The panel of glass swirled with light.
“Please.” Trevor stepped closer.
I glanced at Odin, but he was focused on the coalescing colors.
And then Ty appeared, standing beside the trickster. They were in their female form—the same one they used to seduce Ty. I didn't know if this was their true form or if they had stolen it from the Goddess whose name they'd used. Either way, they were female at the moment, so I referred to them as she.
“How many more do you need?” Ty asked the trickster.
“It's Uncle Ty!” Vero declared.
“Yes, baby, shh.” I took his hand without looking away from the screen.
Trevor's hands clenched into fists as he watched the trickster lead his brother across a minimalist courtyard. Isuppose it was a garden, but it was mostly gravel. An old-fashioned well stood in the center of the sea of white stones. Trees outlined the area, but there were no flowers in sight. The starkness drew attention to the grand structure before it. It was a classical Japanese design, with tiered roofs swaying up into sharp points. The carved architectural adornments were gilded, standing out against the pure white walls. Mist drifted across the ground, swirling around their feet.
“This is the last one.” The trickster strode up the wooden steps, holding Ty's hand.
Our view shifted, moving with them through the building, past men and women dressed in traditional Japanese clothing. The humans didn't see the trickster or Ty.
“We're seeing through the trickster’s Unseen Magic,” I whispered.
Odin nodded. “Only a ward will stop Hlidskjalf.”
“Where are you?” Trevor hissed at the image of his brother.
Ty and the trickster went into a room at the end of a corridor, and I realized where they were. I should have guessed it sooner. I had walked the same path they had taken. But it had been years since I'd been to Japan. It wasn't until I saw the altar with the missing sword that I knew.
Amaterasu had refused to give the sword back to her grandson after it was recovered, but she had left him her other two treasures—a crystal ball and a mirror. They stood before an empty sword stand atop a black lacquer chest. Fog swirled within the crystal ball, but the mirror remained silent.
“They're in the mountains of Izumo!” I pointed at the mirror even as the trickster picked it up. “That's Amaterasu's mirror!”
I ran for the stairs, hoping I could reach the tracing room in time to trace to the Palace of Izumo and catch the trickster before she stole Amy's mirror. The Japanese Sun Goddess would be furious if another of her treasures got stolen.
Chapter Sixteen
The palace of Izumo was empty. We didn't intend to scare the humans, but that's what happened when we came out of the tracing hut and ran through the palace. No one tried to stop us. These were humans who knew that gods were real and knew better than to stand in the way of one. They had run for the doors as we ran for the shrine.
We had to bring Vero with us. There's no telling what kind of trouble a magical child could get into in a magical hall. It was dangerous to bring him, but more so to leave him behind. So he ran beside Trevor, who was trying to hold back Wolf.
At last, we entered the back room. It was empty of life. No sign or trace of Ty or the trickster. I went to stand before the altar and stared at the empty spot the mirror had occupied. The only object left on the shrine was the crystal ball.
“We'll find them.” I took Trevor's hand.
“We'll go back and try Hlidskjalf again,” Odin added.
“Godhunter, what a surprise.”
The four of us spun around to see Amaterasu standing in the doorway. Her long, black hair hung in a braid over her shoulder, stark against her white skirt suit. Her dark eyes shifted from me to the shrine and then narrowed. Her grip tightenedon a white Hermes Birkin. There was a glow about the sun goddess that had nothing to do with her outfit. Behind her stood Hachiman, the Japanese God of War and a favorite god of the Yakuza. A black, tailored suit enhanced his thick body, with the top two buttons of his shirt undone. He had long black hair as well, but not as long as Amy's. It hung to mid-back on him, tied in a ponytail.
“Amy.” I shook my head. “I'm so sorry. We've been tracking a trickster god who ran off with my brother-in-law. We saw them come here, but we got here too late to stop them.”
Hachiman bowed to us. “Godhunter, Allfather, Prince Trevor.”
“Hello, Hachiman.” Odin bowed back along with the rest of us. Even Vero bowed.
With propriety seen to, Hachiman asked, “A trickster?”
Odin answered, “Yes, this trickster has played games with us before, but this game is different.”
