Goddess’s Choice

by I. T. Lucas

  It was up to her to initiate the first contact.

  Not a problem. Annani was very good at taking charge. She was not the type of woman who waited for others to advance her agenda or prayed to the Fates to grant her wishes.

  Well, she did that too, but not without doing everything in her power to help providence along.

  4

  Khiann

  “You did well in there, son,” Khiann’s father said as they left the palace grounds.

  “I do not know why you would think so. I said very little.” Khiann had been surprised to find his voice at all, and even more so when it had come out sounding confident. Ahn was an intimidating god on any given day, and doubly so when a young god was having his first audience with the ruler of the realm and it was crucial for him to leave a good impression.

  Still, the official introduction had gone well, and he had managed getting his nerves under control. Until Annani had showed up, destroying his tenuous equilibrium. The young goddess was so stunningly beautiful that no man could take his eyes off her without using every last bit of his willpower to do so.

  She was an impossible to ignore distraction that had set Khiann’s heart aflutter and had tied his gut in knots. And to make matters even worse, Annani had flirted with him, taunting him with her coy smiles and meaningful glances as if they were alone in the throne room and not in the company of her parents, the rulers of the realm.

  Spoiled princess.

  Her intention had not been malicious. She was a young girl who had just recently come of age and was probably trying out her feminine wiles on every male at court, oblivious to the fact that she was jeopardizing Khiann’s first and most important audience with her parents.

  His father clapped his back. “You sounded confident and answered Ahn’s questions eloquently. That in itself is no small achievement for a young god like yourself. I could tell Ahn was impressed.”

  “I doubt that. I might have sounded confident, but I am sure Ahn scented my nervousness despite the amount of incense burning in that room.”

  “I did not smell anything, and I was sitting right next to you. But even if he had, this was exactly the way you should have felt. Ahn would have been suspicious if you showed no fear at all. He would have thought you reckless or even disrespectful.”

  It would have been beneficial to have this piece of advice before the audience. The experience would have been a lot less stressful.

  “I am glad I was not a disappointment to you, Father.”

  “Never. Now, go on and unwind. You deserve it after all this excitement.”

  Khiann bowed. “Thank you, Father.”

  He watched as everyone other than his squire departed, Navohn and his assistant riding in the carriage, their armed escort following on horseback.

  His father was a cautious man, never leaving the house without several bodyguards at his side, not even when going to an official meeting in the palace. On second thought, though, he might have done it more for the sake of appearances than safety concerns. It was a show of wealth.

  “So, how exactly do you want to unwind?” his squire asked.

  “A bucket of beer would do.”

  Esag grinned. “Are you going to share?”

  “No, I am going to finish it all by myself,” he said, watching Esag’s grin turn into a frown.

  Khiann let his friend stew for a few moments before taking pity on the idiot. “I am going to get one for me and one for you. Surviving an audience with Ahn calls for a celebration.”

  The grin was back. “You are most gracious, my lord.” Esag bowed his head in mock deference.

  They had been friends for too long to bother with formalities. Esag had been serving as Khiann’s squire for years, and right from the start he had become his best friend and confidant. Unless they had company who expected a servant to behave like one, Esag could say and do whatever he felt in the mood for.

  “Oh, so now that I am buying you beer I am suddenly ‘my lord’?”

  “Yes, your highness, or should I say, your hardness?” Esag winked.

  “Fates, was I that obvious? Did anyone notice?”

  “I did, and maybe the flirtatious tiny princess did as well, but the others did not see a thing. No one was staring at your crotch.”

  Khiann exhaled a relieved breath. “Thank the merciful Fates.”

  “She wants you.”

  Khiann waved a dismissive hand. “Annani is young and beautiful and probably flirts with everyone in court. Besides, she is promised to Mortdh.”

  Shaking his head, Esag took Khiann by the elbow and led him away from the main route. Once they reached a secluded area, he glanced around to ensure they were alone and far away from prying ears. “I know it is not my place to talk ill of a god, but Mortdh is not a good male. The princess deserves someone better.”

  Khiann cocked a brow. “Like me?”

  “Why not? She obviously likes you. If I were in her tiny shoes, I would have been doing everything in my power to escape an eternity of misery. Think about it. Her only chance of changing her future is to find a new suitor and declare him as her chosen.”

  Thinking of sweet Annani in the clutches of that cruel god felt like shards of stone were tearing his heart apart, but contrary to Esag’s naive assumptions, there was nothing Khiann could do to help her.

  “Political matings are not about love. Ahn seeks to keep the realm unified. A promise of future leadership as Annani’s mate is the only thing that keeps Mortdh from attempting to seize it by force now.”

  “I do not know much about politics and I care even less. I just feel sorry for the princess.”

  Indeed. With Mortdh as her mate, the shining bright star of their people might dim or even flicker out of existence. It was a dark future Khiann did not wish to contemplate. His only consolation was that it would be thousands of years before Ahn and Nai stepped down in favor of Annani. Many things could happen between now and then, and some calamity could befall Mortdh, freeing the princess.

  But that was in the hands of the Fates, and they did not always do the right thing.

  When they reached Ninkasi’s temple, servants rushed to provide a table for them, which was not easy since the place was full. But he had nothing to worry about. Every server in the tavern knew that Navohn’s son left generous tips.

  He and Esag were seated in no time.

  As Khiann observed the many patrons eagerly spending their gold in the tavern, he had to applaud the enterprising goddess’s cleverness. By referring to her chain of taverns as temples to worship her invention of beer, she had managed to sidestep the whole stigma attached to commerce.

  Not that there was anything shameful about it. Trade was considered a respectable occupation for humans and immortals, just not for gods. Gods were supposed to be above all material pursuits, which was ridiculous since they all lived in decadent luxury provided by their worshipers.

  “Two pails of beer, please,” Khiann ordered.

  “Yes, my lord.” Ninkasi’s servant bowed deep.

  Esag straddled the stool and leaned his elbows on the wooden table. “Imagine how you would have felt if your father promised you to some ugly hag.”

  “All goddesses are beautiful.”

  Esag quirked a brow. “Other than you know who, there are no other unmated goddesses currently available. So you either settle for a divorced one seeking a young male, or a lowly immortal. The third option is to wait for one to come of age or be born.”

  As if he did not know that. “I do not mind mating a nice immortal girl.” It was a lie; not the part about minding an immortal as opposed to a pureblooded goddess, but the one about mating with anyone other than Annani.

  Perhaps he would just remain unmated. That would be best. He could have as many immortal and human lovers as he pleased without committing to a female he did not love.

  Esag sighed. “I should not talk. My family promised me to Ashegan when I was five.”

  “What is wrong with Ashegan
? She is a beautiful immortal.”

  “Yes, but she is not the one I want. She is so vacuous that I cannot carry a conversation with her about anything other than gossip.”

  Ashegan’s family was wealthy. To secure her hand for Esag was a boon for his family and a chance of better matings for his two sisters. Immortal matings were as much about politics and securing alliances as godly ones.

  “If you were free to choose, who would it be?” Khiann asked.

  “I do not have anyone I am interested in. But the princess’s maid caught my eye.”

  Khiann chuckled. That was surprising. Out of all the girls Esag could have found attractive, Annani’s statuesque maid would not have been Khiann’s first guess, or the hundredth. “Gulan? She is huge!”

  Esag looked offended on her behalf. “She is tall, not huge. And that is a lot of woman to love.” He waggled his brows.

  “She can also pick you up and toss you across the yard. I have seen her do that.”

  The girl was freakishly strong, which was why she had been chosen as Annani’s companion—another layer of security to keep the mischievous goddess from getting in trouble.

  As if anyone could accomplish that.

  Annani was uncontrollable, and whoever thought otherwise either did not know her or was a fool. Not that he would ever dare call her father that. But parents were often blind when it came to their children. Ahn probably had no idea about half of the stunts his daughter had pulled. If he had, he would have never allowed her to leave her rooms without a cadre of bodyguards.

  5

  Annani

  “You are going to be the death of me, my lady.” Gulan’s hand twisting was becoming frantic.

  At this rate, she was going to rub the skin off her fingers.

  “Nonsense. You are immortal.” A third-generation, but still not someone who should fear death. Gulan’s mother was the immortal daughter of immortal parents, but her father was a human.

  Very unfortunate for her and her family.

  Hopefully, Gulan and her little sister Tula would secure good immortal mates. They would need to support their mother after their father died. Not that he was such a great provider, but the mother was even less so, lacking any money-making skills whatsoever.

  Gulan was saving every coin she earned as Annani’s maid and companion in case her family became dependent on her.

  “I do not like involving Tula in your schemes, my lady. She is too young for the whip.”

  Annani rolled her eyes. “You worry too much. No one is going to whip Tula or you. If I get caught, I will take the blame and say that I forced you two to obey me. With my reputation, no one is going to question that.”

  Gulan sighed. “Why do you need Tula, though? I can lie in your bed and pretend to be you while you are gone.”

  Annani put her hands on her hips. “Really? You are more than a head taller than I am. No one will believe it is me in the bed. And if I borrow your clothes, I will drown in them. Tula is just my size.” She pointed at the girl sitting on her bed.

  “She is twelve.”

  Annani grimaced. “I know. I do not need reminders about my diminutive size.”

  “What I meant was that she is just a child.”

  “No, I am not.” Tula spoke up for the first time, crossing her arms over her chest. “I already have my cycle, which makes me a woman.”

  Gulan bent at the waist to bring her face level with her sister’s. “You are a little girl who does not even have breasts yet. A human might be considered a woman at twelve, but you are not a human. You are an immortal, which means you are considered a child until your seventeenth birthday.”

  Tula pouted and jutted her chin out. “I am half human.”

  “There is no such a thing. You are either immortal or human. You cannot be half of each.”

  Annani waved a hand between the sisters. “If you girls are done arguing, I need Tula to undress.”

  Gulan bowed. “Yes, my lady.”

  After years of friendship and countless arguments, the girl still could not call Annani by her given name, not even when there was no one around.

  Tula went behind the dressing screen and removed her tunic, draping it over the top of it. “I am ready, my lady.”

  “Gulan, give your sister one of my dresses.”

  “Yes, my lady.”

  Clad in each other’s clothes, Annani and Tula examined their reflections in the mirror and sighed in unison.

  “I need to cover my hair,” Annani said. Her flaming red tresses were too distinct and unusual. Only gods and some of the immortals had hair that color and none in her exact shade. The commoner garb would not do much as far as hiding her identity as long as all that hair was visible.

  “Me too,” Tula said.

  Gulan handed them both long prayer scarves. “That is the best I could do.”

  It was a human custom to cover the head with a scarf when visiting the gods’ temples for worship. Very few of the immortals adopted the custom, and naturally none of the gods.

  Thinking, Annani tapped a finger on her lips.

  Her immortal guards could be easily thralled as she left the room, and she could then use the side corridors reserved for servants to exit the palace. Sneaking out was not going to be a problem. Outside the palace walls, she would pretend to be just another human female on her way to a temple.

  The problem was Tula and her black hair. No one went to sleep with a prayer shawl, and Annani’s red mane was unmistakable.

  A drying cloth, though, could work.

  “Gulan, fill up a tub with water, and get Tula a drying cloth to wrap around her head as if her hair is wet.”

  Tula giggled. “That will fool them.”

  “Hopefully, it will not be needed. If anyone knocks on the door, ignore them. They will assume I am sleeping.”

  Right then a knock sounded, and both Tula and Annani rushed to hide behind the screen.

  Gulan opened the door. “Thank you.” She took the flowers Annani had asked her guards for.

  To converse freely with her coconspirators, she needed to either get rid of the guards or cast a silencing shroud over her room. The problem with a shroud was that the guards would have felt it and gotten suspicious.

  Sending them on an errand was better.

  A little thrall had convinced them that it was okay to abandon their post. Nothing harmful, of course. Annani had been very careful to use as little as possible. After all, she cared for her guards dearly and was loath to inflict damage on their minds, which frequent thralls were known to cause.

  Fortunately, immortals could not thrall each other, just humans, and gods could thrall both immortals and humans but not each other. That limited the playing field somewhat.

  Now that the guards were back, they needed to switch to either hand gestures or low whispers.

  Once the tub was full, Annani used her fingers to communicate. Make some splashing noises, she told her maid.

  The girl nodded and dipped her hand in the water, moving it back and forth.

  “Oh, I just love taking baths,” Annani said out loud while wrapping the drying cloth around Tula’s hair.

  “Get in bed,” she whispered to the girl.

  Next, Annani braided her long hair, wrapped it several times around her head, and then covered it all with the shawl, pinning it in place with hairpins.

  She waited a few more minutes and then yawned audibly. “I am so tired. The bath was so relaxing that all I want to do now is take a nap.”

  “Yes, my lady,” Gulan said.

  “You and your sister can go. I do not need you while I am resting. Come back in two hours and bring me those sweet cakes I love from the market.”

  “Yes, my lady.”

  “And if you please, also tell the guards not to let anyone disturb me until you are back. I need my beauty sleep.”

  “Yes, my lady.”

  With Gulan’s arm wrapped around her shoulders, Annani did not even need to thrall the guards on
her way out, which made her feel a little less guilty about her deception. The guards were her friends, but unlike Gulan whose loyalty was first and foremost to Annani, the guards’ loyalty was to Annani’s father.

  Letting them in on her scheme would have gotten them in real trouble with him, the least of which would have been a whipping. Her father would have ordered them to be whipped first and then dismissed them from service, leaving their families without a source of income.

  “Do you know the way to Khiann’s house?” Annani asked as they entered the servants’ corridor.

  “Yes, I did as you asked. I went there last night before going home.”

  “Did you see Khiann?”

  Gulan blushed. “Yes, my lady. But he did not see me. I peeked from the other side of the fence. He was sparring with his squire. Esag.”

  The way Gulan whispered Esag’s name, it was obvious the blush had been all about the squire and not Khiann. Which was a relief. It would have been a shame if poor Gulan fancied the god. Khiann belonged to Annani.

  6

  Annani

  “The head cook is nearly blind,” Gulan said as she led Annani into Khiann’s family’s estate kitchen.

  “A human. Good, then we do not need to whisper.”

  “That is why I chose the kitchen as our entry.”

  The old cook turned to look their way. “How can I help you, young man?”

  Gulan blushed profusely. The cook did not see well enough to distinguish her facial features, and given her height he’d assumed she was a male.

  “I am Gulan, Lady Annani’s maid. My little sister has a school assignment about commerce, and my mistress suggested that I ask Master Khiann’s help. She said he is very knowledgeable on the subject. He and my mistress went to school together.”

  To Gulan’s credit, she did not sound timid or hesitant as she usually did. Perhaps it was because the cook was human and therefore not intimidating as far as she was concerned, or because he had made her angry by addressing her as a male.