Agwusi looked away. “Without substance, the souls will slip away.”
“Then shut the machine down.”
Suddenly, she went still and stared at the machine. After a few seconds, she bent to peer into the melted case and made a surprised sound. She straightened and faced Ty. “No, I may not be able to restart it if I shut it down. It's a very complex machine.”
“Agwusi.” Ty took her hands. “Please, give this up. We can live here peacefully. If you turn off the machine, I can convince Vervain to leave us alone.”
“I'm not afraid of Vervain. She is the reason I'm doing this.”
I went still.
“Because God told you to?” Ty let go of her hands, the skin around his eyes twitching.
“Yes, God has a plan for Vervain, but the Gods and their interference with humans distract her, leading her away from the path he’s set.”
“She's the Godhunter. That's her path.”
“That's not all she is.”
The other gods looked at me, but I kept my attention focused on Agwusi.
“I know.” Ty glanced at the machine, whirring beside them. “She's a goddess and a faerie too. The Trinity Star.”
“Yes, our guiding star. Did she tell you about the future she changed?”
“She died in that future. Her daughter came back and brought her forward so she could figure out how to avert her own death.”
“Yes, and Vervain set it to rights. As in, she set the future back on the correct path. Does that not sound astonishing to you?”
“Well, yes, but anything is possible with magic.”
“Not just magic, Ty. Vervain perfectly combines races, animals, and magic. There is only one Trinity Star, and there will ever only be one.”
“Why is that important to you?”
“Without Vervain, the realms would crumble.”
Ty snorted. “I love Vervain, but I don't think the world will end without her.”
“Then you're wrong, sweetheart.” She cupped Ty's face. “You know about that broken future. What you don't know is how broken it would have become. Samara brought her mother to the future under the guidance of Faerie itself. Because the Consciousness of Faerie knew its realm was fading. It was dying. So, it sent Samara to bring Vervain forward to the perfect moment when she could learn how to avert catastrophe. And she did. Vervain returned to her time and changed her future. How did she do that?” Agwusi held out her hands.
“I believe she saved Odin. He was being consumed by the body she put his soul in.”
“Yes, and losing him would have changed everything.”
“So, then Odin is just as important.”
“No!” Agwusi made an exasperated sound. “I mean, yes, he is important, but only because of his relationship with Vervain. It was her death that tore the threads of Fate. Her will mended them.”
“How?”
“I'll tell you how—she had the help of the Consciousness of Faerie, the Consciousness of the Void, and God himself. A trinity, you might say. They guided her daughter back through time, and Vervain forward. They guided Vervain to a solution and brought her home. But it was Vervain that made it possible. They could have helped no one else navigate time as she did. And that's not the only time traveling she's done.”
“Yes, I know. She uses her ring to move between realms so she can be with her children constantly.”
“No, I'm speaking of her recent trip into Faerie's past. The distant past.”
“What?” Ty backed away further. “What are you talking about?”
