A/N Thanks to all my reviewers. I got three new readers, and thank you for your reviews sleepy.kat.zzz, kat-tak. And a special thanks to jollyrancherj2k. That was probably the best review I've ever had. LOL. Enjoy!

Chapter fifteen: Gods

The gods sat above the clouds in chairs that were impossible to describe in words, there beauty was so captivating. Each chair was placed between two pillars that formed an arch in a continuous circle. The floor was made of a clear substance that rippled like water with each step, yet was solid beneath their feet.

A new God had joined the ranks. His name was Misiki and he was the god of Destiny. His chair was seated between the Goddess of Virtue, Shikon and the God of war, Amouris. He had come to this place ten years before after passing away, but ten years was paltry to the Gods.

They had gathered in this open Chamber of Wonder to discuss the proceedings that had been taking place on Earth. As Misiki looked about him, he noted with amusement that hadn't died when he had, that Tortall's gods along with the gods of every other culture, including his own, gathered here.

We aren't so different, he thought. But the time for pondering was over. He was being called through telepathy. Everything up here was done in telepathy. Sometimes Misiki yearned for human ways, to simply hear a spoken voice. But he was no longer human. He was a god. And he had to give up his human ways.

"How goes things in Tortall?" a whispery voice asked. He had yet to be able to discern who was speaking to him, but here it did not matter. No matter who was speaking, all would here.

"The humans you feared would be difficult are easily persuaded while they sleep. The King, in particular, was easy to convince. He let Novellee—" he faltered over the name, but continued, "He let her off the hook with out a second thought. Alanna, the woman knight, was also difficult, she was very suspicious, but she is the Mother's pet, so I expected it and didn't give up. Every one else accepted it easy enough."

"And the chamber?" another, deeper voice asked. "It to was easy to control?"

"I had a little difficulty, but once I explained what I wanted and what the cause was, it agreed easy enough." He sat back, and allowed them to discuss other matters. His part of the meeting was over.

They knew what he had to do for Novellee to take the right actions to save Tortall, and this was simply an update on his progress. He gave a sigh, another human trait that he had yet to give up.

He felt regret, another habit that died hard, for what he was placing Novellee though. He had no doubt that she thought herself crazy, as did others. But playing with her dreams was the only way to make her see what she had to do.

And coming to Earth to lead her to the man who would start her off in the right direction, had been an adventure in itself. Even if it did sadden him when he had returned.

His thoughts fell to the man, Burdock. He was the one who would make the most difference. The fate of Tortall, of basically the whole world, rested on the deciding factor. If Novellee could learn to trust Burdock with her past.

Of course, many other things needed to happen to end the evil plans against the world. But none of them would come about unless she put faith in Burdock and trusted him. With out that, nothing would happen.

But he couldn't explain any of this to her. If he did it would defeat the purpose of gently guiding her in the right direction and allowing her to make her own decisions, just as she was not allowed to directly tell the Tortallan's anything. They had to figure it out for themselves and she would confirm if it was true. He was a god now, and it was frowned upon to come in direct contact with a human. He had bent the rules a little at first, but the other gods would allow it no more.

The only way he had left to instruct Novellee was through her dreams. At night, he would enter them, telling her things that she needed to know, showing her mental pictures of important places and people and objects. She would remember none of these things until they were needed.

He didn't like being a god as much as he had thought he would. It was lonely. When he had died, so suddenly, and he had been taken into this very room, they had offered him a chance to live forever as a god.

He had accepted the chance. His life had been taken so fast, that he hadn't really thought through all his actions, the consequences. Now, he was stuck up here, detached from humanity.

He no longer needed to breath, and his heart didn't pound. In all aspects, he was dead. His life had ended that night when he had died. But he wasn't granted the sweet oblivion of death.

Misiki had taken on this task in hopes that, if it were completed successfully, he would be given a chance to reconsider and be allowed to enter the resting place of the dead.

Because the prospects of never being able to see his loved one's again, never see them smile, here them laugh, hold them when they cried, wasn't an option he wanted to face.

So now, he prepared to enter the dreams of one who would guide Novellee best to accomplish her task, for not only did the worlds fate rest on her shoulders. His fate did too.

$$

Down on earth, Alanna stirred in her sleep as a dream took shape, a dream that was the beginning of a string of dream that held more information then she knew.

A/N I know, it's short, but there was nothing else to this chapter. Review and tell me what you thought.

Nubia