In the Nyx of Time Read online

Aion's down! Kill him now, Vervain! Alaric shouted; reminding me of the more important battle.

  And Alaric was right; Re had knocked Aion unconscious and was continuing to blast him with sunlight that Blue was helping to fuel. Trevor had shifted into his werewolf form; half man and half wolf. He stood at the ready; guarding me and the sun gods as we moved closer to the wall until we stood directly in line with Aion. Any enemy who got within six feet of Trevor was torn apart.

  I sent out my senses; searching for Aion and his magic. I found him nearly instantly; a mass of churning crimson and sparkling blue. Aion's magic was tainted by his fury, and it didn't seem happy about it. In fact, it came to me eagerly when I took hold of it.

  Aion screamed as he suddenly came to; the pain of his magic leaving bringing him awake faster than smelling salts. Nyx glanced over at him and grimaced. Then she let go of her death mist and strode down the wall to Aion. The darkness around Hades dispersed to reveal a gaunt and skeletal version of him; gasping for breath. The other gods rushed forward to help Hades as several more came to assist us. Some of the Greek gods blasted Nyx's army with magic while others attacked her directly.

  Nyx stretched a wing out like a shield and then formed an umbrella out of her magic and set it over Aion. But that only blocked the sun magic, and Aion continued to scream as I kept drawing out his magic.

  “What's happening?” Nyx shouted at him.

  “She's attacking me!” Aion shouted back. “That bitch still has the ability to take god magic, and she's stealing mine!”

  Nyx turned to face me as she narrowed her stare. I braced myself; knowing that she was about to attack me as she had Hades, and I was closer to the wall than Hades had been. But there was nothing I could do; if I let go of Aion's magic, I might not be able to catch it again.

  Nyx didn't send the dark mist my way, though. It appeared that she was trying something new on me. She collected darkness in her hand and formed it into an ax. My eyes widened as Nyx pulled back her arm to launch the weapon at me. I would have ducked, moved, something, but she moved so fast that I barely had time to register it. Within a heartbeat, the ax was hurtling toward my head.

  Blue shouted and stepped in front of me. There was a horrible thud as Blue wavered on his feet. I screamed as he crumpled to his knees; the ax embedded in his chest.

  Focus! Don't you dare stop now, or he will die for nothing!

  Is he going to die? I asked in a panic. Blue's a god, he can live through that, right?

  He may not, but it won't matter if you kill Aion!

  I shouted with fury and yanked on Aion's magic more viciously. It came tumbling into me, and I fell back into Trevor's arms as I was overcome by it. Time unfolded before me; great spirals of glowing, hazy colors like the Northern Lights. I smiled softly as they filled me, but then a ticking began in my ears, and it grew louder and louder. It was unsteady—the rhythm off—and I knew that Aion had hurt Time itself when he had used his magic to alter it.

  He went back too many times, Alaric confirmed. Too many attempts to accomplish one outcome; your pain. Time is not a weapon.

  No; it's not.

  I opened my heart to the magic, and let it take shelter within me. I let it see my intentions and my hopes for us. I wanted to right the mistakes that had been made. I wanted to repair the wounds Aion had left on Time. His magic approved of that, and it liked me. It settled into my bones and blood; sending an effervescent feeling throughout my body. But then it felt as if I were pulling away from my body; lifting into the air.

  I watched as the world grew smaller, and then Time began to unfold. I saw the past and the future; the circle of life that we all traveled—even the immortals. Time bent and brushed against itself, but it wasn't just a circle; it was a spiral. The curved string of Time could be scrunched together or stretched apart; it could even be tangled or cut. Aion had cut Time; discarding a piece of it so that it could be rewritten. And he had done it three times. The surgery had left a scar that needed to be healed before I could replace the lost piece.

  I sent my energy into the scar and gave it what it needed to heal. I did it without thinking; offering it anything to repair itself. But what it took was magic. The very magic that made it possible for me to do this was now fueling Time's healing. That wouldn't have been a problem, except that Aion had made three cuts and discarded three pieces of the past. I had to search for the proper pieces sew piece them back together in three places; cutting away the wrong futures so I could weld the proper past with its correct present.

  Not only did this take patience, it took power. When I finally had the last piece in place, I discovered that my magic was nearly gone. I poured what I had into Time anyway, and pain ripped through my body as the magic tried to cling to me. I had betrayed it. I had promised the time magic shelter and health, and now I was sacrificing it to repair the future. But there was no other way; I pushed it out of me and into the bond of Time.

  And it wasn't enough.

  As I plummeted back into my body, I saw the spiral start to fray. I knew that it would break apart. But I didn't know what would happen when it did.

  It won't hold, Alaric said grimly. I'm sorry, Vervain, but Time will unravel. We've lost this battle; in a very big way.

  No!

  You tried your best. But Time cannot be left hanging by a thread, Alaric said sadly. We will have to find a new path forward if we still can.

  I came gasping back into my body and sat up in Trevor's arms.

  “Minn Elska!” Trevor shouted as he moved forward with me. “Thank goodness.”

  But my eyes were set before me; on Blue. The ax had been removed, and Teharon was bent over Blue; his hands pressed to the seeping wound. Blue's skin had gone pale and he wasn't moving. Teharon looked up at me; his turquoise eyes full of apology.

  “No,” I whispered as I crawled forward.

  “Little witch?” Blue whispered as he stirred.

  “Blue?” I stroked the hair back from his face. “Blue, it didn't work; I couldn't heal Time.”

  “I never expected you to,” he admitted as he drew a shaky breath. “But I hadn't expected to die, either.”

  “And you're not dying now,” I declared.

  “I can feel my magic draining,” Blue said softly. “I've had to break the ties with my vampires, but I did it too late. I don't have enough power to heal myself, and I don't think your friend can help me either.”

  “I'm sorry,” Teharon said. “His heart is cut in two; it's a testament to his power that he's still breathing.”

  “Just long enough to say goodbye,” Blue's voice was getting faint.

  “No, Blue!” I cried. “Please don't die. Take my blood.” I held out my wrist. “That will help you, right?”

  “I love you, Vervain,” Blue said as he closed his beautiful eyes.

  “Blue!” I sobbed and bent over Blue as I pulled his head into my lap.

  As I cried, the ground started to tremble, and the Gods began to shout. I sniffed and looked up and around me. Nearby, Nyx's body lay broken on the ground; her head severed from the rest of her, and her wings bent at odd angles. A horrific looking Hades stood over Nyx along with Demeter; both of them wearing satisfied expressions. But those expressions changed as the very air around them began to vibrate.

  Time is breaking, Alaric said softly. Hold on; it's going to be a bumpy ride.

  I reached out for Re and Trevor, and they wrapped themselves around me.

  “I failed,” I said to them. “And now Time will snap. I don't know what's going to happen.”

  “It doesn't matter as long as we have this,” Re said as he laid a hand to my cheek and kissed me tenderly. “I love you forever and in all times, La-la.”

  “And no one can break our mate bond, Minn Elska,” Trevor added as he nuzzled my neck.

  I turned to Trevor and kissed him too.

  “I love you both so much,” I said softly.

  “That's all I need,” Trevor said. “Let Time crumble around us; as
long as I'm holding you, I'm content.”

  I don't know if we're going to survive this, V, Al said sadly. Perhaps we've finally reached the end. In light of which, I must say that it has been a profound pleasure to have known you and been a witness to your life.

  Goodbye, Al, I said simply. Thank you for all you've done to help us.

  “Well, this is a fucking mess.” A man appeared on the castle wall and glared down at Aion's body. He sighed deeply as the world began to waver. “Child! Infant! Moron! You can't fuck with Time like that. Time is beyond divine; it is supreme.”

  He kicked Aion's body off the wall and then jumped down after him. As he leapt, a pair of white wings unfolded from his back and caught the air so that he floated gently to the ground. Aion's body landed far less gracefully... right before us.

  “Who are you?” I asked the man.

  The man looked at me and lifted a brow. He was old; which is strange for a god. He had a long, white beard and weathered skin, but his eyes were a piercing, youthful blue—the same color of Aion's time magic.

  “Chronos,” Hades said respectfully as he stumbled over. “It's an honor.”

  “Yes, yes.” Chronos waved his hand. “Just shut up and let me fix this; we don't have a lot of time to fix Time.” Chronos grimaced. “Okay; stand back, people.”

  Trevor got to his feet and helped me to mine. Re followed in a daze and then helped Trevor drag Blue's body back with us. The three of us stood together over Blue—the other gods gathering close—and warily watched this man work his magic.

  Chronos spread his arms and his wings lifted until their tips pointed straight to the sky. Blue light shimmered over his brilliant white feathers and then across his arms as he pulled a scythe out of thin air. He lifted the weapon aloft and then swung it down with a forceful motion. Blinding blue light blasted out from the blade as thunderous booms rolled over us. We were knocked back as waves of energy shot across Tartarus. Everything began to shake violently; so much that no one could stand. Only Chronos remained on his feet. Re and Trevor held me tightly between them as everything suddenly went dark.

  “You're welcome,” Chronos' voice followed me into the darkness.

  Chapter Forty-Eight

  “Vervain?” Kirill pulled away from me slowly.

  We stared at each other in amazement.

  “I felt something,” I whispered. “I thought for sure that the Time God had altered our past and we...”

  “Vere being torn apart,” Kirill finished with a frown. “But here ve are. Still, I feel strange; head fuzzy.”

  “Me too,” I murmured.

  “Lesya!” Kirill said urgently.

  I don't know why we were so panicked, but both of us ran out onto the balcony and then up the stairs to Lesya's bedroom as if she were in mortal danger. We froze in front of her little bed and stared down at our sleeping daughter in relief. Then Kirill pulled me against his chest and started to weep.

  “I don't know vhy I vas so scared,” he said. “Or vhy I cry now.”

  “Something happened,” I whispered. “I felt the same dread and the same relief that you did. I was so certain we'd lost her.”

  “Ve need to speak to ze others,” he said.

  “I'm not leaving her.” I went to Lesya and gently picked her up.

  Lesya murmured in her sleep, fussed for a few minutes, and then settled against my chest. My heart was slowing down, and I was able to breathe easily again. Kirill wrapped himself around us, and we just stood there a few minutes; breathing in Lesya's fur and flowers scent to reassure ourselves that our daughter was safe.

  When we had felt more secure, we headed downstairs and found Trevor, Odin, Azrael, and Toby standing amid several Intare; all of them looking unsteady. They glanced at us as we entered, and all of the men relaxed. Trevor rushed over to us and hugged Kirill, Lesya, and I together.

  “I don't know why, but I'm damn relieved to see the three of you,” Trevor said as he leaned down to kiss Lesya.

  “I felt a disturbance in the Force, Tima,” Aidan said dryly.

  “As much as it pains me to say this; I agree with Aidan,” Odin said. “I feel unsettled.”

  “It must be that time god,” Azrael said. “Maybe he tried to alter Time already.”

  “We need to find him,” Trevor growled.

  The rest of us agreed completely.

  We started to prepare. Kirill took Lesya to stay with Samantha while the Intare gathered, and my men outfitted themselves for war. I changed into some sweats and a T-shirt. I wasn't going to take any chances with Nyx and Aion; I intended on going full dragon on them.

  We were about to head over to the Greek Underworld and see if Hades and Persephone had any luck in locating Aion when Pan traced in.

  “I have some good news,” Pan said with a bright grin. “We found Aion and Nyx.”

  “Really?” I asked in surprise and immense relief.

  “Well, we didn't find them so much as they were brought to Olympus,” Pan admitted.

  “What do you mean?” Odin asked.

  “It's the oddest thing,” Pan murmured with a sudden confused look. “Although, it's been an odd day for me. Have you guys felt—I don't know—weird?”

  “Da; everyone feels veird,” Kirill confirmed. “Tell us of Greeks.”

  “Huh.” Pan's eyes widened. “I don't know if I'm relieved or worried that it isn't just me.”

  “Pan, please,” I growled.

  “Sorry.” Pan grimaced. “Athena contacted Hades and told him that Chronos—the Primordial, not the Titan—appeared on Olympus today with two gods bound in magic chains. Guess who they were.”

  “Aion and Nyx,” Toby said.

  “You got it, Ke-mo sah-bee,” Pan said.

  “That's what Tonto calls the Lone Ranger, not the other way around,” Toby said patiently.

  “Oh.” Pan blinked and frowned. “Anyway, Chronos has called for a convening of the Council, and that means you, V. We need to get you to Olympus.”

  I looked down at my sweats and grimaced.

  “Yeah; you might wanna change first,” Pan said with a smirk.

  Chapter Forty-Nine

  I walked into the Council Temple in the company of my men and Pan. The Intare wasn't happy to be left behind, but I didn't want to look as if I were invading Olympus... again. I was surprised to find the God Squad among the throng of Greek gods in attendance. I left Pan and my guys with the Squad and then strode up the central aisle to the long table at the end of the room. Hades and Persephone were seated at the council table with the other Olympians already, and I went to sit beside Sephy. For some reason, just seeing her made me happy, and I leaned over and hugged her before I got settled.

  “So many people have been hugging me today,” Persephone whispered to me with a smile. “It must be my new perfume.”

  “I told her it's her unrivaled beauty, but she doesn't believe me,” Hades said as he took Persephone's hand, kissed it, and then lowered their clasped hands into his lap as if loathe to let go of her.

  I frowned at that—something tickling my mind—but then Athena started speaking.

  “Excellent,” Athena said as she stood. “Now, we are assembled. Chronos, we are honored to have you here with us and eager to hear what you've come to say.”

  Chronos—the epitome of Father Time—stepped forward; using a scythe as a walking stick. Behind the old man, Nyx and a god I assumed to be Aion were bound at both wrists and ankles with glimmering chains. Nyx held her head and her dark wings aloft proudly, but Aion looked as if he were about to pee his pants.

  “It has been a long time since I stood on Olympus,” Chronos said and then sighed deeply. “Honestly, I wish I weren't here now. But—as I'm sure you've all sensed—there has been a crime committed.”

  “Most of us have felt unsettled this morning,” Athena confirmed. “You're saying that it has something to do with Nyx and Aion?”

  “I am,” Chronos confirmed. “These two gods have let anger consume them a
nd have committed crimes against their own pantheon, three Olympians, and all of the realms. If we are to keep peace with the other Pantheons and the Fey, we must punish Nyx and Aion. I would have simply killed them, but their actions nearly destroyed Time itself and therefore, their punishment must be public. All of the Gods and the Fey must see that we have delivered justice, or I fear that we will become the target of their vengeance.”

  “What exactly are you accusing them of, Chronos?” Athena asked.

  “I accuse Nyx of murdering the Olympian, Persephone, and of attacking the Olympian, Hades,” Chronos declared.

  The whole temple erupted into horrified and confused shouting. Hades and Persephone glanced at each other in confusion and concern.

  “Silence!” Athena shouted.

  The Gods quieted.

  “Persephone sits right there, Chronos.” Athena waved a hand toward Sephy. “How is it that Nyx has murdered her?”

  “Nyx has murdered Persephone not just once, but three times,” Chronos said and then held up a hand to stop Athena's questions. “Let me finish, Olympian.”

  Athena bowed her head respectfully.

  “Nyx sought to hurt Hades,” Chronos went on. “She knew that the best way to do so would be to kill Persephone. She conspired with Aion—who wanted revenge for his father, Zeus. They decided to alter Time; to change the past so that both Hades and Vervain were hurt. They thought that no one would know of their machinations, but they forgot about my wife and me; Primordials who stand outside the touch of Time and beyond the reach of other gods. We witnessed the whole thing.”

  The assembled gods gasped and murmured uneasily. I looked over at Hades, and his dark brows lifted above his sunglasses in shock.

  “Their first attempt failed,” Chronos continued. “They went back to a time just before Vervain met the Wolf Prince, Trevor; believing that this was the pivotal moment in the Godhunter's life. They thought that if they could prevent that introduction, Vervain would never become such a powerful force in the God War. So, while Nyx killed Persephone to get her revenge on Hades, Aion convinced the Goddess, Aphrodite, to give up her vendetta against Vervain; thus ensuring that the Froekn would never be sent after the Godhunter, and Trevor would never meet Vervain. But Aion and Nyx underestimated the bond Vervain has with her loved ones. History started to repair itself; drawing the Godhunter back to her destiny, and sending her into Tartarus with Hades, to kill Nyx and avenge Persephone.”