Balance Of The Worlds (3 page)

The portkey always made her feel ill. Nelciana held on to Whin’s hand when the other woman whimpered. Many Nellana witches like Whin despised traveling through the barriers that separated Levia from the other worlds. The ones surrounding the world of the deities were unusually thick, something Lothonos was often praised for. It made it extremely difficult for the deities to slip through with a single portkey. Those that weren’t of Levia often had to use two portkeys to get through. And that was just the deities—those that weren’t of that caste struggled significantly to reach what was considered the world of the gods to the Gaian Kinds.

When the ether cleared around them, they found themselves in a large courtyard, in a city with towering buildings. The stone buildings were brilliant white flecked with jewels of deep black.

White and black—the demon city of Thrun, then. Some of her anxiety lessened. Thrun was a place she had never visited—but Kennera had. And said it was distinctive and beautiful. There would be those Nelciana recognized, and who would be willing to help her if needed there. It was as Dardaptoan a city as ever was, according to Kennera.

It was day where they were—as it should be.

“Come. We need to find the center of this city.” One drawback of traveling by portkey was that they were never able to truly predict where they would arrive in their destination. Usually, it was within an hour’s walk of their goal. But not always. Rumor had it that was a security precaution developed by the Four Fates to protect different worlds from attack.

Still, it made things highly inconvenient when traveling between worlds.

Today they were fortunate.

Nelciana still despised traveling through the barriers, though. She despised traveling at all—she was such a homebody at heart.

They walked until they reached the center of the city.

***

There was a crowd gathered, and Nelciana and her companion stayed near the back of it. Nelciana wasn’t ready to be recognized by anyone just yet.

Too much was happening in front of her.

She recognized some of the participants; her former betrothed Jushua was rather distinctive, wasn’t he? Tall and handsome, and so desperate. He feared for the woman, didn’t he? He had always been the protective sort, and fearless when those he loved were endangered. They hadn’t had a great love, but they would have been happy together. She hadn’t doubted that and had always missed his easy laughter and mischievous spirit. It was obvious he cared for the woman in front of him, wasn’t it?

Nelciana could not see her where she stood.

Someone stopped in front of her. Told her and Whin to step back. That they were closing off the courtyard.

Nelciana recognized him. Barlaam, a healer of great skill. “I stay, Barlaam of Dardaptos.”

She lowered the hood of her cape.

He bowed his head immediately. “Yes. Of course, my lady. If you would like to come with me, your sister is this way.”

Nelciana stood where she was, watching what happened before them. Light, power, pain, death, all surrounded them.

She never moved.

Nelciana wasn’t ready to understand what it was she was seeing.

Her sister had died thousands of years ago.

The dark-haired woman clinging to Jushua was not her Nelanora.

It just wasn’t possible.

She stood there, almost in a stupor, while the scene played out in front of her. When Eaudne, Jushua’s mother, was carried into the air by a sword.

It was more than she could handle. None of this could be true—she had known them all dead so long ago. Yet, that was Dekimos there, and Jushua, and Eaudne and another she had known for lost.

Estacles fell from the sky to land not fifty feet from Nelciana.

Estacles, who had been gone for five thousand years was alive.

As was Nelanora. She could feel the souls of the ones she had once loved pulling her toward them. Five thousand years without them swirled in her head and her heart.

For the goddess of family, it was far too much.

Nelciana collapsed at Whin’s feet.

***

She opened her eyes and looked straight into dark, fathomless ones.

“Hello. About time you woke.” The woman grinned. Her teeth flashed white in her dark face. She was absolutely stunning, perfect in form. And it didn’t take a small bit of Nelciana’s power to realize the woman was most likely mad. “Why is there a Witch goddess in the Land of the Hot Demons? Come to get some strange?”

“Pardon?” The few times she’d met Phaenna, Nelciana had spent the minutes and hours confused. She half thought the ancient Laquazzeana did it to her on purpose.

“Don’t you have a gorgeous, if slightly clueless, god somewhere back in the World of Wolves to play with?”

Mad. That was a definite answer.

“Phaenna, do you mind?” There was another woman there, amused. Nelciana turned toward that voice.

She was tall, dark-haired and beautiful. And another Dardaptoan Nelciana recognized. A Laquazzeana, a being stronger, more powerful than any of the gods or demons in any world. Laquazzeana were the stuff the deities’ legends were made of. And they were known in almost every world. At least the few Nelciana had visited.

“Aureliana, tell me, where am I?”

“My lady, it is pleased I am to see you awake. Don’t mind Phaenna—she ate some seriously funny mushrooms at some point in the recent past.” Aureliana held out a cloth and Nelciana took it. “I assume you’ve come to see your sister.”

“I’m not entirely certain what it was that I witnessed.” Women spinning in the air? Had that been some sort of delusion? Had she not recognized Aureliana, she would think it so.

But she had long heard of the conversion of the once-Dardaptoan warrior female into Laquazzeana. And Kennera had been so vexed by the tormenting of the Dardaptoan female by a beansidhe. They hadn’t been able to figure out what was happening.

Phaenna had been that beansidhe, manipulating Aureliana into where she wanted the other woman.

“We can recap for you,” Phaenna said. Nelciana could feel the power radiating from the woman. Phaenna was a very old Laquazzeana, wasn’t she? “You show up just as Loren and Jushua—seriously hunky, that guy—rescued his brother from five thousand years stuck in a sword. Wicked clever of them, wasn’t it?”

“You’ll have to excuse her. She’s a bit much at times,” Aureliana sank into the rocking chair next to the bed. Wherever they were, it was beautiful. The walls were smooth white stone, so polished she could see some of their reflection. Black specks were random throughout the rock. The bed was large and luxurious. “I’m afraid you arrived at a bad time.”

“I’ll say.” Phaenna was sitting on her feet; Nelciana tried to move one leg. It didn’t happen. Nelciana looked closer at what Phaenna held in her arms when the bundle began to squirm.

A sharp pang went through her when she realized it was a babe. A bit older than the two she had left behind. It hurt her to her soul to think of her babes in another world with only two young Lupoiux wolves to protect them. They must be so confused and wondering where Mama was.

Aureliana reached for him, and the babe cooed. His mother?

Most likely.

“What is happening?” How long had she been unaware? Where was Whin? “Jushua? Eaudne?”

“Jushua and…your sister…have been in Evalanedea. They returned with an ancient
ancient
Laquazzeana—and Estacles, who had been stuck in that sword since…the attack on your family so long ago.” Aureliana rocked her child, soothing him when he fussed. “Eaudne and Deki are caring for Estacles now. Loren and Jushua…well, I’m sure they are around somewhere.”

“Loren?” She knew. As soon as the name passed her lips. Loren was Nelanora, wasn’t she? “My sister, reborned?”

“Nope.” Phaenna actually beamed. “She never died to be reborn. That ancient baddy cursed her before he lopped off her head all those years ago. Someone really needs to do something about him.”

“Phaenna!”

“Ooops. Sorry. Probably a bit too much detail, huh?”

“And a little tactless. That is—was—is her sister.”

“Yeah, guess it is.” Phaenna leaned closer. Nelciana fought the urge to lean back. She was over six thousand years old—nothing should intimidate her, should it? And she had met Phaenna before. “Here’s the run-down because we need to catch you up to speed, and fast, before this world like goes boom. You got a big part to play in keeping that from happening. Dark ancient bad guy—he cursed your sister instead of killing her. Because of her sacrifice, she jumpstarted her destiny and became one of
us
. You know all about us, I’m sure. Kennera probably told you about the changes in Eaudne and in some of the people running around here. The ones who can kick the gods’ asses? Yeah, we kind of need to join together to fight Ultimate Evil. Nelanora was always fated to become one, but what happened when that asshole fucked with destiny sped things up for her considerably. And changed her destiny a bit. She was going to be with Deki, but is now with Jushua, and is hopefully a helluva lot stronger than originally planned. Which is a good thing, I think. Hope you don’t have any hard feelings there, since your betrothal ended five thousand years ago, and all…”

“So what happened today?” She could learn of the past when the time was best—but now…now she needed the present.

“Easy. Dark Sorcerer had his twin imprisoned all this time. Your sister and Jushua rescued him. In the process, they freed Jushua’s brother from the sword. And it became clear that Deki and Loren were more than they seemed.” Phaenna’s tone turned serious and she looked away. Her voice lowered and her demeanor went from bubbly nut-case to dark and mysterious. “We will need them. And soon I think. War comes. More quickly than ever thought. Stay here, Goddess Nelciana, Witch patron of all things family. Reunite with the sister thought lost tonight. Tomorrow…tomorrow may very well be too late.”

His children were safely ensconced in his home on the outskirts of Levia’s largest city. He’d liked the logic of the place when it had been built eighteen centuries ago, and had remained there. Always reclusive, of course, but still near the sounds and sights of his Kind.

Those that chose to be a part of the world instead of closing themselves off from it.

They were Lothon Druid after all. The word was synonymous for reclusive.

The two Lupoiux wolf females, followers of his cousin Eiophon’s line, were now housed in the wing he’d designated for his children before their conception. He had tried to dismiss them earlier, but they had proven remarkably stubborn. Like every other of the damned werewolves he had ever encountered.

They had refused to disobey the orders they had been given. And the loyalty they had for the Goddess of Family had served them well. That and the desire in their hearts for nothing but the best for his children.

They would both die to protect the babes. And that had earned the two of them his unfailing loyalty.

His anger was reserved for the female who was responsible for his children completely. Why had their mother abandoned them? Sent them into the wilds of Levia with inexperienced girls to protect them?

There had to be a reason.

There had
better
be a reason.

Lothonos wasn’t used to anger. Not like this. The god of logic was rarely angry with anyone. But he had entrusted the babes’ mother with their safety.

It took him longer to search her out than he would have wanted. He knew where she was at most times, he attributed it to her being the mother of his children, but when she chose to go to other worlds it made finding her very difficult.

He had been to the demon world many times throughout the last fifteen thousand years. His visits had increased over the last year.

War.

It had everyone on edge.

Lothonos’ task was that of helping those he and Eiophon allied with come up with logical strategies for the battles that they all knew would rage.

They knew the battles would come, they could just not predict where or when, yet.

It was maddening to not have all the answers for once. And to have so much that mattered to him now that he had to protect. The babes were safe for the moment.

He did not know if the same could be said for their mother.

Once he entered the demon world of Relaklonos, he could feel her again.

He could breathe again.

Lothonos hadn’t realized how much the knowledge of her had affected his life in the last year and a half until the moment when he could not reach with his mind and find her. Feel her.

She was near.

It took him little time to arrive at the new Dardaptoan city of Thrun.

He liked Thrun. It was organized logically, and one could navigate easily. It was to the center of the city that he headed. Lothonos paid little heed to the demons, Lupoiux, and Dardaptoans that populated the city.

No, his focus was on the main hall. Where he sensed the Goddess of Family waited.

She owed him many answers.