Gods

by Ednah Walters

  “Where’s your partner?”

  “With his girl. How is Celestia doing?”

  “Good. Busy with school. So what’s your story, Syn?”

  “I don’t have one.”

  “Everyone here has one.” One of the staff brought me a tray of food, bowed, and left. “Where are you originally from? What period?”

  “Three-hundred B.C., Meroe, ancient Nubian city of Kush.”

  “That makes you nearly as ancient as Echo?”

  His eyebrow rose, stretching the scar above his eye. “Almost. That’s why I’m his partner. I’m the only one who can put up with his bullshit.”

  “And the only one he listens to outside my parents.”

  Syn shrugged.

  “Why does he listen to you?”

  He chuckled. “Why do you care?”

  “I’m trying to understand him so I can fix this mess between him and Rhys.”

  He chuckled. “Dev business. The man betrayed their people. Echo will never forgive him.”

  “Damn! My mother was counting on me to fix the problem.” I went back to my food. “So tell me about Meroe and ancient Nubia.”

  Syn studied me as though deciding how much to reveal. “Meroe was one of the wealthiest cities in the Kingdom of Kush. We traded with Ancient Egyptians and Romans, supplying them with iron weapons, ivory, and animals. We had our gods, some borrowed from Egypt. Some of our kings even conquered Egypt and ruled them for a period of time.”

  I chuckled. “No kidding. I need to read the history of the world to understand why so many from different cultures agreed to become Immortal and reapers for Norse gods. So you and Egypt were enemies?”

  “Sometimes. It depended on rulers and dynasties. During peaceful times, we sent our royal children to their courts while they used our archers in their armies. A lot of queens ruled our kingdom, so you could say we were way ahead of Egypt and other civilizations that way. I mean Egypt had Queen Hatshepsut, but…” he shrugged, dismissing the queen. Even I’d heard about her. “But like most civilizations along the Nile, we peaked and declined. We were conquered by Aksumites from the east, or as they are called now Ethiopians. Instead of sticking around and becoming someone’s bitch, I agreed to become an Immortal. Joining your mother’s hall just made sense. Our gods and goddesses had forsaken us, so I chose to forsake them. Okay, I have leverage you could use to make them talk.”

  The switch in topic happened so fast I didn’t see it coming. “What?”

  “When Echo and his Druid brothers and sisters first arrived here, they shunned him. A few wanted to take him out. I watched his back and stopped it from happening. What he didn’t know. What he still doesn’t know is Rhys was my inside man. He protected him. I promised Rhys I would never tell Echo the truth. Use the information wisely.” Syn stood, his eyes on someone behind me. “Your sister is looking for you.”

  I turned to see Einmyria standing at the entrance of the hall. She looked so nervous. I stood and waved.

  “I’ll get her for you,” Syn offered and smirked. “I have a way with the ladies.”

  “Keep your hands off my sister or you’re a dead man.”

  “Relax, Baldurson. We know she’s off limits.” He turned and walked backward. “After all, she is a goddess and we are mere reapers.”

  I watched him take her hand and lift it to his lips, then cock his arm. He must have said something funny because she smiled. They took their time getting to my table because he decided to introduce her to the other Grimnirs. As they got closer, I overheard him introduce some guy, mention which century he was from. Then he introduced the two female Grimnirs at the table next to ours. When they reached my table, he pulled out a chair for her.

  “Is it a date?” Syn asked.

  Einmyria nodded. “It is.”

  “Syn. I warned you. She’s off limits.”

  “Some things are inevitable, Baldurson. Your sister and I clicked.” He touched his chest. “I think I’m already in love.” Then the reaper chuckled and walked away.

  “You cannot date him,” I said.

  Einmyria made a face. “Why not?”

  “He’s a man-whore and he’ll hurt you. I forbid it.”

  She chuckled. “Forbid? What century did you crawl from?” When I didn’t crack a smile, she added, “You’re really serious?”

  “Damn right.”

  “We were just messing with you. Did you really threaten to kill him if he messed with me?”

  “Of course. You are my sister. As your older brother it’s my job to look out for you.”

  “Older brother,” she whispered, her voice breaking. Her face contorted as though she was in pain. Next second, she pushed her chair back and took off, almost knocking down the Dwarf woman bringing her food. I stared after her, wondering what I’d done. I swear I didn’t understand women.

  I finished my food and followed her scent to her room, but she refused to open the door. What was it with women and closed doors? Mom pulled that during her meltdown in this very room. Earlier, Celestia had closed her closet door on me.

  “Do you want to ride with me in the morning, Einmyria? Be outside tomorrow morning. Might bang on your door to check.” No response. “I’m headed to Celestia’s but I’ll be back. See you in the morning, or not. Goodnight.”

  She didn’t come out of her room. Somehow, I didn’t think getting her to open up would be easy. She’d spent most of her life on the run, so trusting me or Mother would take time. My father was different. He had a way of getting to a person before they could get their defenses up.

  I swung by my room, grabbed one of my cameras and a memory card, and headed for the portal. Mother was receiving guests, which was surprising because it was late. Hopefully, they were passing through. Overnight guests were a pain. Because she never allowed visitors before, most of the ones who stopped by tended to be nosy.

  The flow of reapers with souls seemed endless. I recognized a few of them and exchanged nods. One day, I’d be like Syn. Know everyone and the century they’d turned into an Immortal.

  Celestia was at her desk, focusing on her homework, and didn’t look up when I entered her room. She had ear buds in. I took pictures, moved closer, and looked over her shoulder at the sketches she was working on. It looked like an interior of a house. I stroked the curve of her neck.

  “I thought you were doing homework.”

  “How can I focus with that stupid crow cawing outside my window?” She looked up. “Took enough pictures?”

  “Not enough.” I caught the half smile on her beautiful lips. “Go outside and talk to the bird.”

  “I don’t talk bird.”

  “But this bird is special. You healed it, and it knows you. I’ll show you.” I pulled her to her feet.

  “I don’t wanna.” She dropped her forehead on my chest. She’d changed into one of her oversize shirts with wacky writings and shorts. She looked both sexy and sweet.

  “I’ll carry you if you like.”

  She looked up and made a face. “Can you, please?”

  I laughed at her fake pout. “No. Walk.”

  She dragged her feet and forced me to apply a little pressure on her back. The kitchen was in darkness, but I could see light coming from under the door to her father’s den. From the sounds behind the closed door, the chief was watching a game. The porch lights turned on the moment we stepped outside. Just like she’d said, the crow was on the rail. It scooted sideways toward us. Celestia froze.

  “Don’t be scared.”

  “I’m not scared. This is weird. Talking to a bird.” I nudged her forward. She turned and swatted my hand. “Cut it out.”

  “Scaredy-cat.”

  “Bully.” She stopped by the pillar at the top of the stairs and wrapped an arm around it, so I couldn’t nudge her any farther. The bird did the rest by scooting closer to her. I took a step back and took several pictures. The camera’s flash didn’t seem to bother the bird. I guess it was so intent on connecting with its healer.<
br />
  “What did you mean by it knows me?” Celestia asked, eyeing the crow suspiciously.

  “You are connected because you healed it. Something about your life force flowing through it. It’s like a dragon bond without the bite.”

  “You’re making me like this less and less.” She glanced at me. “How do you know stuff?”

  “Because I make a point of learning about anything that concerns you. Go ahead and talk to it.”

  “Why do you make me do crazy things? Fly with a dragon, cross realms, and now talk to a bird. Oh.” The bird brushed against her hand. She stroked the feathers on its head. “Aren’t you a friendly one? And you have shiny feathers for a crow. Hop on.” She laid her wrist on the rail and the crow hopped on it. It shuffled up her arm. She lifted the bird closer to her face. “I don’t know about this crazy bond between us, but I’m happy I healed you. However, I can’t have you yapping outside my window. I want you to go home, so I can go to sleep. Okay?”

  The crow stared straight at her intently, the yellow eyes gleaming. I got a few more shots.

  “I mean it. Go home. I have school tomorrow.” She blew it a kiss and raised her arm. “Go.” The crow turned and faced the night, glanced back at her, then took off. She covered her mouth as though to contain her laughter. “Oh my god, that was so weird.”

  “Told you.”

  She walked into my arms and wrapped her arms around my waist. “How did you know about the bond?”

  “Someone explained it to me.”

  “Does this someone have a name?”

  “Tammy.”

  She groaned and stepped back. “Right.”

  I followed her back inside the house and locked the door behind us. Back in her room, she curled on her bed with her sketchpad. “Tell me about your dream home. What would you put in the living room?”

  “You still won’t discuss her?”

  “Nope.”

  “She said because you healed her the same way you healed the crow, she’s linked to you, too.”

  She scrunched her face. “What color would you paint your living room?”

  “Why?”

  “Because I’m working on a project and you make such a nice subject.”

  She was so stubborn. I gave up trying to sell Tammy and joined her. We discussed color schemes and my photographs, including the ones I’d taken of her.

  “These are good, but I want to see your friends,” she mumbled. I gave her the second memory card. She studied the ones of Raine. “She’s beautiful and delicate, until you look into her eyes. I bet she’s stubborn and kickass. What’s her gift?”

  “Elemental magic and premonition. She doesn’t astral project. I think her premonitions are through clairvoyance.”

  “Elementals usually are powerful. You have a lot of her pictures.”

  “I spent a lot of time with her. And she’s very good at ignoring me and everyone else when it suits her, which made her the perfect subject.”

  “I like her already. Where’re pictures of her Valkyrie?”

  “Men make boring subjects.”

  “Cora’s?”

  There were only a few in the memory card. Celestia frowned as she studied the pictures. “Wow, she is gorgeous.” Her eyes volleyed between the picture and my face. “You two must have made a cute couple.”

  I didn’t like the expression on her face. “We never dated.”

  “Okay, would have made a cute couple.” She turned off the camera and scooted off the bed, then went to the bathroom. I followed. Maybe I shouldn’t have shown her Cora’s pictures. “So Cora still helps souls find closure?”

  “Yes.”

  “How did she get the ability?”

  We’d already discussed this.

  “Maliina marked her with weird runes. She was working with some Norns.”

  “Rogue Norns?”

  “That’s right.” I leaned against the doorframe and explained how one act by a jealous Immortal had changed the course of Cora’s life. For the first time since Celestia and I met, I couldn’t read her. Her heartbeat stayed steady and her scent was the same, yet I knew something bothered her. She squeezed some toothpaste on the toothbrush and brushed her teeth while I talked. I didn’t realize I’d moved until I had the toothpaste in my hand.

  “So Maliina’s soul is still out there?” she said, rinsing off.

  “Not for long. Rhys and Nara are hunting her down. If that fails, they’ll send Idun-Grimnirs.”

  She blinked. “The ancients reap, too?”

  I grinned. “Where did you think people get the idea of grim reapers from? They’re the last resort when a difficult dark soul refuses to be reaped and they never fail. Rhys said it’s humbling to watch them work. They move like souls. Dimples, about Cora,” I started.

  She stopped flossing and glanced at me. “Yes?”

  “You are not jealous of her, are you?”

  “Should I be?”

  “No. I thought we had a thing, but it wasn’t what I thought it was.”

  A weird expression crossed her face. “Did she hurt you?”

  I thought about it. It had hurt, but that was in past. “No. I was disappointed she hadn’t waited for me, but you can’t control love. The heart wants what it wants.”

  “So I can’t hate her?”

  “Jeez, no. She’s nice, most of the time. She can be annoying too. But then, so can Raine. I just don’t want you feeling jealous of her.”

  Celestia closed the gap between us, until only inches separated us. She tilted her chin to study my face, her eyes narrowed. “Why then should I be jealous of her when you love little me, Eirik? Is it because she’s gorgeous?”

  “You are gorgeous.” I stroked her cheek, and she leaned into it and smiled.

  “I know, but she is exceptionally beautiful. Now if my best friend wasn’t one of the most beautiful girls I know, I’d feel intimidated. I already went through all the insecurity I could possibly feel with Hayden and realized I loved me the way I am. So no woman, however hot, would ever make me feel less pretty, less smart, or less gifted.” She made a face. “Speaking of gifts, I’m not too crazy about my new one. It’s on par with hers. I mean, who wants to be possessed by souls—”

  I cut her off with my lips and lifted her up, her legs wrapping around me.

  “Sometimes you talk too damn much,” I mumbled.

  “Me? You are the slow one. I was wondering when you’d kiss me and stop me from hopping from one topic to another. I only talk to fill in the—”

  I cut her off again. She was the most extraordinary girl I’d ever met and the most infuriating, yet I could never imagine loving anyone else. The second I faced the room; I realized we were not alone.

  Rhys stood inside the room, his expression uneasy. I couldn’t tell from his expression how long he’d been standing there. A bad feeling washed over me.

  “What are you doing here?” I asked.

  “You need to come home now,” he said and glanced briefly at Celestia. “Sorry for invading your privacy, but it’s important.”

  “What is?” I lowered Celestia to the ground, but kept her close.

  “Trudy sent me to find you. It’s your sister.”

  “Can’t it wait until later?”

  “No, go.” Celestia stepped back. “Trudy would not send for you if it weren’t important.”

  “She’s being impossible. Einmyria, not Trudy,” I added when confusion flashed across Celestia’s face. “I invited her to eat with me in Grimnirs Hall and when she finally came, we spoke briefly and she took off in tears.”

  “Did you say something to set her off?”

  “Not really. Syn flirted with her, and I forbade her to date him. It was all a joke, and we laughed about it. The next second, she ran from the hall crying.”

  Celestia shook her head. “You can’t forbid her from dating someone she likes.”

  “I know that, but I’m her brother and it’s my job to look out for her. In fact, I told her that exact th
ing before she took off.”

  Celestia frowned this time. “Maybe you caught her off guard. I mean, Angrboda filled her head with terrible lies and there you are being nice and brotherly. Did you at least check on her before coming here?”

  “Of course. She refused to open the door.”

  Celestia smiled. “Go and find out what’s going on with her.”

  “I’ll be back.” I stole a kiss and followed Rhys through the portal.

  A worried Trudy was pacing the front hall when we arrived. “Someone attacked Einmyria. She was screaming and covered with claw marks when the goddess entered her room, Eirik. Your mother had to knock her out with her scepter because she wasn’t making sense.”

  I was in the rotunda before I realized I had moved. By the time she finished, I was pushing open the door to my parents’ quarters.

  “Who attacked her?” I asked, my eyes connecting with my mother’s. Someone must have told them I was on my way. Instead of answering, she hurried toward me. My father’s expression was unreadable. I glanced at Trudy, but she couldn’t meet my eyes. My mother did something she’d never done before—she hugged me. She was taking this hard. If Einmyria could see her now, she’d forget the nonsense Crazy Granny had put inside her head.

  “We’ll get to the bottom of this,” Mother whispered.

  “Bottom of what?” I pushed her away, hating that I couldn’t appreciate the significance of the hug. “What’s going on? Who attacked Einmyria?”

  “She’s a confused girl, Eirik, and—”

  “Mother! Who?”

  “She said you did, but we don’t believe a word of it,” Father said. “You’d never harm her.”

  “Half the things she hurled at us didn’t make sense,” Mother added. “But one thing we know for sure is you didn’t hurt her.”

  ~*~

  CELESTIA

  Eirik didn’t come back. I was used to sleeping with him, but that wasn’t the only reason I had a fitful night. I was worried about Einmyria’s situation. Maybe we were wrong about her. Maybe she was really Eirik’s sister and Crazy Granny had screwed with her head. Come to think of it, the old Jötun might have said what she did to mess with me too. Grams had taught me to never let someone play me like a puppet. If it happened, it was because I let them.