Wynn stepped into the large study that smelled of sunshine and books. He recognized the trace of power remaining and touched his damaged wrist, the permanent reminder of how dangerous the loose cannon of a goddess was. In her attempt to balance him, Karma had nearly severed his hand from his arm. He’d stopped the worst, but all his healing abilities couldn’t reverse everything she’d done.
A man of vision, foresight and control, Wynn hadn’t determined the best means of handling Fate’s little sister, who had come into her power a millennium ago. She was a baby on the grand spectrum of deities who wielded their power for millions and millions of years. Strong enough to cause chaos, too feral to care about collateral damage, Karma was raw power without the will to control it, a lethal combination that clashed violently with Wynn’s usual calm, methodical approach towards life.
“I still don’t approve of you setting her free,” he said to his eldest son, Andre, also known as the deity Peace, who remained as a voluntary prisoner to watch over his brothers and sister. The other surviving members of the Council That Was Seven currently resided in Wynn’s dungeon, and his daughter was restricted to the castle.
“She spent her entire life as a deity in prison,” Andre replied. “She won’t learn if she’s confined. She needs guidance.”
“A hopeless endeavor, I imagine.”
“She’s smart. She’ll understand one day.”
“But not before she gets herself and everyone around her killed.”
Andre turned towards him, curious.
Wynn checked the anger in his tone. “I don’t like deities trespassing without permission,” he said coolly. “Especially not that one. If she plans on visiting daily, she can return to the catacombs.”
“You could block her access to the grounds, like you do most other deities and demons,” Peace said with a smile. “Or, if you were ten seconds earlier on any of the past few days, you could have told her yourself. You haven’t taken any of the steps within your power to banish her completely.”
“Our first interaction did not go as either of us planned,” Wynn replied vaguely. “I imagine she is preparing for our next encounter, as am I.”
“Karma is pure emotion. She does not plan, Wynn.”
Karma was a headache. The best Wynn could do when it came to her was hire a death dealer to assassinate her. But she’d recognize an assassin a mile out, balance him, and send the body back in pieces, if Wynn had to guess. In all the scenarios he’d devised over the past few weeks, since he imprisoned his sons, he hadn’t found one where he successfully managed Karma. He was even reluctant to renew the offer of the original deal he had almost convinced her to take. Her favor was one of the final ones he needed for his collection, and he hesitated to pursue her for reasons only the two of them understood.
Andre was right. Wynn didn’t want Karma anywhere near him and simultaneously hadn’t taken the steps he could have to banish her from the property. He’d been in a state of conflict since he’d seen the true damage to his forearm and wrist.
His eyes went to the diaries lining the wall behind his desk. He’d read through every one of them, seeking information about Karma, one of the few deities he hadn’t met in either of his Immortal lives. There was nothing, except one anecdotal piece about the origins of her real name. The next step in his plan was to study what he had written, observed and heard about her brother Fate, her father – Past-Fate – and her mother – Past-Justice. If there were a familial weakness, her relatives could lead Wynn to it.
But all the effort expended on Karma interfered with his primary concern: regaining his original power, which was stripped from him when he died the first time around. He’d begun crafting his plan early on in his first Immortal life. Resurrected Immortals returned with a fraction of the power that once belonged to them, and he’d need every piece of influence he could muster to move to the second stage of his plan.
He’d already decided to adjust the timeline of his plan, in case Karma became more of a liability than she already was.
Turning away from the disappointing diaries, Wynn leaned against his desk and folded his arms across his chest.
“How long do you intend to torture my brothers?” Peace asked.
“The usurpers who planned to tear our society apart more than they already have?” Wynn countered.
Andre sighed. “Yes. Those brothers.”
“I still cannot fathom why you stood with them against me.”
“Do not try to change the subject, Father. Unlike my brothers, I’m well aware of your attempts to manipulate us. You succeeded in destroying our united front.”
Wynn smiled. He and Andre were alike in that they appeared thoughtful, diplomatic and cultured. Unlike Wynn, Andre was what he appeared to be, while Wynn covered his ruthless maneuvering beneath a civilized façade.
“I took no pleasure in it,” Wynn said.
Peace studied him hard, unable to determine if Wynn spoke the truth.
“You would’ve been a competent administrator,” Wynn added. “We both knew what Kris was, competent but arrogant and incapable of impartiality. No one else was remotely fit to lead.”
“I think you miss the greater point that all of your children were left with no parent or mentor to guide them, no one to help them, and no one but ourselves to fend off the Immortals and deities who have stalked and manipulated us since our births. You killed all of our mothers, apart from Stephanie’s, to prevent our respective clans from influencing you or your children.” Andre pointed out. “You left us for the world to raise, and the world turned us into the men and woman we are.”
“I was raised the same way. It fashioned me into a ruler, not a selfish child incapable of putting the greater good before my own concerns,” Wynn replied.
“It fashioned you into a dictator with a hidden agenda that might just hurt us all in the end.”
Wynn had been called much worse in his life. “You went through everything your siblings did, and you turned out as close to perfect as possible,” he countered.
“At the beginning, I had a mentor,” Andre said. “You spent time with me when I was young enough for it to matter.”
“I don’t care for distractions, which you and your brothers became.”
“You have the potential to care for others.” Andre had a calming effect even on him, and Wynn was not the kind of man who raised his voice or hand to anyone. He didn’t need to, not when he was already ten moves ahead of everyone around him.
Except when it came to the most unstable piece on the board. Karma was an agent of chaos in his otherwise meticulously planned world. Manipulating a raging wildfire required the ultimate patience and care if he wanted to avoid being burnt again. He’d gained the upper hand with her before, only to lose it in a flash of her temper.
No, Andre was wrong. Wynn had no desire or potential to deal with anyone who didn’t fit into his plans.
Wynn wrapped his free hand around the wrist that still stung. The sensation of Karma shredding him from the inside out woke him every other night, since their confrontation. It was a distasteful reminder of how frail his body was this time around. She had nearly killed him. If he died-dead again, it’d be permanent. The jarring reality of how fragile his life was had come at the hand of Karma rather than the Dark One, who had imprisoned Wynn for a few weeks in Hell.
A shrewd creature, the Dark One had a use for the most powerful Immortal in existence.
Karma didn’t plan ahead far enough to care.
“You and Karma both would benefit from learning a little empathy and, dare I say, compassion?” Andre shook his head. “You have never loved one person in your life, Wynn. You have never displayed compassion for, or empathized with, anyone in your family.”
“What gave it away?” Wynn replied dryly. “The corpses of your mothers?”
Andre pursed his lips. “I refuse to stop believing in you and your potential to change.”
“Your brothers will remain in the dungeon until they learn a thing or two about discipline, if that’s even possible,” Wynn said, returning to Andre’s initial question. “You’re right. I abandoned you all, and your brothers became reckless and forgot their sacred duty. Compassion has no place in this family. If they don’t understand that, then they’ll die-dead in the catacombs.”
The Council That Was Seven had caused more damage to the Immortals and humans they were supposed to protect than the demons hunting them. If not for Wynn’s half-demon son Rhyn, a second breach between the human plane and Hell never would’ve occurred, and the number of Immortal warriors – charged with killing demons – wouldn’t be twenty percent of what it had been a year before.
There would be no shape-shifter demons or cracks in the Immortals’ solidarity, both of which came into existence at the hands of Kris, whose ambitions and medical experiments had earned him a permanent place in the dungeon for as long as Wynn was in charge. Two of Wynn’s sons wouldn’t have betrayed their siblings and the Immortals to the Dark One. Kiki never thought for himself and swayed with whoever was in charge, and Tamer and his temper answered to no one, respected no one, protected no one.
The only children who had the potential to lead and the capacity to respect the Ancients’ responsibility to the world were Andre and Stephanie, the daughter Wynn hadn’t known existed before a few months ago. Stephanie was the child born of a dalliance Wynn had with the goddess Chaos during his second Immortal incarnation. Stephanie was new enough to the Immortal world to be molded into the leader their people needed. Andre – the family peacemaker – had always been destined for something greater.
“Torturing them accomplishes nothing, except to make them hate you more,” Peace said at last. “If you want them to take their duties seriously then show them how.”
“This is a lesson, Andre, assuming they’re capable of learning it. Perhaps the next time they unite against me, they’ll not be torn apart by the truth,” Wynn said. “Your instincts are good, Andre, but you chose not to lead because you know what it takes. It’s not in your nature to commit evil in the name of good and to break people who cross your path. There’s no room for mercy. To rule means to do whatever is necessary at whatever the cost.”
“If true, then no one in our family can succeed you.”
“I think one of you can, once she learns the greater good will always trump self-interest.”
“You can’t put Stephanie in that position with the same lack of support you did Kris. Don’t pretend you don’t have your own selfish agenda. The greater good may be your focus, but you have always sought something more,” Andre said. “Kris and I are old enough to remember what you were before you died-dead.”
“And yet the Immortals and humans were safer when I protected them than they have been since then.”
“Today is not the day I dissuade you,” Andre said. “I ask only for you to consider teaching my brothers instead of torturing them.”
Wynn considered the gentle request. In his former life, he would never have bothered hearing it out. In this life, he was aware that he needed his sons and daughter to make up for the gaps in his power. He needed favors and allies, where he never had before.
“I’ll consider your advice,” he said finally. “My hope lies in Stephanie to lead the Council. She would make a just leader, assuming she could learn to stomach the occasional unpleasantness that comes with the position.”
“I concur, as long as you’re there to guide her. She’ll need time to reach her potential,” Peace said. “My brothers are too much like you. They are too hard. Stephanie has not lost her compassion for others. With your brilliant mind and her heart, I’d trust our family once again to safeguard the world from demons. My brothers would fall into line, once they understood the bigger picture.” Andre’s eyes went to Wynn’s bandaged wrist. “You haven’t healed?”
“All my power and I can’t heal my own skin,” Wynn lied. “It’s a reminder I’m no longer who I was.”
“You’ve proven you are far from weak,” Andre said. “I’ve spotted a few other deities sniffing around.”
“Most of my visitors are here to assess how vulnerable I am.”
“I’m not surprised. You’ve had the ability to manipulate as well as any deity.”
“I intend to ensure my influence prevents everyone from meddling in our society.”
“Protect and torture. You are a paradox,” Andre said and shook his head.
“I am what I need to be.”
“I’m going to check on Stephanie.”
“She’s either in the dungeon, visiting your brothers, or in her chamber,” Wynn said.
Peace stood and strode to the door. It was rare when Andre was flustered, and Wynn sensed he was the only person capable of ruffling his diplomatic son.
Wynn waited for him to leave before turning and circling his desk. He surveyed the many volumes of diaries only he could read. He’d been dissatisfied during his first perusal. As much as he needed to continue planning, he couldn’t help the worry that crept into him whenever he thought about Karma and the role she could play in his plans. He’d taken the necessary steps he needed to prevent her from entering Hell, which he hoped would eventually give him the leverage he needed to extort the favor he required from her.
It wasn’t for Karma’s sake he negotiated to have the portal to Hell closed. Darkyn would understand Wynn’s potential vulnerability with one look at Karma, and all of Wynn’s planning would be dashed. Wynn had to kill or safeguard the reckless goddess to carry out the plan requiring all of his attention. Thus far, neither seemed possible.
After a rare moment of indecision, Wynn removed the diary about Fate and sat at his desk to review all he had written about the god during his first Immortal life.