Chapter Four
“We are most fortunate you are here, Great One,” the Duke of Bullard declared in a formal voice. “You have solved all of my problems in one fell swoop.”
“Hey, it’s just what I do.” I grinned. “Now, we need to get started on our travel plans, so if you’ll excuse me…”
I turned to leave, but I heard the duke make a noise, so I paused.
“Do not forget your reward, Great One,” he said, and I immediately turned back around to face him.
“Yes, I’ll need directions to the treasury,” I explained. “Oh, plus maps of the roads to the king and supplies for our journey.”
“You will have everything you need, and then some.” The duke nodded. “I’ll send some of my soldiers with you to aid your travels, as well.”
“I don’t need many men,” I countered, “but if you insist, then I want Lieutenant Riondale to accompany me.”
“It shall be done.” The duke clapped his hands together. “I shall begin the preparations at once.”
“I wish to go with him, too,” Eva interjected with a hopeful smile.
I had to admire her determination, but I wonder what drove her to push so hard against her father's wishes.
“It’s okay with me, but you have to get permission from your father,” I said with a wry grin. I knew what was coming, but I couldn’t help but be entertained by the spunky duchess.
“Absolutely not!” the duke huffed, and his chins wobbled.
Eva sighed, and she turned to leave without another word.
I chuckled and shook my head as I watched her go, and I couldn’t help but steal a glance at her backside as she walked off. The duke’s daughter had a firm ass, and the curves were plain to see with how tight her leather armor clung to her body, but that just made my mouth water, so I turned away.
Then I realized Duke Bullard had caught me staring at his daughter’s ass.
The duke’s mouth was open, and his eyes were wide open, but then he swallowed and regained his composure. His dark gaze avoided mine, and I realized he wasn’t going to say anything. He’d just watched me check out his daughter and wouldn’t say a word.
Being a god had its perks.
“Send the maps up to my room,” I instructed in a clipped voice. I’d grown tired of this fishbowl type feeling where the citizens of the town all crowded around and listened to our conversation. “I need to bathe after digging through the smoldering remains of half the town.”
“Yes, Great One, it shall be done,” the duke said as he inclined his head.
“I’ve been dying to get you alone again,” Elissa whispered in my ear as we made our way through the crowd.
“Oh, yeah?” I lifted one eyebrow, and I shot her a questioning glance as we exited the audience chamber.
“That room was stifling,” Mahini said with a shudder when we were alone in the hallway. “I’m just grateful we don’t have to stay there a moment longer.”
“Me, too,” Elissa giggled. “Now, we have Bash all to ourselves again. That’s my favorite.”
“Mine, too,” I said with a grin. Then I took each of their hands and led them to our room. “It looks like we are off on another adventure.”
“Father will be worried,” Elissa mused. “I should send him a letter.”
“That’s a fabulous idea,” I replied, and I squeezed her hand affectionately.
“I’d like to stop by the fletcher and purchase some more arrows,” Mahini added with furrowed eyebrows. “It would be worth the gold it would cost to get bodkin points. They’re more likely to be able to pierce thick hide like a dragon’s.”
“No talk of dragons for now,” Elissa requested with a sigh. “I was so scared for you, Bash. I clung to Mahini until her fingers turned purple.”
“It didn’t hurt,” Mahini countered with a stoic lift of her chin, but she caught my eyes, and her expression softened. “We were both worried.”
“I’m sorry to scare you both,” I said in a sympathetic tone. “I did what I had to do.”
“I know,” Elissa sighed. “You are the Great One we have all been waiting for, and that means we have to share you with everyone sometimes.”
“Yes,” I said, and I tweaked her nose. “But not all the time.”
“Mmm, I like it when we don’t have to share,” Mahini purred. “But there will be plenty of time for that later. We should prepare for our journey.”
“That’s true.” I frowned.
I was about to go meet the king and tell him there was a dragon on the loose. It was like reporting back to dad when the dog got out, but I knew it had to be done, and better me than the duke’s daughter.
We arrived at our room, and Mahini stepped in to help me unfasten the shoulder pieces while I untied my gauntlets. Then Elissa skipped inside and launched herself onto the bed.
“Goodbye, sweet dreams,” she muttered into the mattress. “I will cherish my memories of the sleep we had here.”
“It’s been fun, huh?” I chuckled.
“I’ve really enjoyed our time together,” Mahini murmured from behind me.
“I’m sorry our honeymoon is over so quickly,” I said in an apologetic tone.
“Are you joking?” Elissa giggled. “I saw a dragon today! Life with you will always be an adventure, and I knew that when I signed up to be your wife.”
“I follow you,” Mahini purred. “Honeymoons are based on time spent, not location.”
“She’s right!” Elissa sat up with a bounce. “We can still be on our honeymoon. We’re going to meet the king, after all. That means we get to stay in his palace, doesn’t it?”
“Huh, I hadn’t thought about that,” I mused “Where does the king live anyway? And what all is he the king of?”
“All of Sorreyal, I guess.” Elissa shrugged. “He lives in a big palace in Vallenwood, the biggest city in the realm.”
“So Sorreyal is the name of this kingdom?” I asked.
“Yes,” Elissa said as her vibrant eyes twinkled. “It’s the greatest realm in all the lands, and Vallenwood lies right at the heart of it.”
“I’ve never been,” Mahini informed us. “I traveled outside the edges of the city, though, and the lights were spectacular even from a distance.”
“Well, you’ll get an up-close and personal look at the palace when you’re with me,” I assured my two lovely ladies with a shit-eating grin. “We’ll see everything this world has to offer. Speaking of which, what other realms are there in this world? How big is Sorreyal?”
“Sorreyal stretches from the edge of the wild lands in the south, up to my homeland in the Kotar desert,” Mahini explained.
“Then there’s Covenguard, the realm that shares our northwestern border,” Elissa added.
“Sorreyal is a large kingdom,” Mahini said, and her gaze turned inward. “My homeland is a very long journey away from Vallenwood, let alone Bastianville.”
“So, you’re used to life on the road,” I said.
“I am,” the former mercenary replied, “but I am glad to have found a home with you, Great One.”
“I do miss my father sometimes,” Elissa said in a nostalgic tone. “I know he worries about me, but I think a letter will help lift his spirits. I’m going to work on that before we pack.”
The tiny redhead leaped from the bed and scurried over to the table, but then she skidded to a halt and turned to us with a blush.
“I don’t have paper or a quill,” she said as her shoulders slumped.
“I’m sure the duke will have some,” I assured her as I crossed the room to gently rub her shoulders. “When they deliver the maps, I’ll ask for some letter writing supplies.”
“Really?” Elissa’s emerald eyes lit up with joy, and she hugged me tightly. When she pulled back, she had black streaks on her face from where she’d pressed up against my breastplate, and I laughed.
“I need to get this armor off me,” I informed her, and I wiped some of the transferred soot off from her face to show her.
“Ew,” she said with a wrinkled nose. “I guess you’re right.”
“Here, Great One,” Mahini said as she gestured me over to her. “I’ll help you take off your armor.”
“Thanks,” I said, and I lifted my arms so she could unstrap my chest plate.
The desert goddess concentrated on her work for a moment, and a comfortable silence fell between the three of us. Elissa began singing while the obsidian-haired beauty worked at my straps, and it brought a smile to my face. Then Mahini began to hum along, and her melodic voice floated through the air like white clouds on a sunny day.
I was a lucky man.
Once I was out of the metal pieces, I set all my armor to the side for it to get cleaned later, and I was relieved I didn’t have to do the task myself. There were up sides to staying in a castle, after all.
The thought of traveling again reminded me of our horses and mule, and I realized it had been several days since we’d seen our steads. Goliath was likely getting cabin fever being cooped up in a stable more than he was used to, and Elissa’s mare, Star, was probably raring to go as well. Warrior, Mahini’s mule, seemed too steadfast and stubborn to bother caring, but that was heartwarming in its own way. It would be nice to be horseback once again with the road open ahead of me, so in a way, I was lucky the dragon attacked.
I had a new quest.
It felt like I’d leveled up after meeting the duke. I owned the audience chamber and negated everything the nobleman had thrown at me, and in the process I’d acquired a new level of power. I was basically equal to a duke, and I had total control over Bastianville and its copper mine. Thinking of quests reminded me of the duke’s reward, and I made a mental note to visit the treasury before we left.
A knock on the door suddenly pulled me out of my thoughts, and I crossed the room to the portal in a few short steps. Outside my room stood a servant with his arms full of rolled-up paper. He was wearing the red tunic common for the castle servants, and his short-cropped black hair had started to speckle with age.
“Your maps, sir,” the servant explained, and he gestured to the papers in his arms.
“Come on in,” I said, and I beckoned him forward. “Lay them on the table if you don’t mind.”
“Not at all, sir,” he replied, and he emptied his arms onto the large table in the corner of the room.
“One more request,” I said as he turned to leave.
“Anything, sir,” he said as he inclined his head. He gave me a look like he had been expecting this, but there was no attitude in his voice.
“My wife needs materials to write a letter to her father,” I explained in a polite tone. “The sooner the better, she’s not the patient type.”
Elissa giggled, but she didn’t argue.
“Yes, sir,” he replied with a bow. “Right away, sir.”
Then he darted out the door and disappeared like he was being chased, or running from more tasks. Either way, he was gone, so I shut the door and turned my attention to the maps.
Mahini was one step ahead of me, and she unrolled one as I approached the table. It was a huge map, and Castle Bullard was a small speck on it in comparison to the big circle that indicated Vallenwood.
“It looks like it will take one week to travel to Vallenwood,” Mahini said as she trailed her finger from one location to the other.
“We will need to make sure we have enough food to last us for longer than that,” I said with a thoughtful tone. “We will have extra mouths to feed this time.”
“Do you think our party should grow?” Mahini tucked her jet-black hair behind her ears. “It will be easier to go undetected in a smaller group.”
“The king will show us more respect if we go with an entourage,” I pointed out. “Otherwise, we are just three citizens asking to talk to the king.”
“I understand.” The desert goddess nodded, and then she turned her attention back to the map of the realm, so I did the same.
It took me a while to find Bastianville, but there, in tiny print, was the word “Addington.” The map hadn’t been updated since the town had been renamed in my honor, but that was okay. It showed the road between our current location and the king’s palace, so I rolled it up and moved on to the next map.
This one was a detailed depiction of Vallenwood itself, and the king’s palace laid at the heart of a complex network of intertwining circles. The streets and roadways looked like a maze, so I knew this detailed map would come in handy when we were making our way through the city.
The third map was another detailed one, but it was of Castle Bullard and the town within its walls. There were red x’s on certain buildings, and I knew from my experience in the streets that they were ones destroyed by the dragon. I supposed the duke had included this map to ensure I communicated just how devastated the town had been by the dragon attack.
“Enough looking at maps,” the desert goddess admonished me. “You need to take a bath. You smell like smoke and heroism.”
“You’re right,” I chuckled, and I plucked at my dirty shirt. “Clean clothes will be nice.”
I carefully pecked them both on the cheek so as not to add even more soot to their faces, and then I headed into the bathroom to bathe off the stench of smoke.
The water was heavenly, and I soaked my weary muscles for almost an hour before I finally climbed out all wrinkled and pruney. I toweled myself dry quickly, and then I wrapped the fabric around my waist.
The girls were both lounging on the bed, and Elissa had her feet propped up on Mahini’s lap. They looked content and comfortable, but they smiled when I entered the room, and the world got a little brighter.
“I already wrote my letter,” Elissa announced. “I told a servant to give it to the courier to take back to Bastianville.”
“And I told the same servant to send word to the mapmaker to change the name to Bastianville,” Mahini added with a proud smile. “He swore it would be done.”
“Good job, ladies,” I laughed, and I glanced around the room.
Our packed bags were piled near the door, and everything appeared to be in order. I shook my head in awe at how quickly they’d worked to get us ready to leave, but then I yawned and realized how exhausted I truly was. Time to get a good night’s rest, and then we’d head out on our quest.
I climbed into bed between my two beautiful women, and we all snuggled up together beneath the thick green covering. It was the perfect cap to a long day, so I made a new save point, and then I was asleep before my head hit the pillow.
The sun shone through the windows with a vengeance early the next day, almost as though it was summoning me to start my newest quest. I groaned, and I rubbed the sleep out of my eyes before I stretched my arms over my head.
“Time to get up, my sleeping beauties,” I murmured to the two gorgeous women I shared my bed with.
“Not yet.” Elissa frowned and hugged her pillow tightly.
“She is still not an early riser,” Mahini chuckled as she sat up and stretched her arms. “She’s lucky she’s so handy with a mace, or we’d leave her behind.”
“You would not,” Elissa pouted as she came up on her elbows to glare at the desert goddess. “I’m invaluable, and you know it.”
“I merely tease to get you to rise,” Mahini said, and she let out one of her beautiful laughs.
Elissa stuck out her tongue at the obsidian-haired beauty, but she had a playful twinkle in her emerald eyes as she got out of bed, nonetheless.
We were dressed and ready to go moments later, but I flung my personal pack over my shoulder before we left the room. It had the inferno wand and my two remaining griffon feathers inside, and I wanted to keep it close. Then we made our way through the hallways, and I hailed a servant as we made our way down to the audience chamber.
“Our bags need to go to the stables,” I informed him. “Make sure our horses have been groomed and fed while you’re at it. We’ll be riding out today.”
“Yes, sir,” the balding man said with a bow, and he trotted away to do my bidding.
The duke and Tobias were the only ones in the audience chamber when we arrived, and I greeted them with a friendly wave.
“Good morning,” I said with a broad smile. “I’m leaving today, so have the men you are sending along be ready within the hour.”
“Of course, Great One,” the duke replied as he inclined his head.
“In the meantime, I’d like to claim my reward,” I said, and my smile widened.
The duke chuckled and gestured to Tobias. “Show the Great One to the treasury, please, son.”
“Yes, Father,” Tobias replied, and he gave the duke a low bow.
Then he took the lead, and the three of us followed him out of the audience chamber and down a hallway. He continued walking for some time, and then he pulled a curtain aside to reveal a hidden doorway that led to some stairs. We walked down into a basement level and entered a hallway lined with doors, and the air grew colder. The gas lamps on the walls flickered from the draft, and the shadows danced across the stone floor.
“Hey, man,” I said as we walked slightly behind the duke’s oldest son. “I’m sorry about your brother, but he gave me no alternative.”
Our escort was quiet for a long moment, and I almost thought he hadn’t heard me.
“It doesn’t surprise me Lucian got himself killed,” Tobias finally said in a calm voice. “He wasn’t the nicest man.”
“Still, my condolences,” I said.
Tobias shot me an appreciative glance over his shoulder. “Thank you.”
The man didn’t seem to be a massive dick like his brother was, so I gave him the benefit of the doubt.
We walked for another ten minutes or so in silence, and then Tobias stopped and indicated a door to his left. The three of us entered the room, and my jaw almost dropped at the decadent display of wealth before me.
Chests overflowing with gold coins sat at odd angles across the floor, and a display case in the center of the room exhibited some jewelry. Shelves lined the walls, and they were covered in golden sculptures, ornate weapons, and even more jewelry.
I cruised around the room with my mouth agape, and then my eyes fell on an obsidian bow. It shimmered in the light of the lamps, and it looked like it was made of glass. I couldn’t help myself, and I touched it to activate the stats.
Durability - 100%
Weight - 5lbs
Quality - Flawless
Magical Aspect - Night
Magical Ability - Whisper
I didn’t know what the magical aspect or ability meant, but I wanted it, so I picked the bow up and tested the weight of it in my hand. It was the perfect length, exactly my height, and the draw of the string felt just right. It seemed too good to be true.
“Have you found your choice already?” Tobias asked with raised eyebrows. “I expected you to take the full hour.”
“What is this bow made of?” I asked as I inspected the black glass-like material.
“It’s a special ore,” Tobias informed me. “Made of cooled lava. Sorreyal only has one volcanic mountain, and it hasn’t erupted in ages, so the stone is incredibly rare. The bow is a good choice.”
His eagerness made me hesitate. Maybe there was something in here that was more powerful than the bow, and the duke’s eldest son was trying to salvage his inheritance. So, I put the weapon down, and I inspected the rest of the room.
I combed through the chests of gold, but the duke had said I could only pick one item, and I wasn’t about to waste my reward on a single coin. Then I moved on to the jewelry, but I trusted my women’s opinion of its quality more than my own.
“This is pretty.” Elissa seemed drawn to a golden circlet tiara, but when I touched it, no stats popped up. It didn’t have any magical abilities, and even though it was pretty, it wouldn’t come close to the bow.
“What about this?” Mahini indicated a sword that sat on a shelf near the bow, and she shot me a questioning look.
I obliged and glanced it over. It looked like it was made of the same black glass-like stone as the bow, and it had a wicked jagged edge. Then I checked the stats.
Durability - 100%
Weight - 3lbs
Quality - Legendary
Magical Aspect - None
Magical Ability - None
It rivaled the bow, but it didn’t have a magical ability or aspect, so I was still leaning toward the ranged weapon.
“It’s nice,” I said in an apologetic tone, “but I like the bow better.”
“Very well, Great One,” Mahini said with a twinkle in her blue eyes. “The bow it is.”
“Good,” Tobias said as he rubbed his hands together. “Now, can we get out of this freezing dungeon and get back upstairs?”
Realization dawned on me. Tobias hadn’t been eager because he didn’t want me to pick something other than the bow, he was anxious to get away from the below ground level and back to the warmth of the upper floor. It did no harm to weigh out my options, though, so I grabbed the bow and followed the duke’s son out of the treasury.
“I think you made an excellent choice,” Elissa chirped as she hooked her arm through my spare one.
“It is an incredible bow,” Mahini observed, and her piercing blue eyes took in the obsidian weapon in my hand. “It is too large for me to use, but perfect for you, Bash.”
“It’s almost like it was made for me,” I laughed.
“I hope it serves you well,” Tobias said with a half-smile. He didn’t seem to be one to show a lot of emotion, but he was polite like a good nobleman should be.
By the time we reached the audience chamber, the sun was climbing high into the sky, and I was anxious to get onto the road before we lost too much daylight. Ten armored men were waiting for us with the duke, though, so I took a moment to scan over what was obviously the men traveling with me.
They stood with their shoulders back and their chins lifted while I inspected their ranks. Several met my eyes confidently, but a soldier in the back avoided my gaze. I frowned at the evasive guard, but then Riondale saluted when my eyes fell on him, and I grinned at the young lieutenant.
I’d have to get to know these men pretty well if they were to accompany me for the next week. No one wanted to camp with strangers, after all, and I hadn’t seen many towns on the way to Vallenwood when I’d looked at the maps.
“These are the men who will accompany you to the king’s palace,” the duke explained with a flourish of his hands. “Riondale has been put in command since you have such a high opinion of him.”
I got the impression he enjoyed the small ceremonial acts of his office more than he did actually leading, but I allowed him his dramatic explanation.
“Well, he was out in the streets helping when many were not.” I shrugged my shoulders and gave the duke a pointed look.
“Yes, well, many had to protect the citizens who sought refuge in the castle,” Tobias interjected on his father's behalf.
“We leave in ten minutes,” I declared. “Meet me at the stables. Bullard, I trust you have prepared enough meals for the entire group to last over a week? We will have to camp most of the way.”
“Everything you need has been provided for,” the duke answered with a small bow of his head. “The packages were all taken to the stables this morning. I’ve made all the arrangements, have no fear.”
“Good.” I nodded and turned back to the guards. “Alright, men, listen up. Riondale may be your commanding officer, but I am in charge. What I say goes, got it?”
“Yes, sir,” the men all said in unison.
“Good, now we are going to ride hard and heavy at first while we have rested horses, but we will steady our pace in a few days. I don’t want to hear any complaining about the conditions while we travel, am I clear?” I raised an eyebrow as I gave them a hard look.
“Yes, sir,” came the unified response.
I nodded in satisfaction, and then I gave the duke a grateful smile. “Thank you for all your help, Bullard.”
“It was the least I could do, Great One,” the duke said with a shake of his head. “Thank you for braving the wilds to take the news to the king. Time is of the essence, there is no way to tell when, or if, the dragon will be back.”
“I’ll return with an army to protect the city,” I assured him. Then I jerked my chin at the waiting men. “Move out.”
They turned and trotted out of the room in a tight formation, and then I followed behind them with Mahini and Elissa by my sides. We walked to the castle stables and greeted our rides with the excitement of a new adventure unfolding.
We were on the road a short while later, and we waved to the townspeople as they jogged alongside our horses. The guards rode five in front and five behind us, with Riondale taking up the tail end of our group. He was constantly scanning our surroundings, and I felt good about my choice in bringing him along.
The young man would make the perfect protege for the God of Time.
I clicked my tongue to urge Goliath to pick up the pace, and my horse flicked his ears before he kicked up dust with his hooves. The guards in front hurried to match my pace, and then we were headed down the road at a brisk speed.
I allowed a brief stop for lunch a few hours later, but then we were back on the horses and riding once more. The scenery changed from open plains to a forest, and the trees crowded against the road, which made it difficult to ride beside each other, so we rode two in a row with me and my two women at the center of the group.
I didn’t need the added protection of the guards since I could handle an army single-handedly, but it was comforting to have the extra people around me. What was a god without some followers, after all?
They weren’t following me based solely on their belief in me yet, but they all had utter faith in me and my abilities as the God of Time.
“I’m tired,” Elissa moaned, and she pulled me out of my thoughts. “How much further until the inn?”
“Uh, didn’t you hear me earlier?” I asked in a cautious tone. “There won’t be many towns along the way, we’ll have to camp most of the time. Besides, I want to get as far as we can today, so we still have a little ways to go. The sun is still up, after all.”
“Fine,” the tiny redhead sighed, and her shoulders slumped.
“You got this,” I encouraged her with a grin. “You’re a warrior woman, remember? What’s a little saddle time in comparison to crushing skulls?”
“You’re right,” Elissa giggled and sat up straighter in her saddle. “We can go until after dark if you want. I’ll be a tough little wife for you.”
“You already are,” I laughed.
“We don’t need to go all night,” Mahini chuckled. “The horses will need to rest soon.”
I could tell she was getting tired herself, so I made a mental note to not push them as hard the next day. We rode for two more hours before I called a stop. Then I spotted a small stream running through the trees, and we all led our horses over to get a drink.
“This is as good of a place to camp as any,” I announced to my exhausted crew. “Let’s set up camp while we still have some daylight.”
“We’ll set up a watch schedule,” Riondale added. “Nothing will disturb your slumber, Great One.”
“Thanks, Ri,” I said with a grin, and the younger man blushed at the nickname.
Mahini, Elissa, and I worked on taking off our horses’ saddles while the men set up the campsite. They erected several small tents in a semi-circle around a good-sized fire, and by the time we’d brought our bags into the circle of light, the flames were putting out a lot of heat.
“I grew up camping with my grandpa,” Riondale explained when he saw my surprised expression. “I can start a fire faster than you can snap your fingers.”
The other men were carrying out various tasks, from caring for their horses to clearing the brush away from our perimeter, and I realized how helpful it was to have more hands.
We were camping in style.
“Good job, Ri,” I complimented as I finished looking around the campsite. “Now, we just need to feed thirteen people.”
“I’ve got men working on dinner already,” the lieutenant said with a pleased smile. “Jorgen is a talented hunter when he isn’t pissing himself from dragon fear.”
“Hey, that shit is potent,” I laughed. “Can’t say I hold it against him.”
“Me, either,” Riondale said as he joined me in my laughter. “I still don’t know how you faced that dragon head-on without shitting yourself. If you would pardon my language, sir.”
“Meh,” I said with a shrug. “Just a god thing, I guess.”
We talked about the battle and the destruction of half the town for a while, and then we fell into a comfortable silence while I warmed my hands over the fire. After a while, I grew curious about what the other men were up to, so I decided to take a look around.
I checked on the horses, and I talked to the man who was brushing them down for a moment. I’d met him after my encounter with the dragon, but it took me a moment to remember his name.
“You’re doing a fine job, Corvis,” I said to compliment his skill with the horses.
Warrior, the lone mule of the gang, huffed and waved his head as though to argue my statement.
“Thank you, Great One,” Corvis replied in a surprised tone. “It is an honor to travel with you, I only wish to do my part.”
“Well, keep up the good work,” I said, and I waved goodbye before I continued my rounds of the campground.
I talked to a few more of the men, but they weren’t as friendly as Riondale or Corvis, so I made my way back to the campfire. The guard who’d avoided eye contact in the audience chamber was nowhere to be seen, but I made a mental note to speak with him later. Mahini and Elissa crawled out of a tent in the middle of a fit of giggles, and my eyebrows rose questioningly at them as they approached.
“Elissa said she wanted to paint her mace pink,” Mahini said as her melodic laugh rang out over the campsite.
“I think it would be pretty,” Elissa said with a shrug, but there was merriment dancing in her emerald eyes.
“It sure would.” I grinned.
Just then, a man I assumed was Jorgen strode through the campsite and approached us with a deer slung over his broad shoulders.
“Dinner is served,” he announced in a pleased tone as he deposited his load on the ground at my feet.
I made a new savepoint as an idea struck me.
“Jorgen, you are the master hunter, wouldn’t you rather dress your own kill?” I shot the man a challenging look, and his chest puffed out in pride.
“I can dress a deer in my sleep,” he declared. “I was hoping to see your skill.”
“You first,” I shot back with a wiggle of my eyebrows, and the man tilted back his head to release a deep belly laugh.
“Very well, Great One,” he said with a twinkle in his eyes. “Watch how a master does it.”
I was very eager to do just that, so I scooted away from the dead deer, but I stayed close enough that I could watch.
Jorgen pulled out a dagger and leaned over the deer, but he angled his body so I could still watch his movements. Then he proceeded to slice the deer’s stomach open from head to tail.
“You’ll want to keep its belly up for this part,” Jorgen explained as he tugged his knife through the deer’s flesh. “Keep the backside angled downhill so the viscera runs away from the meat.”
I tucked that tidbit away for later, and I scooted forward to get a better look.
“This is a doe, so it will be a little easier to clean.” Jorgen moved his blade like he’d done this his whole life, and his skill with the process was obvious.
“Is this your first time?” I quipped with an arched eyebrow.
The hunter laughed, but then he returned his focus to his task.
“Be careful not to puncture the stomach,” Jorgen continued to explain as his knife made a slice toward the neck of the deer. “Then cut up to the sternum.”
He moved his fingers beneath the skin of the deer and separated the membrane that held in the organs away from the skin. Then he ran his blade over it very carefully and cut open the thin layer to reveal the innards. After this was done, he returned to the neck of the deer, and he severed the windpipe.
“Now comes the fun part,” he announced as he shot me a glance over his shoulder. Then he grabbed onto the deer’s windpipe and pulled downward, which brought all of the guts out with it in one go. He flicked his blade to remove a few tendrils that clung to the mass of viscera, but then he was able to fling the mess to the side, and he was left with a field-dressed deer.
“That’s awesome.” I grinned, and then I reset back to the moment he dropped the deer on the ground in front of me.
Chime.
“Dinner is served,” Jorgen announced in a pleased tone as he deposited his load on the ground at my feet.
“Just what I was craving,” I quipped, and then I whipped out one of my daggers. “May I?”
“Please,” Jorgen replied with an eager grin.
I mimicked the hunter’s actions and began to field dress the deer. At first, my cuts were awkward and uneven, but after a while, I found my flow. After a little more practice, I decided I could do better from the start, and I reset back to my save point.
Chime.
I attempted the dissection of the deer several times before I felt like my skill was anywhere comparable to Jorgen’s, but on my twentieth attempt, the hunter’s face was full of surprise.
Then I reset for a final time, and the hunter dropped the deer at my feet once more.
“May I?” I asked again while I pulled out my blade, and I didn’t wait for a response before I began to expertly cut into the deer’s flesh.
“Excellent, sir.” Jorgen’s eyebrows shot up in amazement as I bested his example with masterful techniques.
“It’s nothing,” I said with a dismissive wave of a bloody hand, and then I yanked out the innards in one fluid movement and flung them to the edge of the campground.
“What else would we expect from the God of Time?” Riondale observed with a chuckle.
“Nothing but the best,” Mahini offered with pride burning in her piercing blue eyes. She eyed me appreciatively even though I was elbows deep inside a deer’s stomach cavity, and I had to congratulate myself again on getting her to bond with me.
That was one of the best damned decisions I’d ever made.
After I finished with the deer, I washed up while Jorgen took over the process of cutting the meat into strips, and then he hung the strips over a stick positioned across the flames. A moment later, the savory smell of roasting venison filled the air, and my stomach growled with hunger.
A few other men brought some rolls over in a heavy iron pot, and they buried the dish beneath some coals to warm up its contents. It was shaping up to be a nice dinner regardless of our camping circumstances, and I was growing more excited by the moment.
“It smells amazing,” Elissa breathed as her emerald eyes watched the meat cook.
“I bet it will taste even better after how hard we rode today,” Mahini observed, and a smile tugged at the corners of her lips.
“You both did well today,” I said as I bumped my shoulder against the desert goddess.
“You promise it won’t be like that every day of our journey, right?” Elissa asked in a hopeful tone.
“Oh, I promise,” I chuckled. “I don’t enjoy it that much, either, you know.”
“You never complain, though,” Mahini murmured with pride in her voice. “You are the strongest man I’ve ever known.”
“Strongest you’ll ever know, too,” I laughed as I lifted my chin and smiled at them.
It was my goal to always be the most amazing man in existence in the eyes of my women, and it seemed like that title was firmly won so far.
Suddenly, a motion in my peripheral vision caught my attention, and my head spun as I followed the blur of movement darting through the trees. I didn’t want to scare anyone by raising the alarm for no reason, so I casually stood and dusted off my pants before I headed in the direction of the dark shape.
I tracked the random bursts of movement in the shadows for a moment, and then I darted forward at a quick pace. We were almost next to the stream, and the figure ahead of me stopped next to the water. I hid behind a tree, and I leaned around it to observe my target subtly.
It was one of the guards, the man who’d avoided my eyes.
Did we have a traitor in our midst?
I watched with my breath held while the guard began to take off pieces of armor. The shoulder guards came off first, and then the chest piece, but finally, the guard removed his helmet and shook his head.
Except it wasn’t a man at all. It was a woman, and one I recognized immediately.
Evangeline, the duke’s daughter, stood beside the stream and removed her armor disguise. She stripped down until her perfectly slender body was completely naked, and then she stepped into the water.
I realized too late that I’d seen too much, and I scurried backward toward the campsite. Then I stepped on a stick, and the loud crack echoed through the trees, and Evangeline’s head whipped around to face in my direction.
Her smoky-gray eyes met mine, and the shame in her gaze made my heart hurt for her. She thought she’d been sneaky, but she wasn’t good enough to avoid detection from me.
I was surprised to see her, but I was also excited about the possibility of getting to know her better.
The life of a god was full of pleasant surprises.