The Vossmonds

“Are you ready to live forever?”

When I was a child, my brother died.

It was swift and violent, leaving no chance for final words.

He lit up my world like no other and I would do anything to bring him back.

But since his spirit floats unknown in the Underworld, I will do the next best thing:

Make sure his fate can never befall me.

The wind whistles against my heavy coat as I approach the expansive manor bathed in silver light.

“Open the door. The God of War has sent his servant.”

It’s only a moment before the towering entrance swings open to reveal four people sitting around a flickering fire. I recognize all but one: Lillian, the Goddess of Motherhood, one of her daughters, the Demi-goddess of Cruelty, and one of her sons, the Demi-god of Stealth.

There’s also a baby, but Lillian gives birth so often that a new child of hers is as unusual as clouds in the sky.

They know something is wrong as I step into their den. Being a messenger for a fellow higher being, I smile and nod their way. I know from stories that pissing this family off is a surefire path to being disintegrated under mysterious circumstances.

Lillian is the first to stand. “Welcome, my dear, would you like some tea? I'm sure it’s been a long journey to our share of the realm.”

She holds her baby girl in her hands, stroking tufts of curly hair with gloved fingers.

“I wouldn’t mind it.” I slide into a spruce chair and clasp my enchanted shard of amber in my palm; a new creation designed to detect intense power. “I’m here to talk to you about a few inexplainable magic readings that we’ve detected recently. Madin is concerned it’s disrupting the natural order of things.”

Her older daughter, Lyrika, chuckles softly. “So we’re in trouble is what you’re saying?”

“Not necessarily.” I lie. “I'm only here to investigate. If you asked the other nearby gods, you’d hear they’ve been spoken with as well.”

Lyrika draws closer, her glossy black eyes shining in the yellow firelight. “And why did Madin send a mortal? He knows better than to bring you folk around here after what I did to the last one. Maybe you're a gift for my 200^th birthday. I’ve been wanting a new set of fingernails.”

I fight the urge to cover my hands and hold eye contact. She wants to scare me. To make me leave before I figure out the truth.

“I'm afraid I’m under Madin’s protection. And while you are all very powerful in your own right, I don’t think you could withstand the strength of his entire fleet.”

She huffs and slinks to her spot on the couch, an ear sharply turned in my direction.

“So,” Lillian says, pouring me tea from a floating pot. “Mysterious magic, hm? Are you sure The Man Downstairs is not trying to make a reappearance?”

Lillian’s son murmurs behind my ear, “He loves testing his luck around these parts…”

“Augh!” I twist around to catch his face, but he’s returned to the spot beside his sister.

“Magnus!” Lillian calls. “We do not scare our guests.”

He rolls his eyes. “With that jittering heart, she was asking for it.”

Lillian meets me with a tender smile. “I apologize, you know how rowdy the little ones can get. Would you like to look around the home?”

“If you don’t mind.”

Lillian swaddles her baby and takes me through the twisting Vossmond household. Rows and rows of portraits line the halls; each given a unique name handwritten under their likenesses. They’re ordered by age yet vary by style and technique. Magnus’s, I notice, is merely a rough charcoal sketch, while Lyrika’s is a near-perfect oil replica. The differences in the Vossmond’s appearances and ages are immense, but it’s all brought together by the same skin crawling spark in their gaze. I have no idea how Lillian isn’t an eldritch monster herself.

“…And here is the latest family reunion photo. It was hard fitting everyone in frame but after a few attempts we got it done.” She beams as a simple snap brings two flames to light and illuminates her prized possession.

“We have all besides the little one there. In fact, I will probably have it redone this spring…”

While the children are horrific, it amazes me that Lillian seems to love and remember them all. That kind of humanity is a rarity among the gods.

Lillian brushes her hair out of her face. “Anyway, shall we move on to the library? That is my favorite spot.”

Woosh.

An axe swings down from the ceiling and nearly splits me in half. I scream and back into the picture as I glimpse Magnus dashing around the corner.

“Careful!” Lillian screeches as she reaches to protect the frame. “That is priceless!” She stops its swinging with a swift hand as I glue my eyes to the hall before me.

“If you need to incapacitate the children, don’t be afraid. Using this should stun them.”

I clutch the tiny silver dagger hiding in my coat as I recuperate. Lillian’s already calmed herself and pats her baby’s bum while looking me up and down; expression unreadable as her son’s axe clatters to the ground.

“Sorry about that, you know how kids are. Always anxious around guests. Now, the library?”

Walking through those crimson doors is like stepping into a different home entirely. The dark and creaking wood of the rest of the manor has been replaced with comforting satin walls and lined with twinkling star lights. It's beautiful, but all the aesthetic beauty is put to shame by the walls of books so extraordinary her tallest children may not reach the highest shelves.

Lillian nods her approval at my astonishment. “This room is my favorite. It is where I spend most of my free time. Look, over there is Lucy’s crib. That is where she usually naps.”

As much as I want to stay forever, I have a mission to accomplish. I glance around the room looking for anything out of place. A cursed object. A hidden room. Something that could create the boiling cracks in the ground that I've heard about. Using my charmed amber as a guide, I walk around in circles scrutinizing it all. Lillian doesn’t comment or question me. Merely watches with weary eyes as she rocks her sleeping pet.

“It doesn’t appear there’s any suspicious magic here. Besides a few enchants to make the room bigger than the house’s structure would allow.”

“Simple renovation tricks. I know Madin uses them. They are as far removed from illegal magic as possible.”

“I know. You're not in trouble for that. May I see the upstairs?”

Lillian blinks twice. Am I getting closer to the truth?

“Of course, right this way.”

I hold my dagger tight as we walk up the aching stairs, but Magnus does not return to haunt me. It helps that I walk uncomfortably close to Lillian’s side as we head to another corridor that stretches for far too long. Named as the portraits were, this is where every one of her children’s bedrooms lay.

“You may check them all for magic, but I warn my babies will not be happy if their things are not where they left them.”

Checking hundreds of ever-expanding rooms would take an eternity, and I am supposed to have a report by morning.

No matter what, I am not failing this quest.

“May I see Lyrika’s room please?”

Lillian pauses, then points down the hall. “Room 593; it should have her name on it.”

“Can you not teleport me there? I'm only mortal.”

Her nose wrinkles at that, but she still raises her scarlet hand and snaps.

Poof.

Instantly I’m placed before Lyrika’s door. Painted a surprisingly pleasing violet, her name is spelled in large, loopy letters that must be from her own hand. I knock out of politeness but when no answer comes I pull at the knob anyway. To my surprise, it's unlocked.

Inside is like stepping into a laboratory decorated by a fashionista. Beakers bubble and cauldrons sizzle full of neon liquids that captivate like angler lures. Lavender flowers hung around the room hide the stench of such intense craftwork. Making it a fascinating mesh of artsy and concerning.

 Lyrika sits up from the corner loft and gracefully jumps to the ground.

“So Mother sent the mortal to me.”

My hand sweats in my pocket. If I want to be respected as one of them someday, I must not cower. “I'm only here to search for magic, anything of the illegal kind.”

Lyrika spreads her arms. Pointed teeth glaring through her glossy lips. “Suit yourself.”

I move with my amber around the workshop as Lyrika hums an ancient tune and sprits herself with perfume.

“Lovely smell isn’t it? The flowers were a gift from my mother, but I found a way to condense and extract their essence through a bit of testing.”

The smell is wonderous, but I know she only means to distract me.

“Amazing. I'm sure your parents are proud.”

“Mother is-” I turn my back to her while leaning forward to check some books for forbidden spells. “-but Father died a long time ago.”

“I apologize.” I should feel bad, but when they’ve already tried to kill you for doing your job once, sympathy is excruciating.

“Don’t be. He was vile, you see. He got angry one night and tried to attack one of us.”

The unmistakable drawing of metal forces me to look back. Lyrika’s holding a knife in her hands, one that is old and dazzling and irrevocably stained with blood.

“No one tries to harm our family and lives to tell the tale.”

Shing.

Within a flash, she’s thrown the knife past my face and sliced the hairs near my ear. Then I'm pulled back by said hair as Magnus takes my hand and throws my amber near the entrance. I extract the dagger hidden within my pocket and push it into his grasp. He is a demigod, he will not bleed, but the blade is bewitched so his body seizes and falls over at once.

“Magnus!” Lyrika cries. She hisses at me with those shiny teeth. “How dare you mortal!”

I take the dagger out as his hand immediately heals. My hold is offensive as Lyrika takes one of her vials and throws it at my shoulder. The green ooze burns like fire, making me violently claw at my coat as it spreads and sizzles. Lyrika laughs at my agony and steps closer.

“When I'm done with you-“

Bam.

“That is quite enough.”

Lillian stands in the doorway, grabbing both of our attention.

Lyrika makes the first move. “Look what’s happened! I may have started it, but she’s done far more damage!” She gestures to her groaning brother behind me.

I clench my dagger and reach for the amber all while keeping my eyes on the two.

“And the sun is almost up, let the mortal finish her quest so she can return to Madin.” Lillian glances at me. “Did you find anything suspicious here, messenger?”

I'm pumped full of adrenaline now. Her kindness must be a façade. I know the cracks are coming from here. I can’t return empty-handed.

With an unsteady mind, I point my dagger at the goddess. “Lillian, turn out your pockets.”

She blinks. “Excuse me?”

I drift toward her in the direction opposite of Lyrika. I need the answer. I will become immortal. I will not suffer my brother’s doom. “My amber has been buzzing near you all night.”

“I am a major goddess, of course it buzzes near me.”

“Which makes you the perfect candidate to hide something. Empty your pockets.”

Lillian hesitates, then places her sleeping child down and empties her first pocket: A red pen and a burp cloth. The second: A pacifier and some miniature photos.

“No! This can’t be right. I know the secret lies in this house!”

I step closer, my knife shaking. My beating heart is an ever-present reminder of my mortality. If only I could force the truth from her…

My blade was not made for major gods.

But blinded by panic, I throw it anyway.

Lillian stumbles back in a fit of screams, her muscles spasming in pain.

I drop the amber in my race to pick up her child. With the baby in my hands, neither Lyrika nor Magnus dare to attack.

“Where is the illegal magic!” I yell.

All three remain silent as the child begins to cry.

The amber jolts violently on the ground as the sobs echo through the house. Cracks hiss and grow beneath my feet while the child squirms in fear and confusion. I’m afraid of what will happen if I drop her, so I hold tight with rattling hands and try to avoid the rifts as they steam and shake the fibers of my being.

If this doesn’t end, the entire manor will collapse.

“You fool!” Lyrika shouts. “Look what you’ve done!” She races toward her mother as Lillian pulls the knife from her body. Magnus has recovered and hops the gaps to snatch the daughter from me, kicking me down in the process. Face to face with the fractures I nearly fall through.

Looking in, I see the Underworld itself staring back at me.

Lyrika takes my dagger and throws it into the depths as Magnus hands his mother the screaming child. I stand to avoid the worst of the destruction and keep an eye on the four while Lillian takes Lucy’s pacifier and gently puts it in her mouth.

“It is alright dear, Momma has you. Go back to sleep…”

Gradually, the child obeys. Lillian strokes the bridge of her nose and hums the tune Lyrika was singing earlier. In minutes, the cracks huff as they dissipate and then disappear entirely. If not for my being here, I would've never known they existed.

I cling to one of Lyrika’s haphazard tables. There's no way they’ll spare me now. “The child…”

Lillian locks eyes with me. “Is a daughter of the Underworld. That is why the cracks occur, and it is why if you do not want my baby’s blood on your hands, you will not speak a word of it to Madin.”

I think of my brother, killed by a random act of violence. Even if this child is unstable, she is only a child.

Lyrika purrs in Lillian’s ear. “Let us make her pay, Mother. Let me dissect her bones and have Magnus use her for target practice.”

“No. If we murder Madin’s apprentice it will only make him more suspicious of us.” Lillian steps forward, Lucy cooing in her arms. Already she can babble along to her mother’s melody.

“What we need is to make a deal.”

“A deal?” I say.

Lyrika and Magnus put a hand on either of Lillian’s shoulders, they want to hear the matriarch’s words as much as I do.

“You will tell Madin you found no illegal magic here and that he should look elsewhere. In exchange, when my daughter turns eighteen, I will make you immortal myself.”

Lyrika and Magnus look aghast. I believe our expressions are mirrored.

“Mother…” Magnus whispers.

Lillian pushes through. “You hear my deal. Think it over well, as I assure you all my children will know your name if you don’t.”

The frost in her words forces a shiver through my body.

“I understand.”

Lillian strokes her child’s soft face. “The sun is rising. I think it is time for you to return to the Ether.”

I stand up straight, my legs trembling like newborn fawns, and step out of the Vossmond home without another word.

“Perhaps a god’s life is not for you.”

Madin is angry when I come back with nothing. I can tell my lies do not convince him but sending others to harass Lillian would only give her grounds to attack, and while Madin is the God of War, she has a mighty legion of her own.

 Because of my failure, he does not grant my desire, and I am sentenced to another decade of work.

I think about the Vossmonds often. Their shining eyes and tainted smiles bring nightmares, yes, but their fascinating power and sense of loyalty are unlike anything I've seen in the godly pantheon. It does, however, remind me of a simple mortal family that existed not too long ago.

 I hear the child’s coo in my dreams. If she really is of the Underworld, does that mean she can access my brother?

If she can, maybe, in time, I could contact him too.

So I decide to keep my end of the bargain. The years will pass. I will age. But if Lillian’s words are true, it will all be worth it.

The Vossmond secret will stay with me, and I will live alongside it.

Forever.