The Tainted Web (The Godhunter, Book 7) (30 page)

“
I'm sure they do,” I patted his arm as Arach and Trevor snorted and laughed.

“
I'm going to have words with Aidan when we get back,” Roarke growled.

“
You're coming back with us?” I stopped walking to stare at him. “You realize it's kind of a dangerous time?”

“
Why do you think I'm coming?” He grinned broadly and patted a short sword that was belted to his hip. “I'm bored here.”

“
You could join Arach on the Wild Hunt and tear Kael up,” I offered, feeling a measure of relief that I wouldn't have to witness it a second time.

“
No he couldn't, he's earth fey, and I'll be joining you as well,” Arach surprised me by saying. “If you won't agree to remain in Faerie, then I will accompany you to the God Realm.”

“
What about Kael?”

“
Kael is well guarded this time,” Arach waved a hand dismissively. “I care not about Kael. My Queen is in danger and I'm not leaving her side until I'm sure she's safe.”

“
Alright,” Trevor groaned, “I admit it. I like him.”

“
I knew it!” I pointed a finger in Trevor's face briefly before turning back to Roarke and Arach. “Fine, both of you can come but let's hurry, who knows what the imps have been up to since we left.”

We raced back to the waiting carriage and rode swiftly back to The End of the Road. Tracing was becoming easier and easier for me. It was nice to not have to use a chant wherever I went but to get into Pride Palace I actually did need one, and so did Arach.

“Roarke already knows the chant,” I faced Arach, “and I'll trace in with you this first time but in the future, in case you need to reach me there, the chant for Pride Palace is, Intaro, Ishema, Intare.”

“
Intaro, Ishema, Intare,” he nodded.

I took his hand, gave a quick nod to Trevor and Roarke, and traced us to Pride Palace. As my body became a mere thought, I recalled my trip through the Inter Realm inside the Aether, and I was glad I couldn't see what I was passing through in a matter of seconds.

I shivered as I reformed in front of the tracing wall of Pride Palace and put thoughts of the Aether aside. I had scarier things to consider.

I headed for the common room, Arach on my heels, and heard Trevor and Roarke trace in behind us. I made it about five steps before Kirill was there, giving me a wary look until I opened my arms and he came forward for a hug.

“I'm so sorry,” I whispered.

“
It's forgotten,” he pulled away and smiled. “Vat happened?”

I explained as we walked the rest of the way to the common room and he in turn told me that the Thunderbirds were ready, the poker tournament prepared, and the imps currently planning which pieces of Iktomi's web to dismantle first, to make our escape quick but still easy to track.

When we entered the common room, it was to find not only my lions and imps but some of the Thunderbirds, and the God Squad waiting for me. I stopped short, looking over the collection of magical people who were there to help me, and I realized how lucky I was to have made it as far as I had and to have made such great friends along the way. If it was in the cards that I died, I had no regrets, only gratitude. What a magical life I'd been given.

“
Thank you,” I said into the silence. “All of you who've come to help, regardless of your reasons for being here, I want you to know how much your help means to me. The humans will never know what we do for them but I know, and I'm so grateful to have you standing beside me.”

“
It's hard to fight a battle on behalf of people who don't even believe you exist,” Kohana stood up and met me in the center of the room. “Our people have held tight to their beliefs and so it's easier for us. We feel their faith, hear their prayers, and know they believe we protect them but for other gods who have lost their followers, I can see how it would be difficult to risk yourself simply because it's the right thing to do.”

“
Humans do it everyday,” Horus said casually from his perch on one of the loveseats. When he noticed that everyone's attention had focused on him, he drew himself up and regarded us regally. “Well, they do. Even when they believe no one is watching, humans choose to do the right thing, sometimes at great risk to themselves. They throw themselves in front of bullets for their friends or throw away careers to report a company whose products hurt people. They brought down that plane with the terrorists, remember? Knowing they'd all die but that their deaths would save so many others, they rushed the terrorists and sent that plane crashing into a field.”

“
So it really does have a heart,” Pan peered at Horus like he was studying a new bug.

“
I'm just saying,” Horus lifted his nose into the air, “that as gods, we should hold ourselves above humans in honor and nobility. In other words, if they can do it, than I must do it better.”

“
And he's back,” Pan snorted.

“
Well, whatever the reason,” I rolled my eyes at Kohana, “Thank you, Horus. You've been a good friend to me and I hope you know that I love you.”

“
Are you dying or something?” The Egyptian god peered at me with sharp eyes.

“
No,” I gave a nervous laugh.

“
Oh, okay,” Horus cocked his head. “It's just people are prone to random outbursts of affection when they're suicidal.”

“
I'm not suicidal, Horus,” I groaned. “I'm just glad you're here.”

“
And what of me, Godhunter?” A sweet voice like rushing water, came from behind me. “Are you glad I'm here?”

“
Mrs E.?” I turned around to see her beautiful face smiling sadly at me. I ran over and hugged her, tears pouring down my cheeks as I closed my eyes to try and block out the picture of her wounded ones.

“
I heard you might have need of me,” she said as she pulled away and touched my cheek. “You look tired, Vervain.”

“
And you look remarkably like a friend of mine,” I swallowed hard, “who I've missed terribly. Are you back for good?”

“
I'm back for now,” she sighed. “Life is heavier now, without Tsohonai. My heart is heavier and I find the weight hard to bear. But I need something else to focus on, so I'll help you kill the spider and then I'll see how I feel. If I can, I'll come back to the war, if not-” she shrugged.

“
Thank you,” I shook off her indecision, “either way, I'm happy to see you.”

“
And I'm happy to see you too,” she nodded to Kohana over my shoulder, “and you as well, Chief of the Wakiya. It's been too long since I've seen your people take to the sky.”

“
We are looking forward to the hunt,” Kohana smiled grimly, “and we're honored to have you with us, Woman-that-Changes.”

“
Okay, well you two know each other,” I looked around the room at the imps and other Thunderbirds, “maybe we should introduce everyone else while we're waiting for this whole thing to begin.”

“
I hate waiting,” griped Horus.

“
You hate everything,” Pan mumbled.

“
Oh and I heard you're trying to decide on which pieces of Iktomi's web to dismantle first,” I said to the imps. “I have a suggestion.”

Chapter Forty-Four

After hours of arguing, I finally agreed to wait in Pride Palace while the imps went into the Inter Realm to lure Iktomi out alone. I didn't like them going in by themselves but they assured me that my presence was unnecessary and might even be a distraction for them. It would be much better for all involved if I just waited near the router, to shut it down as soon as Iktomi emerged from the Inter Realm.

At least I got to fight. Torrent was hiding in the underground floor of the palace, locked up tight in the theater so Iktomi couldn't get to him and use him against us. I had argued that I didn't think Iktomi could, Torrent being his own person and all, but the others, including Torrent himself, weren't so sure. So he got to watch movies while we killed his maker.

The poker tournament was already underway, Mica firmly entrenched in a game within the specially prepared private room at the Thunderbird's casino. So we felt safe in sending the imps in to draw Iktomi out.

I waited in the library, the router firmly in hand, wearing Tlaloc's goggles, the emerald pendant Odin gave me, and my father's ring. Arach and Trevor flanked me like an honor guard, both of them refusing to let me out of their sight. There were Intare spread out along the path we intended Iktomi to follow, out to the grasslands in front of Pride Palace, but everyone else was waiting for our prey outside.

Then I felt a disturbance in the force. Alright, I felt a build-up of static electricity, whatever. I saw the imps turn the corner down the hall, their forms a little hazy in the Inter Realm but clear enough that I could see their gleeful expressions. So I nodded to my men and prepared to unplug the router. Within moments the imps came popping back into our realm, going from gigantic red wookies back to the forms of their birth. They continued to run, straight out the door and down the hall toward the front entrance.

Right on their heels came a huge black spider. It almost filled the tube of the Inter Realm completely but when it exited, it shrunk to a normal size and appeared on the desk in front of me. It leapt down from the desk without a pause, and raced out towards the imps. As he ran, he shimmered and sparked in my goggle enhanced vision, his shape changing from man to spider and back again with great bursts of light.

I pulled the plug on the router and then dropped it to the floor,  stomping on it for good measure. By the time I'd smashed it to bits, I could hear shouting coming from outside. I glanced at my men and they both raised their brows at me.

Under the all-seeing goggles, their appearance was overlaid with that of their beasts. Trevor's wolf was even larger than it was in half-form but it was all animal, rising above him on hind legs that looked like he was meant to walk upright. The head of the gigantic wolf was far above Trevor's own and it stared at me with Trevor's glowing eyes and an intensity only animals can achieve.

Arach's dragon, on the other hand, was much smaller than it was in reality, condensed to a size that fit his aura, which was still quite large. It too loomed over him, the regal dragon head lifted above Arach's own, it stared around it in fascination and animosity. It didn't seem to like Trevor's wolf, even going as far as to take a swipe at him. Trevor's wolf reacted by snarling and swiping back, as the men the beasts were attached to, frowned and gave each other uneasy glances.

So that's why it was so difficult for them to get along. At their very base natures they were at odds with each other. I couldn't deal with all that at the moment though. In fact, I wasn't sure if I could manage to fight with the goggles on. It looked like they'd be more of a distraction than they were worth. Plus, they'd served their main purpose, letting me see the imps arrive, so I took them off and put them aside.

“
I can buy a new router,” I shrugged, “but I can't buy another chance at Iktomi.”

“
Fair enough,” Trevor tilted his head in agreement and then we all ran for the front of the house.

The halls were empty of Intare, they must have done their job well and wrangled Iktomi to the prearranged battle site. We ran out the front door and down the wide veranda, our boots thumping over the wooden boards hollowly, though the sound was drowned out by the high pitched cries of birds and the battle cries of gods and lions.

I stumbled, caught myself, and stood staring.

I knew Iktomi had power and I knew this fight wasn't going to be easy but I'd thought that cutting him off from the Internet might limit his abilities a little. Well, if this was him limited, we never would have stood a chance against him at full power.

In the center of the African inspired grasslands was a sight straight out of a Japanese horror movie. The sky was filled with giant birds against a backdrop of storm clouds. Sheets of lightning slashed down out of their eyes and thunder rumbled with every beat of their wings. In their claws they carried what appeared to be glowing snakes, which changed to bolts of lightning when thrown. Their cries echoed to the distant mountains and back, sounding like the screams of children.

On the ground beneath them, my Intare were in lion form, manes sparking with magic and teeth flashing when they roared. The imps were zipping about, little balls of fur, teeth, and claws; and The God Squad was scattered among them, all except Thor, Odin, Vidar, and Vali, who were helping the other Thunderbirds over at the casino. Thunderbirds, gods, wolves, and lions, they were all impressive but they paled in comparison to the monster among them.

Iktomi had shifted again, back into spider form, but this time he'd let the wide open space dictate his size. He was easily as big as a three story house, his massive body hovering over the treetops on chitinous legs the width of telephone poles. On the end of each of those legs, were sleek talons which he used like spears, striking out with earth-shaking thrusts that sent dirt clods up wherever they hit.