One (The Godslayer Cycle Book 1) (29 page)

Airek stared back at the mortal man without comment for several moments before responding.  “Do not undervalue yourself upon that score, Nathaniel Goodsmith,” she said at last.  “There are few mortals who would persist in defying the will of the Gods as you have.  Even faced with potential solitude and a quest to return home with an uncertain end, you do not yield to my influence.  If a hero is measured by bravery and convictions, I believe more than a few would bow their heads to you this day.”

Nathaniel did not know how to respond to that, but Airek did not give him time to think of one.  “Yet for all your heroism, it may all be for moot.  Your son may never grow to manhood if you do not act now.”

Nathaniel growled low under his breath.  “I wish you Gods would speak straight.  No riddles.  No vague hints.  Just say what it is you mean to say, and stop making it necessary to fish around for the answer!”

Airek considered for only a moment.  “I had not intended to speak of this to you, but I see I am left no option.  What you see about you in these ruins are the acts of men at the Gods' beckoning, yet mortal men all the same.  If you do not act, and very soon, those mortal men will be wielding Malik's swords, making them near Gods themselves.

“Hearken to my words, Nathaniel.  You were warned by Karmel that if you delayed in acting, the prophecy would act on its own.  You demurred and Fate has provided an alternative for your participation.  There is now another Avatar.”

“
Then you don't
need
me,” Nathaniel interjected.  “So why put me through all of this?”

“
Did I not instruct you to listen?”  Airek's eyes smoldered with her impatience.  “I said there was
another
Avatar.  The Pantheon only created one.”

Nathaniel was perplexed.  “Then how could there be another one?”

“The Pantheon is not the only body of Gods who could create an Avatar, Nathaniel.”

Nathaniel blanched.  “The New Order made one of their own?  I thought they didn't know about the swords?”

“They did not create their Avatar to seek the swords.  They did so to deal with you.”

“
Me?  So the New Order knows I am your Avatar?  Gods don't keep secrets all that well, do they?”

Airek visibly stemmed her ire at the insult.  “You would do best to consider your words more carefully, Nathaniel,” she cautioned.

“As for what exactly the New Order knows...”  Airek shrugged.  “That I cannot say.”

“
So who is their Avatar?  Do I know him?  Have I seen him around Oaken Wood?”

“
Yes, you do know
her
.  It is the one called Lady Brea.”

“
Brea?”  Nathaniel felt his face redden.  “I
knew
there was something odd about her beyond beyond making the mistake of assuming I was one of you!”

“
Imery's priestess has been empowered by her Goddess with at least the ability to truth-see.  Somehow, Imery or Brea became aware of your own power as an Avatar...”

“
That much I had guessed on my own,” interrupted Nathaniel.

“
...and Brea was sent under the mistaken belief that your power was the result of your being a member of the Pantheon.  You radiate a great deal of power now, Nathaniel, though we took steps to shield you from any other God other than of the Pantheon.  It was part of the original matrix spell that created the Avatar seed of potential.  I cannot say how Imery could have pierced that shield, but pierce it she obviously has.  And her response was to create an Avatar to discover what an Old God was doing masquerading as a mortal.”

“
Then if that's all she was meant for, there's no danger,” Nathaniel said.  “She left yesterday, none the wiser.”

“
Perhaps, but where the prophecy is concerned, I would not be so quick to relax,” the Goddess cautioned.  “The prophecy only references an Avatar, and does not specify that it would be one of our choosing.  Having
two
Avatars on Na'ril at the same time cannot be coincidence.  If you do not pursue your destiny as the Avatar, the priestess will likely become your replacement.  And if
she
gathers the swords, it will be to turn them to the service of the New Order.  And this holocaust would be repeated all over Na'ril.”

“
You paint a very bleak image,” Nathaniel admitted.

“
Worse, there are only nine swords, but twenty-four Greater Gods of the New Order, not counting their twenty-four counterparts in the Lesser Gods.  Can you imagine the destitution as the Gods slaughter each other for possession of the swords?”

“
You have made your point,” Nathaniel acknowledged grudgingly.  “I will need to discuss this with Mari, but I think you've finally convinced me.  It looks like I'm destined to be your Avatar, regardless of whether I like the idea or not.”

Mari looked around in disbelief.  One moment, Nate had been standing in front of her with a  stranger, and the next he had simply not been.  As impossible as it seemed her husband had just vanished right before her eyes!  That kind of thing never happened.  People did not just disappear!  And yet, Nate and the stranger had done just that...

Mari's mental state had been tenuous at best, and now even she began to doubt her own sanity.  Had Nate been there or had she imagined it?  Had he left her after all?  Had he ever come back to her, or had that all been a fantasy in her mind?

Mari began to worry her hands together.  Nate had known the man, it seemed.  She decided to focus upon that.  He had known him well enough to know his name.  And he had talked about the oddest things...  Something about 'Avatars' (whatever they were) and Gods...  And who would name their child after an Old God...

“
Airek!” she exclaimed in sudden recognition.  Nate had called the man Airek and they had vanished as though whisked away by some Godly power.  Nate had actually been talking to one of the Old Gods!  It was the only explanation that made sense, the only one that would not certify that she had lost her mind.  There had been a God in her bedroom, and both Nate and herself as naked as babes!

Mari offered a silent prayer to the New Gods for protection.  One of the Old Gods, long believed to be dead and gone, had kidnapped her husband for who knew what malice!

This at least explained why they had vanished.  Well, perhaps not the
reason
, but certainly
how
such a thing had been accomplished.  A God could do anything, even one long dead apparently, even steal her husband away from her even as he had tried to cast the God out!

Mari could feel the manic anxiety creeping upon her, painfully aware of the tenuous grasp she held to sanity.  A
God
abducting her husband was not something easily accepted, and even less so by one that was supposed to have been dead for nearly three hundred years!  And how was it Nate
knew
a God in the first place?  What mortal had even set eyes upon an Old God in the centuries since they had died, much less recognized one on sight?

Something was very, very wrong.  This could not be something in her mind.  Nate had been right in front of her.  They had just made love on the bedroom floor.  She could still smell him on her skin.  He had been there and now he was not.  All because a God long dead – or at least long believed to be dead – had come to kidnap him.

As difficult as it was to accept, Mari knew she
had
to.  She had to believe that what she had just seen had
really
happened, because to think otherwise was to fall into madness.  She could sense how far she had gone, and knew enough now to recognize that she barely held onto her own sanity.  And just now, her emotional balance was finally coming into equilibrium; she could not afford a collapse of reality, as well.

The acknowledgment of how close madness had actually been worked to steel her resolve.  She was keenly aware of herself now, and she was determined not to fall victim again so soon.  She needed to stay sane for Nate's sake...

That decided, Mari was left with the indecision of what to do next.  Was Nate in danger?  Should she try to find a way to help him? 
Could
she help him?  And where did one go to seek help against a God?

That priestess who had come the previous morning.  Mari remembered small pieces involving her.  She came from Oaken Wood.  Could she go there and get the priestess to intervene somehow?  Would this priestess even do anything?  And would she even believe Mari, especially considering how emotionally unstable she had been when the priestess visited yesterday?

Mari did not see as she had a choice but to try.  She could not wait at home helplessly while her husband's life was possibly threatened.  Not so soon after finally laying the demons of her past to rest.  Not so soon after Nate had forgiven her.

That thought, in spite of the current crisis, filled her with warmth.  She could not help but stop and reflect upon it.  He
had
forgiven her, hadn't he?  She had lived in dread for so long of Nate learning the truth, terrified that she would lose him over it.  Now that is had all been revealed though, she felt somehow cleansed by his acceptance.  If she had loved Nathaniel Goodsmith before this, she now felt that love had transcended to another level she could not have imagined before.  There was no word for how deeply his forgiveness had reached her, nor how it made her feel.  Her endearment to him was now eternally sealed.  It was finally time to start over and she could not imagine that this new lease on their love could so soon be stolen away.

Yet that was exactly what had happened.  Airek had emerged from the grave to take Nate away from her all over again.  And she could not sit still and let that happen!

Hastily now, motivated by fear for Nate's safety, she quickly dressed and lightly washed her face, all the while fighting the panic building insider her.  How would she convince that priestess to help her?  What was there she could say to make her plead on Mari's behalf to her own God to stop Airek from whatever foul plot he had in mind for her husband?

Mari had finally prepared herself to leave, turning for the door, when suddenly she was no longer alone in the room.  A handsome man with shoulder length hair stood between her and the door now, effectively blocking her departure.  He was dressed in an elegant outfit more in place in a castle than in a country cottage, though the outfit did little to hide the sheer masculinity beneath it's somewhat ethereal substance.

“Well met, Ariabelle Goodsmith, wife to Nathan.  Be not afraid.  I come to you in peace.”

Mari stumbled back a step.  “W-who are you?”

The man smiled radiantly.  “I am Karmel, God and Goddess of Magic and Chance.  I am something of an acquaintance of your husband's.”

“
A-another God?” mumbled Mari.  “L-like Airek?”

The God nodded.  “Yes, like Airek.  And I must apologize for the abrupt manner in which Airek took leave with Nathan earlier.  I have just had a talk with my brother and it was agreed that perhaps I was a better choice to offer an explanation.”

“Your brother?”  Mari had begun to feel light headed.  “On your mother's or father's side?”  The question seemed whimsical, even to Mari's ears, as though her mind were trying to make light of the encounter.  Not one God, but two!  And a friend of Nate's...?

“
Actually, we share the same, of a sort.  All of the Pantheon do.  Whom you call the Old Gods.”

“
I do not recall any stories of your parents,” Mari rambled.  “Not that I know a great deal about any of you...  Aren't you supposed to be dead?”  Mari regretted asking the question as soon as it was uttered.

Karmel however did not seem offended.   “So the New Order would have mortals believe.  But no, as you can see, we are very much alive.

“As for stories of the Father and Mother, I could spend our time telling you their lore, or I could speak of Nathan.  I think you would be more satisfied with the latter.”

“
Yes,” Mari agreed readily, then quirked her head.  “Why do you call him that?  It sounds sort of...  familiar.  Like there's some kind of...  intimacy between you.  Is that appropriate towards...  well, a man?”

The God laughed in response.  “Oh no.  Nathan has ever been faithful to you, dear Mariabelle.  I just prefer 'Nathan' to 'Nate' or 'Nathaniel'.  The first seems too casual, the latter too formal.  Consider it an eccentricity of mine, nothing more.”

Mari found she could accept that explanation.  She also discovered that the more they spoke, the easier it became.  Talking with a God, it seemed, was not as overwhelming as one would have thought.  It actually felt...  calming.  “So where is Nate?”

“
With Airek.  Or, more accurately, where Airek took him.  It seems Airek has decided our time to convince Nathan through reason has passed and more drastic measures are needed to win him to our cause.”

“
So what is this all about then?  Why do you need Nate at all?”

Karmel smiled softly.  “I cannot answer that in full, I am afraid.  Some things must yet remain unknown to you.  What I can tell you is that Nathan has attracted the attention of the Goddess, Imery, and her curiosity of what Nathan is has put the plans of the Pantheon in disarray.”

“What Nathan '
is'?” Mari quoted.  “I do not much like the sound of that...”

“
Again, I cannot fully reveal what you wish to know.  It must suffice to know that Nathan is greatly loved by the Pantheon, and that our love for him will shelter him from as much harm as we are able.”

“
You do not seem to have many answers.  Or, at least, you are unwilling to give many.”

“
I apologize.  But too much is dependent upon our work remaining secret for as long as it can.  Nathan's welfare relies upon it.”

“
What about Nate's 'welfare' when another God steals him from his wife?”  Mari protested.  “And I
am
his wife!  I deserve to know what is going on with my husband!”

“
I empathize with you, dear.  I truly do,” said the God.  “But I am without option in this matter.  There is, as you can imagine, a conflict between the Pantheon and the New Order, and we are on the losing side.  Not for reason that we began the weaker, for certain, but because our hands were tied from the beginning on how to combat their aggressive nature.  This may well be our last opportunity to forge a balance and I would not jeopardize it to spare your feelings.  I am sorry.”

“
So that is all you will say?  That Nate's more important to you than to me, and to the Abyss with anything I ask?”

“
Not precisely,” Karmel responded.  “We can provide you protection, as well, just as we do Nathan.  At this time, that would be a wise course of action for you to accept.”

“
Accept?  I have to do something then.  You want something from Nate
and
me.  Blood perhaps?  What about Geoffrey?  Will you go after him next?”

“
You misunderstand me,” insisted Karmel.  “Yes, you must choose to accept the Pantheon's protection.  But it is a much simpler matter than you suppose.  There is no bloodletting nor anything else so primitive.  All you must do is invoke the Pantheon's name, or any of our names individually, if you prefer.  Then whomever you invoke will provide you and your son protection.”

“
Invoke?  Isn't that like summoning?  But you're already here...”

“
An invocation is a proper form for summoning, yes.  Yet it is more.  By the rules of our covenant, we can only shelter a mortal if they have requested our protection through an invocation.”  Karmel sighed, spreading his arms wide.  “Gods have limitations, I fear, and this is one of them.”

“
So Nate invoked you?  That's what brought you back from the dead?  My husband is some kind of... of demon worshiper, is that what you are trying to tell me?”  Mari tried to picture her husband involved in some complicated ritual to the Old Gods, but just as quickly dismissed the image.  Nate would not do such a thing, of that she was certain.

“
No.  Nathan is sheltered through...  other means.  If it is easier for you to accept, consider it an extension upon the invocation of his mother from when he was a child.  But to protect you and young Geoffrey from harm in the coming time,
you
must do this.  It is the only way.”

Mari considered before answering.  “And what is involved in this...  invoking?”

“It is quite simple.  Just call upon one of us, or the Pantheon as a whole, and ask for protection.  It is not so difficult, see?”

“
Then Geoffrey and I would be under your protection?”

Karmel sensed something amiss in the question, but responded just the same.  “Yes.”

“And that would place us within your
power
then, right?”

“
In a sense, yes.  But...”

“
No 'buts',” interrupted Mari.  “You want me to submit to you, place myself and my son,
Nate's
son, under the power of the Old Gods.  Even if that were
not
sacrilegious, it would be akin to lying with the dragon in his own den.  Your brother just abducted my husband against his will because you hold some kind of power over him, and now you want me to open myself and Geoffrey for more of the same?”

“
It is not like that, dear one...” tried Karmel.

“
Do
not
call me that!  I am not your 'dear'!  I want my husband returned and you... 
all
of you...  out of our home and out of our lives!  Then there won't be a
need
for your 'protection'!”

“
It is not that simple...”

“
Make
it that simple!  You are a God!  Use some of that unlimited power of yours and
make
it happen!”  A small part of Mari's mind cursed her for her insolence toward the God.  She shook with thinly suppressed fear, fully aware that this being controlled creation and oblivion at a whim.  Who was she to make demands of the divine?  Yet she could not stop herself once she had started, desperation fueling her words and the anger she felt inside.