Fate of the Gods 01 - Forged by Fate (39 page)

The man was still watching him and his eyes had hardened. “You interfere with God’s daughter.”

Thor frowned, taking the bladder of water back and giving this traveler a second look. His sandals were beaten and abused, his skin coated in dust. “Athena? I would hardly call a friendship interference.”

The man’s face twisted into a sneer. “Pretenders and thieves. I do not speak of Zeus, or his family.” Wings of brilliant white flared out from his back, and Thor took a step back, not quite sure whether he should be calling
Mjölnir
, or offering some kind of homage. “The True God gathers power even now. It will not be long before your time is at an end, Thunderer.”

“I mean no disrespect to your creator, Archangel. Nor to you.”

“And yet you take advantage of His lands, His people. You have the nerve to think you are deserving of His daughter! I warn you, interference now will not be tolerated. Gabriel has his role to play, and it is my duty to see it is done.”

“His daughter?” He wasn’t sure what to make of it. Any of it. All this time he’d spent wandering the earth and he’d never come in contact with an angel before, though he had looked. “You mean Eve?”

“Mother of men. Savior of her people. She plays that role again now, so the scriptures can be made true, and God’s people returned to Him. Returned and made to turn away from the likes of you.”

He shook his head. There was so much hostility from this man, this angel, and Thor had no interest in a fight. “I was merely seeking information about the prophet. I would not involve myself in Elohim’s business, and these are not my lands, besides.”

The angel sniffed and raised his chin. “A long time have We watched you, Thor Odin-son. And never have you allowed the boundaries arbitrarily drawn to stop you from accomplishing your goals. All due respect is paid, yet somehow you always get your way in this world. Have you never wondered why?”

“I imagine it has something to do with my diplomacy.” But his temper was wearing thin, and he could not afford to summon lightning in Olympian lands. Zeus was not so understanding that he would overlook it. “What’s your name, Archangel? That I may know to avoid you in the future, if this is how you would treat your allies.”

“You and all your brethren are invaders and intruders, seeking to take advantage of God’s weakness. If you were other, I would treat you with greater respect.”

“You fail to see the difference between myself and my brothers, Angel. Even if I am not deserving, I still desire to see Eve live. And that is more than can be said for many.”

The angel sneered again. “Nothing of this world can harm her.”

Thor acknowledged that truth with a slight nod. “Then I suppose the only threats to her are those of us who merely live in it.” He turned then, and continued on along the road. He had no interest in fighting with this angel any longer, especially when the creature would not even give him his name.

He had his suspicions, of course. There were said to only be three Archangels, with wings that white. Eve herself had told him as much. And since the angel had spoken of Gabriel, he assumed this must be either Michael, or Raphael. But Raphael had not been seen since the dawn of time, and Ra had spoken often enough of Michael’s twisted arrogance that Thor felt certain enough of his identity.

Not that he had expected to stumble across a scheme of the True God’s angels in the midst of this prophet nonsense. Less nonsense, he supposed, if it was Gabriel disguised as a man. It was Eve’s role he didn’t understand. Savior, the angel had called her. But how? Not only by sharing Elohim’s Grace, surely.

“If you allow her to be destroyed, you destroy all hope for the world, Aesir,” the angel called after him.

He glanced over his shoulder. The wings were gone again. Hidden somehow, but the angel stared at him fiercely, and Thor thought he saw an edge of flame around him. Just for a moment, and then it was gone. And when he blinked, the angel was gone too.

He shook his head again and continued on, wondering how the threat of the godchild and the unmaking of the world could somehow be perceived as hope.

Eve was weaving by the window. How many looms had she had in her existence? How many reams and reams of fabric had she woven? Her fingers deft and quick, she hummed softly to herself as she worked, and Thor watched just out of sight.

Her husband was in his workshop, teaching their oldest son how to join wood most effectively. If he hadn’t witnessed her sons before, known she never passed on her immortality, he would not have recognized the young man for what he was. Not a man at all, but something else. Something more. Gabriel, if Michael was to be believed.

Eve stood, and he noticed the rounding of her belly. Pregnant again. He had seen her give birth well into her fifth decade before, though she could not be much older than thirty now, and her husband seemed to take good care of her. Provided well for her.

A little girl ran into the room shouting for her attention, and Eve laughed and swept her into her arms, lifting her up and kissing her cheek. The little girl could only be Eve’s daughter, and she reached for the loom. Eve sat down with the child in her lap and guided her fingers, showing her how to weave the threads, patiently.

The sound of male voices carried into the room, interrupting them, and Eve set her daughter back on her feet, sending her running back out of the room to greet her father and brother. From where he was standing, Thor could see the angel-man kneel and catch her, tossing the little girl into the air. Eve followed more sedately, and her husband, Joseph, looked on her with love. His hand touching her stomach briefly, reverently.

Gabriel, or Jesus, as Eve called him now, kissed his mother’s cheek, still holding his little sister in his arms.

The contrast between this young man, and the one Thor had met on the road was astounding. Gabriel’s eyes were kind and patient. How much of that disposition was due to Eve’s mothering, even for so short a time? Certainly she seemed to have a loving household. A joyful household. If Michael had been chosen as the prophet to be born, would he have benefitted in the same way?

Thor crept around the house to the next window, following Eve as she moved and staying in the shadows where he could. She went to the hearth, uncovering loaves of bread to bring to the table. There was another girl, there, stirring a pot. Another daughter? And another boy came running in from the workshop.

It seemed to be some kind of occasion, and Thor barely had time to slip out of sight as a young man not much older than Jesus arrived at the house. He did not have the look of either Eve, or Joseph, and Thor didn’t think he was another child, but Joseph clasped hands with him, and welcomed him to the table. Jesus broke the bread, sharing it with his siblings and their guest, while his sister served bowls of some kind of stew and Eve poured wine cut with water for everyone.

After they were served, and before anyone ate, Eve took the hands of those on either side of her, and the family bowed their heads while Joseph said a prayer of thanks, offered to the True God. Eve’s God.

Gabriel alone did not close his eyes, and it was in that moment he looked up directly at Thor. He barely nodded, smiling reassurance, his expression knowing and understanding.

Your time comes, Odin-son.

Thor stared, feeling almost as if he couldn’t bring himself to move.
My time for what?

She’ll know you, Thor. You’ll have her love again. Go on as you’ve begun.

He shook his head.
I don’t understand.

The angel, the man, the prophet, smiled again.
God doesn’t forget what he owes you, Son of the Earth. Son of Jörd. Did you never wonder what drew you here?

More riddles. Do angels never speak plainly?

Gabriel twitched one shoulder. Not enough to draw the attention of any of the others.
Some secrets are meant to be kept. We offer you enough to cause you to wonder. To cause you to ask the questions you are meant to ask. It is God’s greatest gift to his children, curiosity and even doubt. Free will to choose your fate, to choose your path. Free will to choose love.

And then the prayer was ended. Gabriel turned to smile on his mother, and though Thor waited, he offered him no further explanation.

He did not linger for many more days, for fear of drawing Sif’s attention, but the life Eve seemed to be living brought him peace, and he thought perhaps with the angel at her side as her son, she would be safe. For a time, at least.

He left Syria for the House of Lions, to give them the truth of what he had learned. Jesus was not a true prophet, in the way they believed, but he still spoke with the True God’s voice as his angel, and as Eve’s son. Humanity could do much worse than to listen.

Chapter Thirty-seven: Present

It was getting close, Eve decided, as she tried to ignore the twinge of what seemed like false labor. She closed her eyes and swallowed against the discomfort. If she could just get through tonight and tomorrow, she could have her baby in peace without Adam or Mia or her parents. The front sitting room was her latest retreat, and fewer people thought to look for her there when she had established herself so firmly in the library. But that afternoon, her father had joined her with his drinks and his bluster and his rattling snores, and she couldn’t find a comfortable position in her seat, to save her life.

Not that there was much pain, yet. And the spasm in her back, combined with the ever so slight ripple of contraction across her stomach didn’t feel like the real thing. But it had been a long time since her last child, and she didn’t like the waiting. With everything else, it just seemed like an extra set of anxieties she didn’t need.

She would be happy when the baby finally came and she could be comfortable again, even if it meant sleepless nights. Though she did have the advantage there. She would always know what the baby needed when it cried. It amazed her how other women managed to raise their children without the advantage of telepathy. Every time she became a mother, she was reminded of how precious and powerful that gift was. But even with it, she was still so baffled by the choices people made, the things that people did; how much more difficult was it for everyone else, who didn’t have her advantage?

A car door slammed outside and Eve frowned. As far as she knew, they weren’t expecting anyone, coming or going. She ignored another twinge and moved to the window, looking out at the drive. Adam was loading a suitcase into the trunk while Mia watched, pouting.

Eve frowned.
Leaving?

Adam stiffened, but didn’t look back.
A happy surprise, I’m sure, for your DeLeon family.

I don’t understand.
She could see him speaking to Mia, but couldn’t hear the words. Mia’s forehead furrowed, her expression crumpling.

I thought you would be relieved.
He slammed the trunk of the car and crossed to Mia, placing his hands on her shoulders and kissing her forehead. Mia seemed to relax, though she was still scowling. He touched her cheek and brushed her hair back behind her ear. Eve pressed her lips together into a thin line as she caught the conversation from his mind.

“I’m sorry, Mia. I don’t mean to ruin your holiday. Stay. Enjoy the time with your sister.”

“I hate that you’re leaving me. You’ve never had to cut anything short because of work before. Why now? Tomorrow is Christmas! Just stay one more day, then you can go and I won’t even argue.”

He laughed and pulled her into a hug. Eve even felt his affection for her and the way Mia softened in his arms. He spoke into her hair. “If I could stay, I would. When you get home, we’ll have another holiday of our own. We’ll go pick out your car, if you like.”

“Promise?”

“Yes. Of course.” He let go of her then, tilting her face up to his and kissing her. “Give your family my regrets, would you?”

Mia pouted again. “Are you sure you can’t stay? Just one more day?”

You don’t actually have to work, do you?
Eve asked.

It’s better if I go.
He held Mia again, hiding his face in her hair.