House Of Gods 9 - Samantha Snow Page 0,23

hysterical about the horns on his head.

“Helia is here to help,” Kemma said. She got up and kissed her son on the forehead before she headed toward the door. “I’m going to let you two talk. I’ll be back in a bit with tea.”

Helia took Kemma’s place sitting on the side of the bed, and Tannin moved slightly farther away from her.

“I need a mirror,” he said. He wanted to see just what it was that had deformed him.

“Not yet,” Helia said. “You need to listen before you see.”

“Listen to what?”

“Listen to me tell you what has happened to you.”

CHAPTER SEVEN

Lopt and Celeste had been having a much easier job of things in Alfheim. Their rule was kind and effective, and Alfheim had grown to be a productive and bustling realm. Most of the light elves had been able to learn how to tap into the ancient magics, and Lopt had led them with training in how to fine-tune their powers nearly to the point of perfection. The realm had recovered from its losses so many years ago and had turned into one of the most powerful and magic-laden realms of all the nine worlds. The people were peaceful, and there had been no threat to their world since Celeste and Lopt had returned to preside over them.

Tara’s brother had also been privy to Lopt’s magical training, and Lopt had taken favor to the boy who reminded him a bit of his sister. He was only a year older than her, and although he had heard the stories about what had happened on Earth many years before, he mostly tried to stay out of things and went about minding his business of playing with swords and building inventions out of wood and stone. He had, however, paid careful attention to all of Lopt’s lessons and training throughout the years. That interested him. He became a fast learner and a hard-working pupil, which impressed Lopt and prompted him to continue to challenge the boy with new and harder skills. Now, as he reached the ages of becoming a young man, Rolf was a formidable fighter, equally as skilled with a sword as he was with using his magic. Not that he would have a need to fight since Alfheim was at peace. Rolf was grateful for all that Lopt and Celeste had done for him and was a respectful boy; everything that Tannin was not.

“Drop your sword, please, Rolf. You know there are no weapons at the dinner table.”

“Sorry, Celeste,” he said as he laid his wooden training sword by the door and came in to give her a hug.

“What’s for dinner?”

“I made a lovely spread of quails with all of the trimmings and elderberry wine,” she said.

“Are we celebrating something?” he asked. “Where’s Lopt?”

“Here,” Lopt said as he walked inside. “And yes, we are celebrating something.”

Rolf waited patiently to hear the news as Lopt gave Celeste a kiss and then helped her to serve the dinner plates, which were brimming with delicious food. Celeste was not only a strong leader but also an amazing cook.

When everyone had taken a seat and there was food and wine in front of each of them (a smaller amount for Rolf since he wasn’t quite old enough yet), Lopt took a bite of the quail and smiled. The buttery, rich bird had been cooked to crispy perfection and seasoned with herbs that made his taste buds dance. After he took a swig of the sweet wine, he launched into his explanation of what they were celebrating.

“Tannin has gone to live with Helia for now. She will be overseeing him until his adulthood.”

“Why would that be something we are celebrating?” Rolf asked as he took a coveted swig of his elderberry wine.

“Because Helia is exactly what that boy needs. It sets up a better chance of success when he is met with your sister. The time is drawing near; one day Tannin and your sister will rule over all the realms together, and it is important that they both be ready.”

Rolf had heard many stories about the destiny of his sister and the demon-boy. He had gotten tired of hearing how powerful his sister would be someday, and he thought that all of the fuss over Tannin was tedious. He listened to Lopt and Celeste discuss the matter in more depth over dinner, as he focused on eating his food and blocking out all the verbal fanfare. Just as they were about done, Celeste asked