Danu watched it silently, her hands filled with golden jewels as pride filled her pose. “It’s not every day a Goddess is born, Synthia; enjoy it now, for you will not remember meeting them, once they’ve gone.”
“Is that true?” I asked the Fates, who nodded as one with an impish look in their eyes.
“We will remember you, and you will be watched closely for the first century of your new life, but no; you won’t remember us, for we must know if you are truly worthy of this gift Danu has bestowed upon you.”
I was helped to stand, naked, in front of an oval shaped, full-length mirror. I looked at my naked form, noting my body was slim, and showed no signs of having carried the triplets. My eyes were once again the azure blue they’d been before I’d become Fae. My hair was longer, but not by much. “May I ask you a question?” I looked at the tallest, and watched her as she looked right through me.
“You may, but you will not like our answer.”
I had to try. “If you can see, and know everyone’s fates, can you—”
I was silenced, unable to get the next word out.
“No; it’s not our place to speak of the future. Changing it by saying too much can cause destruction and devastation,” they said.
I deflated a bit and I felt the cool whisper sensation as a dress vanished from one of the Fate’s arms and reappeared on my body. The creamy-white dress was made of the finest silk, and was fashioned in the way I had always seen Greek Goddesses depicted. Gold trim was wrapped high on the slim waistline, forming a beautiful, intricate belt.
Next came jewels of the same gold; cuffs went around my biceps as earrings were placed in my ears. My neck was left bare, but my wrists were dressed in thirty or more slim bracelets that fully covered my wrists. The nearest Fate, twirled her fingers and my hair braided and then piled atop my head as thin bands of gold laced through it.
“She’s ready,” they said as one looked down at my naked feet. She wiggled her nose and I looked down to find golden sandals with laces that twirled up to my thighs in a beautiful pattern. “Danu, now she’s ready to meet her people.”
Chapter Thirteen
I stood worriedly in a room alone as Adam went to find my parents. Ryder walked in, causing me to lift my eyes to meet his. “Has he found them?” I asked softly.
“Adam found Liam, who is taking him to your father,” he confirmed as he walked over and kissed me softly. “You sure you don’t want the babies here to lessen the blow?”
“You think our children will lessen the blow that Danu hijacked an egg and created a child that Madisyn carried thinking it was her own?” I asked as I lifted a brow at him. “I’m pretty sure nothing will make anything I say easier on her.”
“Gods, you’re so sassy for a newborn.” He smiled cockily. I heard noise outside the door and prepared myself for what was coming.
Madisyn was dressed in black, which confirmed our suspicion that they thought I was dead. They hadn’t noticed me yet; their eyes were on Ryder, who had blocked me from their view, even though he was in his Fae form.
“You bastard,” Lasair whispered brokenly and moved forward. Liam stopped him and held him back. “He killed my daughter!” he shouted angrily.
I started to interrupt them, but Adam closed the door from the outside, locking myself, Ryder, my parents, and my brother inside. Madisyn held a small dagger in her hand, and I paused in shock. “Mother!” I shouted as she turned to Ryder.
Her hand froze. She held the dagger that she’d once tried to give me to kill the Horde King. Her eyes filled with tears as Lasair stepped closer with his eyes scanning me carefully. “What is this?” he demanded.
“It’s me,” I said and moved to him but felt a sting of rejection as he pulled the arm away that I’d tried to grab. “Listen to me, I’m Sorcha. I was killed, but that was Faolán and the Mages’ doing, not Ryder’s. That’s why we have no bond,” I said, repeating what Danu had told me to. It wasn’t an easy thing to explain, but I had to explain it on a level that they would understand and be able to accept.
“I need you to listen, and I need you to keep an open mind, please. This won’t be easy for you to understand, but I can prove it. I am not Madisyn’s daughter. Not technically. Danu is my mother.”
Liam, Madisyn, and Lasair all snorted and turned on Ryder.
“She replaced her egg with Madisyn’s! You could feel the bond, Lasair, because you are my father,” I shouted, pulling their attention back to me.
“Impossible,” Liam sneered.
“Is it? Danu’s a Goddess, and a very powerful one, too. She needed a way to heal this world without directly interfering.”