls, his body reverting into a haze. His eyes glow with yellow energy that flickers at the cracked corners. “Thank you for agreeing to deliver my message. I know this reunion was hard for you, but I doubt Yola would have listened to anyone else. Go back to handling Aeriel and I will take care of the rest. As long as your sister accomplishes her task, she will be able to return to Ambervale.”

  “Thank you for putting these events in motion,” Odigar says with a bow. A pair of perfect wings erupt from his back and stretch for twenty feet in both directions. “As her brother, I feel like I should warn you that betraying my trust and hurting her will be met harshly. Yet, we both know I lack the power to be a threat to the great Destiny God. Please treat her like the lost family member that she truly is to all of us.”

  Odigar soars into the sky and disappears among the clouds, a trail of feathers falling upon the ocean. They transform into soft patches of kelp that try to drift away, but gather beneath Gabriel’s spectral form. With a yawn, the Hell Lord stomps his foot on the sturdy plants and drives them to the bottom of the ocean. Satisfied that the attempt at messaging Yola has been stopped and an illusion is in place to trick Odigar, he vanishes to avoid bringing any more attention to himself.

  *****

  The magical fist of shadows is already flying by the time Gabriel appears on the shores of Ambervale. He knows he can easily avoid the blow, but that will do nothing more than anger his wife even more. Bracing himself, the Destiny God closes his eyes and remains in the path of the hurtling spell. When nothing happens, he looks around and finds that the fist is gone along with the ocean breeze. Turning around, Gabriel sees his cobalt-skinned wife standing on a boulder, her ebony hair limp and down to her waist. He waits for her to acknowledge his presence before taking a step toward the cunning Chaos Elf Goddess. The instant his foot comes down, the attack spell returns and bloats to the size of an elephant. Before the black-haired god can react, the solid hand viciously pounds him into the hard stone. A roaring wave sweeps in to fill the hole with frothy saltwater and large starfish that latch onto the deity’s armor. Drenched and battered, Gabriel drags himself out of the newly created tide pool, but remains on the ground instead of healing any of his injuries. He is well aware that doing so would only fuel his wife’s temper and result in another attack.

  “Do I even have to tell you why I am angry?” Ambrosine hisses, her crimson dress coiling around her body. Stepping off the boulder, she aims two fingers at Gabriel and turns the nails into lances that impale the ground near his head. “You sent Yola Biggs after my chosen. Not just any of them too. She’s going to try and eat Trinity, who I need to help my people. After handing my power over to you for seven years, I secretly became mortal and raised that woman like my own daughter. I lived in the shadow of my father without his knowledge and ignored every opportunity to end this ridiculous prophecy with my own hand. Now, you casually betray me like this? For Odigar no less?”

  “I take it you were listening in on that conversation,” Gabriel answers as he wipes the water off his face. Gingerly rising to his feet, the Destiny God removes his armor and kneels before his wife. “I did not do this to hurt Trinity. She is fully capable of defeating Yola, who I fear has become an anomaly. Your father has cast her out, which means she may wander away from the prophecy or try to alter it to regain his favor. With the final battle on the horizon, I cannot take any chances. Sending her after the champions would be too risky, so I pitted her against the next best thing.”

  Ambrosine waves her hand to send Gabriel against the wall, which turns out to be as soft as a mattress. She smirks at the tension in her husband’s muscles and considers doing something else to him. Instead, the beautiful goddess snaps her fingers to fix his hair and put a simple loincloth on him. When his armor tries to return to his body, Ambrosine catches the suit and has it stand next to her like a headless bodyguard. She runs a red-nailed finger along the knuckle-shaped dents, which are repaired with a loud metallic creaking. Touching the back, the Chaos Elf Goddess pulls an ebony cape out of the shoulders and attaches a shimmering mist to give the fabric a starry appearance.

  “You may put this back on,” Ambrosine announces, unable to hide her impish smile. She nods her head when Gabriel decides to sit cross-legged and stare ahead. “Very wise, Hell Lord. I put an enchantment on the cape. If you were lying to me then it would wrap around your head and remain there for three days. No food, water, or the ability to watch your precious champions continue their adventures. So, do you trust your own words?”

  “Of course I do, my love,” the Destiny God replies before clapping his hands. His armor appears on his body, the cape fluttering as a fresh breeze dances along the shore. “It is insulting for you to think I would pick Odigar over you. The man is not even a worthwhile ally since his area of expertise is so rigid. If he was not Yola’s brother then I would not have bothered including him in this plan. Trust me when I say that there is nothing to worry about. Even if Trinity dies, she has a daughter who you can raise in her place.”

  “I see,” the Chaos Elf Goddess states as she gets closer. With a growl, she plunges a clawed hand into her husband’s chest and yanks out his heart. “I am keeping this until your game with my beloved chosen and Yola is done. If Trinity dies then I will hide your heart for a mortal to find and do with as they see fit. Not that you seem to be using it right now. Starting to wonder if this unsightly mass even works. I would suggest keeping a close eye on my chosen because now your fates are entwined.”

  Gabriel sighs and rolls his wrist to have his heart reappear in his hand. “There are only so many tricks and punishments that I will allow myself to be subjected to. I have real chosen to watch and guide, so I will trust you to attend to Trinity. Seems you are the one with no faith in the young woman.”

  With her eyes burning like tiny bonfires, Ambrosine quickly pulls her arm back and has Ambervale start to fold in half. The other gods and goddesses shout in surprise while they hold onto the ground or escape to their private castles. The island halves collide together with Gabriel in the middle, the Destiny God driven into the earth like a stake. He gets the sense that there are other deities helping his wife with her attack since he has never known her to be so powerful or have any control over earth. Before he can ask, Ambrosine disappears in a puff of smoke and the land returns to its natural state. A wave stretches over the shore to cover Gabriel and draw him out of the dirt, the water cleaning him as it recedes. The faint hiss of his wife’s voice carries on the wind, warning the god that it is best that he stay away from their home for a while.

  “Everything will work out,” the Destiny God responds with a musical laugh. He reaches down to pick up a colorful shell, the hermit crab inside waving its large claw in defense. “Please trust my judgement, dear Ambrosine. There is more to Yola than you realize and Trinity is far from defenseless. In fact, I am sure your precious chosen has yet to show her true strength. It is about time we see how the great Queen of the Chaos Elves does when she no longer lives in the shadows.”

  1

  Leaning over the marble railing, Nyx takes in the sight of her newly designed backyard that took her all night to complete. Having become accustomed to her thoughts transforming the city of Spellstream, the channeler finds it easy to adjust the statues and a vast collection of plants given to her by Willow of Rainbow Tower. A small grouping of apple trees is moved away from the nearby river and replaced by hedges that can absorb vast amounts of water in case there is flooding. Patches of flowers make various designs on the ground, their colors vibrant even though it is nearly winter. Sitting in the middle of the cleared paths is a towering fountain that resembles a fiery dancer. Nyx stretches her arms to adjust the decoration’s upper body, which releases a cool mist that drifts across the gardens. Fed by a stream that comes off the river, a pond sits against the base of the castle porch. Small fish have
already found their way to the marble-edged pool and a croaking frog can be heard among a patch of lily pads. A curved bridge at the bottom of the stairs allows visitors to cross the water, but the structure has been taken over by a flock of ducks that refuse to be scared away by the new queen’s magic. Ignoring the defiant birds, Nyx goes back to finishing the final piece of her castle, which is a three-level hedge maze that sits in the northwestern corner of the grounds.

  “This has to be one of the gaudiest places I’ve ever seen,” Trinity admits as she joins her former rival. The chaos elf snaps her fingers and is surprised to see one of the statues transform into an oak tree. “Oops. Guess being a channeler means I can piggyback on your connection to the area. I’ll go back to breakfast and behave myself. No sense getting into a fight on an empty stomach. Still, do you really need the hedge maze? I mean, it stands out and looks so out of place among the gardens.”

  “It will be fun when Delvin and I have kids,” Nyx insists, her violet eyes flickering as she fixes the statue. With a sigh, she takes another look at her creation and fights the temptation to erase everything. “I only have today to finish this with magic. Maybe I can reduce the number of statues or make them nicer on the eyes. This is so much harder than adventuring. To be fair, my home can’t be any gaudier than Helgard.”