Birth of a Mortal God Page 17

  She attempted to stand on the bed in the cramped little cabin and began to unlace her own leggings. “Please help me with these infernal things.”

  He grabbed the sides and pulled them down in a single motion. She hastily kicked them aside and slowly lowered herself onto him. She was aching to have him inside her, and by the way his member was throbbing, she was sure he felt the same. There was a moment’s resistance before he slipped inside her. She moaned and he kissed her neck and shoulder lightly as she started to move, slowly at first, but steadily increasing her momentum as his hands guided her hips. They were one, and for the first time in her life, she experienced ecstasy.

  KILLMAR STOOD AND walked over to the door, looking back at Jessica’s sleeping form before exiting. Their lovemaking always left her incredibly spent, and he was sure, had he been mortal, he would be sleeping beside her. The captain stood on deck as always, barking orders as if it were a war galleon, not a small single-mast cargo vessel.

  He turned to Killmar as he approached. “Ah, you’re alive. I have not seen you for days. Would’ve thought you dead for sure if not for the sounds,” he winked.

  Killmar smiled. He had come to like the scruffy barrel-chested captain. “Morning to you as well, Ren. Any problems?”

  Ren motioned for him to follow as he went to the bow, staring out over the still, open water. The Ximizu was a great lake that spanned throughout most of the Empire and was commonly referred to as the Emerald Sea. “Octriva has blessed our voyage, we’ve had nothing but good weather since we cast off.” He looked at the sky. “And it doesn’t seem like it will change anytime soon.”

  Killmar recalled the erratic water goddess. “Are you a devote believer in Octriva?”

  The old captain laughed, and it pierced the quiet morning air like a spear. “Have you ever met a sailor who didn’t seem to moonlight as a cleric of Octriva?”

  “I suppose not,” he admitted.

  Ren turned back to the green-blue water as if there was something enormously interesting out there. “But our mistress can be mighty fickle at the best of times. I have often thought myself blessed one moment and cursed the next.”

  He grinned. “You know your goddess well.” There was a moment of silence as he turned and walked away, but the Old Seadog’s commands filled the air by the time he reached the sterncastle.

  Jessica sleepily opened her eyes as she heard the cabin door close.

  He walked over and sat on the bed. “Slept well?”

  The blanket glided off her naked form as she sat up to lean against him. “Only until you left.”

  He unlaced his boots and pushed her down on the bed, propping himself over her. Her cheeks turned slightly rosy as his gaze moved down her body, drinking in the sight.

  She noticed a slight trembling in his arms. “Is something wrong?”

  He lowered himself onto her and started to lightly kiss her shoulder, working his way to her ear. “Your beauty is enough to enslave mortal men.”

  “Only mortal men?” she teased. “My heart desires something far beyond mere mortals.” He laughed and she kissed him. They seemed to have formed a special bond now that she knew his past; it was something strong and profound, much like what she could remember of the relationship between her parents.

  He lay next to her and, running his fingers over her exposed skin, finally stopping over the dark purple star-like birthmark in the crease of her right leg. “What do you know of the origins of the Raeon birthmark?”

  She shrugged. “Not much, just that our founder made some sort of bargain with the Keepers that protected Evershade from being swallowed up by the Creeping Green as long as a Raeon ruled in Mistveil. If family lore is to be believed, the birthmark was proof of the covenant.”

  “You don’t think it’s true?”

  “What does it matter? True or not, it doesn’t change the fact that Evershade was stolen from my family! I’m sure the thieves have a very legitimatising story of their own by now,” she said bitterly.

  He stared at the all too familiar mark as he said almost absently, “I may not know the details of this pact your ancestor made, but the Creeping Green is called so for a reason. Vegetation grows at an accelerated pace near its Keepers, and the torgons are an unforgiving people. Any logging from their jungle would be punished severely.”

  Jessica didn’t know why she was surprised that he knew the elusive Keepers by name; she still found it hard to accept that he witnessed the birth of creation. All she knew of the torgons was what she had learned from a scroll she stole from her father’s safe when she was ten. She had not understood most of what was written, but she still clearly remembered the sketches of the feathered snake-men. To this day, she didn’t regret stealing the scroll, despite the beating her father had given her upon discovering its absence. “My father had always been strict, but our people were allowed to log from the jungle.”

  “That more than anything proves that there is some fact in what you consider wholly fiction. I’d wager that the Creeping Green has now overgrown most of what was once Evershade.”

  During her time as a slave, she had made peace with the fact that she’d never see her homeland again, but that didn’t stop her heart from craving vengeance. She found perverse delight at the idea of Evershade being worthless to those who stole it. “In any case, it does not matter. All those loyal to my family are dead. The Raeon line will end with me.”

  “How can you be so sure no one is looking for you?” he asked genuinely curious.

  “The attack on Mistveil happened on my father’s birthday, did you know that?” He indicated he did not and she continued. “Every man, woman, and child of Raeon blood attended the celebration that day, as well as most of my father’s vassals. It must seem utterly foolish to you now, but we had been at peace with all our neighbours for nearly two generations, and so we didn’t fear an attack. A fatal error it turned out. That night, I woke up to screaming voices, the streets overrun with masked murderers. Our guards tried their best to protect us, but they were hopelessly outnumbered. My father ordered my brothers to take me and the rest of the children and flee through a hidden escape tunnel, while he and the other men held back the attackers as long as they could. Both my brothers were incredibly talented swordsmen, but by the time we reached the tunnel, only my eldest brother and I, along with two other children, remained. The masked murders seemed to be everywhere and without number.

  She took on a distant look, as if she was recounting someone else’s past. “We fled through the tunnel only to be ambushed on the other side. My brother was wounded but managed to escape with me. Gods, there was so much blood. I was nine at the time and had never really left the confines of the palace, so I am not sure how long we were hiding from our pursuers, but it felt like days. We eventually found a caravan. They spoke a strange language, so what was discussed still eludes me, but I do remember my brother seemed desperate in his pleas with the master of the group. When he finally reached some sort of accord with them, I was put in the back of a canopied wagon with many other children by an unusually tall man who quickly closed and locked the cage it concealed.”

  She moved her hand to the welted skin on her right shoulder as tears ran down her face. “I’ll never forget what my brother said to me before just simply slumping to the ground. Please don’t hate me, Jess. This is the only way to keep our line alive. It is impossible to know what agreement my brother had made with the caravan master, but the man kept me as his personal servant until my thirteenth year. During that time, he had treated me fairly; I was given food three times a day and forbidden to any of the caravan’s men.”

  Killmar found himself seething with rage. He was no stranger to the cruelties of mortals, but it had never bothered him as much as it did now. He suppressed the urge to stop her from finishing her narration and continued to listen in silence.

  “I was eventually sold to a Zinoxian noble, Duke Jonathan vi Descrinal. I was so naïve and strong willed back then. When my new maste
r sent for me that night, I tried to explain who I was, however, his interests were elsewhere. When I resisted, he tried to take me by force. There was a struggle, and he ended up with a quill in his left eye. Looking back now, that was perhaps the worst mistake I made in my life,” she said with a deep sadness as she turned her face from the man who had unknowingly helped her heal wounds she had thought beyond mending. “To punish me, the Duke gave me to his men. The City Watch garrisoned more than a thousand men. They . . . took their time. At first, I tried to take my life several times, but I was always either stopped or nursed back to health after which I’d be severely beaten.

  “Four years later, the Duke gave me to Cale, the Running Bastard’s innkeeper, as a reward for a service rendered. It was a relief, because despite his perversions, he was at least only one man.” She turned back to Killmar, now weeping. “For nine years, I was a slave. For nine years, no one came to save me. There is no one looking for me. My family has long been forgotten. I thought myself a woman soiled beyond saving, until the day I saw you. There was something about you, a sense of power that told me that if I stayed close to you, I might just regain some of what I had lost.”

  Killmar made a mental note to visit this Duke Jonathan vi Descrinal and his City Watch as he took her face in his hands. “I can’t change what was done to you, but I can ensure that no one ever hurts you again. I . . .”

  She stared into his golden eyes as he seemed to search for the right thing to say, and she was again struck by how hopelessly in love she was.

  “I will make you happy,” he said at last, and she kissed him.

  REN KNOCKED ON the cabin door nervously. “Killmar! Killmar, wake up!”

  The door swung open, revealing his nude frame. “What is it?”

  Ren swallowed hard at his passenger’s aggressive tone. “An admiral of the Eranian Empire demands to see you.”

  Killmar turned starboard and saw a three-mast Eranian war galleon had boarded their ship, dwarfing the poor vessel. “I see. Tell them to wait.”

  “That won’t be necessary,” said an ewien as he walked down the gangplank.

  Killmar noticed that he was quite young, even for his species.

  “I am Admiral Kasima,” said the man with a bow. He sported a nicely trimmed moustache and beard.

  “Oh, and what is it you want, Kasima?” he asked annoyed at the arrogance that seemed to ooze from the man.

  “I was told that you had a companion,” he answered before peering into the cabin, a smirk crossed his face. “Oh, I see.”

  The words barely left the young man’s mouth when Killmar’s hand seized his throat. It had happened so abruptly that Ren turned only after the admiral was lifted into the air. Sunlight bathed Killmar’s form, exposing the curves to each muscle as if they were carved from marble. “Do not dare look at her with those eyes! Your early elevation has made you conceited! Or could it be that you believe you are safe from my wrath because of one silly ship?” Rabid jealousy made each word poisonously threatening.

  “Admiral!” screamed a boy as he jumped from the galleon with his katana drawn.

  “Wait, you fool!” cried his comrades as the inexperienced seaman fell the eight-foot difference between the galleon and ship’s deck.

  Killmar simply moved aside, and the young deckhand crashed into a few nearby water barrels. The boy scrabbled to his feet, already bruised and bleeding. The crew of the galleon pleaded for him to return, their voices frothing with desperation. Ignoring them, the deckhand screamed and lurched forward, attempting to sever the hand that was tightly gripped around his admiral’s throat.

  The blade harmlessly passed through the air as Killmar easily evaded the blow, retaliating with a low left punch. His fist dug hungrily into the boy’s stomach, causing him to topple over and vomit.

  “Killmar, wait!” urged a feminine voice as he rolled the boy onto his back and placed his left foot on his throat.

  He stiffened and awkwardly turned towards the sterncastle. Jessica stood in the doorway of the captain’s cabin dressed in his black robe. “Do not kill the boy. He was only trying to save his admiral,” she pleaded.

  His eyes softened as rage was crushed by a far more tender emotion. “Very well.”

  “The admiral, as well,” she added quickly as he lifted his foot off the boy’s throat.

  He looked at the gasping admiral as if he had forgotten about him. “He—”

  “I know, but forgive him this once, for me?” she interrupted gently.

  Ren turned to Jessica as Killmar dropped the nearly asphyxiated man. “Vendrious’s blood, remind me not to upset you.” She smiled slightly, and he started to understand how she could sway a man kings feared to cross.

  Killmar walked over and lightly kissed her. “You are becoming quite demanding.”

  “Well, I am your loving, devoted wife after all,” she replied with a wink.

  “What have I gotten myself into?” he asked mockingly as he held his head.

  She pouted. “Would you please get dressed? Everyone can see you.”

  “Oh, you want to keep me all to yourself, do you? Very well,” he said entering the cabin.

  She ran over to where Kasima sat coughing. “Are you all right?”

  He nodded.

  “You should not be disrespectful towards Killmar. Next time, I will not stop him,” she said as if scorning a child.

  Kasima slowly got to his feet. “I thank you for saving our lives.”

  She turned to the unconscious boy. “I hope he’ll be all right.”

  “So do I,” said the admiral before he instructed the sailors to fetch the boy.

  Killmar exited the cabin dressed in his usual black tunic and trousers, absent his usual leather boots. “And why have you come here?”

  Kasima stiffened at the sight of his assaulter. “We are to escort you and your lady to Erana, by order of the Pillar of Light himself.”

  “Hmmm, I see. It seems this is where our paths part, Ren.”

  The old captain smiled. “It has been my honour.”

  Killmar fished five gold coins from his trouser pocket and stuffed them into Ren’s hand.

  “What’s this? You already paid me,” he said, bewildered by the riches in his hand.

  “A bonus, for the cabin and your professionalism,” he answered with a wink.

  “Thank you. It has certainly been interesting,” he said as they shook hands. “If you ever find yourself in need of a ship, you know where to find me.”

  “That I do,” said Killmar before turning to Jessica. “Let us be off then. Wouldn’t want to offend the Emperor by our late arrival, now would we?”

  Jessica stifled a giggle as she followed him up the gangway.

  HALLION GLOWED A soft green on the horizon as the sun had all but set.

  Jessica leaned against the bow’s guardrail. “It is so beautiful.”

  “That it is, the Empire’s cities are by far the most beautiful in Cortast,” said Killmar as he approached from behind and wrapped his arms around her.

  A nearby sailor cleared his throat. “The admiral wishes you to join him in his cabin.”

  “He can wait. We are enjoying the scenery,” replied Killmar absently.

  “Yes, of course,” said the man before scurrying off to some unknown task.

  Jessica turned around in his arms. “They are already terrified of you. Must you make it worse?”

  “I suppose I don’t have to, but I do so enjoy it,” he said with a mischievous smile.

  “Doesn’t it bother you that everyone fears you?”

  He shrugged. “Do you?”

  “Do I what?”

  “Fear me?”

  “Of course not. I could never be afraid of you,” she said sincerely.

  “That’s all that matters,” he answered before kissing her softly.

  “Can we go see Kasima now, or do you still want to taunt the poor man?”

  He reluctantly released her. “I suppose we can go meet the self-im
portant fool.”

  She smiled as she took his hand and led him to the admiral’s cabin. He was seated behind his desk when they entered. The room was only furnished with the essentials needed by a military-driven man such as he.

  “You called?” asked Killmar sarcastically.

  The admiral subconsciously moved his right hand to his bruised throat. “Yes, there will be a royal escort waiting for you at the docks in Hallion to take you directly to the palace in Erana. Is this acceptable?”

  Killmar smiled at young man’s adaptability; his elevation in rank would seem to be due to his merits. “It is. Was there anything else?”

  Kasima dropped his gaze in shame. “I apologise for my earlier behaviour. I let my pride get the better of me.”

  Killmar watched him silently for a while as if to determine his sincerity. “You have my pardon, you are still young and foolish. But never forget what almost happened because of your foolishness. If not for Jessica, I would have massacred you and your entire crew.”

  The admiral knew that it was not a boast, but simply a fact. “I will not.”

  JESSICA WALKED DOWN the wharf. It surprised her how identical Hallion was to Larin. The structures, the roads, even the wide variety of people seemed similar in some strange fashion. At the end of the docking strip were two battalions of the Royal Eranian Guard. Their mounts, as well as their gold and green armours, were legendary. An elegantly adorned carriage waited for them between the two columns of royal guards.

  “They are called ranshaks,” said Killmar at her obvious fascination with the reptilian mounts.

  She couldn’t take her eyes off the strange six-legged lizards. “I have only heard about them. It is said they are faster than any warhorse.”