Chapter 30
WREN
T here was no doubt in my mind that the being in front of me was the God of Death. Well, a God of Death. I was learning there was more than one of those.
Fea bowed lightly, and because I wasn’t an idiot, I followed her lead. “Sir, this is Wren Mahone, of the human realm. My very first soul to guide. Wren, this is Donn. Welcome to Tech Duinn.”
Donn was huge. He stood at least eight feet tall, with shoulders probably as wide as a compact car. His bare chest was covered in runes, which were like big black scars, and his robe hung to the ground, pooling at his feet. He had a short black beard and thick eyebrows.
Looking down at Fea, his face was impassive, but was that warmth in his expression? “And an important first soul at that, Fea.”
She looked over at me, like it hadn’t occurred to her that I could be anything but some average Joe from the mortal realm.
Donn, however, was already ushering us inside. “Come, stay and rest for a moment. There is a feast in the banquet hall; there’s quite an influx of souls at the moment. Full moon.”
Fea’s eyes lit up, and she moved through the darkened halls. Donn’s eyes followed her like she was the single source of light in the darkness of his days, though Fea seemed oblivious.
Shaking his head lightly, the Death God looked back down at me. “Come, Wren Mahone. We have much to talk about.”
I shot a quick look at Cy, who shrugged and ushered me along. It was disconcerting when a God of Death knew your name. He wasn’t exactly the Grim Reaper, but he was certainly terrifying in his own way.
The hallways were indeed bustling with people and servants. Some were souls, that much was obvious. They looked confused and lost, walking from room to room, asking other souls for directions. But some were Mythics, and the longer I was down here, the easier I saw the difference. Dead people looked like a faded picture exposed to too much light—lots of detail, but somehow less. Dim and chipped, even. But Mythics like Fea and Cy? They still glowed like the day they were painted, a technicolor rainbow.
It felt like we were walking forever, but finally, we followed Fea into a cavernous room filled with long tables of food and wine. A huge fireplace, easily the size of a Manhattan apartment building, took up one whole wall, and there were wiry-looking dogs sleeping in front of it. People were everywhere, some standing and talking, drinking mead and laughing, others staring at nothing, their faces a mask of confusion. Still more sat at the long tables of food, gorging themselves on the platters of meats, vegetables, and breads.
Donn indicated an empty table right at the back of the room that was currently unoccupied. It was obviously a table for important people; they’d be able to see the whole room and have their back against a wall. “This way. Fea, you’ll be joining us, of course?”
Fea gave us a bright, happy smile. “Of course, my lord. First, I just want to see Caoimhe in the kitchen and see if she has any of her special sugar cakes for my very first guided soul.”
Donn nodded, and I swear, I saw his lip twitch. Did the Celtic God of Death have a crush on the little warrior Goddess? They were like polar opposites, but somehow, they were perfect. Maybe they were already a couple, but she seemed more reverent than lovestruck.
Leading us to the table, Donn took a seat right in the middle chair, which was slightly raised above the others. There would be no doubt to anyone in the room that he was the God here. He indicated the seats on his left. “Please, sit, eat.”
Cy gave him a sharp look. “This food is given freely and comes without expectation or agreement of any kind, and won’t anchor us to Tech Duinn or Annwn?” Donn glared back at Cy, and I thought maybe he’d pissed off the God of Death.
Fuck, fuck, fuck.
But then Donn threw back his head and boomed out a laugh, loud enough to draw the gaze of all the souls inside the room. “I forgot about you Greeks and how you use food as a trap.” Shaking his head, he waved at the food and large pitchers of drinks. “This is all freely given. Tech Duinn is a passing place for most. Christians would call it purgatory, I guess. The borders of Tech Duinn are free for all souls and creeds to pass through. It’s why we house the Tar Pits on the far edge.”
I’d heard of the Tar Pits, but I couldn’t remember exactly when or why. “We didn’t mean any offense, sir. In my defense, I got knocked up by eating an apple, so I’m wary of accepting food from Gods these days.”
He chuckled again. “Yes, I heard of that. The mother of the new Fates. Rough business. Sorry to see you here so soon.”
I gritted my back teeth so I didn’t cry. “Me too.” Shaking off the melancholy, I gave myself an internal pep talk. I hadn’t given up yet. “Ah, if you’ve heard about me, then you’ll know I’m bonded to Fea’s, uh…” I cleared my throat. “I mean, I’m not just bonded; we’re partners. A couple. Married in every way that matters to Néit, Fea’s former husband.”
His gaze was sharp as he scanned the room. “I’ve heard whispers of that, of course. The Morrigan is quite a regular visitor to Annwn, and stops here at Tech Duinn frequently on her way. She keeps me up-to-date on what is happening topside. She never sees Fea, though.” There was disapproval in his tone.
“Why?”
Donn shrugged. “That is a question for the Crow, and not for me to answer. But I believe that the reason for Fea’s ultimate demise was quite gruesome. She was certainly traumatized when she arrived here. I suggest you don’t bring it up with her.” The or else was heavily implied.
That line of questioning was closed as Fea bounced back to the table, four slabs of cake resting on her arms. “It’s a dessert first kind of day, I think.”
The warm cake smelled of treacle, a malty sweetness that was definitely supported by the stickiness on my fingers. Taking a nibble at the edges, I groaned. I wasn’t sure I wouldn’t get re-knocked up for an endless supply of these bad boys. “Oh my god,” I mumbled around a mouthful of cake.
Fea giggled. Once again, it was hard to imagine her juxtaposed against the deadliness of Morrigan or the hard edges of Nate.
“Caoimhe was once the cook for the household of the High King of Ireland. Donn managed to convince her to stay on at Tech Duinn, instead of traveling on to the Otherworld.”
Donn grumbled. “She has me by the bollocks, and she knows it. All the riches and boons she could ask for, just to stay and cook for… all this.” He indicated the room.
“So, no one is stuck here?” It was weird. Purgatory was definitely a place where you got stuck, if my old Sunday school teacher was to be believed, and it wasn’t pleasant.
Donn shook his head. “Only by their own volition. Sometimes they want to wait for their loved ones here. Sometimes they’re confused, or they need to work through some things before starting their next life.” A flick of his eyes at Fea made me wonder if that’s why she was still here. “This castle is not… What’s that human song? Hotel something?”
Cy laughed. “‘Hotel California.’ You’ve been keeping up with your pop culture references.”
The God of Death grinned, and it was kind of creepy. “Even Death needs a vacation occasionally. I like the movies of this modern age. And the rock-and-roll music.” After finishing his cake, he piled his plate high with food, and we did the same. “So, as I said, I’ve been expecting you.”
Fea raised both her eyebrows at him. “I just thought that was just a really good line you wanted to use for theatrics.”
Okay, that might have been flirting.
The giant God of Death flushed, his cheekbones going pink. It was both adorable and terrifying. “Unfortunately, no. Besides, when do I do anything for theatrics?”
Fea mimed zipping her lips, smiling smugly around her potatoes.
Was I watching a rom-com right now? The Hellmark Channel?
Shaking his head fondly, Donn turned back to us. “As I was saying, I had a visitor not long before your arrival. From the Greek Mythics. We don’t see many of your kind down this way, present company excluded.” He lifted his chin at Cy. “And he suggested that the unfortunateness of your death was an error in the weave. A grave injustice to the wheel of time. Then he left.” Lifting up a turkey leg, he used it as a scepter of sorts. “I don’t particularly like being manipulated by other Gods, especially the Greeks.”
My skin was tingling with adrenaline, but I wasn’t sure why yet. It was like something important was right there, sitting on the edge of the moment, waiting for me to grasp it. “I can understand the feeling.”
“But I am fond of Fea, and given you are her first guided soul, I decided to take an interest.”
So the God of Death didn’t have a crush on Fea; he was balls-to-the-wall in love. Good to know.
Fea frowned at Donn. “What are you suggesting exactly?”
“I think that this Mythic was right. It was an injustice for Wren to die so young, under the manipulations of forces she knew nothing about. I think you should take her to the Tar Pits.”
The Tar Pits again. Why did that sound so familiar? It conjured up some scary imagery, but otherwise, I was drawing a blank.
However, Fea’s face said it was something important. “You don’t mean…?”
Donn nodded. “I think she should go and see the Innkeeper and summon a Weighing.”
Fea gasped, and the whole room turned to look at us. I leaned toward Fea and whispered, “What’s a Weighing?”
Fea looked like she was in shock, which seemed terrifying. But Donn hadn’t said it like the Weighing was a battle royale, where I’d have to fight sandworms or anything like that. More like it was a secret that they weren’t meant to talk about. Like Fight Club. The first rule of the Weighing was you didn’t talk about the Weighing.
Shaking herself from her stunned stupor, Fea answered my question. “A Weighing is an assemblage of all the high rulers of the afterlife, and they decide if a mortal should be returned to the living plane as an immortal. It’s only been requested a handful of times in remembered history, and the request has only been approved twice.” She looked me in the eye, pity in her expression. “No one has ever successfully been returned to the living plane.”
Glancing at Cy, I saw my feelings reflected on his face. It was a long shot, but it was hope. I could return home. I could be immortal and be with them forever. Determination flowed through my veins. I would be the first person.
I would get my happy ending.