Wed to the Wild God (Aspect and Anchor)

As I watch, she makes a clawing gesture across the sky, and the threads in front of her draw together, clustering into a ball. With a quick flick of her hand, she sends them scattering across the air once more.

I stare in fascination as her hands dance amongst the threads she's pulling from midair. She's like the conductor of an orchestra, and the strings are her instruments. Her face shines with pleasure, as if the act of simply touching the threads brings her joy. In this moment, her plain face is unearthly and beautiful, and I can see her for the goddess she is, instead of just a downtrodden middle-aged mom.

"Here is Margo's thread." Lachesis gently tugs one thread forward, pulling it free from the tangle of threads in front of her face. "And here, we have Carly. Note that they intersect here, at this time, because of your meeting."

My mouth open in fascination, I take a step forward, peering at the threads. I'm disappointed to see that my particular thread looks the same as Margo's—as in, boring. It has a faint blue light, but nothing spectacular compared to some of the threads around them.

"And here we have Kassam," Lachesis says. She nudges my thread forward, and I can see a much brighter, golden one entwined with my own. In fact, it's so bright and dazzling that now that she has it pulled forward, it completely overshadows my own. "Note that Carly's thread is locked into the tapestry of this world." Her finger gestures, following the line of my thread where it disappears into the tangle of thousands of other lights, all in varying pale colors. "Just as you'll note that Kassam is not anchored to this particular tapestry at all. Carly is the only thing holding him here."

The goddess runs a finger along Kassam's thread, and I watch as she gestures outward. Sure enough, both Margo and I are tied to the rest of the strings, but Kassam's brilliant, blinding thread trails off into nothing at all. It's like a random spiderweb out of nowhere that has somehow found its way to my thread and is clinging to it for dear life.

My mouth goes dry at the sight.

Now I see why an anchor has to die. Kassam is tied to me. I'm what keeps him here. If I die, then he returns home because there's nothing to “anchor” him to the mortal world any longer.

I suddenly find I'm far less interested in the thread display.

27

"Where's mine?" Seth asks, leaning in.

"As if I'd forget you," the goddess says playfully. She reaches into the cluster and pulls out a bright, flaming red thread. "Here we go. Ready for action." She lays his thread atop ours, where Margo's thread crosses mine.

Margo gasps and looks over at her date with new eyes.

"Now, here comes the fun part," Lachesis says. "So what the plan is, I'm going pry you two ladies out of your current tapestry, and then I'm going to take one for the team and contact the Fates in Kassam's world by following his thread. I'm going to have to pull a few strings"—she points at us—"no pun intended, and get you four placed in that world's web and out of mine." She dusts her hands and smiles at us. "And then you're someone else's problem. Understand?"

"Why does this have to be done under the new moon?" I ask, curious. This lines up with what Kassam had hinted at, but the whole “moon” thing has me baffled.

Lachesis shrugs. "No big reasons. What we're doing isn't exactly in the rules, and certain moon goddesses are a gossipy sort and like to get people in trouble."

"Even after all these years, Selene hasn't learned to keep her mouth shut." Seth chuckles. "Doesn't she have anything better today?"

"You know she doesn't," Lachesis says lightly. "No one does."

That sobers him. Seth's expression is no longer laughing. His face hardens and he studies the glowing strands in the air, all business once more. "When we reach the other side," Seth asks, "We'll be in the mortal realm, yes?"

Lachesis nods. "They're currently experiencing a crisis and most of the gods are walking the mortal realm. I haven't been able to glean too much from peering in from afar, but yes. I haven't wanted to get involved." Her mouth pulls up on one corner and she gives Seth a wry look. "Until now, when my hand is forced."

"But such lovely hands," Seth murmurs, grinning at her. He reaches out and takes her hand in his, kissing the fingertips.

The goddess just rolls her eyes.

I hug my chest, a little worried and trying not to look at that whole thread mess that I thought was so beautiful just a few moments ago. I don't like the sight of Kassam's thread entwined with mine, overwhelming it, and stretching out into nothingness with me as the only flimsy anchor to this world. I glance over at Kassam to see what he's thinking, and instead of watching Seth flirt with Lachesis or eyeballing the threads, he's watching me. There's a sad, soft expression on his face, as if he knows just what I'm thinking and he's silently apologizing for it. That he knows this is a difficult thing to ask, and he's asking it anyhow.