Maruble paced back and forth, his shadow trailing behind him in the vast hallway. The torches lining the wall blinked to life as he grumbled, "I hate parties." His voice echoed off the stone. In the darkness, silence was the only answer.

Lifeless, his father had once called his domain. The God of Volcanics did not much care for the warm, glowing flames of his fortress. No, he preferred the rumbling fire that blasted from the base of his mountain and into the clouds, big enough for all the godlands to see.

Maruble plopped into the nearest armchair, nestled next to a roaring fireplace that took up the length of the wall and ran a hand through his hair, but the crackling flame did little to ease his aching head. "I hate parties," he groaned again. The God of Fire grabbed the book closest to him, a human book, a gift from his mother, and tossed it in with the logs. Immediately, the flames licked the pages until they curled into ash.

He needed to get ready. He didn't want to get ready, but he should. He made a promise.

I am usually able to see every possibility, but not anymore, Athema had said, casual as talking about the weather. Maruble sighed. She had never mentioned limitations on her power until now, but he knew if her orb were to break, there would be nothing to keep the visions from overwhelming her.

He batted away the thoughts and dragged himself to his clothing room. An array of colorful fabrics greeted him. Linens and suedes from the farthest reaches of the godlands, some handmade by the Goddess of Weaving herself-- but he would not be wearing that tonight. He would wear black to Theon's domain. The only color would come from the long, flowing cloak at his back, stitched in the darkest of reds. He touched it, and the material slipped through his hands like water. Marginally, his mood brightened.

When he was fully dressed, Maruble flickered to the outskirts of his father's mountain.

It would be easy enough: small talk, drinks, home. Enough socializing to appease his parents and nothing more. Maruble watched Theon's Chain from the brink of a canyon, where the volcano stood at the center of four other mountains. The cliff was tall enough that he could not see the bottom and he wondered, for a wild moment, what might happen if he threw himself down it.

At least he would miss the party.

As the guests filed into his volcano, they walked through a large door sprinkled with rubies, pushing past each other to get inside, and Maruble blinked at the sight. There was a great deal of people. Much more than he was expecting. The god took a seat on the cliff and waited for the line to clear. It was already nightfall and twinkling stars swept over the peek of the mountains. It might have been a beautiful sight on any other day, anywhere else.

"Mind if I sit here?"

A god approached and took a seat, not waiting for an answer. He was tall and wore a white suit with blue details. For some reason, he smelled strongly of rosemary. Maruble shrugged and said, "If you must."

"My name is Hartley." The god looked down at the mountain and squinted. "Ah, it seems so quiet from up here, doesn't it?"

"What do you want?"

The volcano rumbled and shook the ground beneath them gently. Hartley blinked. "Oh, nothing. I'm not great at parties and thought I'd hide over here until Joy arrived. That man can talk up a storm." When Maruble didn't respond, Hartley pointed at the mountain. "Do you take trips to the barelands as well? I know your Father is very fond of the humans there."

"I'm not my father," growled Maruble.

"I meant no offense." Hartley held up his hands. "While I'm impressed by Theon's work, I understand it is not for everyone. I certainly didn't follow in the footsteps of my own family."

Maruble raised an eyebrow. "Who are you?"

"Ah yes," said the man, tugging at his sleeves. "My name is Hartley, God of Peace. I used to work with your mother in the Court of Balance. It's nice to finally meet you, Maruble."

He snorted. "Ah, so you're wrapped up in human affairs as well."

"It is more that I keep the balance between our two worlds," he said, slowly. "The court tries not to be directly involved more than we need to be."

"Wouldn't it be better to have control?"

"Control?" Hartley took his words in stride. "Ah, I've spoken with many who feel the same, who wish to correct the behaviors of humans. I'm afraid we will not see eye to eye on this matter, God of Fire, but I would be open to hearing your thoughts one day. It's important to hear both sides of a matter, I think." Hartley stood and heaved a long sigh. "But alas, it seems I can't avoid this party any longer. It was a pleasure meeting you, Maruble."

"Likewise."

He watched as the God of Peace flickered to the front gates and clenched his fist. Had the god been mocking him? Perhaps planning to report him to the high court? Something like that would not be unheard of. Maruble waited until Hartley had long disappeared inside then flickered to the door.

This book is hosted on another platform. Read the official version and support the author's work.

Theon's Chain was spectacular from afar, but up close it was dizzying. The sharp peaks of the mountain clawed their way into the sky, ripping right into the clouds, while the volcano blew puffs of hot smoke. From here, he could no longer see the stars past the hovering clouds and the mountains loomed over him. Maruble scrunched his nose. And the whole damn mountain smelled like smoke.

He pushed open the ruby door.

When he entered the ballroom, the party was well underway. The mountain was much bigger than he remembered, and the walls were sleek white, instead of the stingy gray that he remembered. How the God of Volcanics managed to keep the walls white in a lava pit, Maruble didn't know. In the center of the room, a thick plate of glass revealed the bubbling lava beneath it. For the first time, Maruble wondered how lava felt in his father's hands. Fire felt light as a feather, its warmth a comfort. Lava, it seemed, was a different beast entirely.

The Court of Balance spoke in a small circle in the corner. The God of Peace was among them, and he was not the only one wearing white. All of them had been dressed to match. Next to him, he recognized Judgement and, more famously known, the God of Balance himself. There were others, many he couldn't remember the name of. Despite the years of his father chiding him to be respectful and to know the names of those who kept Alta safe, most of them never stuck.

Looking around, they were not the only gods that attended. A few botanical gods brushed the stone of the volcano, whispering to each other in hushed voices. On the balcony, carved out of the mountain, Gods of Space and Time motioned to the sky in heated debate. One of the gods he didn't recognize looked in his direction, but the god seemed to look right through him. Maruble didn't take it personally; being forced to feel the towering presence of the universe felt like more of a burden than a gift.

He noticed his father sitting atop a dais, his arms stretched out on his throne of volcanic rock, the jagged edges pointing out on every side. Theon watched the party-goers with a self-satisfied smirk. A man of importance-- or at least, that's what he was trying to portray. Maruble gritted his teeth, suddenly nauseous. His father gave too much of his power to those silly humans and worked for them like a peasant without their knowing. And yet, he still considered himself better than all of them.

"Obnoxious, isn't it?" a voice purred. "The gods of Alta disappoint me more and more each day."

Maruble wheeled around. The God of Death stood next to him, a man he had seen many times before but never had the heart to approach. He was considered a high-profile member of the Altan Court. A respected man. Also, the only one in the court with the heart to voice his conflicting ideals. He held out a hand in greeting and said, "Death."

"Maruble isn't it? I wasn't expecting you to show." Death swirled the glass of elixir in his hands. "Forgive my intrusion, but I heard you and your father had a bit of a falling out. I'm very sorry to hear about that."

Maruble pursed his lips. "Don't be. I simply don't agree with my father's practices."

Death slid his slick black hair from his equally dark eyes and said, "May I ask why not?"

"They're childish, aren't they?" In the presence of Death, Maruble suddenly wished he was more articulate, but the god studied him, unaware. Something in Maruble's stomach moved, but he was not sure if it with with nerves or excitement. Perhaps both. "What I mean to say is," he continued, "Is it not the natural order of things for us to rule over those who cannot rule themselves?"

"Go on, I'm listening."

"Our ancestors would be ashamed if they saw how humans dictate our lives. We were once great and powerful beings, ruling over both Earth and Alta." He shook his head and splayed out his hands. "Now, we're useless. Hiding away in our domains, scared to interfere."

Death grinned. It was so unexpected that Maruble had to steady himself to keep from taking a step back. The God of Death said, "Ah, a god of old blood. You don't see much of that these days."

"Yes, well..." Maruble glanced at the conversation between Hartley and the God of Joy. Joy patted the god on the back, nearly spilling his drink. "The truth seems to make most gods uncomfortable."

"That would seem so," murmured Death, almost to himself. But the god was not looking at members of the high court, he was looking at Maruble's father. "But don't lose hope, young god. The fight to restore what was once great has only begun. There are more of us than meets the eye."

"You believe things can change?"

Death tapped his chin for a long moment then nodded. "Yes. But only if people like us fight for how things used to be, back when gods ruled over the barelands without mercy." The god looked between Maruble and his father then added, "Against all odds, I believe we will prevail as we always have."

Maruble chewed on his lip. Death was older than he looked. While gods like Balance chose to let their age wear on their faces like humans, the God of Death looked young. Younger than his father, even. He rolled his wrist and said, "Were you there during those days when Alta ruled over everything?"

"Yes," said Death, taking another swig of his drink. "The humans feared us-- sacrificed themselves to us. During those times, we were more powerful than you could ever dream," he said, but then he frowned. "That is, until Balance deemed it unlawful. I'm sure you know the rest."

"I've heard stories."

Not technically a lie. There was a time when he would beg his mother to tell stories of the olden days, fascinated with them. And while his mother shaped those stories to sound like horrible feats, Maruble knew the truth, he knew that Balance had been unjust to the other gods. Taking the brunt of their power from them. Looking at the old god now, he looked like a shell of a man. Not too much longer from fading. How many gods had been sentenced to horrible fates for not agreeing with his ideology? Were they not gods, who should be free to act and think for themselves, based on sheer power alone? He glanced toward Death, but the god studied the walls of the towering mountain in deep thought. For a moment, he even looked sad.

"They were good days," he said, finally.

"If what you said is true, then perhaps all hope isn't lost." Maruble straightened up. "Perhaps Alta could return to the old ways."

"Perhaps," said the God of Death. To Maruble's surprise, he chuckled and nodded to Theon, staring angrily from the dais. "I've enjoyed this talk greatly, God of Fire, but it seems my time has come to an end. It was nice meeting you, Maruble. Let's talk again soon." And just like that, the God of Death flickered away.

A smile spread across Maruble's face. He grabbed an elixir from a passing servant and downed it. His father didn't matter, neither did the argument to come or how his mother would react to his talk with Death. For the first time in a long time, Maruble felt confident in his ideals. Felt like there were others out there who felt the same way he did. The God of Fire placed his empty glass on a table and straightened his cloak. He said to himself, "I look forward to that talk."

Then turned to face the God of Volcanics.