by Amy Sumida
“Robert!” My mother chided.
“No; it's true,” I agreed morosely. “That part of me is not compassionate enough to possess so much power. She's a nightmare.”
“And it was my fault for thinking that she could make you special,” my dad added. “You're already special. You're the most wonderful thing that's ever happened to your mom and me.”
“Thanks, Dad.” I hugged him tightly.
Then I went to Cerberus. Banning had convinced him to come. It had taken a lot of coercing, evidently.
“Cer, I was awful,” I said simply.
“Yeah.” He sniffed.
“I love you; you're my best friend in all the worlds,” I went on.
“Yeah.”
“I'm sorry I was a nasty B.”
“Okay,” he muttered.
I grinned in relief and went to hug him too.
“That's it?” Banning asked. “After that fuss you put up when I asked you to come? Now, you just say; yeah, yeah, okay?”
“What else is there to say?” Cerberus asked as he released me. “She's sorry.”
“I can't even.” Banning shook his head in bafflement.
“Cer, I know we just made up, but I need to ask you a favor,” I eased into the other reason for our visit.
“What do you need?” Cer asked.
I nodded to Declan, and he brought out a wooden chest that was padlocked shut and warded.
“This box contains the magical pieces of our souls,” I said as I waved a hand toward Darcraxis.
“Whoa,” Cerberus whispered. “What do you want me to do with it?”
“I want you to take it to Hades,” I said. “I've already spoken to him, and he's agreed to look after our souls for us. I just need you to transport them.”
“Why can't you go?”
“We think it's best that neither Darcraxis or Elaria have any part in hiding the box,” Torin said.
“Simply being near it right now is stressful,” I added. “I could send one of the guys, but I thought it might be better if you do it.”
“It would be harder for Elaria to coerce you into telling her where Hades puts it,” Gage said.
“It would be good to see my old stomping grounds again, and I could say hi to my sister,” Cerberus mused. “All right; give me the box.”
Declan handed Cer the box, and Cerberus winked at me.
“Don't worry, El; I'll make sure Hades hides it real good,” Cerberus said. “Give me an hour or so.”
Then he was gone, and I was able to breathe easier.
“You know that you have good friends when you fight, makeup, and then they're immediately willing to go into Hell for you,” my father noted.
“Cer's the best,” I agreed.
“I just hope that Hades is as trustworthy as Cerberus,” Darc said worriedly.
“I told you; Hades and Persephone are family,” I said.
“They would never betray my daughter,” my mother said. And then she looked pointedly at Darc. “And speaking of people who would never betray my daughter, what's next for you two?”
“We're getting married,” Darc said.
“Excuse me?” I looked at him in surprise.
“You said you'd marry me, remember?” Darc asked with a crooked smile.
“That was when you were a god, and we had to compromise with you,” Torin pointed out.
“A deal is a deal,” Darc shot back.
“I'll think about it,” I said and then looked at my consorts. “And we'll talk about it in private.”
“So, you're staying together?” My mom asked.
“Of course,” Darc and I said simultaneously.
“Just checking.” My mother chuckled.
“We need to return to Tír na nÓg and settle things with the rest of the Shining Ones,” Torin said. “And then we can talk about things like weddings.”
“Weddings plural?” I lifted my brow at him.
Torin shrugged and looked at the other men; they all started to smile.
“We don't know yet,” Declan said haughtily. “Someone told me that I can't just assume you'll be my wife; I have to ask you first.”
I grimaced.
“I would agree with them,” Mom said crisply. “If you want to marry my daughter, the least you can do is ask her; that's a given.”
“Yes, of course,” Declan stammered. “What I meant was—”
“It was a jab at something I said to him when I was under the influence of Faenestra,” I explained.
“Well, you shouldn't be jabbing at a woman you want to make your wife either.” My mom stared down Declan.
“Yes; you're right,” Declan agreed. “My apologies.”
“Are you all sure that you want to marry into this family?” My father asked the men as a whole. “You'll be in for some serious headaches.”
“Elaria is worth any ache; from heart to head,” Darc declared.
“If you're going to steal all of the best romantic moments, I'm going to vote you off the island, buddy.” Gage grimaced.
Darc frowned and looked at my parents. “You allow your guests to vote each other off your island?”
The rest of us burst into laughter.
Chapter Fifty-Six
After we were certain that the other halves of our souls were stored safely in Hell, and we had celebrated with my parents and Cerberus, Darc and I traveled to our jewel temple with my consorts.
Darcraxis had fixed the damage to the temple, but we obviously wouldn't be living there any longer. We thanked the shining ones who had come to serve us and sent them back to their homes. Then we composed several letters; one for each of the kingdoms—those with surviving rulers, that is. We explained what had happened with a bit of spin doctoring for good PR. Basically, we told them that their gods had split themselves in half willingly after seeing the damage they were causing their children. We asked for understanding and peace between us so we could move forward, and we invited anyone who wished to verify these changes to visit us in Kyanite.
Then we cleared out the temple and packed several wagons to travel to Kyanite under the guard of kyanite, alexandrite, and onyx soldiers. We anticipated trouble on the roads, but there was none. The only incident happened at the very beginning of the journey as we were riding away from the temple.
A great rumbling filled the air, and the road shook beneath us. The horses shied and stamped as the wagons came to a halt. We all looked back toward the temple; where the commotion was coming from. Pieces of the jeweled building were crumbling while other parts simply disintegrated. The road leading up to it melted back into the mountainside and became a sheer cliff again. With a shimmering crash, the temple finally fell away completely to reveal the crystal vault of the Relic. I chuckled as the Witch Relic reclaimed its perch. It had waited us out, and as soon as we were gone, it took back its lofty position. Good for it.
Once we were in Kyanite, I formally addressed my people. I could see the relief on their faces when they heard that Faenestra was gone for good. The aftermath of locking up my other half was getting rough. It wasn't easy to know that there had been a part of me capable of burning castles to ash and turning shining ones mortal. Nor was it easy to accept that most of the horrible things I'd done couldn't be reversed. King Odran of Howlite would be the first shining one king to die of old age, and it was my fault. Torin pointed out that at least Odran had those years to live, while Queen Oonagh of Snowflake Obsidian and Queen Riona of Malachite—along with their courts—had no such reprieve. As much as that was true, I doubted that Odran saw it that way.
We took a few days to regroup before I told the kings and Banning to head home to their kingdoms and Kansas respectively. Gage and Darc would be staying with me in Kyanite, and they were more than enough support. I didn't want Onyx, Alexandrite, and the Kansas Gura to suffer without their leaders because I was being a wimp. Besides, it wasn't as if they couldn't return in a few minutes.
So, the men headed home, and I began to settl
e back into my life.
“My poor people,” I murmured as I stood on my balcony and looked out across Kyanite. “They've been through so much, and I keep dragging them into more.”
“You've also saved them from murderers and yourself,” Sara pointed out.
She was recovering faster than I; already back to her old self. I couldn't understand it; just imagining what she'd gone through made me shiver with grief and rage. But Sara had lived a long time, and she had been through many horrible things as well as wonderful ones. She told me that this wasn't the first time she'd encountered violence; that there was evil to be found everywhere, and if you lived long enough, you were sure to come across it. The trick was to separate the evil deeds from yourself; to accept that it had been done to you but not allow it to become a part of who you are. Life is like a piece of steak; if you didn't cut away the gristle, you couldn't savor the tender meat—her words, not mine. Sara may have been hungry at the time, but it was still good advice. Cut away the bad. Yeah; that was something we all needed to do—some of us more literally than others.
“If you want them to forgive you,” Sara went on, “you have to forgive yourself. Because if you can't do it, how can you expect them to?”
“Why aren't you ruling a kingdom, Miss Sagely Sara?”
“You know; I ask myself that all the time.” She made a sassy face at me.
“We've received some replies,” Darc announced as he came out onto the balcony with a handful of letters.
“Here we go,” I muttered as I took some of them.
We both began opening and skimming the contents while Sara waited impatiently.
“Well, what do they say?” Sara asked after I started to read the third one.
“They're all very polite,” I said grimly.
“Why is that bad?” Darc asked. “Mine are the same.”
“Because Shining Ones will be polite right up until they kill you,” Sara huffed. “A certain amount of politeness is required, but after the shit you two put the Jewel Kingdoms through, there should be at least a couple of words reprimanding your behavior, even if they decide to forgive it.”
“So, when they say that they're pleased that we wish to move forward peacefully?” Darc asked.
“We'd best prepare for war,” I concluded.
“Come on,” Gage chided as he joined us. “They may mean just what they say.”
“You have to learn to read what isn't there as much as what is,” I explained. “Note that they didn't say that they wanted to move forward peacefully; only expressed their pleasure in our desire to.”
“Do you want me to call the Griffins?” Gage asked immediately.
“No; we'll need to show them that we're still strong,” I said. “That means fighting them with our might alone.”
“You think they'll attack us because they believe that we're defenseless?” Darcraxis asked.
“I think they may have mistaken those apologies for pleas for mercy,” I said.
“They were not,” Darc growled. “And just because we have been weakened, it does not make us weak.”
“Especially when you started as a god,” Gage agreed. “But they may not know that. They may think that the soul-severing cut away all of your magic, as it once did to Faenestra.”
“Even if it did, I would still have my spellsinger abilities,” I pointed out. “They aren't being rational.”
“Which makes it even worse,” Gage said. “They're reacting emotionally instead of logically.”
“I think we should ask Torin and Declan to bring their armies to Kyanite,” I murmured.
“I'll contact them,” Gage offered as he headed back into the tower.
“And I'll let the castle staff know to prepare for a siege,” Sara said as she hurried off.
“A siege?” Darc lifted a brow at me and grinned. “How exciting.”
“Remember that you can die now,” I whispered.
“But I won't,” he said confidently. “I have too much to live for.”
Darcraxis pulled me into an embrace and kissed me thoroughly. By the time it was over, I was as confident as he was. But I knew it was a false sense of security. We hadn't taken the time to test Darc's remaining magic. We needed to take stock of all of our weapons before we could reasonably feel secure. I wasn't about to make the same mistake as my enemies and react emotionally instead of logically.
So, I pulled away from Darc and announced, “It's time that we train you to fight like a man instead of a god.”
Darcraxis began to smile wickedly.
Chapter Fifty-Seven
“Excellent!” Gage declared after Darc bashed his arm with a wooden, practice sword. “You're a fast learner.”
Darc just smiled enigmatically.
“Right,” Gage said. “You probably invented swordplay.”
“I did not invent it,” Darcraxis protested. “But I've watched it progress from the beginning when it was just two men hitting each other with sticks. I understand the mechanics; I simply need to get accustomed to the movements with this body.”
“All right then.” Gage motioned to Banning. “Let's get you accustomed.”
I chuckled as I leaned back in my seat to watch Banning and Gage attempt to take down a god. Well, an ex-god. Did removing Darc's magic and half of his soul also remove his godhood? Was divinity measured in strength or was it simply a part of him? And if it was in Darcraxis still, then would that mean it was in me as well?
I frowned and turned up the music.
I'd been sitting in on all of their practice sessions. Banning had returned from Kansas to help Gage train and test Darcraxis. They'd gone from testing how much Water magic Darc had left to training him in physical warfare. Half an hour into their first session, I'd decided that they needed some background music. The men had loved it; a soundtrack for their violence. But Darc had especially enjoyed my playlists and had started listening to my iPod in his free time. I loved sharing my music with him. He had watched me through all of my lives and heard much of it before, but this was the first time that he could focus on it and simply enjoy it.
A loud, cracking sound brought me back to the present, and I flinched. Darc had struck Banning's sword so hard that it had been torn from his grip and gone sailing into the nearest wall—where it shattered.
Darc narrowed his eyes at the ruined sword but when it remained broken, he growled in frustration. “I keep forgetting that I can't fix things anymore.”
“Yeah; that was handy,” Gage noted. “But the damage is worth knowing what you're capable of. Don't hold back in battle because I promise you; your opponent will not.”
“Hopefully, your magic will be enough, and you won't have to fight physically,” Banning said. “But if it isn't, you're prepared. I don't think we can teach you anymore.”
“The rest must be learned in a real fight,” Gage concluded with a nod.
“You want a real fight? You got it,” Sara said as she came into the practice courtyard with my steward. “Tell them, William.”
“Your Majesty, several armies have been spotted on the road to Kyanite Castle,” William said grimly.
“Have they hurt any of our people?” I asked immediately.
“No, Your Majesty,” he said with a soft smile. “That's kind of you to ask. Our people are fine—”
It's the Diamond Royals, Kyanite cut off William.
“Hold on, William,” I said so that he wouldn't keep talking while I was trying to listen to Kyanite. “My stone is speaking to me.”
William nodded respectfully.
“What about the Diamond Monarchs?” I asked Kyanite out loud for the benefit of the others.
Banning cursed as everyone else grimaced.
They united your old enemies against you, Kyanite went on. What's left of them anyway. You know; it's rather ironic that my kingdom once stood against you.
“When did you stand against me?” I asked.
During the Sapphire War; Kieran joined King Galen. He
could have used our lack of a queen to remain neutral, but he wanted to establish his authority.
“I remember now; I received a tribute from Kyanite after the war. That bastard,” I muttered. When I saw the confused looks on everyone's faces, I explained, “Kieran led Kyanite against us in the Sapphire War.”
“Yes; that was a traumatic time for us,” William noted.
“I can imagine,” Sara muttered.
King Jarlath has roused Sapphire's surviving allies to take advantage of your weakness and kill you while they have the upper hand, Kyanite said. Tiger's Eye has also enlisted Turquoise since they're joined through marriage now.
“That's right; Queen Moirin of Tiger's Eye married... what's his name again?” I asked.
“King Sean of Turquoise, Your Majesty.” William supplied the name.
“Thank you,” I said. “So, Turquoise has joined our list of enemies.”
Also, Opal, Carnelian, Selenite, Blue Lace Agate, and Jasper, Kyanite added.
“Jasper?” I asked in surprise. “After Darc saved them?”
“Ingrates,” Darc muttered.
“Well, you did save them from Elaria,” Gage pointed out.
We all stared at him with annoyance.
“Sorry,” he mumbled.
There's one more thing, my love, Kyanite said gently. Copper is with them too.
“No,” I said with disappointment. “Not Cyrus.”
I'm so sorry, Elaria.
“King Cyrus is marching against us?” Gage asked in shock.
“He is,” William confirmed.
“Well, ain't that a kick in the pants?” Gage huffed.
“You thought your good looks would keep him from joining the opposition?” Banning teased Gage. “You have to put out before you can claim someone's loyalty, you know.”
“I'm still not convinced that he's gay,” I said distractedly as I pulled out my contact charm. Then I called out, “King Declan of Alexandrite.”
After a few chimes, Declan answered.
“Declan, has your army begun to march for Kyanite yet?” I asked.
“We have,” he said. “Why? What's happened?”