Imprisoned Gods

by G. Bailey

  "I still haven't forgiven you for throwing me in here, you know that, right?" I say as he steps away, pausing, though he doesn’t look back. "That test would have killed me if I were evil. If I were lying to you about killing that god by accident, I would be dead. Now I'm locked in here because you wouldn't listen. I really hope someone comes for you two, to save you and get you back to your job, because when that happens, you are taking Jade and me with you. You know deep down that we shouldn't be here."

  "It seems I don't know anything, Karma," he softly replies, and I wonder what the little slideshow of his life showed him. He turns his head back to look me in the eye. "I did my job...but I am sorry. That's all I can say or do for now."

  "It's enough..." I reply and step back, shutting the door before he sees any more emotions from me. Dammit, these attractive guys are messing with my head. I glance at my bag, knowing the last thing I want to do is get bitten by a goblin to get my clothes out. Groaning, I pull myself away from the door and get the bag, opening the top and tipping the contents out on my bed. Kit bounces out my bag, glaring up at me as he hisses.

  "Sorry, Kit. Though, I have a new bed for you to hide under," I say, putting the bag down, pausing when I see my necklace pushed under the gap of the door and hear someone’s footsteps walking away. My necklace that Seth took off me and gave to Killian. Why would Killian give me it back? I pick it up as Kit hisses once more before jumping off and hurrying under the bed to no doubt make his new home. Bloody weird creature, that one is.

  I pull on my underwear, including my favourite red lacy bra before putting on my top and jeans. After putting my jar of peanut butter on the bedside table, I count that I have two more spare underwear and only one more top before I run out of clean clothes. I put all the clothes and my bag into the box at the end of the bed before hanging the wet clothes from the bathroom over the bathroom door for them to dry. I glance down at my necklace, feeling a million times better now I have it on. I'm not powerless exactly without it, but all my powers are mental and not physical, which I think won't help me here. Even if the charms don’t work, they make me feel better. Deciding it's best I have a look around, I walk to my door and pull it open, heading out into the corridor. I get to the stairs just as Jade is walking up them with Coxen. She is soaking wet, but damn, am I happy to see her alive.

  "Did I ever mention how much cats fucking hate cold water?" she says, stopping in front of me, huffing. "We really, really hate it. Like, swimming is not something I like to do unless it’s a spa."

  "I didn't think of that, but hey, at least you are alive," I say, trying to give her something to smile about.

  "Yeah, swimming and reliving all of my worst memories. This is just the best fucking day ever," she huffs, and I can't help the laugh that leaves my lips. My laugh must be infectious as she smiles before laughing herself. Even Coxen smiles.

  "We should find you a room," Coxen gently suggests, and our laughs drift off.

  "Good idea. I need to get dry," Jade says and then pauses. "But I don't have any other clothes to wear."

  "Storm is on his way back with clothes for you all. He went to the market not long after Karma came up," Coxen explains to us. "I'm sure Karma could wait downstairs for him and bring you some clothes up."

  "Would you?" Jade asks me.

  "Of course," I reply, crossing my arms. "I wanted to have a look around anyway." Jade smiles at me before heading back up the stairs, and I walk down to the bottom. I walk into the kitchen first, which is like no kitchen I've seen before. The counters are made of pure stone with dark wood surfaces, and above them are the same colour wood cupboards. Herbs and dried fruits hang from the cupboards, and under them are various kitchen utensils that are all handmade. The other side of the room has a long wooden table with enough wooden chairs to seat at least eight people. The room is lit up by lights, but they don't look electric as I can't see any wires. No, these are glowing orbs that hang around the place. They are everywhere, in all the rooms, on the ceilings, by the looks of it. I wander around the kitchen before leaving it and heading into the corridor just as the door slams open. Storm stomps in with a big bag on his shoulder, which he drops on the floor as Seth follows him in the room.

  "Hey, you survived!" I say, but he only glares at me before walking up the stairs, leaving us in an awkward silence.

  "He's an angry one, isn't he?" Storm points out the obvious.

  "I think I pissed him off on our one date," I reply, moving my gaze to Storm.

  "So, you two are a thing?" he asks.

  "Oh, nope, not one little bit. He hates me," I reply with a chuckle. "He literally ran away from me on our one time date a while back. I don’t have a boyfriend." I don’t know why I add that in, but his smile suggests he is happy. God, I don’t need to make the asshole happy. I don’t even know him.

  "Good. I'm glad to hear that," Storm remarks. I don't get to ask him why as he walks back to the door, holding it open as he turns his head back. "The clothes and shit you all might need are in there. I will be back for dinner." I watch him leave, shutting the door, and for some odd reason, the house feels colder without him in it, and I feel lost.

  20

  "Something smells good," Killian says, coming into the kitchen where Coxen is cooking dinner for us all, and I will admit it does smell good even though there is no meat. It's some kind of soup, by the looks of it, and fresh bread. Jade winks at me as Killian chooses to come and sit right next to me instead of any of the other spare eight seats. "How are you?"

  "Fine, considering I'm trapped in here and have no chance of seeing my family any time soon. You?" I sarcastically answer just as Storm comes into the room, followed by Seth.

  "Do you have a big family?" Storm asks me, choosing to sit opposite me while Seth sits next to his brother.

  "Well kinda. I have three brothers, one older and two younger," I tell him.

  "Don't forget the goat," Killian adds in, reminding me that he went to see my family at some point before finding me. "He told me I was a big shite."

  "That's a compliment," I reply, holding in a chuckle. It's really not, and damn, Michael is pretty awesome.

  "No, it really isn't," Seth remarks. "I won't even remark on what he called me before eating part of my jacket pocket."

  "You have a talking goat? One of the ancient creatures?" Storm asks as Coxen places bowls on the table and a tray of bread. I offered to help, but he insisted that on our first night, we do not do chores, but tomorrow he will make a list for us to share.

  "Yeah, he talks, but what is an ancient creature?" I ask, never having heard of that before.

  "When I was born, there were hundreds of them. Ancient creatures could talk, teleport and sometimes create elements to defend themselves or protect their god, though many of the lines were destroyed, like unicorns or phoenixes. I've heard they are nothing more than myths now," Storm quietly says, though there is a tinge of sadness in his voice that makes me really look at him for a moment. Though he looks no older than thirty, there is something about his voice, his manner and that comment on ancient creatures, suggesting he is a lot older than his looks. The only issue with that idea is that only higher gods are immortal.

  "What the hell kinda god are you?" I ask, and it only makes him laugh. "And how are you immortal?"

  "When you know me better, I will answer that. Why don't you tell me what you did to get locked up here, little Karma?" he counters. Two can play that game.

  "When you know me better, I might tell you," I reply as Coxen brings a big bowl of soup to the table, sliding it into the middle and sitting down in his seat next to Jade. Storm only smirks at me, like I've just issued him the best challenge of his life, and I roll my eyes at him. We serve ourselves soup and bread before tucking into our meal. It's brilliant, and if Coxen always cooks for me, I'm sure I’m never going to miss meat again. Okay, that's a lie...I need a juicy bacon hamburger and a kebab after a night out drinking like everyone else does. Crap, do they even have wine her
e?

  "Thank you, Coxen," Seth is the first to thank the cook, and we all say the same, which makes his cheeks light up in a cute pink colour.

  "Why are you idiots in here then?" Storm asks Killian and Seth, dropping the room into silence. I glance at Jade, who looks as awkward as I feel about that question.

  "We don't know, but it has something to do with Karma. I'm sure someone will come and get us out soon," Seth responds.

  "Yeah, that doesn't happen, so you will be waiting a long time," Storm sourly replies to him and smiles at me. “You are going to be trouble, aren’t you, Karma?”

  "That's what you think," Seth replies to Storm’s first comment with a huff before I can say a word, and Storm’s expression quickly returns to annoyance once more.

  "It's what I know," Storm retorts, and his purple eyes somewhat start to glow for a second. Despite the fact it's pretty, it's fucking terrifying with the look on his face.

  "We don't want to argue, that is going to get us nowhere," Killian awkwardly says, clapping a hand onto Seth's shoulder. "Right, bro?"

  "Right," Seth eventually replies, and Storm rests back, crossing his arms.

  "A bit of advice, because I'm the fucking nice guy, don't leave the house for a few weeks," he tells them both.

  "Why?" Killian asks.

  "Your family locked up everyone in this place, and you added a fair chunk. That test I made you do, everyone here has done. That means they are good souls, but even good people can't resist getting revenge on the ones who locked them up," he warns them.

  "We got it," Killian tensely replies, pushing up off the table. He looks down at me for a second, and there is so much guilt in his eyes before he leaves the room with Seth following after him.

  "Can I help you clean up, Coxen?" Jade asks as Coxen starts picking up the plates. He nods, and I help her pile the plates before she takes them to the sink with Coxen.

  "Tomorrow morning, I'm taking you for a tour," Storm informs me.

  "Are you now?" I reply.

  "What else are you going to do here?" he asks, and he has me there. It takes me a few seconds to come up with an idea.

  "Plan a way to escape," I reply, and he only laughs. Why am I starting to like his feckin’ sexy laugh?

  "I will be waiting for you in the morning. It's a date," he grins, looking happy that he got his own way.

  "It isn't a date!" I shout after him, hearing his laugh for a response before he disappears around the corner. What a feckin’ eegit!

  "Seems you have a date," Jade chuckles as she comes to get more of the plates off the table.

  "No, I have one feckin’ asshole who thinks he is getting a date when in reality he has another thing coming entirely," I remark, but Jade only grins at me before walking off. Why does it feel like Storm is going to be nothing but trouble?

  21

  I brush a hand across my face when I feel something tickling my nose before I roll over and bury my head into my pillow. Suddenly, something pulls my hair hard, and I cry out, sitting up and widening my eyes at the sight of Kit sitting on my pillow, a big clump of my curly red hair in his tiny hand.

  "What the feckin’ hell is wrong with you?" I ask him, rubbing my head where it is sore from the missing clump. Kit just points a little finger towards his mouth, and I sigh. I know exactly what is wrong; he is hungry.

  "Even if you are hungry, you can't go around pulling my hair out while I'm sleeping. I might accidentally stab you or something," I remark, and Kit makes a sound that suspiciously sounds like a laugh as I climb out of bed, feeling the cold floor under my feet as I go to the box at the end of my bed. I pull my bag out, searching in the side compartments until I find a packet of biscuits that my mum must’ve packed for me. There are also a few tea bags in the pocket to no doubt have with the biscuits. I wish I could give her a thank you hug. I swallow the sadness that builds in my throat when I think about my mum and how worried she must be, never mind the thought I might not see her again. Reminding myself to be strong can only last for a little while.

  I remember how determined Seth looked about someone coming to rescue him and Killian, so there is hope there. I need to get close to Seth, at least close enough that he might tell me more about this rescue plan of his.

  "Here you go. Make it last as I don't know how long we are going to be here." Kit, the greedy bastard, steals the biscuit I offer him and jumps off the bed, taking it and my hair, like a prize he won, with him. There is no description of crazy that suits Kit enough to call him it. I quickly use the bathroom before coming back into the bedroom and looking at the pile of clothes Storm got for us. After searching through the three long dresses that are handmade—pretty but not me at all—and finally getting to the bottom of the pile, I find a long black top and black shorts. I pull them on, tucking the shirt on one side into the shorts before pulling my shoes on and running a brush through my hair, which does little to control its crazy ass. I pick up my jar of peanut butter and my tea bags before leaving my room and going down the stairs.

  I turn into the kitchen, pausing at the sight of a topless Killian cooking breakfast. I nearly drop my precious peanut butter as I mentally drool over his firm, muscular back that swoops down into a tight waist. It only gets worse as he turns around, showing me his large chest that is toned, and he has a tattoo over his heart which is a circle made of knots, yet there is nothing inside it. I gulp as I look down at his crazy perfect six pack and the v-line that disappears into his low hanging joggers.

  "Your jaw is on the floor, Karma," Killian says.

  "It isn't, you are seeing things. This is nothing," I say, nodding at his chest as I walk to his side, placing the peanut butter on the side and the tea bags next to it.

  "The way you just looked at me could never be described as nothing. I won't forget it, that's for sure," Killian responds.

  "Are you always this charming and romantic?" I ask him.

  "Are you always this good at avoiding everything?" he counters, but he doesn't wait for an answer as he picks one of the tea bags up. "Yorkshire tea, the best kind. I'm a big tea fan."

  "I don't mind a cup of tea, but I'm more a peanut butter fan. You can have the tea if you want," I offer, and he looks down at me with a surprised smile.

  "You don't have to give me them," he tells me.

  "I want to, honestly. Though that French toast looks awesome and would be a great thank you trade," I tell him, accidently sweeping my hand across his muscular arm. Yep, that was a total accident alright.

  "Alright, but I was making the house breakfast anyway," he tells me, grinning as he offers me a plate to hold and slides the toast off the pan onto it. I find a knife and cover my toast in peanut butter before going to sit at the table.

  "You're up early anyway. I didn't have you down as a morning person," he says as he carries on cooking.

  "I'm not, are you?" I ask, avoiding the reason I'm up early.

  "I like mornings, call me weird. There is something about watching the sunrise and loving the pure silence...but then I realised this morning, you can't see the sunrise in here. There is something deeply fucked up about that," he mutters, leaving me a little lost for what to say to him. "At least it is quiet though."

  "So how long have you been a god of justice? Are the rumours true that you are immortal while in service?" I ask him, because why not? I've heard a million rumours about the famous gods of justice, and I'm curious what is true.

  "Since our father was killed by the higher gods about fifty years ago...and yes, we became immortal from the moment we inherited his powers," he explains to me.

  "What do you mean he was killed?" I ask.

  "Have you not heard the rumour about the curse of justice?" he asks as he continues cooking, and I try to rack my brain about why that sounds familiar, but nothing comes to mind. When I don't answer, he looks back to see my blank face, and he sighs. "The powers of justice are a strong thing to control, and they are similar to the higher gods’ powers. So, one of my ancestors gr
ew too powerful, too old and lost all control. He attacked the higher gods, and they had no choice but to kill him and then pass a law called the curse of justice."

  "Why would he attack them? What is the curse of justice?" I ask, captivated by his story, though he doesn't look at me much as he talks.

  "The curse of justice is a law that states when a god of justice turns a hundred years old, they must be killed, and their child will take on the powers for the next hundred years," he explains to me.

  "That's insane. I'm so sorry they killed your father," I whisper. “They gave you a death sentence because of your powers.”

  "He wasn't a good father to us, so don't worry," Killian replies.

  "What do you mean by that?" I ask him.

  "My father didn't want anyone to be a new god of justice, and he never meant to get my mum pregnant. She died in childbirth, he was horrified he had twins. As a result, we were brought up in foster homes, not told we were gods until the day my father was killed," he explains to me. “As kids, we saw magical things no one else did and never had anyone to explain it to us. It wasn’t easy.”

  "Sounds like the higher gods are still lording it up," Storm coldly remarks, and my head shoots to see him leaning against the door, biting into an apple. "Also, I overheard your conversation. There is one part of the prison that gets natural light, and you can see the sunrise. It's full of apple, lemon and orange trees. I will show you it later if you want."

  "Thanks," Killian replies, nodding his head once. "I made breakfast if you want some." Seems like someone is making friends. Why does it make me happy? I shouldn’t care; I don’t really know these guys.

  "Maybe later, but thanks. I'm stealing little Karma for the morning," Storm replies.

  "For the love of gods, stop calling me little," I snap before eating the rest of my toast in annoyance.

  "But you are so little," Storm replies with a smirk at my annoyance. “Don’t worry, I think it’s cute.”