Bound In Blue: Book One Of The Sword Of Elements by Heather Hamilton-Senter

names. Most of the old gods are gone anyway.”
    “They died?” I asked. “Isn’t immortality the definition of a god?”
    “They lost their powers. None of them were probably truly immortal, except maybe Cernunnos, but thousands of years can feel like it. Without their powers, most died sooner rather than later. A few still hold on. Becoming a god is tricky. When people worship you, it enhances and increases your power. But when the people who worshipped you stop or die off . . .”
    “The power dies too?” I jumped to the logical conclusion.
    “And not just the new power, but the amount you were born with too. It all gets mixed up together. That’s what happened to Viviane, I mean, your mom.”
    I thought of how quickly the sickness came on and how her organs shut down one by one. “No one’s been worshipping her for a long time. Why did it happen now?”
    He shrugged and brushed his hair back. “Viviane was once incredibly powerful, but to you she seemed like an ordinary person. The Lady of the Lake was never seen again after Arthur was defeated. She’d probably been dying for years and it finally caught up with her.”
    I felt sick as Tynan plowed on. “I don’t know if Taranis is dead or not, but Daley’s the first person in three thousand years to inherit the same abilities. Daley’s parents adopted him, so no one knows which one of his ancestors Taranis hooked up with. He’s a Protector too.”
    Miko grabbed the blanket at the end of the bed and wrapped it around her shoulders, striking a pose. “Well I’m going to keep calling him Thor. I bought him a cape last Christmas but he never wears it. Maybe I should get him a helmet this year.”
    Tynan tossed a pillow at her head which she ducked. “Maybe you should stop teasing him about it.” It made me think of Peter.
    “So Daley’s like Peter?” I asked.
    “Sort of. He’s your bonded Protector. You don’t know what that means yet, but he’d die to protect you.”
    “I’d do the same for him. He’s my best friend.”
    Tynan shook his head. “It’s not the same. You can choose to do it, but Peter has to do it. He’ll protect you even if it means letting someone else he loves get hurt. Daley’s different. Taranis wasn’t just the god of thunder. There are ancient references to his powers that no one understands. His symbol was a chariot wheel with eight spokes.”
    My breath caught. The little charm tucked under my sleeve also had eight spokes. I pushed the bracelet a little farther up my wrist. For some reason, I didn’t want anyone to see it.
    “The wheel is a symbol of fate. Dad thinks part of Daley’s inheritance is the responsibility to be a judge over the gods, to decide their fate. I don’t know what that means, but we all get pretty big guilt trips from him whenever one of us screws up.” Tynan laughed but there was an edge to it.
    Miko was watching him. “Daley’s a bully sometimes, but even I know he loves you, Ty.” She paused and bit her lip. “More than anyone else alive on earth.”
    Tynan looked up and Miko shrugged and gave him a funny smile.
    I think I’m missing something.
    She glanced at me. “Daley’s completely full of it sometimes, but he’s as hard on himself as he is on everyone else. Taliesin plans for him to fill the void when Arthur is defeated once and for all. ”
    “Don’t ever say that. There’s only one Earth King.” Tynan’s voice was harsh.
    Miko frowned. “Maybe. And maybe not. I do know Daley doesn’t want to be the judge of the gods.”
    I didn’t understand. “But you said the gods are all dead or powerless now.”
    Miko slipped off the bed and readjusted her ponytails in the mirror over the dresser. “That’s the old gods. There are still gods on earth. Gods who can speak to harps, command armies, take power from a Cŵn Annwn . . .”
    Tynan’s eyes were sad. “We’re the gods Dad believes Daley is destined to judge.”
     
     

 
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