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"Oh, is that all?" he says with a grimace, pushing her out of the way. "You don't have to Heal me. I'll be right as rain quickly, I won't die."
"These cuts are deep," she says, trying to force him back down.
"I'm a God, dearie. As long as I have my magic, I won't die."He groans, pushing himself to his feet. "It just fucking hurts. My pride and my body," he adds the second part under his breath.
Viola backs away from him, clearly sensing that he does not want her assistance. She exchanges a conspiratorial glance with Morrow. "That was your idea?" I said quietly, leaning closer to him.
He nods and grins widely. "If we can combine magic before it's cast, it was worth a shot to see if it would work afterward, too."
"It was a good idea," Viola says, standing beside me as we watch Avidor head back into the city. "You've got a real eye for battle strategy."
Morrow grins at Viola and shrugs. "I read a lot of books."
We watch Avidor stumble through the keep without a look back at us, and Viola sighs, shaking her head. "I don't think he's my biggest fan anymore."
No real loss, of course.
He was getting too interested in her, anyway.
Chapter 37
Viola
I've put it off long enough. Rainworth is running smoothly, and Avidor and Solarius are here and settled in. Cirrha and Taegan have debriefed all of us on the state of Ytopie, and it is imperative we move quickly to reduce casualties from Himureal's rampage.
Zeph didn't predict him to go so far off the rails when we left, so when Cirrha and Taegan shared their experiences, I could no longer pretend that waiting a week between summonings was reasonable. Now we are underwater, trying to break the surface to minimize the loss of life in Ytopie.
After his defeat during our morning spar, Avidor has been cold towards me, but he still joined in when I requested a meeting. He sits in his baggy brown slacks and bare feet on a bench in the amphitheater next to Solarius. He rests his chin on his fist, eyes unfocused, a look of perpetual boredom fixed upon his inhumanly beautiful face.
The Radiant Sunfire lives up to his name, his dark skin shining in the late afternoon sun and his golden hair making a crown around his head. The God seems to make up any excuse not to be alone with me. He's spent his time speaking to thehumans here in the city, trying to see if anyone has the draw towards him and trying to increase his devotion. His primary goal seems to be to grow his follower base as quickly as he can to gain back his full complement of magic.
I want to talk to him, to pick his brain, to learn about him, but he remains aloof. He has a goal, and I do not fit into it. I cannot tell if it is personal or just the nature of my role, but it is so strange to me that Avidor and Himureal feel such powerful draws to me, and Solarius seems keen to just forget I exist.
Mace, Zeph, and Plume are with me in the middle of the natural structure, poring over the journal of Tieron, the high priest of Spring. Morrow and Tulip sit a few rows away from the Gods with Taegan and Cirrha, and Jaz sits by themself. Or rather, they lay by themself, stretched out on the bench and staring up at the sky. They fought me when I asked for them to join me, citing the fact that they were 'just a human ship captain,' but I wanted their perspective.
"We need to bring the Bloomtide back quickly," I say, moving my eyes between everyone. "Himureal is escalating, and I have been lax at my duties. I wrongly assumed he would not execute citizens of Ytopie in favor of having them follow him. That, and those lives lost, is on me."
"It's not on you," Zeph replies, looking up from the journal to glare at me. "Himureal escalated in a way I didn't anticipate."
"It is on me. I should have sped up the rituals." I don't want to admit I was nervous. I had grown fairly comfortable in our bubble here in Rainworth, and I didn't want to think about what was going on outside of it.
It's selfish. I'm selfish. But it's time for me to get over it and move on.
"Putting blame aside, it's obvious that we've run out of time. How long did it take you two to feel settled?" I ask the Gods.
"A night or so," Avidor says with a shrug.
Solarius nods. "After a night's rest, I felt like myself, minus the full complement of my powers."
"So if I summon her today, we should be able to head to Ytopie tomorrow?" I ask, looking between everyone. I'm greeted with a bunch of blank stares.
"How would we know?" Jaz asks, tossing an apple in the air and catching it. "We're all running around blind here, Viola."
"Watch your tone, human," Solarius spits, rising to his feet. "She is your God."
Jaz swings their legs down and rises to a sitting position. "I bandaged her knees when she was four years old. She is my God, but she is also my kid sister. I'll speak to her how I please."
I didn't know Jaz felt that way about me. Max was my only friend outside of Link, but maybe I was blind to those on the edge. Jaz was there, getting me out of trouble, sneaking me textbooks.
