Chapter Forty-Two
I watched as the gods traced away from Ala Mmuo. My family and I would be the last to go, but there was one more thing I wanted to do first.
I went to my brother-in-law. “Ty, can I speak with you?”
“Sure.” He left his pack to walk with me back into the house.
I closed the door behind us and went into the living room with Ty. “I'm going to ask you once more, now that things are over—can I give you my blessing?”
“You did me a favor, V.” Ty laid a hand on my shoulder. “You don't owe me anything.”
“I know you’re only saying that because you can't feel what I took.” I removed his hand from my shoulder and held it.
“I know you said you're not ready to love again, but a blessing doesn't mean you'll find love immediately.
With the proper intent, I can twist the blessing so that love comes when you're ready for it.”
“I'm honestly relieved to not love Agwusi anymore, Vervain. Truly. Even now, knowing she was a victim too, I see that she is not the right woman for me. And I don't want your blessing. Not for now or later. I want love to be real the next time I find it.”
“I don't think you understand what I'm offering. I've made mistakes before by not properly directing my magic, but I've gotten better.”
“Thor?” Ty grinned.
“Yes, I summoned true love for him, but I didn't stipulate that it would be the next love he felt.
He had to go through some subpar love before he found Raedra.
But now, Thor has his true love and a daughter.
I've learned from my mistakes and become adept at blessings. I can draw your true love to you next. Jump the line, so to speak. There are many people you could love, but my blessing will guide you and your perfect match together.”
“But don't those other loves make us who we are?”
I considered that. “Yes and no. You are who you are, regardless of whom you love.
I'm saving you the pain of losing love again and wasting time with someone who will only leave.
Yes, you could enjoy yourself and maybe grow from the experience.
After all, the greatest love stories aren't always the longest ones.
But do you need the pain to grow? No. Will you miss some splendid memories?
Probably. Magic always has a price, and those minor loves are your payment.
It's up to you, Ty. Do you want to go the normal route? Or would you rather have more time with the love of your life?”
“I don't know.”
“My blessing will ensure that the love you find next will be the greatest love you will ever feel.
It will not create love where there is none, only find the heart that will share it with you.
Think of it as insurance. You'll be certain when you find her that she is the one.
You'll know not to let her go. Without my blessing, you won't be sure.”
Ty considered this. “I think I would know.”
“You might. You might not. Look how many women your father was with before I blessed him.”
“Emma,” Ty whispered. “He may have worried about mating a human if not for your blessing. But he didn't. He was sure enough to give her an apple of immortality.”
“Yes, I did better with them.” I chuckled and rubbed my chest.
“Are you all right?”
“It’s my magic. It rises when I find someone worthy. Love wants to help you.”
Ty's expression steadied, and he squeezed my hand. “I accept your blessing, Goddess of Love.”
As if they'd been waiting for his consent, the butterflies of my Love Magic flew through my hand and into his. Ty's eyes widened as he swayed on his feet. I steadied him with my other hand, and more butterflies surged through that connection.
“I see her,” Ty whispered. A tear slid down his cheek. “V, I can see her! Oh, she's beautiful. She's nothing like Agwusi. Not at all what I thought I wanted, and yet she's everything I need.”
Joy brought a smile to my face. “I bless you, TryggulfR Fenrirson, with true love.
May the next woman you give your heart to be the woman who will make you happiest and love you as completely as you love her.
May you be drawn together at the perfect time—when you are both ready to commit yourselves to each other.
I give you Love's protection, that your love will never be taken from you. You will never know heartache again.” I stood on my tiptoes and kissed his forehead. “So be it.”
As I lowered my heels to the ground, the butterflies rushed back into me to roost in my star. I made sure Ty was steady before I let go of him.
“She's gone!” Ty grabbed my hand. “Her face is gone, V! I can't remember it. It was right there! How could I forget her so soon?”
“It's all right. That just means it will be better if you don't recognize her immediately. Your love will grow normally. All you have to do is be open to it.”
He sighed in relief. “Thank you, V.”
“My pleasure.” I hugged him.
Then we both turned as a commotion came from outside. We left the house to find Jesus hugging Azrael and twirling him in a circle—quite a feat with Azrael's wings.
“What's going on?” I asked.
Jesus put my husband down and ran to pick me up. “He's whole!” He spun me around.
“Who's whole?” I smacked his broad back. “Jesus, put me down.”
He set me down and beamed at me. “The broken soul, V! He's healed. He remembers who he is.”
I went still. “He healed them. I didn't think it was possible, but A.D. healed them.”
“Well, it's only right to correct your mistakes,” Jesus said.
“That's what I told him.”
Jesus grinned again. “Then it's no wonder he made amends. He had a good teacher.”
I looked at the smooth ground that was the machine’s grave and wondered once more if its consciousness had learned to feel. Or maybe A.D. had been more than a consciousness. God Magic had created life before. Had the god machine birthed a soul? If so, perhaps that soul would be reborn.
“Vervain?” Azrael took my hand.
“Az, did you see a soul depart the machine?”
His eyes went wide. “A soul? I don't know, carus. I wasn't watching the machine. My focus was on you.
“Oh.”
Az pulled me into a loose embrace. “But do I think the machine had a soul? No, carus.”
“God Magic made Torrent.”
“God Magic and the flesh of a god. Iktomi didn't build Torrent. He created him in a process similar to asexual reproduction. Metal and glass cannot reproduce.”
“But if a created body can summon a soul from the Void, why not a machine made with magic?”
Azrael went still and then looked at the men around us for help.
They were all silent. All but the J-Man.
“I don't see why not,” Jesus said brightly. “As long as there's a home for the soul, it can be summoned. Although I don't know how happy a soul would be in a machine.”
“No, it's impossible,” Odin said.
“Is it, Allfather?” Jesus cocked his head. “We don't make souls or decide what can house them. Those are things beyond even the power of Gods.”
“But maybe not beyond the power of a real god,” I murmured.
“Either way, Vervain, the consciousness of the machine was real.
It was real enough to remake Amaterasu's mirror and heal broken souls.
That tells me it possessed more than reasoning.
Whether or not that means it had a soul, I don't know. But it was real, more than mere thought, and you changed it.” Jesus laid a hand on my shoulder. “Be at peace, Sister.”
Jesus's magic flowed into me, easing my worries about A.D. and the God who made it. I allowed the invasion because it was done with love, and I needed it.
“Thank you.” I kissed Jesus's cheek.
“Great!” Viper slid between us, putting one arm around Jesus and the other around me. “Now, can we blow this popsicle stand?”