8. Fate
Chapter 8
Fate
I tapped my foot incessantly against the polished floor as I sat on my throne of bones, awaiting the return of the Bondsmith. She was late, and I growled at her incompetence and inability to follow one simple direction.
She was always a little too headstrong for her own good.
Maybe it’s time to knock her down a bit .
I shook my head at the thought.
As much as I would love to put my daughter in her place, I had two other unruly children that occupied my time.
While not actually my blood offspring—I cut them from my robes and spun them from the Threads of Time—they certainly acted like it over their centuries of existence.
Killing each other, tormenting humans, destroying Elyrian ecosystems.
The Sundering, the humans called it.
More like a temper tantrum .
Imprisoning Kaos and Solace here in Meru was the best decision I could have made—both for Elyria’s survival and my own sanity. Though, Meru itself seemed to be less than pleased with their elongated stay. It wasn’t built to store that much power, and it was starting to split at the seams.
Literally .
A crack of thunder rolled across the sky, and I sighed and rubbed my temples.
Where the fuck is my daughter?
I had things to do.
The Strings of Fate glittered in front of me, and I absently plucked and weaved while I waited. I didn’t have to focus on my task—weaving fate is what I was created to do, after all.
Finally, after what felt like eons, I heard the distinct soft taps of my daughter’s boots as she weaved her way through the maze of polished stone.
She turned the final corner and came to an abrupt stop in front of me.
“That took you longer than usual,” I said with no inflection in my voice. I enjoyed challenging the Bondsmith and always thought she was the smartest of my children, and the most resourceful.
Most like me .
I hummed at the thought.
“You can’t just call and expect me to show up within minutes, Fate. It takes time to get here, you know that. I’m not like you,” she threw at me.
Feisty today.
“On the contrary, daughter, you are exactly like me, and you know it. Which is why you hate me so much, I think. Or at least that’s what happens in the human world.” Children always tended to hate the parent they were most like.
Or was it the other way around?
“What do you need, Fate? I have things I need to take care of back in Elyria.” She crossed her arms and tapped her foot.
So impatient .
“I’m calling in my second favor.”
The Bondsmith froze and a look I couldn’t decipher flashed across her face before it was gone.
“Why?” She was more than a little accusatory.
“Kaos and Solace have found a way to . . . affect the humans from their prison.”
Her eyes widened to the size of dinner plates.
“What?” It was a frightened whisper that had her tapping her foot again .
“I’m just as surprised as you, daughter. Though, it appears that Meru simply cannot hold the power that flows through their immortal veins.” A second crack of thunder punctuated my words, and I gestured above us.
She gulped, her throat constricting with the movement. “What is it you require of me?”
“Runes,” I said immediately. “I want you to fortify this place and their prison. Scramble their messages. Intercept how they’re communicating with their descendants. Something, anything to slow them down. Elyria, my Children, are not ready yet.”
“That will take time,” she said.
“Yes, I imagine it will,” I replied with little remorse. She was on the hook for this last favor, and I was hoping she hadn’t yet found the loophole . . .
“I will start once my ends are wrapped up in Elyria. Give me three days.” Then she turned on her heel and strode from the room.
Well, fuck. She found the loophole. I smiled despite the circumstances. She was always the best at puzzling through situations and finding the limits to my demands.
The air pulsated once more as the magical storm above me undulated in the sky.
Thunder cracked again as I absently stroked the Strings of Fate.
“Well, Children, it’s time to dance,” I said absently as I started to weave my machinations into the fabric of Elyria’s reality.