Itswelled to double its size, but it wasn't nearly enough. Until Yuki, Ellis,Dar, and Shea put their hands upon me as I had mine on Nana. The night swirledthrough me, darkness caressing every inch of me like a familiar lover teasingall my most tender of places. I took all of that, all they had offered me, andforced it through my grandmother and into our budding bubble of night.
Itgroaned as it fought against the day, swelling and enlarging until it coveredus. Stars twinkled above as the grass beneath our feet turned blue under thenighttime sky.
"No!"Belenus did a double strike against my father but two splotches of red blossomedacross her chest as Chief fired twice. Candace shrieked once more and drove thehost of angels to the ground. With almost practiced ease, Aodh batted herblades away as Belenus dropped to her knees, stopping herself from collapsingface first into the ground. It was over.
Myfather turned and raised his hand toward me, a smile as brilliant as the sun onhis face. Time stopped. Belenus lifted her head, a wicked smile on her face asshe called a spear of light to her hand and drove it up under my father's ribsand into his heart.
Screaminghis name, I reached out and tore through the fabric of her realm, just as I haddone in the lands of Faerie, with a clawed fist. Almost like black water, theshadows poured in through the gaping wound as I ran.
Ranto catch my falling father.
Theshadows swarming behind me didn't stop as my arms wrapped around him and stoppedhim from crashing to the ground. Blackness completely enveloped the bitch asshe cackled in the success of her deathblow. Wordlessly she died as the shadowstore her into pieces no bigger than my Fidget.
"Dad.Dad! Aodh!" I whined pitifully as his labored breaths came slower and slower.
"Itis okay, my daughter."
"No.No, it's fucking not. Hang on!" I pulled the slick spear from his woundand tossed it away even as it severely burned my hand. "Heal!"
Heshook his head. I poured my power into him, holding my hand over his gapingwound and moving it up to his heart. Back and forth, trying to get the wound toheal and his heart to keep beating. Candace plopped to the ground across fromme and lent him her power, too. Josie just knelt by his head, soundlesslysobbing. He reached up and took her hand in his.
"Itis okay, my daughters. You're both safe now. Be good to each other. Take careof each other. And your mothers." He winked.
Ipoured every ounce of power I had left in me into him, and still it wasn'tenough. "No. No. You fight, damn it!"
Hejust smiled and closed his eyes. "I cannot. I may be a god, but I am a godof the night. A spear of the day… Even I can't fight against that," hewhispered. And stopped breathing. "I love you both. All of you," hesaid to my mother, nodded once, and I watched in horror as the light left thegod of night's eyes.
"No.No. No, no, no." Pain gripped my chest. Everything we had workedfor…everything. It was for nothing. He was gone. Truly gone and nothing would ever replace the hole in myheart I had just filled.
Iwailed.
Josiesobbed.
Motherclosed her eyes. Tears fell down her cheeks. It was the first time I'd everseen my mother cry. I never wanted to see it again. The three of us touched him,and beneath our hands, he faded away.
"Iam sorry, my sisters."
Weall looked up to stare in shock at the goddess herself standing where theshadows batted around the remaining pieces of Belenus.
Reachingdown, she smiled and whispered, "Shoo." They scattered before hermoonlit presence. The remaining pieces of the goddess of the day, she scatteredto the wind. As she stood and stepped forward, her husband coalesced behindher. His antlered head twinkling in her light like exquisitely crafted silver.She was the moon, he was the sun, but in darkness even his bronzed skin waspale.
"Wewere so close," I said forlornly, sobbing before her, my lip quivering.
"Andnow you must move on. It is what my brother would want."
"Andthat was what my sister deserved," the Lord said solemnly. Day and night,moon and sun. They truly were two sets of siblings, married to their opposingforces. But now we were truly without half the gods.
"No.You are not," the goddess said with a smile, reading my thoughts.
Gentlyshe reached out and caressed Candace and Josie, closing her eyes in raptpleasure.
Josieand Candace looked at each other as power filled them. I smiled as I realizedwhat she had done, imbuing my sister and her lover with power that needed newhosts. Night and Day couldn't have found better avatars. Much better than myfather and his insane ex-wife. Hopefully, my sister and her love would bring alittle more balance to the world. One day.
"Well,since the night has a new goddess, can I give up my power and go back to beingjust a Dot?"
Thegoddess laughed. "You stopped being the goddess of night when you cameinto your own power. No. Things are going to become much more interesting inthe future, goddess of darkness." She winked.
"Oh,come on."
"Well,the creatures of darkness need someone to look out for them. Who betterthan that which they already adore?" To reiterate her point, the shadowsbegan to swirl and dance around me.
"Well,that hardly seems fair. The sun and the moon. The day and the night. There can'tbe darkness without light, and I don't see myself getting married anytime soon."
Thegoddess chuckled. "Your guide back to the mortal realm has arrived."She nodded behind me.
Iturned to look and groaned. Jaeren was sitting astride a unicorn of the purestwhite, bowing in homage to the goddess.
"Fuckme."
"Whatwas that, Sister?" She smiled at me warmly.
"Nothing."I just shook my head. "So, what do we do now?"
Shecrouched in front of me, smiled, and kissed my forehead. "Now, you liveyour lives. For as long as you can or want. When it is time to move on, youshall join us." She reached up and took the hand of the lord. "Andthen we shall all dance together." She paused for a moment and
