Chapter 34: The Power of Gods

They watched him. His face was contorted in anger and his fists balled so tightly that his nails pierced the skin of his palms. Blood seeped from his fists on the wooden surface beneath his hands, forming a slowly growing puddle. There was a new god at their table and he was a very furious god.

“She betrayed me.”

The sentence escaped through his grinding teeth. The silence was broken, and then it was totally destroyed when loud laughter exploded from the others at the table.

“May I suggest we make him Dharkuntis, the God of Useless Hindsight and Impotent Rage,” Injontas gasped between gales of laughter.

“I thought he would be totally useless, but I can’t remember the last time we had such a precious moment of carefree laughter at this usually somber meetings.” Cointas sniggered, while he wiped tears off his eyes with his sleeve.

“Let’s make him our court jester,” Khor suggested out of breath.

Dharkuntis glared darkly at the gods and goddesses around the table until their laughter finally died down.

“I sincerely feel sorry to spoil your happy moment, but Kassja asked me to deliver a message to you, and I feel inclined to do so now.” Dharkuntis announced with only barely concealed anger in his voice. He waited a moment to assure himself he had every one’s attention before he spoke again.

“The war on Calmyra is over. Led by Chaos, all your children stand united against you. Ghania, Atanea and Harohn are with us as well. The Manthakin Empire, the Norgar, Vernya, Gotha, and Erylaness are ours, more than two thirds of man’s population on Calmyra. If you don’t surrender now we won’t hesitate and kill every priest and priestess, burn down every single temple devoted to you, hunt down every last one of your believers and extinguish every written word and memory of you on Calmyra.”

This time there was no laughter and it took a while until Feya broke the silence again.

“Well, I see Balkhor and Messaya are back with us today, and even Ipochone rejoined to welcome a new god amongst us, and to listen to his message from our children,” she said.

“We are here but Destruction’s demons occupy the Underworld,” Balkhor stated dejectedly.

“And I told you I would be here to see all your plans fail,” the Goddess of Love reminded smiling gently.

“Chaos and Deception have beaten us,” Injontas sighed, agreeing with his mate.

“They had beaten us a thousand years ago, while we were celebrating our victory,” Balkhor grunted.

“We were doomed the moment we brought Destruction into our world,” Zetine, the Goddess of Rivers and Streams, sighed.

“Doom is just another word for Destiny,” Ipochone remarked, the only one at the table who did not look depressed.

“So that’s it, you’ll surrender to our children?” Khor asked outraged.

“I will. Ipochone is right, you cannot defeat destiny. Ask the new god among us if he feels victorious,” Ebora said.

“You don’t need to feel abandoned, Khor. You’re not the only one who can’t surrender, so you won’t be alone continuing a war you cannot win,” Ipochone stated looking at Feya.

“You are right, Ipochone, I will never surrender to Chaos, but I will offer peace. When you bow to Chaos, will you tell her of my peace offering? I have a gift for Chaos I would like you to give her as a token of my good will, and as an honest homage for my greatest enemy.” Feya asked and displayed a small flask in her hand. The Flask contained a multicolored, shining oily fluid. “These are Chaos’ memories of her lives the last thousand years, and her time before on Atyseos. Every memory we have taken from her. She deserves that I give them back to her.”

Ipochone answered smiling again. “I’ll tell her of your peace offering and I’ll deliver your gift to Chaos. I told you that I’ll always help you, Feya.”

Then she took the flask and left the cave. The gods and goddesses willing to surrender followed Ipochone. Some of them cast a last look at the remaining members of the godly war council. Some eyes seemed to apologize and in some eyes there was pity.

Feya and Cointas, her mate, Khor, Injontas and Balkhor looked at each other.

“They are a bunch of cowards!” Khor shouted angrily.

“Ohh shut up, or you’ll wake up Maldurin and he’ll follow them,” Injontas reproached just as angry. “They surrender to Chaos and we’ll offer peace to save face. That hardly makes them cowards and us heroes. They have beaten us all.”

Maldurin opened his eyes. “I’m not asleep,” he remarked grinning widely.

“You,” Feya said pointing at Dharkuntis, “You delivered my daughter’s message. That’s what your life’s quest striving to become a god has made of you, a message. It’s delivered and you have no other use. Leave!” She hissed.

“Leave?” Dharkuntis asked confused, all his rage was gone.

“Well, there isn’t much left of Atyseos, the home world of the gods, only our personal residences drifting in an endless sea of nothingness, and the Yvoron with this lovely cave in it. You’re not welcome in our homes and you cannot return to Calmyra. Feya doesn’t want you in our cave, so that leaves only two remaining options. You can jump into the nothingness, or you can climb to the summit of the Yvoron and watch the worlds beneath. Ghania stayed there for a thousand years, it should be good enough for you as well.” Cointas stated coldly.

Dharkuntis stared as Cointas explained his options. He still stared when the God of Trade and Treasures had finished explaining. He stared but he did not move.

“Go, or I’ll make that choice for you,” Khor thundered.

Dharkuntis watched the eager expression on the face of the giant God of War and left. The former emperor of the Manthakin Empire and newly minted god left to climb the Yvoron. It was a very high mountain and he had a lot to think about.

“We won’t ask for peace, am I right?” Khor asked excitedly as soon as Dharkuntis was gone.

“No we won’t,” Feya answered calmly.

“Was that poison in the flask you gave my mate?” Injontas asked nervously.

Feya snorted. “It was exactly what I told Ipochone, Chaos’ memories. I would never try to use Ipochone to openly poison Chaos.” Feya grinned. “She’s too smart for that.”

“Then what’s the plan? I know you must have one,” Khor demanded to know.

“I know the plan and started to work on it already,” Maldurin grinned teasingly.

“Only we few are still willing to fight against... ,” Injontas paused and sighed. “Against Destiny.”

“The others will return. They think Chaos will offer them a graceful surrender. I know her better; she will crush them beneath her heels.” Feya stated confidently.

“She has an astonishing number of friends and lovers for her to be the harsh mistress you believe her to be,” Injontas doubted.

“It isn’t her loving nature that bends them to her will. It’s her power. The power we wanted, the power she stole from us, the power of Darkness and Light.” Feya countered.

Injontas nodded, accepting her truth.

“They are celebrating their victory, and they’ll celebrate even more when our family comes and surrenders, and tells them about my peace offering. The Manthakin and Norgar will return home, and in three weeks’ time the vampire army will be knocking on their door. Varunas, one of the sons leading their army, will already be deeply in love and lust with Jenaya. His bride to be will reciprocate his feelings just as effusively. Maldurin will take care of that. It will be a very happy wedding,” Feya told them mirthfully.

“A vampire army at the gates of Notabir, they’ll have to agree to the wedding. Even Chaos and Destruction can’t fight so many vampires,” Injontas murmured.

“Chaos was willing to sacrifice her before, and won’t hesitate at all now that Jenaya will be happy to be sacrificed. But Jenaya belongs to Destruction, and Destruction will never willingly give her away. There either will be a battle and Chaos will lose her lovely peace -and however many of her allies- or Destruction knuckles under Chaos will and loses his possession of Jenaya. Either way, the harmony amongst our enemies will be over.” Feya explained.

“The first time Chaos or Esthera look at Jenaya they’ll notice Maldurin’s meddling with her dreams,” Balkhor voiced his concerns.

“That’s why we need you to tell your sister about our plan,” Feya replied smiling.

Balkhor looked at Feya more than a little confused. “She dragged along supporting us to prevent the extinction of our family, but now that surrender is an option, she’ll be the first to throw herself at Destruction’s feet, happily. Messaya is not loyal to us, she’ll fight us now.”

“Our plan to prevent another war, a war with the vampires. I offered peace, didn’t I?” Feya explained still smiling.

“Ohh! Yes you did!” Balkhor answered catching up. “If Jenaya is happy and willing to mate the vampire son, then there will be no reason for war. We are just trying to help!” He laughed gleefully.

“And Messaya will rush to warn them of the approaching vampire army, and tell them all about our plan,” Injontas nodded thoughtfully.

“Brilliant!” Khor shouted.

“No more open warfare, now it’s a secret war again. I like that,” Injontas agreed. “But why do you want to restore Chaos’ memories?” He asked Feya.

“A secret war, and a secret poison,” Feya answered smiling enigmatically.

Roban woke up in the middle of the night, roused by the sound of his own growling. He could not sense an enemy but he felt attacked. The feeling became real as Athea slapped his forehead, annoyed to be woken up as well. “Sleep!” She commanded and he obeyed.

It was morning when he woke up again. He kept his eyes closed to hide that fact. He could feel the tension surrounding him. He needed to figure out what was going on. Athea lay on his chest, also awake, and also hiding it. Kassja’s was snuggled to his side, her head resting on his shoulder, and playing possum too. His arm was wrapped around her and his hand lying on her hip. His other hand was where it always was when they slept, on Athea’s butt. Not like always, there was another hand beneath his, a small and slender hand. So his hand was actually not on Athea’s butt, another hand was. A snarl escaped his mouth before he could prevent it. Busted now, there was no more use for secrecy. He pushed the offending hand off Athea’s butt and slapped Kassja’s own ass with his other hand, acknowledging her crime and delivering the punishment.

Kassja yelped and Athea giggled.

“So that’s how it’s going to be?” Kassja asked.

“Yep, we own you but you don’t own us,” Athea answered still giggling.

“And you expect me to meekly accept it?” Kassja inquired.

“Of course not, what would be the fun in that?” Athea replied, outright laughing now.

“That really sounds like fun. Let the games begin!” Kassja challenged excitedly.

“That sounds like trouble.” Roban voiced his divergent opinion, and quickly fled the battlefield. “I am sure you can’t wait to plot, conspire and plan devious schemes again. You must have missed each other terribly, even though some of you didn’t even know it. I’ll leave you to your happy reunion.” Roban said grabbing his clothes.

“You are so nice and understanding,” Athea said grinning at Roban.

“I understand I cannot prevent it, and I’m nice enough to not even try,” Roban mumbled as he rushed out of the door.

Kassja and Chaos lay side by side on the big bed. She knew it was Chaos as she watched her rainbow colored irises. They held each other’s hand, their fingers intertwined, but not touching otherwise, just gazing in each other’s eyes.

“You sent Athea away, don’t you trust her?” Kassja asked.

“I trust Athea more than I trust myself. I didn’t send her away, I asked her to give us some time and she understands.” Chaos sighed.

“And do you trust me? Without your memories it must be difficult.”

“Not that difficult,” Chaos smiled. “I saw it in your eyes the first time we met again on that little hill, when you asked for the Atyseos Shard.”

“You saw what?” Kassja asked a little doubtfully.

“You looked like starving; there was so much hunger in your eyes.” Chaos laughed.

“You have no idea!” Kassja growled. “A Thousand years! On Atyseos you fed me so much power I felt drunk of it. Suddenly alone on Calmyra I had to live on the paltry crumbs my mother ceded to me, and the bit I could steal from the false belief in a goddess that didn’t even exist. I had no believers of my own and even if I had, I would have still felt like I was starving.”

“That’s why I wanted us to be alone. Athea wouldn’t understand, and she doesn’t need to. She knows the war with our godly family is about power, everyone knows that. But she can’t understand what power means to us, because she can’t feel it like we do. No human can, and they wouldn’t understand they are a source of that power.”

“Their belief is a source, but not the source this war is about.” Kassja reminded.

“Yes, this war is about the power giving birth to stars and the power to destroy them. But even the gods fighting for it never felt that power. They want it but they never felt it pouring into them and rushing through their veins.” Chaos whispered.

“You make me horny,” Kassja moaned and closed the distance between them.

Embracing each other they kissed heatedly.

“If just a kiss of you can feel like this, they must be drowning you in power,” Kassja gasped, groaning and writhing in Chaos arms.

“That’s what you need to understand, they don’t give it to me, but they give it to Athea. When I awoke in Athea I felt like I awoke in the center of the sun. Ghania must have bathed her in light from the moment she grew in her mother’s womb. Even before, but since Roban and Destruction merged he’s pouring his darkness into her like he’s trying to darken the sun burning inside her. Athea is human, she doesn’t feel it like we do, but she still feels it too. They all do!” Chaos laughed. “Roban’s human lovers pass out when his darkness invades them. They become addicted to it. They don’t know it, but they feel it. The little girl, Menja, she doesn’t have that valve, and without it she became darkness herself. The little human girl became the Princess of Darkness. No wonder Ghania choose her as her vessel. Menja really must feel like home to her.”

“You really have to trust Athea if this is not a worry to you.” Kassja remarked surprised.

“I’ve no reason to worry. I know Athea; I know her dreams and her desires. She is so deeply in love with her brother that the sole purpose she needs in her life is to protect that love and his happiness. She wants to protect everyone he cares for, and for that reason she loves me too. She knows that I am much more capable to protect them.” Chaos replied.

“And what about your love and happiness?” Kassja asked mischievously.

“Finally someone who understands me,” Chaos sighed languorously, enjoying Kassja’s hands fondling her breasts. “The love of humans seems strange to us mighty gods, because what we want the most is power.”

“Unless you are Ghania or Destruction, then you can love each other unconditionally, because you already have all the power.” Kassja chipped in and laughed.