Page 20 of Winter Queen
I send a little magic to the closest orb until it starts to glow brighter.
Beira is lying in her bed, sleeping peacefully. Her skin is pale though, and her breath is clearly audible in the quiet room. There is no sign of Theodore; he must have left shortly before I arrived. Maybe he's gone to tell Crispin to take over again. As much as I want to speak to my healer Guardian, I'd prefer if he didn't come just now. I need some time alone with my mother.
"Mum?" I ask quietly, and her eyes flutter open immediately.
"Wyn. Come closer," she says in a raspy whisper. There's a glass of water on the small bedside drawer and I take it with me as I approach her. I help her sit up a little so she can drink. It's scary how easy it is for me to lift her. She's so light, so frail. How did my mother change from an almighty Goddess into this sickly woman?
Oh yes, it's all my fault. I'd tried to forget that fact.
"Thank you." Her voice is a lot smoother now that she's had some water. She leans back against the pillow I fluffed up for her and looks at me with an echo of her usual piercing eyes.
"How was the meeting?"
I sigh a little. "Bleak. Ada has run away, Storm has taken her place, Algonquin thinks that the Northern Gate may have been used by the Morrigan's messenger, and the Southern Gate has been attacked repeatedly. For now, it seems all we can do is wait for our scouts and spies to bring us more information."
"You sound as if you've already got a good understanding of the situation. I'd hoped to spare you from taking over more duties for a while, but it wasn't to be."
She coughs and I hand her the glass of water again.
"There's something Tamara said," I begin, watching her drink in small sips. "She was wondering whether I can do the same teleportation magic you do, to transport our soldiers to where they're needed."
My mother frowns, thinking for a moment before she answers. "It's not like normal magic. It's more like wings, something we're born with and while it needs a bit of practice, we instinctively know how to do. You've never accidentally teleported somewhere, have you?"
I shake my head.
"Then it's unlikely that you possess that skill. It's something only Gods can do, I'm sorry." She smiles at my disappointed look. "But you have some other magic we should talk about. Was that the first time you used lightning?"
"Yes. It just came out of nowhere, I've never felt anything like it before. It was very... overwhelming. Violent. Hard to control."
"I could see that," she says drily and I cringe when I think of what my magic cost her. "Don't feel bad. Nobody knew that you were going to be in danger of having another flare, myself included, or I would have done something about it. What's happening to me is natural. Spring is coming, Winter is disappearing. It's why Angus has been waiting until now to make his big moves. Luckily, we have you."
"I'm not much use, I still can't even control my magic. How am I supposed to make other people do what I say if they know how unpredictable I am? None of the people who were in the collapsed Palace wing will ever trust me again - I almost killed them! If you hadn't been there, they'd all be buried beneath tons of stone."
I fight against the urge to punch something. The wall, or maybe myself. I'd punch my magic if she wasn't holed up in her cave, purring innocently. I'm going to need to have a serious talk with her. She doesn't care at all about what's happening to the real world as the effect of her power tantrums.
"They don't know it was you," my mother whispers, her voice slowly getting weaker again. "And even so, you're my daughter. They will accept you. Now, go to the library and seek out Algonquin. Have him give you anything he has about lightning magic. But before, tell Tamara to contact Thor. I think he may be the perfect teacher for you.”
* * *
Thor doesn't quite looklike he does in the films, but that's not a bad thing. Not at all. If I didn't already have my four Guardians... well, let's just say I have a hard time not drooling. That may be due to the lack of his shirt. Yes, he's showing off his bare chest, wearing nothing but loose leather trousers and black boots. And his hammer, of course, in a sheath around his waist. Tiny lightning bolts are sizzling around it, looking very much like the magic I produced yesterday.
"So, you're Beira's little spawn?" he asks me in a deep voice as I approach him in my mother's vestibule. Other nobles and a few minor Gods are standing on both sides of the room, watching us curiously. I'm sure everybody in the Palace is about to know that Thor called me a 'spawn'.
"Her daughter, actually. And you, are you one of her creations?" I shoot back and watch gleefully as he raises his bushy eyebrows in surprise.
"I am, actually. Does that make us siblings?" He howls in laughter at the disgusted expression I'm sure my face is showing.
"No. Cousins, maybe? Twice-removed, at least?" I add that so I don't feel bad about ogling his stunning physique. I don't want to look at my brother/cousin/whatever that way. The whole concept of my mother creating other Gods is still a bit too much to grasp. She also made my father, so maybe Thor is my uncle? Urgh, Wyn, stop that train of thought. There's no genetic similarity between me and Thor.
"I like you, Godspawn. Well met."
He stretches out a hand and I take it, squeezing hard to show that I'm not intimidated by him - even though his hand is almost twice as large as mine.
"Nice to meet you." I was tempted to reply with 'well met' as well, but that was a bit too medieval for me. He's allowed to speak like someone from a film, but not me. I'm your standard down-to-earth Demigoddess.
I notice how the room has become very quiet. All eyes are on us. I feel a little uncomfortable, very aware of the scarf I have wrapped around my head. They must all be wondering why I’m wearing it.
"Let's go somewhere a little more private," I suggest and he grins at me.
