Total pages in book: 80
Estimated words: 75457 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 377(@200wpm)___ 302(@250wpm)___ 252(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 75457 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 377(@200wpm)___ 302(@250wpm)___ 252(@300wpm)
I try to pay attention, I really do, but some of it bores me. The only time I perk up is when Onyx mentions Maddox and his great prowess on the battlefield in some dimension called Rashtaharaman. He gave Onyx the outcome she wanted and earned immense favor with her, but Maddox was created to be a warrior. He, along with his brothers Carrick and Lucien, have served the gods in thousands of wars and battles over time.
However, as modern times brought forth more peace than conflict, the value of demigods on the killing fields has lessened. Carrick is fully retired from having to do such things, but he earned that respite when he helped Finley avert the apocalypse against Kymaris, queen of the Underworld. Maybe Maddox will be able to stop one day as well.
As for Lucien, well… he’s dead, and it doesn’t matter anymore. He was a casualty of the apocalypse, thrown into the Crimson River where his soul is being tortured for eternity. It’s something that sits horribly with me since I reign over said river, which originates in the Underworld.
I could bring him back, I’m sure of it. I mean, it’s never been done, but all I’ve been taught since becoming a god is that our power is without end, limited only by imagination.
Regardless, it makes no difference because it has been decreed that Lucien shall not be reincarnated. That was an edict passed among the Council before I ever became a god and there is nothing I can do.
When Onyx is done, Cato tells us of a dying planet in a distant galaxy on the verge of extinction because of pollution and overpopulation. He wants to extend a mercy and obliterate it with a redirected meteor.
Cato calls for a vote. “In favor?”
Veda, Circe, and Onyx all raise their hands.
I don’t want to obliterate anything, but my hand goes up too. I’m not confident enough to stand against them, not only because I’m the newest member, but because I don’t understand the greater good that supposedly comes with the gods controlling all things.
The meeting goes on and on. Humanitarian rewards are doled out, Circe appropriately meddles in the fates, and Onyx continues to bemoan that there’s too much peace, which tips the scales of balance too far in one direction.
Cato’s gaze swings my way, and those golden orbs of his are nearly hypnotizing. “And what say you of the Underworld, Zora?”
I blink rapidly and take a calming breath. I don’t like being on the spot. It’s hard enough trying to figure out my role in this complex new life of mine but for the other gods to look to me is unsettling.
My biggest challenge has been keeping the Underworld in check, which has faced some chaos since Kymaris was dethroned. Asking Amell to rule was the best decision I could have made.
“All is well,” I say, lending my most confident and authoritative tone to the words. “Amell has quelled an uprising and I’ve sent Maddox to help him fortify the veil.”
“Yes, there were rumors of breaches between the Underworld and Faere,” Onyx murmurs. “I sense a current between the two worlds, and it feels like war.” Her black eyes shimmer with excitement. “Of course, my allegiance would go to Faere,” she says, leveling me with a hard stare.
I incline my head. “And mine to the Underworld, although I wouldn’t condone an unprovoked attack by any means. Regardless, I’m confident Amell has things well in hand.”
As long as he and Maddox don’t kill each other.
I should never have sent Maddox there, for I know how much those two immortal creatures hate each other.
Their abhorrence is deeply rooted in their mutual care for me and is muddied by jealousy. I gave my virginity to Amell and we were lovers for many years in the Underworld. While Amell was my captor, he was also my protector, and eventually he stood in my corner when we fought against Kymaris. I’ll always care for him.
But Maddox is my lover now, and while a god could take many lovers, he’s the only one I want.
With nothing else to report or decide, our meeting is adjourned. One by one, we disappear from the meeting place, and I walk away with no more clarity on what my purpose is or why I even matter to the grand scheme of things.
Rather than return home, visit Finley, or even head to the Underworld to see if Maddox and Amell have destroyed it trying to kill each other, I think I’ll visit the former god of Life.
The prison constructed to hold Rune was created with powers I supposedly possess but have no clue how to wield. My four brethren gods locked him away before I’d even sacrificed my life and I had no part in its making.
But I can feel the energy pulsing from it as I approach. Rune is cross-legged inside a sphere only large enough for him to sit or lie down. His sole possession, besides the clothes he wears, is a bucket for him to relieve himself.