Too angry to meet his inquiring gaze, I looked away from him. I’d asked him to stop, to spare the humans and he ignored me. He placated me with a warm leather jacket, then did what he wanted anyway. The other gods and humans all spoke at once, but I ignored them too. I stepped around the pillars of plants and people to inspect the fallen weapons. Bows and poisoned arrows littered the grassy ground.
“Take the weapons,” I said to the earth and the ground opened to swallow them whole. When I looked back to the faces of the people around me, they had gone silent, thoughtful, maybe fearful.
“I had hoped to resolve this all without violence, but you’re all just as bad as each other,” I said.
“Roo. This is irrational. You’re making a mistake. Let me go.” This came from Cash.
“Listen to your man, Your Majesty. You’re still drunk. You need to—” Thurstan shut his mouth when he caught the seething glare in my eyes.
“Roo,” Cash warned again. “Let me go and I’ll sort this out.”
I screamed in exasperation. “I immobilized all of you without harming a hair on your heads and you’re treating me like a second rate citizen. I know I make mistakes. I make them all the time. I know I don’t remember my centuries of life experience like you do. I’m new and fresh just like them”—I pointed to the archers—“and guess what? Humans make mistakes, too. It’s how they learn. So I’m not going to be afraid anymore to keep trying because failing is making me a better person. So if it’s okay with all of you, I’m going to keep doing stupid shit because it’s the only way I know how to be me.” I gasped in a deep breath of air on my last word and eyed each of them. Cato, Thurstan, Jacine, Cash, Zebedee. Jed, the archers. I stepped around them all, circling, thinking, until finally I came up with a plan. I stood still and spoke. “As a matter of fact, I’m going to do something really stupid, right now.”
I walked up to the Robin Hoods and stood in front of the leader.
His face was pale and his eyes widened. “I’m sorry. We shouldn’t have come here. I’m sorry.”
“I’m not going to hurt you. I want to let you go. Will you return the way you came and never come back?”
He glanced at his son, Jack, and both nodded to each other.
“We will go. Anything you say, we will do. We are in your service.”
“What?”
“You are the god we should have listened to.”
“No. No, that’s not what I want. Just—will you go? Be with your loved ones. Forget about this. I’ll make it right.”
He nodded.
“Good.”
Once by one, I allowed the vines around them to unravel and return underground. True to their word, each interloper left, running back into the darkness of the forest until I sensed their auras fade.
Cash’s fist punched through his captivity. I met his eyes. He opened his mouth to speak, but before he had the chance to tell me how dumb and juvenile I was being, I stepped through the in-between.
Chapter 27
I arrived in a room I knew well in Margaret River—Kitty’s living room. Alvin was standing in the open plan kitchen, putting away some cutlery. Metal clinked and clattered and then a drawer whooshed closed. He was the epitome of health, wearing a singlet that displayed his muscled arms, skin browned from spending a summer in the sun. Kitty sat on the sofa, flicking through a trashy magazine. Her hair was growing nicely into shoulder length blue and green waves, and her stomach had a slight curve to it, almost negligible if I didn’t already know she was pregnant. It was a perfect scene of domestic life.
“Whoa!” Alvin shouted when he saw me. “When did you get here, Roo?”
“Roo?” Kitty jumped from her seat on the blue sofa. The magazine fluttered to the floor.
“Sorry!” I cried and glanced down, fearing I’d be stark naked.
“What on earth are you wearing, Roo?” Alvin asked.
The plant dress was still woven around me. Must be organic enough to hold its shape through the in-between. It seemed a little tattered, but was holding. I straightened. “Sorry. Thought I’d be naked. I’m so glad you’re both safe.”
My friends stared at me wide-eyed.
“Uh, babe, do you want some proper clothes?” Kitty spared a glance at her fiancé.
“Right. Clothes.” Alvin dashed out of the living room.
“No, I’m okay, really.”
Kitty turned to me, frowning “Babe, you shouldn’t have come here. Those things are herding people up in town. Alvin and I have managed to avoid being caught up by staying in our home, but … we don’t know how long that’s going to last. It’s dangerous.”
I thought back to the images I’d seen on the television screen at the refuge. People were being corralled into pens. “Has anything happened yet?” I asked. “I mean, apart from people being treated like livestock? What are they doing? Tell me about it.”
Kitty pursed her red lips. “First, coffee.”
Alvin returned with a balled up package of fabric and threw it at me from the other side of the room. “Heads up.”
I plucked the unraveling dress from midair. I stretched it out and then folded the fabric over the arm of the sofa, smoothing the wrinkles, thinking, I didn’t need it. I didn’t need clothes because I’d made my own. Holy cheese on a stick! I actually knew how to make my own clothes out of vines and—my mind stopped suddenly. The enormity of what I’d done back in Budapest hit me and dizziness overcame me. I moved to the front of the chair where my knees weakened and I collapsed. I was a god. Shit.
“Alvin. You wrinkled it!” Kitty groaned, mistaking my mood.
“Makes a better projectile, bubby-cakes.” Alvin kissed her on the cheek.
“Bubby-cakes?” I screwed up my nose and laughed. It was just the right thing to hear to snap my head from the clouds. I gathered my unruly long hair into a twist at the side of my neck as I watched Kitty and Alvin fuss around the kitchen, preparing drinks in perfect harmony. Alvin got cups down from a top cupboard, Kitty spooned coffee, and then Alvin added the sugar—knowing exactly how many Kitty liked in her drink. Tears burned the back of my lids and the ache in my chest grew. I wanted what they had. Cash and I were supposedly soulmates, but our minds were out of sync. I’d asked him to trust me with the humans, and he didn’t. He’d asked me to take things slow with my therapy and I’d rushed it. It didn’t matter that I was now coping better with my abilities. I’d stomped on his heart to get here.
No time for self wallowing. Kitty was pregnant. In danger. The town was in danger. And I was here to fix it all. I had to get my head back in the game.
By the time Kitty and Alvin joined me on the sofa, I’d mentally pep-talked myself into sitting taller. I took my mug from Alvin.
“Thank you,” I said. “So… tell me what’s been happening. I want to hear it from you two.”
“Have you seen the news?” Kitty asked as she settled back into the sofa. Alvin stretched an arm around her shoulders and sipped on his drink.
“Bits and pieces.”
“Well, they arrived yesterday. They say they’re here for our protection.” Kitty snorted.
“Yeah, right.” Alvin rolled his eyes. “As if.”
“What do they need to protect you against?” I asked.
“You, babe.” Kitty frowned. “They’re saying you created witches and that you might come back to make more.”
“Oh for goodness sake.” I joined Alvin in the eye roll. “Of course Urser would say that. He’s trying to smoke me out.”
“Your father?”
“Bruce. Yes. But he isn’t my father. I mean he sort of is, but it’s complicated.”
“They’re the dangerous ones, right?” Alvin asked, his arm tightening around Kitty’s shoulders. “I mean, they have really black eyes, like sharks, and they’re bloody well not giving anyone a choice about moving into their supposed safe zones.”
“They are dangerous, you’ve been right to stay out of sight in your home. They’ve been infected with t
he same darkness that Urser used to make witches, but he’s perfected the process. It’s taken him years to do it, except now he can turn anyone into his mindless slave.” I took a sip of the coffee, preparing myself for what I was about to say next. “So, I guess, there’s nothing for it. I’m going to fix them. I’ll get the dark taint out of their bodies, then send their souls home. I’m tired of sitting around and waiting for someone else to do what I should have done a long time ago.”
“You go girl!” Kitty fist pumped the air.
Alvin’s face turned serious and his muscles tensed. “Do you need help?”
My heart softened a little and I gave them both a small smile. “Thank you but, no, I can handle these on my own. There’s only a few, right?”
“Maybe ten or so?” Kitty replied.
“That we’ve seen,” Alvin warned.
“No problems. I got this.”
“But you’re here on your own, right?” Alvin continued. “Unless your friends are in town?”
My reply caught in my throat and I shook my head. I took another quick sip of coffee and let the sweet bitterness infuse me with strength. “I’m here on my own. I’ll get going in a minute and sort these people out. I’m stronger now. I’m not afraid to do this on my own.”
“Babe,” Kitty breathed. “It’s never good to be alone.”
I squeezed my eyes and blinked away the burn, then quickly changed the subject. “How have you been feeling Kitty? With the pregnancy?”
Kitty rubbed her hand over her belly. “I’m feeling great. No morning sickness, no tiredness. I’m showing a little faster than I hoped but, other than that, great!”
Showing faster? I squashed my panic, so I wouldn’t conjure visions of alien babies, or some sort of witch-hybrid like in the Underworld movies—no wait ––that’s Vampire-Werewolf hybrid. But still. What if it’s a Werewolf? A tiny gasp escaped my throat.
“Is something wrong?” Kitty frowned. “I know I’ll probably have to let out my wedding dress a little, but it’s not that bad is it?”
“Oh no, sorry, I was thinking of something totally unrelated.” I could almost hear Cash’s voice telling me to stop overacting, but couldn’t help myself. “So, do you think you got the conception date wrong, maybe?”
“It’s possible.” Kitty tapped her chin with red manicured nails. “Although, it could also be the fact that Alvin’s got super fit genetics now, thanks to you.”
Alvin kissed his bicep and winked at me.
Kitty swatted him playfully. “So it’s probably just going to be a super fit baby. The doc said all is normal and, with all things considered, we’re on track for the wedding.”
“Fantastic.” I clapped my hands then gave them both the eye. “You’ll tell me if something is wrong, though won’t you? I mean, having a god for a friend has some benefits, you know?”
Alvin gazed into his fiancé’s eyes with cloudy love. “I’m sure anything we have is going to be perfect the way it is.”
Kitty replied by kissing him on the lips.
“Aww, you guys are so cute.” And a load off my worrisome shoulders. I’d forgotten about Alvin’s supercharged genes. After Petra hexed him, I hexed him back with a stronger directive for his body to fix anything that was wrong, hence the super fit body and perfect health. “Just curious, Alvin, have you been sick or had a cold since that day you were hexed by me?”
“Not even the sniffles.” He raised his eyebrows with an impressed expression.
“Great.” I stood up to leave. “Don’t leave the house until you hear it’s safe.”
“How will we know that?” Alvin asked.
“You’ve got a point,” I replied. “I guess, the media coverage is getting out somehow, so there must be people who aren’t being captured. Either way, when I get rid of all the darklings, I’ll come back and let you know.”
“Roo?” Kitty’s voice wobbled.
“Yeah?”
“You’ll be careful, won’t you?”
“You know it. I have a wedding to get to.”
Chapter 28
I stepped through the in-between, aiming to teleport into a clearing on the edge of town. Lots of nature there, and usually few people. The main strip of town was a short walk away.
The instant my bare feet landed on the grass of the clearing, the glare of the sun hit my eyes, blinding me. I shielded my face, frowning. I didn’t remember the sun being so high. Time had warped. I took a step on the carpet of grass, and felt my dress break apart. Glancing down, I noticed a piece of disintegrating leaf and touched it. Within seconds, the rest of the outfit crumbled to the ground. Wow. Not built for lasting trips through the in-between.
Looking around me, I confirmed I was alone. Nothing but grass, trees, birds and the sound of the wind blowing softly through the leaves. I listened more intently, thinking I should be hearing cars drive along the main road just beyond the break of trees, but there was nothing but the silent omen of what I’d find in town.
I had to hurry.
I asked nature for a new dress. She was there waiting for me, eager and compliant. Roots and tiny tendrils shot out of the ground to slither around my legs and body until each length had weaved to create the most beautiful lace-work I’d ever seen. The sun sparkled on the dewy leaves like diamonds. The finished product was pliable with the texture of a soft basket weave. It melded to my torso and hips where it dangled to my feet in tassels. Little white flowers bloomed across my shoulder straps and trailed down the middle of my back like tiny white buttons.
“This is beautiful,” I gushed and swirled. “It moves with me. It’s perfect. Thank you.”
A gust of wind lifted my hair in response and I was sure I felt a swelling of pride coming from underground. I sighed and crouched down so my hand stroked the grassy surface, letting each blade of grass massage my fingers. “When this is all over, I swear I’m going to make things right for you.”
Another gentle gust of wind answered me and then I stood up.
“But first, we have some work to do.”
I made my way into town, stomach tensed with nerves. Shops were closed. Streets were empty. From the short flashes of media footage I’d glimpsed, the people were being held in a park. The one at the other end of main street was the obvious choice—central and open.
I noticed the first darkling a few minutes into my walk, standing outside the town bakery and looking rather like a Secret Service Agent. That was the first thing that threw me off. No wonder the Robin Hoods had believed Urser when he said I was the one causing trouble. This darkling looked similar to a trusted government authority, instead of the feral beasts that attacked me in the Amazon. He wore a gray suit, had his short dark hair plastered down, and had a coiled plastic wire running from an ear piece to his jacket where a shoulder microphone was attached. His biceps almost split the seams and I had the sense he could snap bones in an instant. The darkling’s aura was gritty and made my stomach curdle. Like Alvin said, his eyes were like a shark’s and every so often his head would turn to survey the empty street.
When he caught sight of me, he began walking my way.
The sun warmed pavement burned my feet, but diminished my connection to the earth’s raw power. I still had my own innate ability, though, so let my hands fill with energy and hid them behind my back.
“Hello,” I said to the darkling as we came within earshot of each other.
“You must return to your home, human,” he replied in a gravelly voice.
“Yeah… not happening. I’m here to send you home. Are you Nephilim or Seraphim?”
He frowned and cocked his head, but said nothing as he tried to compute my duplicity. He was probably used to the town’s folk running every time he spoke to them.
“Look, buddy,” I added. “I need to know what to do with your soul after I purge you.”
Those must have been the magic words because his mouth opened in a spiked, toothy snarl. He snapped my way viciously, feral beast come out to play.
<
br /> “My Grandma, what big teeth you have.” I jumped forward and slammed my palms on his chest, letting my energy out in a blast, effectively Tasering him.
He convulsed under my touch as the scent of ozone and burning rayon filled the air. That was close. I wiped my forehead. His teeth had narrowly missed my nose. As he slid against the bakery window to the ground, I surveyed the street for witnesses. No one yet.
Quickly, I knelt beside him and ripped his jacket and shirt open to reveal his chest. A star-map on the torso confirmed he was a Player. I used my power to slice his flesh and place my own sliced palm onto his wound and set to purging the poison from him until black residue oozed silently from his eyes, ears, nose and mouth. I stood back to assess with bated breath.
Slowly, the man’s eyes returned to a shade of blue that matched the sky. He blinked and rubbed his eyes, smearing the black liquid like day old mascara. Then he noticed the stains on his hands. Then he noticed me.
“Who are you?” he asked.
“I’m Roo. I’m the one who purged the darkness from your soul. What’s your name?”
“Ah.” He scratched his head. “I think it’s Nathan.”
“Hi Nathan. What’s the last thing you remember?”
Another frown and a vacant look in his eyes. That wasn’t good.
“Were you at a Ludus?” I tried.
“Ah. I was at the… um… why can’t I? Oh yeah, I was at the Libertine Ball, then there was a weird smell. That’s all I remember.”
“Good. That’s good. Libertine Ball. You have a star-map so you must be a Player. Were you graduating, or were you celebrating other members of your House being released into the Game?”
“I’m not sure.”
“You have an American accent.”
He nodded. “I’m American.”
“Do you remember what House you belong to?”
His eyes lit up with recognition. “Yes, Astraia House; The Fates.”
I snorted. “Well, buddy, you should’ve seen that coming.”
“No, my ability doesn’t work like that. I can’t see the future, only traces of the past when I touch objects.”
The Game of Gods: Series Box Set Page 92