Harvest of the Gods

by Sumida, Amy

  “Un-magic,” the fey chuckled grimly. “Yes, my goddess can't be killed by gods.”

  “Can't be killed by gods,” I mulled it over while I stared at him and he started to squirm again. “No weapon made of man or god... so that leaves the fey.”

  He stopped squirming to stare at me in horror.

  “We'll focus on killing Demeter first,” I said to Fenrir. “Once she's dead, Andrasta may be easier to deal with and probably won't bother with the Froekn anymore. Then I'll return to Faerie and speak to the fey about destroying Andrasta.”

  “Agreed, as long as she's killed,” Fenrir nodded and then slid his gaze over to the faerie. “Has he given you all you need?”

  “Yeah,” I sighed, “I don't think he has anymore to tell us.”

  Before the fey could so much as squeak, Fenrir swiped a clawed hand across his neck, cutting the fey's head from his body. It rolled off and hit the floor with a wet thud. It was gross but quick and it was probably a better death than he deserved.

  “Valdyr,” Ty was back already and he was calling Fenrir by his Froekn title. Not a good sign. “The Froekn sentinels are dead and there's no sign of the Harvest Goddess.”

  “Damn her to a thousand deaths!” Fenrir snarled, making most people in the room cringe. Emma was not one of them and I have to admit it impressed me. In fact, she'd taken all of it pretty calmly; the fey, the interrogation, the killing of the fey. She strode forward and took Fenrir's hand. He immediately calmed and turned sorrowful eyes to her. “My children,” he whispered.

  “I know, Fen,” she slid her arms around his waist and he sort of crumpled into her, his shoulders shaking with silent tears.

  The rest of us just gaped. I looked away, feeling awkward and intrusive. Then I stood up and shooed everyone from the room quietly. There was nothing more to be done tonight. Fenrir needed to grieve and get his strength back, two things that I was going to leave in Emma's obviously capable hands. I'd take my Intare and head back to Pride Palace for the night, tomorrow would come soon enough and then we would start again.

  Chapter Thirty-Two

  I was exhausted and all I wanted to do was go to sleep for a few years, or at least eight hours. I trudged through the halls of Pride Palace, on my way to my lovely bed, with my lovers and lions behind me, trudging along just as wearily.

  “So Kanaloa's in the clear,” Trevor sighed.

  “I'm actually a bit relieved about that,” I nodded. “No one wanted him to be the bad guy and at least with Andrasta, this behavior isn't a shock.”

  “That's true,” Trevor grimaced, “her behavior isn't surprising, just her breathing.”

  “No kidding-”

  “Where have you been?” Finn's voice stopped me short and I looked over to find him standing at the end of the hall that led to the library. “I've been texting you all night.”

  “I've been a little busy,” I waved the Intare on to their beds (for the second time that night) but Kirill and Trevor stayed back. “There have been attacks on the Froekn.”

  “What?” Well that just knocked the wind out of his sails.

  “Yeah,” I headed toward the kitchen. If I was going to be up any longer, I needed coffee. “It's been a long day and an even longer night. We found a faerie who was in cahoots with Demeter and another goddess named Andrasta, then we found out that more Froekn had been killed, so whatever you need, Finn, make it fast.”

  “I brought my sister and brothers here,” Finn said softly. “They wanted to speak with you concerning the faerie who cursed us.”

  “Now?” I gaped at him.

  “I did try to text you,” he huffed a sigh. “They're very upset.”

  “I don't know, Finn,” I was halfway to the kitchen and coffee. “I'm not in the best of moods right now.”

  “It's my family, Vervain,” he waved a hand toward the library, which was now behind us. “They've come all this way.”

  “What, you mean five seconds through the Aether?” I grimaced at him.

  “Five seconds or no',” it was Finn's voice but the accent was thickly Irish, “Ireland's a wee bit o' a journey.”

  I looked over and saw Finn standing behind himself. I blinked, shook my head, and then looked over at my men for confirmation. They nodded at me, we were all seeing double.

  “You've got a twin?” I looked back and forth between the men. “What the fuck, Finn? You never thought to mention that you had a twin? What if I ran into this guy and just walked on up to him and started talking to him like he was you? That would be awkward and embarrassing.”

  “He lives in Ireland,” Finn rolled his eyes. “You're not liable to run into him.”

  “Five seconds, Finn,” I snapped my fingers. “I could go to Ireland just as fast as to Hawaii. I like castles and potatoes, I could go to Ireland. A little heads up would have been nice.”

  “Castles and potatoes?” Finn's brother gave me a sort of gaping, squinting, head-shaking look. “Is that wha' Americans think Ireland is?”

  “I never mentioned any of them if you recall,” Finn shushed his brother with a hand gesture, “and, Vervain love, you never asked.”

  “I, well... I,” I stammered, “well you never asked about my siblings either!”

  “It's not like we're having sex,” Finn shrugged.

  “Yeah but you wanted to,” I scrunched up my face at him. “Here's a tip, if you wanna get in a girl's panties, try opening up a little. Maybe even mention you have a twin. It could even be a selling point.”

  “Did ye all forget 'bout me then?” Finn's twin cocked his head. “I 'ave another brother and a sister back waitin' ye know.”

  “Stuff it, Paddy,” I snarled and stomped off. “Unfuckinbelievable,” I muttered, “it's the fuckin' Irish invasion over here and wouldn't you know it, they're impatient. I thought the Irish were supposed to be nice with hot accents but at 4am it isn't hot, it's annoying. After all I've been through tonight...but that's what I get,” I threw my hands up in the air. “That's what I get for being a good friend. Keep your mouth shut, Vervain. How hard is that to do? Just freaking shut the hell up.”

  “She's right,” I heard Finn whisper, “she's not in the best mood right now.”

  “You bring your unknown family here,” I growled as I turned around to glare at Finn. “Unannounced and bloody impertinent! And you shove them in my face, right after I tell you that some of my family just died! Fuck you, Finn, and fuck your family! I ain't telling you shit now.”

  “Bring your siblings into the dining room,” Trevor was much more sympathetic than I. “We'll get some coffee and something to eat, and meet you there.”

  I let out a low growl as I pushed the door to the kitchen open. I had enough problems without having to deal with Finn's sassy siblings and their stupid accents. Next time I find out about a faerie who has done something naughty to a friend of mine, I'm gonna... shit, I'm going to tell them because I have a big, fat mouth and I love my friends.

  “Where's the damn coffee pot?” I snarled to the empty kitchen.

  “Tima,” Kirill came up behind me and grabbed my shoulders to knead them like a cat. I sighed, the muscles in my upper back letting go of their anger, even if I didn't. “Go sit down in dining room, I make coffee.”

  “Thanks, babe,” I turned and gave him a quick kiss.

  When I walked in the dining room through the connecting door, five faces turned immediately my way. Four men and one woman. Finn got up and came over to me.

  “I'm sorry, Vervain,” he put a hand on my upper arm. “I'm sorry for your loss and I know you're tired but we've been waiting centuries to find this woman.”

  “Ugh fine,” I sighed, shaking off his hand, “let me sit down, will ya?”

  “Sure,” he grinned and went back to his seat.

  Trevor was seated across from Finn and family, so I sat next to him, looking over the group across from us. Finn's twin, as mentioned, looked just like him. Now that I had them side by side, I could see that Finn's black hair was
a tad longer than his brother's but their green eyes were the same shade and everything else was a carbon copy.

  The other brother was a little different but you could tell he was from the same stock, very dark hair, though more brown than black, and green eyes. The sister was the only one who looked out of place, with her bright blonde hair but again, her eyes held the family resemblance, bright green.

  “Sitting here, looking at you all,” I just wasn't ready to let my anger go quite yet, “I'm reminded of something I read once. Swans have an air of being proud, stupid, and mischievous- three qualities that go well together.”

  “Vervain,” Finn rolled his eyes as Trevor hid a laugh.

  “You quote Diderot?” Finn's not-twin brother asked, the only one out of the bunch who didn't seem offended.

  “I like authors who rebel against religion,” I shrugged.

  Kirill came in with a pot of coffee, cream, sugar, mugs, and some cold fried chicken on a tray. Before I could say another word, he put it between us like a border that shouldn't be crossed. I eyed it, then grabbed a mug like it was the last life vest on the Titanic, and poured some coffee into it. Some cream and sugar followed, then I was taking a long swallow. Ah, the world made sense again.

  “Did you introduce your family?” Kirill asked as he sat down beside me.

  “Oh,” Finn looked from his siblings to us. “Trevor, Vervain, and Kirill,” he motioned to each of us. “This is Conn, who you met in the hall, Fionnuala, my sister, and my brother Aodh.”

  “Aodh,” I rose my brows.

  “I know, I know,” he shook his head. “It's a funny name, Eeeee.”

  “Not what I was going to say,” I cleared my throat. “Actually, I knew a goblin named Aodh once.”

  “A goblin, really?” Aodh had none of the Irish accent of his brother. “That's kind of cool.”

  “Yeah,” I shrugged, “I killed him on my first visit to Faerie.”

  “Vervain!” Finn gave me his WTF face. My men just groaned.

  “Well in my defense,” I huffed, “he was threatening to make me into soup.”

  “Fair enough,” Aodh laughed.

  “My faeries don't hold it against me,” I smiled at Aodh. I liked a man with a sense of humor. “And they're fire fey, the same House Aodh was a part of.”

  “Well then,” Aodh nodded, “I won't hold it against you either. I think I actually prefer there not to be a goblin named Aodh out there.”

  “Watch yourself,” I wagged a finger at him. “I like goblins now.”

  “And you like to keep a man on his toes,” Aodh laughed. “I think I'm just going to shut up.”

  “That's usually the best course of action with Vervain,” Finn grumbled.

  “Och, enough,” Fionnuala tapped the table. She definitely had the accent. “Please, you told Finn you found the woman who cursed us. Tell us how we can find her. We deserve our vengeance. She was family and she betrayed us.”

  “Family,” I frowned. “You're Atlanteans aren't you?”

  “Through our father, yes,” Finn explained. “Our mother was human and it was her sister who cursed us.”

  “I think I've made a horrible mistake, Finn,” I rubbed my forehead. “This woman is a faerie, she can't be your Aunt.”

  “We think our real Aunt was replaced with a faerie,” Fionnuala said. “Aunt Nora suddenly changed one day,turned into a completely different person, and could do things humans can't do.”

  “A changeling?” I frowned, “I thought changelings were stolen as babies.”

  “I don't know if you'd call her a changeling,” Finn shrugged, “but our Aunt did change. I know faeries can glamor themselves to look however they want and we think this faerie took our Aunt and then took her place.”

  “Arach didn't mention any of that but then maybe he didn't know,” I frowned, thinking back to how the traitor fey had made himself appear to be a rat, if he could do that, Aoife could make herself look like another woman. “The fey's name is Aoife, she's an air-sidhe, and she confessed that she was a mistress of King Lir's. She also confessed to changing his children into swans because Lir loved them more than her. So I guess it must be her. I mean, how many other King Lir's with swan children could there possibly be?”

  “Just the one, as far as I know,” Aodh laughed and shrugged his leather-clad shoulders. That's when I noticed how they were dressed, as if for war.

  “You're intending on hunting her immediately, aren't you?” I asked in a kind of accusing manner.

  “We'd like to,” Finn nodded.

  “And how do you intend on getting into Faerie?” I sat back in my seat, holding my mug to my chest.

  “Are you implying that after you told me you know where the fey who cursed us is, you're not going to take us to her?” Finn growled.

  “Not right now, I'm not,” I gave him a level look. “I'm way too fucking tired. I need some sleep, both for my body and my mind. I'm barely managing to string two sentences together right now. I sure as hell ain't about to take you into Faerie. Not to mention that Arach is expecting me back around the time I left and there won't be anyone there to greet us or help us if I'm not. You saw what Faerie is like, do you really want to go in unprepared?”

  “You can mirror them and by the time we get there, they'll have had time to send someone out,” Finn was right of course. With the time difference between here and Faerie, a few minutes for us would be equivalent to hours there, possibly days.

  “And I'll probably be there already,” I tried to work things out in my tired brain. I'd been using the ring to be constantly in both realms but it actually could be used to go back to a time I'd already lived. Only thing was, I wouldn't be able to change it, all I could do was experience it again. “I'd be sent into my body, to experience whatever I'm experiencing there at the moment. Meaning I wouldn't be able to help you.”

  “Wha' the hell did she jus' say?” Conn looked from me to his brother.

  “She has a ring that can take her through time,” Finn frowned, “When she travels between here and Faerie, she goes back to the moment she left, so it's like she never leaves. It's fey magic and I don't know how to get around it.”

  “Can't we go witho' her then?” Fionnuala glanced over at Finn.

  “We won't be able to get into Faerie without a fey by our side,” Finn cursed.

  “The High King can let you through,” I chewed on my lip, “but I doubt he'll allow a bunch of gods in to kill a faerie. You'll have to plead your case to him.”

  “Or get her to come out,” Aodh looked at me speculatively. “Do you think you could get her to come to us?”

  “What do you think could possibly persuade her to do that?” I blinked wide eyes at them.

  “Ego,” Aodh, exchanged a knowing look with the others. “Narcissism, cruelty, maybe even some curiosity. The possibility that we could kill her will never even cross her mind. Aoife is that egotistical. She'll think herself much more powerful than us and would probably love to see us again, just to exalt in her triumph one more time.”

  “Yeah,” I thought about that snotty air sidhe, “I can believe that. Okay look,” I cracked my neck, “I'll be going back soon but when I go back, it'll be to the past in Faerie, so I should be able to direct her here to our present.”

  “Wow, this is really fucking with my head,” Aodh frowned.

  “Yeah, imagine how I feel,” I smirked. “If I can talk her into coming back to confront you... hold the presses. I just remembered Roarke is here. We can send him across to fetch her, then I won't have to worry about figuring out how to get her here at the right time. He can go, take as long as he needs to grab her, and still be back in hardly any time at all.”

  “Excellent,” Finn smiled.

  “Yeah, then I don't have to worry about all the trouble you might get into without me here,” I smirked. “I'll ask Roarke tomorrow, I'm sure he's already asleep. It shouldn't be a problem, unless you guys are wrong and she decides to pass on the family reunion.”
<
br />   “We're not wrong,” they grinned maliciously at each other.

  “Yeah, you kind of look like you belong in a Rob Zombie movie when you guys smile like that,” I huffed a laugh. “And how fucked up is it that your Aunt slept with your father? Faerie changeling or not, that's messed up.”

  “Well duh,” Aodh shook his head, “it's kind of one of the reasons why we want to kill her.”

  Chapter Thirty-Three

  Roarke was amenable to fetching Aoife. He said something about her being a mega-bitch and that she needed to be schooled. When I told him that Finn and his siblings were intent on more than just schooling her, they were going to kill her, he frowned and asked if that wasn't what he'd just said. I was going to have to talk to my lions again. They were trying to teach the cat-sidhe human lingo but something always seemed to get lost in translation.

  On top of that, he had headed into Faerie wearing a T-shirt that read: Cat-astrophe Waiting to Happen. It was a little too close to the truth for my tastes and I was hoping it wasn't prophetic as well.

  I sighed and shifted my weight. Trevor, Kirill, Odin, and I were waiting at the tracing wall for Roarke to return with Aoife. As soon as they appeared we were going to escort them out to the open grassland in front of Pride Palace, where Finn and his siblings were waiting. I have to admit this seemed like a waste of time to me, like there were more important things for me to be doing than helping a bunch of gods find vengeance, but I'd started this and wasn't I on my own quest for justice? How could I deny Finn, especially when it was I who'd called him?

  So we waited, exchanging glances ranging from impatience to irritation, until there was a slight ringing buzz, like the sound of electricity flowing through cables, and they stepped through the wall. I was surprised to find myself surprised that she'd actually showed up. I mean if someone walked up to me and said a bunch of people I'd cursed in the past wanted me to meet them after school behind the dumpsters, I'd have run all the way home and then locked the door behind me. Yet, there she was, the cheeky bitch.