We were pretty sure we pushed the war back momentarily with the amount of Mages we had slaughtered in both recent attacks, but it was still looming and present in our minds; however, the infants had to come first.
I had a daughter, and the thought of screwing her or the boys up was overwhelming. I knew nothing of raising children, and a daughter really scared me. I’d been a hard child, almost to the point of cold after my adopted parents had been killed. I was more afraid of these tiny beings than I had ever been of my beast.
I was standing over my daughter when Ristan and Adam sifted into the room. Both of them had bags bulging with items from a popular chain of baby stores back home. “What’s all of that?” I asked, unsure I wanted to know.
“Baby stuff; you have no idea how much stuff they need,” Adam answered as he dropped his bags inside of one of the empty cribs. The boys had yet to leave their sister’s side, and I wasn’t certain if they should. They seemed hell-bent on watching over her, and Eliran had admitted that she seemed to do better with them beside her.
“Formula is a tricky thing to glamour without knowing the ingredients,” Ristan said as he walked over to me. “Danu let me know that you wouldn’t be able to um…feed them now. So we figured we would get what they needed. The idea of using a wet nurse wasn’t something Ryder liked, and well, not a lot of mothers currently lactating in Faery to choose from. We were able to bring in two right after your untimely—ahem, death to help, but they cannot stay long. The babes are mortal for now, as weak as Human babes.”
I laughed. “Never tell their father that,” I said as I wrinkled my nose at the idea. “Besides, I doubt they are helpless; they’re the Horde King’s offspring.”
I looked in the crib at the array of assortments they’d brought back. Cans of formula, bottles, and a few other items which I tried to imagine them picking out. “You really went all out.”
“You should see the shit they sell at those stores! They have everything and more, and some of the shit I couldn’t imagine using on the poor wee things!” Ristan said as he made cute noises at the babies as he gave me a roguish smile.
“Have you thought about names?” Adam asked as he too looked down at the babes.
“I was thinking of names, but I’m waiting to see their personalities a bit before deciding.” I looked at Ristan as he leaned over the crib, playing with the babies. “Ristan, thank you for what you did. For getting them out in time,” I whispered and watched him as his eyes darted to mine in startled confusion.
“Danu showed me what would happen if we tried to save you,” he said uncomfortably. “I knew what had to be done, but it didn’t make it any easier. You don’t have to thank me, not for saving your children. I made a choice, one I knew you would want me to make. I never dreamed that my skill with a blade would extend to that, and I am certainly pleased that you are here to enjoy your children,” he said as he scooped my daughter up, and cuddled her on his shoulder.
“Was what Danu showed you really that bad? Ryder told me a little of what happened, and I have to admit that I was kinda surprised that you delivered them,” I said and watched as he shook his head.
“Eliran is brilliant,” he said quietly. “And every time you’ve been hurt, Ryder has threatened to kill him if he couldn’t heal you. Eliran knew what we all knew. You were gone and I think he just could not process it, and those babies couldn’t wait for him to do so. I am not a surgeon, but I knew I couldn’t do any more damage than had already been done. If Ryder chose to kill me, so be it,” he said with a soft smirk. “I also knew we all stood a real chance of dying in that room if the beast had gotten loose and I think the delivery helped prevent that from actually happening.” He shook his head as if the memory bothered him.
“Synthia,” Danu said as she stood by the doorframe and eyed Ristan a little hesitantly. “I need you to come with me.”
I watched Ristan as he turned away from us, as if he was annoyed or angry with her. I made a mental note to ask him what was going on when things finally calmed down enough and I got a moment alone with him.
I blew kisses to the babes and planted one on both Ristan and Adam’s cheeks before joining Danu.
Danu took me to the Pools of Faery, which according to her, was blessed by both the Fae and the Gods. The area was breathtaking, and unlike the pools Ryder and I had been to, these ones were shielded, hidden by huge ivy plants. We stepped through the bushes, and there were three plump women who all looked exactly the same, waiting for us.
“Synthia, these are the Fates,” Danu said softly as she bowed her head to each one in respect. “For every God or Goddess that is birthed, even the lesser ones, the Fates have been attendance to wash, bless, and prepare them for their new roles. This is true for the Human world as it is in Faery.”
“Come child, for the blessing water grows cold,” one said, but it seemed to come from all three at once. I swallowed and shed the white gown Danu had created for me after my rebirth, then stepped into the water.
The moment their hands touched me, I felt their exquisite powers as one. It was awkward to have the Fates here, considering how much I’d fought against my destiny, but it seemed as if my entire life had been driving me to this one moment in time.
“You’ll face your past, and become your future,” one said, her eyes vacant as she placed her hands over my eyes. I was no longer in the pools, but instead I was with my adoptive parents. I watched as they accepted me with loving arms.
They had accepted me, knowing what I was.
And then I was the scared child, who watched as they were slaughtered by Faolán. I didn’t feel the pain which had been with me since the day it happened; instead, I felt sadness for them, and I was grateful for all that they had sacrificed. No longer was there a blackness of hatred either, but instead there was a lightness to it, which I am sure had to do with the beast. If this event hadn’t happened, I probably wouldn’t have found him.
I was shown my life through their eyes, and in it, I was always strong and proud. Even when others had thought me weak, I’d stood my ground and never wavered. I did what had been expected of me, and never questioned why until I was told to breach the Dark Prince’s tower to retrieve his crown, which I now knew to be a useless piece of silver.
I watched as Ryder ran his hand over my flesh and then watched us, his hand touching me. His Fae magic hadn’t been what made me react to his touch that day he’d found me in his tower. From the first touch, we’d sealed our fates. The connection had sparked, and we did as we’d been meant to. It was destiny, calling, pulling, beguiling, and tantalizing me. I’d hated myself for responding to him and for being unable to deny him, but I’d never had a choice—we’d never had a choice.
The attraction had been there, and both of us were unable to deny it. He hated it as much as I had, and it’s shown in the shock on his face as I push through his magic and deny his touch. From the moment he’d entered my apartment and we’d ended up with me naked on the floor, and him hovering above me, it had been fate. Every move that had brought us to this moment in time had been preplanned.
His club and my need to get away from him…I’d been terrified of these feelings, and I’d run, only to have my friends talk me back inside. Larissa, she was there, always the voice of reason and I wouldn’t have him if I hadn’t listened to her; she’d always been the smart one.
The Wild Hunt, and his intentions, which he’d brazenly laid out for me, before the hunt and after he’d caught me. I’d known I wanted him before the hunt, and I didn’t really try to get away; I expected just enough of an effort for him to chase me. I’d needed the decision to be taken away from me, and I’d needed to have him. We’d both needed it, and in a way, it broke one of the barriers that stood between us.
I watched as he overpowered me with his need, and the way he kissed me, both in the vision left me boneless and panting fo
r his hungry mouth. I watched as he listened to his men outside, and then grew hard and angry as he made a choice for his people, even hating it as he took me back to the mansion as his prisoner. He had to be King of his people, and they had to come before his pleasure.
Then I was there with Ristan, and he was kissing me, feeding me power as my body had been weakened from iron poisoning. I watched as he kissed me, and then smiled as he watched me leave him. He’d known I would do the right thing; he’d had faith in the woman I’d been.
I watched as we moved to Ryder’s engagement party, and his actions as he mirrored mine, itching for me to move so he could touch me. He hadn’t even planned on hurting me; he had just wanted to touch me right up until Zahruk had stabbed me.
I felt his pain as he looked to where the dagger had protruded from my chest, the hopelessness he’d felt as he sifted me to Eliran. His anger as the Guild took me from him and left him helpless but to wait until I could heal so he could claim me again.
And then I watched as Joseph waited for me and everything he’d done to Larissa during that time. This part I could have lived without, but I understood it was a piece of who I was, and the person I was now becoming. I watched as he cut her open again, and then Ristan was there, pulling me into his arms and sifting me to safety. I’d begged him to save her, but I could see what he could see now, her soul wasn’t there. She’d already left her body and departed the living world for the other.
Then I was inside my head, and Ryder was there again. He’d brought me back when no one else could have. Danu might have had a plan, but she couldn’t have seen us as this, as a unity of one who worked well together. She’d had no guarantee that we would end up together, since all she could was push us in the right way without interfering directly.
I was shown my entire life up until the moment I died. It had been a turbulent ride, but I was still here. I heard the Fates as they whispered behind me, and I as I turned toward them, they spoke.
“For one so young, you’ve seen a lot,” they whispered, and one narrowed her eyes on me.
“She’s pure of heart and her soul is perfect for the change. What is done is done, and so you shall stay as you are. You have been blessed, and we will take your story to those who shall seek to argue against you becoming a Goddess. One pure of deed, whose heart is true normally cannot be challenged; however there are those that may try. Blessed be, Synthia.”
They talked through each other. As if together, they were one. Three pairs of hands grasped me at the same time and then my vision was blinded with light, and I was pushed into the water.
When I popped back up, it was to them scrubbing me like a naughty child who’d played in the mud. One used a sponge, which washed over my skin like sandpaper; another washed my hair until it slid over my flesh as the softest silk. The third snapped her fingers and the most beautiful dress appeared in her arms.
Danu watched it silently, her hands filled with golden jewels as pride filled her pose. “It’s not every day a Goddess is born, Synthia; enjoy it now, for you will not remember meeting them, once they’ve gone.”
“Is that true?” I asked the Fates, who nodded as one with an impish look in their eyes.
“We will remember you, and you will be watched closely for the first century of your new life, but no; you won’t remember us, for we must know if you are truly worthy of this gift Danu has bestowed upon you.”
I was helped to stand, naked, in front of an oval shaped, full-length mirror. I looked at my naked form, noting my body was slim, and showed no signs of having carried the triplets. My eyes were once again the azure blue they’d been before I’d become Fae. My hair was longer, but not by much. “May I ask you a question?” I looked at the tallest, and watched her as she looked right through me.
“You may, but you will not like our answer.”
I had to try. “If you can see, and know everyone’s fates, can you—”
I was silenced, unable to get the next word out.
“No; it’s not our place to speak of the future. Changing it by saying too much can cause destruction and devastation,” they said.
I deflated a bit and I felt the cool whisper sensation as a dress vanished from one of the Fate’s arms and reappeared on my body. The creamy-white dress was made of the finest silk, and was fashioned in the way I had always seen Greek Goddesses depicted. Gold trim was wrapped high on the slim waistline, forming a beautiful, intricate belt.
Next came jewels of the same gold; cuffs went around my biceps as earrings were placed in my ears. My neck was left bare, but my wrists were dressed in thirty or more slim bracelets that fully covered my wrists. The nearest Fate, twirled her fingers and my hair braided and then piled atop my head as thin bands of gold laced through it.
“She’s ready,” they said as one looked down at my naked feet. She wiggled her nose and I looked down to find golden sandals with laces that twirled up to my thighs in a beautiful pattern. “Danu, now she’s ready to meet her people.”
Chapter Thirteen
I stood worriedly in a room alone as Adam went to find my parents. Ryder walked in, causing me to lift my eyes to meet his. “Has he found them?” I asked softly.
“Adam found Liam, who is taking him to your father,” he confirmed as he walked over and kissed me softly. “You sure you don’t want the babies here to lessen the blow?”
“You think our children will lessen the blow that Danu hijacked an egg and created a child that Madisyn carried thinking it was her own?” I asked as I lifted a brow at him. “I’m pretty sure nothing will make anything I say easier on her.”
“Gods, you’re so sassy for a newborn.” He smiled cockily. I heard noise outside the door and prepared myself for what was coming.
Madisyn was dressed in black, which confirmed our suspicion that they thought I was dead. They hadn’t noticed me yet; their eyes were on Ryder, who had blocked me from their view, even though he was in his Fae form.
“You bastard,” Lasair whispered brokenly and moved forward. Liam stopped him and held him back. “He killed my daughter!” he shouted angrily.
I started to interrupt them, but Adam closed the door from the outside, locking myself, Ryder, my parents, and my brother inside. Madisyn held a small dagger in her hand, and I paused in shock. “Mother!” I shouted as she turned to Ryder.
Her hand froze. She held the dagger that she’d once tried to give me to kill the Horde King. Her eyes filled with tears as Lasair stepped closer with his eyes scanning me carefully. “What is this?” he demanded.
“It’s me,” I said and moved to him but felt a sting of rejection as he pulled the arm away that I’d tried to grab. “Listen to me, I’m Sorcha. I was killed, but that was Faolán and the Mages’ doing, not Ryder’s. That’s why we have no bond,” I said, repeating what Danu had told me to. It wasn’t an easy thing to explain, but I had to explain it on a level that they would understand and be able to accept.
“I need you to listen, and I need you to keep an open mind, please. This won’t be easy for you to understand, but I can prove it. I am not Madisyn’s daughter. Not technically. Danu is my mother.”
Liam, Madisyn, and Lasair all snorted and turned on Ryder.
“She replaced her egg with Madisyn’s! You could feel the bond, Lasair, because you are my father,” I shouted, pulling their attention back to me.
“Impossible,” Liam sneered.
“Is it? Danu’s a Goddess, and a very powerful one, too. She needed a way to heal this world without directly interfering.”
“Why would she use me?” Madisyn asked.
“Because you’d send me away to protect me, and she knew it. You and Lasair did what she planned, Madisyn. You sent me to the Humans to protect me and I learned from them. I learned things that I couldn’t in this world. She knew Lasair was the right father with the righ
t bloodline, and that you were the perfect surrogate mother for me. I am who I am because of what you did. I don’t think anyone else would have been strong enough to do what you and Lasair did. You sent your Fae daughter to the mortal realm, where she learned to love and be compassionate. I’m strong because of what I’ve been through, and I needed to be. I needed to be exactly who your choices have made me become. She’s a Goddess, and while sometimes I find her extremely weird, and not always loving, she was right in this. I’m glad she gave me to you, and I hope you are glad to have me as your daughter as well.”
“Synthia,” Madisyn said as she embraced me tightly. “I thought we lost you again,” she cried against my ear as she held me tightly against her slightly smaller frame. “I’m honored that Danu chose me, and I’m glad she kept the knowledge to herself of your parentage. If she hadn’t, and I’d known who you really were, a daughter of the great Goddess, I’d have kept you. I’d have done everything differently for fear she’d be angered and seek retribution for handing her daughter over to the Humans.”
“I think she knew that,” I whispered as I hugged her back. I felt a weight lift off my chest as the secret was finally exposed and the knowledge that it hadn’t crushed Madisyn and her gentle heart was a relief. “I need to explain what is going to happen, and I need your help. I also need you to keep my secret.”
“Mother, get away from her,” Liam snapped as he watched me as if I was a viper. “She lies.”
“Give me your hand, Liam,” I said when he continued to glower at me. I held out my hand to him and moved closer.
“You can’t be her,” he said with an angry sneer. “It’s impossible, only those born from the Gods and Goddess can become them, and you’re half Fae.”
I didn’t wait for his permission; instead I gripped his hand and showed him what had happened to me in the last few hours. When I was done, he stepped back and gawked at me. I’d shown him what our brother had done, and I’d included how I’d almost been raped by Faolán, and how he’d help to hold me down for my children to be removed—and I made sure to include Danu, and her instructions of what I’d become and how.