Arvyn chuckled, and then he started to laugh. The next few months were going to be interesting.
Chapter Twenty-Five
“Why are all the doorways and windows so tall?” Kirill tried not to look like a kid in Disney World as he looked around Ra’s realm. It’d been a week since Arvyn’s startling revelation about their expected baby and Kirill had taken his beloveds’ ribbing about his fainting fit in good grace. Now he bristled, his protective urges surging in an unfamiliar place.
“Everything is bigger here,” Ra explained, lifting the hem of his robe as they climbed the steps leading to his ‘palace’. Although the place was unlike any palace Kirill had ever seen. Tall, that was a given seeing how tall the doors were, but it was made out of what looked like sandstone, very squared and with very little ornamentation to break up the stark façade. “Once upon a time, it was important to keep up appearances with other pantheons.”
“It smells sterile.” Arvyn’s nose was twitching madly. The wolf had no idea how cute that made him look when he was in his human form. “Almost lifeless.”
“People don’t really live here.” Ra swept through the doors as if he owned the place, which of course he did. “Decades ago, this place teemed with life, but one by one a lot of the gods decided living on earth, starting their own businesses, and forming lives for themselves was more fun than sitting around picking at each other.”
“You didn’t want to do that?” Kirill wondered what Ra used to do all day.
“It wasn’t considered seemly for the Father of Everything to run a shop.” Ra shrugged. “This is the meet and greet hall. The rooms off to the side are for private chats with select people. If anyone has turned up to celebrate our union, they will be in the throne room.” He headed down a long, corridor which had a ceiling height that extended at least three stories high.
“Hey, hang on.” Kirill caught Ra’s arm, turning him around. “Why would Seth tell you he’s arranged a celebration and then have no one turn up?” Kirill could only imagine how embarrassing that would be.
“Because he’s an asshole, we all know that.” Ra shrugged. “It’s fine. We’ll head to the throne room, Seth will smirk, I’ll show you around and then we’ll head back to earth. We can go back to Ireland if you like, or…”
“I should go back to the coven at some stage, even if it’s just to grab some clothes.” Kirill didn’t mind that Ra could zap up anything they needed with just a thought, but he did have some personal things he’d like to collect even if it was just to put them in storage.
“Oh, my gods.” Arvyn slapped his hand over his mouth as his voice echoed down the corridor. “I will have a humongous hotel bill to pay if I want to grab my stuff. I hadn’t even thought about it. See what you guys do to me?”
“I can take care of the bill,” Kirill promised. “Remember, we’re fully claimed now,” he added as Arvyn looked like he was going to object. “What’s mine is yours and all that stuff.”
“Well you guys both got the bad end of the stick then,” Arvyn shook his head. “Everything I own fits into two bags.”
“Arvyn, babe, you make us smile every day,” Ra called over his shoulder. “That sort of thing is priceless. This,” he waved his hand at the huge walls, “not so much.” He paused in front of two more huge doors – these ones were elaborately carved. Kirill noted the large disc above the head of a falcon that sat in the center of it. “There are times I hate my job. Are you sure you don’t want to…?”
“Whatever is behind those doors we can face together,” Kirill said firmly. “I take it you already know it’s not the celebration that you were called here for?”
“More like a confrontation with one of my sons who has lost his way,” Ra said sadly. “Someone who really shouldn’t be here.” Letting out a long breath, Ra raised his hands, blowing open the doors. Keeping to Ra’s right, while Arvyn flanked his left side, the three men strode into another huge room that was empty except for a raised stage, and two men.
One of them was Seth. The other… Kirill stared in horror at the gaunt figure. His dark hair looked like it hadn’t seen a brush in months and his beard looked capable of swallowing a dozen bird’s nests. His clothes were in rags, but it was his eyes that worried Kirill. Whoever that person was, he wasn’t sane.
“What is the meaning of this?” Ra waved his arm in a circular motion. Where one throne stood on the stage, there was now three. Another wave, and Kirill found himself sitting on one of them, Ra in the middle and Arvyn sitting on the throne on the other side of him. “Are you that far gone in your hatred of me, Seth, that you’d deliberately go against my orders regarding Thoth?”
“Thoth was the only one interested in meeting your mates.” Seth grinned, showing all his teeth.
“Liar,” Arvyn said quickly. “I can smell it. Chances are no one from this place even knows Ra has mates.”
Kirill tensed as Seth glared. “Who is this guy, Ra? I recognize the name but…”
“There was a time when Thoth was vitally important to this realm and to our people,” Ra said sadly. “He was the god of wisdom and magic, among other things. Unfortunately, for all his brains, Thoth let himself be taken by Poseidon at one point, resulting in a son – Artemas who is now mated to Silvanus. He tried all sorts to slander Artemas, who is a wonderful man, even going to the point of trying to claim Silvanus for his own. I didn’t know how bad things had gotten, but this…” Ra huffed.
“Your fuck-buddies needed to see.” Seth came closer, tugging Thoth along with him. “They needed to see how the great and magnanimous Ra treats his people. Tell them Thoth. Tell these mortals what Ra did to you.”
“Ra? My father is here?” Thoth looked around, but only he would know what he was seeing. “Is Poseidon with him? Sei loves me you know. Oh, if we’re meeting Ra and Sei then I must…”
“You’re pathetic, you old fool. That’s not why you’re here.” Seth shoved Thoth closer to the stage. “Tell these men how Ra imprisoned you, took you from your home and incarcerated you in his library under the sands for all time.”
“Ra? He was showing me his library.” Thoth didn’t seem to realize where he was. “I am the only one our Father trusts…”
“Why would you do this, Seth?” Kirill glanced over – Ra had tears streaming down his pale face. “Do you know how much it killed me to see one of my own in this state? His mind and power gone – sacrificed to the magic simply because he was jealous of his own son? A son he wouldn’t even acknowledge until Artemas and Silvanus claimed each other? How could you? What does all this achieve?”
“They needed to see.” Seth pointed at Kirill and Arvyn. “They needed to see what the depths of your cruelty could do to one of your own, your kin.”
“I didn’t do this,” Ra shouted. “This was Thoth’s doing. All I tried to do was protect him from himself and to keep Artemas and Silvanus safe. Artemas longed for Thoth’s love and attention for thousands of years, and Thoth completely ignored him. My grandson was so scarred from the neglect he suffered, he pushed away the Fates’ gift to him at first. What would you have me do when the only person who can help Thoth is Thoth himself?”