Chapter Twenty-Eight
I tried to text my family to let them know I was all right, but my text wouldn't go through.
“We are in Ala Mmuo.” Ty motioned at a window. “You won't get through. There's no line of Internet here.”
“What's Ala Mmuo?” I shoved my phone back in my jacket.
“The Igbo afterlife. They believe that the afterlife mirrors the living world.”
We were in Agwusi's living room. Ty had dragged her out with us and propped her in a chair.
Against the sedate decor, she was a wild spot of color.
I stepped up beside Ty and looked out the window.
A territory reminiscent of mine spread as far as I could see.
Except here, there were buildings in the distance.
Even further off was a smudge that could be a city.
People moved in the landscape—the souls of the dead.
“The Igbo believe in reincarnation,” Ty went on. “So they cycle through.”
“Is this where she's been sending the souls?”
“No, that was the last territory you found us in. The machine created it.”
“How does a machine create a territory?”
“Agwusi said it claimed small pieces of god territories and merged them. The pieces were so small that the gods didn't notice.”
“I didn't know you could do that.”
“Neither did I.” He grimaced. “There's a lot she can do that I didn't think was possible.”
Before he could work himself up again, I asked, “Is this a shared territory?”
“Yes, but it's divided into space for the dead and territories for the gods. You won't be able to walk out of here. You'll have to trace.”
“I'm not leaving you alone with her.” I turned back to the room and sat on the couch next to Agwusi's chair. “She's tricky.”
She was also a fast healer. Agwusi's head had already reshaped itself, and her skin was back to a healthy color.
“Hmmm.” Ty took the chair on my right and stared across the coffee table at her. “It's strange, but I don't love her anymore, V. It's gone. Just like that.”
“Ty.” I chewed my lower lip. “It's because of me.”
He looked over at me. “What is?”
“Your lack of love for her. You didn't just fall out of love. I took it. I'm so sorry. It's a betrayal of your trust, but I promised Trevor I would free you from her, and seeing you with her made me realize it was for the best. She was destroying your life. Setting you against everyone you love.”
For a few tense moments, Ty just stared at me. Then he nodded. “I agree. Thank you, V. I wish I'd had the strength to ask you to do it sooner.”
“Really?” I leaned forward. “You forgive me?”
“There's nothing to forgive. You were helping me.” He looked back at Agwusi. “It's so much easier now. I can breathe. I don't panic every time I look at her.”
“You panicked?”
“I didn't know what to do to save her.” Ty looked at me. “Or myself. I knew we were heading toward catastrophe, but love stopped me from acting against her.”
“Ty, I'm still sorry.” I reached for his hand. “Let me give you a blessing so that love will—”
“No.” He pulled his hand back. “I will find love on my own, Vervain.”
I nodded and leaned back. “Okay, if you change your mind, let me know. I blessed your father, and look how happy he is.”
Ty frowned. “Yes, but I can't think about love right now. Not after her.” He nodded at Agwusi. “Do you think that's what she really looks like?”
“I don't know. But human belief influences Gods. Doesn't that mean none of them look as they did originally? I know the face Odin wears isn't the one he was born with. Re certainly wasn't born golden.”
Ty chuckled.
Then Agwusi sucked in a breath and sat up, making us both flinch.
Ty and I turned to look at her. She didn't struggle or scream. Agwusi silently took in the situation, looking from us to the chains and back. “Well, that answers that question.”
“What question?” Ty narrowed his eyes at her.
“Whether I can trust you.” Then she blinked. “You're different. Do you love me?”
Without hesitation, Ty said, “No.”
Agwusi jerked back as if he'd slapped her. “I see.” She looked at me. “This is your doing?”
I nodded. “Yes, I'm sorry. My magic shouldn’t be used like that, but I was desperate to save Ty.”
“Save Ty,” she murmured. “Interesting perspective.”
Ty looked at me. I shrugged.
“I shouldn't have veered,” Agwusi murmured.
“What do you mean?” I asked.
“God gave me a task, and falling in love was not a part of it.” She sighed, but then straightened her shoulders and lifted her head. “I will always love you, Ty.” She frowned and looked at me. “Unless your sister takes my love from me too.”
“Do you want me to?”
“No,” Agwusi whispered. “What I feel for him is real and mine. I prefer to keep it.”
I nodded as I realized I now had another thing to hold over her head. Yes, it was mercenary of me, but this was about saving the realms. “It's done, Agwusi. Help us dismantle the machine.”
“Why do you want to dismantle it? Now that I've got the cloak, I can replace the mirror, and the machine will run as it should without you.”
“The machine is unnecessary,” I said. “It's already caused trouble in the Human Realm. People have turned into diseases, the weather is wonky, and even shapeshifting is dangerous.”
“It only malfunctioned because you removed the mirror and left.” Agwusi rolled her eyes.
“This isn't just a god replacement. It's correcting what's broken. Yes, the machine took time to adjust, and it damaged a few souls, but that is nothing compared to what the Gods have done to souls. The claiming process is inadequate at best. Gods mistreat souls. Fate has also suffered, strained to the breaking point—which you know personally. In fact, I believe your broken fate, or lack thereof, is why the machine stabilizes around you.”
“Why do you believe that?”
“You are the only living being not bound to a fixed outcome. The machine cannot overwrite you, so it must stabilize around you.
“And you think the machine can correct fate?” I asked.
“I've been assured that it can. When the process of transitioning souls runs smoothly again, everything else will fall into place.
Transformation is a major part of the soul's journey. Without the proper relic guiding it, the machine misfired, transforming the physical instead of the spiritual. You took the worst possible relic from the machine. Those issues you spoke of are your fault, Vervain.”
“You made the machine. This is all your fault, Agwusi!” Ty stood up and stormed over to her. He leaned onto the chair's arm and brought his face down to hers. “Tell us how to dismantle it. Now.”
“You cannot.”
“I can, and I will. I'll either do it under your guidance or without. What would you prefer?”
“If you try to dismantle the machine, it will protect itself, Ty. Don't do it.”
“Tell us how to safely dismantle it, or I will take your love for Ty away.” I lifted my chin when she spun her head to face me.
“I'm telling you the truth. You cannot dismantle it. There will be grave repercussions. Vervain, please. Try to understand. This is the best path forward. God gave me the design for the machine. He is infallible.”
“If there is a real god, why would he want a machine? Is he lazy?”
“No, but humans have lived too long with their belief in gods. If he changes things back to the way they were originally, with souls going to the Void to be reborn, it will hurt the souls. This was the best way to remove the influence of fake gods while giving the souls a proper afterlife.”
I frowned, considering it.
“V!” Ty grabbed my wrist and hauled me to my feet. “Remember what you told me. She's tricky. That machine may do what she says it will, but it's still a machine. It will break down. And every time it breaks down, humans will suffer. It's better to keep things the way they are now.”
“Ty, you don't believe that,” Agwusi said.
“I only said I believed in your vision because I believed in you.
You clouded my mind. Now, I see what my family has been trying to tell me.
You're a manipulative bitch trying to tear the world apart.
Well, you're done, Agwusi. Now, tell me how to dismantle it, or I will drag you in there and pull it apart in front of you. That way, if it blows up, it will take both of us with it.”
“Ty, don't do this!” Agwusi leaned forward as much as she could.
“This is your last chance.”
“You cannot take it apart. I'm telling the truth!” She shrieked when he pulled her to her feet. “A true god designed it. Do you think God makes mistakes?”
“Yes, I do. You are proof of it.” Ty dragged Agwusi down the hall to the machine.