“Vivien,” I said, holding my hand out to her. “We must go.”
At first she started to say something smartass, by the twinkle in her eye. But she held her tongue when she saw my expression. She slipped her hand into mine.
It took no time at all to return to Sinopolis, to the antechamber of judgment. The massive wall of scales behind my throne melted away, and I led Vivien into the bright daylight of a sun that would not harm her.
We stood on the threshold to the glorious Afterlife. Where all worthy souls would cross over to the next eternal realm where they would exist in paradise.
Hraf-haf waited on the ferry as usual. When the crooked, graying man set his ancient, watery eyes on Vivien, they widened. He could instantly see her newly gained divinity. Normally, the grizzled old man never failed to launch into a tirade about his back pain or how thankless his job was when I was around, but the ferryman was unusually silent.
Vivien stepped into the boat with me and shot him a smile. He only lowered his eyes. Her lips wilted into a frown.
The journey across the river felt infuriatingly slow. I knew why we were here. The last time we’d come, Osiris ordained that Vivien could stay by my side until the conspiracy among the gods had been sorted out. He made no promises about afterward.
And now Vivien had ascended by my blood.
I had no choice but to come when he called, but if he thought I was about to let him take her from me, he would have another thing coming.
We stepped out of the boat and began the climb to the massive palace of Osiris. Paintings of our history adorned the grand columns, and the scent of lush reeds and fresh grasses filled the air. Entering this place usually instilled me with serenity, but even the egrets flying overhead did nothing for my nerves.
Vivien and I exchanged a hard look at the threshold.
“Do we have to go in?” she asked. “Maybe we could get a doctor’s note and say we couldn’t come.”
I softened at her joke. How I clung to her levity in times of strife. “There is no escaping his reach when he calls. Best to go voluntarily.”
She nodded and straightened her shoulders. We’d faced so much together already.
Through the doors, the sunshine flooded in through the antechamber that lacked a ceiling. A moat of water wove in through the room, butting up against the sides of the throne made of gold and rare gemstones.
Osiris sat there, still as stone with ice blue skin. Eyes, entirely the shade of lapis lazuli, watched us with unerring focus, so much that I couldn’t be sure if he was looking at us or through us.
I’d long ago learned there would be no containing Vivien, even if I advised her not to speak before being spoken to.
“We’ve done what you asked,” Vivien said, breaking the silence. “We found out who was trying to upset the balance and the world order and stopped them.”
Those alien-eyes scanned over to Vivien. She stilled as if struck frozen by his very gaze.
His words came out in layers of voices that filled the room. “And in the course of this action, changed the balance yourselves.”
I answered this time. “Perhaps some change is necessary after all.”
Osiris’s head tilted ever so slightly to the left. Fear rippled up my spine. The god was old, unpredictable, and more powerful than I could comprehend. Even the slightest movement could signal a danger I would not see coming until it was too late.
When he did not speak again, I informed him of Galina and Sekhmet’s activities until I put the Original back to rest and Galina hurled herself onto the Blade of Bane.
“My child is dead,” Osiris said without blinking. I thought I almost detected a hint of sadness, but it could have simply been a statement of fact.
“She changed everything,” Vivien said softly. “She brought back her sister, and they turned humans into vampires. But those people did not ask for it. And many, if not most, will want to live their lives, even if that means being undead.”
Osiris suddenly stood before Vivien. I hadn’t blinked or seen the movement, but there he was. Vivien jerked ever so slightly but held her ground. She stared back up at the towering god. Over eight feet tall, his white robes gently swayed in the breeze.
Osiris did not speak. A buzzing filled the room. Was he reading her mind? Weaving some kind of magic? Was he about to hurt the woman I loved?
Vivien did her best to straighten, but I saw her tremble in his wake.
Just as I was about to intervene, Osiris lifted a hand, his blue fingers hovering over her cheek. “The gods grow unruly, restless with time. They need protectors.” Still not touching her, his hand fell until it hovered over her chest. “You were his gift.”
My heart smacked against my ribs with heavy pounding beats.
