“She is not alone in her reasons, White Stag. These men who fight my children, they have been led by a God who sought to crush my creations. I have thought of many ways to stop them, but Synthia is right in this. They will never stop. Even if we win the war, we will never kill them all. But we can push them back, and prevent them from harming this world,” Danu added softly.
I hadn’t known she was inside my head. I turned and looked at her with a sad smile. I hadn’t considered it from her side. She was going to have to stand on the sidelines while we slaughtered a piece of her creation. She considered all of the Fae her children, so it would be a hard blow to her. These Mages were Changelings, children from Fae unions born with humans, or lesser Fae.
“They are all my children, Synthia, but sometimes even children cannot be saved. No matter how much you wish it was otherwise.”
I was about to respond when a loud crashing noise sounded from the right of us. I turned and watched in horror as the Elder Tree hit the ground as if someone had cut it down. I swallowed the cry that formed in my throat and threatened to release. He had been true to his word, and where a once magnificent tree had stood, was now a pile of bark and wood.
“We must move him, and place his bark beside the rowan Tree,” Danu said softly as she moved to the tree’s remains. “Synthia, you must first bless the land.”
“How do I do that?” I asked, and waited.
“Bleed for us,” the Stag said. “Use the sacred dagger, and allow your blood to flow within the lands that you now rule. As the world accepts you, you will become more attuned to its needs. Its pain. Had you been in tune with it when the great rowan Tree became harmed, you’d have felt it. The land requires a sacrifice from you,” he said softly, and I felt the calmness wash over me again.
“A sacrifice,” I whispered and felt my heart flop. “Not my children,” I said hastily. “Me,” I whispered. “Not my children.”
“You misunderstood me. You’re a Goddess, and they seldom bleed. When they do, it’s considered a sacrifice.”
I held out my hand as Danu glamoured a dagger. I accepted it and moved closer to the frost and ice covered ground, and then sliced painfully deep into the palm of my hand. Danu accepted the blade back as I allowed the blood to drip down my fingers, and sink into the frozen ground.
“Say these words,” Danu whispered. “I am your Goddess, and of this I ask.”
I said it softly, following her lead as I repeated what she’d said.
“I beg of thee, to accept my will, to accept my sacrifice. I promise to protect you to the best of my ability, and to keep others from tarnishing what was once so pure.”
I expelled a breath and continued.
“From this day forth, I become your Goddess, the Goddess of the lands of Faery. From this day forth, I become your protector and you become mine.”
I waited and when she didn’t say anymore, I asked it in my own way as well. “I promise to rid you of the disease the Mages have brought to you. I promise to protect you and always do what is best for you and the people who depend on you. Please heed my call, and accept the ones I love.”
“Beautifully said,” Ryder said as he narrowed his eyes on my hand.
“I sure hope so,” I said as I kneeled and placed my bleeding palm flat against the frozen ground. I shuddered as I felt a ripple tear through me and then just as fast as it had started, it was gone.
“It’s done,” Danu said as she awarded me with a small smile.
I looked up at the damaged Tree, and prayed that the bark of the Elder Tree would work. It was no wonder that the Fae cherished the Elder trees. It was a beautiful ancient rowan, which I somehow knew had been the first thing to appear in this world. Danu had created that Tree, and then had created her people around it. The creatures that lived here before the Fae as well as the Fae themselves, which explains why we were linked to it and it to us.
“You know it because the lands have accepted you,” the Stag said as it bowed its head once again. “Blessed be, Goddess. Call for me if you ever have need.”
I paused as Ryder started to wrap my hand in a soft silk, which felt surprisingly nice against the damaged tissue. We walked together back to where our babies were, cradled in the arms of their uncles. When we reached them, Elijah moved closer to us, his eyes watching me with a mixture of wonder, and suspicion.
“That was a custom for the Gods, princess,” he whispered.
I remained silent as did Ryder.
“Very few can claim to have seen the White Stag, much less have it appear during a time of need. Two miracles in one day,” he said softly. “I wonder if it will be enough to save your babes as well.”
“You should go help with the wood,” Ryder said narrowing his eyes on his brother. “My grandfather, the first Horde King, was one of the few to ever lay eyes on the Stag. He saw it the night of the first Wild Hunt, and so it became a signal for the most sacred of animals.” Ryder’s eyes slid to me, and a small tug at his lips seemed to be connected to my heart, because it yanked on it.
“I have many secrets, Elijah, but some of them are meant to stay as such until I wish them to be public knowledge. Every advantage in this war is needed,” I said softly, hoping he caught my message.
“You can trust that I will keep it,” he said as he bowed low at his waist and then lifted his head with a smirk on his lips. “Growing up with Gods does have its own advantages.”
We watched him walk away.
“You think he’ll become a problem?” Ryder asked, and I turned my eyes to his.
“Let’s hope not.”
We watched in silent respect as the wood was brought over, and placed a short distance from the rowan Tree. When it had been piled high, Savlian tossed a torch on the pile and we watched in silent hope. It wasn’t working at first, but as we watched, the ground began to thaw, and the moss returned to its lush, emerald-green color.
“It’s working,” I whispered past the tears that filled both my eyes and my throat. “Ryder, its working,” I said a little louder.
Chapter Thirty-Six
The fire illuminated the sky as night fell across the glade. We watched in silence as the Tree’s icy cocoon began to melt and the frost vanished. The fairies returned to the Tree, dancing around the flames. Their glowing wings cast a glittering effect in the sky. We had waited as long as we dared, and Danu had admitted that it was finally time to bring the babes closer and place them upon the moss-covered floor.
I accepted Kahleena and Cade as Ryder carried Zander over to the foot of the Tree. After he had placed Zander on the ground, he accepted Kahleena as I laid Cade down beside Zander, making sure there was enough room for their sister between them.
She was so still that I had to stop myself from checking for her pulse. I’d felt it in her as I had carried her over. Once we had them on the ground, Danu instructed us to remove their clothes, and then we had to go. I hesitated as I stood to leave.
“I have them,” she said softly. “Go stand with your people, and join hands. Instruct them to push the power they wish to give me, and I will accept it. You cannot be with the babes for this. It’s my turn to help them. This I can do; this is also the least I can do for you, my daughter. I promise no harm will come to them.”
I had no choice.
With my heart in my throat, I walked away from my babies, knowing that their lives rested in my mother’s hands. When we once again stood with the crowd, Adam took my hand, as Ryder accepted my other one.
Ryder thankfully repeated Danu’s instructions to the crowd, and the entire group started reaching for the closest person’s hand until we all were together as one. I felt the hum of power as they began to send it to the Tree, and I hissed with the amount of it as I felt it touch the Tree.
“It’s coming to me,” I whispered to Ryder. The intense
feeling of power that the Tree fed to me was both scary and intoxicating.
“Breathe,” Adam said softly.
“Can you feel it through me?” I asked as the power continually entered my system. I was unsure of how much I could handle, or if, as a Goddess, I even had limits. Adam shouldn’t have been able to feel what I was feeling anymore. That bond severed with the death of my old body.
“No, but if you don’t breathe and release the monster grip you have on my fingers, they’ll break.”
“Oh,” I said and loosened my hold on his hand.
I heard gasps from the crowd, and then whispered excitement as the Fae got their first look of Danu. It had to have been a choice on her end to allow them to see her. I smiled as whispered words about what she looked like started through the crowd. Every one of them was wrong, which caused a smile to flitter over my lips.
She kneeled down and dug her fingers into the earth, pulling off a chunk of moss, which she used to cover Kahleena. Danu’s words were layered, her voice barely above a whispered thought, but it played in my mind because she wanted me to hear it.
“My littlest warrior, you must be strong,” she said as she placed a gentle kiss on her forehead before bringing fingers covered in what looked like gold paint over Kahleena’s cheeks, and then her forehead. “Blood of my blood, heed me now, for I bless this little one,” she said in a hushed tone. “Blood of my blood, I call you now, I bless this child of Faery and beg you to heed my call!” she shouted, which scared Kahleena, and the small babe began to cry. “I bless thee, Kahleena Larissa, daughter of mine. I bless you for all time,” she said before she picked her up and held her beneath the Tree, then lifted the small babe in her hands up to the Tree as if in a supplication or benediction.
As we watched, the Tree gave off a shimmering ray of light, which looked like the Fairy dust from Peter Pan. I felt it, and knew it was the land of Faery’s blessing, as well as the trees. The land had accepted her.
“Oh, thank God,” I said breathlessly.
“Strange choice,” Elijah said from right behind me. “Considering the facts and all,” he amended wryly as I turned and looked at him without releasing Adam or Ryder’s hands.
“I believe in him,” I whispered. “I told you where I was raised,” I finished, turning back as Danu continued the ceremony with the boys. When it was finished, all three had been blessed. It didn’t mean they’d live, or that they were safe from death, but the Fae children that had made it to Transition over the last thirty or so years all had Danu’s blessing and the acceptance of the land.
I looked around as the Fae released the hands of the others as the ceremony ended, and Danu disappeared from their view. Ryder and I made our way to where she stood, once again invisible to the others. I kneeled on the ground and looked up at her and the ancient Tree behind her.
“You created this Tree before you created any of the races before us, why?”
“I needed a focal point, and people need something to believe in. The Tree is filled with my power, which is why, when I brought you over to this form, I was depleted in power. This world feeds me, and I in return, feed it. The Mages knew this because of my ex-husband. He told them where to strike us, and how best to remove me from the fight. Without his guidance, you should easily be able to strike against them. But I have to ask you to wait; you cannot rise against them yet, Synthia. You need time for the children to become stronger, and when that time comes, I’ll take them to the Hall of the Gods. They will be protected while you wage war among the Mages. Use this time to calm the disturbance with the Humans, and then bring war to the Mages. That is the only way that you can ensure that no other Gods intervene. Elijah knows that the other God is watching us, and he knows that we must wait. When he tells you this, believe him. No war can happen until the Humans are safe, for my children are killing them. If he wages war against us, we will lose.”
“So then we go to the Guild, and what? Help them?” I asked.
“No, you do as you said and create a new one. Create a better one. Protect the Humans, and bring some semblance of normalcy to the outcast Fae; they have none right now. This is what you had planned, you just have to do it sooner rather than later. You can do this; place Alden in the leadership role as you had planned. Allow Humans in, instead of just Witches. The Angels will come, and they will help too. I know this because I’ve seen it. Elijah will become an asset. Give him time to adjust and then offer him a role. I have to go attend to my ex-husband. He’s currently in a place where he can do no damage, nor assist the Mages. I have him handled, and until I decide to remove the God bolts, he’s stuck. Be safe, daughter of mine.”
*~*~*
We were back at the castle, and already Kahleena looked better. Her cheeks had a red hue from the chilled the air, but Ryder had seen to the fire which crackled in the hearth, and as I stood watching over her, he silently crept up and wrapped his arms around my waist.
“You did good, Synthia,” he said.
“I had no idea what I was doing,” I admitted.
He smiled against my neck. “I meant with our children. They’re truly beautiful. Just like their mother.”
“They are, aren’t they?” I whispered with a smirk on my mouth that he couldn’t see. “I think they have a touch of the devil in their eyes, though. That’s all you.”
He laughed, and I enjoyed the rumble of it as his arms tightened around me.
We’d placed them all in the same crib, since they seemed to prefer it anyway. Their birth had been filled with turmoil, but I had no worries that it would affect them in the long run anymore. I wouldn’t allow it to. I wouldn’t allow the war we would soon wage to touch them either.
“If they go to the Hall of the Gods, they’ll age faster. We’ll miss it, the time that they are there. Two days there is almost a month here. I’ve considered what Danu said, and while I hate the idea of sending them away, it would be the safest place for them with Bilé locked down wherever Danu has him. We need to be focused on the fight, and not on questions about our children’s safety.”
“Then we better prepare and have it planned out so where they are only there for a few hours. I agree though; I’d prefer the safety for them and the peace of mind of knowing they are protected so that we can focus on the fight at hand. I have my eyes and ears watching for the Mages. If they so much as come up for air, we will know about it. They can’t hide from us forever,” he said as his breath fanned against the sensitive skin of my ear.
“They’re regrouping,” I said as I considered the silence from them since the attack that ended my life. “They’ll want us to fight on their terms, but I think we should prepare for an all-out attack on them. We should send out more scouts,” I said.
“You think they are here?” he asked as he considered it.
“I do,” I replied honestly. “I think Faolán has them somewhere in Faery, and they’re searching out the relics hidden here. We have the majority of the relics, but some are still unaccounted for. I think they plan on fighting us right here. If I didn’t, I wouldn’t send my children away. I know we can protect them, but I would rather be smart about this. I have a bad feeling that they will be targets in the war. Better that we be prepared for them when they come. And Danu can have them gone from here quickly enough that, should the Mages show up, we wouldn’t have to worry about it.”
I hoped I was doing the right thing. The Mages were licking their wounds, but they wouldn’t be for long. They’d framed us and expected the Humans to keep us busy, and yet we now had their ace in the hole. We’d taken the man who’d been fueling this war. He was Danu’s prisoner, and Bilé could no longer give them information to use against us.
That was a huge gain for us and a huge loss for them. It wouldn’t stop them though and we knew it. They were dead set on the path they had chosen to walk, and when they finally showed up, we’d fi
ght them. I only hoped that now with the babes born, that it would be soon. I wanted this over with and I wanted them safe from the lunacy of it all.
“Did Ristan say anything to you after the blessing?” I asked softly after a few moments had passed. Ryder grimaced briefly.
“He told me that he wouldn’t be coming with us to the Guild. He also isn’t willing to allow Olivia to go back, either. I’m not even sure what to think about it, but I do know if we force the issue, he won’t forgive us for it anytime soon. He is still trying to figure out what her involvement with the Mages was. I offered to interrogate her and so did Zahruk, but he feels that if he can’t read her, that we probably can’t and he wants a little more time to find out on his own. He did say that if he gets nowhere with her, he will bring her to me.”
“I know things looked bad based on what Alden and Ristan told us, but what if she turns out to be innocent? Do you think Ristan will allow her to leave?” I asked thoughtfully, and Ryder snorted with a smirk.
“You are about to get a front row seat to how Fae and Demons feel about betrayal; more so, how he feels about it. No matter what happened, she betrayed Ristan and Alden and he won’t let her leave until he has exacted his revenge. Ristan will get the truth from her, and until he does, none of us will really know what happened at the Guild. I will not interfere and I hope you don’t plan on it,” he raised an eyebrow at me.
“Hell no. If she turns out to be a Mage and was helping them, I’ll put her down like a rabid dog myself, just like I did to Chandra. I’ve been thinking about that as well,” I said softly as I replayed the time I’d murdered the girl right in front of Ryder. “Looking back, so much of what the Guild told us was basically a lie. It’s too much,” I whispered.
“They’ve been fed lies, yes, but they chose to blindly follow what they’d been told.”