“Oh, for the love of—!” He rolled his eyes. “We know the origin of this dust is deep underground, and its influence is so strong, no known creature might conjure and control it!”
“Are you saying the goddess Pouri is responsible for this?” Ystävä frowned and shook his head. At this point, he had probably reached the same conclusion but hoped someone would tell him wrong.
“Yes, and I’m guessing I’m not the only one who thinks this way?” Finn raised an eyebrow to the gods.
“You are once again quite right, young Finn.” Paki’s eyes reflected her sadness. “I wasn’t able to perceive her until you brought the dust close enough. She had been avoiding my roots all over the Forest.”
“But why would a goddess hate us so much? What did we do to make her want to kill us?” Hakken asked, walking to stand next to Maeve.
“This is not about hate, rage, or revenge. She is incapable of experiencing emotions.” Hua gently took Maeve’s hand. “When you touch me, or Paki, you can feel how intertwined our lives are with this world and why we stayed here. Our love for you is far too great to leave you behind. But if you touched Pouri, there would be nothing. She is not evil or cruel. Her actions are the consequence of our unforgivable neglect. We pushed her away, using her and then casting her aside.”
Maeve watched the deep pool of his eyes, and a pang of foreign regret made her cower. The god knew he was somehow guilty of this massacre. Hua frowned. “Our little sister never gave life. She roamed this world as a destructive yet useful force. She doesn’t know how to feel, and she doesn’t comprehend the pain she is causing to those she controls and those she kills.”
Paki seemed to be on the brink of tears. “We left her alone, without purpose. The crime is ours.”
The mood grew somber as both gods fell down a spiral of guilt and regret. They reached some clarity at last, but no solutions.
Hakken was having none of that. “Well, stop her now! Go apologize, take her on a long trip, go back to the stars!” The half-breed did not hide his anger. “Hundreds are dead! Should we wait until she exterminates our entire race for you to act?”
“I’m afraid it’s become much worse than that.” Hua gave him a stern look. “I came here today to warn you, this is no longer a danger exclusive to the half-breed people. Last night, the horde attacked a Quiet Folk village, killing many and adding a small force to the red dust prisoners.”
The Quiet Folk. A peaceful race related to the Fae. Non-related to the half-breeds.
“This is horrible!” Finn couldn’t help to pull his hair once more. “There is no logical explanation for this development. The dust is spreading without control!”
“Can’t you reach her? Speak to her?” Regn joined them, as frantic as Finn, pleading with Paki.
“She has effectively avoided us for centuries. She won’t let us come close, but—” she turned to Maeve with hopeful eyes— “you might be able to reach her.”
“If your sister is underground, you better have a good idea.” Hakken was beyond rude, but Maeve knew he worried about her.
It was Finn who offered a solution. “Taking into account everything we have learned about these attacks and the war eleven years ago, both are strongly related. The method changed, the way she controlled their actions, but there is no doubt it all started with the mountain half-breeds.” He looked around, finding no disagreement. “This time, thanks to what we learned from Flyg, we know the first one to be infected was Dröm. So now, we began to gamble... and hope that if Maeve can tap into Dröm’s emotions, she can find the connection between him and Pouri.”
“That is a long shot,” Ystävä muttered.
Finn stared gravely at her. “And our only hope.”
A sense of weariness fell on the clearing. Finn presented a feasible solution, but it felt painfully distant. The burden of responsibility weighed heavier on Maeve’s shoulders. “I will need to be close enough to touch him. Sensing him from afar will not be good.”
“And how do you suggest approaching a ridiculously strong war commander while keeping your head attached to your neck long enough to reach a burrowing goddess?” Considering how scared Hakken felt, his question came out almost measured.
It was past midnight, and Maeve stifled a yawn. “We need help, of course.” She turned to the stag. “Ancient Hua, do you know where Astika lives?”
CHAPTER XXXVI
THE MISTAKE
Maeve
Thanks to the Ancient’s directions, it took them less than a week to reach Astika’s home. The warm summer weather refused to dwindle, and the nights became a pleasant reprieve from the relentless heat of the day. Hakken carried Maeve most of the time, but after some arguing, he allowed Regn to take her on his back when he grew too tired.
Maeve didn’t know what to do about the intense jealousy coming from them each time the other carried her.
She was quite aware of their rivalry, but since it was the first time in her life any man had shown that kind of interest in her, suddenly finding herself with two quarreling suitors had her head spinning.
Better to act oblivious, at least for the time being.
Finding out Regn was attracted to her came out as a surprise. When she first met him in the village, she thought him handsome. Back in those days, his distant attitude didn’t bother her since half the tribe wasn’t all that friendly to begin with. She was impressed and deeply grateful for all those times he rescued her, but didn’t think his actions had any meaning other than his kind nature.
Funny thing, she hadn’t needed her new skills to figure out Regn’s feelings.
Ever since their reunion after Astika’s kidnapping, he and Hakken had continuously and noticeably competing for her company and attention. A part of her was flattered. She had never allowed herself to feel beautiful and desirable before. But the other part felt
