We took to the air amid screaming pleas for help. It was hard to fly away from that, but part of me—the human part—felt as if it were justice.
Chapter Forty-Eight
We made it back to the torii gates without issue and without seeing Enma or Kagu-hana. The gate to the Human Realm opened into the temple of Bodai-ji; specifically, into a room full of mediums. Mediums; as in the people who could speak to the dead, not the average measurement. All of the mediums were women, and most of them were blind, but every one of them witnessed us tracing in from Meido.
Amaterasu strode into the gathering of priestesses; speaking softly in Japanese. The women bowed deeply to her; murmuring respectfully as they reached out to brush their hands over Amy's sleeve as she passed.
“The Itako,” Sakuya explained to us. “Amy is not their goddess, but they can sense her magic. They recognize what she is, if not who.”
And they weren't the only ones to recognize Amaterasu, nor was Amy the only one given respect. Every person we passed in the temple bowed deeply to us all. They opened doors, lowered their gazes, and generally acted as if we were visiting royalty. No one screamed, shouted, or even made a big fuss. They acted as if gods striding through their temple was a rare but perfectly normal occurrence. It was so bizarre for the rest of us; to not only be recognized as gods, but to also be given gracious deference. The angels, especially,* were shocked.
“Wow; that was nice,” Ira said as we exited the temple.
“Does it make up for Jigoku?” Azrael asked.
“No, but it does explain why gods might want Dvārakā raised,” Ira said. “That kind of attention can be addictive.”
“And those are just the Japanese Buddhists,” Sakuya noted. “They are reserved in their worship. Outright adoration is even more gratifying.”
Once we were back in the low hills overlooking the smelly lake, Amaterasu turned to us and hugged us all goodbye.
“You have done me a great service with even greater honor today,” Amy said. “You freed my people and myself when I could not call on my pantheon to help me. For that, I am in your debt. If any of you need help—any kind of assistance—please call upon me.”
“I may be doing just that very soon,” I warned her.
“I would be happy to help you.” Amaterasu bowed to me. “You, Vervain, are beyond debts with me; you are my friend. Call on me as often as you like, and I shall be there.”
“Thank you.” I hugged Amy and then Sakuya.
The Japanese goddesses drew back from the rest of us to trace away, but I stopped them.
“Amy, did you ever find out how Enma got your followers to commit suicide?” I asked her.
“Mrtyu-mara,” Amy snarled out the name. “He's a demon who possesses humans and makes them want to kill themselves.”
“That's a bad gig.” Azrael shook his head. “It's not his fault that the magic chose him.”
“No, but it is his fault that he chose to possess humans protected by me,” Amy said grimly. “I killed Mrtyu-mara as soon as I entered Meido. It's how Enma caught me; I was distracted by the fight and the Oni were able to sneak up on me and subdue me.”
“At least you killed Mrtyu-mara first,” Sakuya said.
“And I will kill Enma next,” Amy vowed. “I would have let him live if he had returned my souls. But he made us journey through Jigoku, and for that, he will die.”
“Good luck,” I said.
“I don't need luck, Godhunter,” Amy said with a wink. “I'm the Goddess of the Sun.”
Amy and Sakuya traced away.
Odin turned to me and asked, “Remind you of anyone?”
“It must be something to do with the sun magic.” I chuckled and shook my head.
Chapter Forty-Nine
“I don't need luck; I'm the Goddess of the Sun,” Ira mimicked Amy as we walked into the dining hall of Pride Palace. “She sure could have used some luck when she was imprisoned in Meido.”
“I know you like her, Ira.” Ted gave the Horseman of Famine a pat on the back. “You can stop pretending.”
“I don't like her,” Ira huffed indignantly. “She's obnoxious.”
“And hot,” Sam added.
“And wicked smart.” Ted nodded.
“And I think she likes you too,” I said.
“You do?” Ira's eyes went wide.
“I don't know, maybe.” I giggled. “But now we know that you really do like her!”
“I'm going to take a shower and go to bed.” Ira grimaced as he stomped toward the elevator.
“You should ask her out!” Ted called after Ira. “I bet she'd like some angel lovin'!”
“Fuck off, Ted!” Ira slammed the gate shut on the elevator.
“He's so sensitive.” Ted chuckled.
“I think he's always hangry,” Sam said. “It's the famine thing.”
“Is everyone all right?” Trevor met us in the doorway of the dining hall.
“Everyone is safe and where they belong.” I nodded. “Including us.”
“Good. Because we have another problem,” Trevor waved us in toward the dining table.
Re was seated at the table; his hands curled around the ends of his armrests and his golden eyes staring forward furiously. He looked as if he wanted to destroy a city but wasn't sure which city to choose. A muscle ticked in his jaw as smoke began to rise from between his fingers.
“Re, could you stop burning the furniture?” I asked casually.
Re flinched and looked up at me. His expression softened and then he looked down at his hot hands. With a sharp inhale, Re released the armrests; revealing charred marks in the shape of his palms.
“I'm sorry,” Re whispered. Then he noticed the state of me. “Why are you in that half-dragon form?”
“We had to dodge fireballs,” Odin said as he joined
