Page 67 of Gods of Prey
“Days,” I say quietly. “Maybe a week at most.”
Jovie nods, processing this. “Then we need to speed up my training.”
“Jovie, you can’t—” Revel starts.
“No.” Her voice is firm. “I won’t be the reason reality collapses. If I need to learn faster, then I’ll learn faster.”
I find myself impressed despite everything. “Sebastian won’t like it.”
“Bash is scared,” Jovie says simply. “I know why, but I can’t share it with you yet. Not until he’s ready. But his fear is making him drag this out longer than it should.”
She’s right, and we all know it. Neither of us has been willing to deal with the fit he throws when we confront him over it though.
“What do you suggest?” Revel asks.
“Help me.” Jovie looks between us. “Both of you. Isn’t there some divine way to transfer knowledge? Teach me what I need to know. If Sebastian won’t rush the process, then we’ll do it without him.”
I drift around her, considering. Sebastian won’t appreciate us going around him. He’ll know immediately. But she’s right about the timeline.
“It’s dangerous,” I warn. “Divine knowledge forced too quickly into a mortal mind can cause...problems.”
“What kind of problems?”
“Madness,” Revel says bluntly. “Fragmentation. In extreme cases, complete personality dissolution.”
Jovie swallows hard but doesn’t back down. “And what happens if we don’t try? If the realms tear apart?”
“Universal collapse,” I answer. “Every soul in existence scattered into the void.”
“Then it’s not really a choice, is it?”
I look at Revel, who gives me a slight nod. She’s right.
“All right,” I say. “But we do this carefully. And when Sebastian finds out?—”
“I’ll handle him,” Jovie interrupts. Something in the determined set of her face has Revel and me biting our tongues.
Over the next three days, we fall into a routine. In the mornings, Sebastian continues his gentle lessons with Jovie. In the afternoons, while he’s at Lancaster Tech handling the business he’s supposedly preparing to leave, Revel and I push Jovie harder.
I’m worried about him. He’s still having a hard time letting his mortal life go and judging by how stubborn he is, I know his reluctance will turn into roadblocks for us.
Jovie is a quick study. Frighteningly so. By day two, she can sense the life force in every living thing within a hundred yards. By day four, she’s successfully channeling small amounts of divine energy.
“Like this?” she asks, her hands glowing with soft golden light as she accelerates the growth of Revel’s dying succulent.
“Perfect,” Revel says, though I can see the strain on his face. We’re pushing too hard, but we don’t have a choice.
I check the window again. The sky is now a sickly greenish color that shouldn’t exist in nature. “The aurora borealis is visible from Seattle,” I report. “That’s not supposed to happen.”
“How much longer?” Jovie asks, sweat beading on her forehead from the energy work.
“Not long at all,” Revel says grimly.
That evening, Sebastian comes home to find Jovie meditating on their couch while Revel prepares their dinner. Jovie does a good job looking serene and only slightly more advanced than when he left.
“How did it go today?” he asks, kissing the top of her head before he plops onto the couch beside her.
“Good,” she lies smoothly. “I think I’m starting to understand the connection between all living things.”
