Father did tell you about bonding humans and how to do it.
He told me that if I needed to do it, I could find a bright and shining human and force them to do my bidding. From what Liz says, that sounds more like the way the vanir handle things. After flying around for a moment, my strike blessed and earth blessed are landing a generous distance away.
Even so, Thunar watches them carefully. Dinner has gotten a lot bigger, and a lot stronger.
We don’t have to eat them anymore, Hyperion says. I’ve consumed a lot of fish, a few water buffalo, and even a crocodile. But my favorite so far is the kangaroo.
Thunar eyes the closest earth blessed, who happens to be Rufus. I suppose he didn’t want to leave me to face my enemy alone, but I wish he hadn’t come. I wonder how they taste now, like this.
Why don’t you try one and see? Hyperion looks absolutely diabolical.
I’m not willing to risk it, Thunar says.
Because so far, when blessed start rejecting food, they’ve always died shortly after. Something about the process going wrong isn’t good for us. I hope Hyperion knew that and wasn’t actually encouraging Thunar to eat my first lieutenant.
Not to mention the fact that he’s bonded to Sammy—Hyperion’s bonded human’s sibling and Liz’s too.
At least with all this going on, Father won’t be far behind him. Maybe he’ll think twice before attacking us. Then go back and tell Father we have the heart, and we’ll follow with it shortly. Perhaps it will fix the problems he’s having—you can even take it with you. Liz won’t like that, but it’s better than being dead.
Oh, I think not. I’ll be staying here until he comes. It seems like you’ve been having all sorts of adventures here without us, and I want to find out all about them.
Great.
You could bond a human and then take the heart back along with a few options for Father—tell him how we are, and buy him some time so he’s not so rushed.
Thunar tilts his head. Why are you trying so hard to get rid of me?
I’m not.
Is it because I’ve always hated you? Are you still afraid? He steps closer. Far too close. Or is there more that you’re hiding? He smiles, and it’s not a very reassuring sight. Because I can’t wait to sniff out all your little secrets, and if one of them gets you killed. When he snorts, small flames erupt, singeing the ground at our feet. Oh well.
Another group of earth blessed shoot across the sky, circling to land, and in the same moment, Euphrasia bursts from the water.
Is everything alright? I ask. I’m not disappointed at the distraction. I need time to process the ramifications of all the blessed coming here and work out a new plan.
Norellia water blessed has laid an egg! Euphrasia’s broadcasting, so within seconds, every blessed around us is trumpeting their excitement.
It’s an exciting day—we have the first non earth-blessed egg that has been laid in millennia, since shortly after we left earth. I just wish I had a better idea of how to handle the addition of ten thousand more blessed who will all need a bonded human. . .and the others who are coming any time now.
Chapter 2
Liz
When I was in seventh grade, there was a little girl who had a massive crush on Gideon. Her name was Olivia. She did everything she could to attract his attention, from stealing his pencil to bringing him snacks, but she hadn’t had much success. It was a little annoying, but I didn’t really care.
He was just my best friend. I didn’t own him.
But then, on my birthday, on the day I was supposed to have all the attention, the one day a year that people should be nice to me, she showed up with a broken arm.
I felt pretty bad for her, because I’m not the actual devil. Breaking your arm is a real bummer. Gideon gave her his water bottle when she didn’t have one at P.E. He carried her lunch tray. He even carried her bag. And when my mom brought cupcakes to my class during recess (kind of weird, vegan ones, but still) Mom gave her first pick.
She took the one that said Happy Birthday on the top.
It was fine. It was all fine.
Then, after lunch, she slid her arm out of the cast and started laughing. “It’s April first,” she said. “My uncle’s a doctor, and I thought it would be funny to tell you all I broke my arm.”
I’d never really cared that my birthday fell on April Fools’ Day. . .until that year. She basically ruined my birthday as an attention-grabbing joke.
