by Dante King
How the hells did this guy know Elyse? And why did she seem so happy to see him?
The strange fellow was cowering in the corner like a mouse, obviously no threat to anyone. Elyse and I walked over to him.
“Cranton!” she said with a warm smile. “It’s been… how many years? How do you fare?”
The man called Cranton stood up, smiled awkwardly, and offered Elyse a knobbly hand, which she shook.
“M’lord,” he said to me, bowing. I had no idea how he knew I was a nobleman, or even if he knew, but I gave him a respectful nod in response.
“Cranton, this is Vance Chauzec, Lord of Brakith,” Elyse said. “Vance, this is Cranton, one of my fellow acolytes from the Irradiant Institute.”
Cranton beamed a friendly, gap-toothed smile at me. I caught a whiff of his breath, which punched me harder than his fists ever could have, and almost stumbled back from the smell. I did my best to pretend I hadn’t noticed it as I smiled back.
“I knew you were a nobleman, m’lord,” he said, still smiling. “Just from the way you carried yourself, m’lord. I’m always right about these things, m’lord—”
“Call me Vance, please. I’m not big on the whole ‘m’lord’ thing.”
“Right,” he said, chuckling, his already wide smile stretching even further across his hollow-cheeked face. “Vance. Nice name, I like it. Much better than stupid old ‘Cranton,’ huh?” He paused to chuckle. “Man, you even have a lord’s name! Not to mention the kind of looks that’ll have princesses falling at your feet. Are you engaged to Elyse or something? You’re totally her type.”
I laughed, and out of the corner of my eye, I saw Elyse blushing but also doing her best to suppress a pleased smile.
“No, no, Elyse and I are just friends,” I said.
“Ha!” He pointed at her. “I never thought I’d say this, Elyse, but I got there before you!”
He held up his left hand, and I was honestly surprised to see a wedding ring on one of his fingers. I felt like a total asshole for thinking it, but I couldn’t see how any woman would find this guy attractive enough to marry, even if he seemed pleasant enough.
“Cranton, I’m so happy to hear that! Is it Bertha?”
Oh man, this guy would have a wife called Bertha. I’d have bet she weighed about 400 pounds too. Sometimes, stereotypes exist for a reason. I’d only ever heard of one attractive Bertha, and she was from a fairy tale about a half-troll who made a living as a dungeon champion.
“Bertha the blacksmith’s daughter, yeah,” Cranton answered. “She works in her old man’s forge too now. She can pound out a sword like nobody’s business. Hey, uh, Vance, you don’t need a new sword or anything do you, my man? My wife, she can make blades better than any fella. Hells, she could snap most guys in Erst in half if she wanted to.” Again, he laughed, and my skin crawled.
Big Bertha indeed. I did my best not to laugh.
“I absolutely believe you,” I said, before tapping Grave Oath’s hilt. “But I prefer shorter blades.”
Cranton’s squinty eyes drifted down to Grave Oath—or at least I guessed they did, because it really was difficult to tell where the focus of his gaze was, with each of his eyes looking in a different direction—and he gasped.
“The Lord’s Brightness, man! That’s fucking Grave Oath! Or a Grayforge-certified replica at least!”
Huh. There did seem to be more to this guy than met the eye.
“This is no replica,” I said. “This is the real deal.”
“Shit. Can I… can I touch it?”
A scoff came from behind me, and I turned my head to see Isu standing, peering over my shoulder. Her jaw was set, turning her mouth into a fine line, and I figured I’d better keep Grave Oath sheathed for the moment. If Cranton here so much as touched the hilt, the former Death Goddess would probably gut him without a second thought.
“I’m sorry, my friend,” I said, “but I don’t lend my blade out to anyone. And since you seem to know just what Grave Oath is, I’m guessing you’ll understand why.”
His scrawny shoulders slumped, and he let out a long sigh, but he nodded. “Yeah, I figured you’d say that. I thought I may as well ask, though.” He flashed a gray tongue across cracked lips.
“Cranton’s a historian,” Elyse said. “He left the acolytes and decided to study history instead.”
“A fucking stupid decision,” he blurted out. “Should have stayed in the Irradiant Institute. Could have gotten Fated. Accommodation and food paid for by the Church of Light. Maybe a little coin for some black spice. The good shit, too. Instead, I’ve nothing more than the worst-off peasants, man. Nobody gives two goblin shits about history these days. Always preferred what happened in the past over the present, anyway, even if there’s no coin in it.”
I was about to respond with some encouragement when a burly ruffian shoved past me and lunged for Cranton, grabbed him by his collar, and dragged him over the table.
“Where’s the fucking gold you owe me, you little weasel?” the newcomer said. “Said you’d have it last week, but my purse is still empty. You remember what I told you then, Cranton, you ratfuck? No gold this week, I rip out one of those ugly, squinty little eyeballs of yours!”
“Please, please,” Cranton stammered, looking like he was on the verge of tears. “Just another week. Just one more week, and I’ll have it. Bertha and me, we just had a baby, and money’s been tight, and—”
“I’ve had enough of your excuses.” The man pulled a rusty dagger. “Tonight, you pay me. One way or the other.”
Chapter Twenty-Two
“Put the knife away, asshole, and walk away,” I said.
The ruffian shoved Cranton back into his chair and spun around to face me, his scarred face twisted in rage.
“Who the fuck are you?” he spat.
I considered telling the brute that I was a master assassin, as well as a newly transcended Death God, but I figured I’d lay it on lightly. This was still a night for celebrations, after all, and I didn’t want to ruin the mood.
“Cranton’s friend,” I said. “If you threaten him, you threaten me. Tell me how much gold he owes you, and I’ll pay it. As long as you promise to fuck right off and never look at him again.”
“You’ve got some nerve, pretty boy, thinking you can stick your nose where it don’t belong. I think maybe one of your eyeballs needs to be—”
I didn’t give the thug the chance to finish. I grabbed his wrist with one hand and his neck with the other and slammed him face-first into the table, jerking his arm up behind his back and twisting it hard, causing him to scream out and drop his knife.
“And you’ve got some nerve threatening me.” I gave his arm another twist, so that the bone was on the point of snapping. “Let me repeat my offer to you, with an additional condition: I’ll pay you whatever gold my friend owes you as long as you promise never to even look his way again, or I break both of your arms and maybe your jaw, too. Your choice.”
“Three gold pieces,” the man gasped, his jaw clenched with pain as I applied more pressure to his arm. “He owes me… three gold pieces.”
“Elyse, take my purse and count out three gold pieces for this shitbag.” I tightened my hold even more, and he whimpered and squirmed.
Elyse removed the gold pieces and placed them on the table in front of his face. “You do know I’m now the—”
“Elyse, you beautiful thing. Now’s not the time for introductions.” I turned to the asshole. “There’s your money, hag flaps. Take it and fuck off. And don’t bother my friend again—ever. I won’t be as kind to you next time, I guarantee you that.”
I released the thug from my hold, and he staggered to his feet, snatched the gold off the table, and hurried away.
“Thank you,” Cranton murmured, looking embarrassed. “You barely know me, but you stood up for me. You’re an honorable man, Vance.”
“I just don’t like assholes and bullies. And that jerk was both. Tell me though, what debt did
I just pay off for you?”
“Oh, uh… well, I’m a bit of a fan of, uh, greenfoil—”
“Greenfoil!” Elyse shook her head disapprovingly. “Cranton, I thought you were just on the black spice. This is something else entirely. No wonder you’re making foolish decisions like threading your fate with brigands like him.”
“Hey, greenfoil is the Nature Goddess’ ultimate medicine, man,” Cranton protested. “A little green takes you to the realm of the divine. Despite what the Lord of Light says in his scriptures, it’s really harmless. Besides, there’s an old verse somewhere that talks about how his rays shine on all the plants of the field. That’s gotta include greenfoil, don’t it?”
Elyse face-palmed and shook her head.
“I’m going to wet my lips,” Isu said as she went to the bar.
I shot a look at Rami. She was still standing by the entrance, nose turned up and hands never far from her sais.
“Hey!” Cranton said, “I’ve got some in my purse! Saving it for the long walk home. Greenfoil always makes the journey so much more interesting. I even have a pipe I can loan you. It’ll make the music dance in your ears, I guarantee it.”
Elyse looked as if she’d just seen him summon a demon. “Put it away, Cranton.”
“What about you, brother?” he asked me. “A little puff of greenfoil to liven up the evening?”
I chuckled and shook my head. “I need my wits about me for the next couple of hours, so I’m going to have to pass.”
Cranton sighed and stashed the greenfoil back into his purse.
The band of southerners launched into a well-known dancing tune, and Elyse sprang to her feet, her fury at Cranton already forgotten.
“This is one of my favorite songs!” she said. “Vance, shall we?”
I happened to like it too, and in any case, I didn’t need to be asked twice to dance with Elyse. I jumped up and flashed her a grin, then took her hand and led her through the crowd to where barmaids, drunks, and other locals were dancing.
The rhythm was slow and steady, and Elyse didn’t take very long to get into it. Soon, she was twisting her hips seductively, her arms raised above her head, writhing her body in a sensual, serpentine motion. I started to wonder how much I knew of Elyse. With friends like Cranton and moves like this, she couldn’t have always been the pious cleric she appeared to be.
I moved in close to her, my hips subtly gyrating in time to the rhythm, and matching Elyse’s motions perfectly. Our eyes locked as we danced, and we moved like two moths circling an invisible flame between us, drawn in closer and closer as the song went on.
I slid my hands onto her hips when I got close enough. In response, she flashed me an unmistakably flirtatious smile. Her lips parted ever so slightly, and the sight of her full breasts shifting beneath her figure-hugging white dress as she danced was very pleasing indeed.
As we moved together, Elyse asked me how I’d become a Death God, and I explained what had happened with Isu. Elyse didn’t laugh, and it actually seemed like she’d believed me.
I noticed Rami and Isu watching us dance. Rami, strangely enough, stared with desire in her dark eyes, as if she wanted to place herself between us and press her body against both of ours. It was a delicious thought, but I wasn’t sure how Elyse would like it. I had a feeling she wanted me to herself for this dance. Then again, she had surprised me before, especially when it came to this kind of thing.
Isu was glaring at both of us with pure jealousy. I chuckled when I saw it. The former Death Goddess was definitely a possessive one.
Elyse and I moved closer to each other, the distance between our bodies mere inches now. I slid my hands down around the back of her hips and dug my fingertips softly into her firm ass. She bit her lip and let out a subtle gasp and a giggle. She dropped her arms from above her head and draped them over my shoulders, and for a few moments, we simply stared into each other’s hungry eyes.
Before I could move in to kiss her, she spoke.
“Thank you for everything you’ve done for me, Vance,” she said. “I wasn’t sure you’d actually stay with me. Without you, I never would have regained my bishopric and title from Nabu.”
“Hey, I told you I’d help you, so I did. Keeping my word is very important to me.”
“Well, thank you all the same. It’s rare these days to find a man who does keep his word.” She smiled at me, but there were tears forming in her eyes.
“Is there something else?”
“I’m happy to have my position back,” she said, “but also… I’m sad.”
“Sad?”
“You still have to retrieve your own title and lands from your uncle. I’ll help you, but after it’s done, there’ll be no reason for us to continue working together.”
“I know this is your home,” I said, “and there’s a lot you’ll have to take care of now that you’re bishop.”
“But?”
“Have you forgotten what Nabu said? He’s not the only one serving the Blood God. No doubt there’s others doing more terrible shit in the Blood God’s name.”
Elyse allowed me to twirl her around, then pull her close to me again. “What would you have me do? Leave Erst? After everything?”
She didn’t seem offended. Rather, she looked like she wanted me to convince her that staying in Erst wasn’t the best use of her talents, or the best way to fulfil her role as Bishop of Erst.
“The way I see it, you still have a lot of work to do.”
“Erst needs me.”
“Prand needs you. The whole kingdom. Assign a few trusted senior priests to run things here for you for a while. Come with me, help me get my title and lands back from my uncle. Then stamp out the rest of these clowns who serve the Blood God. Erst will be waiting here for you when we’re done. Besides, you need to put your new powers to use. What better way than crushing the enemies of the Lord and cleaning up the kingdom?”
She smirked. “Technically, you’re an enemy of the Lord.”
I ignored her and pulled her closer, our bodies pressing against each other now. “Now that you’ve had a taste of dispensing justice, do you really want to stop here?”
She considered this as we continued dancing. Her breath was hot on my neck, her skin soft beneath my hands.
“You’re right,” she said eventually. “There are more people like Nabu out there, serving the Lord of Light with one hand and the Blood God with the other. And there are a few priests who I can trust to take my seat here temporarily.”
We danced for a short while longer, but then Elyse noticed Isu staring at us too. She leaned in close and whispered into my ear.
“You should be very wary of Isu, Vance. I know that she gave you your powers, and that you’re now stronger than her. But I still don’t trust her.”
“I’m the Death God now, not her. There’s nothing she can do to me.”
“Now that you’ve stabbed her with her own weapon, which was forged by her, to serve her. So, what’s to stop her doing the exact same thing to you when your back is turned? Don’t imagine that she won’t seek payment for your debt. You took her divinity away from her. I bet she’s willing to do just about anything to take it back from you.”
“I’m not scared of her. I’m not stupid, either.”
“I know. Just be careful around her. I’ll do my best to watch over you, but I can’t be around all the time.”
I smiled at Elyse as the musicians ended the song and started packing up. We walked back to the table and found Rami and Isu sitting with Cranton, who was telling them about the fountain in the center of Erst.
“Vance,” he said, “I heard you all were interested in Xayon.”
“You have information about the fountain?” I asked.
“Well, I’ve done a lot of research on Xayon and her old temples. Back before the Church of Light burned all of them down in the purge.”
“Elyse said the fountain has Xayon’s symbol on it.”
“Correct,” Cranton said.
“But there’s more, man. The fountain, and the rest of Erst, was built on a Temple of Xayon. One of the biggest in all of Prand. Old tomes and scrolls say that the temple was massive, man. Bigger than the Luminescent Spires.”
“Impressive. So, the fountain can give us access?”
“Could do, yeah. The temple had a huge network of underground tunnels. During the purge, Church architects flattened every part of it above ground.”
“Except for the fountain,” I said, growing a little tired of Cranton not answering my questions.
Cranton thrust up a finger and pointed it at me. “Winner! Someone get this man an ale! Or some greenfoil. You sure you don’t want to partake?” He flipped open his purse and grinned at me.
“No, thanks.”
“Tell the man about the wind-cursed fountain!” Rami suddenly blurted out.
“Okay, easy on the reins there, sister.” Cranton sighed. “I always wanted to stuff my pipe with some greenfoil and go exploring down there. The only stuff I’ve been able to find about it, though, hints at the fountain. Something about it leading the way to the tunnels. I’ve stared at that damn fountain for hours though, and I still haven’t figured it out. But man, I tell you, and I don’t want to be disrespectful or nothing, but I don’t think you’ll be able to just walk up, have a look around, press some hidden button, and open a secret door. ”
“Well,” I said, “maybe with a few fresh pairs of eyes, we’ll be able to find something you overlooked.”
“A pair of sober eyes, you mean,” Isu muttered. “This weed-addled fool knows nothing. We already intended to venture to the fountain.”
“We never knew about a temple, though,” I said. “Cranton, how about you take us down there?”
I doubted he’d be much of a guide, but leaving him to walk the streets alone might not be the best idea tonight. His thuggish acquaintance might be waiting for such a moment to get his revenge.
