“All right, but let's be smart about this.” I motioned at the wires. “Why don't we destroy the wires first? Maybe if we break the attachments, we can save the relics.”
Ty pulled back his hand. “How?”
I raised my index finger, and a flame appeared on the tip. “Fey power—it comes in handy.”
Ty chuckled, finally showing a little of his old self. “Fucking dragons.”
I pointed at a wire, directing a thin line of fire at it.
“No!” Agwusi shouted even as the machine screamed.
It screamed. The machine screamed like a person, setting my ears ringing. As it screamed, the burned wire withered and withdrew into the machine like a witch's foot curling up beneath a house.
My flame went out. I stepped back, something in the air triggering my beasts. As Agwusi sobbed and animal roars filled my head, the room trembled. The air shimmered. My belly bulged. I gaped down at myself as my belly and breasts enlarged.My hands went to my stomach, and I felt a kick. Holy crap, I was pregnant! What the hell was happening?
Ty yipped.
I looked over to find him in wolf form, his body shaking and eyes wide. He curled up and whimpered. Agwusi had gone strangely silent. When I turned to check on her, I found a skeleton in her place, gaping at me with open eye sockets. Gleipnir was gone.
“Stop!” I screamed.
In an instant, reality snapped back into place. Or was it time that had faltered? Panting, I rubbed my hands over a flat stomach—okay, a slightly rounded belly. Ty was back in his man form, his blue eyes wide. He yanked me into a relieved hug.
“Are you all right?” I asked as I pulled away.
“Fine. I'm fine.” He looked at Agwusi and frowned.
I followed his stare. Thankfully, she was alive again. But she had the creepiest look on her face. As if she knew too much. An ex-skeleton shouldn't be smug.
“Do you believe me now?” Agwusi leaned forward, rattling her chains. “You can't disrupt the machine while it's running. It's integrated into reality.”
“If that's true. Why did everything return to normal?” I shot back.
“Because you commanded it to, Vervain.” She looked at the machine and then back at me. “It's aligned with you now. It listens to you.”
“Does it?” I looked at the machine. “Destroy yourself!”
“No!” Agwusi shouted again. She cringed, but then lifted her head when nothing happened.
“You see?” I waved at the machine. “It doesn't listen to me.”
“It listened,” she insisted. “But you went against it's safety programming, so it chose not to obey.”
“You're saying that it wants to live,” I scoffed. “A machine.”
“That is no ordinary machine.”
“There goes that idea,” Ty muttered.
“All right.” I went to stand before Agwusi. “I want to talk to God.”
“What?” she whispered.
“God. You said that you talk to God. He's behind all of this. So, summon him. Do whatever you normally do to get him here. I want to talk to this being.”
“I can't summon God, Vervain. He comes when he wishes.”
“Show yourself!” I shouted. “If you are real, and you're the one commanding Agwusi, then show yourself. I want to talk to the idiot who's been fucking with my life!”
