Chapter 20

Death lifted a brow as a growl ripped from Justice's throat. With a twitch of her fingers, Justice summoned an enormous sword and stabbed it ferociously into the black stone floor.

"Why are you ruining my home?" Death asked, though she was not angry at her sister. Their experiment was difficult to watch. With their ability to manipulate time, the days moved fast in their viewing mirrors. Thankfully, such skills had no effect on the people trying their best to survive in the realm the sisters had painstakingly crafted to replicate earth.

As it turned out, without their mother there to create a fresh realm, the former demonic realm needed constant maintenance. The magic wanted to twist and revert to the day it was created, but none of the sisters involved would allow it to return to that barren state. Instead, it had the potential to be a lush home worthy of the remarkable inhabitants they had placed in it.

But things had not turned out the way any of them had predicted.

"Fate, your choice to not grant Chrysander his title has spun out of control," Justice complained. "Each day the members of The Council wake and worry about their survival. The dragons are a menace."

"To say nothing of what has happened to the D'Vaires," Eternity muttered. At Death's side on the settee, Eternity's posture was rigid thanks to the anxiety they each felt whenever they escaped to Death's home to catch up on their latest project. Death viewed the chaos far more often than anyone else, and she tired of explaining to Eternity that she was not reverting to her old way of avoiding the main palace.

Death was so focused on monitoring the mess they had created and caring for the spirits in the ebirlloba, she had no time to leave her home. She had grown fascinated and sometimes horrified by the way the events had twisted themselves with a few changes made to the story of the extended D'Vaire clan.

"How would I have known that so many dragons would willingly follow Bernal's lead and prey upon magickind?" Fate demanded, her blue eyes narrowed.

"So many lives lost," Life muttered. "I am working constantly to rebirth these souls so we do not upset the balance of magic on Death's realm. If anyone should know what we are up to, they will no doubt demand to have some say. Additional voices will add nothing but misery to the people in this realm. I would not have guessed things would play out in this fashion."

"I am sorry, Death. We did not think this through," Eternity said. "The steady tug on your magic must be difficult to handle."

The dragons were relentless, so—as Life had just mentioned—she to rebirth new souls back into their new realm. Were they adding new fodder for the dragons so willing to murder innocents? Each day, Death's magic was yanked and pulled, and while she was too powerful a woman to have it impact her abilities, it was annoying.

Death sighed. "It is an irritation for me. No more. No less. What concerns me is the toll it is having on the souls we put in this realm. Look at Chander. Can you imagine our Arch Lich on Earth picking up daggers and spending hours each day practicing his skills? When he is not sharpening his abilities with his blades, he is reading magic books and practicing spells. But most of those books are filled with destructive spells to better defend himself."

"I thought removing the elders would have united his people instead of tearing them apart," Justice commented. "Instead, those fools split. They fear Chander's demonic side. Thanks to the seeds sown by the elders, some believe him an illegitimate leader. I thought the elders would have needed ampler time to create such chaos."

"Perhaps it is because the necromancers had such poor leadership before Chander," Life suggested. "They dealt often with chaos. Recall that the elders were all themselves ousted rulers. Prior to those horrible men and women were Faustus and Domitia. Those two were evil incarnate."

"Can we not focus on the positive?" Fate asked. "Look at how Egidius has grown to understand he was wrong to believe himself high above the other sorcerers. The Council is more united than ever. They are a large family, and everyone gathers at Castle Leolinnia. Drystan and Conley have a stronger love without their separation. Unlike our Conley on Earth, he has never laid down his sword, so his skills did not atrophy. He is nearly without peer."

"I doubt Rafe could best him easily—or at all—despite how he also practices daily," Life replied.

"Someday they will meet, and we will see, but I bet it would be a draw in this realm," Fate said.

"How can you mention Rafe if you want us to remain positive?" Justice demanded. "Look at what Aleksander has endured. Peer into his soul. He is so broken. So damaged."

"Festering with anger and plagued by anxiety too," Death added. But the D'Vaire King did not worry her. While he had endured the unthinkable, his heart remained pure—though he believed it broken beyond repair. Under his trauma, Aleksander was still the man yearning to help others and ensure his family was cared for. What he lacked in this realm was the ability to reach out to the D'Vaires, but Death had to believe that someday he would find himself.

"Rafe is the one with fewer scars in this realm," Justice said. "Should we put them together soon?"

"It is not time," Fate declared. "Aleksander must heal. Rafe has hands full, and there is more of his story I want to twist. But I will save it for later. For now, we must stay focused on Dravyn and Killian."

"I expected their tale to be a sweet one without Killian enduring the loss of the Coven of Warlocks," Life remarked.

Justice bared her teeth and, with a wave of her hand, made her sword vanish. "Except the blasted dragons intervened. Instead of Killian wading through blood, Dravyn was chained in a damn garden for a century and a half."

"Again, I must point out that it is good Zane and Marcus have taken a different path and are D'Vaires," Fate pointed out. "How remarkable is that? I wish to lead others to the D'Vaires down the line. It could help Aleksander to have additional people to focus on. Help him pull himself out of his shell and reconnect with his softer feelings instead of the ones rotting in his soul."

"Yes, it should be far easier for Damian and Marcus to build their love story on the occasion of them meeting," Life replied.

"What about Ryan?" Justice demanded.

"What do you mean?" Life asked. "We agreed none of Fate's mistakes would be in this realm. I did not add Ryan's soul. What use do we have of him? Without his soul being attached to Marcus or Damian, he has no connection to the D'Vaires or anyone they know."

"I just wondered if, because the three were initially mates, it was necessary for him to be included in this realm," Justice explained. "It is a relief to learn Damian and Marcus never have to deal with him."

"Yes, please remind me again what a disaster I am at creating matebonds," Fate drawled. "What was I thinking putting Ryan in the middle of Marcus and Damian's love story? How cruel and foolish I am. How did Mother ever trust me with my important duties?"

Death leveled her dark gaze on Fate's disgruntled face. "Are you finished?"

"I am just pointing out that when people die, no one runs to your castle and accuses you of being terrible at your job," Fate said, her mouth still in a pout.

Justice harrumphed. "Death faces criticism often. Far too often if you ask me. The moment someone of consequence dies, the fingers are pointed at her. Despite her vast power, she is accused of yearning for a larger sorcery pool. Do not pretend you have not thought yourself a time or two that Death is less than perfect."

"The difference between me and the other goddesses that second-guess Death is I think the same of everyone," Fate replied, flicking her red hair off the shoulder of her sparkling gown. "I trust no one."

Death was too busy trying to control an extremely uncharacteristic blush at Justice's effusive defense of her to roll her eyes at Fate.

"I have been one of those that has not reacted well to you, Death," Life remarked. "I don't know if you would accept my apology, but I give you one all the same."

Death released an unsteady breath. She was struggling between her instinct of kicking everyone out of her castle so they would not notice her vulnerability and her desire to be closer to the goddesses she respected most. She swallowed thickly. "Life, we are diametrically opposed. You give life. I benefit from the end of it. Have no fear I hold anything against you. If the truth is told, I admire you. I envy your abilities."

Life's smile was surprised and warmed Death's heart. "Thank you, I have always loved how you care for the souls in the ebirlloba. If they cannot flourish in life, it is such a relief to know you ensure they have everything they can here."

"Yes, yes, we all love Death. We all adore Life," Fate said, crossing her legs as her dress shimmered under the black chandeliers filled with burning candles. "Let us remain focused on our realm. What is our next step?"

"There is nothing we can do right now, is there?" Justice asked.

"The dragons do not have a leader yet," Fate acknowledged. "He has not been born yet. But I am thinking we mess with his original birthdate? I am not sure."

"Nothing should happen until we know how Killian and Dravyn will move forward," Life said.

"At least they have finally kissed," Death remarked, recalling fondly how fervently the attraction between the two men flourished when they both forgot to be nervous around each other and discarded all that stood between them.

Fate created a silver fan and whipped it quickly in front of her face. "They certainly did. Such a gorgeous couple."

"The question is, will it lead to strengthening their fragile bond or will they remain stagnant?" Justice asked.

"For all my power, I cannot see into the future, dear sister," Death said.

"Part of me is screaming to speed up time so we can know immediately how things fare," Eternity remarked with a smile for Death. "But the other half is preaching caution, for nothing has turned out the way we thought. Either we are about to be pleased that the first important matebond is moving closer or another tragedy is unfolding."

"Maybe both," Life muttered.

"All we can do is try not to allow other events to stress out our people further," Eternity said. "They have plenty to deal with, and we must be patient. Their lives are different. Very different. There are other matebonds we are curious about, but unless it is a bond guaranteed to flourish immediately, we must stall their meeting."

"Agreed, I do not want them overwhelmed, nor do I want to miss anything," Fate replied.

"Here is a question I am afraid we did not consider," Death commented, her mind rapidly flipping through the events that had unfolded in certain years in the original realm they'd mimicked. "The split of The Council from Europe to North America took place because of Chander's desire to keep Conley's body. Conley was never in stasis without Drystan, and Egidius holds no grudges against the Arch Lich. Will it still happen?"

Life stared at Death grimly. "It will, but the reasons will differ. What we don't know is the impact it will have on The Council. Or sadly, for Dravyn and Killian, since so much of their story remains untold."

"At this pace, we are going to need to move into Death's castle and watch the mirrors around the clock," Fate exclaimed. "I can hardly keep up with the other realms, I am growing so invested in this one."

"We cannot forget our other duties," Justice cautioned. "You have souls to match and leaders to crown in other realms. The rest of us have responsibilities. None of them can be set aside because of our curiosity."

"Plus, I would prefer if I alone called this castle my home," Death said.

Fate smirked. "Oh, right. Of course. Our maudlin sister of the ebirlloba. The goddess of death. It is most important that she is aloof. Mysterious. Unbothered by the trials and tribulations of the living and the goddesses who kept order beyond her side of the veil."

Reaching out, Death nudged Eternity's shoulder. "Get your sister out of here, she is annoying."

Eternity laughed. "I know, but she is impossible to force to do anything. Otherwise, we would have more matebonds."

"I hate all of you," Fate declared, crossing her arms. Satisfied by her sister's ire, Death chuckled and focused again on the large mirror where Dravyn daydreamed of passionate kisses with the other half of his soul.