I grumble but finally gesture for her to go on.
“All right, I’m listening.”
She smiles gently, and I see something that makes my chest constrict. What bad tidings does this story bring for me? She’s sitting on a throne of ice, too, but she’s not feeling it. The All-Seer is a powerful god, more powerful than I gave her credit for.
“They debated for three hundred days before they decided on a plan.”
“What kind of plan?” I ask, not terribly interested in where this is going.
“A plan that would change their world.”
I frown and watch the old omega. Her hair is silver, her face unlined, but she feels old. She’s still an exquisite omega, even if her eyes are white and her sight is poor. The All-Seer of the Gods, her counterparts are said to be so ancient they have entombed themselves in stone; only she remains.
“Do you enjoy being cryptic?” I ask curiously.
“The anticipation is something delightful. I seldom get to be a pain in the ass without tantrums. You are a good sport, Alpha.”
My frustration fades into amusement, and a smile plays on my lips.
Outside the ball of my magic, the storm rages, bending trees and blowing snow in huge whirls of wind.
“So, they debated for three hundred days and decided?”
“Oh, you aren’t a patient one, are you? They decided to send an omega to Earth to correct all the wrongs. She would be the world's fail safe.”
I sit up straight, my ears buzzing. Shock ripples through me. “What?”
“It was decided that one omega would go. They searched and lined up all the omegas and couldn’t find one. But I knew there was someone they had missed, the only one who had the strength, the wisdom, and the compassion. I approached her myself. She hesitated, her eyes filling with pain when I’d finished my explanation.”
I stare at the old omega, my chest as frozen as the icy throne. I can see her in my mind’s eye, the twist of her beautiful lips, her pale, slim fingers would twitch and grab at her clothing while she thought. Her hair would be lifted by a nonexistent breeze. I can see the ethereal omega in my mind, and I feel like someone has just ripped my heart out and thrown it to the ground.
“She hesitated for so long I thought she would say no, but then she bowed her head and accepted their plan.”
No!
NO!
The storm goes insane around us.
“What plan? What was she supposed to do?” I roar, bursting out of my throne, my white and black robes flowing out behind me.
“She was to live, over and over, and be the warrior, the catalyst, and the end of all the things that go wrong. She would live through those dark days, and she would die to end the cycles of poison that had spilled into their hearts.” The All-Seer is merciless; she throws her words out, unworried about what she’s even saying.
My throne explodes. “WHAT?”
The All-Seer cocks her head to the side and watches me without a trace of fear. I rush out into the swirling storm, passing through it easily. Ittakes me an hour to get to the World Viewer. I stare down, listening as the prayers come up.
For days, I stand there, my hands gripping the side, staring down, desperate to know.
For days, I send up my own prayers, just to hear her voice, just so I know for certain. They go unanswered.
Is it her? Would she have left me?
My back aches, and my mind is a confusing maelstrom of painful thoughts.
“Please,” I whisper.
“She’s not going to pray to us, Winter.”
