Tributes

Chapter Forty Five

Tyreol's essence spread over the lands like lava or spreading oil. It was thick, made the air hard to breathe and brought the most powerful men to their knees like they were children. Tyreol was second to the bringer of death. War would ruin anyone without care or thought, and Tyreol was war. Those in his path could only thank the other gods that Tyreol was not searching for blood. His presence reminded people of war and the nightmares that it invoked. The God did not care for others at that moment. He was searching for his wayward Tribute.

War oozed over into the other domains. The other Gods moved out of his way as he passed them, their lands not safe from war should it come. Even Gods knew to fear for more than their skin should they attempt to stop Tyreol in his path. The Wolf God had destroyed Gods and Goddesses in the past. It was not a small fear. Few forgot a God's pure anger when it brought down their own.

Lolei dived down, her dress flowing in the wind and she chased towards her brother though the lands. Moonlight lit her path as her powers gave comfort to those frightened by war. Moonlit was not warm like the sun, but it was gentle and showed the way to lost paths.

"Ty!"

The word ripped through the air. The Wolf God stopped, the ground shaking as his large paws pushed into it to stop him. Anger draped over him, but the wolf turned to meet his sister. His glowing white eye meeting hers almost too drenched in magic to see beyond his task. He needed to find Luke. He padded over to his eyes and nuzzled her, in greeting, but a rumbled of unhappiness burst from him. "I do not have time for this, Lolei." His body shifted to his human form, his arms wrapping around her as he did so. "I must find Luke."

"Luke, your baby."

"No longer. I... I, "Tyreol breathed, leaning back to look at the stars. "What I did was no excuse for him fleeing from me." His fists clenched. The threads weaving him and Luke together were too strong to be severed entirely like this, but if he pulled on them too much, they would snap also. His powers were not what had given Luke immortality.

The moon smiled, able to feel Tyreol's anger already draining as truth settled back in his bones. "I'm sure" Lolei cooed softly. "But he was hurt, Tyreol. You hurt him. This situation is something of your own making as much as his, and you can not blind yourself to this fact for long if you want to mend the threads." She touched his cheek gently, making him face her, her eyes now as black as the cosmo above them. "You broke your promises and worst, you neglected him. He needed you to chase away his demons, and you left him to suffer."

"Luke found comfort in others." Tyreol tried to look away, but Lolei had a way of forcing him to look at her. Tricks of fate, sometimes a person had to face what game was folding out in front of them. "I'm not one of your pawns, Lo."

"But not comfort in you," Lolei's smile remained serene as the fact hit deep into Tyreol's soul. "You are not my pawn, you are my brother, and you must listen for once. I know it is hard, but while he had no right to run from you, do not deny that you drove him to do this. Like you have so many others gifted to you. Luke is precious to you, more than ..."

"Don't," He interrupted, pulling away from her. The forest froze for a moment at the sheer anger in his voice, but he had not hurt her. Lolei waited as he pulled himself back together. "Do not say that name to me." His voice was barely audible, the pain in it was.