by Unknown
Then they both shared a look and burst into laughter.
“I don't see the humor,” I grimaced.
“You're already acting like a mother,” Trevor pointed out.
“Oh, shut up,” I huffed. “Now about that pizza.”
Chapter Thirty-Five
Odin was true to his word, though it took a few days for him to return. He did bring Vidar and Vali with him though and I was pleased to get to tell my sons that they'd soon have another sibling. Unfortunately, I wouldn't be able to tell them if their father was also the one who'd sired said sibling since Odin had been totally unsuccessful in his search for a spell. You'd think there would have been at least one spell to determine the paternity of a child but evidently that wasn't something gods worried too much about. He thought he might have better luck with human spells and wanted to go into the Human Realm to do more research. Which would have been fine if we didn't have a war to attend.
Word had come from the nagas that they were prepared for battle and a date had been set to infiltrate the vanara territory. Halloween. Oh well, there goes my Mother of Dragons costume. I guess I didn't need it this year anyway, I might actually be it soon. It was still a bummer though, I was looking forward to going to the party at Moonshine. Who knows, maybe we'd vanquish the vanara in record time and we'd still be able to attend.
There was a certain amount of preparations that needed to be done on my side of things as well, which is where Odin came in. I needed his help in planning our attack. Trevor and Kirill were both good at strategy but it always helped to have Odin there. His magic was geared toward battle and as a last resort, he could throw his spear, Gungnir, and it would change the course of the fight. It was a one time trick though, once it was thrown, it was done for the day. Something about taking a lot of magic to counteract all the other magic flying about in a god war.
Anyway, we had a lot to talk about and a big part of it included the Intare, whom I still had to brief. I was going to give them the option of sitting this one out, as I usually did, and then we'd see who was coming along and who to place under whose command. It was all very complicated when you had such a large group going. At least I didn't have to oversee the nagas.
Vidar and Vali decided to join us even though I asked them not to. I had to relent eventually when it was pointed out to me that I was doing the same thing I'd admonished my men against. I was trying to keep my children out of battle. It felt different to me but I knew I wasn't going to win the argument so I just let it go.
The entire God Squad was joining us, as well as Toby, Naye, Hekate, Artemis and Apollo. Naye and Apollo had evidently bonded over their similar magics and were becoming fast friends, a development which made me a little nervous. Those two had devious minds, uniting them in a common goal could be catastrophic. At least this time their goal would be one I approved of.
Torrent would be clearing the way for us but we weren't telling the nagas about it. We just let them believe that Brahma had a way to open the path. Hopefully we wouldn't just have numbers on our side but the element of surprise as well.
So Odin wasn't able to search for a spell and I had to push the issue of choosing the baby's soul to a back burner. I did promise Odin that if I started to feel unwell, I'd let him go conduct the search anyway but as far as we knew, I still had plenty of time to make a decision. I mean, it wasn't like I was giving birth in a week.
Which was good since that's when the battle was happening.
Chapter Thirty Six
Halloween came and still there was no sign of the Angel of Death. For normal people this would be a good thing but for me, it was yet another cause for nerves.
I was standing on the drawbridge veranda of Pride Palace looking over the army that stretched out across my territory. They'd been arriving all morning, taking hours to organize and settle on the grasslands and spooking all of our wild herds into hiding. I worried at my lip, wondering how we'd be able to sneak up on the vanara if it took us this long to even organize.
“No worries,” Hekate said from beside me. “Have you forgotten what I can do?”
“What?” I frowned at her and then felt my eyes widen as I remembered. “The pathways! Damn, I did forget. So you think you can work in tandem with Torr and get us all there faster?”
“Sure,” she shrugged. “No problem. I can open a gate right here in front of the palace, if I have your blessing.”
“Gesundheit!” I laughed. “Asalamalakum, bless you, please, go right ahead.”
“Alright,” she chuckled, “let me know when you're ready and I'll do my thing. In fact, I'd better go talk to Torrent about it.”
“Thanks,” I nodded as she left and then I looked over to Brahma.
“I'll go let Kadru know,” Brahma said before I could ask him. Perhaps the day would go smoothly after all.
Then Azrael arrived.
He was dressed in full archangel regalia, looking like he'd stepped right out of a medieval painting. His black wings were out on display, their blue highlights mimicking the glowing blue writing on his left cheek. His breastplate was gold, though not of Atlantean make, and he wore greaves on his lower legs to match. I guess he needed something there since he was wearing nothing but a leather skirt over his long, white tunic. He did have a cape on as well, a bright red slash of color that almost looked too garish on him. Azrael was a little more subtle than that.
“Hey,” I whispered as he approached me. “You know you didn't have to come.”
“Odin called me,” he ground out. “Which is what you should have done. Just because we're fighting doesn't mean I won't fight beside you.”
“Okay, good to know,” I sighed. “What's with the get up?” I waved a hand over his ensemble.
“It's Michael's,” he grimaced. “He insisted I borrow it after I told him we'd be going up against a horde of Hindu shapeshifters. There's magic embedded in it for protection, specifically against beasts.”
“Beasts?” I gave a little laugh.
“Yeah,” he made a face. “Don't ask, you don't want to know.”
“Okay,” I swallowed hard, a little nervous around him for like the first time ever. “So Hekate is going to open a path to vanara territory for us and Torrent will unmake their wards so we can all go through together.”
“Good idea,” he nodded.
“Okay then,” I started to turn away, “thanks for coming.”
“Vervain,” he caught my arm. “You know I still love you, right? I hate what you did but I still love you.”
“No, I didn't know that. I'd kinda assumed the opposite from what you said about me not being the woman you fell in love with,” I sighed.
“I was angry,” he shook his head. “I didn't mean that I don't love you anymore.”
“That's good to hear,” I gave him a relieved smile. “I love you too, even when you're being a dick.”
“Will you please stop calling me that?” He rolled his eyes. “I just didn't want to go into battle without telling you I love you.”
“I understand,” I gave him a quick peck on the cheek.
“And I want to be a part of this child's life,” he continued, “no matter whose it is.”
“Damn, Dude,” Odin came up, saving me from having to make a response. “Why are you in a skirt?”
“It's armor,” Azrael groaned. “I knew I was going to get teased for this. I think Michael did too and that's why he insisted.”
“Nothing wrong with rockin' the pteryges,” Apollo said as he walked up in a similar outfit.
“What?” I frowned at him.
“It's the skirt,” Apollo made air quotes. “It's not actually a skirt, it's just strips of leather attached to the breastplate.”
“Oh,” I looked Azrael over again, “I get it. Not a skirt, just flimsy groin protection.”
“Pretty much,” Apollo laughed. “Hey, have you seen Naye?”
“He's with his family,” I nodded my head into the dining hall.
“Thanks,
” he grinned and ran off in search of his new bestie.
“Naye's here?” Azrael's eyes went wide.
“Oh, that's right,” I blinked. “You weren't here for that, neither of you,” I glanced at Odin. “Toby heard we could use a hand and came to help, he brought his brother as well.”
“That's nice of him,” Azrael said dryly.
“There's nothing between us anymore,” but as I spoke the words, I knew they were false.
Well, mostly true but not entirely. See, I was sort of under the influence of another woman's memory when I fell for Toby. In the end, Toby helped me conquer her and I sealed her memory away inside my mind... but it was still there and if I concentrated hard enough, I could feel the echo of her thoughts. I could feel a whisper of her love for him. This was a really odd feeling because it was mine and yet it wasn't. Atahensic, the goddess whose memory I held, was dead so she really never influenced me, it was just the memory held within her magic. So when “she” fell in love with Toby, it was really me, just a brainwashed version of myself. I know, it's confusing even for me.
After the ritual that had cost us our love, I had assumed neither of us would ever feel it again. I guess I'd been wrong. Ata had found a way around it for me. She had kept our love alive, protected deep inside my mind, and if I truly wanted to feel it again, I guess I could. Of course, that would mean releasing Ata and fighting for control of my body again. So, probably not a good idea. Still, the thought that I hadn't lost our love entirely was strangely comforting.
“Are you sure there's nothing there anymore?” Odin's eyes pierced into me. “It seems strange that he'd be so inclined to help you.”
“He's a good guy,” I sighed. “And although we don't love each other anymore, there is affection there. We respect each other. We're friends.”
“I don't know if I like this,” Azrael frowned. “You and he were supposed to be over and now suddenly you're affectionate?”
“Not affectionate,” I rolled my eyes. “I said there was affection. It's different.”
“If you say so,” Azrael's eyes flashed diamond bright. “I'm just not convinced that magic can remove love. Especially when you're a part of the equation.”
“I don't know whether to be annoyed or flattered by that,” I shook my head. “It doesn't matter. They're here to help and then they'll leave again. He's not moving in or anything.”
“Godhunter,” Epona came striding up to me with Thor in tow. She was in leather armor, her long, dark hair bound back in intricate braids, and her skin covered in blue markings.
“Is that woad?” I admired the blue patterns on her skin.
“It's traditional,” she nodded and then looked uncomfortable. “I wanted to tell you that I appreciate what you're doing for Rhiannon.”
“And Constantin,” I added with a smile.
“Whatever,” she growled and stomped away.
“It's hard for her to express emotion,” Thor said apologetically before chasing after her.
“I'm glad he didn't end up with her,” Odin shook his head, startling me a little.
Now that Odin had taken a new body, it was easier to forget that Thor was his son. Odin looked younger than Thor and he talked differently now, using words better suited to Griffin. Now he'd even started looking a little more like Griffin again. I know that sounds confusing but when Odin regained his magic it had changed Griffin's body to look more like the image the Norse had of Odin. So to see Odin looking more like Griffin was an unsettling reminder of how he hadn't been himself when I'd first brought him back from the Void.
“It's time,” Trevor came out of the dining hall and looked our trio over. He was dressed in an old pair of sweat pants without a shirt. Your typical werewolf battle attire. The pants wouldn't make it through the first five minutes. They'd be torn to shreds as soon as he shifted. He looked pointedly at Azrael's lower half. “What's with the skirt?”
Chapter Thirty-Seven
War is never beautiful. It's never as honorable or inspiring as it is in movies. It's ugly, loud, and sweaty. If you're lucky, it can be organized for a little while but there's always a point where even the best generals lose control and every soldier on the field of battle fights for only one thing: his own survival.
God wars added a layer of magic to the mix, making battle even more overwhelming and just plain loud. Among the usual screams and shouting were roars, screeches, growls, thunder, and sonic waves of vibrational sound. The earth shook under the footfalls of thousands of soldiers, sending tremors up my feet and into my bones. I looked up and saw lightning flash through the sky, illuminating flying monkeys and golden war machines. Both of which looked as if they shouldn't be able to leave the ground. There were suparnas there as well but with their large eagle wings, they looked right at home in the air.
I had remained on the ground myself, preferring to lead my Intare for at least part of the battle. I was in my half-form, with all my dragon assets and none of the bulk. I thought it best to keep my options open as far as flying went since so many of our enemies could fly. For the moment though, I'd leave the sky to the monkeys and eagles. Oh, and to Azrael.
He flew just above the ground, slicing through the enemy ranks with his scythe like he was harvesting corn. He spun and twirled his weapon in graceful moves that made it look as if he were dancing. Watching him made me rethink my perspective on war being beautiful but then I saw him change and I almost pitied the vanara.
Azrael's face shifted, the bones beneath his flesh showing through as his eyes fell away and were replaced by two pits of black and two burning stars. The stars dripped acid tears that burned any unlucky foes beneath him and his scythe started to blaze with magic. The Angel of Death had unleashed his glory.
I cringed, knowing that this was a way for Az to release some of his pent up aggression. Aggression that was directly related to me. A vanara's head sailed by me, eyes wide open in shock, and I pulled back with grim humor. Better him than I. Let Az have his release. He was entitled to it as much as anyone and these damn monkeys deserved it.
I heard a violent hiss and glanced to my right to see a nagini tear open a vanara's throat. She sank her long fangs into the opening and savaged her way to his spine. Then, with a large sucking pop, she severed his head from his body. Damn. I guess Az wasn't the only one with pent up aggression.
The nagas were all as vicious as her, leading the fight through the vanara jungle and helping us push towards the palace at a rapid pace. I guess all those years spent in hiding while their brethren suffered had taken its toll. They were itching for some payback.
I jerked out of the way as a ball of writhing snakes rolled by, as large as a horse. It bowled over any enemy in its path and just kept going, pulling the victim within its coils. The mass of it would grow and then screams were heard but both of these would be brief. Within moments, remains would be spewed out and the snakes would be on to their next meal.
“Yep, payback time,” I gaped at the trail of bones left in the snake ball's wake.
Although we'd managed to sneak in and surprise them, the vanara had guards on duty constantly and so they'd seen us arrive the moment Hekate opened the path for us. They had well trained troops and had also responded quickly to our threat. So we hadn't made it too far from the tracing point when we were met with Hanuman's army.
Hanuman himself had taken a little longer to join the battle but when he did, we got to see his other form. He was huge, as large as Trevor in his Froekn form, and very white. I have to admit, I wasn't expecting that. I shouldn't have been so surprised, what with his white hair, but it's not everyday that you see a flying monkey and when that monkey happens to be way bigger than a gorilla and has pristine white fur, it's even more shocking. I mean really, what was he, a snow monkey?
Hanuman flew but he did it in great leaps, choosing to stay on the ground, where the battle was thickest. I had to respect that. I'd thought he'd be one of those leaders who stood off to the side where it was safe while all his
little minions fought for him. Evidently, I was wrong. Hanuman was a hands on kind of guy and I shook my head at my own stupidity for ever doubting it. Hadn't the whole reason for Rhiannon leaving him been because of his violent nature? No, this guy wasn't about to sit out a battle. He was going to enjoy every second of it.
Sure enough, just as the thought entered my head, I saw him lift a naga from the ground and break the snake's spine over a his knee. I growled, my Intare pulling closer around me in response, and watched as he slowly killed the naga. This was fun for him. Play time. Well, I had a game for him. It was called pin the tail on the monkey god.
I rushed forward, tearing apart vanaras and rikshas alike. I wasn't playing here, even though my dragon delighted in the carnage. Her delight wasn't about the suffering but the blood. I was fighting for justice, it wasn't personal so I wouldn't enjoy killing these men but I would enjoy the taste of their death because I was a dragon and that was part of who I was. I was built for battle, for killing, to destroy and burn, but also for creation. I was fey after all, born of the element of Fire, and fire burns away the old to give way to the new. The ashes of a burnt forest enriches the soil so that new trees can emerge. There is purpose to it and so there was purpose to my dragon.
But then I remembered flying with the Wild Hunt, chasing a kelpie through the forests of Faerie, and destroying her viciously. That had been about revenge but if I was perfectly honest with myself, I'd admit that my dragon had enjoyed the kill... and it had been a drawn out kill. You could even call it torture. Perhaps I'd been fooling myself with my talk of justice, trying to hold onto my human ideals and morals when really, I'd lost my humanity somewhere along the way. My blood went cold as I realized that I wasn't so different from Hanuman after all.
I inhaled sharply and stumbled as my dragon roared a protest inside me. Another scene played out in my head, me crying in Arach's arms after that hunt. Warmth filled me as the pounding of my dragon's heart rushed through my ears. She was trying to tell me something, show me something. A picture of a tiny fey woman emerged, one of our pixies. I'd burned her by accident and Arach was going to crush her beneath his boot but I'd stopped him. It had been a pivotal moment for us. A moment when Arach began to change into a better king and I began to love his faeries. My faeries. I'd done that. I'd saved her and changed him. Then later, when we'd found three pixies killed, I'd hunted their murderer with him. The kelpie. Yes, I had enjoyed the kill but that kill had been justified. I was avenging an evil act.