Chapter 23
“They fucking killed her!”
Layla was trying not to bring a lot of attention to herself as she spoke with her Goddess. Tawaret didn’t seem particularly concerned that Layla was holding a dead girl. Layla was just lucky the girl had the body of a teenager and wasn’t too big to hold. Still, Layla had blood on her, and Yelena’s limp body was heavy.
“It was a test,” Tawaret explained patiently, fawning over Yelena’s body even though she couldn’t actually touch her. “An avatar in distress should immediately call forth their God or Goddess, even if they didn’t ask for them. Khonshu not coming to her distress means that he is in trouble.”
“And they couldn’t have figured it out without killing her!” Layla tries not to freak out over the fact that there was no longer a heartbeat in the body she was carrying. “Tawaret, she’s dead. Legally dead. Her heart has stopped. Blood has stopped pumping. When are they going to revive her?”
“You shouldn’t be questioning Gods, Layla,” Tawaret warns her and Layla resists the urge to groan.
“I’m a human, Tawaret. I don’t understand these things. Please explain it to me,” Playing the human card could get Layla out of a lot of fusses with Tawaret.
Tawaret sighs before shaking her head fondly. “They will bring her back when it is time. For now, they are looking for signs of her God.” Tawaret glances toward the other avatars.
“And what if her God doesn’t show back up?” Layla shifts her grip to hoist Yelena up into her arms when she starts to slip.
Tawaret lets out a hum, a small frown on her lips. “We must assume the worst and sever the tie between avatar and God in hopes of giving the God more strength.”
“Sever the tie?” Layla echoes because that sounded dangerous. “What do you mean by that?”
“When a God or Goddess picks an avatar, they tether a portion of themselves to the avatar. You have a portion of me tethered to you so you can summon the suit and call for me.” Tawaret gestures at her armor.
“What does severing the tie involved? How would it impact the avatar?” Layla wants to know if it’s going to hurt.
Tawaret doesn’t respond at first and Layla’s heart sinks. “Khonshu found his avatar when she was dying.” Tawaret finally says quietly. “He saved her and brought her back to life by putting a small piece of himself into her.”
“Are you saying that if they sever the tie that she’s going to die?” Layla demands, pulling the teenager in her arms closer to her.
“It’s a possibility,” Tawaret inclines her head and Layla blanches at the thought.
“She’s just a kid,” Layla comments. Perhaps Yelena is twenty but physically, and probably mentally, she’s still stuck as the kid that died.
Tawaret doesn’t look pleased about it either but composes herself. “She is but one of thousands of avatars that Khonshu has had.”
“She matters just as all the rest of them do!” Layla can’t help but raise her voice slightly, shrinking in on herself when Tawaret looks at her firmly.
Tawaret then sighs, shaking her head. “She has lived the longest.”
“What?” Layla raised an eyebrow.
“Yelena is the longest anyone has been Khonshu’s avatar. The others simply couldn’t handle the demand and strain and would give in or demand out. Yelena is the first to be able to keep up with what he needs her to do,” Tawaret moves closer, peering down at Yelena’s ashen face. “Her life has been a long and hard one. They are good for each other.”
Layla opens her mouth to say that from what she heard about Khonshu, he sounds like an asshole. Not only did he pick some kid to be his avatar, but said kid died over and over again for his cause, which is often assassinations or violence.
But Tawaret reads her mind, sending her an unimpressed look. “You do not understand because you are human.” She says and Layla is a little tired of hearing the whole ‘you’re a human so you don’t understand’ argument but she listens. “Have you heard of immortal avatars?”
Layla slowly shakes her head.
“Immortal avatars are avatars who have proved their worth to their God. They are, in their God’s eye, perfect for them. God’s will want to cling to them, protect them, and keep them safe to ensure that they can continue to do their work,” Tawaret comments, glancing over to the other side of the room where the other Avatars were conversing. “God’s often pick young avatars to give them room to grow. You are young yourself.”
Layla shifts her hold on Yelena again, worried about how the body was losing some of its warmth. “Okay?”
“When God’s connect with their avatars and find the perfect human, often a young one, they may grow…” Tawaret searches for the right word. “Protective over them. One could even say parental.”
Layla blinks a few times. “Are you saying that Khonshu adopted a kid?” She’s unsure if she’s hearing things correctly.
“You could argue I adopted you in a way,” Tawaret comments, seemingly amused. “You are part of me and I guide and teach you. Just as Yelena is part of Khonshu. He guides, teaches, and protects her. That’s why when she got lethally injured and he didn’t show up, it was concerning.”
Layla’s arms were starting to get tired of holding the body. Her armor is crusted with drying blood and Yelena is losing her warmth. “When will they bring her back?”
“Soon.” Tawaret sounds confident so Layla peers back over at where the avatars were arguing.
She is in over her head. She just met this kid a few days ago for fucks sake, she shouldn’t be holding their dead body as God’s that could kill her with a single look argue nearby.
Selim finally turns and approaches Layla. It takes a moment for Layla to realize that it’s just Osiris puppeting his avatar’s body. Osiris reaches out. “May I see?” He asked as if he wasn’t inquiring about a whole person.
Layla really doesn’t want to hand Yelena over but Tawaret gives her an encouraging nod so Layla carefully transfers the teenager into Osiris’s hold. Osiris turns and starts to walk off and Layla jolts after him. “Hey, where are you going?” She demands.
Osiris doesn’t look back as he speaks. “To bring her back.” He said simply.
“I promised I would watch her body!” Layla protests when Tawaret clamps a hand onto her shoulder to stop her. Layla doesn’t trust the Gods with her, they already killed her once.
“She will be fine, Layla,” Tawaret soothes her, her hand squeezing Layla’s shoulder. “Do not interrupt him while he works.”
Layla stands there, feeling very out of place, as she waits for Osiris to bring Yelena back.
When they finally do return, Yelena is stumbling on unsteady feet, a glazed look in her eyes as she cradles her stomach. Her skin is still paper white but there is a slight flush in her cheeks that eases a part of Layla’s clenched chest.
Layla still can’t help but reach out when Yelena is within arm’s reach, her hands moving toward Yelena’s abdomen. There’s still fresh blood trickling through Yelena’s fingers but the kid is alive and when Layla presses her hand to Yelena’s chest and feels her heart beating, she can finally relax.
Yelena leans into the touch so Layla gathers her in her arms, pulling her close and letting Yelena lean against her. The kid is too tired to protest, her head drooping onto Layla’s armored shoulder.
“We are looking into the whereabouts of Apep,” Declan informs Layla, glancing down at Yelena. “Take her home. We shall call for Tawaret when we have news.”
Layla huffs quietly before she inclines her head and then turns her attention to Yelena. She doesn’t think the kid has a home she can return her to. “C’mon kid. You need a shower and a nap.”
“I'm sorry I bled on you,” Yelena slurs slightly, her Russian accent thick as she wobbles on unsteady legs when Layla attempts to lead her out.
“Don’t worry about it,” Layla replies, grabbing Yelena’s cape to keep her steady. “I’m glad you’re okay.”
“Really?” Yelena blinks up at her sleepily.
“Yeah.” Layla says, softening her voice because damned it if Yelena doesn’t look like the kid she insists she’s not at the moment. “Come here, you’re gonna heal slower if you’re moving it when you walk.”
Yelena doesn’t protest when Layla scoops her back up into her arms, sagging against her, absolutely exhausted. “You remind me of my sister.”
“I… wasn’t aware you had a sister,” Layla barely falters in her footsteps. “I assumed when you told me you didn’t have parents--”
“She’s not really my sister…” Yelena mumbles into Layla’s shoulder. “But she’s all I got. She doesn’t know I’m alive and I can’t go to her.”
“Why not?” Layla asked, ascending the steps of the tomb they were in.
“Cause I kill people,” Yelena whispers like a secret. “And if she knows then she won’t love me anymore.”
Layla doesn’t know what to say to that so she merely holds Yelena closer as she focuses on getting the kid home.