Harvest of the Gods (15 page)

Chapter Twenty-Eight

“
Can I speak with you?” I had ditched Re with a quiet Thoth, who stared at Re like he was both villain and hero. Then I'd approached Anubis with Torrent in tow.

“
Of course,” Anubis gave Torrent a confused glance, then made his excuses to the group he was talking to. “Shall we?” He gestured to an unoccupied alcove.

“
Thank you,” I pulled Torrent along with me and waited for Anubis to give me his full attention. “Your mother recommended I ask you to take me to the fountain.”

“
The fountain?” His dark brow wrinkled, the gold beads in his hair clinking with the movement.

“
I've had a run-in with a bad element, as it were,” something felt off about my wording, so I tried it again. “The Darkness touched me and Nephthys says I need to be cleansed.”

“
What?” He looked me over with alarm.

“
It touched Torrent too,” I gestured to him. “Can you take us?”

“
Yes, of course,” he ushered us over to the main doors and out into the hallway. “Hurry,” the heels of his dress shoes clicked on the marble floor and mine echoed them as I pulled up the hem of my black gown so I could keep up.

The hollow sound seemed to amplify my fright, which in turn made me run faster. I glanced behind me, suddenly aware that there were only two sets of footfalls echoing through the hallway. Had we lost Torrent? But no, he was still there, moving like a phantom at my heels.

My heart started to pound faster as I wondered why Anubis felt the need to rush. I didn't waste my breath on asking though, I wasn't sure if I wanted to hear his answer. So instead, I stopped briefly to remove my heels and then began to run even faster.

We exited onto another terrace, this one with a full view of the front gardens. I knew them well, had roamed them often during my stay, and now I knew which fountain Anubis was taking me to. Sure enough, we raced down through the first two tiers of manicured gardens and out into the final, lowest level, where the maze waited like a monument to my bad memories. In front of it was a patch of lawn adorned with a fountain and pomegranate trees.

Out of the center of the fountain rose a peacock carved out of white stone, its feathers draped down demurely and its face raised to the sky. It was bathed in moonlight, seeming to glow in the dark, a beacon leading us forward. Anubis came to a smooth halt before it.

“
Quickly,” he motioned to the rim. “Get in!”

I dropped my shoes and jumped in the water, not even thinking about taking the time to remove my dress. Anubis wasn't the panicking sort, so if he said get in, I was going to do it without hesitation.

“You too!” Anubis had Torrent in hand and was pushing him toward me like all the demons of Hell were on our heels and the fountain was filled with holy water.

I caught Torrent as he fell in and we both went under. I had no idea the fountain was so deep, I'd been submerged up to my waist before Torrent had knocked into me. As it was, we both ended up beneath the surface.

It seemed like we were beneath the water for quite awhile, just floating in its warm embrace like babies in the womb. It reminded me of the Viking well of souls that Azrael had put me into and I had none of my usual fear of the water, no paranoia of drowning. In fact, it did the opposite, pulling away the fear that had been weighing me down.

The sound beneath the surface wasn't the usual hollow oblivion of water but instead tinkled like bells in my ear, like laughter. I felt like I was doing somersaults in the shallow pool, even though I knew that was impossible, it couldn't be as deep as it seemed. Then Torrent's hand found mine and the floor of the fountain lifted beneath me. We sat up together, breaking through the surface with a significant splash.

I sat there looking at Torrent, our faces barely above the water, and we grinned at each other. The relief was so amazing, like my chest had been compressed and was suddenly freed. I took a deep breath and laughed, water getting in my mouth and setting my tongue to tingling. Torrent joined in and when I looked over at Anubis, he was smiling in relief. He walked over to the edge and smirked down at me.

“
Are you going to stay in there all night?” Colors were swirling over his black eyes, like spilled oil in the sun.

“
Thank you,” I said softly.

“
For what?” His smile turned more serious.

“
For this, for my lions,” I shrugged. “For not being a dick anymore.”

“
Oh,” he laughed, “is that all?” He reached out a hand and I let him pull me from the fountain.

I stood there, dripping wet, not even wanting to wring out my dress because that would mean wasting the precious liquid. Then Torrent climbed out, water sluicing off of him as well. He grinned at me and shook his head like a dog, splattering me and Anubis. I smiled and looked back to the fountain, the level of the water was the same as when we'd entered and the depth of the fountain seemed to be only about a foot. I guess I didn't have to worry about conserving this water.

“Hey now,” Anubis backed away from Torrent's splash
zone with a laugh. “Watch yourself, boy. You're in my world now.”

“
Sorry,” Torrent obviously wasn't sorry. “I couldn't help myself. This water makes me feel so lighthearted.”

“
Yes,” Anubis looked at the fountain with a smile. “Someone once told me that peacocks represent fidelity because they mate for life. If their mate dies, they either never mate again or they die of a broken heart.” He looked over at me and winked. “She was wrong about this particular peacock though. This bird represents power, beauty, and divinity. It guards the water of life.”

“
As in the Fountain of Youth?” I asked, fascinated.

“
Not exactly,” Anubis laughed. “This isn't the fountain Ponce de Leon was searching for but it could be the source of the myths. Who knows? Myths have a funny way of crossing cultures.”

“
Did I just get another infusion of immortality?” I thought about it, my body felt revived, completely energized.

“
Yes,” he smiled, “but it's more than that. As God of the Dead, I have the right to wash the slate clean, in a manner of speaking. This water purifies your soul. It removes any taint of evil, anything that mars the beauty of the soul's original form. If there was a human soul who, despite being judged unworthy, I decided to save, I'd bring it here.”

“
It's like your right to veto,” I grinned. “Wouldn't that make the souls immortal?”

“
Souls are already immortal,” he raised a brow. “I think what you meant to ask was if it would restore their life, which it wouldn't. It can only grant immortality to a body that is currently alive.”

“
So no zombies,” I laughed.

“
No zombies,” he agreed with a chuckle. “So you see, this peacock is about power, divinity, and beauty. The healing it grants is divine and complete, more thorough even than the Grayel that took away my control over you.”

“
All that time I was your captive,” I glanced at the fountain, “and the keys to my freedom were here all along?”

“
Yes,” he grinned. “Only my mother and I know about it, and now, the two of you”

“
We won't betray your secret,” I promised.

“
I know,” his grin turned soft. “I trust you and I was happy to share this with you. The fountain is a source of magic that I haven't thought to use much lately but I think it should be used. I think it wants to be. Its magic is wondrous, it even has the power to heal a broken heart.”

I looked closer at him and it finally sank in. He wasn't angry anymore, he wasn't sad or lonely. He had affection for me in his eyes but they didn't burn with a need to possess or consume. I'd always known Anubis was a good man, honorable at heart, but years of judging the dead had numbed him, made him cynical, and although I'd woken him up from his numbness, he'd awakened to pain and a terrible need. The pain and desperation were gone now.

“Anubis,” I whispered. “You had yourself a little swim didn't you?”

“
I did,” he nodded.

“
Why did you wait so long?” If I'd had such a thing available to me after my break-up with Thor, I would've waded in on day one.

“
I don't know,” he frowned, shaking his head. “I guess I'd become used to the anger and loneliness. It was comfortable for me. I thought that if I renewed myself, I'd lose myself.”

“
So what changed your mind?”

“
Unrequited love,” he whispered. “I couldn't live with the pain of a broken heart. Losing myself would have been better than waking every day to find my bed empty of you.”

I swallowed hard and glanced over to Torrent but he must have sensed where this conversation was going and made a discreet retreat. He was nowhere to be found.

“I want to apologize,” I frowned, “but then I don't. Does that make any sense?”

“
Yes,” he laughed. “I don't deserve your apology. I abused you and then fell in love with you. It's ridiculous but I'm so glad it happened, Miw-sher. I feel like myself again and I'm okay with not having you. I've even pulled the jackals back from watching you.”

“
You had your jackals spying on me?”

“
How do you think I knew about the jewelry?” He chuckled and then shrugged. “It doesn't matter anymore. I'm looking forward to living again and I'm sure I'll find another woman to love.”

“
Yes, you will,” I felt the butterflies rise at my words and remembered that they needed to be used. I was the Goddess of Love, it was my duty and my right to bestow its blessing. I reached out and touched his forehead, much like his mother had done to me. “May the blessing of Love be upon you. May it fill your home and your life with its miracle, and may your heart always be open to it.”

His eyes widened as I sent the magic into him. He must have seen something, a face most likely, but as I'd given him the magic without forming a bond, I didn't see it with him. It didn't matter, the vision wasn't for me, all I needed to know was that it made him happy. So I didn't even search the magic when it returned to me. I let him have it all to himself.

“Thank you, Miw-sher,” he said softly. “That was a gift I wasn't expecting from you.”

“
Maybe we're even then,” I shrugged self-consciously.

“
Friends don't keep score,” he pulled me into a hug and made a horrified sound when I soaked the front of his clothes. I laughed and pulled away.

“
Are you sure?” I looked over his damp front, “cause I get the feeling you might want to get me back for that.”

I giggled as I went running back to the palace, the God of
the Dead chasing after me merrily like a school boy.

Chapter Twenty-Nine

Torrent was waiting for us near the palace entrance. He hadn't wanted to go back to the party wet and have to explain himself. He said it was mainly because he didn't think he could explain without laughing, which he thought might cause too much curiosity for my cats to handle and possibly result in a lion stampede into the gardens. I agreed that it was wise of him to wait. Then I laughed at the imagery he had inspired, the halls of Duat filled like the streets of Pamplona, only lions instead of bulls.

So Anubis took the giggling pair of us into his bedroom and gave us both a change of clothes. Lucky for me, he still had a closet full of clothing that he'd given me when I was there last. I chose a green Versace gown and Anubis put the rest in a leather satchel for me to take home. When I tried to protest, he said they weren't very flattering on him, so what use would he have for the clothing. This of course started another round of laughter and I finally agreed to accept the gift.

As Anubis was packing, I wandered through the room, realizing that I was past the trauma that had been done to me there. I could admire the place without the bad memories tainting it, look upon everything with a new eye, even Anubis' gorgeous bed. Although I admit those particular memories did bring a flush to my cheeks. I walked past the bed and let the rest of it sink in while I let myself accept that it was done and things were different now. Then I saw the photograph.

On the bedside table, in a golden frame, was a picture of Anubis and me dancing together. Our foreheads were touching, our eyes closed in the way of contented lovers. I remembered the moment, I'd been trying to seduce my way out of Duat and had fallen a little for my own ruse. It had been immortalized by Hermes, another of Aphrodite's lovers who had it out for me.
Hermes is the god equivalent of a news reporter, though I thought of him more as paparazzi, and he always covered Anubis' parties.

“
Hermes gave me that,” Anubis was behind me.

“
I figured,” I grimaced. “Did he run the story?”

Hermes had promised me that he'd show the entire God Realm how the Godhunter had been broken by Anubis, headline to read: God Tames Godhunter.

“No,” Anubis whispered. “I threatened to never allow him into Duat again if he promoted it.”

“
What?” I turned to face him. “Why?”

“
I didn't think you deserved the added humiliation.”

“
Thank you,” I gaped at him.

“
It's nothing,” he looked a little embarrassed. “The least of what I owed you.”

“
Still,” I reached over and hugged him. His arms came around my back and I felt his cheek lean into the top of my head, “it means a lot to me.”

“
Do you mind if I keep the picture?” He asked when I finally pulled away.

“
Of course not. It's actually a great shot of us. Just remember to put it away when you get a new woman,” I made a face at him. “The last thing I need is another jealous woman trying to kill me.”

“
I'll be sure to be careful,” he laughed.

“
I'm actually surprised Hermes has never tried to kill me,” I said offhandedly.

“
Why do you say that?”

“
He was one of Aphrodite's lovers,” I shrugged, “and he obviously doesn't like me.”

“
Yeah but then there's your relationship with Pan,” Anubis lifted an elegant brow.

“
His what?” I gaped at him.

“
His relationship with Pan,” Anubis frowned. “You do know that Hermes is Pan's father, don't you?”

“
Hermes?” I squawked. “Pan's father is Hermes?”

“
I guess she didn't know,” Torrent observed drily.

“
Come on, Miw-sher,” Anubis gestured to the doorway. “You look like you need a drink.”

The rest of the party was much more enjoyable, despite the shocking revelation of Pan's parentage. The three of us got some strange looks for our sudden change of clothing but I just smiled and let them wonder. I did explain to Trevor and Kirill what had happened though, and
they were both relieved to hear that a catastrophe had evidently been avoided. They were even more relieved to find out that Anubis had given up his hopes of ever having me. I agreed with them on that, I had more than enough men already, and even though Anubis was even more tempting with his new change in attitude, I just couldn't be adding another man to my crowded dance card.

Anubis had one more surprise for me though. He accepted all of my lions as followers, bestowing some kind of blessing on them so that, in the event of their deaths, their souls would go straight to Duat, where they could live on with their brethren. I was going to ask Odin to offer them a place in Valhalla too, just so they had a choice, but I was pretty sure they'd want to stick together. Either way, it was a huge relief for me, to know that they had somewhere to go should something horrible happen and I lose more of my lions.

So when we arrived back at Pride Palace, in a jovial but exhausted mood. It was like a splash of cold water in the face, to discover that we weren't alone. We all went still, every one of us could sense the presence of several others in our home. Well, everyone except for Torrent, who was rudely shushed when he tried to ask what was going on. Then the Intare started growling, stalking ahead of us down the hallway to defend our home, until Fenrir came striding around the corner and put as all at ease. Well, mostly at ease.

“
Fenrir?” It was like being caught sneaking back into the house by your father, after going out to a party when you were grounded. Oh, and you're drunk on top of it all. “What are you doing here?”

“
Vervain. Trevor,” he said crisply, “we need to talk.”

He turned around and we followed him back into the dining room, where he'd evidently been waiting for us with some of the Froekn and Emma. Trevor's brothers, Ty and UnnúlfR, were there as well, and Trevor went over to greet them. I took a seat at the end
of the table with Kirill, unsure of my welcome with the Froekn but I made sure to nod a greeting to Emma.

Torrent, Roarke, and the Intare had all gone to bed, probably reading between the lines that they weren't invited to this awkward conversation. Lucky them.

“We've come to ask you once more to do right by your family and take us to the god territory you followed the tracks to,” Fenrir got right to the point.

“
I still don't think we should go there,” I held up a hand when Fenrir started growling. “I had to take a dip in Anubis' fountain tonight, to cleanse me of the taint left behind by that magic. Torrent had to as well and he never even touched it, just touched me while I was touching it. However, with my head clear of the fear it left, I can think straighter now and I've remembered what I brought back from Faerie.”

“
What does Faerie have to do with this?” Fenrir had stopped growling but was still looking at me with narrowed eyes.

“
I think it may have a lot to do with this,” I shrugged. “I'm not one hundred percent sure though. Something has been murdering the fey. Faerie called it the Darkness and then tonight, Nephthys gave that same name to the thing that touched me in the God Realm. I think we may be dealing with the same entity.”

“
Which faerie?” Fenrir frowned, “And why would something attacking faeries come here and attack the Froekn?”

“
Faerie as in the land herself,” I sighed, this was going to be a long conversation. So I summed up what had happened in Faerie, the differences, and the possibility that the attacks had nothing to do with each other. “But they may be connected and if they are, I think I have another way to track this god.”

“
Okay,” Fenrir gave a deep exhale. “What do we need to do?”

“
First of all,” I wanted to see if I could get just a little more information first. “Do you know of any reason Kanaloa might be angry with the Froekn?”

“
Kanaloa?” Fenrir growled. “Is that who's behind this?”

“
I don't know,” I held up my hand. “He's a god of darkness who has been to Faerie recently so I was looking into the possibility that he was connected to the fey deaths. I couldn't figure out why Kanaloa would want to kill faeries but now that there are dead wolves, I have another question to ask. Why would he want to kill Froekn. So tell me, can you think of anything, any reason Kanaloa would hold a grudge against the wolves?”

“
No,” Fenrir sighed. “We have a lot of enemies but the Hawaiian god isn't one of them. I'd never even met him until you introduced us.”

“
Okay, then we'll have to just follow the faerie. Take me back to the place the last Froekn were killed,” I tapped the table in thought. “I have a scent marker for the fey we believe was involved. If we can find him, we may be able to get more information about this god, information that we'll need to kill him. Then maybe we can talk about going back to that place... prepared, this time.”

“
Now that sounds like a good plan,” Fenrir smiled grimly.

“
Okay, I just need to change,” I swept a hand down my gown, “and grab the scent marker. I'll be right back,” I stood up, “I'll have some of the Intare come with us as well.”

“
Agreed,” Fenrir nodded, “and one more thing, Rouva,” he slid a box across the table to me. “I'll tell you when I want this back.”

I opened the box and inside was the Rouva torque, the symbol of my status with the wolves. I smiled, swallowed hard, closed it, and sent it flying back across the table to him. His mouth dropped open, his eyebrows raising.

“Keep it,” I shot a glance at Emma, “I have a feeling you're going to need it sooner than you think.” Fenrir blushed and I laughed.

Emma, sitting beside him, gave him a thoughtful look.

“You still staying with the Froekn?” I asked her.

“
Yes, for now,” she shrugged. “Fenrir's been kind enough to put me up until I get my life back together.”

“
You can stay as long as you want,” he looked panicked all of a sudden.

“
Maybe even forever,” I gave her a secret smile and she started to blush, matching Fenrir's red face perfectly.