She shuffled up and licked her lips. “That to stop the Dark God’s war on the two-legged people, you secretly gathered waters from the river of dreams and then called him to your side. You spent the night dancing and drinking and, uh…” The loremaster glanced nervously at me, then Jaxson, before continuing. “You danced as lovers do. Amidst the merry-making, you slipped the magic waters into his wine, and when he fell asleep in your arms, he did not wake. He has been trapped in dreams ever since.”
Normally articulate and captivating, the loremaster was holding back, and with fair reason. The story was not one that in retrospect, I’d want told around a campfire.
Her version was so vivid, I’d seen it in my mind like a movie as she’d recounted it, images leaping from the fire and filling my senses. I’d seen the Moon let her dress slip, and how she moved ever so perfectly to arouse and seduce the Dark God.
Just the memory of it had me hot in the pants and thinking of Jaxson. I wasn’t sure if the Moon had werewolf senses, but I tamped my wandering thoughts down fast.
But it didn’t seem she was paying any attention to me and my problems. The Moon just gave an exasperated sigh and paced across the temple. “Does everyone believe that seduction is a woman’s only power? I’m a huntress, for fates’ sake.”
The loremaster bowed low. “I’m sorry, great goddess. The legends were passed down many times, and I am sure some were elaborated in false ways.”
The Moon scowled at us and worked her jaw in frustration. “No. It’s pretty close to what happened—we’d been lovers before, and I knew it would work. It just pisses me off that people only remember the spicy bits. Yes, I seduced him and got him drunk. But he’s a god, and I knew that the river of dreams wouldn’t hold him forever. While he slept, I created a prison in the Dreamlands—a spell woven among three pylons of power. I sacrificed much of my magic to do it. He should not have been able to break free.”
I crossed my arms. “So what can we do? I’m assuming he won’t fall for potions in his wine again.”
She laughed, though it was a little hollow. “He’s a man, but not a total fool. Anyway, you’re not his type.” She traced her fingers through her long sliver hair, though her eyes flicked at Sam for just a second. “Maybe that one might have some luck, but I doubt it.”
I blushed on my friend’s behalf. Apparently, the Dark Wolf God had a thing for blondes.
Thank God I’m a natural redhead.
Shaking off the horrid thought of having to seduce the Dark God, I asked, “What can we do? How do I stop him?”
The goddess huffed with amusement. “You will not be able to overcome the Dark Wolf God, young twin-soul. He draws his magic and strength from the presence of wolves. If you get close, you’ll just make him more powerful—and he’s more than all five of us could handle.” She turned and began to pace, twisting her hair as she spoke. “No, you can’t confront him directly. You must enter the Dreamlands and restore my spells. I suspect they must be weakening, because the incantations were flawless.”
She turned and wove an image of three large moonlike orbs. Columns of glowing light rose from each of them—the magical pylons that trapped the Dark God in the realm of dreams.
“How do we get there?” Jaxson asked.
“I will show you the way,” the goddess said.