Page 22 of The Rebel Seer

“Does the god of the dead need a medium to speak to his subjects?” Rhys asks.

I know the answer to that one. I watched him not merely speak to the dead, but reanimate them and have their corpses fight for him. “He doesn’t need her medium powers. Which makes me wonder what power he thinks Shy has. The crone called her the sacred one. That sounds pretty specific.”

If Nim had arms, she would have waved that one off. I can tell from her expression. “You would be surprised. The old ones use the term sacred a lot. Like when Arawn was forced to give up his corporeal body, he had to divest himself of his sacred objects. Every Fae deity had objects of magical power and when they began to pass through into immortal life, leaving behind those objects was considered dangerous, though some of course remain. Then he would call his hounds sacred. His torc. You would call it a crown. They can’t be destroyed, so they were changed into things humans or Fae wouldn’t recognize as magical to hide them. He’s been obsessed for the last hundred years with finding them. It might be that he thinks Shy can help him.”

“But Shy is a human,” Devinshea points out. “She has no real connection with Fae planes. She’s lived her whole life here.”

“A human who can speak to the dead, a power considered sacred to Arawn,” Nim returns. “I’m trying to not put too much into his crone calling her the sacred one. There are a lot of sacred ones in Fae lore.”

“So this king is like Devinshea,” Sasha begins. “He holds the soul of a non-corporeal god within? Is there any possibility he would see Shahidi as a better vessel given her unique abilities?”

The general always asks the pertinent questions.

“No, he has never taken a woman as a host. Arawn’s particular power is masculine in nature. It’s why I was such a good mate for him. The power I hold is of the feminine divine.” She frowns. “However, the feminine divine can get fucked over by a wizard just like the rest of you. I left Arawn behind because I had a job to do. I always intended to go back. Over the hundreds of years we’ve been together, we’ve taken these breaks often. I didn’t mean to be gone for so long.” She looks my way. “Zoey, I’m not ready to see him. I’m not ready to see Rourke. Not yet. I need to be whole again before I admit what happened. What I got myself into.”

“Nim, you were raped.” I know what it means to be forced into some asshole’s bed to save the people around me. It doesn’t matter that he didn’t have to beat me. Threat is coercion, and drugs and spells certainly are, too.

“And yet I remember how eager I was.” She looks behind me as though she can’t quite meet my eyes. “It’s there. Those memories are there. I can see them. Feel them deep inside my mind. I was happy with him. I did things, things that hurt people, but at the time it felt right. Like what I allowed to happen to the pixie queen.”

“You mean when Olivia spelled her to find Devinshea and she died?” Danny asks, his voice cold.

“And her priest brought her back to life.” Dev’s tone is softer, more forgiving. “Daniel, you know how the thrall stones work. You know we betrayed our wife’s trust time and time again because it seemed like the right thing to do. I know how good I felt when Myrddin would praise me. Like I was worthy. What I wasn’t is a fool. Nor were you, Nimue. You were caught in a trap. We were lucky enough to find a way out, and so were you. There is nothing to be ashamed of.”

Tears well in Nim’s violet eyes. “I remember when the coup began. I didn’t kill anyone myself, but I remember crying even while I knew…I knew…it was necessary. And then one day the veil lifted and I realized it was all blood and murder and pain, and it only benefits one man. The rest of us don’t matter. We all live to serve Myrddin. Our wants, needs, desires, who we are as individuals mean nothing to him. He truly believes he can control the demons and force the humans to worship him. To make him their god. And then they will matter to him no more.”

“Can Arawn aid us?” Sasha asks.

“We shouldn’t trust him,” Danny adds quickly.

“Yes, he can and he will,” Nimue says with obvious confidence. “Arawn is serious about Annwn. It’s his home, his place of power, and it is not like Hell. It is connected to the celestial planes. If Myrddin cuts off Heaven, he cuts off Annwn, too. And I don’t know what happens to Arawn if he can’t spend time there. He is dual natured. Of Annwn and of the Earth plane. Rourke, his host, is Fae and must have access to those energies. Myrddin’s plan could kill him. So yes, you can trust that he will aid you in taking down the wizard.”

“What do you mean Annwn is connected to the celestial planes?” I ask and the crone’s words come back to me. “Matilda said Annwn wasn’t like Hell. What does that mean?”

“It means the underworld isn’t the same for all cultures. Annwn is closer to Valhalla than Hell,” Nim says, and then gasps a little. “I wonder if Odin’s still around. He’ll be pissed, too, and that old guy does not hold back. His son is an asshole, though. I’m not joking. Marvel makes Loki look good. He’s a little shit.”

“So all of the old gods are hanging around?” I’ve only really dealt with the Fae, which I should be forgiven for since they’re my in-laws. Luckily Danny didn’t come with a whole religious background. Vampires are pretty pragmatic.

“Some of them,” Nim explains. “Some left for the outer planes. Some became like Arawn when people stopped worshipping at levels that could keep their godhood up. Some cling to their places of power and never leave. Some are whispers, still trying to influence the humans. You can trust Arawn in this, Your Highness. It serves his interests to do anything he can to stop Myrddin. Your mission will be his mission.”

And if I’m right, it might serve my personal mission. “I believe Sarah took her family to one of the lesser celestial planes. Felix and Mia would be able to move on them. Sarah would need magic, but she would do anything to save them.”

“Arawn might be able to help. He knows doorways no one else dreams exist. If he doesn’t, he knows someone who does,” Nim affirms.

I know what I’m going to vote for. “So if we take Arawn’s invite, we don’t have to worry about getting around Myrddin’s guards and we might have a handy way to find my friends that means I don’t have to grovel to my mother-in-law. And we get to hang with the puppies.”

“I’m afraid Z’s right.” Danny sighs but looks resigned. “I don’t want a fight with Myrddin while the Nex Apparatus is on the Hell Plane.”

“I’ll handle my mother,” Dev assures me. “And I’ll get Nim back to her lake if it’s really her will to stay.”

“I can’t face him, and I will be a burden without my hands and heart. There is magic I can do with my mind, but Myrddin knew what he was doing. He cut me off from heart and body magic,” Nim explains.

Sasha stands. “Then we will be going to Wales. I will alert our allies and get the plane ready. We can be there tonight. I, for one, would like to get this mission started so we can rejoin our group in New Zealand. I’m leaving Chad and Lily in charge since the rest of my team is either coming with me or in Hell.” He chuckles. “It’s fun to say that.”

Kelsey and Trent aren’t exactly in Hell as we think of it. They’re in Gray Sloane’s territory on the Hell plane. I was told it’s called a midnight plane, and Fenrir will be powerful in that night kingdom. I hope so because my children Lee and Evan intend to either negotiate with or steal from Lucifer Morningstar.

All in all, it feels like I’m getting the easy end of this particular stick.

And I’m worried sick about my babies.

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