Decimation, p.22
Decimation, page 22
Then he took us to my house.
We arrived in the living room. A familiar space, but not a warm one.
Something occurred to me. “You knew where I was,” I said to Bragi. “When Magnus came to you and was injured, when you called me to help her, you knew exactly where to find me.”
“Of course I did. I lost me for the longest time, but I never lost track of you.”
The sentiment warmed, but, “I did. I lost me, too.”
“And now you’re both found.” Magnus floated off the floor a few inches to drape her arms over both our shoulders. “Grand tour time.”
There wasn’t much to show off. “My house isn’t big.”
“Neither’s my apartment. I still gave you the tour.”
“We’re going to need something larger, given this arrangement is long term.” Everything I said last night about sticking around forever was amplified by passion, but the sentiment remained. “There’s certainly not a lot of room for raising a family.”
“I have a hard time picturing us house shopping,” Bragi said.
I was sure we’d figure it out. “We don’t have to decide every answer to life today. I will give you a tour, though.”
It didn’t take long to show them around. After, I packed some more clothes, and grabbed some things from my desk.
When I opened one of the drawers, Magnus gasped. “Is that me?” she asked.
It was the woman Bragi and I both had visions of. Who he’d drawn into our lives. I pulled out the picture.
“No,” Bragi said before I could answer. “That’s a woman who never existed.” His answer was enough like what I’d told Magnus before, that it made me smile.
“Okay, well, she looks like me, and it’s kind of weird to have a picture of yourselves with someone who isn’t real.”
“I drew her in a moment of whimsy,” Bragi said. “She’s not you because you’re very real. A creature my imagination was never strong enough to fathom.”
We’d have far more whimsical moments in our reality, going forward. With a whisper of a thought, I produced enough flame to ignite the painting in my hand. The ashes floated to the floor.
“Oh.” Magnus twisted her mouth. “What’s that? Don’t burn that one up.” She reached past me to grab another piece of paper from the drawer.
This one was ink, but no color. Another that Bragi drew. A stylized phoenix curled around a book while he read. The picture hadn’t meant anything to when I didn’t have my memories, especially since only a sketch of a book had been visible when it lay in the drawer. Seeing the full thing now brought back a surge of adoration.
Magnus hovered her fingers over the parchment. “Can we keep it?”
“It’s not a puppy,” Bragi said.
“Of course you can.” It would be wonderful to frame it and find a place to hang it, as well.
Magnus carefully rolled up the image, and slipped her scrunchy around it to secure it.
The next week or so passed in an odd blur of chaos and nothingness. There was always something to do, but none of it was world-ending levels of serious.
Magnus and Dahlia spent a great deal of time trying to figure out how to return the server farm that Vidar had stolen. According to them, it should’ve been a simple matter of planting the machines back where they came from.
Apparently the magic shielding was preventing them from doing so. It took them almost three days, but I wasn’t surprised when they figured it out.
We also visited Kirby and Min, to discuss how to reach out to the remaining soldiers from TOM. Min knew of a group that helped with deprogramming—helping those raised by the cult of Vidar slide back into a mindset that would let them ease into a life that didn’t involve hunting and killing at a god’s whim.
Bragi magicked a door in Magnus’s apartment that led to her cabin in Wyoming. He joked that it wasn’t Narnia, but it was a lot quieter. He could escape to write, and just as important, Magnus could hide from the overload of the world, enhanced by having two powerful beings growing inside her.
Some nights I cooked for the three of us, and other nights we joined Dahlia, Fen, and Frey. We spent a lot of time in NEON. Magnus liked the dancers, and Bragi liked finding a corner where he could captivate an audience with stories.
For the most part, I was content to observe. This wasn’t the same cutting myself off from the world that I’d done before. I wasn’t sitting in the shadows and hiding. Rather, I was absorbing as much as I could, because every experience showed me something new, and because I would never grow tired of Magnus and Bragi and the company they kept and the lives they led.
Eons ago, I’d dreamed of being surrounded by friends and family and lovers this way, but I’d given up hope. Worse, I’d convinced myself I didn’t need the closeness, because losing it was worse than never having it.
I was wrong.
This live with Magnus, with Bragi, with everyone whose lives we brushed against, was the more incredible than I ever could have imagined. I loved them both with all my heart. I wouldn’t give up this feeling for anything. In fact, I would have been an idiot to let it go.
TWENTY-SIX
BRAGI
We had dinner with Dahlia, Frey, and Fen that night. The tension around having me in the room with everyone had been intense the first few days. There was a faint mistrust now, whenever I was around, like a lingering fish smell days after cooking it, but that lay in the background.
The discomfort was more on my part than anyone’s. Moments like this, when there was a group of us sitting around talking and laughing, it frequently struck me that I’d given this up for far too long.
And I was fortunate that the people I loved helped me find my way back.
Some nights the meals were casual, and others they were the finest dining. Tonight, Nico had insisted on cooking, so it was the latter.
“We’ve been talking,” Frey said as we moved from soup to the main course. “The village that should be connected to NEON? Myself and several of the residents believe it’s safe to reestablish the gate.”
Nico was confused but curious. “A village?”
I’d heard about this, but hadn’t ever seen it. It was one of the places Ronan hid people, though that wasn’t its only purpose.
“It’s a small place where those who need to escape both worlds can live,” Frey said. “The are a few ways to enter and leave, in different parts of the world, but I had to sever the gate from NEON when Vidar was a threat, to keep them safe.”
“It’s not cut off from the world though,” Dahlia said. “Rather, it can be. It’s this cute little place. But people can come and go like it was any other town.”
It did sound lovely.
“There’s a house there that’s been empty for a while.” Frey was struggling with the best way to say whatever came next, because he expected pushback and wasn’t going to accept a no. “It’s big enough to grow in, for a family for instance.”
Magnus was touched but embarrassed. “No. We can’t.” She wasn’t going to wait for Nico or me to speak, or even for Frey to finish making the offer, because it was too much of a gift.
Nico’s house was barely bigger than Magnus’s apartment, and both strained to hold the three of us. Adding two more wouldn’t make that better.
Magnus jumped. “Ow. Don’t kick me.” She glared at Dahlia.
Dahlia glared back. “Never turn down a gift from an immortal who’s lived more than a century.”
This wasn’t lunch, though. It was a house. I felt Magnus’s hesitation. Her pride. Her concern.
“This is different,” was all she said.
Frey pursed his lips. Magnus had to be feeling the same thing I was—his frustration that she was being so stubborn.
But there were two sides to this coin, and she already felt guilty that she’d taken so much from them.
“The entire town is full of magic families who have lived there for decades or centuries. It’s generational. Houses are passed down and around, not sold. This isn’t a matter of me handing you a half million-dollar home. This isn’t like the world out there.” Frey gestured toward the walls. “This has been ours for a long time, because we didn’t have anyone to pass it along to. You’re family, Magnus. It should be yours.”
She was torn, but I understood. This wasn’t the kind of gift that was attached to conditions or expectations. For Frey and Fen, this was like passing along a set of China or an old painting.
“Thank you. We love it.” I would take the brunt of Magnus’s wrath for speaking on her behalf.
Though, I felt her relief at not having to delve into the topic further.
Frey smiled. “That’s settled. I was thinking we’d recreate the gate after dinner.”
Dahlia clapped. “It’ll be so good to have it back.” She nudged Magnus’s hand with hers. “Hot springs.”
“Yeah, okay.” Magnus cracked a smile.
Despite her reluctance to accept what she saw as a massive gift, Magnus was pulled into a conversation with Dahlia about where the babies’ room would be and how they would decorate it. It seemed they were both familiar with the house layout.
The conversation was so normal compared to what I was used to hearing from them. In a way I missed the weirdness and sass, but I was also happy to see this was an option for them now. For all of us.
After dinner, the six of us headed to a blank spot in the wall, at the end of one of the hallways leading out of NEON. With a touch from Frey, the illusion hiding a door vanished.
The air crackled with magic as he and Dahlia clasped their hands together, closed their eyes, and worked silently.
A moment later, Frey pronounced the work done, and opened the door.
Sure enough, on the other side was a small town that looked like it was frozen in time. It could have been taken from a modern painting of a quaint little village, or a historical record.
The house in question was a few blocks away from Main Street, and there was plenty of room to grow as a family. There was also a grandfather clock in the front hallway that would make a great replacement door to get to the cabin.
Moving in was easy, given that most of us were capable of blinking items from one place to another with no effort. By the following afternoon, Magnus, Nico, and I were settled in our new home.
A few days after we got settled, Magnus announced she was going to visit Tatiana and return her bracelet. She warned us she’d probably be gone most of he day.
She was hiding something from me about the visit, but it was something that made her giddy. I was curious to see what it was when she came back.
To be fair, I was hiding something too.
When she was gone, I grabbed Nico. “We may only have four or five hours, but we can get a lot done in that amount of time.”
“A lot of what?” Nico asked.
“To get a start on the nursery.” I’d been paying attention when Magnus and Dahlia discussed ideas, and I knew which ones resonated strongest with Magnus.
Though, there were some things I would wait to buy until she could be there, like most of the furniture.
Nico nodded. “Let’s go.”
The room itself was already empty, and the hardwood floor didn’t need to be replaced. Covering it would be a good idea, though. It didn’t matter if someone was impervious to the harm caused by temperatures—walking on cold floors still sucked in the winter.
Nico and I flitted around the world for an hour or so, picking up paint, a rug, and a rocking chair.
“That’s the fastest I’ve ever seen you shop,” Nico teased me.
I smiled at the jab as much as at the ease with which it came. “Trust me, it’s killing me to not take more time. Tight schedule and all that.”
We laid down plastic sheeting and taped everything up, then set to work painting. Dusty rose.
I also intended to paint murals on the walls, but the paint needed to be dry for that. I had already sketched out my ideas though, on large sheets of paper, and Nico helped me hang those from the ceiling, just a few inches from the wall.
Last was pulling up the drop cloths and laying out the rug. When we were done, Nico and I stepped outside the room to admire what we could see of our work.
“I cannot believe this is us,” Nico said.
“Which part of it?”
“Fathers. Lovers. This life.”
“I know what you mean.” How long would it take until everything about this situation felt real?
As long as I held onto it regardless, there was time.
Nico slipped his hand into mine. “It’s amazing.”
I gave him a squeeze. “It really is.”
Magnus returned a few hours later, beaming and brimming with excitement. She wanted to share her secret.
I wanted to share too, but our surprise could wait. “How did it go?”
“Perfect. Better than perfect.” She shifted her weight from one foot to the other, and bit her bottom lip.
“You should tell us whatever you’re dying to tell us.” Even Nico could see her excitement.
Her grin grew broader, and she unbuttoned her shirt.
What kind of surprise was this? One of my favorite kinds? That wasn’t the feeling she radiated, but…
She slipped the shirt off her shoulders, leaving her in a sports bra, but that wasn’t what drew my eye.
Around her neck, on her shoulders and leading up to her collarbone, was an intricate design in black ink.
I joined her in the middle of the living room, for a closer look. “That’s the art you found at Nico’s.”
“It’s different though.” Nico was on her other side, examining it.
“I had her add a few new elements,” Magnus said.
There was a dragon on the cover of the book. A shield behind the phoenix. “It looks incredible.”
“It’s not done. I have to go back and get it colored in.”
Nico hovered his fingers over the ink, not touching the design. “I thought you were done with magical filters.”
“This one is different,” Magnus said. “It collects the little wisps of energy that escape from me, because apparently I’m leaking power all the time, and the tattoo uses that magic to protect the people I love.”
“It’s brilliant and beautiful, like you.” Nico kissed her shoulder.
A blush spread across Magnus’s cheeks. “Now it’s your turn. Tell me your secret.”
“This way.” We led her into the babies’ room.
She paused in the doorway with a gasp. “What… I love it. The art. Is that chibi Chewbacca?”
“It is.” I crossed the room to tug one of the giant sketches down, and reveal the walls. “I’ll draw it in once the paint dries.”
Magnus clapped. “It’s perfect. It’s wonderful. Thank you.” She threw her arms around my neck and gave me a long kiss, before gifting Nico with the same. “I love it. I love both of you.”
I would never get tired of hearing that.
For so long, I thought I’d lost any chance at happiness, and I deserved it.
This though… The things that waited for us and the love the future held… I couldn’t wait to be a part of it with these two amazing beings.
EPILOGUE
Four Months Later
Dahlia
Keeping secrets was impossible around Magnus these days. But I had one that I needed her to not ask about, and I’d enlisted Tatiana’s help.
Tatiana had given me a charm that would shield any emotions around the fact that we were planning a baby shower for Magnus.
Frey was happy to host the event at NEON during the day. Tatiana and I decided no stupid games, and that we had to invite a bunch of people. Kirby and Brit. Sylith of course, and all of the other Valkyries. Not that there were a lot, but they should all be there.
And I was currently on my way to invite Maeve.
I was so freaking excited I might wet myself.
Magnus had been seeing her for regular check-ups, since Maeve was her midwife, but Maeve had asked her to come alone each time, because it made it easier to see which magic belonged to Magnus and the children.
I was going to visit Maeve tonight, though. I had done everything by the book, according to Fen and Frey, because I didn’t want to piss her off.
Okay, sure, I wasn’t always the best at respecting the customs of ancient beings, but Maeve was different. So a couple of hours ago, I’d started driving. I’d parked at the edge of the magical circle. Found the lamp, and used it to light my way to her door.
Which I was knocking on now.
The woman who opened the door looked surprised to see me. “What can I do for you, dragon?”
I just needed to play it cool. Bow. Be polite. Defer to my elders.
Damn it.
“First of all, I apologize, but I have to get this out of the way. I can’t believe it’s actually you.” I squealed.
Maeve didn’t do a great job of hiding her smile as she opened the door wider. “Come in, please.”
“Growing up, all my favorite stories were about you.” Apparently I wasn’t done gushing. “And then I found out you were still around, and—Sorry, that was rude. I don’t want to be rude. You’re so amazing, and with everything you’ve done for my sister… I can’t believe I’m meeting you.”
“Who’s your sister?”
I forgot the important details again. Oops. I pulled my backpack from my shoulder, set it on the ground, and knelt next to it. “She’s why I’m here. She’s not my sister by blood.” I took out a thermos of coffee, courtesy of Tatiana’s family recipe, and leftover cannoli made by Nico, plus two of his fresh mince and cheese pies.
“You’re Dahlia.”
She knew me. Fangirl moment. “How did you guess?”
“I recognize the food. You didn’t need to bring me an offering.” She was so nice and pretty.
I should stop swooning. “I did need to, though. It’s the polite thing to do, and I’m here to ask for something. Come to Magnus’s baby shower? Please? If safety is a concern, it’ll be in NEON, which is safe, you have my word.”
