“What wouldyoudo?”Herne asked.
She thought for a moment.“I’d open a portal for them to go through.They’ll take it—Whispering Lights are conflict-avoidant—and then the gyanatar will leave on its own.The only food it’s interested in is the Whispering Lights.Ember, you can open simple portals now.”
I stiffened.“I can?”
“Yes, I was just about to teach you that, but now that this has happened, you might as well learn.”Morgana had been mentoring me in my emerging powers as a goddess.I’d gone from priestess to mentee since the Gadawnoin, learning how to be a goddess.
“So, what do I do?”I asked.
“I’ll go with you and instruct you.It’s really better if I show you how to do it, rather than just give you instructions.”Morgana glanced at her phone.“I have time now, so we might as well take care of this thing so your friend can return home.”
“One more thing,” I said.“I had another prophetic dream this morning.It’s been a year or so since I’ve had one, but this one was a doozy.”
“Save it for after we send the Whispering Lights home,” she said.“Gather your things and let’s go.Since they can come out in daylight, chances are they’ll be there now.Especially if they’re expecting help.”
She stood, motioning for us to follow her, and headed for the door.
“You stay here,” I instructed Talia and Yutani.“We’ll be back soon, I hope.”
And without another word, Morgana led us out of the building, down to the garage.I gave her the coordinates, and she said she’d meet us there, and vanished.I turned to Herne and Viktor.
“We’d better get a move on.No matter how fast we get there, it won’t be fast enough,” I said.But I laughed as we headed to our cars.
CHAPTEREIGHT
When we metMorgana near Nalina’s house, she had changed into hiking clothes and sneakers.It was easier for me to process how the gods dressed, which was very much like mortals when they visited over here rather than back in the Realms, now that I had gone through the process of deification.Wearing long robes and heavy adornments was taxing, and in this day and age, anybody who had anything at all to do with the mortal world adopted the ease of mortal clothing.
Herne and I led the way into UnderLake Park, Viktor and Morgana taking up the rear.As we headed toward Nalina’s usual trail, Morgana cleared her throat.
“So much pain, so much anger…the land here is tainted with blood and the battles all rage on,” she said.“I see why you say there are dark things here.But you don’t know just howmanyshadows linger beneath these trees.Even the plants are angry.The soil has soaked up all the violence and pain, and it emanates it through the trees and the bushes and even the blades of grass and mosses that hang from the trees.”
I shivered.“You just encapsulated everything I feel about UnderLake Park,” I said.“You know Raven?”
“Yes,” she said.
“Her first fiancé was killed here.A serial killer murdered him.”I thought back to the first days when Raven had come to us for help.And to the end, when she had made certain that her fiancé’s murderer never again took another life.Raven was chaotic, but at least she was on our side.The Ante-Fae lived by their own rules.
“Tragic.Sometimes blood must be shed, but for mortals like that—like Ted Bundy and the Green River Killer—well, such wanton and wasteful loss of life is truly the work of evil incarnate.”Morgana sighed.
“Do you believe a killer can be reformed?”Viktor asked her.
Morgana hiked along behind us as the trail began to ascend, not even a single drop of perspiration showing, or even a rise in her breathing.“Some say everyone has a redemption arc in them, but I don’t believe it.There are many who go to the grave, knowing the harm they’ve done, who don’t give a fuck.Cernunnos’s dungeon is filled with them,” she added.
I grimaced.Cernunnos had no problem judging those who broke the laws of decency and his punishments were harsh.But then again, the people who he imprisoned probably deserved worse.
“Are there will-o’-the-wisps in your realm?”I asked.
Each god and goddess had their own realms in which they lived.Some shared realms, as in Annwn, where the Celtic gods ruled, or in Kalevala, where the Finnish deities made their home.I would belong to Annwn, I had been told shortly after I’d passed through the Gadawnoin.
“Yes, there are.They inhabit just about every realm,” Morgana said.She stopped and looked around.“We’re near the Whispering Lights, aren’t we?”
I nodded.“Yeah.I can feel them, too.”
I stepped out into a small clearing off the side of the trail and within seconds, a group of the glowing orbs emerged from the side of the path.I had to remind myself these weren’t will-o’-the-wisps.They weren’t going to attack me, nor try to steal anybody’s energy.Off to one side, I caught sight of the gyanatar, huddling beneath a bush, just waiting.Suddenly feeling sorry for the Whispering Lights, I wanted to shoo it out of the way, to chase it off.
“Well, here we go,” I said.“The gyanatar is over there, by the way.”I pointed to the golden creature.
Morgana followed my gaze.“Yes, there it is.All right.I’ll teach you how to create a simple portal to another forest—one you’ve been in a lot.You can’t work out on other realms yet, so where can we send them?”
