Page 2 of Sequel to the Easter Bunny

“Spend enough time looking at that spire,” she says with a tired smile, “and someone’s bound to take offence.”

“Do they watch us that closely?”

She hums something that could be an agreement and nods. “And it’s always the ones you want to ignore you that will pay the most attention.”

Ari knows enough about the gods to be just a little bit scary… and I haven’t even scratched the surface of that knowledge.

“I’m not sure why they care.” They’re happy enough to leave us to our own devices.

“Depends on who you ask. All the gods need us… but Ester’s the only one who really likes mortals. And even that’s a stretch.”

It’s hard to believe any of the gods’ stories come from them needing us. I turn back to the Valley. “Most of the people down there spent years with Jamus as their only day to day example of what the gods think of them.”

That’s what I’m working against.

“Jamus came from the child of Ester and Heim… and his god-father is….” She grimaces and shakes the thought away, drawing me back inside. “Between you and me, Klaus is not someone I would trust with my least favourite scarf, let alone my life. That sort of thing trickles down through the mortal line.”

“Sins of the father.” I look back toward the spire and draw in a long breath. “Is the god of winter as bad as they say?”

She chuckles under her breath and I half expect her to tell me he’s not.

But when I turn back to her, there’s something rueful in her smile. “Heim wants the other principal gods dead and buried. Forgotten to time if possible….”

“Why?”

“Because they think the others betrayed them.” Her rueful smile turns sweet as she fusses with her bag.

I don’t ask anything else… not yet. It’s not hard to tell when Ari is done talking about the gods.

Each time I consider asking her how she knows as much as she does, I baulk. I don’t think I want to find out what it cost her to learn it.

Still worrying the necklace, I look at the table set against the far wall. At the black mask displayed there as a reminder.

Unlike the trinkets and baubles of other god-encounters downstairs, arrayed like pieces in a museum, this is a reminder for me alone. Ari’s the only other person who comes up to this floor.

I know I’ve been studying it for too long when Ari speaks again.

“Are you going back to him tonight?” she asks as she slips the last of her things into her bag.

“I can’t.”

“Can’t you?” She straightens, head tipping to the side. “Why not?”

“I—” I have no idea.

At least, I don’t know if I’m allowed.

“If nothing else, it’s not safe for me to leave the Valley yet.”

Ari looks even more confused. “One night isn’t abandonment, Lily.”

No, but one month isn’t a guarantee.

“If I had some clue where Jamus was….” Shaking my head, I flop onto the couch. “I can’t let my guard down. If he comes to try to wrestle this Valley back from me, I have to be here.”

“Well, he couldn’t stop you from kicking him out… but I suppose he could try to go to his god-father.” Ari gets a distant look on her face and then shakes it away. “No. Klaus and Holly are a bit like you and your Eebie. They wouldn’t see him even if he begged for an audience. Which I think we can both agree he’s not smart enough to do.”

Curiosity overrides caution. “One day, you’re going to have to tell me how you know all this.”

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