Balance Of The Worlds (11 page)

She enjoyed having her sister with her as the hours passed. It was almost enough to make her forget that she was basically being held captive in Lothonos’ home.
She
had tried to step off the grounds and return to the capitol city, but the instant she passed the boundaries those damned plant guards of his tightened right in front of her.

Loren could walk past them—but she could not.

Loren and Phaenna had both tried, but nothing they did would break through his safety measures. Phaenna was the only one who was pleased with that idea. “He cares. And he protects. You cannot fault one for that. I think
he
needs to do this, as much as you want to fight against him. I personally wouldn’t fight one like him. I bet he’s very good when you are cooperative, isn’t he? So dark and yummy.”

She contented herself instead with working off the anger she felt for him with the sword that had been her mother’s.

When the day had ended she felt tired, but in a good way.

Loren hugged her. Nelciana wanted to hold her sister forever. Next to the babes, and Kennera, Loren was her world now. She had yearned for her lost sisters for so long, the thought that she may lose Loren again terrified her.

“I will return soon. I want to see my niece and nephew again. And my sister. And I know Jushua wishes to see his, as well.”

Phaenna was still inside where Nelciana and Loren had left her. The older Laquazzeana had been fascinated by both Jordan and Brynnja and had been—in Nelciana’s opinion—
pestering
the two younger women almost to the point of madness. She was to join them at three in the afternoon. The time that Lothonos had sworn he and his cousin would return.

Nelciana’s breath sped up at the thought of him. She had spent another almost sleepless night thinking about Lothonos and what she was supposed to—or wanted—to do about him.

Never had a male ever gotten her so tied up in knots. Not even Jushua so long ago.

Phaenna came almost floating into the courtyard. She stopped by the plant guards and laughed loud enough for the sound to carry over the grounds. When she joined Loren she had a pleased expression on her face. “So clever is the god of plants. If those little beauties of his can grow in other worlds, they may solve
some
of the very dilemmas he and Eiophon are now working to fix. Interesting isn’t it, how the pieces of each puzzle are starting to fall?”

Loren smiled, radiating
something
Nelciana couldn’t quite identify. Because she was Laquazzeana? “There’s much still to learn, Phaenna.
Nothing
is set in stone, after all. We can shake up the boggle game and all the letters fall in totally different ways.”

“You know the Fates can’t handle that kind of chaos and confusion. They’ll step in before too long.”

Nelciana had never had
that
great of an unshakable faith in the Fates. But apparently both Phaenna and Loren did.

“Let’s open the door and let him back in, shall we? I have some questions for his garden club.” Phaenna stepped into the largest clearing, near where Loren and Nelciana had sparred with the weapons that were far older than either of them. She held her arms up and the wind began to swirl around her.

Phaenna wore dark green robes that were of the softest silks, but the wind did not disturb them.

The dark Laquazzeana tensed. “This is not
right
.”

“What is it?” Nelciana looked up, toward the room where her babes rested. Her first thought would always be for them. She could see Brynnja standing in the window, always ready to protect.

“The barrier between her and Relaklonos, though thicker than most, should be parting.” Loren stepped away from Nelciana and waved her own hands. Light swirled around her.

But the sky darkened to black.

Nelciana heard people somewhere screaming. Her hand went her sword. Her own power started to well within her. “Would a portkey help?”

“No. I don’t think so. Portkeys contain only a bit of the power that Phaenna possesses. Me, too, I suppose. She should be able to open it easily. So should I. And I
can’t
. Get inside, Nelci. Stay with the babies, and don’t come out until we tell you to.”

“I cannot do that. I am the goddess, Loren. I am needed here. The babes, they are well protected by the wolves and Lothonos’ people inside. But
I
have some of mother’s power, too. I can help. My people, Lotho’s, they will not see me run and hide. They cannot see that; they will be too afraid. I will help.”

“As can I.” Nelciana turned. Kennera stood there, dressed in her own traditional formal Dardaptoan wear. “I woke this morning knowing that I would be needed. I had this feeling that Eiophon would need me.”

“Then let’s do it, then. Let’s bring down the barrier,” Loren said. “Phaenna, tell us when you are ready.”

Phaenna was shaking, her arms still extended to the skies. “I don’t know. This…this is not something that I
saw
happening. It is
him.
I can feel him. He has frozen the barriers of all worlds, to prevent those who would flee him. While he feeds on ancient Nellanas he has captured for this very purpose. They are his cattle, his fodder! I…it isn’t just
one
barrier that needs to come down. It is
all
of them. And quickly. Before it is too late.”

“Can we do that?” Nelciana asked, as the fear in her stomach doubled.

“I do not know. But we are going to need more than what we have here. Go. Gather all of your people, and the wolf’s and the Druid’s. Bring them to the capitol city. Those with power, those who can do what must be done. We have less than an hour until the barriers are permanently frozen. Go!”

Nelciana ran inside and to the nursery. Brynnja met her there. Jordan and Whin held the babes. When had Whin rejoined them?

“My lady?”

“Listen, I do not have much time. The Dark Sorcerer has frozen the barriers between all the worlds. If we do not act quickly we will not be able to reverse this. We have less than an hour. Jordan, I need you. I need the magic in the reborned soul you possess. Brynnja, the task I ask of you is equally as important. You and Whin, take the babes into the caverns beneath this place. Lothonos has then set up as a safe refuge.
Keep
my children and any others you find in this place safely down there. Promise me.”

“Of course. We will wait here until your return.”

“Then Jordan, come with me. I am sorry to ask this of you, but…”

“I have siblings in other worlds, as well. I may not be close with them, but I can’t be cut off from them forever. Let’s go, my lady.”

Nelciana sent out a call to the priests and priestesses of her Kind, pulling them to the capitol city of Av. Her people were conditioned to listen for her rare calls, and she knew the strongest and most faithful of her Kind would answer.

She tried another call—this one to the Druids that were led by Lothonos.
Come. Your god needs you now...Come…Do not tarry. To the city of Av. Hurry!

She did not know if the reclusive followers of Lothonos would answer, but she had had to try. The worlds might very well depend on it.

Lothonos used the portkey and waited for the ether to appear that would allow him to enter his home world. Nothing happened. He used another. Still nothing.

Nothing.

“What the fuck?” Eiophon asked, pulling a portkey from his own pocket. He tried it. Nothing. “Anyone have any explanation?”

“It is locked.” Lothonos ran over the scenario in his head.
This
was something he had never considered? What if they were never able to return to Levia? He tried another portkey and another and another. Nothing.

In uncustomary anger he struck the barrier—first with his fists, and then with his magic. Still no response.

He pounded his fists against the barrier between the worlds until his blood flowed freely down his arms.

Until hard hands pulled him away. “It does no good. There will be another way in.”

Lothonos wanted to strike out, to hit the big blond giant trying to keep him from returning to Levia. “Let me go.”

“Look at it logically. That’s your thing, isn’t it? Something has closed the barrier between the worlds—but that doesn’t mean it cannot be opened in other ways. There are others who can bend them enough to pass through.” Jushua pulled him back, and like him or not Lothonos listened to the voice when every instinct he possessed told him to fight his way through, back to his female and the babes they had created. “Loren is one of them. She’ll find a way back here, I can damn well guarantee it. Her mother waits in Relaklonos, too.”

Maybe, but he didn’t have to wait for that girl he wasn’t entirely certain he trusted, did he?

***

The city of Av was a large one. There were four castles that stood at each corner. Erasomophus inhabited one. Kennera and Eiophon had once been imprisoned in another. Some of the other deities inhabited a third, and Domustri had the fourth. Whenever Nelciana had been in the city, she had stayed with Kennera. It was to the center of the four castles that she led the Kinds who were gathering now.

Kennera was there, surrounded by her own people, and Eiophon’s. Though the Lupoiux were not often the magical sort.

Loren and Phaenna were visible in the very center. Nelciana ran to them. “Is it enough, do you think?”

“I don’t know,” Loren said. “But we have to try. And soon. We may not have enough time, as it is.”

“Then we do it now.” Phaenna grabbed Nelciana’s hand in hers. Loren pulled Kennera beside her. “Just aim and push!”

“Yeah, like it’s always that easy!” The storms swirled around them. Loren looked at Nelciana. “We don’t know if this will work, or if it will mess up all the barriers completely. But we have to have a way to get through them, somehow.”

“Whatever we do, it’ll be what we are
meant
to do.” Phaenna was getting impatient and she yanked on Nelciana. “We need to do it
now!
And face the consequences of our actions once they are made!”

“Then do what we must!”

Nelciana found the strength within herself. She closed her eyes, ignored the screams, the chants of the people surrounding her—looking toward her and Kennera to answer their questions.

They were the only ones whose Kinds had heeded the calls. She opened her eyes again. She saw none of Erasomophus’ people, none of Iustacia’s or Domustri’s or any other’s.

Just hers. Just Lothonos’ and Eiophon’s and a few that she suspected were his cousin Acylias’s. And just Kennera’s.

Kennera.
Whose mate was stuck in another world somewhere, with her mother and her brothers. Kennera’s family. She would not
let
her closest friend lose anyone else again.

Power surged within her, reminding her that the Gaians of old had set
her
as the patron goddess of
family.
There were families in eighteen worlds that needed to be protected.

And it was her job to do it.
That
was what she was meant to do.

The world around them shook. Nelciana could see the barriers breaking, though they remained translucent. It was one of the strangest things she had ever experienced.

Power flowed through her, but she wasn’t certain if it was hers, or her sister’s. Or Phaenna’s or the rest of the Druids and Dardaptoans and Nellana witches or even the Lupoiux. It was just power, and it was a message.

A demand to those who guarded the barriers to let them
in,
no matter what.

She pushed. Loren pushed. Phaenna screamed a cry that echoed the beansidhe’s of old.

The first barrier fell. And then another and another. Nelciana could feel them as they went. And then something was rushing her, knocking her to the ground. Her sister and Kennera fell beside her.

Phaenna kept screeching. Over and over and over.

And then there was darkness.

It was finished.

She almost swore she heard voices arguing through the darkness.

And an evil one laughing somewhere even closer.

***

The barriers keeping him from his family fell, and Lothonos pushed his way through the ether and confusion before anything—or anyone—could stop him.

He was only vaguely aware of Jushua and Eiophon beside him. Lothonos understood their urgency.

There were thousands of people filling the inner city of Av. Maybe even close to a million. Lothonos didn’t stop to count.

There were only three faces he truly wanted to see.

A raptor’s shadow circled overhead. He paused long enough to look up.

There was only one bird that large in Levia.

His cousin cawed and dipped down to brush over the heads of the crowd. Some of the witches screamed and backed away from him.

Acylias had a reputation, after all. He was often confused with their cousin, the god of pain and chaos, because they favored each other so strongly. But Aki was loyal and protective of those he cared about.

He circled overhead again, then buzzed the crowd again He came so close to Lothonos, he felt the wind rushing off of his cousin’s feathered back.

The bird grabbed Eiophon’s tunic when he buzzed by, making it extremely clear he wanted them to follow him.

Lothonos trailed the bird’s shadow, pushing through the resisting crowd with every bit of power he had. Eiophon shifted into wolf form next to him.

The wolf rushed through the crowd in pursuit of its raptor brother.

Lothonos stayed right on their heels.