“Do you have any clue where that path will lead you?” It wasn’t a judgment, but a very real question. “You will be embarking on a journey that will lead you far into the magical realms and you might not ever return.”
I crossed my arms over my chest. “I don’t have a clue what it means for the long run, but…I want it.”
“You have not used his spell yet. I could remove it and free you from your obligation. But even then, your life will never be the same.” The god of death waited. I felt like he would wait forever if it took me that long. Death knew no time, he knew no constraints, and in the end, he always won.
And now, Death was offering me a chance to change my life again. But even if I took him up on the offer, he was right. Nothing would ever be the same. Whether Typhon was driven back into stasis or took over the world, nothing would be the same. Because I wouldn’t be the same.
Less than a week ago, I had been happily tooling along, but now, so much had shifted. My father had fallen off the pedestal I put him on. He had feet of clay. My mother had become my champion. I had been evicted from a community that was my very blood. My friends had put themselves on the line for me and now had to turn their back on me. Kipa had paved the way for an opportunity that might come once in a lifetime. And Raj had saved my life, once again playing my knight in gray wrinkly leather armor.
Arawn was correct. I was at a crossroads. Nothing would be the same, regardless of which direction I chose.
“I choose to go forward, to keep my vow and train under Väinämöinen,” I said. “It’s the right path for me. The one that makes sense. If you let me live, that is my choice.” I felt something settle inside. I had made my decision.
“You may live, yes. Your time isn’t done yet, though I could change that if you had chosen to walk with me into the mist. But you will return, and you will go to Kalevala and train with the bard, and by doing so, you unfold a new destiny and a new future. This is your will?” He sounded almost proud, I thought.
I agreed, sure this was what I wanted to do, even though I had no clue what I was getting into. “It’s my will.”
“Then return to your body, Raven, and don’t forget—just because you have a new beginning, that doesn’t mean that you are free from Cerridwen and me. We will always be your heart and soul, and you will always bend your knee to us.”
Before I could answer, the mist swirled up, engulfing me to where I couldn’t see anything. And then, another blink later, I opened my eyes. I was on Vixen’s sofa, and Kipa was holding my hand as I slowly moved, trying to sit up.
“Where am I?” I felt groggy as I sat up with Kipa’s help. My voice was almost nonexistent, and my throat felt so raw that I swore I tasted blood. “What…” I looked around. Lenny was sitting on one of the ottomans, staring at me, but the fire in his eyes was gone and he looked melancholy and lost.
Vixen was standing behind the sofa, watching over me. “Raven, love, are you all right?”
I was trying to organize my thoughts. I remembered the entire discussion with Arawn, but I had no clue what had happened here. But then, my gaze fell on a very bloody creature on the floor. The aztrophyllia.
“You managed to kill it?” I squeaked, pointing toward it.
Vixen nodded. “Yes, actually. Apparently it couldn’t handle being stabbed by silver and impaled by venomous fangs. It actually died.”
“I didn’t think we’d be able to kill it—” I paused, my throat hurting so much that I couldn’t talk anymore. At that moment, a maid entered the room, carrying a warm cup of fragrant tea. Vixen added a splash of brandy and handed it to me.
“Drink. It’s not hot enough to burn your throat, and it’s got honey and lemon. It’s warm hibiscus tea, and the honey is wildflower honey.” They lifted the cup into my hands and I clutched at it, feeling dizzy and lightheaded and sore and all sorts of things swept up into one big knot.
I sipped the tea, thinking about Vixen. I’d never seen them in their snake form till now, and the sight had daunted me. I realized that Vixen was far more powerful than I had thought. And then, Arawn’s conversation with me kept running through my head. I had set into motion a new destiny for myself. I didn’t flatter myself by thinking I had created the entire situation just for me to move forward. But whatever the case, the future was now different.
As we sat there, Kipa and Vixen talking, and Lenny offering a few words into the conversation, my mind wandered. This would be the last time for a while that I’d be talking to Vixen directly. I also knew that my time here was limited. I had no clue what would happen after my training with Väinämöinen, but I knew that it was where my future rested, and so I tried to extend the conversation, talking as best as I could, so that when we went home, I wouldn’t feel like I had left things unsaid to Vixen. After all, it wasn’t every day that I had to bid farewell to a good friend.
Two Weeks Later…
The house was decked out in brilliant lights, the tree even brighter because I had bought more ornaments. The food overflowed the table, and I was nervously waiting for our guests. I had stuck to inviting Ember and the Wild Hunt gang, because I didn’t want to put any of my Ante-Fae friends in danger. The Banra-Sheagh had been thorough, working her way through all of my acquaintances, and I had a feeling that Dougal was helping her. And speaking of Dougal, my father was also due in and I wasn’t sure at all how that was going to go.
I paced back and forth until Raj tugged on my skirt.
“Raven seems nervous. Is Raven okay?”
I glanced down at him and knelt beside him to give him a hug. “Raven’s fine. Raven just has to tell her friends something that is both sad and exciting. In fact, Raven needs to tell Raj something—”
“Raven is going to have a baby?” Raj burst out with a grin.
Taken aback, I sputtered. “No, Raven is not going to have a baby. Whatever gave Raj that idea?”
“Raj saw a show last night where Timbert’s girlfriend told Timbert that she was going to have a baby and she was sad and excited.” Raj blinked, and once again, all I could think of was a big, gray, leathery Scooby Doo.
“Well…no. No baby. Raj, come sit with Raven.” I led him to the sofa and sat down. He climbed up beside me and sprawled back on the sofa. Gargoyles looked remarkably like big dogs, and that included their genitals. Though I’d never seen Raj excited, for which I was grateful. But then, he sat up, his eyes solemn.
“What does Raven want to tell Raj? Will it make Raj sad?” He leaned forward, looking nervous.
“Next month, Raven, Raj, and Kipa are going on a long vacation to a different world. Have you heard of Kalevala?”
“Kipa has spoken of it,” Raj said. “Raj knows the name is the name of Kipa’s homeland.”
“Raj is correct. Raven and Raj and Kipa will be in Kalevala for at least a year. Raven will be training with a powerful wizard, and so we’ll all be living there. I’m afraid Raj will have to get used to living without a TV for a year. But there will be a lot of fun things to see and do.”
At the words “No TV,” Raj’s shoulders slumped and he let out a whine. His expression twisted, as though he wasn’t sure what to think.