“Tell me what happened. Where did the gods go?”

Anandur’s strong arms coiled around her. “Maybe we should talk about it some other time. You’ve had enough of a shock.”

Instead of calming her down, his words had added to her anxiety. “Tell me what happened. I need to know.”

The door between the studio and the bedroom opened, and Dalhu walked in with a tray. “Who wants scotch and who wants coffee?”

Wonder was tempted to ask for the scotch, the entire bottle of the disgusting thing. Anything to numb her frayed nerves and prepare her for what was about to come. Nothing she was about to hear was going to be good. She could tell that by the pinched expressions on Syssi and Kian’s faces, and the deep sorrow in Bridget’s eyes.

Hiding her discomfort better than the others, Amanda got up to help Dalhu. “Okay, people, let’s take a coffee break from the drama. Who wants what?”

Once the drinks were distributed, Amanda ducked into the bathroom and returned with a box of tissues. “You’re gonna need it.” She handed the box to Wonder, then crouched on the floor next to her. “Just remember. Everything you’re going to hear happened a really long time ago. It’s very tragic, but you’ve survived. Not only that, you’ve survived for a reason. The Fates have a plan for you.”

Was that supposed to cheer her up?

“Why are you telling me this? You’re just scaring me more.”

Amanda put a hand on Wonder’s arm. “Because I know how it feels to lose people you love. You’ll feel guilty for being alive while they perished, and you’ll wish you could join them beyond the veil. What I’m trying to say is, don’t give in to despair. You’re a strong woman, Wonder. Never forget that. And you’re loved by one of the best men I know. If nothing from what I told you makes sense to you, just remember that Anandur is worth living for.”

That actually helped. And the cup of strong black coffee Dalhu had put in her hands had a curiously grounding effect. “I’m ready. Which one of you is going to tell me what happened?”

“I will,” Bridget said. “Kian probably knows our history better than any of us, but his delivery leaves a lot to be desired.” She cast him an apologetic glance. “You can correct me if I get something wrong.”

“I’m sure you know as much as I do. Go ahead.”

“What was the last major event you remember, Wonder? Or do you prefer me to call you Gulan?”

“Please call me Wonder. Gulan is dead.” She hadn’t meant to sound so vehement, but she meant what she’d said. “And the last major event was Annani and Khiann’s wedding.”

“Well, Mortdh didn't take it as well as Ahn thought he had. He decided to kill Khiann and take Annani for himself.”

“Did he succeed?”

“Unfortunately, yes.”

“Poor Annani.” Wonder couldn’t imagine the pain. They had been so in love. When the tears started flowing, she was grateful for Amanda’s foresight and pulled out a bunch of tissues. “What did she do?”

“Luckily for us and for all of humanity, she didn’t wait for Mortdh’s trial to end and escaped to the north with her seven Odus. Mortdh had no plans to submit to the gods’ verdict. Instead, he loaded a nuclear bomb on his plane and dropped it over the large assembly while they were deliberating how to bring him to justice.”

“He killed all the gods?”

Bridget nodded. “What we know, we pieced together from human records. Annani was hiding somewhere in the area of today’s Norway when he struck, so there wasn’t much she could tell us because she heard about it much later. It must’ve been a small bomb, and Mortdh probably believed the damage would be restricted to the immediate area of the assembly building, but he didn’t take into account the wind. He himself got caught in it and died along with the other gods. But it didn’t end with that. The easterly wind swept over the entire region, killing everything in its path. The devastation was so widespread that Sumer never recovered.”

“What about the immortals? Did any of them survive?”

Gulan’s family, her little sister Tula, were they all gone?

“Most of them perished. If any survived, they must’ve hidden among the human population and stayed in hiding to this day. We couldn't find any even though we searched and followed every rumor. Mortdh’s stronghold was up north in the area of today’s Lebanon, so it escaped the deadly wind. Whoever was there at the time is probably still alive. Unless they fell out of Navuh’s favor. Right, Dalhu?”

Dalhu nodded. “There were a number of executions over the years, but not many.”

Wonder pulled more tissues from the box and blew her nose. They couldn’t have all perished, she was proof of that. If she’d survived, others must've as well. Perhaps there were more immortals scattered around the area, buried under rubble, waiting for someone to find and revive them from their stasis.

“I can’t be the only survivor. There must be more gods and immortals buried in the ground. We just need to find a way to recover them.”

Bridget cast her a pitying look. “The gods are gone for sure because the assembly hall, where they were all present at the time, was hit with a nuclear bomb. None of them could’ve survived that. And if there are other immortals in stasis somewhere out there, they would be impossible for us to find.”

Desperately searching her mind for how some could’ve survived, Wonder could think only of those who joined Navuh’s caravan as Areana’s escort. If Navuh still lived, any immortals who’d been with him at the time should still be alive as well. “What about Areana and her entourage?”

“Who’s Areana?” Anandur asked.

“Annani’s half-sister who was supposed to mate Mortdh. She traveled up north to his stronghold on Navuh’s caravan. If he survived, so should she.”