“No,” was all I could manage to say.
“How did this happen, Son?” Arach asked calmly.
“War,” Brevyn said. “Among the Gods.”
“The Gods are already at war,” Arach protested.
“Not like this.” Brevyn shook his head. “Now, they fight over the humans but soon, they'll fight over magic.”
“Thor was right,” I whispered. “The Gods are evolving.”
“What does that mean?” Arach turned his attention to me.
“When we were dealing with Katila, Thor mentioned that magic changes; itevolves,” I explained. “He thought that it might be evolving into something that would allow the Gods to kill each other and claim magic from the dead like the spoils of war.”
“It's not that.” Brevyn frowned. “Not exactly. First, their magic separates.”
“Separates?” I ask.
“Right now, they are connected,” Brevyn struggled to explain. “They can kill each other but it's hard for them.”
“The magic strengthens individually, in each god,” Arach concluded. “There is your evolution, Vervain. The Gods will finally be able to kill each other without issue.”
Brevyn nodded. “And that's when they find a way to steal magic. She shows them how.”
“She?” I crouched down beside Brevyn. “Who?”
“I don't know.” Brevyn scowled deeper. “But I can feel what she does. She's so angry, Mommy. At you.”
I hugged him tightly as the vision faded away. When Brevyn called me Mommy, he was really upset, and I couldn't have that. We'd seen all we needed to see anyway, and I was glad Arach had gone with us. His presence had kept me from panicking. Now, Arach leaned over Brevyn and me; surrounding us with his the safety of his arms.
“Mommy,” Brevyn whispered, “I don't want Asgard to burn. I remember it. It was my home, wasn't it?”
“Once.” I glanced up at Arach, and his jaw clenched. “When you were another person. But this is your home now.”
“I know,” Brevyn said as he snuggled between Arach and me. “But Irememberthat home. I felt happy there. You have to save it, Mommy. Only you can do it.”
“Okay, honey,” I cooed at him and stroked his dirty-blond hair. It had been getting steadily darker, and I knew that one day, it would be the same color as mine. “Don't you worry; I'm not letting anyone burn Uncle Odin's kingdom.”
“Okay.”
“Is there anything else you can tell me about the woman?” I asked gently.
“She rides with War,” Brevyn whispered and then shivered. “She carries Life inside her, but brings only Death.”
I nearly groaned. Why did prophecies have to be so cryptic and nebulous? My son didn't speak like that; like a prophet. It made wonder if he actually heard the words spoken to him and was simply repeating them. Brevyn would tell me everything he could so it had to be something like that. It made me frustrated and scared. Brevyn's gift of prophecy was supposed to be an aspect of his borrowing magic; a way for him to know which magic would best suit him at any given time. But his Vision seemed to be taking on a life of its own. Perhaps it was changing like all the other god magics were.
Suddenly, I remembered Disani, Goddess of Fertility and Death. And if Qaus didn't rejoin her, Disani's only companion would be Gish, the Afghani God of War. A woman who rode with War and had Life inside her but brought only Death. Maybe Brevyn's prophecy wasn't so vague after all.
“You know who it is,” Arach whispered.
“I think I do,” I said. “It sounds like Disani.”
“The Goddess who wanted Narcissus to kill you?”
“That would be her.” I grimaced. “She's a Fertility Goddess and a Goddess of Death. Then there's Gish, her cohort, who is the God of War.”
Arach sighed. “Well, at least you know who to kill.”
