“I'm not going to spill my plans without first having that allegiance.” I grinned at him. “But I will tell you what my goal is.”
“And what's that?” Qaus lifted a champagne glass of orange juice and sipped it casually.
“World peace.”
Qaus choked on his juice. “Excuse me? What is this; the Ms. America Pageant? There is no such thing as world peace. Peace is bad for business.”
“There will be,” I vowed. “I've already brought peace to the Middle East; one of the most violent regions in the world. I'm going to put an end to war, Qaus.”
The Arabian god stared at me a few minutes, long enough that I gave up waiting on him and started to fill my plate. My commanders followed my lead; allowing our guest time to comport himself while we focused on food. It wasn't until I began to eat that Qaus finally spoke.
“You've let the god cat out of the bag, Vervain,” Qaus said grimly. “Humans know about us again. Honestly, most of us appreciate that. We've lived too long in the shadows. Now, people are praying to us again. They're even sacrificing to us. The Gods were secretly thanking you. But then reports of your activities started pouring in and those same gods started mockingly referring to you as the Death Star. That derision disappeared when they saw the proof of your power. Now, they whisper those words with fear.”
I chuckled. The old me especially loved the Star Wars reference. “The Death Star. I like it.”
“Be straight with me, Vervain. Do you really think you can force the world into peace?”
“You did see my Dragon Army on the way in, didn't you?” I lifted a brow at him.
“Sure. Where did you find them? You go down into Hell again?”
“That's my point, Qaus,” I said smugly as I accepted a cup of coffee from Viper. “I didn't find them; I made them. As I made the Star Gods.”
Qaus gaped from me to the gods and back. “Are you fucking kidding me? What do you mean; you made them?”
“I created the Dragons, they're soulless but alive. As for my star gods, I took their souls from the Void and formed new bodies for them to inhabit.” I shrugged. “Simple really, when the Void bows to your command.”
“The Void?” He whispered.
“Oh. Sorry. I forget that not all Gods know about the Void. It's the place where both God and human souls are born and where they go when their bodies die. That is, as long as no one gives them an alternate afterlife.”
“The Void,” Qaus murmured. “I've often wondered what death would hold for us. But... how do you have control over it?”
“I've always had a connection to the Void through my star. But the Star was bound by universal law. By fate, if you will. She has unlimited power. She connects me not only to the Void but also to the Nine Great Magics of Faerie. Previously, she would only fulfill requests that were in line with the greater good; the wishes that coincided with my destiny as well as that of the world.”
“Holy shit,” Qaus whispered as he cast another amazed look at the men. “And now?”
“Something freed me, Qaus.” I leaned forward to speak to him across Viper. “When I was a prisoner of the Finns, Vainamoinen used his device in front of me. I touched him while he was killing a god and something sparked between us. That jolt of power freed my star from fate. She has nothing holding her back now.”
“Hold on.” Qaus held up a hand. “You're talking about that death machine the Finns made to steal another god's power?”
My stars glanced at each other warily and then at me.
“That's the one,” I confirmed with a grin.
“And you think that Vainamoinen's creation freed you?” Qaus frowned. “Vervain, that thing was evil. He was evil. He sexually assaulted you. He tried to kill all of your husbands and your friends. Fuck, he probably would have gone after your children too.”
Viper inhaled sharply, his stare narrowing at me. “This man sexually assaulted you?”
“He's dead, honey; I killed him,” I took Viper's hand and pulled it into my lap.
“Where are your kids, by the way? Didn't you just have a baby recently?” Qaus went on.
I hardened my stare and my voice, “ My children are fine and are none of your concern. And as far as Vainamoinen; I remember exactly what he did. But there are more things in heaven and earth, than are dreamt of in your philosophy, Qaus.”
“Really? You go from quoting movies to quoting Shakespeare? You really have been touched by evil.” Qaus grimaced.
“I've always quoted Shakespeare. You just haven't known me long enough to hear it.” I rolled my eyes. “But what I'm trying to say is that the Universe is a magical place that doesn't hold a grudge. An evil mother can give birth to a good child. It all depends on the way the child is raised. Magic is like a child, Qaus; it can go either way depending on how you guide it.”
“You don't have that machine, do you, Vervain?” Qaus asked warily.
“She has no need of a machine,” Viper snarled. “My star can vaporize a god in an instant and take his magic for her own if she chooses to.”
“Fuck me in the ear,” Qaus whispered as he stared at me. “You are the machine.”
“I am not a death machine, Qaus!” I snapped in irritation.
“You're the Death Star. A different kind of death machine.” Qaus started to smile. “And I've always been a pragmatist. I think I'd best sign on with you, Darth Vader. Oh, excuse me, I mean; Darth Vervain.”
I laughed despite myself. “Welcome aboard the Death Star, Qaus.”
“She means that figuratively,” Viper added with a glare at Qaus. “Don't go getting any ideas.”
Chapter Thirty-Four
“Where to next?” Qaus asked as he bent over the
