I Can See You (The Gods Made Me Do It Book 5)

by Lisa Oliver

  Silvanus shifted slightly in his seat, his ass still faintly aching from Artemas pounding him the night before. “I was lonely,” he said, unsure if he wanted to bare his soul to others, even if one of them was Artemas’s brother. “The world as we know it had settled by that time. Humans were starting to explore and spread over the land. The words were more a record of how far we’d come at that point, and how I felt, watching others join together and raise families of their own. It was nothing really, just musing, jotting down thoughts I’d hope one day to share with my own significant other.”

  “They are beautifully written words,” Artemas said quietly. “I’m glad there’s no one left alive who can read them anymore.”

  The phone on the table by Silvanus’s side started to ring. Everyone froze for a minute, then Artemas leaned over and picked up the receiver. “Yes… I see… Yes, that’s fine. We’ve been expecting them.”

  Putting down the receiver, Artemas grimaced. “Mr. Crane and two of his associates are on their way up. It seems he convinced some of his friends to come along after all.”

  Silvanus tensed, looking at the book in Nereus’s hands. “I can’t sense any other beings from the god line within a ten mile radius of us. I think we have to trust that between the five of us, we can cope with anything Crane has stuck up his sleeve.”

  “Raff, babe, do you think maybe you could….” Teilo asked quietly as Nereus put the book carefully on the coffee table.

  “You’re not sending me to the bedroom,” Raff pouted, folding his arms across his chest. “So, unless the next words out of your mouth are ‘make some tea’ you can shut up now.”

  “Tea won’t be needed,” Artemas said firmly, standing up and buttoning his jacket as he headed for the door. “We’re not going to do anything to encourage them to stay longer than is absolutely necessary. Once they’re gone, Silva and I will take you all out for lunch. How does that sound?”

  “Breakfast for us,” Nereus laughed, leaning back and putting his arm around Raff’s shoulders. “You keep forgetting about the time zone differences.”

  Silvanus didn’t hear whatever Teilo said next. He watched as Artemas opened the door and then took a step back as a cloud of black evil smoke poured through the door.

  “Magic users,” he hissed, as Nereus and Teilo jumped to their feet.

  Chapter Twenty Six

  Artemas reeled from the frontal attack, but not for long. Waving his hand in front of his face just enough to clear the smoke, he pulled on his magic, all thoughts of maintaining his image as a professional businessman forgotten. “Is that the best you’ve got?” He snarled, waving his arms in a large circle to ensnare the three men lurking in the hallway and yanking them hard, pulling them into the room.

  “Artemas, babe, are you all right?” Silvanus was there, by his side faster than a blink, his eyes flashing.

  “I’m fine. It’ll be a cold day in hell when someone with some fancy smoke tricks can fucking fool me.”

  “Can we eat them?” Raff was bouncing up and down behind Nereus and Teilo trying to see. Those two were doing a very good impression of a wall, trying to protect their young mate. “They tried to attack you, can we eat them?”

  “Eat them, beat them, I don’t give a fuck. But I want answers first. Well?” Artemas crossed his arms and looked at the snared trio. “What the hell do you three think you’re playing at?”

  “It wasn’t me,” Crane yelled trying to get free of something he couldn’t see. “It was George’s idea.”

  “What magic is this?” A tall, slender, dark-haired man was also doing his best to escape the invisible bonds. The third culprit appeared stunned, his mouth working but no sound coming out. The dark haired man fumbled in his pocket and pulled out a small gold cross. “Be gone dark magic users. No harm can come to me while I’m under the protection of our lord.”

  “Really?” Nereus laughed. “You’re invoking a Christian god you don’t believe in, to save your useless hide, when you came in here wielding dark magic yourself? That’s a crack up, that is.”

  “No, no, it wasn’t dark magic,” the dark haired man protested. “Melrose said….” He snapped his mouth shut as Crane kicked his shin.

  “The elusive Melrose Jackson I presume.” Artemas shook his head. “Of course, you do realize that’s not his real name and that he’s tricking you, don’t you?”

  “Oh no, you’re mistaken.” The dark haired one stopped struggling. The mute one still seemed to be having troubles working out where he was. “The man is a scholar of the highest caliber. He has degrees in ancient archeology from Eton, Cambridge and Oxford. He showed us.”

  “Degrees like this?” Artemas waved his hand and a fistful of papers appeared. “Eton, Cambridge, Oxford and oh, yes, mustn’t forget Harvard.” He let the papers fall to the ground. “You’ve been duped. All three of you. Why did you attack us?”

  “How did you…?” Dark haired boy, Artemas figured he must be George, tried to fall to his knees, apparently wanting to get closer to the fallen papers. But Artemas’s bonds wouldn’t allow it, causing him to be stuck in the awkward position of legs bent, but neither up nor down. “If they’re real….”

  “They are.” Artemas had degrees from every major learning center in the world, and some most people had forgotten. “You haven’t answered my question.”

  “We needed the book,” Crane said. “Horace had another vision, didn’t you Horace?” He dug the mute man’s ribs with his elbow, but the guy still didn’t say anything. “We were warned you would try to stop us taking it, which is why George got some magical spells from Mel… our benefactor. We were told they would work on anybody.”

  “I fail to see how you can justify attacking us, to take something that doesn’t belong to you.” Silvanus clicked his fingers and the book appeared in his hands. “This doesn’t belong to you. Just because you’ve seen it once, doesn’t give you the right to take it.” He ran his fingers over the carvings, transported back, momentarily, to a far easier time.

  “Oh, my gods,” Crane yelled, straining to get close. “Horace, Horace, wake up, you bumbling fool. Can’t you feel it? Can’t you see what I meant about how special the book is?”

  “What are you feeling?” Artemas cast a quick look at Silvanus who seemed just as curious as he was.

  “It’s glorious.” Crane looked as if he was about to burst into song. “Joy, passion, excitement. Like my heart is going to burst with happiness. Can’t you feel it? How can anyone not feel how wonderful life is when they’re near that wondrous book. You must let me have it. You must let me take it. I have to have it.”

  “Silva?” Artemas looked at his mate, a horrible thought seeping into his mind. “Please tell me he’s not… we’re not… he can’t be…. Mate?” He whispered the last word.

  “No. No.” Silvanus shook his head so fast, his hair flew wide. “Definitely not. Nothing like that, I promise you. It’s the wood, I think. It’s the wood that’s calling to him.”

  “He’s the book’s mate?” Nereus and Teilo came closer, and they all kept their voices low. Crane was still rhapsodizing about the blessed book. George was trying to work out how they were still tied up and Horace was now mumbling under his breath.

  “That’s not possible.” Silvanus shook his head. “The book doesn’t live. It contains my energies, but it’s not a living breathing thing.”

  “Is it possible that red haired man has a thing for trees?” Raff asked, looking up at Teilo for reassurance.

  “Didn’t there used to be creatures that lived in trees? What were they called, dryads? I think I read about them once.” Teilo didn’t sound so sure.

  “There are dryads, yes,” Artemas quickly flicked through his mental files trying to think of all he knew about them. “Greek mythology, but they rarely left their trees. Did the tree your cover came from have a dryad, Silva?”

  “Of course, most of the trees at that time did. She gifted me the branch the cover came from.”

  �
��Could that red-headed idiot be descended from one, somehow?” Nereus asked.

  They all looked in the direction of the captives who were doing their best not to show they were trying to eavesdrop.

  “I’ll check.” Raff went to move closer to Crane, but Teilo pulled him back.

  “I’ll do it. Hang on.” Striding over, Teilo circled the group, his head slightly tilted, his nostrils flaring. Coming up behind Crane, he leaned over the bindings and inhaled.

  “Hey, what the fuck?” Crane tried to move away but he couldn’t. “Are you sniffing me? You’ve got some drool-worthy muscles, dude, but you’re not my type. I prefer people with boobs not brawn.”

  “Ach, you’re breaking my heart,” Teilo scoffed, wandering back to the others. Artemas noticed Raff put his arms around his mate as soon as he got close, throwing a glare at Crane.

  “Well?” Artemas was getting impatient.

  “Not human. I can smell something paranormal. It’s really faint, and I’ve never scented anything like it before. I had to get real close because that George has got something nasty smelling brewing in his jacket.”

  “Wouldn’t you know, if Crane had dryad in him?” Nereus was looking at Silvanus, who was still looking between Crane and the book he was still holding.

  “I didn’t think to look for any of the signs. It’s been a long, long time since they were commonplace,” Silvanus said. “Look, I don’t think we can talk about this with them here, especially if that other one has got more spells on him.”

  “That fucking George.” Artemas fumed. “If there’s one thing I can’t stand it’s second hand spells. The other thing I can’t stomach is badly made second hand spells.” Striding over, he plucked George from his bonds and grabbed his leg.

  “What the hell are you doing to me?” George yelled as Artemas turned him upside down and shook him. “Don’t! No, you can’t do that.” His voice turned into a scream as two clear spheres with swirling smoke fell from his pocket. “You’ll kill us all. Damn it, you don’t know what you’re doing. You’ll kill us all.”

  With a flick of his hand, Artemas had the balls swirling in the air, before they disappeared. “You were saying?”

  “Fuck, fuck, man you have to tell me how you do that? Where did they go? Are they hiding behind your ear?”

  “That’s the magic taken care of,” Artemas said, letting George fall to the ground and walking back to the others. “What are we going to do with them now? Wait.” He did a double take. Crane and Horace were standing shoulder to shoulder, still in their bonds but their eyes were blank.

  “Get the tree.” Crane and Horace said with perfect synchronization. Artemas looked behind him, expecting to see Silvanus holding the book, but when his mate moved over to the window, book in hand, Crane and his friend were still focused on him. “Get the tree. Get the tree. Get the tree.” Unbelievably the two men were trying to shuffle towards him.

  “Er… guys, this is starting to get creepy. You know damn well I can’t zap them.” Artemas backed up a bit. George stumbled to his feet, rubbing his head, but within seconds, he too was moving towards Artemas like a zombie.

  “Get the tree. Get the tree. Get the….”

  “What the fuck, are they tranced?” Nereus leapt between the advancing men and Artemas, but they didn’t stop, and rather than hit them, Nereus had no choice but to move aside before they mowed him down. All the while, chanting the same thing, over and over again.

  “I can’t get hold of them,” Teilo snarled, swiping at Crane and Horace with his clawed hand, but it was as if they weren’t even there. They were. Artemas could see and hear them clearly. But nothing Nereus or Teilo was doing would stop them.

  Raff came running in from the kitchen, waving his cakes in the air like someone trying to attract a dog with a treat. “Cupcake, get your lovely cupcakes here?”

  “Yum, cupcakes.” George broke ranks and moved towards Raff, but then he jerked as if he’d just walked blindly into a mirror. Within seconds he’d turned around, his arms outstretched. “Get the tree, get the tree.” Artemas was running out of room. He could translocate but he wouldn’t leave Silvanus behind, or his brother and his mates.

  Diving over the couch, in a perfectly executed roll, Silvanus stood upright, spreading his arms. In seconds there was a beautiful oak tree standing where Silvanus had been.

  “Look,” Raff yelled, pointing at the beautiful oak. “There’s your tree.”

  “Silvanus, no.” Artemas wasn’t about to let his mate be hurt. But the men did stop, Crane sniffing much like Teilo had done earlier, and Artemas hoped for a second the men had been diverted. But then the blankness came over the three faces again as they walked right through the bloody tree. Right through my mate.

  “They’re being controlled by another god,” Nereus yelled, grabbing his mates’ hands. “I think it’s time to make a strategic retreat.”

  “My place, Australia.” Artemas reached over, slapping Crane’s grabby hands away as he curled around Silvanus’s trunk. “I hope this fucking works,” he said as he translocated, taking hopefully both of them, away.

  Chapter Twenty Seven

  “Don’t you ever do that to me again.” Silvanus broke out of his tree mode to find Artemas clinging tightly to his middle, a sheen of tears in his eyes. “They walked through you, they walked right through you as though you weren’t even there. Fuck, please tell me you’re all right.”

  “Babe, Artie, I promise, I’m all right.” Silvanus had never seen his mate come apart so intently. “I was just trying to divert them away from you. Someone must know you’re carrying the tree of life.”

  “Okay, can we have a bit of a catch up here,” Teilo said angrily. Nereus was holding onto his shoulders and he had Raff tucked under one arm. “What the fuck just happened? Why, if you could bind them up the way you did, couldn’t you just zap those assholes to kingdom come, or wherever the hell idiots like that end up? Why the hell couldn’t I slash them? Why aren’t they all dead? You’re all gods for fucks sake. We ran away from them like frightened mice.”

  “It’s because we’re gods, we couldn’t do anything,” Silvanus said quietly, leading his mate to the nearest chair. The sweet scent of Jasmine and Wattle filtered through the windows, so much nicer than the smog of London. Sinking into the chair, he brought his mate onto his lap, holding him close. Artemas was still shaking and wouldn’t even look at his brother and the others.

  “Teilo, babe, we’ve had this discussion before, remember?” Nereus urged Raff and a grumbling Teilo into a chair. “It’s the same when the dark elves hit. We can’t use our powers to take a life. We are not allowed to interfere in human affairs or paranormal.”

  “But those men attacked you. Can’t you defend yourselves?” Raff’s eyes were wide, although Silvanus noticed they drifted towards the kitchen most often. He guessed the tiny wolf shifter liked to keep busy in times of stress.

  “That’s what Artemas did when he bound the men with his magic,” Silvanus said, stroking his mate’s short hair. “We weren’t to know for sure another god was involved.”

  “We suspected it though.” Nereus shook his head. “Damn that was freaky watching those guys walk through you as though you weren’t there.”

  “I’m still not understanding this shit.” Teilo’s wolf was in his eyes – fuming. “If a god can come along and take over those three bodies and use them like zombie puppets to get to Artemas, how come you guys couldn’t do anything in return. You’re all on the same side, right? You all follow the same rules.”

  “Short answer, no to being on the same side.” Silvanus shook his head. “In theory, all gods are bound by the same rules that were made in the council held after the Great War. Doesn’t matter which pantheon you belong to, or who you’re related to. Gods and demigods have been forbidden to interfere in man’s affairs. It was the Fates idea really. They were tired of having to patch the quilt of life every time a god ran amuck. Which is why we couldn’t just kill those three men,
zap them anywhere, or cause them too much harm. Unless it was their natural time to die, the loss of their life would cause a hole in the tapestry, which would also happen if we translocated them somewhere else.”

  “It could’ve been their time to die, in which case we’d be doing the Fates’ work for them,” Teilo grumbled.

  “If it is their day to die, a brick will likely fall on them on their way out of the hotel, or they’d get run over by a taxi cab,” Nereus said firmly. “We can’t be seen to be having a hand in that.”

  “Unless we throw the damn brick ourselves.” Teilo seemed to be having trouble settling down, and Silvanus wasn’t sure if it was because of their current location, or that he was annoyed his claws didn’t do the job they were designed for. Wolf shifters never backed down from an attack, which is probably what rankled Teilo the most, although Raff didn’t seem angry.

  “Guys, guys,” Raff said, almost pleading. “You’re missing the point here. Someone is after Artemas, and from all that chanting going on, it must be because of the tree on his back. Who would do that, and why?”

  “Who would know I carried the tree, apart from the Mother?” Artemas asked, pushing himself up, and wiping his hand over his face. “You, obviously, Silvanus. Poseidon saw it. My brother and his mates all know, but none of them would tell anyone else. So, who else is linked to the tree and would know if it had moved?”

  “In theory, no one.” Silvanus sighed. “The tree of life is special, different from other tools used by gods. Take Thor’s hammer for example. No one else can use it, except maybe Orin. Just as no one can use Poseidon’s trident, or Zeus’s lightening bolt. They are tools, used by the god concerned to focus their power. They’re not needed. Poseidon can rule the waves quite happily without his trident, but they are a focal point of power.”

  “And you’re saying the tree’s not like that?” Nereus asked. “I’m quite young, in terms of present company. Who owns the tree – who uses its powers?”

  “I don’t know a lot about it.” Silvanus struggled to think of a way to explain. “The tree contains its own powers. It’s not a tool, but it’s not a god either. The Mother carried it since the beginning of time, and all I was taught from when I came into being was that the health of the tree was critical for the health of all life on earth.”