Deliverance: Book Three Finale (Gods and Slaves Series 3)

by Nicholas Bella

  Some time had passed while the two gods made small talk with the one human in hopes to get to know one another better. He was now asking them all of the questions that had been on his mind. “Now that you have created an improved world, does that mean you will be leaving?” Mateo asked either god with a bit of sadness in his voice.

  Eloy smiled. “Not for some time. No need to worry, Mateo.”

  “The new commandments are still in the beginning phase,” Simeon added.

  “But after that?” Mateo asked.

  Eloy grabbed his hand, kissing the back of it. “I am not going anywhere, Mateo.”

  Mateo stared at Eloy for a few seconds before he felt overcome with not only joy, but every emotion he’d been holding inside. He leaned in and kissed Eloy and when he pulled back, a single tear rolled down his cheek. Eloy reached over, wiping it away with his thumb.

  “Why do you cry?” he asked.

  “Because I am happy, happier than I ever thought I’d be. Happier than maybe I have any right to be,” Mateo said.

  Eloy smiled. “I know that feeling well these days.”

  Simeon darted a glance at the two males in the backseat and smiled. This was what he wanted for himself and for his fellow gods. Unfortunately, he had never found true love, not with a human or with one of the other gods. But he didn’t feel envious of what Eloy and Mateo now shared. Whether or not the words were ever spoken, it was there nonetheless. The three continued to talk to pass the time away, then eventually, Mateo drifted off to sleep.

  “I should learn how to drive,” Eloy noted as he watched Simeon steer the automobile with seemingly effortless skill.

  “You really should, it is exhilarating.” Simeon turned down the road that lead to Eloy’s temple.

  “You are welcome to stay, my friend, after such a long journey. Even gods need rest,” Eloy said.

  “And I shall, I was planning on inviting myself if you did not. All of this driving is not only exhilarating, but also exhausting,” Simeon said, then gasped as he slammed on the brakes.

  The car jolted to a stop, the force of the motion jarred Mateo out of his peaceful sleep in Eloy’s arms. “What is wrong?” Mateo asked as he looked at the two gods who were staring forward. He then turned to see what they were looking at and saw the god, Kijani, standing before them, blocking the road to Eloy’s temple.

  “Let me deal with this,” Eloy said, then unraveled his arms from Mateo and exited the car. He approached Kijani, stopping a few feet from him. “Why are you here?”

  “I will not allow you to make the foolish mistake of falling for a human, one who will die in but a handful of years. Nor will I allow you to condemn us to a mortal’s lifetime because of your weakness for these humans,” Kijani stated.

  “Go home, Kijani, you will not stop me from living my life with Mateo,” Eloy said, standing his ground.

  “I did not want to do this, Eloy, but you leave me no other choice,” Kijani said, then he raised his right hand and made a fist. Just then, the ground began to tremble violently and a deep crack formed between them that raced toward the car Simeon and Mateo were still sitting in.

  “No!” Eloy screamed as he saw the ground open up and begin to swallow the car, but not completely as a powerful gust of wind lifted the car several feet in the air, spinning it a few yards away from the hole that almost consumed them. The car landed hard, bouncing as the windows shattered, two tires flattened, and the frame buckled in certain places. Both Mateo and Simeon quickly climbed out. Mateo was bleeding from a fresh wound on his forehead, but ultimately was all right.

  “Stand behind me,” Simeon commanded Mateo, who followed orders. “Kijani, stop this madness!”

  “Do not interfere, Simeon. I do this for all of us. Eloy’s selfishness will be our ruin,” Kijani growled.

  Eloy leaped across the wide crack in the ground, toward Kijani. “It is you who is selfish!”

  “You would have us as weak as you,” Kijani snarled.

  “Is being mortal so bad?” Eloy asked.

  “Yes,” Kijani growled, then directed more of his power to collapse the ground beneath Simeon and Mateo and both had to lunge out of the way. The ground continued to crumble like dry dirt as they crawled desperately to avoid being swallowed up by the hole that was chasing them.

  Eloy punched Kijani as hard as he could, sending the god rolling, then skidding across the ground. The action ceased Kijani’s powerful attack against Mateo and Simeon. He knew Simeon would survive the fall, but Mateo wouldn’t survive being swallowed up by the earth. This had to end now. He stormed over to Kijani and punched him again, this time bloodying his nose. Only a god had the power and strength to cause harm to another god.

  “Do not make me do this, Kijani, please,” Eloy begged, before punching Kijani again.

  This time, Kijani was able to block the blunt force of the blow and shove Eloy off him. He climbed to his feet and charged Eloy, roaring in rage as he did. Eloy’s eyes widened when he saw the wildness in his friend’s eyes. There would be no reasoning with him, not now, at least. He was on the defensive as Kijani delivered blow after blow, and was able to block half of them. He grunted when he was struck by Kijani’s fists, feeling pain for the first time in centuries. He countered one of Kijani’s punches with one of his own, sending the god staggering backward, and he followed it up with a burst of flame as a warning.

  “Do not make me do this, Kijani!” he pleaded once he had the god’s attention. Kijani stared hard at him, his expression full of pain and resentment. Both of them were bleeding from various wounds that were already healing.

  “It is you who is making me do this,” Kijani stated, then he raised both of his hands, causing the whole area to rumble. The trees toppled, crashing to the earth as more cracks in the ground formed and opened wider. Eloy knew this was Kijani’s final attack. No way would Mateo have a safe space to run to. His chest heaved with the rage he felt at Kijani’s actions, but he knew… knew that somehow it might come down to this moment. Eloy leaped forward, tackling Kijani, wrapping both of his hands around the god’s neck.

  “Eloy,” Mateo cried out, forcing Eloy to turn to him.

  Eloy’s eyes bulged when he saw Mateo grasping for the ground as his body hung into the abyss. Simeon was struggling to free his feet from where the ground had trapped him thanks to Kijani’s skillful attack.

  “Mateo!” Eloy screamed as he released Kijani’s throat, freeing the god, who coughed and gasped for air. He raced over to Mateo, leaping over cracks and holes until he reached him. He grabbed Mateo’s wrists with both of his hands. “Hang on!” he said as he began to pull Mateo from the seemingly bottomless pit he’d been dangling over. He pulled Mateo up and Mateo scrambled out of the hole and into Eloy’s protective arms. His heart was pounding more fiercely than it ever had when he was in the arena.

  “Kijani, stop!” Simeon yelled just as he managed to break free of the earth by using his wind to brush the soil away.

  Eloy looked up just in time to see Kijani rush toward them, knife in hand. Simeon leaped in front of them just as Kijani’s blade came down toward Eloy’s chest. Instead, it struck Simeon, piercing his flesh and bone until it reached his heart. Simeon gasped in pain as blood began to seep from the wound. Kijani backed up, his mouth open in shock at what he’d done.

  “What did you do?” Eloy yelled. He let go of Mateo to grab Simeon, who was laying helplessly on his lap, having sacrificed himself to save him. Eloy quickly inspected the weapon, seeing the ornate jeweled handle and noting its celestial origin. “It is a god’s blade. Oh Simeon, no… no… no.” Eloy’s hands trembled as he reached for the blade, removing it. “Please heal,” he prayed, although he knew it was futile. For a god, being stabbed with one of the four God’s Blades was their end.

  Simeon gasped for air as blood bubbled up from his mouth. He reached up, his hand shaking as he placed his hand over Eloy’s, patting it softly as if to tell him it was “okay”. Eloy’s lips trembled with both rage and
sorrow as he watched the blood pour from the wound in Simeon’s chest. He shook his head as tears began their descent down his cheeks as he felt heartbreak for his friend.

  “I am sorry, Simeon,” he said.

  “I am not. Li…live… Eloy… lo… love,” was all Simeon could muster to say as his life began to drift away.

  Eloy pressed his forehead to Simeon’s and growled in his ire. He could feel the heat rise up within him, boiling like a volcano ready to erupt. He looked up at Kijani with eyes redden with tears, he teeth bared in his fury. “You did this!”

  “I… I did not—” Kijani stammered.

  “Enough!” Eloy roared. “Goodbye, Kijani,” he said before using his ability to engulf the god in an orb of fire.

  Kijani screamed as the flames singed his flesh. He called upon his own power to encase the flames, to smother them with dirt. The flames started to die out until a gust of wind blew the dirt away and gave new life to the flames, creating an inferno surrounding Kijani. The god flailed about, his arms waving erratically as the fire devoured him alive. The two gods continued to burn Kijani until his body fell to the ground, lifeless and charred beyond recognition. They watched, both crying as Kijani’s soul departed his body in a golden mist that ascended to the sky. They knew that Hersi had called the god home finally, now that his human vessel had been destroyed.

  Eloy sighed, then looked down at Simeon right before the god took his final breath. He then watched as Simeon’s soul left his vessel in a golden hue toward the heavens. He leaned down, kissing Simeon’s forehead. “Thank you, my friend. May Hersi welcome you with peace and love, for you were always the best among us.” Gently, he placed Simeon on the ground, then turned his attention to Mateo, who was also crying.

  “I… I am sorry,” Mateo said.

  Eloy shook his head. “It was not your fault,” he said, then wrapped his arms around Mateo, holding him close to his chest. He felt Mateo’s arms around his back, squeezing as hard as he knew the human was capable. He kissed the top of Mateo’s hair, which was covered in dirt from Kijani’s attacks.

  “Come, Mateo, it is not safe here,” Eloy said, then carefully rose to his feet on the unstable ground. He helped Mateo rise, then lifted Simeon’s body and gently put it over his shoulder. He led the way through the cracks and crevices, passing Kijani’s charred remains. He stopped for a second to mourn his friend, saddened that his jealousy had led them to this moment. “May Hersi be merciful to you, Kijani. We will see each other again.”

  “Are you going to leave him?” Mateo asked.

  “I will return for his body once I get you to the safety of my temple,” Eloy explained. “Let us go.”

  Eloy walked off and Mateo followed as carefully as he could. The cracks were numerous and he didn’t want to put too much weight on the ground itself as pieces still crumbled as they traveled through the maze Kijani had created. Finally, they were out of the danger zone and the rest of the journey toward Eloy’s temple was without worry and only half a mile away.

  Eloy placed Simeon’s corpse on the bed that he would have slept in had he’d been alive. The room was lavish and designed to please any god. Eloy felt it was fitting. There was a frantic knock on the door and Eloy beckoned the servant in.

  A young man rushed and bowed. “God Eloy, the goddess, Odessa, is waiting to speak with you on the phone,” he announced.

  “Thank you,” Eloy said. “Please transfer her call to this room.”

  “Yes, god Eloy,” the servant said, then rushed off as to not keep either god waiting.

  Eloy walked over to the telephone on the nightstand and waited until he saw the light indicating that the call had been successfully transferred. When he did, he picked up the phone and pushed the button.

  “Odessa,” he said.

  “What happened?” she asked.

  “Kijani attacked Simeon, Mateo, and I. He was mad with rage and would not adhere to reason. He tried to kill Mateo and when he realized he could never have me, he tried to kill me. Simeon sacrificed himself to save us and together we had no choice but to kill Kijani,” Eloy informed her.

  “It is what this one had feared. Oh, for Hersi’s mercy… this one’s heart is heavy with so much grief as I felt their souls ascend,” she said.

  Eloy could tell by the tone of her voice that she was still crying. “I felt it and saw them ascend. Let us pray that Hersi welcomes them with forgiveness and love.”

  “By Hersi’s blessing, yes,” Odessa said. “Oh, how is Mateo?”

  “He is alive.”

  “This one is pleased to hear that. This one will give her blessing to Simeon and Kijani.”

  “Together, we can,” Eloy said. “Come tomorrow, please, Odessa. I need time with Mateo tonight.”

  “This one will accommodate. Until then.” She ended the call and Eloy hung up.

  Eloy turned to Mateo, who had not left his side. “I am going for Kijani now. Stay here.”

  “I can go with you?”

  “No, it is far too dangerous.” Eloy approached him, taking him by both arms. “I will not ever put you in danger again.”

  “You did not, though,” Mateo argued.

  Eloy gave him a sad smile. “But I did. First, with the Games, then by not addressing Kijani’s jealousy before this night. At any of those points, I could have lost you, Mateo.”

  Mateo stepped forward, hugging Eloy. “But you did not. I am here, Eloy. Forever with you.”

  Eloy kissed his temple. “And I with you. Still, stay here.” He pushed Mateo away gently, then kissed him again, this time on his lips before walking off. He didn’t take long to retrieve Kijani’s body and he placed his corpse on the bed beside Simeon’s. Once that task was done, he searched for Mateo, finding him in his bedroom.

  “It is done?” Mateo asked as he sat on the edge of the bed, fully clean and wearing one of Eloy’s gold togas.

  Eloy nodded as his eyes raked over his human lover, taking in all his beauty and strength. He smiled. “It looks good on you, my toga.”

  Mateo looked down at the garment. “I hope you do not mind.”

  Eloy shook his head. “Never.”

  The human managed to not only survive the fights in the arena, but also an attack from a god. He truly was remarkable to Eloy. He walked over to him, taking a seat on the bed, then reached over, caressing Mateo’s face.

  “Human beings really are something to behold. For so long, I did not understand nor did I appreciate that fact. I took for granted my own power and succumbed to the most base of instincts my human body had. Lust, greed… Kijani gave into his envy. He wanted from me what I could never give him. Because I had already given it to you,” Eloy said.

  Mateo opened his mouth, but no words came out. He licked his lips and tried again. “What?”

  “My heart. Something we had vowed to never give to a human for to do so would render us mortal,” Eloy confessed.

  Mateo stared at him, and again his tears could not be withheld. “Your heart,” he whispered.

  Eloy nodded, then took Mateo’s hands into his own. “Mateo… these words I am about to say to you will make me mortal. As mortal as you are now… though I will keep my ability to control fire. My flesh will be as vulnerable as yours is now. I will age as a normal human ages and will be susceptible to all things humans fall prey too.”

  Mateo shook his head desperately as he gripped Eloy’s hands. “Then do not to say them, please!” His gazed in Eloy’s eyes, pleading for his lover to not sacrifice his power for him.

  Eloy reached up, caressing Mateo’s face. “I must, for I would rather be mortal than to go on with you never hearing them fall from my lips.”

  Mateo’s mouth dropped open. “I… I do not want you to die.”

  “With you by my side, I do not fear it. You have given me the strength to endure and as long as we are together, there is nothing we cannot overcome,” Eloy said.

  “Eloy,” Mateo said… it was all he could say.

  “Mateo…
I love you,” Eloy said, then he gasped as a jolt shot through his body.

  Mateo wrapped his arms around Eloy, holding tightly as the god lost his god invulnerability. Eloy groaned as his body remained rigid. Mateo didn’t know if it was painful or otherwise, he just wanted Eloy to know he’d never leave him. “I love you too,” he said.

  Eloy gasped again as his muscles relaxed and he sunk into Mateo’s embrace. “I love you, Mateo, and I always will,” he said through feeble pants.

  “I will never leave you, Eloy,” Mateo promised as he held his lover in his arms. Life would be different for them both, but he was ready to take it on as long as Eloy was by his side. To experience what real love felt like was a dream come true. It made him strong. It made him happy and in its own way, it made them both immortal. For Mateo, he now had a life worth living… with Eloy.

  EPILOGUE

  Mateo climbed out of the car and rushed into the hut he had once shared with his mother and sister. He called out their names as he approached, praying that they were still there. “Isabella! Madeline!”

  Before he could reach the entryway of the wooden hut, both women came rushing out. His mother screamed as she fell to her knees, shocked to see that her son was alive. His sister ran into his arms, hugging him for dear life. Her grip as was tight as she could make it. Mateo held his sister, crying as she was. Both were so happy to see each other.

  “I missed you so much,” Mateo said as he kissed the top of her head.

  “I have missed you too. Mama and I thought you were dead,” Isabella said.

  “I feared the same for you.”

  She released her brother enough to look at him. “Kijani’s cock, you are huge!”

  Mateo laughed. “Not that huge.”

  “Not how you used to be. What happened to you?” she asked.

  “I will tell you, but first, let me see mama,” Mateo said.

  “Oh… right,” Isabella released him so he could go to their mother, who had still not found the strength to stand.

  “Mama,” Mateo said as he dropped to his knees to hug her.