A Fey New World (The Godhunter #32) - Amy Sumida Page 0,57

on her finger before she could change her mind. He surged to his feet and embraced her as the entire room broke into applause.

“Of course,” a scornful voice drawled from the doorway on the other side of the room. “The world is falling into anarchy and despair but they're celebrating. Why not? Let's break out the bubbly and do a little dance.”

Chapter Thirty-Two

“Don't be a dick,” Hecate huffed as she stepped past her husband.

“What's a dick?” Vero asked his father innocently.

“It's a naughty word for the most precious part of a man's body,” Trevor said as Hekate grimaced at him apologetically.

Horus smirked at his wife as if he'd won a point. “You will need to curb your cursing when the baby comes.”

“Put a sock in it, Horus,” Kate declared. “How's that? Better?”

“Decidedly not,” Horus said primly. Then he glared around the room. “Why is it so damn crowded in here?”

The Intare moved aside, then down the hall, giving the God Squad—who was coming in behind Kate—space to move down the room.

“What's happened?” I demanded of the arriving gods.

“Father,” Thor brushed past Horus, “haven't you sensed it?”

Odin frowned, the expression making him look slightly older than his son for once. “I feel...” Odin looked up sharply, his shimmering peacock eyes gone wide. “Belief.”

Thor nodded. “The Gods are being worshiped again.”

“What? Why?” Viper asked as if the thought were ridiculous.

“Humans don't know what these plots of land are,” Finn explained. “There are multiple theories and gods—the old gods—have become one of them. Humans are afraid. They're worshiping whoever they think might save them.”

“Okay, children, grab a muffin and go outside!” I declared brightly. “Time to get some fresh air. And take Dexter and Deidre with you.”

“Mom,” Rian whined.

“Come on, we can play in the castle,” Brevyn reminded Rian. “We'll lay siege as dragons while they defend the battlements.”

I had built a miniature castle in front of Pride Palace for the children to play in. It, and the nearby swings, had become nearly as popular as the pool. It was enough to draw Rian outside despite the intrigue. As they left, Brevyn winked at me.

I gaped after my son as I remembered how calmly he'd taken the news of our leaving. He had told us, over and over, that it would be okay. Brevyn had known that the realm wouldn't close. Why didn't he tell us that? Was it because I would have told King Cian, who likely would have tried to close the realm anyway? Telling us wouldn't have helped. We would have had to leave anyway, just in case the wayfarers succeeded, but it would have been a wishy-washy, maybe-we'll-be-back sort of goodbye that would have been far worse than the beautiful tribute the entire realm had given us. My poor, sweet boy had kept quiet, knowing that he couldn't do anything to help beyond telling us that it would be okay in the end. This is why I hated his gift. I'd seen enough psychics suffer to know that it wasn't a gift at all. It was so damn unfair that he had to shoulder such things at his age. But Brevyn had an old soul—a good soul—and he had proven himself more than capable of handling his visions and his exceptional magic.

When the kids were gone, I looked at Finn and nodded. “Go on.”

“The magic has grown. It's starting to head toward the cities,” Finn said. “The humans are fighting back with pesticides and fire and fucking bulldozers. They've even dropped bombs on it.”

“What?!” Arach snarled.

“And the magic is defending itself,” Pan said grimly.

“What does that mean?” Trevor asked.

“It hasn't killed anyone yet but many have been hurt. Vines sprout suddenly to lash out at humans, flowers infect the air with poisonous fragrance, and the ground itself rises to overturn any machinery that threatens the plants. As for the bombs and fire—they do some damage but then the plants burst back into existence, extending further than they had before they were attacked. It's as if the heat causes a chain reaction.”

“Like in Evolution,” I murmured. “Great googa mooga.”

“That is not evolution, Vervain,” Odin said dryly.

“She means the movie.” Trevor slapped Odin's shoulder. “Thus, the great googa mooga quote. Although, I think the one about napalm might be more appropriate.”

“Napalm. Lots and lots of napalm,” I confirmed Trevor's explanation by providing the quote. “In the movie, the aliens' DNA reacted to heat. It caused them to evolve rapidly.”

“I think this is more of a case of a response to stimuli