by Amy Sumida
“Tima.” Fallon's hazel eyes were full of worry. “Is it true? Is the princess missing?”
Fallon's daughter's name was Zariel, and it meant “lion princess,” a name which seemed appropriate at the time of her birth. She was the first-born lion; all of the Intare who came before her had been created through magic. But Zariel wasn't the actual Intare heir. That was my Lesya, and all of my lions knew it. I had made sure of that after I'd returned from a future where Zariel herself didn't seem to understand her place. Who knows? Maybe it was that damn name. All witches know the power in a name. This time around, though, Zariel would understand her rank in the Pride. She would be loved, treasured even, but she would be raised knowing that if I died, Lesya would rule the Intare.
If we ever found her.
“It's true,” I whispered. “Who told you?”
“Some woman called us,” Aidan scowled. “Said she was Hermes's assistant, and that she was gathering the Godhunter's allies to help in the search for her daughter.”
“Why didn't you tell us, Tima?” Fallon growled.
“I've only just–” I lost it, just broke down and began sobbing. Again.
My men surrounded me as Lugh stepped forward.
“It's only just happened,” Lugh explained. “We thought that Hermes was behind it, and we went straight over to confront him. It doesn't appear to be him, though. In fact, he's offered to help organize the search; thus, the phone call.”
I'd completely forgotten that Lugh was still with us. I'd just been so focused on finding Lesya, and Lugh hadn't been saying much through all of our journeys. He'd sort of gone invisible to me. I looked over at him with gratitude, and he nodded. He understood.
The Intare simmered down and came forward to rub against me in both sympathy and a need for comfort. My lions were trembling with fury and anxiety. It was hard enough when one of our grown lions were in danger, but for our cub, our princess, to be missing was catastrophic. I let them draw me into that warm commiseration, and basked a moment in the comfort that only my lions could give me. It was a physical reminder of who we were, and what we meant to each other.
“I'll return to Faerie and notify the High King,” Lugh said after I emerged from the lion huddle. “Do you wish for me to tell your husband as well?”
“I'm sure that Arach knows already,” I said morosely. “I would have–”
“Vervain?” Trevor asked.
“I can go back,” I whispered. “I'll just return to that time and stop them.”
“You were in the God Realm when Lesya was taken,” Odin reminded me gently. “If you go back, you'll only be taken to Annwn.”
“Your star,” Kirill said urgently. “Use it to find our daughter.”
“The star!” I exclaimed. “Of course!”
I closed my eyes and focused inward. I was still learning how to use my nine-pointed star–the power that united all of my magics and gave me access to both the Nine Great Magics and the Elemental Source. The last time I had used it had been at Ragnarok. I'd been wounded, and my need for Ragnarok to end had released the power of the star. I would concentrate on my need again, and hopefully, that would be enough.
Alaric, the Consciousness of the Void, had once told me that all I had to do was direct the magic of my star, give it a will to follow. Well, I had a will for it now. I sent all of my rage, all of my frustration and pain, down into the star. I bared my burning desire to have my daughter back. And then I willed her home.
“Show me where she is,” I said. “Just show me, and I'll do the rest.”
Nothing. The star remained dormant in my chest.
“Show me!” I screeched.
I focused harder, begging it to reconnect me to my child. I visualized her; I called her name. I did everything I could think of to direct the star. None of it worked.
“Alaric!” I screamed. “Where are you? Al, get your incorporeal ass over here right now!”
I cannot help you, Al said sadly.
“What do you mean; you can't help me?” I asked. “You said that all I had to do was give the star a will, and it would fulfill any desire that I had.”
If that desire is in line with your destiny, or if it's for the greater good, he added. Don't you remember when we told you that the star was formed to help the realms? You are its guardian, its avatar, and as such, you get certain perks. But you cannot use the star if it goes against your fate.
“My fate?” I snapped. “I saw Lesya in the future. Are you saying that my destiny is to lose my daughter?”
Kirill started to growl.
No, quite the opposite, Alaric assured me. I'm certain that Lesya is meant to live. But I'm equally certain that what's happening right now is part of the path you must tread to become who you're meant to be. Life changes a soul, and you have three souls to foster. They must be guided carefully through their growth.
“That's some New Age, Wicca bullshit you're spouting at me,” I snarled. “What's the point of having this power”–I pulled the swath of my starlight hair forward–“if I can't use it to save my daughter?”
Her life is not in jeopardy, or the star would have acted, Alaric said calmly. As of this moment, Lesya is precisely where she is meant to be, and so, the star must wait.
“Wait?” I was beginning to shake with my fury. “Wait for what?”
Until she is supposed to be somewhere else, or her life is in danger.
“Can you see her, Alaric?” I asked. “Do you know where she is?”
I'm sorry, Vervain. I wish that I could. I wasn't watching Lesya, and now I cannot find her. She is blocked from me as well, as if a veil has been pulled over her presence. I did try; I want you to know that. Despite fate, and all that yours means to the worlds, I tried to find your daughter.
“Damn it all!” I screamed. “There must be a way. I have all this power, all this magic.” I held my hands out to Odin, showing him the rings on my fingers; the Ring of Remembrance and the wedding band that bound us together. “Why is it worthless when I need it the most?”
“It's not worthless,” Re said gently, stepping forward to take one of my hands. “We just need to figure out which magic can help us. That's all.”
“He's right,” Odin agreed. “We know that it was a man who took Lesya, and we know that he was able to blind the connection between you and her. These are important clues. We need to think them through. Together, we are smarter and stronger than Lesya's abductor, no matter who they are. It would be impossible for us not to be.”
You know that she's safe, and that is the most important thing. Al added. But, as you mentioned, you have power of your own, power that the star gives you access to and even unites. Think of those magics, Vervain. They are bound together by the star, but they are not restricted by it. These are the perks that I spoke of.
“The Great Nine,” I murmured.
And all that is inside you, Al agreed. The star has given you many gifts in return for a home. Use them. I will watch for signs of Lesya while you do.
I felt Alaric draw away.
“Al told you to use the Great Nine?” Odin asked.
“The star won't act unless it's in line with my destiny,” I said bitterly. “Alaric said that Lesya's life isn't in danger, or the star would have helped me.”
“Her life is in danger,” Kirill growled. “She is not vith her family, and zat is dangerous.”
“We work with what we have,” Odin said gently. “If the star won't help us, then we use what will. So, what will help us, Vervain?”
“The Great Nine Magics are Love, Protection, Abundance, Beauty, Health, Transmutation, Control, Hate, and Acceptance,” I went through the list. “Perhaps Protection?”
“It's too late for that,” Trevor said gently.
“Try Control,” Azrael suggested. “Maybe you could use it to control the spell barring you from sensing Lesya.”
“Good thinking.” I nodded.
I closed my eyes and focused on my star again, but this time, I o
nly concentrated on one spike–the spike that represented Control. It was my link to the origins of that Great Magic. I could feel the power shimmering just out of reach until I gave it my attention. Then it flared to life inside me, and I was instantly calmer. I got this.
I sent the magic out, searching down my dormant link to Lesya, questing for the spell that had deadened our connection. It rushed along the dull line, energy zipping like electricity–living electricity. Suddenly, it balled up, gathering itself, and then exploded.
The cord remained dead.
I screamed in frustration and tried again. The same thing happened. Control just broke apart when it hit the spell. This simply wasn't something it was capable of. Scared and frustrated, I went through them all. I tried each of the Nine Great Magics, rationalizing that surely one of them had the power to break the enchantment. But magic, like all things, does not like to destroy itself. It's one of the reasons the God War has lasted so long. None of the Great Nine was able to unmake the spell.
Unmake, of course!
“I know exactly what magic to use.” I looked at Torrent. “Unmake the magic that's blocking her, Torrent. You can do it, right?”
“Right!” Torrent gave me a brilliant smile. “Why didn't I think of that?”
Everyone held their breath as Torrent took my hands and closed his eyes. I watched his face crease into lines of concentration. Seconds passed–minutes. Sweat beaded on Torrent's brow, his hands clenched around mine, and his arms began to shake. Finally, he let go with a huge exhale of breath.
“I can't find the spell,” Torrent whispered. “I need to be able to touch it to unmake it, and it's not there.”
“What?” I gaped at him.
“It's not in you, Vervain,” Odin said gently. “The spell was cast upon Lesya. Torrent can't reach it to unmake it.”
“Fine,” I growled and closed my hands into fists. “Then we're going to search all of the realms until we find her. We'll destroy any ward or anyone who gets in our way.”
“I'm with you, V,” Torrent said immediately. “Let's go unmake some god wards.”
“Hold on,” Odin growled. “You can't just go blasting through god wards, tearing apart territories and killing anyone who stands up to you. You'll make more enemies along the way than we'll ever be able to handle.”
“I don't give one gods-damned–”
“You will save her only to put her in more danger,” Odin interrupted me. “Is that what you want, Vervain?”
“No.” I deflated.
“We just need to think this through,” Odin said gently. “Hermes is watching our enemies, but we need to go over that list ourselves. We know who is capable of this, and we need to methodically narrow down our suspects.”
“He's right.” Kirill slid his arm around my waist and pulled me into his embrace. “Ve cannot take any chances vith our daughter, Tima. Ve have to be careful.”
“Even the thought of coming up with that list again is daunting,” I groaned.
“Oh, I remember it,” Torrent said eagerly.
“You do?” I asked.
“Photographic memory.” Torrent tapped his temple. “Comes with being an Internet god.”
“An Internet god.” Trevor chuckled. “As if there are more of you. You're one of a kind, Torr.”
Torrent gave Trevor a bashful smile.
“Are we seriously standing around watching Boy Wonder do his aw-shucks routine instead of getting to this list?” Aidan growled.
“Sorry,” Torrent mumbled.
“Shut up, Aidan,” I snapped, then looked over to Torrent. “It's okay, Torr. We can take a moment to be grateful for what you have to contribute. I appreciate it, as I appreciate everything else you do for me.”
“Thanks, V.” Torrent gave me a bright smile.
“That being said, Aidan, although tactless, is right; we need to get to work.” I headed into the dining hall, and everyone followed. “Someone grab some paper for Torrent to write on.”
The room filled with Intare and gods.
“Lugh, you don't have to stay,” I told him. “You said you wanted to return to Faerie.”
“Screw that. I don't know what I was thinking. I'm obviously needed more here,” Lugh huffed. “Your daughter is missing. I'm not leaving till we find her.”
I hugged him. “Thank you.”
“Anything you need, Vervain,” Lugh said softly. “Maybe now I can be that friend I should have been a month ago.”
“I'll make the coffee,” Trevor offered as he headed into the kitchen.
“I'll call the God Squad,” Azrael added.
“I'll notify our sons and then work on that list with Torrent.” Odin pulled out his cell phone. He started texting Vidar and Vali as he headed to the end of the table, where Torrent was already scribbling, surrounded by Intare.
“And I'll look after Vervain,” Kirill took my hand, and we trailed after Odin.
Two hours later, we had Vidar, Vali, and the God Squad with us. We were going over the list of my enemies one by one. We'd started to hand out names for each of us to investigate, but that had only led to questions being called out randomly, and distracting debates. It was easier, and more thorough, for all of us to talk out each option together. The action was helping, making me feel more in control and more like myself again.
“These are all petty issues,” Vali growled. “No one would steal a baby just because Mom annoyed them.”
“Gods would.” Blue exchanged a look with his new wife, Eztli, and she nodded.
“I've done as much, and it had nothing to do with a grievance,” she reminded us. “I'm sure that we don't have to rehash my past with your other children.”
“Good point.” Fallon gave Eztli a furious look. “Rehashing might be bad for your health.”
Blue started to stand, but Eztli put a hand on his arm and urged him back down with a shake of her head. She knew that she deserved Fallon's fury.
Eztli had changed from the scheming, bloodthirsty... well, she was a vampire, so I suppose she was still bloodthirsty, and she could scheme with the best of them. So, I guess she hadn't changed all that much. Why was she a part of the Squad again? Oh, right; Blue loved her. No, I'm joking. Eztli had made amends, and all had been forgiven. Except with my lions, who didn't forgive anyone who tried to hurt their fellow Intare or me. Not ever. Eztli had kidnapped some of my lions once, and it looked as if Fallon hadn't gotten over it.
“We know there was a man involved,” Hades got us back on track. “So, we can rule out Morrigan.”
“And then there's the fact that we killed Morrigan,” I added.
The God Squad looked at me in surprise.
“Sorry, it's been a long day, and I forgot to tell you.” I grimaced. “We killed Morrigan this morning.”
“Well, shit,” Pan said succinctly. “Good work, Godhunter.”
“It wasn't just me,” I protested. “Fenrir, his boys, and Kirill were there too.”
“It was very satisfying,” Trevor said viciously.
“Right, so it's definitely not Morrigan, then.” Hades wasn't even fazed; he just moved past the Morrigan thing as if it wasn't a big deal. Which it wasn't, in light of Lesya's disappearance. “How do we feel about Zeus? His grievance is not so petty.”
“Zeus,” I whispered. “Yeah, I could see him doing this.”
“Remember how little power Zeus has now,” Finn pointed out. “I don't think he even has enough juice to make himself invisible. Does he, V?”
“I drained him nearly to the point of death,” I murmured as I thought back to the first time I'd been able to drain a god without killing him. “I left him with only one piece of magic so that he would live. It looked like a tree.”
“You left him the Oak?” Odin looked horrified.
“Why would you allow him to keep that? Of all his magics, why that one, Vervain?” Hades nearly shrieked.
I'd never seen Hades so upset, and the abruptness of it was especially shocking.
&
nbsp; “It didn't seem all that important.” I gaped at the men, my belly flopping with fear. “It was just a tree.”
“Just a tree that symbolizes his second greatest magic,” Pan said grimly. “The Oak represents Zeus's earth magic. It gives him power over the Laws of Nature.”
“And prophecy,” Artemis, Torrent's girlfriend and Zeus's daughter, added. “Don't forget the prophecy aspect. His priests would prophesy to the sound of wind through the leaves of Zeus's sacred oak.”
“It looks as if I may be responsible for this,” I said to Kirill. “I left our enemy with enough power to target our daughter. I'm sorry, Kirill.”
“Nyet.” Kirill took my hand and stared hard at me. “If it vas Zeus, zen he is to blame. You didn't know vhat you left in him. Zis is not your fault.”
“I should have killed him,” I whispered morosely.
“You saved an entire pantheon by sparing Zeus's life,” Hades reminded me. He was already back to his usual, calm self. “My wife and I included. I will never forget that, Vervain. I'm sorry that I overreacted. Yes, leaving the Oak was a mistake, but you made it because you didn't have all the information available to you. That is an understandable error, and I will not allow you to blame yourself for anything that comes of it. Especially not when it was that very action which ensured the immortality of the woman I love.”
“But if Zeus took Lesya–”
“If he did, he will die,” Hades said simply. “You let him live under the agreement that he would do so peacefully, and Hera would teach us the secret recipe for creating ambrosia. She has, and now Zeus exists only because we continue to honor your bargain. If he stole Lesya, the bargain is void, and his life is forfeit.”
“He will die screaming,” Pan said it with such calm intensity, that we all stared at him in shock. He looked around at us. “What? You know how much I love children. If Zeus took Vervain's child, I will use every ounce of magic I possess to make him pay. He will die screaming.”
