Chapter 205

“Before we start,” Mirri said, “do you want to explain why the ferals are here?”

“Because they're family,” I replied. “They're part of this as much as anyone else. And if the gods decide to start acting together, we're going to need all the help we can get.”

She rolled her eyes. “I know why they're here. I meant how did they know to come?”

I smiled. “I asked them.”

Mirri stared at me. Then sighed heavily. “Okay, smart ass. How did you know Granyth was going to show up this morning and drop this flaming sack of goat shit in our laps?”

“That part I didn't know.” I spread my hands. “But to save time, I'll just show you.”

The look she gave me suggested her patience was hanging by a thread.

I closed my eyes and took a slow breath.

Even in darkness I could see them. Their Faith lingered behind my eyelids like afterimages burned into my vision. Beacon after beacon glowed around the table. And from each one, a thin silver thread stretched toward me.

I found Mirri's. Plucked it. “Whoa,” she breathed.

Ashlara's was next. The moment I touched it, both her hands slammed onto the table.

Serah gasped softly.

Elise's breath hitched.

Iolite actually jumped. For the first time since Granyth's arrival, her attention left the goddess entirely. I could feel her staring at me.

I opened my eyes. “Good?”

No one answered immediately.

Mirri looked somewhere between confused and awestruck.

“We can talk about it later.”

That earned several nods.

I turned back toward Granyth. “So. Thank you for the warning.” I folded my hands. “What else can you tell us?”

The goddess studied me in silence. The molten glow within her cracks pulsed slowly. Once. Twice. Three times.

“Neither side is unified,” she finally said. Her husky voice carried effortlessly through the room. “Both move from fear.”

“Nyssira,” I said immediately.

The High Witan wanted her. I knew that. I also knew I didn't trust them with her. If they imprisoned her, she'd eventually escape. If they killed her, the consequences would be catastrophic. Neither option appealed to me.

Granyth shook her head. “You.”

I blinked. “Me?”

“Yes.”

“Why?”

“Because you are dangerous.”

I stared at her. That answer was somehow both simple and completely useless. “How am I dangerous?”

She paused. “For centuries, the gods existed within a fragile balance.”

The red glow within her skin brightened slightly. “When necessary, the God-Kings restrained the High Witan. When the ambitions of the God-Kings grew too great, the High Witan opposed us. We are not the only powers that preserve peace, but we are among the strongest.”

Her gaze hardened. “You shattered that balance.”

I snorted. “Bullshit.”

Several heads turned toward me.

“If anyone shattered the balance, it was the High Witan. They're the ones who brought me here in the first place.”

The room fell silent.

Granyth simply watched me. Her scrutiny felt like pressure building beneath the earth.

I couldn't tell whether she was considering my argument or waiting for me to retract it.

Eventually she spoke. “Since your arrival, fourteen gods have died.”

The room went still.

“The High Witan and the God-Kings have both been crippled.” Her eyes shifted toward Vel. “Eight new gods have been born.” She paused. “Only one of the dead gods has been supplanted. In a manner of speaking.”

Her gaze returned to me. “All of this excludes you.”

“Wait.” I pointed at her. “You are not pinning Nyssira's murder spree on me.”

“Were you not involved?”

“No!” I threw my hands into the air. “Correlation does not imply causation. Just because two things happen near each other doesn't mean one caused the other.”

I leaned forward. “If we're doing that, then I can just as easily argue that Nyssira's killing spree is what brought me here.”

Granyth considered that. “Interesting.” The word came slowly. “Your response to being accused of destabilizing Annwn is to admit that you destabilized Annwn.”

“Jesus Christ.” I looked around the table. “Does anyone else see how insane this conversation is?”

Clo's hand shot into the air. “I do!”

I pointed at her. “Thank you.”

“You've only been involved in the birth of seven gods.” Clo smiled proudly, like she'd completely understood my point.

Unfortunately, she was also correct. Vel. Thae. Moss. Clo. Tansy. Nim. Naevira.

Seven.

“Who's the eighth?” Thae asked.

“Refuge,” Granyth replied.

Thae's expression sharpened. “Coordinated Violence. Calculated Destruction. Endurance. Joy of the Hunt. Devouring. Unrestrained Violence. Refuge.”

Her brow furrowed. “Who's missing?”

“Surrender.”

The room collectively blinked.

“Who the fuck is Surrender?” Mirri asked.

Granyth's expression didn't change. “That which misunderstood mercy.”

I pinched the bridge of my nose. “The Shepherd.”

Several people groaned.

“He ascended?”

Granyth nodded.

I sighed. “At least he's new. He won't know what he's doing yet.” I rubbed my temples. “I'll deal with him later.”

“Ornyth has become his mentor.”

I froze. “Dammit.” I started to rise from my chair. “Fine. Where is he? I'll go stomp him out right now.”

Mirri immediately grabbed my hand. “We'll handle it later.” Her grip tightened. “Right now we have more important problems.”

I slumped back into my chair. Harder than necessary. “Fine.” I folded my arms. “So I'm ruining the world.”

Clo nodded enthusiastically.

“Not helping, Clo.”

She stopped nodding.

“The gods think I'm going to keep screwing things up,” I continued. “They're scared. Why attack now?”

Granyth watched me for several long breaths. “I did not say they would attack. I said they would move against you.”

I waited.

She didn't continue.

I opened my mouth.

At that exact moment she resumed speaking. “The High Witan remains focused upon Nyssira.” Her eyes met mine. “They will attempt to take her.”

No surprise there.

“They believe keeping two volatile entities in close proximity is dangerous. I don’t believe they know where she is,” Granyth continued. “Not yet. They must discover that first. They may attempt to force you to reveal her location.”

“They may bargain.” She paused. “Or they may threaten your family.”

My jaw tightened.

Several people around the table stiffened.

“What about the God-Kings?”

“We are less organized.” The goddess folded her hands. “Each will act according to their own interests. They will seek advantage wherever they can find it.”

Her gaze swept across the room. Across my women. My children. My friends. “They are not above using your family against you.”

The room grew colder.

“Okay,” I said. My voice came out flatter than intended. “That mostly answers the what and the why.”

I met her eyes. “Now give us the when and the how.”

She sat motionless. Only the slow pulse of magma-red light beneath her skin betrayed that she was alive at all. Finally she spoke. “I do not know. The High Witan must first locate Nyssira.” She looked at me. “Until then, their options remain limited.”

“What about the God-Kings?”

“They will move when opportunity presents itself. They are predators,” Granyth said simply. “Predators do not announce when they intend to strike.”

“You said neither side is unified,” Serah observed. “Meaning not everyone will participate.”

The goddess nodded. “Yes. Miralis believes intervention will only increase instability. She may abstain.” Granyth was silent for a moment. “Oriselle is... distracted. She will not join unless forced.”

The molten glow beneath her skin pulsed once. “She has already demonstrated where her loyalties lie.”

I frowned. “What does that mean?”

Granyth's unblinking stare lingered for several uncomfortable seconds. “She hasn't told you.” Another pause. “I wonder why.”

I sighed. “How about including me in the conversation you're having with yourself so the rest of us can follow along?”

“Oriselle has chosen you.”

“Chosen me for what?”

“She warned you of the ambush. Led the little one to safety and ensured his warmth and protection. Convinced the informant to flee. Defended your family while you were away.”

My brow furrowed. “I have no idea what you're talking about.”

“The rider,” Vel said.

Everyone turned toward her.

“Before the ambush at the first waystation.” Her eyes narrowed thoughtfully. “The rider who fell from his horse.”

Understanding slowly dawned. “If he hadn't fallen, some of us might have died.”

“Ruk,” Mirri added. “During the storm.” She looked at me. “You said he found a cave with a fire already burning.”

I nodded slowly.

“You searched for the hunter who supposedly left it there.”

“You never found one,” Elise finished.

“Vin was the informant,” Vel said. “There was no reason for him to check the root cellar.”

Silence settled around the table.

“And she was responsible for the bodies buried southeast of here?” I asked.

“She distracted the assailants so they wouldn’t notice the plants.”

I glanced at Moss.

Moss's grin spread impossibly wide.

I rubbed my face. “Why?” My eyes settled on Granyth. “Why help me?”

“Why indeed?” The goddess folded her hands. “Why choose you over power?” The glow beneath her skin brightened slightly. “Unless you have already offered her something she values more.”

Five pairs of eyes immediately landed on me. Ashlara. Mirri. Serah. Elise. Iolite.

I threw up my hands. “Hey. I didn't offer her anything. We've spoken a couple of times. I genuinely have no idea what's happening.”

Mirri rolled her eyes. “You know we don't care if you fuck her, right? We're worried she's going to manipulate you into making terrible decisions.” Her expression darkened. “She’s the fuckin’ goddess of addiction.”

A few people shifted uncomfortably.

“Once she gets her hooks into someone, getting free isn't exactly easy.”

I nodded slowly. “I know. I've been careful.” I leaned back in my chair. “I just don't understand why she'd help me.”

The question hung in the air.

“Or why she wouldn't tell me.” I ran a hand through my hair. “I never asked for help.”

Eventually I exhaled. “I’ll ask her next time I see her.”

I looked Granyth. “What about you?”

The room quieted again.

“You've warned us.” I gestured between myself and the others. “You've basically confirmed that the Witan is making plans and the God-Kings are circling like vultures.”

I leaned forward. “So what do you think about this entire clusterfuck?”

The goddess sat motionless - like stone. Her gaze swept across the room. Across my children. My women. My friends. The gods seated among them.

When she finally spoke, her voice was low and steady.

“I believe this ends in disaster for everyone.”

* * *

Granyth left soon after that.

The keep trembled as cracks of molten red spread beneath her feet. Stone softened into glowing magma, and the goddess slowly sank into it. The molten pool swallowed her without a splash, then retreated into the floor, leaving only cool stone behind.

Silence lingered in her wake.

“So what do we do?” Mirri asked.

“We prepare,” I said. “As much as I appreciate the warning, we don't know if they'll act, when they'll act, or what they'll actually do.”

I rubbed a hand over my face. “It doesn't sound like they know where Nyssira is. That's their first problem. To get to her, they need information. To get information, they need me.”

I exhaled slowly. “Which, in hindsight, probably wasn't my smartest decision. Right now I'm the only person who knows where she is. If something happens to me, she's trapped with no way to contact anyone.”

That realization sat heavily in my stomach. “But telling any of you now just gives the Witan leverage.” My gaze moved around the table. “Once this is over, I'll bring all of you to meet her. Maybe some new faces will do her good.”

I straightened in my chair. “In the meantime, we can’t put our lives on hold, but we do get smarter. Use the buddy system. Nobody goes anywhere alone.”

My attention shifted to the ferals. “I don't know what you've got planned, but any time you can spend here helps. It also serves as a deterrent. The Witan is less likely to try something stupid if another god is present.”

Vel nodded.

“Fuck yeah!” Clo shouted. “We're gonna wipe those smug looks right off their asses!”

I raised an eyebrow. “Faces.”

“What?”

“Smug looks come off faces.”

She stared at me. “Whatever.” The sheer flatness of her response almost made me laugh.

“Anyway,” I continued, “if something goes wrong, get to the demesne. It may not stop them, but it'll slow them down. I'll be watching all of you no matter where I am.”

I looked around the room. “They don't know what they're walking into. We've all changed. We've all gotten stronger. And every one of us has a few cards up our sleeves.”

“Uh...” Clo interrupted.

“Yes?”

“Half of us don't have sleeves.”

I blinked.

She gestured around the room. “And even if I did, I wouldn't put cards in them.”

“It's a saying from Earth.”

Her face scrunched up immediately. “What does it mean?”

“It means we have surprises they don't know about. People used to hide cards in their sleeves while playing poker. Then when nobody was looking, they'd pull out exactly the card they needed.”

Clo considered this. “So we're cheating?”

I thought about the High Witan. The God-Kings. The possibility that either group might come after my family.

“If that's what it takes,” I said, “then yes.”

She immediately threw devil horns into the air. “Fuck yeah!”