“The one and only,” Aros replied. “Be wary of him—we don’t know his affiliation right now, but he throws the best parties. A guarantee that most gods will attend.”
I shrugged. “Fine with me.”
King hurried into the clearing, brushing snow off his shoulders as he spun his head in all directions. “How the heck did you get the garden to cooperate? I’ve tried at least ten thousand times to clear a space for a party here, but every single time the land reforms back to the original wildness.”
I was just wondering if we were going to break the secret to him or wait for all the gods to arrive, when Coen said, “Willa did it. She is Creation.”
Okay, then. One question answered.
King skidded to a halt, his bare feet sliding across the shiny grass. “Excuse me?” Suddenly he sounded less effervescent and more like a scary god. “Did you just say she wields Creation?”
I released the heat again, and this time I kept my eyes open because I was only aiming for something small. The gold of King’s necklaces started to shimmer, and his eyes widened as a hundred more necklaces appeared around his neck, some extending all the way to the ground.
He toppled forward under the weight, his hands just managing to stop him before he faceplanted. When he lifted his head, the first place he looked was at me, his eyes darkening to something more olive.
“Guess it was a bit excessive,” he admitted, no doubt wondering if I’d chosen that particular “creation” as a dig at him. Yeah, it might have been a little dig. I released a deep breath, and with it went more of my energy. The extra chains vanished, and King was able to stand again. It was so easy now for me to envision what I wanted and then to make it happen. Like a muscle, once I started to use it, it worked more efficiently.
He approached us slowly, eyeing the six of us warily. “Where would you like me to set everything up?” he asked, acting far more deferential than he had before. Yael and Rome moved away from the group, sticking to our pairs rule, and started directing King to a spot further along. As they walked away, I kept my eye on Yael, glad that there was so much cleared space now. It made the task of keeping an eye on him much easier.
“You just have to do that with a few dozen other gods and we’ll be in a great position,” Siret said. I turned some of my attention back to him.
“It’s easier now,” I admitted. “To create what I need. I’m not sure what the limit to my power is … I certainly don’t feel tired right now, but we know there is a limit.”
“I’m proof of that,” Emmy said, approaching our group with Cyrus close to her side. Like me, she had changed from her responsible clothes into something a little more badass. It wasn’t as leathery-looking as mine, but the fitted dark pants and shirt were definitely suitable for running and fighting. She’d teamed it with a high bun that allowed a clear view of her stunningly pretty face. She had changed a little since returning from the dead as the Goddess of Fertility. And I would never stop being grateful that I’d had the power inside to save my sister, because I couldn’t live without her.
Thankfully, she was also the biggest proof of my power. A lot of the other things I could do to show people my power wouldn’t be that impressive. Siret, King … and tonnes of others could all create basic objects from nothing. It was pretty surprising that King hadn’t questioned me more after the last display. I mean, every god held a small facet of creation. I had to be able to show them that I was more than that. That I was like Staviti.
That I could create gods.
Emmy was my evidence.
When she reached my side, I took her hand, sadness at her almost death creeping in. I hated thinking about what had happened, but it did give me a great motivation to take Staviti out. “You look amazing, Will,” she said, her eyes running across my leather. “Very much a badass god.”
“Badass Creation God,” Siret added, sounding proud.
Emmy’s eyes twinkled, and just like the others, she didn’t really seem surprised.
“You already knew?” I asked. “I mean, we all knew I could create gods, but no one seemed to want to put a title on what sort of god I was. I figured everyone was confused.”
Emmy laughed. “Well, it’s never good to put labels on you. Proving everyone wrong is a specialty of yours, but I had my suspicions that you might be able to rival Staviti’s power—or else he wouldn’t be so threatened by you.”
I yanked her into me, hugging her hard. “Thank you for being the best family I could have ever wished for.”
“Willa!” The shout from Yael had me jerking away from Emmy and turning in his direction. I realised that I’d already stopped watching him, and a relieved breath left me when I found him unharmed, still standing with King.
He waved me over, and I gave him a nod before turning back to Emmy. “I’m going to help them finish the setup. Can you keep everything running smoothly with Pica and whoever else arrives early?”
Cyrus was at her side so fast it almost forced me back a step. “We will keep them under control,” he said shortly.
Emmy just shook her head at him, not bothering to argue. “I don’t know how you handle five bossy gods, Will.”
The warmth in my chest expanded. “We are symbiotic. I couldn’t survive without them.” I had to clear my throat, because we were getting emotional and heavy. “Plus, we all know I’m the boss.”
I could say that because Yael wasn’t there to argue. Coen, Rome, and Siret just levelled heated looks on me, which I took as agreement. “And on that note, I’m off to see what Yael needs.”
Siret joined me as I hurried across the grassed area toward the pond. We had limited time before the gods arrived, and it was time to finish making it a party that no god could resist.
