Still, she tugged me.Come deeper. Feel my center. See the beginning and the end of me, godling.She turned with a stunning smile, and I felt like I was drunk on the power coursing through me. I spun in the center of the world, hot red lava swirling around me, and I felt no heat, no pain, just power. Once we were at the center, she spun me in a circle. Now focus on the packs on the map you showed me.
I nodded. “Gaia, mother of all, please hear my call. Send my power to protect those who cannot protect themselves.” I heardmyself scream, and I felt the power rush out of me towards the packs.
That’s one. Two to go.Gaia pushed me upwards, out of her core. Finish the spell, Godling, before it is too late.
I stumbled as I burst back through the ground, my eyes flying open, and gasped for air. My father frowned at my reaction, and I could tell he wanted to ask, but I couldn’t stop. I waved him off before I took a cleansing breath before I started the next part.
Pontus, I needed to connect to him.
I focused on the water running under my feet, hidden deep in the earth. I closed my eyes and focused on the crash of waves outside the cabin. The mist that sprayed my face whenever I stepped to the edge with the vast sea under foot, the hidden veins of the world untouched by man. “Nei tok lo sin kipa.” I stretched my arms wide, flinging my power like water droplets from my hand. My power dropped through the ground, and I felt the water bubble up to meet me. Water flowed around my ankles, my knees, and I felt it rise higher. I pictured a shield over the entire pack land, and an impenetrability shield that would allow us to move freely, but would repel humans. “Tosh hi fic nedit kan ya.” Water rushed over my head, and my chest tightened. I started swimming, trying to find a way out so I could catch a breath, but I was stuck following the current that would eventually push me out to sea.
The cool water rushed around me, a whirlpool of dark water; it felt like a water slide. I laughed as the water pulled me along. I was swept away with the joy of the dark water until I saw a shape in the distance once again. I dove, swimming away from the god chasing me. I felt his shape cut through the water, and I twirled, rolling my body down his.
He spun and swam back towards me. The game of chase seemed to surprise him. Pontus’s deep laughter chased me, his serpent body swam in a circle around me, until I grabbed onto afin he was offering.Take it.His voice filled with laughter.I need to show you something.Then we were off.
He swam down; the fresh water around us turned salty, and the pressure increased. Still, I held my breath. My lungs were screaming at me, and I was terrified I was going to pass out.Breathe godling. My domain is no threat to you.His voice was joyful. He wanted to share his domain with me.It has been so long since I could play like this. Come see my center.
I took a second before I tried to take a breath. Water rushed into my lungs, and I panicked for a second, but then I realized it took the urge for air away. I took in another lungful of water, and I felt water feed oxygen into my cells.I’m not dead. I sounded surprised.
He laughed again and then swam faster; the darkness became absolute the farther we went down. Still, he swam deeper.Look. At his voice, light sprang to life and I gasped. His center was deep in a trench, the deepest part of the ocean. Creatures never seen before swam around us. The pulsing heart of coral, deep down at the bottom, was pure white, and beautiful. I reached out a hand and wrapped it around the closest branch. He shivered.Focus on your packs, godling, before your touch distracts me enough I might fight your mate for you.
I felt my mouth drop open, but I shook myself and closed my eyes. “Pontus, father of the sea, please hear my call. Allow my power to flow through you to the packs I need to shield and shelter from those who want to harm them.” I felt my power ripple out and rush through the water. My fingers slipped from the coral and Pontus spun me in a circle, sending me flowing through a current back to my pack lands.
I swam through the water and exploded back onto the ground, and I felt myself fall. I caught myself on my hands, panting as I caught my breath. I felt water soaking my clothes, and I opened my eyes to see my father dropping to the ground. His face metmine, and I just nodded. I gave him a thumbs up as I took another minute.
I pushed myself back up onto my feet. My power still coursed through me, and I pulled the last of the power from the ground. The blood that had once coated each blade of grass had disappeared. I had pulled it all out for the spell.
I spun in a circle, and I caught the moment when guards burst through the trees. They ran straight for my father, probably to inform him about the convoy almost at our door. Cass was among them, running straight towards us.
Focus on the spell. Call my brother.Pontus’s voice held a hint of amusement.You have no time to collect yourself. The humans are almost here.
Chapter Fifty-One
Iclosed my eyes as some murmuring started. Uranus was next. I took in a breath and I focused on the air filling my lungs. The life-saving grace of oxygen flowed through my body, nurturing my cells, and feeding my muscles. I felt the breeze flow through my hair, the swish of leaves blowing in the wind.
“What is she doing?” Cass’s voice was loud enough to catch my ear, but my mother hushed her.
“Amy is trying to save us.” My mother’s voice was low but annoyed. “Now hush. Don’t distract her.”
I watched with amused distraction. Lynn came running from the house, clutching something, but I felt the tug in my chest once more and knew it was a warning. I needed to finish this.
I raised my arms. Refocusing on Uranus. I pictured his giant form flying through the sky, using updrafts to fly higher and higher.
Call my last son. You are cutting it too close.Gaia called to me.
“Sen ta cun di for ple shorn.” I called out, and I felt my power rush to my fingertips. The wind picked up, and I stood strong against the gales battering my body. I sent my power flying out into the sky, joining with the wind, dancing through the air. Small cyclones of wind and power whipped around me, pulling my power from my fingertips and sucking it up into the sky. “Piven din clo verta dom si vil.” The small dust devils that were around me converged. The tiny power vortexes turned into a cyclone. I felt my feet leave the ground, my body being sucked up into the spinning power vacuum.
I tried to breathe, but the air had been sucked from my lungs. The pressure in the spinning tower was crushing, but even when I wanted to panic, I knew I was safe.
Spread your arms.Uranus’s voice was deep. He chuckled, and it sounded like thunder. Lightning flashed around me, another thing I should have been afraid of, but I felt safe inside this storm.Fly with me, godling. Feel the wind beneath your wings. The power that comes from lording over the sky.
I opened my arms wide. I felt foolish.I have no wings.Uranus chuckled again, sending more lightning dancing.
Says who?His voice was coming from above, and I looked up through the spinning dirt and debris our tornado pulled from the ground. Above it all, Uranus’s thunderbird form flew in a circle, urging the cyclone to spin faster and faster.Come, godling, fly with me, be free with me. Fly to my center and feel what it is like to be truly free.
I opened my arms again and pushed down, like a bird would, and I shot out of the side of the cyclone into the center. Thepeaceful center was discombobulating compared to the crushing weight of the tornado’s wall. I shot up and out of the storm, meeting the god above it all, and I took my first clear breath since the storm started.
I looked down.Wow.He laughed again, sending lightning dancing through the clouds. I stared down at the pack lands, and I could see the gathering people. I saw Lynn halfway to us frozen.Why isn’t she moving?I nodded to Lynn.
