Chapter Thirty-six

Soon creatures of all kinds were walking, skittering, and hopping through the crowd. Travion paused, as folk walked around. The striplings jumped to their feet, chasing the critters this way and that. Lennion leaned over. “This is the most extravagant story they’ve ever told. There’s not usually so many things going on all at once.”

“Dad, why aren’t there any females walking around?” Volencia asked.

“Oh, we haven’t gotten to their creation yet dearest. Just wait.”

“Oh.” Lenny bounced off her lap and chased after a smoke dragon curling through the crowd. Volencia’s eyes searched beyond the magic creations hoping to catch a glimpse of Damion. The only thing she saw was the god, now standing still watching her. When their eyes met, he smiled. Two dimples, one on each cheek.

“What they found though—” the crowd froze, suddenly scrambling to get back in their seats, “was that the great golden dragon was the only creature who could reproduce.” Travion’s voice rang out. “Locke and Keye looked to the dragons to find what they were missing. Together, they created the first elven female. Made to give them the children they craved.”

The twins molded a beautiful woman, which made Volencia blush. When they were done, the apparition looked just like her.

“They named her Ephira.” Travion’s voice carried out over them.

But Little Lennion shouted over him, “LOOK! The goddess looks like Lency!” Everyone turned to stare at her, before looking back at the apparition, a number of the younger girls giggled behind their hands.

“Oh, come on, it’s just Damion being funny.” Volencia felt the heat rising as the folk watched her with amusement.

The god standing under the tree smiled, then started walking toward her, which made her even more embarrassed. Those he walked through giggled and shook, the apparition was even as tall as Damion. The fact that his eyes looked like Hero’s sent her emotions running in a million different directions. He leaned down, whispering in her ear. “It’s not me being funny. I did this on purpose and for a very real reason, so please, pay attention.” The way the words reverberated in her head, like rubbing moss across the inside of her skull told her he wasn’t really speaking through the apparition, but she could smell the mint on his breath all the same. Just like she could when she spoke with Damion. “Have you missed looking into these eyes?” He asked, standing back with a wink. “Have you missed me?”

Volencia cleared her throat. “I prefer looking into Damion’s eyes,” she didn’t know how to respond using just her mind, so she whispered, “and I love Damion. I don’t know who you are, but I feel like there’s some connection between the two of you.”

He closed his eyes, and when they reopened, they were the same color as Damion’s, he winked at her, turning back. “Thank you.” She whispered. When he turned around to smile at her, Volencia felt the butterflies in her stomach go crazy. As he settled beneath the tree again, the whole crowd exploded in applause.

“Can I start now?” Travion sounded annoyed. The apparition bowed with a smile and the people cheered them on again. Travion cleared his throat and continued. “They named her Ephira, and our Beloved was enchanted at first sight. This was the first, truly new thing he’d ever experienced, as she was nothing like what he himself had created. He asked the brothers if she could stay with him, if it was her desire, but they refused wanting her for themselves. Our Beloved contemplated making his own woman, but try as he might, nothing enchanted him as much as Ephira and a sadness fell over him. Unable to find inspiration to create now, he decided to leave the brothers to their creating, now that they were focusing on females and left to go back to his home, where he secluded himself for a time.”

The tree and god disappeared from the scene, and the brothers were soon surrounded by women. With each one they molded and created, Ephira moved further and further away from them. “Ephira didn’t appreciate that she was one of many that they were creating. She didn’t like that they would pick and choose who they were going to favor at what time.” Ephira went to the brothers, pulling them away from the other women. “Ephira demanded that she needed to be the one and only. That women needed love and compassion, not to feel like an object to someone. The brothers waived her off, demanding that she would do as they say, because she belonged to them. But she wanted none of it. She told them so, and left, unsure of where she would go, or what she would do. But as she traveled aimlessly, she found many places she would have loved to see more beauty. Flowering trees, tall grass meadows, and even imagined what creatures she would have created if she had the ability to do so. Until one day she saw the most beautiful thing. A tree in glowing the distance.”

All the images faded away on a soft breeze, until there was only the tree, the god sitting beneath, and Ephira walking toward it. As she approached, the god stood, looking surprised that anyone would be coming to see him. “As Ephira told him of her plight, how she didn’t want to be an object to be chosen from, but to be the one that was wanted, the All Father understood her desires. As they mirrored his own. He told her about his brothers and the request. How they denied him. She became angry that they would do that, especially since she’d been telling them this since they started creating other females. She asked to stay with him, and he was thrilled, agreeing. And they were together for moons.”

The two of them held hands, both looking happier than they ever had. “Neither Locke nor Keye had cared when she left of her own free will. Though they also didn’t know that she had found their brother and creator. The one so mystified by her from the start. But their love bloomed, quickly and steadfast. He made her a vow that she would forever be his one and only. And the first marriage in Ephira took place, male and female became one, for all eternity. He trusted her beyond all, and decided to give her, his equal, unimaginable power. That was when Ephira became the goddess of love and creation. Time marched on. Locke and Keye were creating towns, cities; Ephira was creating unicorns, crinchaw, flowers, owls, and so many other beautiful things. Our Beloved wanted to give her more. So, around their home, he built her a beautiful Temple, where anyone could come to see her beauty and honor her. She selected his favorite folk, the Samanthians, to help care for their home and help them.”

The Samanthians all cheered and Volencia sighed. The perfect love story.

“News spread far and wide, about the goddess of the world. He became well known as the All Father, though his wife called him Necron.” Volencia brow drew down. Necron? He was known as a tyrant. Someone who had come to try to destroy the world, and a hero had been called up by Ephira to protect them all. She didn’t understand how this all twisted around, but she feared where that may lead them. As a child, she’d been enthralled by the story of Necron and the war Ephira had with him, but her father had hated that book. One night when she refused to put it down, he’d thrown it in the fire, as he raged.

“From here, as we all know, this story splits. There are many histories that tell the tale differently. But as their folk, who lived and loved among the gods, we tell the one that’s true and right. The one the Arch Deaconesses have passed from one to another for centuries.” The stars above their heads grew brighter, shining down over the crowd. “It was about this time that word had carried to Locke and Keye, who were curious who would be bold enough to call themselves goddess, mother of the world, and hence overshadow their reign. What they found, was their brother, in love with their first female. She had been given power that outshined theirs beyond compare, and they were angry. They tried to take her back by force, and so the first bad blood between them all was spilt.”