Meta Gods War 3 by B. Miles (the ebook reader txt) 📕

“We’re not killing them,” Cam said.

Stavar glared, grunted, and shook his head. But the man didn’t argue.

“No, we aren’t killing them,” Haesar said. “But we must think of what we’re going to do with them. There are options, but I don’t think any will be palatable.”

“We’ll consider what must be done. There are no easy solutions, as you said, but I think we can come up with something.”

“Very good.”

Cam leaned toward Haesar. “I need to know something, though, before I start thinking about the wolves.”

Haesar made an approving gesture. “Whatever knowledge I can provide will be yours for the taking, shaman.”

“Your goddess intervened. What happened? Why did she appear? Is Lycanica dead?”

Haesar grimaced and Gwedi looked annoyed, but Cam didn’t back down. He leaned toward the Elf Lord, one hand on Miuri’s thigh.

“Those aren’t easy questions to answer,” Haesar said. “I believe Lycanica is not dead, but I don’t know for sure. I don’t know why my goddess intervened. I don’t know what happened in the sky.”

“I have a feeling that’s not entirely true,” Cam said. “You’re older than any of us. You have to know something.”

He took a deep breath and let it out. “I know stories,” he said. “One story goes like this: a long time ago, the gods made a decision. They agreed among themselves that they would never do battle with each other. The cost would be too great and there would never be a clear-cut winner. They agreed not to intervene in worldly affairs, not to kill the children of another god, not to step too far into the light.”

“You think Lycanica broke that agreement,” Cam said.

“I believe so.” Haesar’s hands stroked the wood absently. “I believe the other gods looked the other way when Lycanica was simply marshalling her forces. They likely believed she could still be defeated. But as soon as she began taking matters into her own hands, that was stepping over a line.”

“So, raiding our villages and invading our land wasn’t over the line, but killing us with lightning was?” Cam snorted and shook his head. “I don’t understand the gods.”

“That’s the problem. Nobody does. They’re gods.” Haesar gave Cam a wan smile. “I believe my goddess won their battle yesterday. What that means for Lycanica, I cannot know. Danua did not appear to me, or to any of my people. She did not explain herself before or after. But the fact that we’re still here suggests she prevailed.”

“Will she come back?” Key asked. “Do you think Lycanica will come again?”

“I do not know,” Haesar said. “But I believe the gods will be more careful moving forward.”

“I hope so,” Cam said. “Look around this place. If this is what they can do by accident while fighting each other, imagine what they could do if they concentrated on destroying us?”

Heavy silence descended on the table. Cam stared around them and hoped they felt the same desperate anger that boiled deep inside him.

He thought it was the Need. And yesterday, the Need was intense. But after satisfying himself with Miuri last night, the anger didn’t go away, it didn’t disappear like the Need always did.

No, it only got stronger. That anger remained, burning deep in his gut.

The image of the goddesses fighting in the sky, the earth being torn to pieces, of Brice getting knocked to the ground and nearly killed kept replaying over and over in his brain.

He couldn’t get rid of it, no matter how hard he tried.

“I do not think the gods think like that,” Haesar said. “They’re not interested in destroying us.”

“Then why would Lycanica do all this?”

Haesar made a vague gesture. “I don’t know,” he said. “Revenge, perhaps, for a wrong perpetrated a long, long time ago. Anger over the death of her children, rage that their immortality was taken away. I cannot say for certain, but her armies have been defeated, and we sit on the broken land, speaking of peace.”

“Peace,” Cam said. “And how long is that supposed to last?” He shook his head and dug his fingers into the table. “So many dead. All for some goddess’s thousand-year-old revenge. We’ve lost so much and gone through so much, and now that peace is here, I can’t imagine it ever lasting.”

Key looked concerned, Theus looked angry. Stavar stared down at his hands.

Miuri touched Cam’s hand. “Peace will last,” she said. “We’re already sitting down at the table. My father—”

“Can’t promise the gods won’t attack again,” Cam said. He looked at Haesar. “Can you?”

“No, I cannot,” he said. “I can only promise that my people will do everything in their power to stand with yours.”

“And what if your goddess attacks next?” Cam asked.

His mouth opened then shut. He shook his head. “That won’t happen.”

Cam looked around the table. “We all know the real enemy here,” he said. “The gods themselves have more power over us than we can even begin to comprehend. Lycanica is still out there somewhere, biding her time, rebuilding her strength. And next time, we don’t know if Danua or any of the others will come to our rescue.”

“What else can we do?” Gwedi asked. “There’s no fighting them. There’s no standing in their way. We are what we are and the gods will always be above us. We have to simply accept it and move on. Lord Haesar wants to ensure this partnership lasts beyond this crisis, and that’s the best we can do.”

Cam nodded once and gestured assent. “I hear you. I’m only speaking the truth. We aren’t safe, and never will be, so long as the gods can use us as their playthings.”

Another heavy silence. Cam knew his words were blasphemous, maybe even evil. He knew that most people would be horrified to hear him speak this way.

But most people hadn’t seen the goddesses fighting in the sky.

“I understand your concern,” Haesar said after a long pause. “We will not forget this day, Camrus. I promise you that. The Elves have very long