Vulcan's Kittens (Children of Myth Book 1)

by Cedar Sanderson

  “What is it about humans,” Sekhmet mused, “that makes us so optimistic?”

  “That we risk having children?” Steve inquired.

  “Yes. We know, of anyone, how terrible life can be. Yet we choose to continue, and to multiply.”

  “Not all of us continue. And the children... that’s a new thing again.”

  She nodded, before remembering he couldn’t see her. “Only in the last hundred years. It’s been so many centuries... since the Old Ones first came to Earth. Children were common, then.”

  They fell, then, letting go of the high path and drifting to earth. Reforming, they ran on, the vision of people on the streets running over them like water. All mortals saw was what the god wanted them to see... which was nothing.

  The Shiwanna lived on a small commune in New Mexico. Sekhmet and Steve paced up the dusty driveway, letting themselves be seen by the shy band of immortals. They were met at the door.

  The tall, silver-haired woman spoke with the peculiar resonance of many voices coming from one mouth. “Welcome. Enter, and refresh yourselves.”

  Sekhmet bowed her head, forehead to the packed earth floor. Steve did the same. Respect was an important part of the immortal’s peculiar culture that had evolved over the centuries. Without it, wars could have raged out of control.

  They followed their hostess into the courtyard, not seeing anyone else. She pointed to a low table, which held a platter of food and bowls of water. “Partake, and the pool is at your service, as well.” She went back out through the door.

  Sekhmet and Steve looked at one another and shrugged. “Might as well. With this heat, I’d love a dip in the pool.” Steve walked into the water without further comment, paddling when it got deep enough and ducking his head under, letting the cool water roll through his glossy black fur. Sekhmet jumped in and splashed him joyously. Big cats, unlike their smaller domestic cousins, loved the water.

  They both climbed out and shook in the courtyard garden. “At least they won’t have to water the plants today,” Sekhmet joked when they were done.

  They ate, and drowsed in the sun, fur drying, waiting for their hosts to show themselves. Sekhmet lay next to Steve and rested her chin on his back. “I didn’t expect this,” she commented.

  “Me, neither.” He stretched lazily, careful not to disturb her.

  “A mini-vacation. More relaxing in a couple hours than I’ve had in... I don’t know how long.”

  “We should do this again.”

  Sekhmet lifted her head and looked at him. “What? Run around the world rescuing children?”

  “No... take a day at the spa.” He rolled over and licked her face. “We should build a house with a pool like this.”

  “How very... human. To live together in?” She eyed him dubiously. Steve was not exactly one to seek commitment.

  “At least some of the time?” Now, that was more like him.

  They were interrupted then by a solemn, big-eyed little girl dressed in a jumper and white blouse. She carried a little knapsack. She dropped an awkward little curtsey as they sat up and looked at her.

  “Hello, my name is Cloud,” she piped in a sweet, high voice.

  “Hello, child.” Sekhmet greeted her gravely.

  “I am ready to go now.”

  They looked at each other. The Shiwanna were not normal, even by immortal standards. This self-assured little being was in keeping with their ways.

  Steve crouched. “Climb aboard, Cloud.”

  She scrambled onto him, a small smile on her face. He stood and she clung to his fur.

  “Ready?” Sekhmet asked.

  The small child gave a little nod, and the three of them ran for the High Path, and sanctuary.

  Chapter 20

  Packing two toddlers, the kittens, a teenager, and a burly Egyptian god into the truck was a chore. Linn held the toddlers and the kittens sat on her feet, mostly. By the time they pulled into Grangeville she was exhausted.

  Bes shot her a sympathetic look. “Two more stops and then we get to the airport.”

  She stayed in the truck for the first stop, but at the second one, where they picked up the rented minivan, she sighed with relief as she buckled the girls into their new car seats. The kittens hopped in eagerly, and Linn climbed into the passenger seat.

  “Get some sleep,” Bes recommended.

  Linn glared at him. “Are you going to make me?”

  He chuckled. “No, just you had it worse than I did during the drive out.”

  She sighed. Trying to keep four wiggly children out of his way had been a challenge. “You have a point.”

  Leaning her chair back, she closed her eyes. She didn’t awaken until Bes shook her shoulder. She sat up and looked around. They were in the rental parking lot at the airport.

  “We’re here,” Bes told her.

  She climbed out and opened the sliding door. The two kittens poured out and took up position on either side of her. Linn giggled. “Look, they are guarding me.”

  Bes came around with Patricia. “Here, hold her.”

  Linn frowned at him. “Hey...”

  Bes pulled Moira into his arms. “Come on, we’re being met.”

  Lin juggled the little girl and her pack. She had put Lambent into the pack to avoid uncomfortable questions at the terminal. She had to trot to keep up with Bes.

  “Where are we going?”

  “Hawaii. Keep up.”

  “Hawaii?!” Linn squealed. Then she stopped. “What is wrong with you?”

  Bes ignored her and pointed. “Look, there he is.”

  Linn spotted him immediately, the tall, dark man standing so still in the midst of the crowd. His power flared like a torch above him, iridescent waves of many colors.

  “Bes, who is that?”

  Bes hurried his steps, holding out his free hand to the tall Latin man. “Quetzalcoatl! You came yourself.”

  The Mayan god took the extended hand and pulled the shorter man closer, bending to kiss both his cheeks. “I had to meet my grandchildren.” He kissed the top of Moira’s head.

  He took Linn’s hand and kissed the back of it gently. “The brave protector of my children.”

  She blushed and handed him Pat and he started off, waving them to follow. “Come, come. I haven’t much time.”

  The small group started through the terminal. Linn realized the people couldn’t see them. The crowd just flowed around them like they weren’t even there. She watched people walking and talking right past her as though she were invisible. The kittens were glued to her side, eyes wide. She felt weird about the whole thing. She had been isolated all summer, and had spent time fleeing through the woods ahead of angry gods. People made her feel jumpy and nervous now.

  She was distracted by this for a moment, and then refocused on Bes. Something was wrong. She sped up to catch up with him. “Bes...” she started, just as they reached a nondescript door that Quetzalcoatl swept open and waved them through.

  They stepped out directly onto the tarmac. Linn looked around for a second, stunned at the level of noise and activity. Then she scooped up the kittens. They were heavy to carry, but she was afraid they would run out into trouble. It was noisy enough that she might not be able to call them back.

  Quetzalcoatl led them to a small business jet and once they were all in, pushed the button to retract the stairs. “Make yourself comfortable,” he bid them affably. “But buckle up, we have a hot take-off.” He went into the tiny cabin

  Bes and Linn buckled in the toddlers. As Linn turned from strapping Moira into a chair that looked more like an overstuffed recliner, she saw that Bes had already strapped in and had his eyes closed. She went and sat beside him, buckling in. She laid her hand on top of his.

  He turned and looked at her, smiling faintly. He took her hand in his and then closed his eyes again.

  “You’re afraid of flying,” she stated firmly, sure of what she was saying.

  He hesitated before responding. “Yes, I am.”
>
  “You’re an immortal.”

  He looked at her again. “Yes, I am, but we still have fears. Do you think the Old Ones would be trying to end civilization as we know it if they weren’t afraid?”

  “You don’t have to fly.”

  He grunted. Linn thought it might have been one of his belly laughs under other circumstances. “I wasn’t going to try to walk the high path with four babies and you, child.”

  He closed his eyes again. Linn felt the shudder as the plane broke the bonds of Earth and leapt into the sky. He tightened his grip on her hand momentarily, and then pulled it away.

  “Bes?”

  “Yes, Linn?”

  “Have you ever had your own children?”

  He looked at her again, and she couldn’t see a trace of power flickering in his eyes for once. They were just dark and sad.

  “No, I haven’t.”

  “Oh.” Linn wasn’t sure what else to say, so she took his hand again, feeling the leathery calluses and the strength in it.

  She looked around the cabin, at the kittens, sprawled on the soft carpet, asleep already. The twins were already drooping, half asleep. This was so different from the last plane she had been on, where all she was worried about was dieting and being able to access the ‘net. She looked down at herself. Curves intact, but to be honest, it seemed so unimportant now.

  She wondered what was going to happen next. Her adventure was over, it seemed. She was flying off to be a glorified babysitter. With Bes, and this Sanctuary they had been mentioning, she was going to be redundant. She sighed. The kittens were safe, that was what mattered.

  She unbuckled and went forward to the cockpit. “May I come in?” she asked softly.

  Quetzalcoatl looked around at her, smiling. “Of course.”

  She slid into the empty co-pilot’s seat and looked out the window. Mountains below them, still. “I love the view from up here.”

  “Bes asleep?” He looked concerned, and she realized he knew how Bes felt about flying.

  She nodded. “He did this for me, didn’t he?”

  “Yes. He didn’t want you to have to travel alone.”

  “Do you know why he doesn’t have children?”

  Quetzalcoatl looked startled. He twisted around in his chair to face her directly. “In a way, he does. He raised many immortal children, you know. He considers two of them his in all but blood. He’s in the background, but in a very important way.”

  “I’ve gathered that. That’s why Grampa called him to be our babysitter.”

  He nodded. Unlike most immortals that she had seen, who appeared to be fully human or fully beast, his eyes were large and golden. Serpent eyes. He blinked, slowly. “He is patient beyond most immortals’ reckoning. For all our timelessness, few of us are known for our foresight. Even your grandfather was reckless, in his time.”

  “I’ve been doing a lot of reading all summer. Trying to figure out... what you are.”

  He chuckled. “Smart girl, and brave.”

  “Well, Grampa said you aren’t gods, but he can’t... won’t tell me what you really are.”

  “Neither can I, child,” he said gently.

  Linn nodded. “I know that and am not asking. I think I can figure it out on my own.”

  He laughed. “I really can’t wait until you meet the Scholar. The two of you should be... formidable.”

  “The Scholar?”

  “Hypatia of Alexandria.”

  Linn felt her eyes widen. “Really? The librarian... I didn’t know she was an immortal.”

  “Not many did. She always eschewed power. Her talents lay in connecting the pieces of a puzzle. Which is why your grandfather has recruited her mind in our struggle against the power-mad ones who would destroy our home.”

  “And I get to meet her?”

  He laughed again. “Indeed, and I think she will be as charmed as I am.”

  Linn felt her cheeks blush. “I think I’ll go back and read for a while. Can I bring you anything?”

  “Once we are over the ocean I can walk around a little, I’ll get it then.”

  Linn went back to the cabin. Bes was awake, the children were all asleep.

  “Hey.” She grabbed her pack and sat down with him again. “Coyote loaned me some books. I mean... I think he gave them to me. I don’t know when I’ll see him again. But he said it was a loan.”

  “You’ll see him again. He likes you,” Bes reassured her.

  “Do you want one to read?” Linn realized as she said this that she’d never actually seen him read.

  “Yes, please.”

  Linn pulled the books out and offered them to him. He gave a subdued chuckle as he looked at them. “Quite an interesting collection.”

  “He picked them out and said I should read them.”

  “I’ve read this one.” He handed the book she had been reading the night before back to her.

  “I’m enjoying it,” she told him. “I hadn’t read any of them.”

  “I’ll keep this one. The author writes a good, fast story.” He showed her the newest one, which still had its dust jacket. A rearing golden dragon appeared behind a woman dressed scantily and carrying a bow and arrow. Linn eyed it.

  “What is she supposed to be?”

  “Wood elf, I think.”

  “Oh.” She opened her book and then looked back at him. “Bes? Are there...”

  “Elves and fairies?” He filled in with a smile.

  “Yeah.”

  “Well, sort of. Some immortals have chosen to live differently.”

  Linn blinked. Her world kept turning further upside down. She went back to her book.

  They were both quietly reading when Quetzalcoatl came back to the cabin.

  “Ah, noses in books together, I see. Care for a sandwich and a soda?”

  Linn got up and helped him with them. She didn’t think Bes was going to get out of his seat while they were in the air. She brought him food and drink, which he eyed dubiously but ate obediently.

  “Feels strange to be taking care of you,” she commented, sitting back down with him.

  “Feels strange to be taken care of.”

  “Well, someone has to do it,” she shot back tartly.

  This sally did provoke a laugh out of him. “Child, I am older than the human race. You are still a child.”

  “I’m human. We grow fast.”

  He snorted. “Feed the children.”

  He was asleep, or at least faking it well, when she was done taking care of the kittens and toddlers. The tiny galley had been messy after dinner, making her glad she’d chosen to feed them in there. Blackie and Gareth used their improvised litter pan. All together, when she was done and cleaned up, it had taken quite awhile.

  With the kids settled, she sat back down and took his hand in hers again. Then she closed her eyes and fell asleep. She hadn’t dreamed in days, but woke up shaking from the dream about running through the fog with Blackie, Lambent held high, a beacon in the night. For the first time, she heard a sound. A bull-throated roar she knew was Bes... She angled toward it, tripped over something yielding, and fell... fell...

  Linn sat bolt upright with a little squeak. The cabin lights had been turned down, and it was all but dark. Bes was snoring softly. The children were all asleep.

  She stood and stretched out some of the kinks. Going forward to the cockpit, she rapped on the lintel of the open door.

  “Come in, child.”

  “Thanks. I wanted a little company.”

  He smiled, a flash of white teeth in the dim light from the instruments. “Couldn’t sleep?”

  “I had a dream,” Linn told him, looking out the windows at the stars. “I know Grampa said immortals aren't magical. But the Oracles at Delphi... prophecy is a recurrent theme throughout mythology. And I keep having this same dream.”

  “Ah.” Linn inferred an unseen nod. “You are correct, there are those who have the power to foresee. It is rare for it to be clear.”

&nbs
p; Linn sighed. “I kinda figured that.”

  “What have you been dreaming about?” Quetzalcoatl asked her gently.

  “I’m walking in a fog, using Lambent as a torch.”

  “Lambent?”

  “The sword Grandpa made me. I named her Lambent because that’s what she is... she’s softly brilliant with flickers of power.”

  “You have the Sight?”

  “Yes. You are a lot of colors, Bes is just... white. Grampa is lava-flow colored. Coyote is grass green. But what’s really weird is that I could see the power of the dead monster in Coyote’s valley.”

  “Really? I have never been there.”

  “Can all immortals See power?”

  “No, not all. Some of us can.”

  Linn fell silent, thinking about this. She still wasn’t sure what her Sight could do for her. It was pretty, she thought, now that she’d gotten over her initial fear of it.

  Quietly, Quetzalcoatl asked, “And the rest of your dream?”

  “Oh... well, Blackie is with me, only he’s big. Big enough I can rest my hand on his head.” She cupped her hand in the air, showing him how tall, while her skin glowed red in the instrument lights. “We’re running. I put Lambent down by my side after a while... I think it’s lighter. Then I trip over something... something soft and I fall. I fall into a hole, I think.”

  “Does it change?”

  Linn hesitated. “Well, tonight, I could hear Bes. He was... well, it was like a war cry.”

  “He does that,” the Mayan god murmured.

  “So I was trying to get to him. Only I tripped.”

  “And fell in a hole?”

  “Well, I just kept falling, past where I thought I should have hit the ground.”

  “Linnaea, I can’t tell you if it is a dream, or a foretelling. I wish I could. The future without uncertainty would certainly be easier.”

  “Yes.” Linn wasn’t sure how she felt about that, but she felt better for having told someone about it.

  “What do you want to be when you grow up?’

  “What?” Linn was confused by the change in topics. “Oh... Well, I wanted to be a teacher.”

  “An honorable profession.”