The Evolution of Fae and Gods (Chronicles of the Stone Veil 3)

Regardless, he had but to ask for counsel, and the gods always heard. If they were so inclined to grant it, they, in turn, gave him the knowledge by which to reach them.

In this particular instance, Carrick had sought only Veda’s guidance, not only because she was his favorite, but because she’d already poked her nose in his and Finley’s business twice now.

Two months ago, when he sought out the gods with his request to ascend, it was a ceremonial ritual he had to perform to reach them. Today was far more modern as he had been told to meet Veda on Denarau Island, a private resort development on the western side of Viti Levu, the largest island in the Republic of Fiji.

With bending distance, it required a bit of stealthy skill. He’d been to all of the Fijian islands many times before, so envisioning the actual resort where Veda was waiting was not the problem. Hell, he’d been everywhere in the world and could flash anywhere if she had so demanded. But he couldn’t just step right into the outdoor cafe where she was waiting, which would notably freak a lot of people out, so he had to choose an unpopulated place to appear. This was not hard to do because when one bent distance… and pulled their destination in close, they could look carefully at the surrounding area before they made the step over. They could then choose a place without people about and make a brief appearance.

Luckily, Carrick found the resort’s gardens empty and stepped into them from his condo in Seattle, where he’d left not long after Finley went to hang out for the evening with Rainey and Myles. It was just approaching noon here halfway around the world from the United States, and the sun was high and the sky cloudless. He considered changing his clothes since it was tropically warm, but he decided not to bother. The jeans and button-down he had on would suffice for the short meeting.

Carrick easily located Veda sitting at an outdoor table near the pool under a sunny yellow umbrella where other resort guests dined on sumptuous meals and drank fruity looking cocktails. This particular resort she chose was the most expensive on Denarau Island.

Veda had a glass of chilled wine before her as she perused the menu.

She was dressed in a peach and cream sundress, jeweled flip flops, and her black-gray-white hair was pulled into a perky ponytail at the back of her head. Her tattoos were on full display as the sundress was sleeveless, so while her clothing was sweet and matched the island vibe, the tattoos lent an air of badassery to her. Because she was a god and stood out in a crowd no matter how she dressed or what she looked like, Veda was shining like a beacon.

As Carrick moved her way, he took note of the other male patrons who couldn’t seem to take their eyes off the god of Humanity. Yes, she was beautiful, but that’s not why they couldn’t look away.

It was because she was special in a way that couldn’t be defined. They had no clue they were in the presence of greatness much of the world has never seen; they only knew they couldn’t look away.

Her head lifted as Carrick approached, and she gave him a bright smile. “Hope you didn’t mind coming here. I was dying for some fresh seafood and salty air.”

“Not at all,” he replied, taking the chair opposite her. He handed the bag of truffles across the table to her, and she beamed as she took them and promptly put them inside a large peach-colored purse that matched her dress and was hanging on the back of her chair.

A waiter quickly approached, and Carrick ordered a beer but declined the menu. Veda ordered a salmon dish, looking over the menu at Carrick to say, “It’s completely paleo.”

After the waiter left, Carrick couldn’t help but ask. “Why do you care if it’s paleo? It’s not like saturated fats can kill you.”

“True.” She grinned, offering no more explanation, but it immediately set the tone for this meeting he’d requested. “You know I can’t help you with the prophecy.”

“I’m not here for that.” Veda smiled serenely at this proclamation, and then waited patiently as Carrick was served his beer. When he continued, he added on with slight chastisement. “But I don’t believe for a second that you can’t interfere with the prophecy if you wanted. The gods can do anything.”

“We are not supposed to interfere,” she reiterated adamantly. “So I don’t.”

“Not all of your cohorts are as virtuous as you, though, are they?”

Veda snorted. “The gods might meddle if they get bored, but never in a way that messes with the set timeline from the start of the prophecy to the end. The only one who can divert it is Finley, with your help, of course, and you. Now, why don’t you fill me in on everything that’s going on before you tell me what you want?”