Vengeance of a Queen: The Resurrection of Queens, Book 2

The laughing goddess who appears before me is not quite what I was expecting either, despite having seen her recently during the vision in Ireland. She’s…more somehow.

“My daughter,” she murmurs, laughter in her tone, “you have never been one to practice patience. It’s one of the many things I love about you.”

My eyes narrow as I look at her. I’m…not entirely sure what to say to that. She gives me a knowing grin and waves her hand. A table with two cups and two chairs appears.

“Please, take a seat, daughter. We have much to discuss, and my sisters wish to meet you as well.”

Well, okay. I guess I’m having a goddess party.

I lower myself slowly into one of the chairs and glance into the cup in front of me. It looks like wine. I raise the glass to my lips and sniff. Merlot. I take a sip and let the wine soak into my tongue before I swallow. It’s surprisingly flavorful.

The goddess’s laughing eyes meet mine as she watches me enjoy my drink. “I know why you’re here, and I will endeavor to give you the answers you seek. I must warn you, however, that there are consequences to seeking some knowledge. It is why we have not provided as much as you would like.”

Consequences, huh? Sounds like a load of bullshit to me, but I keep that to myself.

“Okay,” I say cautiously. “Can you tell me about the weapons Connor is researching? Are there weapons that can kill the Härja?”

“You know the Härja better as the seven deadly sins.” That’s…surprising, though I suppose it shouldn’t be. “And there are two weapons that can kill them. Connor is right.”

“Can you tell us where they are?” The goddess shakes her head. Damn. “Are we expected to kill the Härja or keep them in Hell?”

“The expectation is to stop them however you need to.”

Okay. I note she dodged my question about the location of the weapons. “How do we know when a Fate has fallen?” I’m trying to ask the higher priority questions as I remember them.

“Ayla has already fallen,” Brigid responds critically. “She has been…tainted.”

Tainted? “Care to elaborate?” My tone is a bit more hostile than is probably wise.

“She…” The goddess pauses as though searching for the right words. “Her essence has changed.”

She’s part demon now. I quirk a brow. That’s all it takes? 

“But she’s still the same person,” I argue.

“Is she?”

What the fuck is that supposed to mean?

“I have only one more minute, daughter. There are others who wish to talk to you.” She places her hand on mine. “Never stop questioning, and know you will always have my blessing.”

With that, she’s gone. I’m left sitting alone at the table, staring at the seat she just recently occupied. Ayla isn’t the same person? I refuse to believe that. At her core, she is still the same person. Everyone grows, but what makes her fundamentally Ayla hasn’t changed.

In the next blink, Coatlicue, the Mother of Gods and Mortals, appears before me. Ayla didn’t meet her, and I don’t remember seeing her in the vision we had back in Ireland. She’s lethally beautiful, with long black hair that shimmers like the night sky and covers her naked breasts, deep brown skin, golden eyes, and a skirt made entirely of snakes.

“Daughter.” Her voice is deeper than Brigid’s, and it wraps around me like a lover’s caress. “I have been warned to avoid punishing you in the manner I wish.” I flinch at that. “You have so much doubt in your mind. You have lost your way.”

She isn’t exactly wrong. I didn’t doubt myself or my sisters. I did, however, very much doubt the gods. Everything we’ve learned so far has me questioning their motives.

“Are we just pawns in a game you’re playing with the Härja?” Okay, cool. Good job, Liv. Insult the scary goddess. 

She studies me for a moment before she gingerly sits with a weary sigh. “The short answer is no. You are not pawns. When we left your realm for ours and created life on Earth, rules were implemented that needed to be adhered to. The Härja doesn’t care to follow those rules. If we don’t…the end results will be disastrous.”

That has me studying her more closely. It had seemed as though the gods didn’t want to get their hands dirty. Which, frankly, pissed me off. But if it’s really more complicated than that, if there truly are horrible consequences for their interference, I suppose I’d feel better about us being on the front lines.

“The Härja’s intrusion could end not just your realm, but Hell as well. This could lead to the fall of our realm also, but if we interfere too much, it will mean the end of your realm.” She sighs and glances around the clearing. “You are our children, our hope for a better future. We put pieces of ourselves in you when we created you. We do not want to see all of that destroyed.

“We play by the rules that were established when we created our realm and our children to ensure that not only is the balance maintained, but that life does not simply cease to be.”

That…is quite the bombshell. Life just casually stops. Okay. Not good. “I just want to make sure I have this right. Because the gods created their own realm and life, there are rules they can’t break, which include helping said life too much, or else things will just…poof? Cease to be?”

“In a nutshell, yes,” she confirms.

“I’m not sure how I feel about all of this,” I confess.

“There is still much you need to accomplish, and much you have to overcome.” She leans over to touch my hand and warmth blossoms in my chest. “We would not have given you this task if we did not believe you wouldn’t succeed.”