“My princess, forgive my impudence, but this has to stop. We are not making any progress with Duke Estington because you are spending so much time with this…this…beautician!”
“I am aware of this.”
“We only have two weeks left. If you do not conceive before the beginning of your next cycle…”
“I am well aware of that as well.”
“Well, then, can you explain your actions?”
Erolina let her defenses down a little. “I’m not sure. I sense something from Kennid. Something I have never felt before. I am curious to learn more about it.”
“You are drugged. Remember your training, you must not allow yourself to feel compassion or sympathy towards a male. It’s dangerous.”
“I know that.”
“It could lead to love.”
“I know that as well.”
“And love will trigger the curse.”
Erolina looked away defiantly. “You don’t know that.”
“Any man who gives his love to an amazon will have that love turned to the bitterest of hate.”
“Kennid is different.”
“He’s a man.”
“He’s the gentlest person I’ve ever met. Nothing could change him, not even Raelyn’s curse. For all we know, he could be the one to finally break the curse.”
“The curse will never be broken. You know that.”
“He loves me!”
“He’s using you. You are just too naïve to see it.”
Erolina stood up, her red eyes flashing with anger at her words. Even a seasoned huntress like Rodania backed away when she saw it.
“You speak too boldly,” Erolina declared. “Do not forget your place, huntress.”
Rodania looked hurt. “I have not forgotten my place, my princess. I fear you are forgetting yours. You were not sent here for romance. You are here to get pregnant, nothing more.”
Erolina glanced over to a stained glass window depicting a pregnant woman. “Is that all I am? A vessel to bear a child? Is there nothing more?”
“What philosophical tripe is this? You are an amazon princess, bred to crush and conquer. You are the embodiment of the pride of our people. Your life is an example to the rest of us, a shining beacon on perfect womanhood in a world of savage men. What would your mother say if she heard you speak this way?”
The mention of Queen Erotas drained all the passion from Erolina’s eyes. She became quiet, stoic, and frightened. “Y-you’re right, of course.”
She walked over to the stained glass, and placed her fingers against the swollen belly of the woman.
“My princess?”
“Please leave me.”
Rodania placed her fist over her chest in salute, then turned to leave.
“Rodania…”
“Yes, my princess?”
Erolina let her fingers fall away from the glass. “I trust you will forgive my earlier behavior. I had indeed forgotten myself.”
“Of course, my princess.”
“Thank you. Please tell Duke Estington that I will gladly accept his call.”
* * *
Erolina sat on the dilapidated fence, somberly watching the fire turtles swim up on shore. Obediently they spun, their razor-edged shells burrowing into the solid rock, creating a burrow in which to lay their eggs. Responsibly they laid their eggs, filling the burrow to the brim. And dutifully they waged themselves into the entrance, creating a barrier with their own bodies that would keep the eggs safe until they hatched.
The fire turtles would die, of course, slowly starving to death. Withering away until only their shell remained, like a morbid door to the house they had built. Their young would hatch without ever knowing what had been sacrificed, until it was their turn to do likewise.
Kennid came up, looking out of breath. “Thank you for coming.”
“You shouldn’t have called me out. I already told you, we can’t see each other anymore.”
Erolina kept her eyes lowered. She didn’t want to see her words hurt him. But try as she might, she could feel it all the same.
“But, we have fun together, right?” he asked, hefting himself up onto the fence beside her.
“I guess so.”
He scratched his arm and leaned back, looking out at the fire turtles digging into the stone. “Whaddya say we take off together, just you and me?”
She gave him a sidelong glance. “What about my duty?”
“Forget your duty. Forget the whole world. We can go find some quiet little corner where no one will ever find us. Some nice place, where the water is warm and the sky is clear. Where we can rest of the beach and just listen to the waves.”
Before she could answer, he took something out of his pocket and held it out to her.
“Erolina, daughter of Erotas, will you be my wife?”
It was all so sudden, her brain couldn’t even process what was happening.
But her heart could.
While she sat there dumbfounded, her eyes began to water, and tears began to trace down her cheeks.
“But…I…”
She looked out at the turtles, then back down at the ring.
“YES! Yes I will!!!”
* * *
The elderly priest adjusted his thick spectacles and licked his wrinkled lips. “Friends, and family, kin and strangers from distant lands. We commune as one together this day to join in union these two young people in the contract of matrimony, duly certified and beauacratically approved…”
The wedding guests screamed in terror as the doors to the temple were kicked in and amazon warriors flooded inside, swords drawn and bows notched. They crashed in through the stained glass window of Godmother Delia.
Rodania smacked the union candle out of the priest’s hand, and grabbed him from behind, putting a blade to his throat.
“Stop this ceremony immediately!” she commanded. “By order of Queen Erotas.”
“Yes, of course,” the priest wheezed.
Rodania looked over the frightened guests, and the groom and bride. He was a portly man with a thick black mustache, while she was a short and frail woman with a large nose and pronounced freckles.
“Wait…you are not Erolina and Kennid!”
“Uh…no, we’re not.”
Rodania released the priest, allowing him to fall to the ground.
“Where are they?!”
* * *
Erolina had never seemed more beautiful than she did in that moment. A simple veil with the crown of wildflowers he had woven for her. She beamed with happiness, and for a moment he thought to reconsider, but the memory of his own parents strengthened his resolve.
There were no guests, no banquet, no sacrificial offering. It was just the three of them standing on a flowering hillside, but to them it was the most perfect moment of their lives.
“…and so, by the legal authority as a Justicar of Jabez, I pronounce you legally bound to the contract of marriage. Husband and wife. You may now kiss the groom.”
Erolina squealed with joy and wrapped her arms around her husband. She kissed him deeply amid the blossoms of a setting sun.
The sky above opened like a great dark eye. The black light it emanated rested down on the couple, revealing bands of glowing chains wrapped around the amazon princess. Invisible to the eye but felt by the soul, the chains reacted to Kennid’s feelings and vibrated wildly. From within the eye, a black serpent dripped free, slithering down through the air, until it flew inside of Kennid, silently passing through his flesh and wrapping itself around his heart.
(Present Day)
Erolina collapsed to the ground, her body convulsing with pain.
“So soon,” she groaned. “The withdrawals are coming quicker every time…”
“Amazing stuff, isn’t it?” Lord Krýo Fidi mused as he leaned against the wall, swirling a dish of liquid light in his hand. The stone began to soften and melt where his back touched it. “The pure life energy of the forest. It can keep a being a
live even if he is at the very moment of death.”
Erolina reached out with cramping fingers. “Give it to me!”
“But give it to someone who can actually absorb magic, like an amazon, and it can do so so much more. It soaks into every cell in her body, increasing her speed, her strength, her magic, her senses, like stoking a fire.”
Erolina cried out in pain, her entire body shivering. “NOW!”
“But a fire that burns twice as hot burns out twice as fast. After all, what could be more addictive than pure life?”
Erolina bent over, retching painfully on the ground.
“What did you find out?”
“Give me what you promised,” she snarled.
“First, your mission. Has he agreed to go after the stone?”
Her body began to spasm, foam forming at the corners of her mouth. “Not yet, but I believe he will.”
“Very well, stay with him, and bring me the stone.”
He held out the dish, and then pulled it back away.
“Consider this an advance, you won’t get any more until you bring the stone to me.”
Her eyes filled with fear. “But…”
“Don’t think me cruel. Humility is a beautiful thing, and there is no better teacher than pain.”
She slurped down the glowing liquid, her hands shaking so hard a few errant drops fell to the ground, the grass growing up long and tall from the touch.
Lord Krýo stood up and became a streak of light, flying off into the distance.
Slowly, her body began to still, the pain began to subside.
There alone in the darkness, she curled up into the fetal position, her tears falling silently to the ground.
“Help me…”
* * *
Agaprei knew she would find no rest that night. She tossed and turned in her large, soft bed, agonizingly aware of every creak and groan of the building as it shifted from the winds outside. Some devilish roof tile gave off a low whistle, a ghastly sound that scratched against her brain. Harsh, calloused hands reached out for her, hateful eyes pierced through her, foul lips drew near to her. Hands grabbed the sleeves of her dress, and with a terrifying yank the fabric tore in half.
Agaprei sat up in a cold sweat, her heart pounding like fell drums in her ears. She pulled her knees up to her chin and thought to cry. She hated this place, she hated everything about it. She wanted to leave, she wanted to leave so bad she couldn’t stand it.
A dark glow emanated from beneath her sheets. She pulled her hand out, and found the jewel in the eye of her raven bracelet was releasing a dark mist. It snaked around her like tentacles, wrapping themselves about until she was completely consumed in darkness.
Then a baleful light appeared before her, and she found herself standing before the bubbling form of Fovos.
“Were you successful?” The Elder God gurgled.
She lowered her eyes. “No.”
“Unacceptable.”
“He’s terrified. He’s afraid and confused. He needs time to heal. If we push him too hard…”
“Time is a luxury we don’t have. The armies of Sirend and Reinala are on the move. And you, you are holding back against him. If you use your full powers of persuasion, he will gladly agree to it this very night.”
“I’ve done everything I can.”
“Have you slept with him?”
She felt her body go cold. “You can’t possibly ask me to do that.”
“I’m not asking you to do anything you haven’t already done, and done voluntarily I might add.”
“I’ve never slept with him.”
“Estia and Tharros were lovers.”
“But, that was in my last life. I’m a different person now.”
He boiled in disappointment. “Yes, you are. Estia was dutiful, she knew what it was to set aside her feelings to do what was necessary, no matter how unsavory it was. I suppose I was foolish for assuming you would be even a tenth of what she was.”
A bead of cold sweat rolled down her cheek. “I’m sorry but, I can’t possibly do what you ask.”
“I see now that my wife is truly dead. You are not Estia. You are…a residue of the goddess she was, nothing more. And so, I will not hesitate to treat you as such.”
She tried to step back, but the darkness held her fast. “What are you saying?”
“I’m saying you need more motivation.”
Fovos held up a dripping skeletal hand and a dangling chain appeared. Kaia was wrapped at the end, bound and gagged.
“Kaia!”
Agaprei reached out, but her sister vanished.
“Let her go!”
“Let her go?” he bubbled mirthfully. “She belongs to me, as do they.”
He held up another hand, and Lachan and Naenia appeared bound in chains, struggling fearfully against their bonds and gags.
“Mom! Dad!”
“Bring me the stone, or they will all die. You have four days. Speak of this to no one.”
The darkness unwrapped itself from around her, and began to filter back into her bracelet. It crackled and sparked, black lighting pouring out into her skin as she screamed in pain. She tried to yank it off, but it fused with her flesh.
* * *
In the dead of night, Storgen stirred quietly in his room, his body uncomfortable from the bruising he had received earlier. It was almost completely silent, save for the melancholy howl of the wind, and the mournful pattering of the rain.
Outside, the sand had bloated. Unable to contain any more water, small rippled sheets had begun to run down the hills, smoothing out the surface and erasing all tracks and steps, leaving no evidence of their existence behind.
A distant rumble of lightning masked the sound of his door opening and closing.
Light footfalls were lost amid Storgen’s breathing, the darkness giving away a hint of a silhouette standing above him. Shoulders drooped, head hanging, her arms wrapped around herself. Her feminine form was draped in a long, silken nightgown. She stood there as if awaiting execution.
There was another rumble of thunder, and she lifted up his sheets, sliding into his bed alongside him. The awareness of her presence gradually began working its way into his uneasy dreams.
Soft, feminine hands slid underneath his chiton, caressing his broad chest, and warm breath caressed his neck. Her fingers touched each of his scars, listening the stories they told. Some she touched quickly, learning all there was to know in just a heartbeat. Others she lingered on, allowing them to impart to her all of the details.
Delicate lips touched his, and his body responded, returning the kiss as the layers of sleep began to peel away from him. He could feel how wet her face was. The salty taste of tears mixed in with the sweetness of her lips.
Instinctively, he reached up and wrapped his arms around her, but she shook as if he had just struck her. His face pinched and his eyes began to open, locks of lavender hair falling across his face as Agaprei kissed him.
“Wha-what are you doing?”
“I love you,” she whispered back.
She took his hand and kissed his wrist, then placed his strong hand against the side of her face, her flesh flinching as if she had just been burned. Leading his fingers, she encouraged him to massage her elegantly pointed ears, letting off a sweet little moan when he complied.
Her body molded itself into him as she kissed him anew, but he hesitated. In the darkness, he could not make out her face, but he felt her shivering in terror.
Sensing his hesitation, she ran her fingers through his mane of blonde hair. “This is what you wanted, isn’t it?”
“Yes, more than anything.”
“Then take me.”
She sat up beside him and untied the neck of her nightgown, allowing it to flow off her shoulders, inviting him to remove it further.
Storgen reached out and grabbed the fabric, and her whole body went completely tense. He could feel her trembling beside him.
Carefully, he pulled her night
gown back up and covered her shoulders again.
“What’s wrong?” she asked, her voice desperate. “Don’t you want this?”
“Not like this, I don’t.”
“No, it’s all right, I’m giving myself to you.”
She forced herself to kiss him again, but he wouldn’t kiss her back. He could feel tears dripping down onto his chest.
“No, you can do this,” she pleaded. “You have to.”
“Agaprei, please, won’t you tell me what’s the matter?”
Her bracelet sparked with black electricity.
She shrunk down, her eyes filling with tears. “I…”
“…can’t.”
He leaned his chin on his knees, trying to rein in his feelings. “I see.”
She covered her face and turned away. He could make out her shoulders trembling in the dark.
“I’ll do it.”
She snapped towards him, tears flying free. “What?”
“I’ll take you to the tower.”
She completely broke down, and she fell on him, bawling like a child. She sobbed, taking in deep, horrible breaths, clinging to his chiton as she buried her face in his chest.
It was the most terrible sound he had ever heard.
He wanted so badly to reach out and hold her. It took every ounce of will to restrain himself. But he knew she wasn’t ready for that, so instead he just let her cry onto his chest, listening to the heartbreaking sounds she made.
It was nearly dawn before she finally cried herself to sleep. Storgen settled her down on a pillow, her exhausted frame still letting off faint little sobs as she slept. As gently as he could, he covered her up with a blanket, and then leaned in to give her a kiss, but her body flinched in fear. Seeing her reaction, he stopped himself, and instead placed a kiss on his fingers, and touched it to the pillow next to her. Grabbing his sandals, he left the room and stepped out into the hallway.
Chapter Thirty
Freedom is an illusion, choice is a mirage. Give a man a choice between two things, one he cannot stand, and another he can barely stand, and he will choose the latter every time. Therefore, choice is entirely dependent on the options we are presented with, and those options are never within our control. Those limited options are always defined by those with greater power than we have. We can move to one side of our cage or the other, but we cannot leave the cage, so why pretend that is freedom? Why pretend that is choice?
Ambrosia Page 78
