God of the Abyss (52 page)

“She’s my sister.”

Dylan vanished, having finally pulled himself back to
the real world. “He does like to make an exit,” I said. My brother nodded.
Vretial was sitting on a large rock under a huge apple tree. “Why did you
choose an apple? For the tarot card.”

He smirked. “I thought you were better at seeing what
was to come than I was. Obviously, that is not the case. When Dylan finds out
who and what you are, you are both at a river.”

“Dylan told me you said that he hated apples.”

“That was a clever lie. If you remember, I’m quite
the clever liar. Not as good as you, of course. There was an apple there, but
that wasn’t what I heard him say. In fact, I believe he throws an apple at you.
He didn’t say he hated apples, he said he hated you.”

“Dylan would never hate me.”

“He will when he knows what you are.”

“I am Iadnah.”

Vretial laughed cruelly. “That is funny.” He dropped
all pretense of being kind. “You remember everything, don’t you? When you
absorbed the power of my book, it jogged something in the back of your mind and
brought back those memories that you and our brothers forgot. From the time my
father brought you to me.”

“And before.”

“Then you remember that there were thirteen of us
that made it through to this universe before my father ended the war.”

I froze. I tried to remember what he was talking
about, but there was no way. “There were only twelve of us.”

“No. There were thirteen, but you were young and
wanted to destroy everything. It was him or Avoli and I chose to spare my
brother from your wrath. You weren’t really even angry; you just seemed to want
to kill something. The thirteenth Iadnah was a stranger to me. I believe he was
Regivus’s brother on his mother’s side, and they were very close. When you
destroyed him, I lied to Regivus about what happened.”

“You protected me?”

“Both of you. I was protecting you because I knew you
needed a family, and I was protecting him because I knew you would kill him if
he had confronted you. It worked out well enough; when the others turned
against me, you went right along with them. You showed me mistrust after
everything I did for you.”

“I didn’t remember. Not until I absorbed some of your
power. I thought I was actually your sister and that you had attacked our
brother. I didn’t want to believe it, but you were acting irrationally. Regivus
demanded I stay away from you and I thought I should listen to him because he
was older.”

I hated it, too. Vretial had always been the one I
trusted. He was always the first one I turned to, the only one I would believe
without fail… but then he admitted to attacking Avoli, who was always so
vulnerable. “Why did you take Avoli’s world?”

“His people were out of control and I didn’t want to
see them all die. My actions thereafter were a result of the balance. And now
it is your son who must carry the burden. Luckily, he is much better adapted
than I was, thanks to Samhail.”

“Who Dylan told me is your son.”

“No secrets in your marriage on his part, at least.”

“I do realize things would be very different if not
for you. I have done what I could since I met him to make sure things go
smoothly. The first thing I did was prevent the Sight from coming in. I try to
study the paths in depth to determine the best outcome for him.”

“Taking away the Sight was not right. I thwarted your
magic when he was on Dios, searching for the pantacle, and he was able to save
his friend. Limiting his powers will not help him. Teaching him how to use them
properly, on the other hand, could save his life several times over. He will
not thank you for handicapping him.”

“The Sight is too dangerous for someone like Dylan.
With my boys it is different; Samhail can see and Ronez can interpret. Ron has
his father’s tactician skills, but he isn’t burdened with visions.”

“Then force Dylan’s visions onto Mordon. Eventually,
Dylan’s power will become too great for you to control. It’s already starting;
he’s had a vision of what would happen if the gates to Earth open. He is not
mortal, and if he doesn’t learn to limit his power, he will just keep getting
stronger.”

“How is it possible? Samhail is your son and Ron is
mine, so I understand their power, but Dylan is not Iadnah. What is he?”

“I have a theory about that, but I’m not sure yet.”

“If I am not Iadnah, what am I?”

“You are not
entirely
Iadnah.”

“Then what else am I? What made me such a threat when
you first found me?” I asked. He gave me a sympathetic frown, but didn’t speak.
“Regivus’s brother was not the first Iadnah I killed; I remember others.
Please. I must know. I have a son, and I have to know what he is.”

He sighed. “I think your mate has waited for you long
enough.” He flashed me back to the hotel room.

Rain Oxford is a middle school teacher who is compelled to spend every
free moment writing. The Asian-influenced cultures she creates were inspired by
Japan, where she attended Ritsumeikan University in Kyoto on an exchange
program. She does most of her writing in a secluded cabin in the woods, with a
four-pound Maltese as a companion. When she’s not teaching or creating worlds,
she usually enjoys cooking, playing the piano, or photographing exotic
wildlife.

Guardian Series Book 1:
The Guardian’s
Grimoire

Guardian Series Book 2:
The Dragon’s Eyes

Guardian Series Book 3:
God of the
Abyss

The Awakening