Portals of Infinity: Book Five: Demigods and Deities

by John Van Stry

  Sara passed Goth as she headed back inside, "Now don't go giving your father a hard time, Dear," she said to Goth as they passed.

  "Is this better?" Goth asked, and posed for my examination. She'd still be in danger of going to jail in most of the states back home, but here she was just a slightly rebellious daughter now, instead of a scandalous one.

  "Well, at least I won't have to throw a blanket over you with a hole cut in it for your head," I said and gave a dramatic sigh.

  "Will!" she said and stamped a foot again.

  "What did I say about that?" I warned her.

  Now it was her turn to sigh, "I'm sorry, Father."

  I smiled, "Better. Now, let's go find some lunch, and then maybe do a little shopping while you tell me what's been going on in your life for the last year."

  Goth nodded and was a lot happier about that. I let her hold hands for a while, but I didn't allow her to walk arm in arm with me. When we sat down to eat, it took a rather well-placed glare to get her to sit on the opposite side of the table.

  "So aren't there any boys in your life?" I asked after she'd recounted most of what I'd missed.

  "I'm not interested in boys," She said and I felt her foot rub against mine.

  "So, you're interested in girls, then?" I smiled innocently at her, "I'm okay with that of course, as your father, I'll support you, if that's what you want."

  "William!" She said, ears going flat and all of her fur bushing out in embarrassment.

  "Well if you're not interested in males that way, what is a father to think?" I said.

  "Oh I'm interested in males, Father," she said lowering her voice to draw out the word, "or rather, I'm just interested in one. A very special one."

  I shook my head, time to grab the bull by the horns, "No, Goth. You're my daughter. I have a wife already, whom I love very much."

  "But she's so, old! And she never has time for you! She stays here and doesn't go with you!" Goth started to get more and more animated as she went on.

  "Goth!" I growled, and showed some teeth.

  Goth's ears went down and her eyes got wide as saucers. I'd never bared my teeth at her, in the world of Saladin, bearing one's teeth was a serious threat.

  "Have I ever hit you?" I asked, still a bit growly.

  "N... no," She answered shakily.

  "Keep talking that way about Rachel, and I will. Do you understand me?"

  Goth gulped, and I could see tears forming in her eyes as she nodded. "Yes, Father," she said in a small voice.

  "I've heard all about the things you've been saying about her, the rumors, the gossip. Is that anyway to treat the woman who has made sure you were taken care of? Protected? Put with a loving family? Do you have any idea how much you've hurt her? I'm very disappointed in you, Goth.

  "I blame myself mostly, I haven't been here enough to see that you've been raised properly. But all of this is going to stop, now, understand?"

  "But... but I love you, Will," Goth hiccupped, she was crying quietly now, and I felt like a total heel. Who knew being a parent could suck so hard?

  "I love you as a daughter, Goth, and that's all it will ever be. I cannot be your partner, your husband, or even your lover. I'm not the male for you."

  "But... but, who would want me? I'm just a stupid little slave girl that gets passed around to...."

  I slapped her, lightly. Not hard, not enough to hurt her, or even turn her head to the side, just to shock her and get her attention. I was on my feet and I had my nose inches from hers.

  "You are NOT a slave, you are NOT stupid, and you are NOT a thing to be abused. You are my daughter! You are smart, attractive, caring, and there are hundreds of males out there who would court you, if you only gave them half a chance.

  "Now stop saying stupid things, and don't you ever even think that again!"

  She looked confused, "But you said you didn't want me...."

  "You think that because your father doesn't want to sleep with you that no other male does?" I said exasperated.

  "But you're not really my father, you just took me in."

  "Goth, how many times do I have to tell you this? I'm your father. Okay, stepfather. And why do you think all of those boys keep coming around Jezza and Sara's house to talk to you?

  Goth looked embarrassed, "You know about them?"

  I rolled my eyes and sighed, "Of course I know about them."

  We sat there quietly a minute and looked at each other. I glanced around at the other diners, most were carefully not paying attention, but one male did make eye contact and rolled his eyes in sympathy.

  I noticed the younger female sitting next to him was starring at the table and the older one sitting across from him was smiling at the younger one. Obviously I wasn't the only parent here with problems.

  "So ... So now what?" She asked after a minute.

  "I've apprenticed you to the temple," I said looking at her.

  Goth's ears shot up and she started to open her mouth to protest.

  "Quiet," I growled and her mouth closed with an audible 'snap'.

  "You can't continue to live at Jezza and Sara's house. You're an adult now. You need to start learning something, and providing for yourself."

  "But Nara hates me!" Goth blurted out.

  "Whose fault is that?" I asked, perhaps a bit too quickly, because Goth got embarrassed and started to study her own plate rather carefully.

  "Besides, I'm not sending you to the temple here; I'm sending you to Fordessa's temple, to the east."

  Goth's head came up, "Why are you sending me away?" I could see there were tears in her eyes again.

  "I like music, Goth, I've always been impressed by those who could play it, and sing it. If I have to choose what you're going to do, well, I'm going to choose that."

  "But it's so far!" She protested.

  "Goth, I'm hardly ever here, I'm as likely to visit you there, as I do here."

  "I, I don't want to go."

  "You're going, Goth, it's already been decided."

  "Don't I get a say?"

  I shook my head, "No, as your father I've already decided. I have to do what's best for you, Goth, and well, your staying here isn't."

  "She did this, didn't she?" Goth said glaring at me, "To punish me!"

  I almost said yes to that one, though I don't think Goth understood just which 'she' it was!

  "No, I'm doing it, I discussed it with Narasamman and she took care of it. Rachel only found out afterwards."

  "I'll run away!"

  "Stop acting like a child, Goth," I sighed.

  "But if I run away, you'll have to come get me."

  I shook my head, "They'll send Jane after you."

  "Jane?"

  "Fordessa's champion. As you'll be at Fordessa's temple, you'll be her responsibility. Nice fem, just don't get on her bad side."

  Goth just looked down at the table and grumbled.

  I got up and took her hand, "Come on, we still have some shopping to do."

  "I don't want to," Goth mumbled.

  "What? This is your one chance to punish me by spending all of my money on useless stuff you don't want and don't need!" I teased.

  Goth huffed and got up to follow me out of the restaurant.

  "Okay, Dad," She grumbled.

  Suddenly I felt a whole lot better about the day.

  "So how did she take it?" Rachel asked me, as we got ready for bed.

  "About as you'd expect."

  "Think she'll run away?"

  "I told her they'd send Jane after her, if she did. That didn't sit well."

  Rachel thought about that a moment and nodded, "Yeah, that makes sense; she'll be under Felecia's care after all."

  "After she got over her initial sulk, she started to get interested in the idea of learning to play an instrument. So I have my hopes up, that this just might work out."

  "What got her interested in that?"

  I smiled, "I told her that I was very impressed with people who play
instruments or sing, and that was why I was sending her there."

  Rachel laughed, "Sneaky. But what will you do when she comes back a few years from now to try again?"

  I sighed, "Let you whip her?"

  Rachel smacked me with her tail. "Some father you are!"

  I grinned, "So what happened with the council today?"

  It was Rachel's turn to sigh now, "Rigel has been getting reports out of Barassa that King Stivik is mobilizing his army."

  "I thought they were on the verge of collapse?"

  "They are, and Stivik knows it. His slave markets are shot, his trade is down to almost nothing. He's swept up just about everyone he can afford to, and sold them off, but he needs more slaves, and he needs a lot of them, if he's ever going to bring his markets back."

  "So he didn't try to switch to some other economy?"

  Rachel shook her head, "He's sticking with what he knows. I'm not surprised really, from what I've heard Stivik was never a very imaginative person, and he has no problems with living off of the misery of others. Feliogustus alone knows how many lives of the people here he has destroyed."

  I nodded, "So, who does Rigel think he's going to attack?"

  "We're not really sure. Holse thinks he'll try to go after the Mowoks first, because they've been causing him so many troubles, attacking his trading routes."

  "The Mowoks will see them coming from miles away, and will just move."

  Rachel nodded, "That's what Holse and Carso believe. Carso thinks we should take our cavalry down there and help the Mowoks defeat their army, but Holse thinks we're better off letting the Mowoks just pick it off piece by piece, until the Barassan army is forced to retreat out of the Mowok's lands."

  "I'd think that Holse would be looking at the attack on the Mowok lands as a chance to defeat the Barassan army in detail."

  Rachel shook her head, "I thought that at first as well, but the Mowoks are not part of the Kingdom, and unless they ask for help, it would be better for us to prepare for what will happen after Barassa withdraws."

  "Oh? What does Holse think will happen?"

  "Holse feels, and I happen to agree, that Barassa will march on either Holden, or Marland. It's much more the type of fighting that the Barassan generals and army understand, and the prospect for slaves is significantly greater than from the Mowoks."

  "Why won't they just attack there first, and ignore the Mowoks completely?" I asked curious.

  "Because they don't understand how hard the Mowoks will be to defeat. They think the Mowoks are just weak savages. They haven't grasped the concept of mobility. At least not at the level the Mowoks have developed it to. Plus the word is that Stivik really hates the Mowoks."

  I laughed at that, "Good."

  "So after they get their tails cut off there, they'll move on to Marland or Holden, but they'll be a much more dispirited army."

  "Let me guess, Holse thinks Marland, because it will be an easier war?"

  Rachel nodded, "Exactly. Plus it's rather difficult for them to get to Holden without going though Marland first anyway. Holse wants to start moving troops into Holden to build up their defenses, which I've now given him permission to do."

  I nodded, that only made sense, especially with the future wedding of our son and his daughter, which would unite the two kingdoms into one after King Charles died.

  "So what do we do, when they invade Marland?" I asked.

  "That's the sticky part," Rachel sighed, "Normally I'd be willing to let them just burn themselves out in Marland, and once they were mostly spent, I'd send our army in to clean up and destroy whatever is left of Barassa's army, and then annex all of Marland."

  "But Fordessa's main temple is in the capitol." I said.

  Rachel nodded, "Nara has made it clear that Feliogustus wants that temple protected, and well, we owe him, so I agreed."

  I nodded, I wouldn't want to see Fordessa's main temple destroyed either, especially not when Goth was going to be there.

  "What is King Ruusolf doing?"

  "Fooling himself mostly," Rachel sighed. "King Stivik has apparently told Ruusolf, that as long as he's not provoked, by say a large massing of Marland's troops along the Barassa border, that he won't attack."

  "And Ruusolf believed that?" I said surprised.

  "Ruusolf both desperate and delusional; he's willing to believe anything at this point. Also there is still a lot of bad blood over the destruction of Tantrus' temple in Marland city."

  "So where is Ruusolf keeping his army?"

  "Encamped around the capitol."

  "So Barassa could easily raid the eastern half, make off with a bunch of slaves, and be gone before Marland could respond."

  Rachel nodded, "That's a possible scenario, but if Barassa pushes further west, and takes the capitol, they'll get enough slaves to keep their economy running for decades."

  "Which we don't want, and can't afford." I said.

  "Exactly," Rachel agreed.

  "So what are we going to do?"

  Rachel smiled sweetly at me, "We?"

  I sighed, "Okay, what am I going to do?"

  Rachel grinned and kissed me on the nose. "Oh nothing much, just overthrow the monarchy in Marland, and then invite Hiland in to save them from the rampaging Barassan army."

  It was much later at night, I was asleep now, and was in Fel's bar. I sighed. "Gee, thanks, Fel."

  "Hey, don't thank me," Fel laughed, "It was Rachel's idea."

  "Uh-huh, sure it was."

  "Actually it was. Pretty smart one too."

  "Uh-huh. And just what are the other gods and goddesses going to say when I take over another kingdom for you?"

  Fel laughed, "That's the best part, they won't say anything."

  That stopped me, "I don't understand."

  "There are now three main religions in Marland with Tantrus gone. Fordessa's, mine, and this other god who is also popular with the populace as his temples are one step shy of a whorehouse."

  "So?"

  "So if Barassa invades, they'll stamp out those religions. Rachel has sent a representative to each of the religions and let them know that if Barassa invades, she will move to stop them, and will protect those religions, as long as they support her and her army."

  "Smart," I nodded thinking about that; "It maintains the status quo."

  "And she also had her envoys drop a hundred gold on the altar of each of those three god's main temples in Marland."

  I shook my head, "She bought off all three of you?"

  Fel smiled, "She didn't just buy us off, she bought our support. So each of us can send in whatever religious support we want. Priests, champions, what-have-you."

  "And the best thing is, you and Fordessa are the main religion here as well. But if we take over the country and annex it, that's going to give that third religion access to the rest of the country," I pointed out.

  "Their coming here wouldn't be part of the status quo, so I don't think they'll be spreading west into Hiland. Also, as religions go, it's a lot more of a decadent one than what we have around here, so it doesn't really have much of a chance to gain that many converts, if any. I'm not really worried about it."

  "Well, if you're not, I won't be. So when does all this start? And do I have time to rescue Cam?"

  "If Barassa launches its campaign against the Mowoks, like Rigel and the rest believe, not until the following spring."

  I nodded, it was late fall now, about November back on Earth. "So that gives us a while."

  "Yes. As to recovering Cam, I haven't heard anything from Sireen, but Circe sent Joseph over to spy a bit, and Sireen's putting together a serious army. As I understand it, the Sireen's haven't gone to war in a very, very, long time. So this is not going unnoticed by the other gods in the sphere."

  "You think she wants Cam for herself, don't you?" I growled.

  "It is a possibility. It is just as possible however that she just doesn't want Trespon to have Cam, or even that she just wants Aryanna to owe her a
favor."

  I nodded slowly. "So when can I go rescue my daughter?"

  "In a few months. You sister is dealing with a few issues, so is Dezba, and Jane."

  "Jane is helping?" I said surprised.

  Fel smiled at me, "Apparently she has a soft spot for you, now that she's gotten over the fact that you recruited her. Something about, "Maybe next time, I'll get to be the father...."

  I groaned as Fel laughed.

  "Gee, thanks." I said.

  "This is why mothers teach their daughters to use birth control. Oh wait; you didn't get that lesson, did you?" Fel said laughing some more.

  "I'd be mad at you, but dammit, if it wasn't worth it."

  "Oh, I know."

  I blinked, "How do you know?"

  Fel smirked, "God, remember?" he said and pointed at himself.

  I sighed and shook my head. "So, does anyone have any kind of plan yet?"

  "That's up to the rest of you to figure out."

  I nodded, "Oh, can I take Cam out of there yet?"

  "I won't know until you touch her again. It's different for each child; it depends on when they fully establish their sense of self."

  I nodded, "If you don't answer this next question, I won't press you, because I know it might be a rule-breaker. But can I take her to Darlene when I do take her out of there?"

  "I can't answer that one."

  I nodded, "And if I ask around it, I'll get in trouble. I understand. I don't know why, but I understand."

  Fel smiled and hoisted his mug to me, and as usual, I fell into a deeper sleep.

  Ten

  Kingstown

  "So what's your plan?" Nikki asked me.

  I shook my head, "I don't have a plan yet. I figured once we got there, we'd see what was what, and go from there."

  We were sitting outside of Aryanna's temple in Kingstown; there was a really nice small pub next to the temple entrance that served some rather nice ales. I had my suspicions as to how it came to be there, but I kept those to myself.

  "Well, that's not going to do, Bro. We need a plan if we want to get your daughter out of there in one piece."

  "But we don't know anything," I said looking at her.

  "Actually, we know quite a bit, we know that they're holding her on holy ground, so the moment we set foot in there, we're going to light up like a Christmas tree to their god and their clerics. We know it's not the main temple, so we probably won't have to deal with their champion and their high priest. Maybe one or the other, but probably not both.