“What about the ones we’ve sponsored? Don’t we get to help them if they need it?”
He eyed me. “Yes, if you’ve picked a champion. Have you?”
Of course I had. “Not yet,” I fumbled. “Theoretical question. I’m still deciding.”
“Velns’ legions!” Perkons said. He pointed at the water in front of us.
The water boiled up, black-capped waves cresting over the shore. As if springing from within, an army of demons and undead spilled out of the sea and stumbled through the sand, looking no bigger than Polly pocket dolls from where we stood. These were not the kind of dolls you’d want to stick in your pocket, though.
“Champions, charge!” Ursins said, and with a roar that sounded much too savage for someone like Aaron, the dozen remaining would-be heroes rushed forward, metallic swords glinting in the sunlight.
“Wouldn’t it be better just to use modern weapons against them?” I asked Jumis.
He gave me a knowing smile that I couldn’t help interpreting as condescending. “That would work against a human army, but demons can’t be killed that way. That’s why Perkons gave each champion a weapon.”
“Are the swords cursed?”
“They were forged deep in the earth and tempered with the leviathan’s fire by Velns himself.”
“Leviathan . . .” I murmured. Jumis had used this word before, but I’d been too distracted to question it. “What is that, like a giant snake?”
“It’s a sea monster that Velns captured. He has it chained up in the underworld and uses its fiery breath to forge his weapons of destruction. He tried to use them to slay the gods in the last war we fought centuries ago. We confiscated many of them from him, but in the process we lost Saule. Now we use the weapons against him, and we will use them to get Saule back.”
It looked like it was working. Around me, my fellow gods and goddesses uttered bloodthirsty cries and cheers for their particular warrior, and some of them flew down into the midst of the battle to protect the humans. I couldn’t tell which one was Aaron, not with the crazy helmets. Usually it was easy to pick him out with his oxford shoes and button-up shirt, but today he blended in with the rest in his battle armor. How could my proper English boyfriend be out there on the battlefield?
A flash of red hair caught my attention, and I focused my eyes on the tall and resolute boy, a light shining from the staff lifted high in his hand. Trey! And if Trey was there, Aaron had to be close by.
And then I spotted Aaron, and I wondered how I hadn’t noticed him before. All the armor in the world couldn’t hide the fluid way with which he moved. He handled his sword as gracefully as if he were acting in a ballet, and it occurred to me he’d probably taken dance lessons as a child. There was so much I still didn’t know about him, and I desperately wanted the opportunity to learn.
I couldn’t take my eyes off the pair of them. No, it wasn’t like ballet, it was like fencing. My admiration increased. He had more skills than the other warriors.
“Who are you staring at?” Jumis asked.
“No one. I mean, everyone. I’m trying to pick a champion.” I stumbled over my words, and Jumis’ eyes narrowed in suspicion.
“If you haven’t chosen a champion, why is Auseklis protecting that man? He would not do so if not on your command.”
Of course when it was more important than ever that I lie convincingly and conceal Aaron’s identity, my ability failed me. “I’m, ah, maybe I’ll choose that one,” I said. “Trey is—I sent him to evaluate him. He’s made it this far, I thought maybe he would be worthy of my patronage.”
Jumis wasn’t buying it. I’d said too much, or maybe too little, and his suspicions from the day before brewed visibly in his eyes. Without another word, he released my arm, and before I could even blink, he vanished from my side. When I blinked again, Jumis stood beside Trey and Aaron. My heart leapt into my throat.
Trey stepped in front of Aaron, but Jumis would have none of it. He brushed Trey aside and grabbed the helmet on Aaron’s head. I uttered a cry, fear choking me as Jumis removed the helmet, revealing Aaron.
“Jayne!” Laima ran to my side. “Go! Go to him, Jayne!”
Aaron tossed back his head and raised his sword. From somewhere on his body, Jumis removed his own weapon and lifted it high. I bolted from where I stood. The transformation from human to bird to human again took only seconds, and then I threw myself between Aaron and Jumis, spreading my arms out.
I wasn’t the only one. Gods and goddesses descended between us, whether to protect me or to take sides, I didn’t know.
“You can’t hurt him,” Perkons said, putting his hand on Jumis’ arm and pushing away his dagger. “He is fighting for us. He might be our only hope.”
“This man will not be our hero!” Jumis roared. The sand sifted with his anger, and I put a hand on his arm, trying to calm him.
He shook me off so hard that I flew backward several feet. “You betrayed me!” he screamed, turning his gaze on me, his eyes black with fury. “You lied to me! You took advantage of me and tried to deceive me!” He lifted his dagger again, and this time I suspected it was me he intended to kill.
I leapt back to my feet, but Trey was already in front of me, staff horizontal across his body, ready to defend me. Aaron stepped beside him, breathless, his whole body shaking as he held the cursed blade out in a defensive posture.
The battle with the demons was forgotten as we fought amongst ourselves.
“Jumis, put your weapon down,” Perkons said, his voice booming. “You will not harm her.”
“She is my wife.” Jumis trembled, his dagger still held aloft. “She loves another man while she is married to me. She’s an adulteress. I have the right to meet out her punishment.”
I bristled under the accusation. “We’ve not had any physical contact!”
“He is your lover! Do you deny this?”
My body quaked. “Lover in what sense of the word?” I said, and I knew I condemned myself.
Ursins looked at me, concern in his gaze. “You have gravely erred. It is your husband’s duty to correct you.”
“Wait!” Trey shouted. “I demand a temporary stay of hand.”
All eyes turned to him, and I prayed to the highest god that he could convince them.
“If Aaron becomes our hero,” Trey said, “he intends to fight for her hand. That will be his right. It is allowed.”
“It is within the laws of nature for him to do so,” Perkons said, facing Jumis.
I leapt at my chance. “I choose him as my champion,” I said, my pulse battering in my neck. “I will be one of his patrons.”
“I will not allow it!” The rocks quaked with Jumis’ rage. “I forbid it!”
The power of his words come over me, taking away my ability to choose. I turned angry eyes at him, but the fury with which he glared back diminished my own. He no longer cared what I wanted. I had stricken his good will.
“He is already my champion,” Laima said, stepping forward. She faced Aaron. “I have given you one gift; now I give you another.” She removed a tiny pouch from her waist and opened it, retrieving several small green leaves. “This raskovnik will lock or unlock any door or mechanism that stands in your way. Once it is used, the power is gone.” She tucked the tiny leaves into his belt.
“And me,” Beth said, pushing through. “I will also be his patron. Though I don’t have a magical object.”
Laima nudged her. “Your belt.”
“My belt?” Beth looked down at the rope she’d used to tie her gown. “You mean this?”
Laima nodded. “Give it to him. It has the power to enslave magical beasts.”
“Oh.” Beth arched an eyebrow and undid the knot. “Cool. Here you go, Aaron.”
He gave a small laugh and tied the belt around his own waist. I saw the tremor in his fingers, but I sensed him regaining control. “Thanks, Beth. Any rules with it?”
She looked at Laima, who said, “Once you tie it around a beast
, it will not come off.”
“I will sponsor him also,” Ursins said in a show of loyalty that brought an ache to my throat. “You may have my ring. Use it wisely; it controls dark creatures, but as a mortal, you may only use it once.” He slipped the ring from his hand and placed it on Aaron’s finger.
Jumis might prevent me, but I had people on my side. And they would stand with me, which meant standing with Aaron.
Meness also stepped forward. “If this is to be the hero who will rescue Saule, he needs all the help we can give.” He slipped a leather band knotted with small rocks from his arm. “May the light of the moon guide you in dark places.” He tied the bracelet around Aaron’s wrist.
“Earth.” Zalktis bent and scooped up a handful of dirt in her fist. She pulled a pouch from her gown and poured it within, then handed it to Aaron with a sweet smile. “So the ground may be solid beneath you.”
Jumis spun to Perkons. “Surely you will not allow this!”
Perkons shook his head. “You command only Dekla.”
The dagger trembled in Jumis’ hand, and he slowly lowered it, shades of emotions chasing each other in his eyes. He whipped around to face me. “I waited hundreds of years for you,” he whispered, his voice raw with pain. “How could you? How could you do this to me?”
I stared back at him, at a loss for words. My own defensive indignation fell away as sorrow for his pain rippled through me. None of this was my fault, but that wouldn’t ease his own feelings.
“They’re almost to the arch!”
Somebody’s words slashed through the air, and I turned my head to see the demons dashing toward the opening of the portal, the one that led back to earth or to the meadow. I caught my breath.
“But they can’t go through—can they? The portal is only for mortals.”
“Jods has been harvesting mortal souls,” Laima said, her fingers tightening on my arm. “With Velu Mate’s help, he can bind the two together. She can create the magic needed to activate the portal.”
“Stop them!” Perkons roared, and the battle immediately moved away from us as the soldiers dashed to meet the vadatajs head on and prevent them from reaching the arch.
In a sudden rush of movement, Aaron dashed from our side and vaulted for the advancing enemy.
A dark cloud spiraled down to the sand, and Jods stepped out of it, hefting a sword over his head. Samantha came behind him.
“Do not let Samantha meet Aaron’s eyes!” Laima hissed, her gaze darting to Trey. “She could change his fate!”
He took off in Aaron’s direction.
My throat tightened. I drew closer, wanting to protect him, but Laima blocked me.
“He must fight this battle on his own. He has our tokens, and he has Auseklis.”
“Remember he fights in your name,” Beth whispered beside me.
I was too distraught to reply to her words. Jumis stood next to Perkons, clenching and unclenching his sword, chest heaving with each breath. His face was white, anguish and anger etched across his features as he stared at Aaron.
My eyes burned, and when I blinked, hot tears trailed down my cheeks. I had to look away from Jumis. Instead I watched the battle, motionless beside the rest of the pantheon, all of us appearing cold and heartless as Aaron and the humans lifted their swords again and again to block the blows and drive the demons away from the arch.
And then, to my surprise, the mortals began to gain ground. A cheer went up from the deity, and Jods took a step back, then another. The heroes’ swords flashed in the sunlight, and my heart lifted. Dead vadatajs littered the sand and rocks closer to the arch. The humans were winning, in spite of the numbers.
In a blinding blur, Jumis disappeared from beside Perkons. He reappeared next to Jods, dagger in his hands. Jods shot him a look that I couldn’t interpret from where I was. Jumis lifted his dagger, and I expected Jods to lift his own in defense. But then Jumis turned, dagger still raised as he stepped to Jods’ side. Jumis’ shoulders straightened as his posture lifted. Together he and Jods faced Aaron.
“Jumis!” Perkons shouted, and a collective gasp of dismay rose from the gods.
A memory jolted when I saw Jumis and Jods standing side by side, similar enough to be twins. They were blood brothers, once close but long separated by a feud that no longer had meaning. Fueled by his anger against Aaron, against me, Jumis had found the perfect opportunity to make amends.
The enemy of my enemy is my friend.
The quote could have been written for Jumis.
“That’s hardly fair!” I cried, turning to Laima.
She didn’t look at me. She didn’t tear her eyes off the battle in front of us. None of them did. I squeezed my fists together, thinking they would have paid me more attention if I were offering popcorn.
“Can’t I at least fight at his side?” This time I grabbed Laima’s arm and gave her a shake.
“You can’t,” she whispered.
Aaron lifted his sword and lashed out at Jumis, striking the dagger again and again. Jumis removed a bow from his tunic and swirled it around, forcing Aaron back. Jods couldn’t help, as he was being attacked by the other humans. Samantha was picking them off one by one, forcing them to look at her and changing their fates.
Jumis held his own under Aaron’s onslaught, each of them fighting from the heart.
And then, by sheer bad luck, Jumis stumbled. His bow lashed out, seeking ground, and instead struck Jods upside the head.
Jods misstepped, giving an opening to the mortal battling him. The man yelled and lifted his sword to deliver the final blow. But Jods threw his hand out and brought a wall of sand between him and his attacker. The warrior struck his sword through the sand, dispelling the wall, but not before Jods buried his hand in the ground.
The earth shook, and the warrior hesitated. A fissure opened behind Jods, the glittery yellow sand falling into it.
“Samantha!” Jods roared. Without a second warning, he jumped into the earth.
Samantha’s head swiveled, and when she saw his departure, she leapt away from her task and followed. The few demons who remained stopped their fighting and raced after her.
Jumis glanced at the crack in the ground, but Aaron stepped around him, blocking his way.
Jumis’ eyes narrowed. “Let’s end this. One way or the other, only one of us can be a victor here.”
Aaron glanced at the fissure, and I could almost hear the debate in his mind: defeat Jumis here and now, or continue the quest and rescue Saule from the underworld? He faced Jumis and straightened his shoulders.
“You’re just a side note to this story. I’ll finish you later.” Then he tucked his sword into his belt and dove into the fissure.
“No!” I screamed.
Jumis tried to dive in after, but Trey extended his staff and created a barrier that froze him in his tracks. Meredith stepped onto the sand and knelt next to the fissure. The earth trembled again, then the crack closed up.
I sobbed, my shoulders shaking, my tears a mixture of shock and fear and anger and relief.
“Only one worthy to be the hero could have descended into the underworld,” Laima whispered. “By taking those steps, he decided his fate.”
I closed my eyes at the torrent of emotions. Then Aaron had made it this far. He had the chance to be the hero of this story.
My eyes flashed open, and I turned my murderous gaze on Jumis. I would never forgive him for this.
But it looked like the feeling was mutual. Even as I glared at him, Jumis turned dark, stormy eyes on me.
“Jumis,” Perkons boomed. “Come. There must be an accounting made.”
“No.” Jumis’ gaze burned into mine. “You have made it clear where your loyalties lie. And they are not with me.” He whirled away in a cloud of black smoke and vanished.
Incessant chatter immediately broke out around me, but Perkons spoke over the tumult.
“We will discuss and analyze the repercussions of Jumis’ betrayal at a later moment. Retu
rn to your homes until you are called. The battle here is over.”
One of the gods made a pathway to return to the meadow, and the others followed. I remained rooted to the spot, trying to make sense of Perkons’ words.
Jumis’ betrayal. He would rather fight against me than let Aaron win.
I had thought this war was personal before. I was wrong. Now it was personal.
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
I didn’t go back to the house. Why would I? It wasn’t really mine. It was the house I shared with Jumis, and he had pretty much just declared war on me. So I went to the house my sisters shared.
I kept having to remind myself Laima wasn’t actually my sister. I had started to think of her as such.
She greeted me at the door, pressing a hand to my shoulder and giving it a gentle squeeze. “How are you handling it?”
I paused in the doorway, sifting through the emotions of fear and worry and pride and anger that vied for my attention. “It? I don’t even know what it is. My boyfriend’s been chosen of all of the other mortals to rescue Saule and defeat Velns. I have no idea how he’s going to accomplish that.”
Her blue eyes held more sympathy and compassion than I had ever seen before. “And Jumis’ betrayal? How are you handling that?”
Of course she would bring that up. She knew Jumis, had known him for thousands of years. She knew him from when he and Dekla were an item. His betrayal was probably affecting her more than it affected me.
I cupped my hand over hers and gave her fingers a squeeze. “I don’t think any of us can begin to understand what’s going through his head. Obviously he sees me as the traitor, and somehow that justifies his actions.”
Anger sparked in her eyes, visible flashes of orange spiking through the blue. “You did not betray your people. You are well within your right to choose a champion, and if you wish to separate from your husband, this is how it is done.”
“Yes, well . . .” I sighed. “Apparently Jumis doesn’t agree with how it’s done anymore.” Some of my anger faded as I spoke, and the part of me that held Dekla’s memories shivered in compassion. His Dekla had loved him just as strongly as he loved her, and if she were alive, she would mourn this turn of events.
Destined (Goddess of Fate Book 4) Page 11