Page 32 of Rise of the Gods: Vardor's Destiny
So far, I had simply operated on instinct, but that needed to stop. Getting Vaelora somewhere warm and safe was my first priority. I wasn't a fool. The woman whose body she used as a vessel would fight me tooth and nail, and so would any outsider. I saw how people dressed here, and I knew I stood out like a sore thumb. That needed to change as well. For that, I would need gold. Nothing had changed in that regard. Gold and gems still ruled the world like they had for millennia. I had the means to secure it, too, but for that, I would need to leave Vaelora here, by herself.
I hated the idea. Not only because she would use any opportunity to escape, but because the city's scum dwelled in these corners of the land. The thought of the six men and what they would have done to Vaelora still churned my gut. I would have gladly killed them again, and I knew there would be more. Scum like them always multiplied by the dozens and sought to take what they had no rights to.
I knew these things because I had grown up beside them. Just another mouth to feed. As soon as I was old enough to comprehend what my mother was doing to keep my sisters, grandma, and me fed, I looked for ways to bring home food. I was seven when I killed for the first time. He was drunk and had sought to do unspeakable things to my body. I killed him and took the few gold pieces he had on him to feed my family. I never killed for gold, but I stole. I lied and I cheated. And I swore thatone day I would have the means to support my family. That one day, every man in that land would know my name and fear it.
Today, I had more than I had when I was that boy. I just needed a plan, which didn't take long to form. Yes, that would work. I only needed to wait a few more hours, until the city fell asleep. Then, under the mantle of darkness, it would be easy to usher Vaelora through the streets back to the storage chamber where I had hidden my gold and gems. We might even find clothing for both of us there. If not, I would purchase some as soon as the sun came up. After that, we could find a tavern where I could work on her memory.
I nodded to myself. That was a good plan.
Gently, I stroked her face with the knuckles of my hand, "Try to get some sleep, we will leave in a few hours."
She looked up, and fear shone in her eyes. "Where will we go?"
"I have a place. A safe place." I assured her. In the meantime, I would try to figure out how to keep her quiet. I might have to subdue her with threats. I didn't like the idea, but I couldn't have her squirming and screaming. That would endanger us both.
Her pupils were large, like discs, and reflections of the flames from the fire danced inside them. It had been a long time since I had experienced fear. But I recognized it in others.
"You should fear me," I said, my gut clenching. I hated doing this to her, but it was the only way I could think of to keep her quiet.
She recoiled, drew the blanket closer around her, and curled up on the rough stones.I will make it up to you, I swore, hardening my heart. I had to keep reminding myself that this was not Vaelora. Vaelora was trapped inside her somewhere, and she needed me to get her out. Toawakenher. This woman at my feet was only a vessel. A vessel and nothing more. Still, she moved me. Moved my long-forgotten heart, moved a humanpart inside me that had been dormant for longer even than I had been asleep.
Gods didn't need sleep, so I held watch while she finally fell into an exhausted slumber. Now and then little noises, sighs and low moans, escaped her lips. Her sleep was restless, haunted by her ordeal. Me. That thought didn't sit well with me. I didn't enjoy frightening women. Least of all her.
I studied her features. She looked exactly like my Vaelora, and yet, there were parts of her that didn't. I didn't remember ever seeing Vaelora look this innocent and fragile. It took me a moment, but then I realized that this woman— Roweena?—was missing the aura of haughtiness that had always surrounded Vaelora. Her heart wasn't fortified by an icy wall. Her emotions, her fear, were plain on her face, even now as she slept. Comparing the two was a dangerous path.One I shouldn't be traveling, I admonished myself. Instead, I directed my mind to travel back to when I finally found her. Her scent had led me to the large temple filled with hundreds of people. But I only had eyes for her. She looked beautiful as ever in her ridiculous dress. Her sight drew me forward like a moth to the flame. I realized I was interrupting some kind of bonding ceremony and breathed a breath of relief for having come just in time, before she could fully pledge herself to that joke of a man. Not that I would have minded slaying hergroom, but it would have complicated things more if she had any feelings for him.
Did she?
That thought unnerved me. Was she even now thinking of him? Dreaming of him? I recalled the little peacock's image. He didn't look like he even deserved the titleman. He had been all prettied up in fancy clothing like a woman. Had smelled like one too. What happened to this world that had emasculated males? Were there no wars to fight anymore?
I thought back on the six men I killed earlier. They hadn't been exactly burly, but they most definitely were more muscular than the silken fob Vaelora had sought to bind herself to. What had she been thinking?
That's when I reminded myself again that Vaelora wasn't in charge of her fate right now. She had given herself up to this human vessel. So this must have been Roweena's doing then, I mused. This might turn out to be more complicated than I had anticipated.
After a few hours, I roused Roweena—I decided to call her that for now to remind myself that she wasn't my Vaelora. Not yet. Luck was on my side. The woman was too drowsy to pose much of a challenge. I dragged her half-asleep through the empty streets with their flickering, eerie lights. Finding my way back wasn't hard despite the unfamiliar territory. My instincts homed in on myself, and it didn't take long before I caught my own scent, leading me back to where I came from hours ago.
The building was large and dark. Everything was quiet.
"Where are we?" Roweena asked, her lids still mostly closed.
"Almost there," I assured her.
Suddenly she jerked in my arms. Her eyes widened in alarm as she must have recognized this place. Her lips parted to let out a blood-curdling scream, but I stopped her. I placed my hand over her mouth and shook my head. Her eyes pleaded with me, little sounds came from her, and her hands wrapped around my arms. I dragged her closer to the building. There. A short, steep set of stairs led to a door underneath the building. Roweena fought me with everything her little body had to offer, but I dragged her effortlessly down the stairs. I had to let go of her with one hand, and she doubled her efforts. Kicking at me and trying to bite my hand.
"Wildcat," I chuckled. She had more spirit in her little finger than her gold-gilded coward of a groom had in his entire body.
I turned the knob, but the door was locked. Stepping back, the wiggling Roweena still in my arm, I gave it a hard kick. It flew open. Roweena's muffled cries became more desperate and her dull nails scratched over my arm, amusing and impressing me with her resilience.
Just as I had expected, the door led straight into the familiar storage chamber. I placed Roweena down on one of the chairs. "Stay!" I ordered before going in search of my hidden gems. I kept my ears open for any kind of movement from her, but she sat still.
When I returned, she was curiously looking around, but still seated.
"Let's see if we can find some clothes for us," I suggested, already having an idea where to look since I’d spent six months down here. Just as I pried one of the wooden crates open, I heard her move. I turned and watched her walk to my sarcophagus.
I joined her side as her fingers reverently brushed over the inscriptions. "Do you know what they mean?"
"Nobody knows," she said with a slightly sad tone in her voice.
"Here lies Vardor, mightiest of warriors, whose strength knew no equal in this age or the next. The chosen blade of the gods, the bringer of conquest, the hand of war itself. Yet, he defied the will of the divine, and in her boundless power, the goddess Vaelora cast him into a sleep without end. Let none disturb his rest, lest they invoke her wrath, swifter than the desert wind, deadlier than the serpent's bite. May the one who dares unseal this sacred tomb suffer the fate of the forsaken."
