Kalona’s Fall (6 page)

Nyx’s dark eyes were alight with humor. She grinned at him and said, “Good. Then I
will continue to beat you in stone skipping and anything else I put my mind to.” The
Goddess flicked another rock over the surface of the river and shouted in triumph
when it skipped six times before disappearing beneath the surface.

Kalona rubbed his chin. “Perhaps I should work on being less intoxicating.”

Nyx smiled at him. “Please don’t. I prefer you just as you are.”

“So you have spoken. So mote it be.” Kalona caressed her cheek gently with the back
of his hand before snatching a flat stone from her pile and flicking it into the river,
where it skipped three times before sinking.

Nyx’s cheers joined his and, laughing, Kalona began skipping rocks, one after another,
side by side with his Goddess.

At that moment, Kalona was absolutely content.

5.

I MISS YOU THE INSTANT I AM NOT IN YOUR PRESENCE …

“I know I am favoring Kalona,”
Nyx said, staring into the mirror of her looking glass as L’ota combed out her silver-blond
hair and began braiding it in an impossibly intricate pattern. “I don’t mean to. It
isn’t as if I dislike Erebus. On the contrary! Every time I see Erebus he makes me
laugh. He is so clever and talented. Did you know he can sing and play the lyre? Actually,
it was his voice that yesterday drew me from the Otherworld to Greece. He was playing
and singing so beautifully that all of Delos had named him winged Apollo Incarnate.
They were placing olive branches at his feet and worshipping him.”

Not to be worshipped.
The skeeaed whispered disapprovingly.

“Oh, no, he didn’t allow them to worship him. Even before he knew I was part of the
watching crowd he laughed at being called a God and made a big show of missing notes,
pretending that he was a traveling musician—and not a very good one at that—and that
his wings were part of his costume. With a sleight of hand too swift for mortal eyes
to follow, he called Air and mixed it with Divine Energy, and suddenly he was wearing
a mask that made him look like a silly bird. Within moments he had the audience laughing
and following him in a preening dance, and utterly forgetting how godlike he truly
is.” Nyx smiled as she remembered how sweet and silly Erebus had made himself look,
just for the benefit of the watching mortals.

She wondered if Kalona would have done the same had she not appeared to intercede
between him and the people of the prairie. Her smile faded. He had been denying his
godhood, hadn’t he?

You think of the other one,
L’ota said.

“I do. I think of him often. Something happened when I first looked into his eyes—something
wonderful.”

Must be worthy of you,
the skeeaed said, her whispering voice sounding unusually forceful.

Nyx gave her a curious look. “L’ota, they both were created for me—Erebus
and
Kalona. Mother Earth’s tests are but a formality. She is, after all, acting as mother,
which means she is being fondly, but predictably, overprotective.”

The skeeaed didn’t meet her Goddess’s gaze in the looking glass, and Nyx shrugged
her shoulders. “No matter. I do not expect you to understand, little L’ota. Erebus
and Kalona are not your concern. Now, where are the dryads I summoned?” Nyx stood
and walked to the wall of windows that overlooked the exquisite grounds of her palace,
not noticing that the skeeaed had gone silent and sulky at the Goddess’s dismissive
words. “I asked a group of dryads to gather gardenias from the mortal realm so that
you might weave them into my hair. Have you noticed that since I allowed them to visit
the earth, the dryads always seem distracted?”

Only notice what you command to notice,
L’ota murmured too softly for Nyx to hear.

The Goddess had turned from the window to glance at the skeeaed when her chamber exploded
in a flurry of trilling dryads whose arms were filled with fragrant white flowers,
shifting to and from dizzying shades of greens and blues and purples in their excitement.

“What are you—” Nyx stopped, realizing what must have caused the Feys’ excitement.
“One of them is ready to begin his test!”

The Fey leaped and danced around her, dropping gardenias into her hair, and causing
L’ota to scold them as she hastily rearranged her Goddess’s braids.

“Which one is it?” Nyx asked breathlessly, forcing herself to sit still so L’ota could
finish her toilette and the overly enlivened dryads could quickly drape her body in
the robes she’d chosen, which were the color of a maiden’s blush.

The dryads began trilling again and Nyx shook her head in consternation. They were
too excited. Not even the Goddess could understand their high-pitched chatter.

L’ota understood her kin perfectly. She whispered one word to the Goddess:
Kalona.

*   *   *

Nyx had no trouble
finding Kalona. Over the passing days since his creation, she had learned that all
she need do was to think of him—to picture his strong, handsome face in her mind—and
she would be drawn to him.

She had tried finding Erebus the same way and had been unsuccessful. Nyx spoke of
this failure to no one, especially not to Kalona or Erebus.

That day, the picture in her mind took her back to a familiar place—the grass-filled
prairie not far from where Kalona had exploded the Great Spirit Tree. Though, she
noted as she smiled and hurried to greet Mother Earth, this time he was not so close
to the mortal settlement.

“One of your godlings has declared he is ready to be tested,” Mother Earth said after
embracing Nyx. Then she smiled happily. “Ah! You have brought the Fey with you! I
have so been enjoying their company.”

Nyx gave the frolicking Fey an indulgent smile. “You spoil them.”

“They are delightful! I enjoy spoiling them,” Mother Earth said, petting one of the
trilling dryads fondly. “Oh! This is a new Fey!” she said, spotting L’ota. “What are
you, beautiful one?”

“L’ota is a skeeaed. One that serves me personally.”

“She is lovely,” Mother Earth said, and then shared a smile with L’ota. “Please visit
me often, and bring more of your kind with you.”

If Nyx allows
 …

“She does speak! How interesting.”

“Of course I allow, L’ota. You and the rest of the skeeaeds may visit Mother Earth
whenever your duties allow,” Nyx said absently, searching the skies for Kalona.

“He is not here yet, though he did have Air summon me. Your Kalona should be taught
Goddesses do not like to be kept waiting.”

Suddenly a flock of ravens as dark as a new moon sky circled above them and then perched
as if watching in the nearby trees.

“Nyx! I have missed you.” Kalona dropped from the sky above them to kneel before his
Goddess.

Her breath caught at his raw beauty. He was wearing elaborately stitched and fringed
leather pants that had been dyed to match the white of his wings. His chest was bare,
though swirls of ocher decorated its muscular expanse. She thought he looked like
he could be a mighty God Warrior of the Prairie People. Eagerly, she took his hand,
pulling him to his feet, flirting playfully.

“Missed me? But I spent much of last night with you climbing the boughs of the giant
trees near the ocean and gazing out at the moonlit water.” She turned his hand so
that it was palm up. “See, you still bear the stains of the sweet berries you harvested
for me. How could you possibly miss me in less than one day?”

“I miss you the instant I am not in your presence.” Kalona words were not teasing,
and his amber gaze held Nyx’s while he gently stroked her cheek with the back of his
hand.

Mother Earth cleared her throat delicately. “You did summon me here because you were
ready to unveil your creation, did you not, Kalona?”

“I did,” Kalona said. Without any more hesitation, he moved several long strides away
from them. He faced the two women and the flock of Fey who hovered around them. “Nyx,
I create for you something that demonstrates the power of the passion I will eternally
feel for you.”

Kalona lifted his arms, unfurling his great moonlight-colored wings. His voice, filled
with the ancient power of the Divine, intensified by Air, echoed across the grasslands.

Winds of force, I do call thee forth!

Through my blood, I do summon power!

Strength of passion, I do command you show!

Creation of mine, the Goddess Nyx to know!

With a deafening
crack!
Kalona clapped his mighty hands together, and instantly the air above them began
to roil and blow, around and around, so that great thunderclouds billowed and the
sky went from sweet summer’s day blue to bruised and angry and dark.

Now grow! Grow! Far afield grow!

Creation of mine, the Goddess Nyx to know!

With the repetition of his words, Kalona also repeated the thunderclap of his hands,
and the swirling winds above him shot into the distance. As the winds moved they changed,
alight with shards of spearlike power, they roared, forming a vortex that became a
funnel, which dipped down, down, until its gray tail met the prairie in an explosion
of one element clashing with another. The funnel skipped across the grasslands, leaving
a trail of destruction in its wake.

Nyx forced her gaze from Kalona’s terrible, wondrous creation to look at him. Kalona
blazed. He stood in the center of a maelstrom of wind and power, staring at her with
a desire so powerful it frightened her. The Goddess could not speak. She was trapped
in his gaze, drawn and repelled, equally as afraid of losing him as of accepting him.

“Control it, you fool!” Mother Earth shouted her command over the wind. “It has changed
course!”

Nyx looked to where the funnel had been only moments ago. It was gone! She searched
the sky and realized it had skipped across the flat ground of the prairie, changed
direction, and was heading toward the timberline, which held the settlement of the
People.

“Air! I command you depart!” Kalona cried.

But Kalona’s task was complete, and he no longer commanded Air. The whipping winds
within the funnel howled and grew, bearing down on the campsite.

From the sky there was a flash of gold and Erebus dropped to the ground, standing
tall and proud between the whirlwind and the tree line. In a strong, sure voice he
commanded:

Winds of storm and lightning, passion and power,

I command thee with a different intent.

Peace and calm I do bring to this hour.

Now! My creation to the Goddess I present!”

Erebus clapped his hands together, and sunlight burst from his palms, spearing into
the heart of the dark, whirling funnel cloud. Like dew scorched by summer sun rays,
the clouds parted, dissolving the passion of the storm. From the very center of what
had so recently been a spiral of chaotic passion and power, color grew and arched,
spreading in a brilliant bow of yellow and pink, crimson, purple, and green.

The dryads, who had been cringing in fear, hiding down in the tall grass, crept out,
cooing and trilling in appreciation of the colorful show. Even L’ota, who had been
cowering behind Nyx, peeked out and gasped in pleasure.

“Do you like it?” Erebus asked, jogging up to Nyx and bowing first to her and then
to Mother Earth. “I was a little rushed. I had planned to present it for you at dusk
today, when the colors would look most brilliant, but I was drawn here by that maelstrom,
and knew my plans must change.” Erebus frowned at Kalona. “What were you thinking?”

“I was
not
thinking about you!”

Nyx’s eyes widened in surprise at Kalona’s harsh tone, but before she could admonish
him, Mother Earth spoke.

“You were not thinking about anyone except yourself! Kalona, you have failed this
test.” Her displeasure caused the prairie grasses to shiver. Mother Earth turned her
back on Kalona and went to Erebus, embracing him warmly. “Erebus, your creation is
lovely, and I thank you for ending the terrible storm that could have destroyed some
of my children.”

“Wait, my friend.” Nyx addressed Mother Earth slowly, carefully considering each of
her words. “When you commanded that Kalona and Erebus complete three tasks, you proclaimed
that as their Goddess, it is my right to judge their creations. I would respectfully
remind you of your own proclamation.”

Mother Earth met Nyx’s gaze. The Goddess searched for anger or resentment within her
friend’s eyes, but she saw only concern, and then resignation. Mother Earth bowed
her head to Nyx. “You do well to remind me of my words. I bow to your judgment.”

Drawing a deep breath, Nyx faced Kalona. He had moved toward her as the funnel had
gotten out of control, and she knew he had been ready to protect her against his own
creation. She also knew the misery she saw in his amber eyes. She felt the mirrored
pain within herself.