Reluctant Gods

  “The key to everything is patience. You get the chicken by hatching the egg not by smashing it open.”

  Arnold Glasglow

  15

  “Lord Sevilen, welcome home,” Alexander said as he greeted me at the front door with a hug and a wide smile. “Did you enjoy your brief respite at Angels Guard? Meet anyone interesting?”

  “How did you know? Yes, she was there.”

  “I have my abilities as well, sir. I am an old soul, you know. So, when does training begin? Will she be here for dinner? Will she need her own room? I can have one readied for her. Don’t worry about the trailer. Mike apologized and I’m going to have it taken care of. Aren’t they a great group of guys?”

  “Whoa, whoa, whoa, slow down there, Al. I don’t think she likes me that much and she’s not anywhere near ready for training yet. I think she needs some time to review her vacation. Right now, she won’t believe anything. She’s totally in denial. I don’t think she’ll even talk to me.”

  Alexander’s face lost its sparkle. He took my bag and looked intently at me as he spoke softly, “Sorry to hear that, sir, but I know you will get there eventually. Not to be excessively optimistic, but you are right. In all likelihood, she isn’t ready yet. Patience is also a tool of divinity. I’ll take care of your things while you rest from the trip.”

  “Thank you, Alexander. Don’t worry. We will prevail. I’ll find her and get this project moving along.”

  “I am confident of that, sir.”

  He didn’t look too confident at all. Alexander’s shoulders drooped in disappointment as he carried my bag up the stairs.

  Patience. What could I do to pass the time and allow Leyna her incubation? Maybe I could learn some more about the family and our past. Maybe I could become more a part of this wonderful old mansion.

  I looked around the foyer at refinished floors glistening in a purplish glow beneath my feet. The regality of the wood was a pleasure to gaze upon. I’d never noticed the purple hue. I thought it was a dark cherry, but after the patina had been stripped and the wood refinished, it was incredible. A worker was passing through the lower hall.

  I called to him, “Sir, can you tell me what was done to this floor?” He hurried over with a worried look on his face.

  “You are Mr. Decarain, are you not?”

  “Yes, I’m Sevilen.”

  He lowered his eyes and spoke softly, his large frame looked more like a cowering submissive rather than the robust, skilled tradesman he was.

  “Something’s wrong. It’s not to your liking. I haven’t done it correctly. I’m so sorry. I can redo it.”

  “No, please. It’s beautiful beyond belief. I just have some questions. What’s your name?”

  “My name is Polat. I am happy you like what I have done. It is a rare wood and needed to be brought back to its original beauty.”

  “What kind of wood is it? How did you get the color?”

  “It’s called purple heart wood. It comes from the tropical rainforest. Unfortunately, since the time this house was built, the wood has been over-harvested and is hard to find. A floor like this would cost a fortune today. It’s naturally purple after it is cut. The sunlight makes it turn brown, so I used a special finish to protect it from the sun and it should stay this color for a very long time. It is sometimes called the wizard’s wood because of the color.”

  “Interesting…wizard. You don’t say? Thank you, Polat. I’m glad I got to speak to you. Keep up the wonderful work.”

  “Thank you, sir.”

  I continued my walk around the house. It had been brought back to its original splendor and glory and it was magical. I thought about the magical part—it was what I needed. Who has wizard wood in their home other than a wizard?

  I needed to start using my new capabilities, but I didn’t really feel comfortable after creating and destroying a universe, so I decided to use my human skills to track down Leyna. I’m not sure I wanted to be too patient about it either, since there was a time element of considerable importance involved.

  “You bet your bippy! Now close your eyes, see where she is, and go to her. That’s all you need to do.”

  “Aysel! Could you please not sneak up on me like that?”

  She laughed. “Sorry, Sevi, I guess I should have assembled outside and walked in. The house looks great. All real, too. You know your magic could take care of it, too, if you’d just quit being so stubborn and believe. You heard Gabby, didn’t you?” Aysel clicked her way around the room in her high heel boots and looked at things while she waited for my response.

  “I don’t think I’m quite ready for magic. I don’t need it anyway. I’ll find her and then I can work on the next step. First, I have to like her. How did I fall in love with her before?”

  “I really don’t know, sweetie. She’s always been a capital b with an itch, if you catch my drift. For some reason, she and you were selected a long, long time ago to become gods together.”

  Aysel sat on the newly reupholstered sofa, crossed a leg and bounced her foot, while she waved at the coffee table and made a tea setting appear with two cups of steaming jasmine tea. “Tea, dear?”

  I sat down next to her and grabbed a cup. “You do this just like that?”

  “Of course. You can, too. Just do it.”

  “No thanks.”

  “Sevi. You have to start accepting this, or you’ll not get anywhere and waste all your time. Not to mention you won’t be immortal if you don’t start acting like a god. You created a universe and destroyed it, remember? You certainly can do minor wizardly things like tea settings, or find Leyna, if you wanted.” Aysel sipped from her cup, her new shag haircut looked stunning the way it framed her face.

  “Thank you, I’m glad you like it.”

  “Do you always have to read minds?”

  “Of course not, but it makes things much simpler.”

  “Don’t you feel like you’re intruding? Kind of a privacy issue, isn’t it?”

  “Oh, grow up. You’re a god. You can darn well do what you want. So start being a god and get this going.”

  Aysel poured herself some more tea and added some to my cup. She sat in the twentysomething body she wore, looking at me with those beautiful eyes.

  “I know I’m cute, but start thinking about the god business.” Aysel turned into the homeless guy again and sat there laughing.

  “Aysel, the world I live in doesn’t fit well with magic. The thought of that universe makes me reluctant, so I intend to hold off for now, okay?” The homeless guy was drooling through the missing tooth space. It ran down his chin and he wiped it with a ratty coat sleeve. I had to laugh.

  “Disgusting, isn’t this? I don’t like to stay in this form for long, so I’ll leave you. I have things to attend to.”

  She turned back into herself, stood on her tiptoes and kissed me on the cheek. “Try it. You’ll like it, Sevi. Soon, okay?”

  I gave her a hug. “Okay, Ninee.”

  “Na! NO Ninee!”

  “Okay, Aysel. Oh, by the way, I may have messed things up for you down at Deer Lake. I told them you were dead.”

  “Not to worry. I’ll just wipe that memory from them when I get there and it’ll be as if it never happened. See ya.” She winked and disappeared. I went to my office and set about trying to find Leyna.