Braving Fate (The Mythean Arcana Series Book 1) (19 page)

CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

Esha stared at the text on her phone, puzzling over the note from Warren.

“A meeting?” she said to the cat, not particularly concerned that he was paying her absolutely no attention. “Warren wants to have a
meeting
with me? Like, we’re trying to nail down the problems with the budget before the end of the quarter type meeting?”

Too weird. No one ever asked her to a group gathering, and his message had specifically said
join us in a meeting
. Her job never involved meetings, primarily because fueling her own power meant taking it from the souls of others. Not that she could help it, but still, they didn’t like it.
 

Despite her flaws—which she didn’t actually agree were flaws—the university had given her a place to live and a pretty nice salary when they’d figured out the extent of her power. She could manifest her every desire, so long as she was fueled up on borrowed power. Once she’d proven herself trustworthy, her unique ability to see true evil had given her a
carte blanche
license to kill the super baddies whenever she came across them.
 

She’d initially thought that Warren avoided her because of the way she refueled her power. But then she’d realized that she didn’t affect him. Now she had no idea why he avoided her. He was the only Mythean she’d ever met who wasn’t affected by her powers. She could actually get close to him. It was probably half the reason she was interested in him. Hell, who was she kidding? She’d probably be mooning after him no matter what.
 

Frowning, she glanced down at the text message. It must be about Erebus, though she was surprised he hadn’t texted her the news to avoid having to see her.

“Well, Chairman, it looks like we’re going to our first-ever business meeting.”
 

With disgust, she suppressed the thrill of delight she felt at being asked—by Warren—to come to the meeting.
 

Idiot.

An hour later, Esha strode through the open door of Warren’s office. He and an unknown woman sat at the small round table in the corner.

“So, what’s up?” she asked as she walked over to the table.
 

Warren stood to greet her, but rather than shake her hand, he gestured toward the woman. “Esha, this is Aerten. She’s a goddess of fate and head of the Praesidium.”

Whoa
. Goddess was right. Esha reeled from the hit of power she got off Aerten. It felt like the hit she got off her only friend Andrasta, the Celtic goddess of war. She didn’t get to see her much, but when she did, boy, was it something.
 

Esha smiled somewhat drunkenly at the serene figure who’d also risen to greet her. “Hi,” she said, holding out her hand. “Celtic, right?”

The woman nodded as she sat. Esha took the chair next to her. “Well done of you to know. Sometimes it seems there are so many of us from various faiths that it can be hard to keep straight.”

That was the truth. “I studied up once I got to the university and realized how much there was to the world.”
 

And you’re colleagues with my friend, which I’m not allowed to tell you since it would ruin her trips sneaking out of Otherworld .

Aerten nodded. “The Mythean Guardians are supposed to protect those who are important to the fate of humanity. My sight allows me to see who those individuals might be, and to select the Mythean Guardians from the bravest mortals. But my name does mean
renowned in battle
for a reason.” She smiled wryly. “That was a long time ago, though. Now I’m a bureaucrat, and Warren is the real head of the Praesidium.”

“I see. But you don’t come around here often. At least not when I’m here. I’d feel it.” Hoo boy, was she feeling it.

“Celtic gods don’t really leave Otherworld. I’m an exception because of my duties to the Mythean Guard, but even I can only come for very important reasons. And you are a very important reason.”

“Me?” She squashed a tiny flush of pride. Wasn’t this about Erebus?

“Aye,” Warren said, and she had to work a little harder to crush the burst of happiness. “As you know, we invited you to the university because of your power. But because of the way you reap your power, we weren’t exactly sure how to use you other than as a mercenary.”

“Now you have?”

“With your discoveries in the underground, and recent complications, we have,” Warren said.

“Complications?” Esha asked.

“We’ll get to that in a minute,” Aerten said.

Esha frowned, but nodded at them to continue.

“Warren has proposed that we add you to the Praesidium.”
 

Esha tried to keep her jaw from slackening. Why would Warren do this for her? She liked her badass solo merc status, but if she were honest, she’d longed to be part of a team. Just once, to see what it felt like. But it was too weird.
 

“Oh, hey, thanks, but I’m not a team player,” she said.
 

“You doona need to be,” Warren said. “You’d be a consultant. Your discovery in the underground highlights your skill, and we’ve recently determined we need some of your other talents. I’ve never spoken to you much before this recent problem, but I realized that you don’t drain my powers.”

He really wanted her to join the Praesidium?

“What do you think?” the goddess asked.
 

She must be here to make the whole deal official, Esha thought.
 

“Could you work with us on a consultant basis? You’d retain your current duties, but we want to ensure that you come to our department when you find something strange, as you did in the underground. Or that you’ll work for us when we need you to,” Aerten said.

Esha mulled it over. It would be nice to be part of a team. Not that she needed them, or anything. “What’s in it for me?”

“We’ll pay you more,” Warren said.

“Triple?” They already paid her pretty damn well, but why not shoot high?

“Double.” Warren’s voice was firm.

“All right, good deal. I’d have settled for half again, anyway.” She smiled and held out her hand, first to Aerten since she was the big boss, and then to Warren. Her palm tingled where it touched his.

“You mentioned recent complications with the underground?” she asked.
 

Aerten nodded, her face grim. “The two Mythean Guardians that Warren stationed at the portal to Erebus intercepted four demons abducting a mortal female. They tried to save her, and Lorne, one of the guardians, was killed. Three of the demons were destroyed, but one took the soul of the mortal into Erebus. The mortal’s body is in a coma here in the infirmary.”

“Shit. Are you sure she’s mortal?”

“Honestly, we’re not. A mortal body normally wouldn’t survive going through a portal to an afterworld. If she’s a Mythean, there’s no sign of what kind. We’re not even sure if she’s a victim or an accomplice who went willingly. We’d like you to take a look at her to see if any shadows of evil remain with her body.”

“Sure, I can try. But even if she was evil, it’s not a given that the shadows would stay behind with the body. Most often they follow the soul.”

“Give it your best shot,” Warren said.
 

Esha nodded and followed them out the door. Warren led her and Aerten across campus to the infirmary. The day had turned rainy and miserable and Esha used the power she got off Aerten to create a dry space around herself and the Chairman. He sulked for hours if he had to get wet.
 

Out of the corner of her eye, she noticed that the goddess hadn’t created a dry spot for herself to walk through and wondered about it. Surely she had the power to do so. As Esha looked closer, she realized that the goddess was looking at the raindrops on the back of her hand and smiling. Weird.

Esha glanced at Warren. He’d popped up the collar of his jacket to keep his neck dry and had his head bent. She waved a hand and created a dry space over him as well.
 

He jerked, then looked at her. A rusty and tentative smile pulled up one corner of his mouth. “Thanks.”
 

She nodded, then looked back at the rolling hills of campus and the big gray building that housed the infirmary on the first floor. They hurried up the steps, through the big wooden door, and down the hall into a long room with a dozen beds. Only one bed had an occupant and they walked up to it.

“What’s her name?” Esha said as she looked down at the body of the beautiful, dark-haired woman. She was hooked up to machines to monitor her vitals, but she looked peaceful. Esha could already tell that there was no evil attached to the woman.
 

“Vivienne Lawrence. American,” Warren said. “She had a driving license in her bag. It’s hard to say where they got her from, but I think they aetherwalked her straight from America to the portal because she dinna have a passport to get through Customs.”

“Well, I don’t see any shadows,” Esha said. “Either they followed the soul, or she’s a good person,” Esha said.

“I was afraid you’d say that,” Aerten said. “If they’ve abducted a mortal nonbeliever, there’ll be hell to pay. And now there’s a scared mortal trapped in the wrong hell.”

Esha nodded, still staring at the woman and puzzling over the mystery. But Aerten was right. Abducting living mortals to an afterworld, especially mortals who didn’t believe in said afterworld, was hugely against the rules. The university would have to get involved.

With a last look at the woman, they walked out of the infirmary and out under the covered porte cochere at the front of the building.
 

“I appreciate your help with this. And I’m glad you’ll be joining us,” Aerten said. She smiled, then disappeared to return to Otherworld.

Warren looked out at the rain. Esha had made a magical umbrella over his head on the walk here. It made his chest feel warm, which worried him. With good feelings came bad. He’d heard a saying once that the bad things in life allowed you to appreciate the good things. For him, it was the opposite. The good things reminded him how bad things were, both in his past and in his soulless future.
 

Esha was becoming a good thing in his life, as complicated as she was. A soulceress, for gods’ sake. Of all the species to feel something for, he’d chosen the type who had gotten him into his soulless state, which he despised. He was no longer mortal, but neither was he Mythean, and he despised it.

He should leave now. Staying around Esha was bad for his sanity. He’d never before seen her so frequently or in such proximity, and the contact was only heightening his fascination with her. His past wariness and avoidance of her species had been wise. Now, it was impossible.

She’d crept into his dreams these last days, slipping away as the sun rose, leaving him hot, hard, and disgusted with himself. Yet he couldn’t get his stupid mind off her. He bit the inside of his cheek hard and focused on the pain and the present.

“Thank you for agreeing to this arrangement,” he said to her. “It’s a very good move for the Praesidium. We’ve been underutilizing you by having you work solo. I’ll call on you when I need you for something.”
 

She nodded, then said, “Hey, what about the portal in the underground? This isn’t a coincidence. Have you put any more thought toward telling the reincarnate? I know you said it’s dangerous, but this is just too much to ignore.”

He stifled a frustrated groan. “You’ve got to trust me, Esha. It’s a dangerous idea. I called her guardian and warned him. Maybe once she remembers who she was, we can suggest the portal to her. Maybe. Until then, our meddling will only make things worse.”
 

“I really think it would help,” she said. “This has to be it.”

“Nay.” His voice was hard and she flinched. He almost apologized, but didn’t want to soften the warning. “I’m serious. It would be bad to tell her anything before she remembers who she is. Tell me you won’t.”

She shot him a suspicious look and nodded.
 

Hell, that could go either way.