Cupid made a noise in the back of his throat. “That’s not exactly how free will works.”
“Good god. You can do it. I’ve seen you, Cupid. Many years.” And there was more behind her words than a young girl could deliver.
She was a deity, a power of her own, and had spent centuries on the moon, looking down on the earth. “I see you searching for more than just the book. You are searching for meaning. For why you should still exist. Why you should still carry that power. I’ve seen your fatigue. I’ve seen your restlessness.
“I’ve seen your goodness. That’s what will matter. That’s what will make this world tilt toward good.”
“Who said I want the world to tilt toward good?” Cupid asked.
Abbi dropped her head to one side and closed one eye. “Iseeyou, god.”
“Then you know better than to ask me to bind you to Brogan and Lula. Did I not send them to find you? Or have you forgotten?”
“I just… Yes, I remember that. But I thought…” Her eyes cut to us, away, then back to us, and away again. “I thought you could make it stick.”
“They have free will too, little rabbit,” he said. “Perhaps you should ask them what they want.”
Abbi looked down at Hado and nodded. “Still. You should be good. There aren’t a lot of good gods.”
“Time to wrap this up,” Eunice said. “Make the decisions.”
“You help us kill Atë,” I said, “and we’ll stay loyal. We’ll help you. We’ll help you with the book.”
Cupid rubbed his thumb on the side of his mug, the motion ticking, ticking. Power gathered and thickened, bringing a sub-audible hum into the air like distant bees moving closer, heavy with pollen.
“What you’re asking…” His thumb stopped. “It isn’t easy to kill a god. Not one like Atë. But I would rather walk this road with you than have you stumble into something that will crack the gears of the world.
“You’ll find that book with or without me. You’ve already found it twice. This then: Give me your word you will stay loyal to me.”
There was weight to his words, power. The bees landed, feet pricking over the pores of my skin.
“Give me your word you will not use the book without me.”
He knew. Or at least, he suspected, that we could use the book. Use the spells of the gods.
“Do you think we are strong enough to use the book? To cast a god’s spell?” Lula asked.
“I think you’ve been strong enough not to die several times. I think you’ve been strong enough to touch the book twice and survive.
“All good things and bad things come in threes. When you find the book again, I want you to give it to me.”
“What are you going to do with it?” The question was out of my mouth before I thought better of it, but it surprised him.
The power stilled, quivered.
“I will make sure it is lost and never found again.”
“You’ll destroy it?”
He exhaled slowly, and there was something very dangerous in his gaze. “No god can destroy it. Not even me. That, then, is a truth you now know, one we have not revealed to anyone. Brogan and Lula Gauge, I will have your promise. You will stay loyal to me.”
“Yes,” Lula said. “If you help us kill Atë, we will stay loyal to you.”
She had guts, my wife. Steel resolve to bargain with a god and not give ground.
“Yes,” I agreed simply.
“I give you my word and bond,” Cupid said. “If I can kill Atë, I will do so.”
