But I digress.
Elatha was Fine with a capital F. He was so beautiful that people stopped dancing, talking, and drinking (some mid-drink) as we moved through the club. He was a little too pretty for my taste, but I still had to admit that the man was mighty attractive. And he could kick serious ass too. It wouldn't hurt to have him along on our Katila hunt.
I nodded to Bobby—the Froekn bouncer who was holding the exit door open for us—passed through the entry room, and went through another exit door to the front of the club. The Wolf was waiting for us there; the rest of our group had already gone to the parking lot behind the club.
“You picked up a stray,” the Wolf said as we went to join the others.
“Says the werewolf,” Elatha huffed. “I offered my assistance to your wife, Prince Trevor. She mentioned something about a murderer.”
The Wolf grunted as if he didn't need any help. But when we found the others, and I explained Elatha's presence to them, they were happy for it. As gods on the human side of the God War, it was always nice when another god wanted to help us. And you never knew when another pair of eyes and hands might just be what tips the balance in our favor.
“Someone has been killing my family,” Azrael said to Elatha. “And then he attacked Trevor; right here. Vervain is going to track him, and then we'll hunt the bastard down.”
“I can't wait!” Elatha rubbed his hands together as everyone frowned at him. “Ruling a peaceful people is boring,” he said in response to the looks.
“Well, don't kill our quarry,” Azrael said. “One of us gets the pleasure.”
“As you wish.” Elatha held his hands up. “May I subdue with force?”
“Sure, have at it.” Azrael rolled his eyes.
Elatha grinned and clenched his lifted hands into fists as he shook them excitedly.
I ignored the kill-negotiations as I called my dragon up and used her senses to sniff out Katila. I immediately saw Trevor everywhere. I scented lots of Froekn, actually, and a few humans who must have wandered out back. But I didn't pick up any other gods. I growled and searched again... and again... and again.
“What's wrong, V?” Torrent asked in concern as he came around the side of the building with Kirill.
“This isn't possible!” I shrieked. I turned to the Wolf, “You're certain you were back here when you were jumped?”
“Absolutely,” the Wolf said.
“I don't see a trace of anyone else,” I said. “Not any gods who shouldn't be here,” I growled in frustration. “How does he keep doing this?”
“This murderer has eluded you before?” Elatha asked with an intrigued tone.
“I've been to two other places where we know he's been, and my dragon senses—senses that have never failed me before—couldn't find his trail,” I said.
“It's just one man behind this?” Elatha asked.
“We think it may be two gods,” Odin said. “A goddess named Dhumorna and her son, Katila. The son somehow managed to possess Trevor. I hate to admit it, but it has confounded us.”
“A god possessed you?” Elatha's brows lifted as he looked at the Wolf. “You; the Froekn Prince? No; that's not possible. He must have had help. To send your soul into a human's body is difficult, especially without their permission, but to possess a god's body with magic inside it is nearly impossible. Believe me; I've tried.”
I gave Elatha a surprised look, and he shrugged.
“We suspect that Katila's acquiring power from the demons he's murdered,” I said. “Their magic could give him more power than a Froekn, even a Froekn prince, and may also give him the ability to possess people.”
I wasn't sure if it was the best idea to tell Elatha so much about our troubles, but I couldn't see how it could hurt and something was telling me to share.
“This is getting more and more interesting,” Elatha said. “I can see how acquiring a demon's power might allow him to possess a god, but I've never heard of anyone but you taking a god's magic, Vervain. Again; I've tried.”
I gave him another look.
“There wasn't much to do in my underground, undersea prison.” Elatha grimaced. “But, as far as the tracking goes—or the lack of it, rather—I think I may have a theory for you.”
“You do?” I asked in surprise.
“I met a god once who seemed to have no magic of his own; no talent. He was a child of gods; brought into his pantheon too late to be assigned a magic by human belief,” Elatha said. “He had nothing beyond the basic god abilities. Or so he initially thought. It turned out that his magic was a talent for disappearing; for going unnoticed. It was so subtle, that he hadn't picked up on it until he was over a century old. He simply thought that people didn't like him, that he was forgettable when actually, it was his magic wiping his path clean after he walked it. One of the aspects of his magic was that it left no trace of him behind; no scent, no hairs, no footprints. It was as if he had never been there.”
“How are you able to remember him if he was so forgettable?” Odin asked.
“Oh, after he recognized his magic for what it was, he was able to harness it and control it,” Elatha explained. “He could turn it off and on at will; as with any magic.”
“That would certainly explain this.” I waved my hand
