And she pointed out of the window to a rock-face close to the palace.
'I have heard of staff stocking it, it must be there and it has an entrance on top. But you will have a hard time finding it since no-one can see through rock. I'm sorry. If you find him, please don't kill him, he's actually a very nice guy, just afraid of plots against him, and of losing face. I'll keep the other girls from making a scene, go, do what you have to.'
And they were outside again in a second. Hermes wanted to look for an entrance on the top of the cliff, but Lukas said: 'I do know someone who can see through rock. Will you get Melissa? You're faster than me, and stronger.
She dreamt about flying with you, one of those dreams those elves sent her.
And now it's coming true.'
Hermes wrapped his arms around his son, and said: 'We had a good time tonight, but Melissa loves only you two, and especially Paul. We need to get him back, or she'll just die on you, on us. I'll be back before you know it. Be strong, my boy!'
And he was off in a blur.
Five minutes after Lukas and Hermes had left, there was a knock on the door, and before Melissa had well and truly realized what had happened, Aphrodite came in and sat beside her on the bed.
'First tell me what happened,' Aphrodite said dryly, 'my brother told me he had to get your man back, and to keep you safe, nothing more.'
As she woke up properly, the harsh truth was starting to dawn on Melissa, and she had to control herself not to totally lose it. Paul taken? He might be dead already.
The thought caused her throat to burn, and her eyes to overflow.
She forced herself to speak: 'He went with Ophius' daughter because we thought it would be best if I shared love with Hermes just once. He's wanted me since we first met him, and now he has a woman of his own we thought indulging him might cure his infatuation.
Hermes didn't want to leave me alone when Paul wasn't here yet. We must have fallen asleep until Lykos woke us. Oh my god, Paul! I can't live without him.'
She broke down crying, finally realizing she might never see him again, lost in this big empty world where he didn't have the means to defend himself, where he was helpless against armed men and gods.
'Don't despair, lovely, my brother and your Lykos are not exactly powerless, and there is a promise between your man and me that I am determined he will fulfil' Aphrodite was really sweet and her strong personality managed to calm Melissa down a little. 'I have many allies, on land and in the sea, and I will send them to look for him.' She blanked out for a moment, then said: 'They are already looking. Let the men run around, and let us think. Do you really think Dionysus took him? Does he even know you are in this world? I broke his spell this afternoon, could he have acted so quickly? And why take Paul, why not you?'
'I was with Hermes all this time, and Lykos with you, Paul was the most vulnerable. But you are right, what use would it have for Dionysus to take Paul? It wouldn't hurt Hermes very much, he likes Paul but not enough to be hurt by his death.'
The door of the room burst open, and Hermes came in, slightly out of breath. 'Melissa, we need you to look inside a cliff, please come with me.'
'But I can't go that fast,' she objected.
'No need, I'll carry you, I can make you virtually weightless, it will be
scary, but you'll have to stick it out.' Hermes already had his hand on her, and he lit up slightly.
Melissa felt herself rise, until a strong arm took hold of her surprisingly gently, and then the world around her blurred and she seemed to fly in Hermes' arms. It was exactly like the dream she'd had, except that she had been flattered and infatuated then, and at this moment she was in mortal fear of losing Paul.
Hermes was really incredibly fast. Within minutes he came to a halt and she got her usual weight back. They were on a cliff and Lukas was coming towards them.
He said: 'We need you to search this cliff-face for caves and tunnels, Dionysus is hiding in here somewhere.'
Taking her hand, Lukas established a link to Melissa to anchor her in case she stumbled upon the mind of a god, and also to provide her power. Lukas knew Hermes had put a permanent link to his power on her, but he wanted Melissa to use his own.
She had already activated her sight, and Lukas could follow her as she scanned the entire cliff. Very soon they saw a few squared off chambers in the rock-face, with a tunnel leading outside. 'There' they pointed at a certain spot ahead, and Hermes ran towards it.
'You're right on top of it,' Lukas said, and Hermes did find a hatch, opened it, and they all ran inside, Melissa keeping a stun-bolt ready.
When they neared a chamber she checked with sight, and found it was storage, then a privy, and a bedchamber. They burst in, and found an opulent bed with a flabby, pot-bellied man lying in it, fast asleep.
Hermes grabbed the oblivious man by the throat, and dragged him out of the bed.
The god of wine had brown hair over his ears, his features sunk in fat, his eyes a watery brown with red rims, as if he had been drunk the night before.
Which was probably true. His skin looked an unhealthy colour, like a naturally dark skinned person kept from the light of the sun, and he had an overpowering odour, the smell of dubitable sanitary habits.
In Hermes' iron grip, Dionysus turned blue fast. As he recognized Lukas, he did manage a gasp of surprise and fright, which seemed like a miracle with his throat clamped shut.
'Why did you do it, Dionysus, why did you betray me? I thought we were friends,' Lukas said sadly. 'And that was me, personally. I might have
forgiven you for that. But now you've gone too far, having my best friend abducted as well. If I didn't need to know where you keep him, I'd not stop my father from killing you. If anything happens to Paul, I will kill you myself. I'm a gifted healer now, traitor, and a god, I can make it last for centuries.'
Dionysus was not a brave god, and when it was clear he wanted to talk, Hermes released his grip just enough to allow him to breathe. The plump god started to blubber and beg for mercy, and Hermes said: 'Better make it quick, we don't have much time.'
'All right, all right, master Hermes, please don't hurt me, I'll tell you all, just don't kill me or torture me, I'm a sensitive person.'
Hermes allowed the pudgy god to sit on the bed, and Melissa thought he didn't look like a kidnapper and a murderer. But Paul was missing, and this man was responsible.
These Greeks all had a hysterical streak, for he started to cry and called out: 'I'm so sorry for what I did to you, Lykos, I love you so much, please don't hurt me. I was afraid you'd best me as a lover and that was the only pride I had, I couldn't let that happen.
Then she came, said she'd show me things I'd never imagined. But it got out of hand, and I had to do something, anything! They swore they'd only relocate you, they promised me you would be safe, never to be discovered.
Oh my poor boy, what did they do to your horns, that must have hurt so badly. I've missed you so terribly, I was so sorry, I should have let you be my master of love, but you were going to be so powerful as a god, people loved you so much, I could see it, and then Hermes would love you again and you'd leave me and I'd be nothing. And then I was sorry, but it was too late, I couldn't back out or I'd be in for it myself.
How did you come back? I took such care no-one would look for you, and had the portal set to a place where she'd never find you, but where there would be love to feed you, you would never want to leave. Why did you?
You broke my spell, didn't you? Katarina hated Hermes, she'd never let him near her, and her people would have been mine, their love would have been mine. I wouldn't have harmed them, as soon as Zeus and Aphrodite had removed Hermes I'd have removed it, let them love and make fun again.'
'Enough talk, Dionysus,' Hermes said viciously, 'or I'll squash you like the bug you are, or better, I'll have father and Aphrodite do it for me. You've
broken the rules and you know it!
If you want to survive with your balls intact,
better tell me where you are keeping the man you had taken, we want him back, you've heard Lykos. If he suffers or is killed, he'll take it out on you, century after century.'
Dionysus was very afraid of both Hermes and Lukas, and he rattled: 'I don't know, I don't know whom she took, and where she took him. I told my niece to create a minor diversion if ever someone took the spell off Katarina.'
'A minor diversion?' Melissa had never seen Lukas so angry. 'She took my best friend from the palace of my father, where Hermes had promised me he would be safe. Aphrodite wanted him to share love with her, because she loved his art so much. If something happens to him, she wants your hide, too.
You're in big trouble, traitor!'
'I don't know where she took him, Rhoda is very Gifted, she can translocate, but not very far, she can bind people's magic. She has spelled men to love her before, they're probably very busy by now, he's probably just fine.
At least I hope they are, for she wasn't her usual self the last months, she went totally wild a few times, Hailee told me. If he'd refuse her or choose another over her that would make her killing mad. She hates you too, Hermes, she wanted you to marry her.'
Hermes drew a circle in the clay floor with a rock, and spoke a formula.
A wise old man appeared in the circle, and Hermes bowed deeply before him.
The man looked around, and Lukas bowed as deeply to him, so Melissa did the same but with her best curtsy.
Dionysus started to blubber for real, as Hermes spoke: 'Father, my people have been liberated. They were not to blame, my granddaughter was not to blame, this worthless traitor had put a spell on her that caused my people to rise up against me.
Lykos, my son, has discovered the spell, Aphrodite has removed it, but now this traitor has taken Lykos' friend and keeps him in a secret location, held by a raving madwoman, his niece. We need to find him, but we dare not leave this traitor unattended, for he will work more mischief.
Will you take him into custody, to be judged for his crimes against Lykos, against my people, and against me?'
The old man held out his arms to Lukas and said: 'Lykos Hermeides, we thought you were dead. Welcome back, you've come into your inheritance I
see, congratulations. I'm sorry about your horns, they rather suited you I thought.
My daughter has already sent me news on the situation, and she spoke highly of you and of her brother. Give Dionysus to me for judgement, and go find your friend. Look well, young mortal, and not just with your eyes, and you will find him.'
He spoke that last sentence to Melissa, and his piercing eyes had great power. She bowed again in acknowledgement, and Lukas let himself be kissed by his grandfather, who apparently liked to speak in riddles for he said to both Lukas and her: 'Be not alarmed over your child, for it will not be rejected.'
Then he reached out for Melissa and kissed her as well. She was awed and amazed, for she thought he had only been an image. But Hermes knew what he was doing, for he had manhandled Dionysus to the circle and handed him over to his father, who lifted him effortlessly and winked out. Hermes broke the circle by stepping on the soft clay, and then he touched Melissa again, who felt herself grow lighter.
'Off we go,' he called, and holding on to her, he ran up the tunnel, everything blurring already by the time they reached the end. Ten minutes saw them in their own room, Hermes breathing a little fast, Lukas knackered.
'You beat me old man,' he admitted, you're still the fastest.'
'To each his own, Lykos, you beat me tonight at something else, and you weren't even there,' Hermes said this with a wink at Melissa, and despite the seriousness of the situation, it was quite funny.
Aphrodite came in and wanted to know how things were, and they told her. They knew now that Rhoda was the perpetrator, and she could be counted as exceeding her orders and very dangerous to Paul and anyone out to stop her.
They needed to tread lightly around her, not scare her into killing Paul or forcing them to kill her, leaving him stranded in a hidden cave. Hermes and Lukas went out immediately to try to find her inside the palace.
The tall young woman he had danced with that evening had rendered Paul totally helpless by stunning him in the hall of the palace, then binding his magic and his strong limbs whilst he was unconscious.
First she had offered him, well she called it love, but it was plain sex, and she had tried to stimulate his body into serving her. But whereas being
helpless against Melissa and Lukas gently restraining him had relaxed him and turned him on, with this woman, who was obviously more than a little mad, her total control over him had drained his lust and even his usual strong will totally. He was powerless against her, but she could not force him to feel excitement either.
Then she had tried active magic on him, he could see her light up, but somehow he didn't feel any effect on himself, which seemed to make her really angry. Apparently it usually worked. From what she told him she wanted to spell him into obedience, into active love for her, something she had obviously done before.
He had no clue why it didn't work, although, Aphrodite had told them Jakob's shield had foiled the leach-spell, maybe it had foiled this girl's magic as well.
In any case, it had not helped him much, for she had gotten her use out of him in another way, venting her anger by beating him savagely, then hugging him and cuddling him as if to make up. Of course he had not been able to enjoy her attentions, he hadn't trusted her to begin with and now he was positively scared of her.
She told him she hoped to find him more affectionate when she came back, then teleported herself out of the cave.
He had tried to take a good look around him, but it was very dark, he could only hear the surf and smell the dankness of the cave. His face and his body hurt, but not as much as his pride. To have let himself be taken and rendered helpless this easily, he could hardly believe it himself. He was trussed like a pig for slaughter, and could not explore the cave or relieve himself, and he started to realize his captor was not planning to let him live.
He let his mind roam to see if he could find Melissa's anywhere, but she was nowhere to be found. With no idea how far a mind could roam, he decided to keep trying, and to not lose hope to be discovered. He would also behave with a little more dignity, trying to reason despite his submissive position.
Since it was the middle of the night, he soon fell asleep, and he did not wake until his tormentor was sitting next to him, crooning affectionate words and stroking his face and hair. It hurt, and he winced involuntarily. That got him another beating, and after that more caresses, it was clear that this woman was totally out of her senses, he had not a chance of survival. He rolled up in a ball and tried to will his mind somewhere else.
She left without further beatings, and Paul tried to think of better times, no hope at all his friends would even find out who took him, let alone where he was. He would not last long, if he made it until tomorrow he would be lucky.
Day came and he was getting thirsty and had emptied his bladder in the most demeaning way possible hours ago. He had relived Lucy's horrid memories with Lukas and Melissa, but he had not realized that a grown man could be reduced to a similar helpless and humiliated state, in less than twelve hours.
He had thought himself strong, but that was because he had physical strength and powerful magic, and with that taken away he was nothing.
To his horror, she came back, but she brought food and water and cleaned him up as well as she could. She seemed quieter and he almost fell for her affection and caresses, involuntarily pleased to at least not be beaten. Almost, for when he felt nearly human again she tried once again to stimulate him to please her physically, but his body betrayed him once again, he could pretend to trust her but he couldn't force his body to concur.
This time she got really mean, choking him until he saw spots before his eyes, but also biting him until he bled and twisting his privates until he screamed in agony.
When he lost conscious
ness she had tried to revive him without much success, he had drifted in and out of awareness until she got bored and he saw her teleport herself out of the cave. He knew she would be back for more, and that would be the end of him. After a while he regained consciousness and tried to call for help, again, hopeless to be heard by now.
Melissa tried to think, but something was distracting her thoughts, brushing her mind constantly, vaguely. She concentrated on it for a moment.
Something grabbed her mind in despair, and she gathered power to repel it, until she realized the feeling was unknown and of a painful intensity, but the touch was familiar. Paul! He was trying to reach her, he must be close then. She let him in without reserve, and gasped with intense pain and fear, followed by relief at her recognition.
Darkness surrounded her, and a dank coolness, it felt like a cave of some sort. Paul was barely coherent, he was helpless and had been severely beaten, but he assured her he was not in danger of dying, yet. His magic was useless, the young woman he had danced with had his magic blocked and had beaten
him savagely, enjoying it, then left him alone in a dark hole, somewhere near the sea, for he could hear surf crashing on rocks.
'It's Dionysus niece, love, we are on to her but we don't know where she has stowed you. You must be close if we can link minds, do not despair. Hold on, I'm going to speak to Aphrodite. Love you!'
As Melissa was distracted for a moment, Paul found it harder and harder to hang on to his consciousness. But at least he had found Melissa's mind, and he had been able to cling onto it and managed to ask entrance politely, despite feeling more like a frenzied animal than the self-assured, quiet man she knew.
When she had let him in, her sweet love and concern for him felt so good.
His body still hurt, but his mind was at peace, his beloved knew his plight and would help him if she could. He let go and a blessed darkness took him.
Swallowing her fear, glad to have some sign of life from him, and some hope, she looked at Aphrodite and said: 'Paul contacted me, his magic is blocked and the woman who holds him enjoys beating him. Dionysus' niece, he said it was her. He is in a cave near the sea, can we scour the coast by ship, let me look through the rocks?'
Past Lives Page 22
