Immortal Grave (13 page)

“Ree.” Paden stood in what remained of the doorway. “We need to look for everyone else. Can you feel any humans on the island? Any at all?” He held his hand out to her, but she brushed past him, too angry to take the comfort he offered. She took a deep breath and closed her eyes. She searched for anything. After a moment, she opened her eyes and headed toward the back of the house. There was a very faint spark, but she hoped whoever it was could be healed by Paden.

Ree kicked through ash piles and frowned, realizing they were dead Dark Ones. By the time she reached the room where the dwindling spark remained, she was ready to kill something. Using her anger to add to her strength, Ree threw a couch out of the way and pushed her way into a back bedroom. She almost tripped on Ellie’s lifeless body and couldn’t help the gasp of anguish that slid out of her throat. She didn’t stop though, desperately wishing there would still be someone alive.

“Oh, please, please, please.” Ree mumbled under her breath as she fought through the debris. Between a large dresser and a corner, Melanie’s mother was curled into a tight ball. “Melanie! Paden, help me! I found Kay.”

Ree moved the dresser as carefully as she could and Paden slid in next to the dying woman. He started to lift her, but paused. He ran his hands over the woman gently, the green glow highlighting her battered form.

“Don’t let Melanie see Ellie like that, Ree.” Paden didn’t take his eyes off of the woman in front of him, but his words seemed to snap Ree into motion. She turned and walked over to the dead woman blocking the doorway.

Kneeling down, Ree scooped Ellie into her arms and moved her from the doorway. Carefully she placed her in a clear space out of the way. Yanking the blanket off the bed, she placed it over Ellie. She didn’t linger, not wanting Melanie to see the dead body right away. With slow steps she moved back to Paden and watched as he worked on Mel’s mom.

The sound of furious gasps and fear announced Melanie’s arrival. She stopped in the doorway for just a moment, fear and pain clouding her features as she looked from the covered form to her mother. Ree stood up and moved so her friend could take her spot but Paden shook his head.

“Help me move her to the bed now.” Kay’s eyes were clenched in pain, tears mingling with the blood on her face. “Gently, I’ve got to concentrate on her back.”

Ree helped lift the older woman, and carefully placed her on the bed. It was clean of ash and that struck Ree as weird, until she realized she had taken the top blanket to cover Ellie. Melanie moved next to Ree, her eyes on her mother’s face.

“Mommy?” Melanie moved to kneel next to the head of the bed, her hands shaking as she brushed the hair out of her mother’s eyes. “Paden?”

“She’s hurt, Mel, but I think I can help.” Paden never looked at anyone else. His eyes stayed on his patient as he worked. Ree looked up when the others slid into the room. Weylin shook his head no, letting Ree know they hadn’t found anyone else alive. When Juliette saw the shrouded body near the closet, she covered her mouth and turned into Bryce’s chest. Ree watched numbly as her friend’s shoulders shook with quiet sobs. Weylin moved to sit next to Melanie, his arm sliding around her shoulders. Ree felt her breathing hitch when she saw the tears on her normally chipper friend’s cheeks. Kay had had been like a second mother to Weylin.

Unable to take sitting there and doing nothing, Ree walked past her friends and left the room. She walked through the house, staring at the odd bits and pieces that had survived. There was blood splattering the walls near the kitchen and she felt her stomach quiver. She tightened her resolve and pushed her way back out the front door. She stood staring up at the sky, her hands clenched at her sides. The soft sound of footsteps made her turn around and she looked up at Roland.

“How could this happen?”

“There is a god-strike near the dock. Someone blasted through the enchantments.” He frowned and looked toward the house. “They had help.”

“Melanie needs you.” Ree turned to the side and the statue of Brigid caught her attention.

“I doubt she would want to see me right now.” Roland shoved his hands into his pockets and looked away from Ree.

“You’d be wrong.” Ree looked at him, her face blank. She wanted to be alone, but she knew Melanie needed someone to be there for her right now. Roland looked torn for just a moment, but ducked into the house without another word.

Ree marched over to the statue of the goddess and stared at it for a minute. She wanted to know how this could happen and she planned on getting some answers. She picked up the statue and headed for the large tree along the pathway.

Chapter Fifteen

Ree set the sculpture down next to the tree and sat down on a large root. Her anger hadn’t dampened while carrying the marble statue through the woods and she still wanted answers. She looked at Brigid’s white face and then placed her hand on the tree trunk. Taking a deep breath, Ree tried to calm the anger in her heart before addressing the goddess.

“I don’t know if you’re listening, Brigid, but something has gone very, very wrong. Where are you? Why weren’t you here to protect your island?” Ree waited for a minute, but there was no answer. She stood up and looked down at the statue. “Where the hell are you?  You’ve screwed us left and right and don’t even bother to show up when another god gives you the finger?” Ree threw her head back and screamed at the top of her lungs. The power flew out of her and the statue shattered into a million pieces.

“Throwing a tantrum is not the best way to get my attention.” The silky voice caught Ree off guard.

“Where have you been?” She whirled to glare at the tall red-headed god.

“I was busy.” Brigid walked past Ree and looked down at the remaining bits of her statue. “I kind of liked that one. So many of the others look nothing like me.”

“Why didn’t you protect the people on this island?” Ree spit the words out, barely able to keep from teetering over the edge of rage.

“We were preoccupied.” Brigid narrowed her eyes and Ree felt very small.

“Preoccupied?” Ree asked. “Too busy to come down and save the people that put their trust in you?”

“Preoccupied,” Brigid asserted. Loki and Ares made sure we couldn’t come to the island when we felt the warning.” Brigid’s eyes flashed with fire. “Once the Council of Gods is called, we cannot leave. Not for anything.”

“Then how did Loki and Ares rip down the shield?” Ree tried to keep hold of her anger, but it wouldn’t listen to reason. “Why is some council more important than the people of this planet?”

“You’re assuming it was Loki or Ares that caused the shield to collapse.” Brigid placed her hands on her hips. “It is not your place to question how the council is run.” She turned and leaned over to brush some of the shattered statue off of the tree roots before taking a seat. She folded her long legs in front of her and still managed to look dignified. “But considering your position, I can understand your frustration.”

Ree felt a sliver of relief at her last sentence. Maybe she would finally get some much needed answers. “If it wasn’t Loki and Ares then who else could it have been? Could it have been another god that has joined them?”

“The dark gods could just as easily have attacked this island while we were in Council. However, I cannot rule out Loki. He has many talents and being in more than one place at a time is among his skill set.”

“You want to keep this planet, right?” Ree looked at Brigid, her mind focused on forcing them to get more involved.

“Yes.” Brigid looked at Ree with guarded eyes.

“Then you need to forget all of the rules you have in place for gods. No one else is paying attention to them. You need to start being more invested in the outcome.” Ree stared at Brigid, not showing a reaction when a heated wind ripped through the clearing, causing the goddess’s hair to whip angrily.

“Do you know how hard it is to keep all of the gods from fighting? To keep them from destroying the Earth themselves? There is a reason we have rules.” Brigid stood up and walked toward Ree, her eyes flashing with lightning. “You may be immortal now, little Alastriana, but you are not a god. You have no right to tell me and my brethren how to do things.”

“I’m the Alastriana.” Ree embraced the power and let it wash out of her. The green energy clashed with the smooth blue glow of the goddess. “You made me to protect your planet. To protect the people of this world.” She took a step forward and felt her energy melt into and over the goddesses’ power. “You created me to protect all of you.” The green energy crept along, devouring and absorbing the goddess’s power. The green energy began to pull at the goddess’s feet, feeding on the substance that made Brigid a god.

Brigid looked at Ree with narrowed eyes. “You were created by us. You are ours.” Suddenly, Brigid’s power disappeared and her eyes softened. “Because we need you.”  She sighed and brushed away some of the dirt on the root next to her and motioned for Ree to sit. Ree hesitated, still angry, furious with everything that had happened in the last few weeks, she could barely keep from exploding. After a moment, she let go of the power and tried to swallow some of her anger. Taking slow steps, she claimed the seat next to Brigid and rested her head against the trunk of the tree.

“Then why aren’t you helping me?” Ree cut her eyes at the goddess.

“I know it doesn’t seem that way, but we are helping you, Ree. We’re doing everything we can to make sure you win.” Brigid leaned back next to Ree and folded her hands in her lap. For just a moment, the goddess lost some of the otherworldly sheen and looked like a tired woman who’d been working too many jobs.

“You’re right. It doesn’t seem that way.” Ree picked up a twig and ran it through her fingers. “It feels like you guys are set on making me your puppet. Trying to take away and kill everything that makes me human.”

“You aren’t human anymore, Ree. But I know what you mean.” Brigid looked at her and frowned. “Many of the gods only see you as a tool. But a few of us are working to make sure you have everything you need. Try to understand that for a long time, the gods thought nothing was on their same level. They will always think they do not need humans.”

Ree bit her lip to keep from bringing up the mess with Roland and Paden; to not point out all of the times they could have helped or intervened but hadn’t. Thankfully, Brigid kept speaking, so there was no empty silence for Ree to fill with her angry thoughts.

“The fact is, we can’t be seen intervening. We can’t do anything the dark gods could use to try and overthrow the final verdict. We have to maintain our stance that the battle remains between the chosen warriors.”

“Looks like the bad guys are getting an awful lot of help. From both sides.” Ree threw the stick down on the ground and turned to face the goddess. “I’m not losing any more people. You guys need to step up and start working to protect the innocent. I have enough on my hands that and I shouldn’t have to worry about the safe zones not being safe. I’m going to fight my brother. To the death. And I’m going to fight with everything I have in me. But you guys need to start making sure I have someone backing me up. My team isn’t going to be able to function if you keep letting our families be murdered. On your land.” She stood up and rubbed her hands on her jeans. “Step up and fight back. You ask that of me, and now I’m telling you. Show them you’re not letting them break the rules either. They are laughing at you. At your laws and the lack of conviction you are showing. If you want to keep this planet and its people the way it is, then you need to act like you care.”

Brigid stood up and looked down the trail leading to the house. “I will work to keep the island protected. Leave it to me. For now, you need to get your head on straight and focus on your plan.”

“You know what our plan is?” Ree let her hands hang limply at her side. “You think it will work?”

“I think it’s smart. Of course, Athena wouldn’t have been so set on making you her kin if you didn’t have a brain for strategy.” Brigid looked back at Ree with an amused smile. “I’m going. Don’t break any more statues if you need me. Just call. I’ll be listening.” With that, the goddess snapped out of existence. Ree sat back down on the root and looked at her boots. The soft sound of feet running down the path brought her attention away from the dirt on her shoes.

Paden rounded the bend with a frantic look on his face. As soon as his eyes landed on her, relief washed over him. He slowed down when he took in her expression and came to sit next her. He braced his elbows on his knees and leaned forward, turning slightly so he could look at her.

“I felt Brigid come to the island.” His voice was steady and even, but she could feel the worry just underneath the surface. “Looks like you made an impression.” He nodded with head toward the gritty residue of the statue.

“You could say that.” Ree snorted and leaned back against the tree. “We… had words.”

“Ah.” Paden looked down for a minute. “Are you okay?”

“I’m fine. How is Melanie’s mom?” Ree sat up and looked at Paden. She wasn’t fine, but she didn’t want to talk about herself.

“She’s going to be fine.” Creases deepened near his eyes and mouth for a minute. “They are really upset about Ellie.” 

“We all are.” Ree looked back at her feet and fought the sudden onslaught of tears.

“It isn’t your fault, Ree.” Paden’s warm hand cupped her chin and forced her to meet his eyes.

“It definitely feels that way.” Ree shook her hand and stood up, out of Paden’s reach. “I should have left someone to guard the island. It was stupid to put my trust in the gods that keep screwing us over.”

Paden stood up and walked to Ree. He turned her gently so he could see her face. Slowly, he reached up and wiped an escaped tear away. “They should have been paying attention. What did Brigid say?”

“That they had been in a council meeting and by the time she was able to leave, it was too late.” Ree shook her head, but Paden didn’t let her walk away from him again. “A council meeting kept them from protecting the island. Protecting the people that had put their trust in them. Ellie…” Ree choked up and stopped, unable to finish her sentence for a minute. “God, Ellie had already given so much.”