Spinning Fate's Threads

Neither Oracle nor Reicher got to where Abel and Circe were still sitting in the middle of the arena floor. That distinction fell to Skye.



“Abel, give her to me,” Skye said, holding out her arms for her adopted daughter.



“Will she be okay, Skye?” Able asked, turning even paler than usual as Skye lifted Circe from his embrace as though she weighed nothing.


“She’d better be. Reicher, Bradley, go ahead to her room and make sure no one gets in my way along the way.”



“Javol, meine liebe,” Reicher said and started none too gently mentally shoving people out of Skye’s path.



Abel stood, with Gun and Hunt’s help, because he was shaking too badly to make it to his feet under his own power.



“She didn’t mean to be rude, Abel,” Gun said. “She’s just focusing all of her energy on Circe at the moment.”



“I know. I’ve seen her like that before. Will Circe be okay?” Abel asked. If she wasn’t he was fairly certain he was going to have a nervous breakdown.



“She’d better be,” Hunt said. “She’s my favorite sister.”



“She’s your only sister,” Gun pointed out.



“Irrelevant.”



Gun rolled his eyes and put an arm around Abel’s shoulders, squeezing gently. The three of them watched as Cailleach approached the group.



“Everything will be postponed until Circe is better tomorrow.”



“Will she be better by tomorrow?” Abel asked, sounding highly doubtful of that.



“Have you met our mother?” Hunt asked.



Cailleach laughed a little. “Don’t worry. Brighd went to check on her as well. If one of the goddesses of healing can’t set her right, nothing can. There’s another reason for the postponement as well.”



“Such as?” Gun asked.



“There was a little bit of an issue about Abel’s Spirit mother,” she said, smiling.



“But, that’s Blaze, isn’t it?” Abel said, sounding confused.



“Blaze will be your adopted mother. A Spirit mother is something different. A Spirit mother is responsible for your soul’s well being. Like Morrigan is Blaze’s Spirit mother because she’s the closest reflection of her soul,” Gun explained.



“There was some debate over yours, Abel,” Cailleach said.



“Oh,” Abel said. Feeling suddenly as though he had been punched in the chest. “I suppose that no one wanted . . .”



“Oh, no, no. That wasn’t the problem,” Cailleach said, patting his arm reassuringly. “Not at all. In fact, the opposite was true. There were three who wanted you. But we have it all sorted out now. I can tell you that it wasn’t easy to get Morrigan to back down.”



“M . . . Morrigan?” Abel asked, his eyes practically round from the shock. “Who won?”



“I can’t tell you that, dear,” Cailleach said. “One’s spirit mother is only known to the Council until just before the actual time of adoption. Or in the cases of those who aren’t adopted, they remain hidden until they feel it’s time to reveal themselves. I think you’ll be quite happy with yours, Abel. She’s very unusual in these realms but she’s still very welcome. Hunter, Günther, go see your sister then please take Abel around to meet a few people. A word of warning though, Blaze’s father arrived in the middle of the challenge so he’s around here somewhere.”



“Merciful goddess preserve us!” Gun said. He closed his eyes when a hand came down on his shoulder. When he turned he came face to face with a smiling man who’s hair was the color of freshly spilled blood.



“Did I hear someone mention the marvelous me?”



“Loki, behave yourself,” Cailleach said warningly.



“Ah, Cailleach, dear, you wound me so,” he said, winking at her before turning to the other three men. “I had to come and meet the person my baby girl is adopting.”



Gun cleared his throat while Hunt grinned at Loki. Gun tugged Abel forward a little, thinking that the sooner this could be gotten over with the better.



“Asa Loki, this is Abel Nightroad. Abel, this is Blaze’s father, Loki.”



Loki looked Abel over and grinned a little. “Damn, kid. When Blaze said you had a pretty little head full of angst, she wasn’t kidding. Don’t worry, we can take care of that. With an axe to the head if necessary.”



“Daddy! Stop that!”



“Hey, baby,” Loki said, turning to hug Blaze. “Stop what?”



“Scaring the crap out of him. He’s already freaked out enough,” Blaze said, poking her father in the ribs.



Loki heaved a long suffering, totally fake, sigh of disappointment. “Spoil my fun before I’ve started having any. Where’s Taka?”



“She went to check on Circe with the others.”



“I’ll catch up to her later,” he said, giving Blaze another squeeze and starting to walk off.



“Where do you think you’re going, Daddy?” Blaze asked, eyes narrowed suspiciously.



“Me? I’m going to find Morrigan,” he said with a positively evil grin.



Blaze had to remember to close her suddenly open mouth. “Masochist. Didn’t she say she was going to break every bone in your body the next time she saw you?”



“Yeah. But if I recall correctly, she didn’t mind having a bone of mine in her body last time we crossed paths,” he said over one shoulder as he sauntered toward the exit.



The whole group openly stared at his retreating back, except for Blaze who had covered her face in absolute mortification.



“I wonder if it’s possible to die again due to parental embarrassment?”



*****

Asa was a term of address to all the gods of Gladsheim; as Asa Odin, Asa Thor, Asa Loki, Asa Tyr, etc.