by Sumida,Amy
“Do you think this is about me?” Morph asked in shock.
“Could be,” Hades nodded and got hit again by Persephone. “What? It's true, it could be about him.”
“You should have put it more gently,” she scolded her husband.
“Oh, pardon me,” Hades rolled his eyes and then said in a mockingly soft tone, “It could be about you, sweet Morpheus, but worry not, for we are with you.”
“You're an ass,” Persephone grimaced.
“A sizzling one,” Hades chuckled as he nuzzled his wife's ear.
“If you two are quite done canoodling,” Horus sighed, “could we get on with this latest debacle?”
“Why don't you try some canoodling with me?” Katie offered and Horus' face instantly flushed red. “Then maybe you wouldn't begrudge it to others.”
“Horus canoodling!” Pan chortled. “I'd pay money to see that. Hell, we could film it and I'd make money by selling it to other gods who would pay to see it.”
“Are you threatening to make a pornographic movie involving me and my fiance?” Horus' voice went into a dangerous low level.
“I...” Pan's eyes went round. “Nope,” he started shaking his head violently when Hekate added her glare to her fiance's. “Nope, just a joke. I would never try to profit from my friends' intimacies.”
“Enough!” Thor pounded the table with a fist. It was a solid wood table which stretched the length of our dining hall in Pride Palace, but it still shook under the Thunder God's fist. “This involves one of our own! What's wrong with all of you? This is not the time for jokes! Kirill has fought and bled beside us and I'll be damned if I stand by and let some crazy Celtic bitch kill him!”
The room fell into stunned silence.
“I didn't know you cared,” Kirill sent Thor a grin and we all gave little relieved laughs as the tension dropped
“I do,” Thor said seriously. “You're a good man and an even better friend.”
“I feel same vay for you,” Kirill stood and reached across Trevor to shake Thor's hand.
“I can ask around the Celtic community,” Finn offered. “But I don't know a lot of my father's people. My siblings and I sort of segregated ourselves after the whole swan incident.”
Finn's father's lover (a faerie) had turned Finn, his brothers, and his sister into swans. Their god magic eventually altered the curse, making them into swan-shifters. But they'd spent a great many years purely as swans. Immortal swans, but swans nonetheless. I suppose that would make it hard for people to get to know them.
“Didn't you used to date a Celtic goddess?” Teharon asked Thor.
The Native American god was seated next to his girlfriend, Karni Mata, who was the other kind of Indian. Dot, not feather. Please don't be offended by that comparison, but if you are, feel free to mock any of my numerous races; two of which happen to be types of Native American.
“Epona,” Mr. T, AKA Tsohaonai, AKA Teharon's grandfather, supplied the name helpfully.
“And Brighid,” I muttered under my breath, “but she's dead.”
Thor cast me a dark look.
“Sorry,” I whispered.
It was kind of a sore spot since Thor had killed Brighid, his girlfriend at the time, to save my life. But she was a crazy zombie queen so I felt like she would have been killed anyway.
“We did help free Epona's daughter from Hanuman,” Brahma offered. “Perhaps she'd be willing to repay the favor?”
All of this discussion went on while Thor's expression turned more and more bleak. It was bad enough that he had to face me constantly, he probably didn't want to deal with another ex-girlfriend. By the time everyone finished deciding that Epona was the one we should contact, Thor's face looked like he'd just sucked a lemon. A whole crate of them... with seeds.
But then his expression suddenly shifted and he began to laugh.
“Thor?” Mrs E asked in concern.
“You've all forgotten who else I know,” Thor grinned. Evidently he'd made those lemons into pie (I prefer pie to lemonade).
“Nuada,” a strange look came over Odin's face.
“The guy with the silver arm?” I asked. “With the faerie hounds? He's friends with the High King too.”
“But what has he got to do with Morrigan?” Torrent asked. Before anyone could answer, his eyes went distant and started to move as if he were reading. “Oh!”
“Damn Internet gods,” Brahma shook his head. “Why'd he even ask if he's just going to Google it?”
“He's the only Internet god, dear,” Sarasvati chided her husband. “That's rather special, I'd say.”
“Will someone please tell me why speaking to Nuada is such a good idea?” I huffed. “Hey, Internet God, how about you?”
But it was Odin who answered, “Nuada of the Silver Arm is Morrigan's grandfather.”
“Oh,” I began to smile. “Well then, let's go pay a visit to Morrigan's Grandpa.”
“As long as I don't have to talk to Pony,” Thor sighed.
“Thor is a horse whisperer?” Re asked and we all burst into laughter.
Chapter Four
Nuada technically lived in the God Realm but it was only accessible through the Human Realm. Once upon a time, the Gods and the Fey had got along. Some of the gods got along with faeries even better than others. They were called the Tuatha Dé Dannan and they were so close to the Fey that at one point, humans believed they were faeries. This may have been because back when the Fey helped the gods build the God Realm, the Tuatha asked to have their territories laid directly against the Human Realm, accessible with a single step in the right location. The Faerie Realm had once boasted such pathways between it and the Human Realm, allowing the Fey to basically bypass the Aether. The Tuatha, made up entirely of Celtic gods, liked this idea, perhaps because it prevented anyone from tracing into their territory unannounced. Whatever the case, humans got a little confused over who was who.
Nuada was one of the Tuatha Dé Dannan and so his territory abutted the Human Realm instead of merely being laid over it with a lovely bit of Aether in between. In one way, it was convenient, we didn't have to learn a chant before we could visit. We could just go over and knock on his door, metaphorically speaking. In another way, it was a royal pain in the ass because his door was in Ireland, off the side of a barren cliff. And we weren't even guaranteed entrance. We didn't even know if he was home.
Fortunately, he was.
We called out our names, announcing ourselves and asking entrance. When a distinctive shimmer filled the air before us, we took a distressing step off the cliff, literally walking through realms. We went from standing on that cold Irish bluff to standing upon a white marble terrace. It was just as I remembered; the gleaming ivory castle rising into the sky with its numerous towers and pennants pointing even higher, the glass doors open before us, showcasing the shadowy interior of an impossibly large castle, and the priceless artifacts and artwork filling that interior.
Then there was the god himself. Nuada had always seemed pensive to me; a man who weighed all options before making a decision. He had also seemed reasonable and fair, so I was hoping he'd hear us out. We were asking him to tattle on his granddaughter after all. Most grandpas wouldn't be too keen on that.
“Thor! Vervain!” Nuada came forward out of the shadows, his faerie hounds trailing after him. The white dogs looked spectral, emerging from the dark as they had. They were thin creatures with tufted ears and silver stars on their chests. They also had piercing eyes, which carefully watched as their master shook Thor's hand first, then mine. “Trevor,” Nuada went to him next. “And Odin,” he finally made his way to Odin and gave him smirk before shaking his hand. Then he abruptly pulled Odin into a hug. “It's good to see you, old friend.”
“It's good to see you too, Nod,” Odin smiled and looked over Nuada's buff build which was encased in a sedate, white cotton, button-down and tan slacks. But Nuada didn't need to spiff up his look, not with his silver arm. Odin waved his hand at Nuada's
, “Your accessory seems to be holding up well. You polish it daily?”
“Of course,” Nuada's smile went serious. “Thank you for helping me with the magic.”
“You thanked me long ago,” Odin waved away Nuada's appreciation. “No further gratitude is required.”
“Still,” Nuada shrugged and waved us forward, “it never hurts to acknowledge your debts. Would any of you care for some refreshment? I have some faerie wine Cian just sent me.”
“Hold on,” I was still standing in the entryway staring at Odin and Nuada. “You helped make that hand?” I asked Odin.
“Yes.”
“And you didn't think you should mention it?” Trevor asked the question I was about to.
“It's irrelevant,” Odin gave us a stern look. “I won't use it as leverage.”
“Leverage?” Nuada, AKA Nod (I was assuming that nickname came from Nuada's alias; Nodens), cocked his head at Odin. “What do you need, Odin?”
“Nothing to inspire that wary look,” Odin held up his hands and sat down. “Can we please have a few moments to visit with each other before we move on to business?”
“Sure,” I said sarcastically as I flopped down onto an antique tapestry chair. “Let's have a nice visit while my husband's life is in danger. Perhaps some tea and biscuits?”
“Which husband?” Nuada absently took his own seat. He'd been to my latest wedding so he knew I was married to five men. His hounds reacted to his concerned tone, settling around him as they kept their intense stares on us.
“Kirill,” Odin sighed. “Look, Nod, this is going to be a touchy subject for you and I don't want to offer any offense.”
“Sit please,” Nuada said to Thor and Trevor before looking back at Odin with his icy blue eyes. “Just spit it out, Allfather.”
“It's your granddaughter; Morrigan,” Odin said gently.
“What's that girl got up to now?” Nuada sighed.
“We were kind of hoping you might know,” I took over. “I seem to have got on her bad side and I'm not sure why.”
“Says the Godhunter,” Nuada chuckled. “Are you seriously surprised that a goddess doesn't like you?”
“It's not just dislike,” I made a disgruntled face. “At first, I could have passed off her angry looks as the usual antipathy I tend to garner, but this is starting to feel personal. Both Trevor and I have had visions of Badb washing Kirill's clothes.”
Nuada inhaled sharply, “I see why you're upset.” He glanced at Odin and then back to me. “But I honestly don't know what you've done to anger her enough to attack your husband. Perhaps someone else is going to kill him and Badb was just foretelling the death, as is her way.”
“Well, there's a little more history here,” Odin sighed. “Morrigan was seen spying on a friend of ours, then she showed up to this same friend's wedding, giving Vervain some very nasty looks.”
“Which friend?” Nuada interrupted.
“Her name is Eztli,” I answered. “She was the first vampire Huitzilopochtli created but now she's the Goddess of the Blood Moon. An ex-lover of hers was destroying her vampire clubs. Morrigan didn't seem to be involved except for being at several of the clubs, watching while Phantasus blew them up.”
“Suspicious timing,” Nuada noted, “but hardly damning. You do know that she's a seer? She could have had visions of the clubs being destroyed and gone to enjoy the show. I hate to admit it, but Morrigan is a bit bloodthirsty and she hardly gets an opportunity to watch such grisly spectacles these days.”
“That is a rather good explanation,” Trevor grimaced.
“Oh please,” I rolled my eyes. “Ever hear of Faces of Death? These days, all you have to do to watch some violence is turn on a television.”
“There's nothing like actually being there,” Nuada said with the air of a man who had been there. A lot of theres.
“But it doesn't explain why she looked at me like she was going to murder me,” I shook my head. The more I spoke of Morrigan, the more certain I became that she was involved. “She wasn't even invited to that wedding.”
“What else did my granddaughter do at this wedding?” Nuada narrowed his eyes and leaned forward. His shoulders bunched beneath the cotton of his shirt. He was easily as big as Odin and with his pale gold hair, he could actually pass for a Viking.
“Nothing really,” I scowled. “She left right after Morvran stormed out.”
“Morvran was there?” Nuada's eyes widened.
“Oh no,” I whispered. I had hoped this had nothing to do with Morvran. “Please don't tell me he was her lover or something.”
“Not her lover,” Nuada said and then frowned. “Why did you just use the past tense with his name?”
“Morvran is dead,” Odin said in a careful tone. “He killed Phantasus and then Morpheus killed Morvran to avenge his brother.”
“Well there's your answer,” Nuada sighed. “Though I don't know why Morrigan would target you instead of Morpheus.”
“What's our answer?” I asked.
“Morvran was Morrigan's best friend,” Nuada shook his head sadly, “and she was his only friend. They helped each other through some very hard times, known each other since they were children.”
“Right, Blue told us about their friendship, though he didn't know the extent of it. Morrigan probably holds me responsible for Morvran's death,” I huffed and sat back into my chair. “I don't know why but that must be it. And she wants to hurt me by killing my husband.”
“It still doesn't make sense to me,” Nuada frowned. “I don't see why Morrigan would kill Kirill. It would be more reasonable for her to kill Morpheus. And my granddaughter may have her insane moments but as far as revenge goes, she is coldly reasonable. Always. Frankly, I'd tell your friend Morpheus to watch his back. It may be a simply case of your husband being caught in the cross-fire. Kirill may not be the intended victim at all.”
Thor, Odin, Trevor, and I all stared at each other with growing horror. If Kirill's death was an accident, it would be far harder to prevent.
“Thank you, Nod,” Odin leaned forward and stretched out his hand to the pale god.
“I'll speak to Morrigan,” Nuada said as he shook Odin's hand. “Perhaps she'll confide in me.”
“I'd really appreciate that,” I offered him a grateful smile.
“I can't guarantee she'll tell me anything but I'll try,” Nuada smiled back gently. “Now how about that wine?”
Chapter Five
When we returned to Pride Palace, I changed back into my faerie dress. My fancy hairdo may be long gone but at least I'd be able to return to the wedding in my royal gown. When I was as presentable as I could make myself, I texted Morpheus and asked him to come and stay with us for awhile at Pride Palace. He didn't even ask why, he was smart enough to save his questions till after he arrived. But as soon as he traced in, he dropped his suitcases by the door and started firing off questions as he walked into the dining hall. I was huddling around the fireplace there, with some of my husbands and a few Intare in lion form. The Intare were stretched out before the hearth like the giant cats they were.
“What happened?” was Morpheus' first question. Then there was, “It was about me wasn't it? Is it Morrigan? Did she attack Kirill? Is everyone alright?”
I held up my hand to stop the verbal tide and then told him about our visit to Nuada, and what he'd suggested in reference to Morpheus. Morph went completely silent and fell back into a thick leather chair.
“I knew it was about me this time,” he sighed. “You don't think I'll be safe in the Cave of Dreams?”
“You'd probably be just fine,” I shrugged. “I still don't want you there alone. I thought you'd do better here, surrounded by werelions.”
“And one vicious cat,” Morph added as he leaned down to scratch Nick, my immortal gray tabby (immortal thanks to Azrael feeding Nick manna).
“I'd like you to stay here with Kirill,” I went on. Nick jumped in my lap and I absently stroked him as he settled in. �
��I think we'd all breathe easier if you did. Strength in numbers and all that.”
“So he gets choice vhile I have to follow orders?” Kirill narrowed his eyes on me.
“You're damn right,” I growled. “You're my husband, I can order you around in times like this,” he started to say something else and I held up my hand to stop him. “Just as you can do with me when you feel strongly about something. Morpheus is a friend, so he gets a choice,” I turned back to Morph. “Though I strongly recommend that you stay out of the Human Realm for now.”
“I don't have a problem with that,” Morpheus shrugged. “It's not like there's any reason for me to head over to visit the humans anyway. And you've got plenty of entertainment around here.”
“Good,” I sighed. “Though if the visions Trevor and I had are accurate, it's Kirill we need to worry about.”
“We'll wait this thing out together,” Morpheus smiled wide at Kirill.
“Da,” Kirill sighed, it was hard for him to be rude, even when he was upset. “It vill be fine.”
“Thank you,” I gave Kirill's hand a squeeze. “Now, I wanna jump back over to Faerie and update Arach.”
“And maybe ask Brevyn to give you a little more to go on,” Trevor suggested.
“That too,” I sighed. “Come on, Nick,” I scooted him off my lap and he gave me a disgruntled look. “Well, it would have been more disruptive if I'd just disappeared with you still sitting here.”
Nick didn't seem swayed by my reasoning, but he was appeased by Kirill picking him up and offering him a new lap to sleep in.
“You vill keep me company too, da?” Kirill started stroking Nick and the tabby began a steady purr. “Ve cats must stick together.”
“I'll see you all in a minute,” I smiled at the sight of Kirill and Nick, keeping that image in my mind as I used my ring to travel back to the moment I'd last left Faerie. Right in the middle of Guirmean and Nora's wedding.
