by Unknown
“You too?” I was even more shocked. Naye and I weren't on the best of terms. As in, I thought he hated me.
“Yeah,” Naye sighed and looked down uncomfortably.
“Thank you, Naye,” I said sincerely.
“You're welcome,” he looked up with a little surprise and gave me a little grin. “We're happy to help.”
“Happy to help, are we?” Toby looked back at him with a little laugh and surprised eyes.
“Shut up,” Naye muttered to his brother.
“Alright then,” Toby kept chuckling. “We are happy to help.”
“I'm glad at least some of Vervain's friends are decent,” Rain grumbled as he walked past the Native American gods.
Toby raised a brow at me but I just shook my head and he gave me another grin. Then he really surprised me by coming forward and giving me a hug. It felt so familiar and right to be held by him, though my heart remained untouched. I guess that's what happens when love is magically removed from you. I inhaled his clean scent and tried to remember what it was like to love him. It wasn't difficult, I remembered it clearly, though I still felt nothing for him currently. So strange.
I pulled back and looked him over. He was still beautiful to me, the magic hadn't taken away the attraction, but I felt no pull to him. His deep blue eyes, with their ring of brown, were empty of love for me as well but there was affection there and I was happy to realize that I had some for him as well. After the ritual, I'd felt so empty. I'd thought I'd never feel anything for him ever again. So this new development was almost miraculous. Friends then, I could handle that. He smiled at me, like he knew, and I kissed his cheek.
“Your hair looks fantastic,” I whispered in his ear.
He used to keep his long, black hair tied back in a braid in an effort to differentiate himself from his brother but I'd told him I liked it loose and that he had no need to create such differences. He was so obviously a different man, even though his face was almost identical to his twin's. The only physical difference was the color of their eyes, Naye's being golden yellow while Toby's were blue, both had the ring of brown around their irises. However, it wasn't just physical appearances that made a person “look” as they did, it was the soul inside. Toby's soul was radically different from his brother's and that difference rose above their physical similarities to make itself known.
“Thank you,” Toby grinned at me. “A beautiful woman once told me that she preferred it this way.”
“She has good taste,” I teased him. “How's Doba doing?”
“She's wonderful,” he smiled. “She loves our territory. I can barely get her to come in at night.”
“I'm so glad she's doing well,” I nodded. “That dog deserves some happiness.”
“If you're done flirting with your ex-boyfriend/abductor, would you mind if we got started here?” Rain gave me an annoyed face.
“You know, Rain,” I narrowed my eyes on him. “I used to like you.”
“Excuse me for being concerned about my friend,” Rain huffed.
“Alright, alright,” I sighed and motioned everyone over to the table. “Wait, where's Odin?”
“He left awhile ago,” Trevor frowned. “Said he needed to go into the Human Realm for something and if anything happened, to text him.”
“And did you?” I asked.
“Yeah,” Trevor frowned deeper, “he's not answering.”
“Well, we can't wait for him,” I looked over the group. “What news do you have for us, Brahma?”
“The nagas are interested in joining the fight,” he started and a wave of relieved muttering went around the table. “But,” Brahma held up his hand and everyone quieted. “They want to meet the Godhunter first.”
“What?” I gave him a confused look. “Why?”
“They want to talk to you,” he shrugged.
“So go talk to them,” Rain growled and Ilario put a hand on his arm. Rain shrugged it off.
“Okay,” I growled back.
“Into naga territory?” Trevor's frown was looking like it might take up permanent residence. “In that underground city that Brahma was frightened to visit?”
“I wasn't frightened,” Brahma drew himself up regally. “I was wary and she has nothing to worry about, she's been invited. No harm will come to her.”
“Alright,” Trevor gave in but he still looked worried.
“Just because I'm pregnant doesn't mean I'm crippled,” I shot Trevor an angry look.
“And just because you're the Godhunter doesn't mean you can jeopardize our child,” Trevor lowered his voice to growl at me.
“It may not be your child, Trevor,” I matched his tone.
“It's my child because you're it's mother,” he snapped. “Don't you understand that yet? We're a family. It doesn't matter if the baby was sired by Arach or Azrael, whether it lives in Faerie or here with us. That child is part of our family and therefore belongs to all of us.”
I felt my face drop into amazed blankness and stared at him, trying to keep myself from bawling.
“Da,” Kirill agreed from my right. “Your ours so baby is ours.”
“That is so damn sweet,” Rain said in a snarky tone, “but... could... you...” He trailed off.
“Rain?” I looked over at him in concern.
“Stars without and stars within,” Rain started to intone and everyone went silent. Everyone but me of course.
“Oh shit,” I whispered, knowing Rain was about to predict something for my child.
“Three souls, two sources, once choice,” Rain continued. “The body cannot grow in uncertainty. A path must be chosen or the star will destroy it's own legacy.” Rain fell forward on the table and then shifted his gaze to mine. His eyes were wide and horrified.
“What does that mean?” Trevor was half out of his seat, looking as if he were about to jump across the table and choke Rain.
“It's not his fault,” I pulled Trevor back down.
“I just hand over the message,” Rain whispered. “I don't interpret it.”
“Vervain?” Kirill's hand slipped over mine as my world shifted to an inner view.
The voices around me muted, the faces blurred, as I looked within myself. My star. How many times had I wondered over its purpose? Now I must wonder what it would do to my child. I hadn't considered that with three races, each of which I was one hundred percent, my child would have multiple paths as well. Even if it was Arach's child, it may not be born a full dragon-sidhe. Wouldn't that be a mess?
The light of my star dimmed till I could see past it, into the small being inside me. Everything looked tinted red but I guess that's what embryos are supposed to look like. It was just barely formed but I could feel the life surging inside it, pulsing like a beacon... or the heart of another star. Was this what would become of my child? Would he or she hold another star inside them? I nearly cried out in horror. This was not the life I'd want to pass down to my children. Having three souls meant having three paths, which meant a very confusing life. That alone would be horrible but to have this unknown power inside it, this nine-pointed star that connected my child to things he or she couldn't fully understand, that would be terrifying for both the child and I. A mother is supposed to guide and protect her children but how could I do either of those things when I didn't fully comprehend what we were?
The spark inside the baby pulsed, flashing from white to red and then to gold. What was this then? Three different colors to represent the three paths available to my child? Would it be a random choice or could I influence it? I shuddered as the truth hit me. This was the choice that needed to be made and I was the one who needed to make it. My connection to both the Void and Faerie made it possible for me to choose a soul for my child... or an essence. If I didn't, this child would either be born like me, with three souls and paths, or it would not be born at all. There was a very good chance that it would be consumed by the force of the magic vying for dominance in its tiny body.
But how could
I choose a path for it when I didn't know whose child it was? If it was Arach's child, then of course, I'd choose to give it a fey essence but what if this was Trevor's child? What would happen to a Froekn baby if I gave it a fey essence instead of a soul? It would never be able to mate, to bind itself to another Froekn in a ritual that made a werewolf's life complete. What if the child was Azrael's? Or Kirill's? The results of my choice could be catastrophic if I paired the wrong soul to this baby.
A choice needed to be made but I wasn't equipped to make it yet. I pulled back, out of myself and into the moment, where I found several anxious faces peering at me. I smiled reassuringly but I didn't think I did a good job of it because they kept frowning.
“I know what the prediction was about,” I said to them. “The baby has three potential souls and I need to choose one.”
“Did you?” Trevor asked.
“No, I can't yet,” I sighed. “Without knowing who the father is, I can't pair the right soul to the child.”
“If child is Arach's, vouldn't it have fey essence?” Kirill asked.
“It would,” I agreed, “if I wasn't its mother but because of my star, I can influence it.”
“Vhat I mean is, essence vould be zere already, da?” Kirill cocked his head at me. “You cannot alter vhat is zere already. So if you add human soul to fey, child vould simply have two souls, like Aradia.”
“Aradia,” I whispered, remembering the goddess whose father was an air-sidhe. “But only a full dragon-sidhe can shift and rule the Fire Kingdom. If this is Arach's child, I need it to be fully fey.”
“Why wouldn't it be?” Trevor asked. “You're fully fey and yet have three souls.”
“So you think I should give the baby a god soul to cover all bases?” I bit at my lip.
“I think it may be the safest way to go,” Trevor nodded.
“And what if my choice overcomes the blood?” Fear lifted inside my chest. “What if my choice negates the father's DNA and choosing a god soul destroys the baby's feyness? We will never know who the father is and I'll have to have another child to supply Arach with his heir. No, I can't choose, not yet.”
“Ve vill support your decision,” Kirill kissed my cheek, “even if it's not to choose.”
“But she has to choose,” Trevor frowned at Kirill. “She has to choose or the baby could be endangered by her lack of a choice. You heard the prophecy, a path must be chosen or the star will destroy its own legacy.”
“Ve vill support her,” Kirill gave Trevor a hard stare. “Zis is hard enough vithout us fighting about it.”
“Of course we'll support you,” Trevor sighed. “I'm sorry, I'm just worried about the baby.”
“I will choose,” I reassured Trevor. “Just as soon as I can figure out a way of determining who the father is. There has to be some kind of spell I can do.”
“Why is nothing ever easy with you?” Thor sighed.
“Because I have three souls,” I huffed. “Which is why I don't want that for my child.”
“Valid,” Torrent nodded. “And you can't tell what it is?”
“No, I see all three possibilities for it,” I sighed.
“Then maybe we should focus on the nagas for now,” Artemis suggested. “You've got nine months to decide on the baby's path.”
“Well,” I made a face and she blinked in surprise. “Not really. Perhaps if the child is Odin's or Azrael's but if it's Trevor's, Kirill's, or Arach's I probably won't have a normal gestational period. Shapeshifters and faeries have much shorter pregnancies. I think Lorna was only pregnant a few months.”
“Whoa,” Artemis breathed. “So you could be giving birth in three months? That's fast.”
“Yeah, thanks so much for pointing that out,” I rolled my eyes.
“Have you told your mother?” Karni Mata asked.
“Oh gods,” I groaned. “What am I going to tell Mom?”
“That you're a big ol' slut who doesn't know who the father of her baby is,” Hekate giggled and then sobered when everyone gave her nasty looks. “It was a joke, come on!”
“It's not like it hasn't been said before,” I laughed and she smiled at me.
“That's why I thought it was funny,” she nodded. “Oh! I'm throwing you a baby shower! You need to give me a list of women you want there, and their phone numbers... especially your mother's because I can't wait to meet her.”
“A baby shower?” I gaped. “Holy cannolis, I'm having a baby.”
“Yeah, we've established that already,” Rain had evidently recovered from his prophesying. “Can we get back to this being about Constantin and not Vervain?”
“Sorry, Rain,” I sighed. “But that distraction was all your fault.”
“Um pardon me,” Rain smirked, “but I know for a fact that I am definitely not one of the potential fathers.”
“And zat's vhy you get to live, horse-man,” Kirill said cryptically and then winked at me, giving everyone a much needed laugh.
Chapter Thirty-One
“This is very unsettling,” I observed as we stood on the outskirts of Bhogavati, the naga's underground city.
We'd traced in through a cave but we didn't make it further than the cave's entrance, the view of the city had held us frozen in stunned silence. It seemed to be twilight there but then I realized that the lavender sky above us was really enchanted to look like the sky and therefore, it could probably stay just as it was all the time.
Below that soft sky was an exotic city of stone buildings built in a similar style to the vanara palace, except much simpler in design and smaller in size. There were thousands of little homes, spread out before us in the complicated patterns reserved for cities in third world countries. Obviously these homes were built before someone had come up with things like city planning. They crowded in close together in some parts and wandered apart in others. It was all very haphazard, as if someone had just tossed the buildings out across the floor like a broken strand of pearls.
Despite the lack of light at the moment, there was an abundance of plant life, with vines crawling over buildings and moss growing wherever it could find purchase. Ripe fruit dotted tall trees with bright specks of red and yellow but the flowers spread out beneath those trees were closing their colorful petals for their nightly rest. There was so much lush growth and it soon became apparent why. It was the water.
The were lakes and ponds everywhere. Around the houses, in central cobbled squares, and there were even rivers meandering through areas that were too narrow to hold more than that. There were so many bodies of water, the air with thick with humidity. It was similar to being back home in Hawaii, except for the lack of salt in the air.
This all probably sounds kind of lovely to you, at the very least it doesn't sound eerie, but it wasn't the terrain that made the scene feel creepy. The amount of humidity trapped in the underground city resulted in mist that hovered over the water and drifted through the city as if it were alive. Again, that could be considered beautiful, but then you have to add in all the snakes.
There wasn't a single calm lake or pool, even the rivers rippled with the movement of thousands of snakes. Their sinuous bodies slithered through the water happily, sliding against each other with their heads held above the surface. The water wasn't the only place inhabited by snakes, though they were most prevalent there. They also hung from the trees and draped from the buildings. There were even snakes of all sizes roaming the roads right beside the nagas in human form.
I was a little surprised to see that they could look entirely human. From my initial meeting, I'd assumed nagas could only have their half-form with their cobra hoods but here there were all kinds of forms to be found. Even some of the nagas who were in half-form looked different than the few I'd seen in the vanara palace.
“So they're not all King Cobras then?” I asked Brahma.
“No, nagas can be any type of snake,” he said before gesturing to the road before us. “The cobras tend to be more adventurous than the others, whic
h makes them easier to abduct.”
There was no strange, circular carriage waiting for us there. They were probably too worried about running over nagas to have carriages rolling down their streets. So we had to walk all the way to the center of the city. There was a nicely paved path leading down from the cave so the walking wasn't so bad, I just wasn't looking forward to navigating snake-filled streets on foot.
As we came upon the nagas in human and humanoid forms, they drew back from us, snake eyes darting over us warily. Brahma spoke to them in a calm voice and they seemed to respond well to whatever he said. They nodded and word spread of our arrival. Soon the faces around us stared with interest instead of concern. Around our feet, snakes gathered and I had to walk slowly so I wouldn't step on them. I kept seeing the Gadsden flag in my mind, with its famous Don't Tread on Me slogan and that vicious looking rattlesnake. I actually didn't see any naga rattlers but the message was a good one for the situation; don't step on the snakes, Vervain.
Then a little girl came running out of the crowd, navigating the snake crowded street with ease. She stopped right in front of me and gave me a big grin, which revealed a little set of very pointed teeth. Her eyes took up most of her face, bright yellow with slit pupils, and they were fastened on me with adoration. She was wearing a bright, pink sari which went all the way down to her bare feet. The sari shifted as her lower half transformed into a snake and lifted her up before me. She reached both arms up to me like any child who wanted to be carried.
“Dragon!” She cried in delight as she continued to wave her arms.
Well how could I resist a snake girl who called me dragon? I picked the girl up and her tail wrapped around my waist in an oddly comforting manner. Her little dark hands went to my cheeks and she patted them as she searched my eyes.
“Show me, show me!” She pleaded and I frowned at her, wondering what she was talking about.
“I'm so sorry,” a woman came rushing up to us. “We had no idea you were a dragon and my daughter is just very excited to see one for the first time.” She stroked the girl's long, black curls and chided her, “Sasa, stop asking her to shift for you, there's no room in the street.”