I held up my hand, stopping him. I wasn’t here for that.
“I’ve been having nightmares for a couple weeks. They’ve caused me to sleepwalk.”
“Yes, I heard,” he murmured.
“They started after someone tried to break into my car. I think they were trying to get the blade. And Jamal was sent home because someone posed as me. I don’t have many vulnerabilities other than my child. Do you see where I’m going with this?”
His dark eyes studied me closely. “I think I’m beginning to.”
“Someone orchestrated this. Someone wanted Xander dead too.” The pain under my chest was sharp and unforgiving for days. It flared at my words, but I muscled past the feeling.
Timothy pressed at the spot between his brows as if trying to dig for some information. He already knew what I was going to ask.
“Who? Who would care if Xander lived or died? Or who would want the blade?” I still didn’t fully understand what this entity wanted. Maybe they wanted to break my spirit so I’d never use the blade again and they could take it? Or maybe it was about Xander the whole time. It was all muddled, but a single thread of connection was clear.
Timothy shook his head after a while, dropping his hand. “I couldn’t say. Xander has not had any enemies since Aten. And the sun god was slain by the blade you wield.”
“Maybe someone who cared about the sun god then?” I asked, pressing him for more.
Timothy bit the inside of his cheek, his eyes glowing a light green for a moment. It was if he was accessing some information from an internal database. It was why I chose him.
Then coming back to himself, he frowned. “No one I can think of. You must understand, Aten changed everything.”
“Xander said he thought Aten was getting too powerful, but no one paid attention until it was too late.” I added.
Timothy nodded solemnly. “Before Aten, we were a polytheistic society. Everyone prayed to many gods. Aten thought he deserved more than that and influenced the Egyptian pharaoh and all their followers there was only one true god. Him.” A dark shadow passed over his face. “When Aten killed Xander, he went too far. We all descended upon him, but the damage had been done. It was then that Osiris forbad any god from taking on worshippers ever again. We couldn’t recruit, we could use the old names anymore. It is why our identities have morphed amongst the Greeks, the Romans, and into the present-day celebrities. We were to be stripped of power equally so that humanity could rise to power.”
“Who was angry about that? Did anyone blame Xander? Was anyone on Aten’s side?”
Timothy shook his head. “We were all guilty of Xander’s demise having let him face Aten alone. None of the gods supported Aten’s lunacy, and he was hated in death for the price he all cost us. There is no one would help him to this day and age.”
The gung-ho parts inside me wilted. None of this was helpful. It was a history lesson without any clues to who tried to steal the blade from me. Who had been fucking with my head. Who made me kill the crazy god I loved.
Seeing my despair, Timothy reached a hand across to pat my arm.
“There are many gods who possess the power to design dreams and hallucinations like the ones that caused you to sleepwalk. I’ll make a list and we’ll start investigating them.”
I swallowed hard and nodded. Timothy understood I needed to do something, anything, or I’d fall apart. But I could already tell by his demeanor, it wasn’t likely we’d find anything pertinent among the gods.
Clutching my cup, I started toward the security office.
Timothy was at least trying, and I felt his sincerity. While I didn’t agree with the stance he took, I knew he’d only wanted to protect me. I was still pissed at him, but I’d get over it.
The person I wasn’t a fan of was Bianca. Resentment stewed in me. She promised the world would end if Xander died. And while I didn’t want that to happen, I found her baseless ravings to grate on my nerves even though she didn’t show up to press upon the matter.
My booted steps angrily echoed across the lobby of Sinopolis as my duster swept out behind me. Judging by the looks of others, I was a dangerous, moving thunderstorm.
It wasn’t enough that I lost a future with one man I loved, but now, twice. It was cruel. It was almost too purposeful not to be fate. It reminded me of what Xander said about being punished. Was I being punished? By Osiris or some larger consciousness that thought this was what I deserved?
“Miranda,” a voice called out, stopping me.
I turned to find Aoiki running up to me. She wore her school uniform per usual, hair up in pigtails with big pink fluff balls decorating each dark waterfall of hair. Her hands clutched the straps of her cute kitty backpack as she hurried over. Without preamble she threw her arms around me in a tight hug. “I’m so sorry. I’m so so so sorry.”
My arms remained at my side as I violently fought back the tears she forced to the surface. I didn’t want to do this right now. Not here, not like this.
Finally, she let me go. I’d be cold and put her off, if it weren’t for the compassionate look on her face. “You loved him, didn’t you?” she asked.
I could only bring myself to nod stiffly. Aoiki was a lot like Vivien. Not really aware of boundaries or conscientious to tip toe around painful subjects.
