Pain (Curse of the Gods Book 5)

by Jaymin Eve

  “Wow,” he muttered. “That was impressive. You jumped in front of her so fast. I wish I could jump that fast. And you’re so fierce. You could model for a statue. So many people would want you modelled in their entryways. I’m so impressed. You’re so impressive.”

  “You created a God of Flattery,” Jakan noted, his voice laced in amusement as his broad shoulders relaxed, and he stepped to the side again.

  “Brianna?” I asked, taking a hesitant step forward.

  “I am Brian now,” he replied, beaming happily. “You did such an amazing job turning me into a god. You really are very powerful, my Creator.”

  “You can stop calling me that,” I muttered, growing uncomfortable. “Are you feeling okay? I mean … have there been any … side effects?”

  “Other than his obsessive complimenting?” Lorda replied for him with a roll of her eyes. “No. Although he hasn’t really stopped complimenting. I’m used to this sort of behaviour, it is my specialty, I guess you could say. This little godling is obsessed with his new power. I don’t think he can do anything else.”

  “Wow,” Brian exclaimed, turning around and staring at Lorda in wonder. “You are so good at summarising.”

  “Yeah, little guy. I’m great.” She folded her arms and gave me an I told you so look. “I’m afraid that turning a brainwashed server into a god doesn’t really remove the brainwashing. Now he’s just brainwashed in a different way. He still can’t think for himself. Luckily, you didn’t give him a dangerous gift.”

  “You would have given me a great one, though,” Brian assured me, turning around again.

  “Thanks,” I sighed. Maybe it was time for me to stop creating gods without thinking the process through a little more clearly.

  Lorda was right: whatever damage Staviti had done to the souls, the way he removed their free will upon death in order to turn them into servers, wasn’t easily reversible. I hadn’t magically given Brian’s previous consciousness back to him. I had only given him eternal life and better clothing.

  “So, now that you know why we are here …” Terrance said, claiming a seat and waving for the others to all resume their seats around the room. “Why have you come here, Willa? What can we do to help?”

  “You want to help?” I asked immediately, taken aback. I wasn’t sure why I was surprised, especially since I had come to him for help in the first place. I supposed I had been expecting a fight to convince him.

  “We are with you,” he said, his dark brown eyes drilling into me. “It is time for Staviti’s control of this world to end. The Neutral has unmasked many of Staviti’s lies, and the rest of us are not happy. He might be our creator, but we do not belong to him. We belong to this land—whose magic runs through us as surely as it runs through him. We have served him for many centuries, faithfully, and without question. We have sacrificed our children and our love for others so that he might feel secure in his lack of both. But no more. Our debt has been paid.”

  “I’m glad,” I told him, my words ringing with genuine gratitude. “Because I know what I need to do to break Staviti’s control over Topia and Minatsol, but it requires me to be in several locations at once. If I hit each location in turn, Staviti will feel the shift in power and he’ll know what I’m doing—his strike back will be brutal. He’ll do everything he can to stop me, so … we need to hit every location at the same time.”

  “We’ll do what needs to be done,” Haven promised.

  “We will,” Ciune agreed, as the other two nodded.

  “Thank you. There’s just one more thing,” I admitted, looking back to Terrance. “You said your birds whispered to you?”

  “They said that you were the storm.” His eyes flicked to the window, and I swore I even heard a bird singing in response to the searching look on his face. “Come to wash through this land.”

  “Oddly enough, that’s exactly what she’s going to do,” Jakan noted, humour lacing his tone.

  “Oh?” Terrance refocussed on me.

  “I’ll tell you the plan soon,” I promised. “But I need your birds to deliver a few messages first. I need them to find Abil’s sons and tell them where I am; also Cyrus, Abil, and Adeline. My sister will be with Cyrus.”

  “What about Pica?” he replied, moving toward a long, wooden side table set beneath a window.

  He began tearing up small pieces of paper and writing on them. I guessed he was the only person who could actually hear the birds’ whispering. The others would have to make do with notes.

  “Pica is in the imprisonment realm,” I said without hesitation. “She’s probably reuniting with her child as we speak.”

  Terrance’s hand faltered, and the others exchanged glances. Something like guilt or shame prickled along the back of my neck, and I glanced at my feet. Was I acting like Staviti already?

  “Pica had imprisoned Willa,” Jakan spoke up, his hand landing on my shoulder again. His defence of me was immediate. “She was not going to release her. She even had a special blade of Crowe created so that Willa’s objections to becoming her daughter would be silenced.”

  Ciune shook her head, and pity passed over the faces of the others, though they didn’t reply. Terrance finished writing his notes and moved outside without another word.

  “You cannot allow yourself to feel guilt over sending Pica there.” Jakan’s hand tightened on my shoulder, turning me around to face him. “You were only protecting yourself, and you are not yet experienced enough to have full control over your power. If there were any alternatives, you wouldn’t have known how to use them. Never apologise for protecting yourself, because the worlds need you, Willa.”

  “Your guilt is beautiful,” Brian spoke up. “I’ve never seen anyone with such beautiful guilt.” When Jakan shot him a look, he quickly hurried to add. “But of course you are right.” This time he spoke to Jakan. “You are incredibly wise, and you give such good advice. We are all lucky to simply be in your presence, so that we might also receive your helpful and wise advice.”

  “Here’s my advice,” Lorda muttered dryly, “why don’t you go stand in a corner and shut the fuck up already?”

  Twelve

  The Abcurses found Terrance’s cottage first, which was hardly a surprise to me. As soon as I felt the sudden flare of their energy drawing close, I fell silent mid-conversation with Haven and strode for the door. I flung it open and ran out to the porch, to find they hadn’t even reached the top of the hill yet. I sprinted up the pathway and heard their voices just as they crossed over the river. I refrained from yelling out to them, instead pausing to drink each one of them in. In all the time that I had spent on Topia, of all the gods I had met, no other had ever matched their perfection. There was something about the gem-like tint to their eyes and the dark ochre-gold blend of their hair that pulled at my gut. Somehow, their shared colouring and features made me want to see them more clearly than anyone else—to search out all the tiny differences in their faces that only someone who really knew them would be able to spot.

  It pulled me to the stern way that Coen held his smile in check, and the constant tension that drew Rome’s shoulders into position. I found myself always searching for the unique twinkle in Siret’s eye that flooded warmth into me no matter our situation, and the way Aros shifted his attention quickly between people, so as not to overwhelm any one person with his power. Everyone except me, who he gave the entirety of his attention to whenever I was in the room. And then there was Yael, whose frown gave him away whenever anyone else was closer to me than he was. I hadn’t known it was possible for a heart to grow so large until that moment, as an emptiness inside me suddenly became full again, and I called out to the other pieces of my soul.

  Their heads shot up then, as if they’d felt me too. Their faces were shrouded in dark anger—I’d never felt such fury from them, but it didn’t make me falter. I started to run toward them and a frisson of energy danced between us, strong and sure. They moved even faster, closing the distance in a click. The
six of us all but collided. I closed my eyes as I was whirled from one to the next. Eventually I needed to see them, to drink in every part of my guys. We ended up in a tangled mess on the ground, touching and talking at once. All five of them reached out to me, needing to reassure themselves that I was really there. I was safe.

  “Never fucking letting you out of my sight again,” Rome was rumbling, his giant chest heaving up and down as he held my hand tightly.

  “Tell me that Pica is being tortured in the imprisonment realm?” Yael said, as he reached out to push my hair back from my face, staring into my eyes like he was memorising me. His next words came out harsher. “And it better be the best kind of torture, Willa-toy. A truly exemplary form of torture.”

  I chuckled. Of course Yael would expect top-notch torture. Always had to be the best.

  Siret drew my attention then, and I realised I’d missed some of what he was saying. “…and I’m not good with worry, Soldier. Could you maybe not do that anymore.” His words tore at my heart, eliminating any amusement I’d felt over Yael. It wasn’t normal to see Siret so sombre. His eyes, darker than usual, were clouded with heavy emotions.

  Aros didn’t say anything but he held my other hand tightly, almost to the point of being too painful. I locked eyes with him briefly and choked on a sob. The hurt in his golden gaze was palpable. It thrummed through our bond, and another sob escaped me.

  “I’m so sorry,” I finally managed to choke out. “I wasn’t sure what to do, she had every avenue of escape locked down. The room stole my energy. The knife would have stolen my will. I’m sorry.”

  Coen was the first to stand, and he hauled me up into his arms. He hugged me for a very long time while the others closed in around us. “We want to do that marriage thing,” he murmured to me, his hands banded around my back. “We want to join to you in the way of both worlds.”

  “Will you marry us, Willa?” Aros asked, stepping into my side so I was pressed between him and Coen.

  I blinked, trying not to get caught up in the feeling of being sandwiched between the two of them. Instead I focussed on the beauty of what they were saying. Could a heart be so full that it exploded?

  “Yes, once we deal with all of this Staviti stuff, then I will marry you.” I looked between the five Abcurses. “All of you.”

  “Willa Abcurse,” Yael said with a smug pride. “That has a right sort of ring to it.”

  “Willa Knight,” I corrected. “I’m keeping my family name. Especially considering yours is just a made-up one. Maybe you should all take my name and be Knights.”

  Rome laughed, and it was such a free and genuine sound that whatever tight knot had been in my chest since I was stolen away from my family started to loosen.

  “Rome Knight … I like the sound of that.”

  I laughed then too, because it did sound pretty damn good.

  “Knight is a family name,” a deep, somewhat familiar voice said from nearby. “You’re technically a princess, Willa.”

  I took a moment to be grateful that the monarchy had fallen, even though I would have loved to know my grandparents. It was a few hundred life-cycles too late for that. As Jakan took another step closer, the Abcurses went from relaxed to hulking protective gods in about a fraction of a click. They formed a line in front of me, and I shook my head as I pushed past them. “Guys, calm down. This is Jakan … my father.”

  For the first time that word flowed easily from my lips. It was almost like being back with the Abcurses allowed me to be more accepting about the truth of my parents.

  Jakan was staring between the five Abcurses, sizing them up. “You five think you’re good enough to marry my daughter?” he asked suddenly, his voice thundering across the clearing.

  Here we go. None of the Abcurses bothered to reply, but I could feel the tension filtering through them. I was just about to grab my snacks and settle in for the god smackdown when Jakan’s stern expression lifted. His eyes twinkled. “I’m just kidding. Willa is more than capable of choosing her mates and husbands without any input from me. I’m just really grateful that she had you all in her life. Thank you for being there. For loving her when I was unable to exist in the same world as her. I owe you a debt of gratitude.”

  Coen shook his head, his shoulders relaxing. “If anything, we owe you a debt. Your energy created part of who she is. I can barely remember my life before Willa—I don’t want to remember my life before her. She completes us.”

  Jakan looked pleased by this, and my heart was hurting in the best kind of way.

  “You’re going to explain to us how your dead father, who was in the imprisonment realm, is now in Topia, right?” Aros asked.

  I nodded. “Yes, I will explain everything, but first we have to organise the gods. We were just working on a coordinated attack against Staviti when you all arrived.”

  Jakan held a hand up, halting me when I was about to start walking to the house. “The others have their missions already and have moved into position. They decided to leave the banishment cave for you and the Abcurses. It might be the most difficult one to crack.”

  “Where are you going?” I asked him.

  “To the river where you were born,” he said simply. “Could you call your mother here? I want to take her with me.”

  Without hesitation, I released the lockdown I had on my mother’s soul, and relief hit me as her thoughts flooded into my mind again. Two steps right. Two steps left. Four flour cups. Two raw eggs.

  Was she baking? There was no reason for her to be baking, considering the platter made the food in Topia. Maybe she was remembering a recipe or something … not that I’d ever seen her cook.

  “Donald!” I called out loud while also mentally contacting her. “Can you come to me?”

  There was a pop and she appeared right before us, her blank face staring at me. “Yes, Sacred One?”

  It took her about half a click to turn to him, even though Jakan—who was behind her—didn’t move or make a noise. Somehow, she knew he was there. He took a step forward, and her face crumpled. I’d never seen her look like that before, not even when she was more alive than now.

  “Ja-akan,” she stuttered, and for a moment she sounded like her old self. The way she did sometimes in my head.

  Then the brief emotion that had filled her face disappeared, and she shook her head, turning back to me. “What did you need, Sacred One?”

  I tried to clear my throat, taking more than one attempt to get my words out. “I—I need you to go with Jakan and help him in whatever way he requires.”

  I had to trust that my father wouldn’t overstep with Donald, that until I figured out how to return her free will to her, he would treat her with respect. I knew he loved her. They were soul-bonded, and I completely believed that she would be safe with him.

  Donald nodded, and a spark lit her eyes again as she turned to Jakan. “Ready to serve you, Sacred One.”

  I thought I caught a shimmery reflectiveness in his eyes, but when he shifted his face toward me a click later, there was no evidence of it. “We’ll need to time it exactly right,” he said in a husky voice. He then handed Coen a note. “This is the coordinated time. Do you have a timepiece?”

  Coen nodded and tucked the paper into his pocket. “Yes, I will make sure we stay on schedule.”

  Jakan nodded. “Okay, I will leave now. I need time to examine my location. Stay alert at all times. There will be some sort of energy catchment you’ll have to destroy. Do not underestimate the power holding these catchments. Staviti has had them running for hundreds of life-cycles.”

  I almost wanted to stop them from leaving, because for the first time in my life, it felt like I had parents. One a creation god that I knew nothing about, and the other … a server who was almost completely brainwashed, which was still an actual improvement on my previous situation.

  But we had to defeat Staviti, and the only way to do that was to weaken him. So … I had no choice but to let them go.

  I h
ugged Donald. I don’t know why I did it because I’d rarely ever hugged her, even as a small child. When I released her, she blinked at me. “Did you stop me from falling, Sacred One? Or was there a creeper on my back?”

  I laughed. “It was a hug, Donald. A goodbye hug.”

  She blinked even more rapidly, tilting her head to the side, the waxiness of her face prominent. “Should I always hug you goodbye? Should I be hugging everyone goodbye?”

  She started to move toward Rome, but he placed a hand on her shoulder, stopping her. “Willa hugs you because she loves you,” he told her. “You don’t hug anyone else.”

  I wanted to rub my hand over my forehead to ease the tension headache plaguing me—sometimes dealing with my mother was harder than herding a bunch of mudhogs. I focussed on Jakan. “Keep her safe,” I told him.

  He nodded. “You stay safe too. Staviti will come for us the moment his power is cut off. Be prepared.”

  Jakan then reached out for Donald, and just when he was about to disappear, I shouted. “Wait!”

  He paused, and I hurried the few steps to throw my arms around him. I’d never hugged my father before, and this might be the only chance I ever got. We had no idea what would happen next. “I’m really glad we met,” I said as I pulled back, sniffling.

  His eyes scorched into me, the bluest of blues. “Stay safe,” he commanded again, and while it looked like he wanted to say more, he just reached for Donald’s hand, and then they both disappeared into a pocket.

  I stared after him.

  “Come on, Will, we need to get to our location.” Coen’s words brought my focus back.

  “Where are your parents?” I asked, realising that I’d called for them, but they hadn’t appeared yet.

  “I saw Father go past while we were … on the ground,” Yael told me. “He made his way to Terrance’s house. Mother must be meeting him later.”

  Adeline was still a mystery to me. Where she disappeared to … what she did with her spare time. But I was sure Abil wouldn’t be calmly strolling here if something serious was going on with her, so she must be fine.