Rod of the Heart

by Cebelius

  Laina strode toward Euryale, who glanced over at her and gave her a chirpy, "Morning!"

  "Good morning, Euryale," Laina said quietly. She gestured at her man, who was currently pulling himself up on a bar. He started suspended, hauled himself up strongly enough to clear the bar to his waist as he clapped his hands over the bar, then caught it again as he came back down. He did it over and over again.

  "What's he doing?"

  "He's an athlete," Euryale answered, as though that were obvious. "He's doing calisthenics. Body weight exercises. What he's doing right now is apparently called a 'muscle-up.'"

  "Okay ... why?" Laina asked.

  Euryale turned her full attention to the minotress, but Laina couldn't see her face. She wore a blank mask of wood with impressions for eyes and nose, but no actual holes. The mask was magical, a gift from Shy. Euryale could see, breathe, and eat through the mask without a problem, but it hid her face and form from almost everyone. People who didn't know she was there wouldn't really notice her unless she called attention to herself.

  It was that mask that kept her curse from turning everyone who met her gaze to stone. Her full attention was making Laina nervous. She was terrified of the little woman, but she did her best to believe what Boss had told her. According to him, Euryale would never harm her. That did little to reassure her in the face of the gorgon's overwhelming power though; the legends about her ran back hundreds of years, and if casual conversation was to be believed she was older than many of the powers themselves, and absolutely immortal.

  "To maintain and enhance his strength," Euryale said. "Don't you exercise? You're huge. Trying to tell me all that muscle just grows on its own?"

  Laina shrugged. "Yes?"

  Euryale chuckled and waved one of her brazen claws at Boss as she said, "Well, Master's not that lucky. What you were born with, he has to work for."

  "So ... not all templates are built like him?" Laina asked, her eyes tracking his movement as a pleasant warmth suffused her. His every move looked like art to her. His body was a map of physical perfection. Even the fact that he had no tail, horns, nor even hooves didn't detract from the beauty of his physique.

  Euryale burst into a fit of giggles.

  "Silly girl," she said. "I've never seen a human that looks quite like him. Even the greatest of Grecian heroes didn't look like that ... well, Hercules was even bigger, but he was the son of Zeus, so he doesn't count. Even the strongest of the Greeks had more fat on them than Master has. Some of the lean ones were as defined, but they were shrimps by comparison."

  As they watched, the boss reversed his grip and hauled himself up until his body was planked horizontally underneath the bar. With every muscle tensed to keep himself flat, he pulled himself up until his stomach touched the bar, then lowered himself again only to repeat the movement. Laina thought about whether she could do that. After a moment's consideration, she didn't think she could.

  "Wow ..."

  The gorgon giggled again. "I know, right? Just watching him is making me wet."

  Laina took a step toward him then stopped as she felt a cold metal claw grip her wrist. Euryale's voice had lost all its humor and good cheer as she said, "You wait until he comes to you. He's busy."

  The chill from the metal seeped into Laina's arm, and fear clutched at her again. She needed to talk to her man, but she realized that she didn't have the strength of will to test Boss' promise of safety from the deadly Madsee. She didn't know what he'd done to earn the legendary monster's loyalty, but something about Euryale radiated threat. The gorgon's snakes were all staring intently at her, and having so many reptilian eyes on her was unnerving.

  So Laina squatted where she was, resting her arms on her knees as she watched him go from one movement to the next without pausing. He seemed to be completely absorbed in what he was doing, and unaware of the world around him.

  It wasn't until he finally dismounted the bar and rolled his shoulders that he noticed Laina watching. The expression of vague dissatisfaction he wore turned to a smile as he jogged toward them.

  "Laina! Good morning!" he said.

  "Morning, Boss," she said, glancing back over her shoulder at Euryale, who had once again folded her arms across her chest and was leaning against the wall with one foot hooked over the other. "Got a moment? We need to talk."

  "I got lots of moments. Take all you want," he said.

  Laina frowned at him, and flicked her eyes in Euryale's direction. Boss didn't look, but he said, "Euryale, would you mind giving Laina some time alone with me?"

  "Whatever you like, Master. I'll be by the doors. Call if you need me."

  "Thanks."

  Laina didn't look as she heard the girlish monster turn away from the wall, but one of her ears turned to follow her departure as Boss ran a hand down his face, pulling the sweat off it and wiping it on his trunks.

  "What's up?" he asked.

  "She scares me," Laina said. It wasn't what she'd wanted to start the conversation with, but it needed saying. "She seems to get along with Shy but ... Boss, what the hell?"

  His smile faded, and he crouched in front of her, looking at her with an expression that seemed a mixture of remorse and apology.

  "I couldn't leave her, Laina. If you knew her story you'd understand, and I'll tell you if you want to know, but that's the short version. I just ... I couldn't do it. She's not exactly a good person, but what happened to make her that way wasn't her fault. She deserves a chance at happiness, just like the rest of us."

  She thought about that, then said, "I get that, and I get that she's crazy about you, but Boss ... she's CRAZY about you. Like, Volai Hart, drown a city to get her hands on you crazy. She can't be trusted."

  "She'll do as I ask," he said, his voice losing some of its softness.

  "How do you know? Because you fucked her and she gave you her word? A promise in the heat of the moment? Come on, Boss. I thought you were supposed to be cynical. She's a monster."

  His lips compressed into a thin line and she saw pain in his eyes. He took a long time to answer, and when he did his voice was harsh, though barely above a whisper. "Laina, she was at the bottom of a dungeon, living in a tomb she'd built in memory of her sister. Before me, she hadn't spoken to another living person in hundreds of years. She hadn't had an actual conversation in over a thousand. If she were really a monster, do you think she'd have suffered through all that loneliness willingly? She could have walked out any time. Her sister apparently did just that, and who knows where she is. Euryale stayed, locked away in the dark, because she didn't want to inflict her curse on the world."

  He met Laina's eyes, and the pain in his own was telling. It was obvious that he not only wasn't afraid of Euryale, he pitied her. "Whatever she does is on my head. I'll own it. I've already told her that she's forbidden to turn anyone to stone without my explicit permission. She won't ever take off that mask unless I ask her to. If you feel you need to argue with her, do it. If you want to fight with her, knock yourself out. I can't make you get along, and I'm not going to try, but she is on our side."

  "No, she's on your side," Laina said, reaching out to poke him in the chest. "And she's insane. She doesn't think like normal people think, Boss. It's OBVIOUS. I want to trust you, and I do, but my trust is rooted in the fact that I feel I can relate to you. I respect you, but I'm still willing to make my own decisions."

  She jerked a thumb backward, careful to keep the move hidden by her body so Euryale wouldn't see it. "She — on the other hand — is a lunatic. She enslaved herself to you right after you met. She's forced you to bear the burden for all that power she has, and that isn't right. She's a double-bladed ax, and you don't know what you're doing with her. How could you? It would be impossible for you, or anyone, to know what's really going on in her head. What happens if you fuck up and break her heart? What happens if she gets the idea that I, or anyone else you love, is out to hurt you? What if she gets it in her head that Shy or I aren't good enough for you? Do you r
eally think you could stop her from doing what she thinks is in your best interest in her own twisted mind?"

  He blinked at her, and she saw his uncertainty as the possibility she pointed out sank in. He nodded. "I understand. What do you suggest?"

  Laina opened her mouth, then stopped. She'd been prepared to argue further, but he'd accepted her word, and now she foundered for a suitable reply.

  "I ... don't know. You can't turn her away. It's not like you can just take the mask and send her back to Monsoon, and the mask isn't really yours to give away, so you can't just let her wander around in the world doing what she likes. You're under oath, and while I don't know about her, I believe you take your word seriously. I guess what I'm trying to tell you is, be more careful! I may not be too bright, but I'm sensible, and that woman is a real, live, flesh and blood nightmare. If you do get killed, she's going to rampage if she loves you even half as much as it looks like she does. Cecaelia's wrath is limited to the land near the sea. Where are Euryale's limits, presuming she has any at all? How are you going to answer for the vengeance she'll take on the world in your name?"

  "Jesus."

  Boss wiped the sweat off his face again and shook his head. "I never thought about this."

  He looked at her and nodded. "Later today you, me, and the others will sit down and talk about it. I want you to speak your mind in front of all of us with Euryale listening. Let her tell you for herself what she thinks. We'll work something out. I ... really appreciate you bringing this to my attention."

  Laina nodded as well and said, "Thanks, Boss. I don't have all the answers, but we really do need to work this out. This is serious. With her, we're dealing with a whole other level of consequences."

  He straightened to his feet, and Laina stood along with him. He asked, "Was there anything else you wanted to talk to me about?"

  Now that she'd had her primary concerns addressed, Laina felt a lot better. She said, "Matter of fact, there is."

  She flexed her chest, and her breasts shifted inside her sarashi as she said, "I'm feeling sore, and you've been ditching your responsibilities. Shy's gotten pretty good at it, but I want you to milk your woman."

  The tops of Boss' ears, what little of his cheeks wasn't covered by hair, and his forehead turned a shade of red that had nothing to do with his recent exertions. Laina smirked at his blush, then quirked an eyebrow and folded her arms under her chest.

  She knew he'd do this. The first time, she'd been genuinely afraid he'd bail on her. Now his embarrassment was just entertaining, and her smile broadened as his color deepened.

  "You know you like it," she said, needling him just a bit. "Come on."

  "You're enjoying this," he said, accusing her as they both started for the doors.

  "More than a little," she freely admitted. "Your hang-ups are so weird."

  "They make perfect sense to me," he groused, rolling his shoulders idly as that vaguely dissatisfied look crossed his face again.

  "Sore?" she asked.

  "Yes, but not from the work. I was sore when I woke up, and that damn headache is coming back. When I was in the dungeon it wasn't so bad, but it's been getting worse again in the last few days."

  "We'll take care of that," Laina said with a smirk, clapping him on the shoulder as they reached the doors.

  "Yeah ..."

  He trailed off, his mind clearly somewhere else. Euryale's masked face tipped up to look at Laina as she asked, "Good talk?"

  "You know the boss," the minotress said. "He's always willing to listen."

  "Mm." Euryale turned her attention to him and asked, "What did she say, Master?"

  "She talked to me about you," he said, answering promptly, but absently. His mind was still clearly elsewhere. "We'll have a sit down about her concerns. They're valid, and need to be out in the open."

  Euryale's face tipped as though she were glancing at Laina. She refused to acknowledge the monster's attention, which was distracted again as he added, "She also needs some personal attention, to which she's entitled."

  "Does she not like me?" Euryale asked.

  "'Like' has nothing to do with it," he said. "We'll talk more when everyone is together. I promise."

  The three lapsed into silence as they navigated the hallways, but as they headed toward the suite of rooms they'd been granted, Laina felt Euryale's focused attention, and did her best not to let her nerves show.

  4

  Anything for Love

  Terry barely noticed the rest of the walk back to the suite he'd been granted by Commander Ross. There was a lot on his mind, all of it warring for his attention. Laina's concerns loomed larger than anything else though.

  If I had the presence of mind to think that far ahead, what would I have done? Would I have left her behind?

  He knew he could have. It had been his idea to give the mask to Euryale. She would have restored his companions and left them in his care.

  And then what? I'd have come back to Florence and been forced to submit to the Vicereine. She made it obvious that would have been the end of things. I made the right choice ... I think.

  Regardless of the right or wrong of it, his decision had been the only possibility for him in that moment. He knew instinctively that he'd have rejected any thought of leaving Euryale behind. His sympathy for her plight had been boundless. He hadn't considered her monstrous nature, or the countless people she'd killed down through the millennia. None of that had mattered to him at the time. All he'd seen was a lonely woman desperately in need of companionship.

  Now, I have to wonder just who will pay the price because I didn't think things through.

  At least now, thanks to Laina, he had a chance to limit the damage. It made sense to him that she'd be the one to see what he hadn't. She's spent her entire life wanting nothing more than to be rid of her strength. She'd considered it a curse because along with it came the very real possibility that she'd never produce the milk for which her people were so well-known, or find a man she could respect. She had been holding back since she was a kid, always considering the consequences and who might be hurt. As a consequence, she'd immediately seen the ramifications of his choice to save Euryale, and made sure he saw them too.

  Pinocchio, eat your heart out. MY Jiminy Cricket's stacked.

  The thought made him smile, but it didn't last as he considered the other problem bothering him.

  His body was showing the same symptoms he'd had the last time he was in Florence. He'd woken this morning with a vague headache, and the sort of soreness that said he'd worked too hard. It'd been four days since his first encounter with Euryale, and it was impossible to ignore the thought that it had been a similar amount of time between his time with Cecaelia and the vicious pain, headaches, and fever he'd experienced in town. It hadn't left him debilitated though.

  Yet.

  He'd wondered if — since Euryale wasn't a native of Celestine — the bonding everyone talked about would still be a factor in their relationship. He now suspected that whatever forces were at work, they operated from his perspective rather than the reverse. Euryale was far more powerful than anyone he'd encountered thus far ... so it stood to reason that if Cecaelia had been the cause of his earlier pain, it would be much worse before it got better this time.

  At least I'm not turning people to stone ... yet.

  He shuddered at the possibility, and prayed nothing like that would happen. All the while he rolled his shoulders and flexed his joints, feeling the uneasy twinges building in both.

  It won't be so bad this time. I have Laina to help me with the pain.

  The guards saw them coming and opened the door for the three of them. Terry nodded his thanks as he passed, but neither guard met his eyes. One had a reptilian face and build that reminded him of the Locutor's initiate that he'd killed, while the other was a satyr. Both wore breastplates over chain hauberks, and carried short swords and round shields.

  The weapons reminded him that he needed to find someone to train him
. Aside from batons, short sticks, and combat knives, he had very little weapons training. He'd spent most of a week hacking his way through a dungeon with a lumbering ax, but his survival had been more a matter of skilled support than any effort of his own.

  Just one more thing that needs doing.

  He sighed as he stepped into the main room of the suite and the door closed behind him. The room had three doors branching off that led to two bedrooms and his current objective: a bathroom. It amounted to little more than a seat over a hole with a bowl, pitcher, and towels for clean-up, but since he'd spent most of the last week shitting in a cave or the woods, it felt almost modern by contrast.

  Shutting the door behind him, he tended to his business and washed up as best he could before stepping out again, all his mental energy taken up with the problem of what to do about Euryale.

  Shy had joined the gorgon and Laina around the wooden table that took up the space near the room's only window, and all three women looked up as he stepped out.

  Shy grimaced and pointed at his face as she said, "We need to get rid of that."

  "What?" he asked, his brow furrowing.

  "You've got a beard, Boss," Laina said. "Makes you look like an overgrown dwarf."

  "Oh."

  He rubbed at his beard absently. It was about two weeks of growth, but as far as he knew no one on Celestine shaved. He hadn't seen any razors for sale, and even if he had, he had almost no money of his own to buy one.

  He said as much, and Laina snorted. It was an unladylike sound, but somehow fit the minotress. She said, "You've got bags of money. We just need to find you a knife sharp enough to do the job."

  "I do?" he asked. "I haven't spoken to the Kolenkos yet to get my cut of the Monsoon job. I don't know how much will come out of that either, because I called dibs on something that'll come out of my cut. Right now I'm broke."

  Laina frowned and glanced at Shy as she asked, "Is he serious?"

  "He's silly that way," the dryad said before smirking at Terry. "Laina's profits are at your disposal, Tee."