The Eternal Hunt sounded a lot like Valhalla to me, but I didn’t tell Odette that. I didn’t know the rules here, and didn’t want to offend anyone. “I keep hearing about the Seven Gods,” I said. “What are they?”
“Are you serious?” Delmare let out a deep laugh. “You must be joking.”
“I just found out about the Arcanea a week or so ago. My mom hid this world from me,” I explained.
“Whoa,” Delmare said. “So you have mommy issues. Me too.”
“Well…” I wouldn’t say that, but Delmare pointed out the obvious. My mom and I obviously weren’t as close as I thought we were if she kept things from me, especially something on this scale.
“Pop a seat!” Odette patted the spot next to her, and I squeezed in between her and Delmare. Odette crossed her ankles and said, “Okay, so the first thing you have to understand is that the Arcanea don’t come from Earth. We actually are descended from fae that come from another dimension calledEdinmyre.”
“Faeries, right?” I asked.
“Yep.” Odette nodded twice. “Our ancestors were fae who mated with humans, and they produced the Arcanea.”
“Can you still get toEdinmyre?” I asked.
“Nah.” Delmare shook her head. “The portal to Edinmyre was closed off long ago, and no one has been able to find a way back since. No one knows who shut it, either.”
“Why did we leave?” This was all so confusing to me.
“It was a very long time ago. But as the lore goes, we had to leave, or we wouldn’t survive the war between the Seven Gods,” Delmare added.
“The Seven Gods…”
“Right,” Odette said. “There are Seven Gods total who were the ultimate authority in Edinmyre. First is Tomir, King of the Seven Gods, also known as the Father Stag of the Hunt. He’s the god of virtue. He’s the leader of the Eternal Hunt in the Great Hunting Grounds. Only the greatest and bravest Arcanea are allowed into the Eternal Hunt, though most Arcanea make it into the Great Hunting Grounds. It’s our version of the afterlife.”
“So… what happens if you don’t get into the Great Hunting Grounds?” I asked.
“Then you go down,” Delmare said, and she chuckled.
“Getting to that,” Odette says. “Next is Droga, the Black Stag of Wrath. He’s the god of agony and suffering, the god of poor death. He’s basically the grim reaper among the Seven Gods. Those who serve him value power, and try to please him through sacrifice. He’s the only god that doesn’t live in the Great Hunting Grounds. He exists in the underworld instead. Arcanea that serve dark magic go there— like the Black Claw.”
A chill crept over my skin. “What about the others?”
“Well, let’s see.” Odette tapped her chin. “There’s Vesna, the Blue Doe of Knowledge. She’s the goddess of wisdom, and is usually worshipped by sorceresses. Then there’s Radek, the Red Stag of War— the god of bravery. Warrior Arcanea follow him. Then there’s Neva, the Specter Doe of Shadow… she’s the goddess of time. Last is Luka— the Ghost Stag of Chaos. He’s a thief god, the god of vigilantes and peasants.”
“You’re forgetting one,” Delmare said. “Milonna, the White Doe of Peace.”
I felt a shiver when she said Milonna’s name. I don’t know what it was— when she uttered the moniker, my stomach did flip-flops and a great warmth spread over my body, stronger than anything I’d ever felt. I longed to feel it again.
“Oh, yeah!” Odette popped up in her seat. “Milonna, too. She’s the goddess of love, fertility, and romance. She’s Tomir’s wife. She leads an all-female brigade of the Eternal Hunt called theBrygada.”
“So we fled Edinmyre because the gods were fighting,” I clarified.
“Tomir and Droga, to be exact,” Delmare stated. “One fought for light magic, the other for dark. Droga ended up losing. It was this whole ordeal. The legends are truly epic.”
“But since we left Edinmyre, we can’t go back,” Odette said sadly. “Not that we haven’t tried, anyway.”
I nodded. “So do the Arcanea worshipallthe gods, or…”
“Not really. In December, there’s a yearly event called the Choosing,” Delmare said. “It’s a big pagan celebration, with a ball at the end of the ceremonies. There, you pledge yourself to your mate if you’ve found them, and pick a god or goddess to worship. All Arcanea devote their lives and service to one of the Seven.”
Panic rode through me. Not only did I have to devote myself to a mate, I had to pick a god to align myself with as well? This was too much. I didn’t think I could handle it. Which one of the Seven was I possibly going to pick?
“You have time to figure it out,” Delmare said, catching my expression. “You won’t be called to participate in the Choosing until you find your mate, and either accept or deny their bond.”
I was already feeling overwhelmed. But I didn’t want to show it and look like the girl who was always behind. I checked my watch. “I’ve gotta go,” I told them. “I’ve got Illusion 101 in fifteen minutes.”
