26. Kami

26

Kami

" Y ou have to admit that the tree men are gross."

Ahza is sitting with his legs crossed, his arms behind him, on a plush bed with a sky-blue quilt. Above him, a canopy draped in royal purple velvet stretches above and down, at the head of the bed.

The sun is shining overhead. Around us, unicorns frolic as they munch on redcaps and regulars, their teeth bloody, their horns the color of rainbows.

I just stare. "Wh-what the heck?"

Ahza waves his hand, and the image turns to an orgy of mermen fucking anything that moves. "Better?"

"Um, not really."

He sighs, waves his hand, and I'm treated to a field of wildflowers, pink pixies, and butterflies flitting about.

So peaceful, and I swear I smell faeberry in the air. "Perfect."

"You're so boring."

"Thanks. I missed you too." I hop on the bed with him and kiss him on the cheek. "Before you ask, yes, the orc was incredible."

He sighs. "Being dead is overrated." He glanced around. "Don't tell Sebastian I said that."

"Who?"

"Oh right. You need to work harder to remember." He moves close to whisper, "I'll help you as much as I can, but I'm not allowed to break the rules." He pauses. "But then, maybe I'm allowed. You're a necromancer, after all. And I'm dead."

"What?"

Ahza huffs. "Girl, you are not this dense. Or did your hunky orc literally fuck your brains out?"

I smack my brother on the chest. "Shut up."

He grins at me.

I grin back.

Then we're laughing, and the world is right.

Until it isn't, because I remember that Ahza is dead, and this is just a dream.

"But dreams aren't always nightmares," I say, allowing myself this moment of joy.

"Exactly." Ahza smiles at me. "Look, every time you come here, you leave and forget. It's the price you pay for not being immortal. Or dead. I get that. But you're more than just some dryad."

"Bitch-bag, dryads are awesome."

He smirks. "About time you used that insult correctly. And you're right. Your kind is all about life and creation. But you're a necromancer, so you're more than just life and death. You're a creature of balance, Kami."

"How is that? Death is the end."

"Oh, please. You know that's shit." He shimmers, and then I'm looking at the three-eyed djinn suit Ahza likes to wear. "Death is only the beginning. That's what they say, anyway. "

"They?"

He waves his large claws hands around. "The proverbial ‘they.' Come on. I'm dead, and I'm still kicking. I know there's something more after this. I'm not sure what, though. Sebastian is not the best at sharing."

"Who is Sebastian, anyway?"

Ahza's gaze turns introspective, and a touch awed. "There are five of them. I don't know what they are, exactly, but they have always been. Sebastian calls him and his brothers Evers."

"No sisters?"

"Not that I know of. But they each have a job to do." Ahza frowns. "His is to prevent something from happening that isn't supposed to happen. But he's not Death. Not Life either."

"I don't understand."

Ahza scowls. "I want to explain, but even if I do, you won't remember." He tugs at one of his long, pointed ears, and his third eye squints. "Just… Look, you need to survive the Radiant Trials, Kami. We have work to do."

"We?"

"Your orgy of men, you, me, and the Big Boss."

"You called?"

We scream in fright, both of us, while Sebastian slowly incorporates next to the bed.

He tsks and drags Ahza up by the collar of his shirt. "No cheating, Ahza."

"No, sorry, Seb."

Sebastian looks cheery. "I do like that nickname." He glances at me. "Try to remember this time, Kami. You must do your part."

"I would if someone would tell me what it is." So frustrating. "Is this real?"

"Sadly, yes." He drops Ahza, who disappears.

I'm worried until Sebastian shakes his head. "He's in a time-out while I figure out how to keep from him getting us both in trouble."

I gape at that. "Who do you get in trouble with?"

Sebastian sighs. "You know, you're really not supposed to be here. I can only cover my tracks if I work with you when no one can see." He leans close and whispers in a voice laced with Power, "I am After. And I am Ever. And you, my child, must prevent Beyrthnel's rebirth."

I lean back, shocked. "He's really going to try to enter our world?"

Sebastian shakes his head. "He already has. You know this. But when you wake, you won't remember. Perhaps she can truly help. But I can't…"

"What?" Who is this "she"?

"You need to wake up. Bond with your group, Kami. I need you up and running and out of this ridiculous competition. We have work to do." He opens his mouth and closes it. "You're running out of Time." He pauses, scowling. "That bastard."

"Huh?"

"Remember. Stop the war god. No matter what."

He taps my forehead, and I'm blinking up at Crash, who is crouched and staring at me.

"Stop the war god," I whisper.

"What?" Crash narrows his gaze. "What did you say?"

"Stop the war god?"

He sneers. "Sure. I'll get right on that. Just as soon as?—"

"Sebastian. His name is Sebastian. He's an Ever." I remember him. I won't forget. But as I take another breath, the memory fades.

"What the fuck is an Ever?" Crash leans closer. "Are you losing it, dryad?"

"I— Yes." I groan, having lost the thread of my memory. But this time, I have someone who can help me recover it. I dart at Crash and stare into his eyes, so close our breath mingles.

He just blinks at me.

"Tell me what I just said. Please. "

He must hear my urgency, and for once, he's not a dick and responds. "You said, ‘Stop the war god.' Then you said a name. Sebastian. And you said he's an Ever." Crash frowns. "What's an Ever?"

"Something we really need to avoid if we want to stay in one piece," Malkar says from the entrance to the small grotto.

He stares from Crash to me, his gaze hard to read. "Come on. We need to move before more of them come."

Crash helps me to my feet then leaves me behind.

Before I can pass by Malkar, he stops me. "We need to talk soon, Kami. But try not to mention the Eternal again if you can help it."

"I thought he was an Ever," Crash says.

"They are known by many names."

I ask Malkar, "You know what he is?"

A flash of fear crosses his face, and I shiver. If Malkar is scared, an Ever must be some serious power.

"I do. Let's go. We'll talk soon."

That's if we survive whatever comes next.

Stop a war god?

I can't even stop myself from trembling at the thought of tree-scorpions.