The coming day's drug on in a slow, death march. It was time to say goodbye to Tucci and leave him here to continue work on our Nashville sector, put more distance between us and our children, and continue on this tour that would hopefully provide us with a platform to stand on.
With a barrage of medical testing, more pokes, and prods than Verando was willing to tolerate, it would appear the side effects of harboring the god were short-lived as this body truly was made to be a vessel. Just as he had held Whitewind inside of him, now Fenrir was there to fill that space, and the human side of him seemed to crack but not break.
Where Caspian shrank away, losing himself to the might of a God, Verando seemed to be adapting.
His organs were functioning, his body was healing- though slower than we were used to. The chain and brand would help hold in the creature, but the additional studs probably could have been placed anywhere and held a similar effect save for the tongue stud.
A stud made of holy silver, to purify the words of the beast. It was an interesting concept pushed forward by the lore that Tiberius had delved into. The idea would be that it was 'holy' ground, if Fenrir were to find a way to speak, it would be the truth. Effectively, a silencer for unwanted commentary, but testing it out would be out of the question.
I was reluctant to believe that it would do much for our cause, it felt like a way to mark up my warlord rather than prevent untruths but Verando must be feeling desperate for control to try something so drastic. If one thing was certain, it was that our time at Elena's party had frightened him.
Fenrir had effectively used his ability to give him a sort of 'god sight'. Difficult to explain, or fathom, Verando had only been able to communicate that it was like seeing the very souls of those around us. An ether plane of blackness, mixed with swirls of white smokey outlines. Every being had their own essence, and there in that, stood the falcon-headed god.
Horus.
But the intention behind the reveal was even more difficult to delve into. Why had Fenrir shown us that we were in the presence of an Eygptian? Horus was the god of healing, the sun, and the sky. His right eye was the sun, and his left eye held the moon, we could only assume that Fenrir had felt some sort of malicious intent towards him considering his own children were doomed to chase the morning.
We were torn, those of us who believed that the God's were trying to be helpful and those of us who were convinced otherwise. Verando and I fell on two different sides of that argument, and with the exhaustion that harboring Fenrir brought, I kept my opinions to myself while he recovered from Elena's party.
Days turned into a week, we flew to a new hotel across the country in Seattle, Washington. Home of the raining skies and dewy forests, it was one of the least affected by the planet's shift for its forests were still rich with life. Flying to multiple airports, shifting planes, and being in the air for so long, it gave us a disturbing perspective on what was left of this country.
A television could only explain so much, flying over what used to be lush farmland and seeing that it was now open expanses of desert made my skin crawl. The planet was still trying to heal, it was a constant reminder of why we were doing this, that Darrius needed to bring back balance once he was old enough.
I was happy that Verando slept for the majority of our trip, too exhausted to be anxious, I let him sleep and kept my thoughts to myself for I cried more on those flights than I cared to admit. I would be giving our son up to this life, I would be surrendering him to a life of constant servitude, a life I was almost destined to live myself in some ways.
It was unreasonable, I knew this going into it, and I didn't need him to see me so upset. This couldn't be fixed, couldn't be helped, but the reality hit me harshly each time I allowed myself to steal a glimpse of his future.
Seattle would be our home for the next three weeks, a roomy suite in a large hotel that was much more comfortable in some ways compared to our Nashville nightlife. I was happy to be close to the ocean again, determined to make a trip to the beach while we were here, though the gloom and rain seemed to be a healthy deterrent for anyone else on our trip.
Mostly, I wanted to try hunting. It was one of the few places with a healthy prey supply left in America and I wouldn't squander this opportunity.
Slipping out of the hotel while Verando slept, I pull on the heavy coat to shield myself from the rain and push the hood over my head. I had my own popularity to contend with and didn't need to deal with an entourage as I typed in the quick address for our closest pub. Scooting my way down the street, I attempt to not look rushed in my eagerness to get to a safe space.
It wasn't often I was alone these days, the discomfort of being a pack animal exposed in this large unknown city hit me harder than I could have imagined, but this was something I wanted to do on my own. Resisting the urge to shake off, I step up to the counter of the humble pub, taking in the decor and noting its Irish roots.
Sitting at the bar top, I keep my hood up, awkwardly shuffling my feet as they don't touch the floor with the height of the chair. "What'll you have? Bit early for a drink."
Was it? I glance at my watch, 9 am.
"It's five o'clock somewhere else, isn't that what you Americans say?" I attempt, fiddling with the napkin before me.
"Somethin' like that." The man raises a brow. "How about a coffee?"
"Sure," I mutter, sighing as I glance over the various pictures hanging on the walls for anyone I might recognize. What if I guessed wrong? Surely not every Irish pub harbored magical beings, though Verando seemed to have an eye for finding such places, I seemed to only happen upon them.
Placing the coffee in front of me, I wrap my palms around the sides to take in its warmth, and relief from the chilly air circulating in from the drafty door. "Where can a fellow find enhancers?" I ask casually, hearing the man nearly choke as my eyes flick up to meet his. Cursing, the guy shakes his head in some sort of disgust at me.
"Listen, pal, if you're a junkie, beat it. I've got no use for any more of your kind."
Did they have a drug problem here? "I'm not a junkie."
He scoffs and I can see where he'd find humor in that, shrugging one shoulder.
"You're also not from around here. What the heck kind of accent is that? You sound like a damned gang member." His own accent rings thick and I can see where I approached this poorly. "I don't want any trouble." The bartender places a large handgun on the counter, shocking considering they were illegal in this part of the country.
I'd place my own if I didn't think that'd make matters worse. "You won't get any from me. I'm looking for information."
"I ain't a snitch, either." he spits back, irritated.
"But you are a working man, yes? You have a family or at least needs, I imagine you like money." Pulling out my wallet, I place a fifty on the table beside his gun. "I'm not asking you to snitch or whatever it is you are worried about... I'm asking you to give me a general direction."
Glancing down at the money, the aged face considers this, snatching the fifty he looks it over, holding it up to the light and rolling his eyes before setting it back down. "Five hundred."
"Done." I smack the money down on the table and he curses, nearly spitting with frustration as he takes the bills and thumbs through them in a slow, reluctant way of counting.
"You rich assholes who come here really are something else. No respect. Keep in mind that means your info has a price, too. You like that?" Glancing up at me harshly, he shakes his head at my stone-faced expression. "Cat's 'n wraiths, man."
Seemed to be the same story everywhere I went, with no mentions of gods, no mention of the heroes, or any of the various guilds forming. Cats and Wraiths.
"Convenient, also not helpful." I retort, holding out my hand for the return of my cash.
"Hey small fry, you didn't specify, you asked where you can find your drugs, I told you. Find the Cats or a Wraith, it'll get you your drugs. The creeps are all over the place, but they don't come in here. Aint welcome." He pockets the money in his apron and I make note of that for I saw a Wraith in a pub in Nashville.
"Are you an affiliated pub?" I ask curiously.
"With what? Booze?"
"Honor the good king?" I tilt my head.
"Why do you freaks keeping say that shit to me? You know, there was a lunatic who came in here yesterday saying the same shit asking when that musician would be here. What the hell do I know about a musician?"
So he wasn't an affiliate, he was a normal man, who happened to have a pub and there were members trying to find sanctuary in this city. Were they foreign to this state or was there no sanctuary to be had? "A lunatic you say?"
"Real weirdo. Turned around and he'd vanished. Dude didn't even look human, bet he wasn't, using in public is illegal in this city so you be careful with whatever it is you're sneaking around with."
Don't panic, don't freak out, I keep my expression the same as it had been for I knew better than to show my hand. Someone had been in here, trying to use the pub system to look for us, or at least for Verando. Then they vanished, would that be someone who was fast or someone of magical influence?
If they were using the phrase, it didn't necessarily mean they were friends, just that they knew how to get information on us. Perhaps another hero? "Did they leave a name?"
"Did you?" He scoffs, cocking an eyebrow.
"No, I didn't. Thanks, sir." I place a five-dollar bill down on the table to pay for my coffee, I'd had enough. I'd come looking to score some suppressants just in case but had left with a lot more than I bargained for. The city was alive and bustling, with a lot of foot traffic that made me on high alert. So many overpasses, ledges, alleys, and crevices, it was a battleground in the making. It reminded me of Newyork in some ways with its vast size, though the streets were broader and better designed to accommodate both foot traffic and vehicles.
Just when I'd started getting comfortable again, we were back into the fray. I glance up, spotting a billboard with Verando and Tiberius's faces on it, there would be a protest tonight about outlawing magical musicians. Especially ones facing murder charges, maybe this wasn't the best time to go hunting?
As I walk back towards the hotel, I stop at a street-side cart, attracted by the smell of fresh baked goods and a decent coffee. With a hum of appreciation, my mouth practically waters and I spot the cinnamon rolls. "Two please, and two coffees. One black, one with an unreasonable amount of cream." I order, huddling into my coat from the cold rain.
"Isn't caffeine bad for expecting mothers?" I hear the smooth voice and nearly unleash my wolf, only barely managing to reel my nature back in as I stiffly turn my head to spot the ever-present B. "Just checking on my bracelet."
Taking the bag of treats and gripping both coffee cups as if they were my life blood, I quickly start walking back towards the hotel, do I go back? Do I divert? How much longer would Verando be asleep? He'd be worried, he'd come looking for me...
I realize she's walking beside me and flinch, tucking myself deeper into my hood, "What're you doing here?"
"You know there's no rain in the afterlife? This is incredible." She sighs, I realize that she's soaked nearly to the bone, her vessel shivering despite the happy look on her face. "I'm following you, what do you think I'm doing? You're wearing my fertility band."
"Everyone is convinced you're trying to trick me," I tell her point blank, stiff as my breath conjures in front of my lips, trying to reel it back in. I was the only one with frosted breath, I couldn't draw attention, not here.
"Not at all. But if I was, why would I tell you? My job is to help, as is the job of any god, and as I told you I have a vested interest in you liking me. You hold the unicorn."
Cursing under my breath, I struggle to keep from rushing, she was odd enough with her lack of consideration for the rain. Drawing attention in a town of prejudice wasn't going to help my cause, "Why did you say that?"
"Say what?" She muses, holding up her palms to collect the drops, "That you're expecting?"
"Yes! That!" I spit, keeping my voice low.
"Because... you had sex?" She checks her wrist as if there was a watch, "After I gave you the fertility band? Did you not have a heat cycle, I thought it was pretty obvious-"
I shush her, freezing, looking directly into the large golden eyes as she watches me with the mild amusement of a cat with its toy."Yes. Yes, I had a.. whatever that was! But-"
"But... congratulations? You feel it, don't you? Maybe it's too early, maybe you won't get many symptoms, I said I would help you and I did. Now I ask that you help me. I don't want to go back to the god's realm. A gift given by a god can be taken by a god, at any point... now.. in five years from now, this child is my gift to you. A life thread in my spool, if you will. I'm not asking for much-"
"How dare you?" I whisper, feeling the tremble grow in my body. "How dare you attempt to convince me that there is anything just about a being who would take back a life?"
Frowning, the golden eyes watch me for a long moment as patrons walk all around us as if we didn't exist. In one quick motion, she snaps her fingers, and a woman behind us drops to the ground dead. At first no one notices, they keep walking, but slowly the anomaly draws attention. One woman stops, then another, then a man, and finally, there's a crowd gathered as someone screams to start CPR.
"I just saved her, in a way. Tonight her husband would have beaten her to death. Just? Maybe to some. When you are immortal, when you can create and destroy; when people truly worship you... you begin to realize there are larger things at play than simply good and evil. To give a gift to you, I had to take it from someone else.
Nothing is set in stone, not even the unicorn, so I'm asking you as one immortal at the end of her journey to another at the beginning of his, do not cast judgment on us who do not want to exist for eternity in purgatory."
The look on my face must not be convincing to her, for all I could focus on was that she had just killed a woman in cold blood. With a slow exhale, she offers a small, warm smile. "It's fine. You need time. Let me leave you with one more word of wisdom, from someone who had lived since time existed and maybe even before then. Fenrir was imprisoned by the gods for something that he might do, a child of chaos and disorder.
What say you of your child, hmm? Born of a gift from Bastet, the seed of the vessel of Fenrir, potential kin to Skoll and Hati? What would your unicorn think of such a creature, would you not say that it has the same potential, to be locked away? With your husband? Perhaps for valid reasons... or for no reason at all. I'm asking you make your plea, because now.. you have a vested interest, too."
Behind us, the crowd pleads for an ambulance, for the woman is not reviving. B looks over her shoulder, I note the skin on her neck is cracked like old stone. B's body wouldn't hold up to this much longer. "Does it not bother you that you're killing your vessels?" I manage, sick to my stomach.
"Small tolls in the grand scheme of things. Yes, I'll need to find a new vessel... maybe my next one won't explode. But this one has served me well, she'll be given a lovely space in the afterlife, such much more romantic for these mortals than us immortals. Consider your own immortality, Nicolas. It's a real bitch." With that, she vanishes, I race back to the hotel and push through the protestors at the front doors to climb into the elevator and head up to our suite.
I scramble with my key card, struggling to hold it and the coffee cups, only to nearly drop it all when Verando opens the door with a heavy sigh of relief. Shaking, I can only stare at him as his expression pales and he takes me inside. Taking the cups and the bag, I throw my arms around him almost faster than he can set everything down, and bury my face into his soft shirt.
"Darling you're shaking like a leaf, what happened? Are you alright?"
What do I tell him? That I could be... that I might be...? How could I possibly tell him all that had just been revealed?