So, as your husband said, peace.”
If I remembered my African mythology correctly—definitely not my strong suit since there were so many different tribes on that continent—Ala’s husband was a thunder god who enforced the law the same way she wassaid to actually give the law. Ironic, then, for her to draw the role of Rebuker to his Defender.
Ala sniffed again but relented. “Fine, then, Kamanu.
You
proposed these two as Nemeses.
You
give them their charge.” The words were civil enough; but her tone most definitely was
not
. Seemed immortal spouses could annoy each other just as much as mortals.
Nemesis—also the name of one of my Amphisbaena—was a Greek goddess who never actually existed, at least not as her own separate entity. The title referred to whichever of the Furies the Triad selected to carry out their investigations—or punishments—against whatever immortal had sinned against the Deities as a whole. I didn’t know much about them for one simple reason: Rare were the immortals stupid (or powerful) enough to piss off enough of Their brethren to the point that the Triad needed to move against them. I did know this much, though: Serving as a Nemesis meant a Mandate to end all Mandates, one that would drive a Fury to pursue her charge with quicksilver speed and Rage riding high until the sinner had been brought to justice. To fail didn’t risk mere madness—it meant certain death.
Kamanu turned his lightning-bolt eyes in our direction. His role of Defender should have lent him a comforting air, but it didn’t. Those crimson eyes edged in silver looked nothing so much as demonic. Plus, just knowing that
he
had been the one to suggest Mom and me for what would be a ridiculously dangerous job prevented me from feeling any warm fuzzies toward the man. God. Whatever.
“Allegra and Marissa Holloway, you have been Chosen by the
Gens Immortalis
to serve as Nemeses against one of its number. For millennia, he numbered among thelesser gods rather than greater, serving as one of the Death Lords governing a portion of the Underworld. Recently, however, he has been amassing large amounts of power, forging bonds with other lesser gods, and becoming something rare in the immortal world: their liege lord.”
I blinked. The concept of pledging fealty to an overlord had originated among the Deities rather than mankind, though medieval mortals had taken to the concept like ducks to water in a time of upheaval. The immortal world had once been even more chaotic than the mortal realm; not so surprising considering the sheer number of gods and goddesses ruling over similar spheres. For quite some time, weaker gods had pledged to serve stronger gods, carrying out their orders in the divine, arcane, and earthly realms. Eventually, those stronger gods became the dozens now known as full-blown Deities, and the lesser gods began serving them as a whole rather than individually. Much like we Furies did, actually.
For a
lesser
god to pledge other immortals to him as their liege lord was more than just rare, come to think of it. I had
never
heard of lesser gods accepting another lesser immortal as overlord.
Apparently, Mom hadn’t, either. “I don’t understand. I thought only a greater god—a Deity—could forge the bonds required for liege lordship. I also thought liege lordship had been done away with at the same time that arcanes reached the Peace Accord with mortals. For an immortal to bond others to himself now must surely be an act of …”
Her gaze flew to mine and realization sank in.
Well,
duh.
An act of war, thus the whole Triad needing to recruit Nemeses bit.
Kamanu nodded. “Indeed. Greater gods have been forbidden to pledge lesser gods to Themselves as liege lords. However, it was never expressly forbidden for lesser gods to do the same since none have ever possessed the power to do so. Many of us now believe that for this lesser god to convince other immortals
If I remembered my African mythology correctly—definitely not my strong suit since there were so many different tribes on that continent—Ala’s husband was a thunder god who enforced the law the same way she wassaid to actually give the law. Ironic, then, for her to draw the role of Rebuker to his Defender.
Ala sniffed again but relented. “Fine, then, Kamanu.
You
proposed these two as Nemeses.
You
give them their charge.” The words were civil enough; but her tone most definitely was
not
. Seemed immortal spouses could annoy each other just as much as mortals.
Nemesis—also the name of one of my Amphisbaena—was a Greek goddess who never actually existed, at least not as her own separate entity. The title referred to whichever of the Furies the Triad selected to carry out their investigations—or punishments—against whatever immortal had sinned against the Deities as a whole. I didn’t know much about them for one simple reason: Rare were the immortals stupid (or powerful) enough to piss off enough of Their brethren to the point that the Triad needed to move against them. I did know this much, though: Serving as a Nemesis meant a Mandate to end all Mandates, one that would drive a Fury to pursue her charge with quicksilver speed and Rage riding high until the sinner had been brought to justice. To fail didn’t risk mere madness—it meant certain death.
Kamanu turned his lightning-bolt eyes in our direction. His role of Defender should have lent him a comforting air, but it didn’t. Those crimson eyes edged in silver looked nothing so much as demonic. Plus, just knowing that
he
had been the one to suggest Mom and me for what would be a ridiculously dangerous job prevented me from feeling any warm fuzzies toward the man. God. Whatever.
“Allegra and Marissa Holloway, you have been Chosen by the
Gens Immortalis
to serve as Nemeses against one of its number. For millennia, he numbered among thelesser gods rather than greater, serving as one of the Death Lords governing a portion of the Underworld. Recently, however, he has been amassing large amounts of power, forging bonds with other lesser gods, and becoming something rare in the immortal world: their liege lord.”
I blinked. The concept of pledging fealty to an overlord had originated among the Deities rather than mankind, though medieval mortals had taken to the concept like ducks to water in a time of upheaval. The immortal world had once been even more chaotic than the mortal realm; not so surprising considering the sheer number of gods and goddesses ruling over similar spheres. For quite some time, weaker gods had pledged to serve stronger gods, carrying out their orders in the divine, arcane, and earthly realms. Eventually, those stronger gods became the dozens now known as full-blown Deities, and the lesser gods began serving them as a whole rather than individually. Much like we Furies did, actually.
For a
lesser
god to pledge other immortals to him as their liege lord was more than just rare, come to think of it. I had
never
heard of lesser gods accepting another lesser immortal as overlord.
Apparently, Mom hadn’t, either. “I don’t understand. I thought only a greater god—a Deity—could forge the bonds required for liege lordship. I also thought liege lordship had been done away with at the same time that arcanes reached the Peace Accord with mortals. For an immortal to bond others to himself now must surely be an act of …”
Her gaze flew to mine and realization sank in.
Well,
duh.
An act of war, thus the whole Triad needing to recruit Nemeses bit.
Kamanu nodded. “Indeed. Greater gods have been forbidden to pledge lesser gods to Themselves as liege lords. However, it was never expressly forbidden for lesser gods to do the same since none have ever possessed the power to do so. Many of us now believe that for this lesser god to convince other immortals
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