Power of the Lost

by Cebelius

  The other big change was that her skin was now blue. So blue as to be almost indigo, in fact.

  'Good morning, Husband.'

  Terry tilted his head as he mentally acknowledged Prada. Something was bothering him beyond everything else, and he glanced around again, then back at the sleeping woman next to him as he tried to focus through his headache and his hunger, trying to nail down just what was bothering him.

  When he finally got it, he very carefully slid sideways off the pile of furs and stood, glancing around as he mentally said, Prada? Please tell me Halla shrank along with the rest of it.

  'Nope.'

  Oh my god.

  The room was sized normally. Except it wasn't. Halla was somewhere between twelve and fifteen feet tall, and everything in here was sized for her. The problem was, it looked normal to Terry.

  I'm a fucking giant.

  Prada's answer was both full of amusement and atypically laconic.

  'Yep.'

  After a pregnant pause she added, 'Completely not my fault, by the way. After you passed out, I put everything back where it was supposed to be. Your heart actually faltered for a few minutes, and I had to really work to get it going again. Next time we try that trick, I'll use my own substance rather than your blood to fill your cock. Funny thing about me, I can't actually transport oxygen to your cells. Lessons learned. This growth as a consequence of your new bond happened after that.'

  The amusement he felt from her only left him cold.

  You think this is funny?

  Terry glanced around, struggling to figure out how in the hell he was going to get out of this mess. Presuming he survived the Labyrinth and got back out again, how in God's name was he going to explain being fifteen feet tall to the rest of his group? How could he hide? Not to mention the complexity this would add to his sex life.

  He checked himself, but that was no help. His perspective was identical to what it had been, because everything about him had gotten bigger. He looked the same to himself.

  'I think your reaction is more than a little amusing, yes. Calm down, Husband. You're a theurge. You can return to normal size with a spell.'

  Won't it cost me mana to STAY small though?

  'One problem at a time. I do not have all the answers, and Volai's library didn't exactly cover things like this. We will learn as we go.'

  A sudden thought left him panic-stricken, but before he could put it into words Prada spoke.

  'Relax! I took your boots off. I know how much they mean to you.'

  He did relax, then tipped his head up at the ceiling and winced as the move made his headache worse. He moved to the table, shifted the lone chair out, and carefully sat down.

  The sound woke Halla, and she made a sleepy sound and opened eyes that literally glowed golden in the low light to look at him.

  Then she sat up and screamed.

  The sound made his head hurt even worse and Terry clasped his hands to his ears and threw her a pained look. He wanted to tell her to shut the hell up, but couldn't manage words around the aural spike she was driving through his skull.

  Fortunately for him, she only screamed once. After, she clapped a hand over her face, over her eyes, and then slid it until only her left eye was visible. She looked around, and he could tell she was terrified.

  "What is wrong with me?" she asked plaintively, her one visible eye focusing on him.

  He looked at her with a pained expression and asked, "Do you promise not to scream again?"

  "No?" La was incredulous. "Boss, what in the high holy fuck is going on? What is wrong with my face?!"

  Terry actually paused a moment to consider his answer. A month ago — presuming he were going to be honest — he'd have given her a laundry list. Horns? Blue skin? Chiseled, almost mannish jawline? GLOWING eyes?

  Now he gave her a speculative look and shrugged, saying with complete honesty, "I ... don't see a thing wrong. Sorry, not sure what you mean."

  She slid her hand up her face, probably intending to show him what she probably considered to be an 'extra' eye, and that's when she found her horns.

  Her eyes widened and as her mouth opened he snapped, "Do not scream."

  To his mild surprise her jaw clamped shut, but she did whimper, and then said, "I can't see, Boss. Nothing is clear."

  He blinked, looking at her, and after a moment had to conclude she was serious. Then he saw one of her eyes wander left, while the other started going up.

  Oooohkay. That's not normal.

  'She has never had two eyes, and her physiological changes may not be entirely complete. If you would like, I may be able to help her.'

  Halla was crying now, tears leaking from both her eyes as she murmured, "I'm ruined. What did I do to deserve this? Boss? Help me. Pleeease help me. I'm begging you, please."

  "Hush. I'll help, you're fine. You're also not the only one with new problems. Or did you not notice that you turned me into a goddamn giant?" he asked rhetorically as he stepped back over to the massive pile of furs and knelt, taking her shoulders in his hands. She tried to look at him, but one of her eyes focused on his face, while the other looked him up and down, and tears streamed from both.

  'Talk to her. Keep your left hand on her shoulder, and I will work on her while you teach her how to focus. Talk her through it.'

  Unsure what else to do, he held up a finger about a foot from her face as he said, "Close one of your eyes, and focus on my finger with the other one."

  She tried. Both eyes closed. Then she opened them both, then closed them both again. Her face twisted in frustration as the tears dropped down her cheeks.

  "I can't!" she whispered. "I'm trying!"

  "We'll work through it. Ssh. It's okay. Here. Close your eyes."

  Terry reached out, and gently cupped her cheek with one hand. Lifting his thumb, he brushed it just under her eye, then just over it as he murmured, "I'm going to touch your eyelid. Don't panic. I won't hurt you."

  She gave a slight, shaky nod, and he set the pad of his thumb lightly on her eyelid as he said, "Now, gently, open your eyes. Don't fight the resistance. Don't struggle. Be easy. I'm right here and I will help you through this, I promise. You're okay. Gently now, gently."

  He felt the eyelid under his thumb twitch up as her other eye opened. She looked at him and he smiled for her, gazing at her with as much kindness as he could muster considering his headache was still threatening to split his skull in two and his belly button was getting into a serious argument with his backbone about whether or not his throat had been cut. It was not his best moment, but he thought about how much he needed to make this right, and did his level best to put her first. He'd have been freaked out too if he suddenly had an extra eye or two on his face.

  Her smile in return was tremulous, and he nodded encouragement. "Now, close your eye. Again, do it gently."

  She did, and again the eyelid he held twitched.

  "Open ... close ... open ... close. Focus on your left eye. That's it. Don't try to fight anything. Be gentle. Be easy. Only do what works. Open ... close."

  He had no idea if what he was doing would help her at first, but as he worked with her he noticed her trembling subside, and she obeyed him without question. Eventually, he could tell that the eyelid under his thumb wasn't twitching as much, and he lessened the pressure on it as he continued. Another moment, and he lessened the pressure a bit more.

  "Now, try opening just your left eyelid. Feel the difference in the muscle. Go ahead ... open."

  She did, and he felt the eyelid he was holding shift down instead of up. He smiled broadly at her and said, "You're getting close. Now, close your eye. I'll take my thumb away, and you'll do this on your own."

  "Okay."

  Halla still sounded frightened, and Terry tightened his fingers on her shoulder as he said, "It is okay. Whether it works or not. I promise I will help you. You will be okay. Now open your eye."

  She did, and then she smiled and her breath left her in an excited rush
as Terry heard Prada in his mind.

  'You are good at this. I am facilitating her motor control, but she is responding quite well to you. Keep going.'

  You act like I have some sort of plan. Switching hands.

  'Ready.'

  He shifted his hand down to her right shoulder, and lifted his left to cup her cheek as he said, "Shall we do the other one now?"

  Her smile faded, then she nodded and he saw hints of determination in her expression.

  "You're doing well, La. You're learning this really quickly for someone who's never had two eyes before. I'm impressed."

  What in the HELL am I even talking about? he thought, bemused for a moment by the absurdity of what he was doing. La's slight but decidedly pleased smile brought him back to a proper frame of mind though. He owed it to her to treat this with the gravity it deserved. He had no idea what it must be like for her, but if what he was doing was working, he'd keep at it.

  He took his time, and it took her less than half the time to open her right eye without moving her left. He shifted both hands back to her shoulders and said, "Now I want you to open one eye while keeping the other closed. Then close that eye and open the other. Remember, go easy on yourself. No force. No pressure. Just will. Your body is learning, and it will remember. Go ahead."

  Halla completed the exercise successfully, and he could tell that her progress had made her practically giddy.

  "Okay, just one more thing to do, and this will be a little bit scary, but I want you to remember that it's okay. I'm right here, and I'll make sure you're all right."

  "Okay," she murmured, staring up at him with one eye closed. "I'm ready."

  He held a finger up in front of her face and said, "Focus on my finger. Keep your other eye closed. For now."

  She did, and he said, "Now, close both your eyes, but remember where my finger is. Can you do that?"

  She nodded and closed her eyes.

  "Focus your other eye on my finger, then open it."

  She tried, but her eye was off. He expected that, and before she had time to panic, or berate herself, he said, "Sssh, it's okay. Focus on it now that your eye is open. When you have it, close your eye again."

  'I can see where you're going with this. Keep it up. I believe it will work, but be patient.'

  Ignoring Prada, or rather, acknowledging her without words, Terry had Halla switch eyes, guessing at where his finger was and focusing on it before she opened her eyelids. Several minutes passed, but eventually her eyes started to track correctly before she opened them, and stayed properly oriented when she closed them.

  "Now open both your eyes at once," he said.

  She did, and as she did he said, "Relax. Just focus on my finger. I'm going to start moving it, but I want you to stay focused. Blink if you need to, but let it happen naturally. Here we go."

  Halla had very little trouble after that, and was able to follow his finger as he moved it first left and right, then toward and away from her, then both at once.

  Finally, he touched his nose and said, "Now, look into my eyes."

  Her eyes stayed perfectly in sync as they flicked to his, and he smiled and said, "Welcome to the wonderful world of depth perception."

  She blinked, and Prada flooded him with her own sense of accomplishment, making it obvious that whatever had needed doing inside Halla was done.

  "Your eyes are so beautiful," she breathed.

  His smile turned just a bit bashful at that, and he cleared his throat and said distractedly, "Ah, glad you approve. Can I ask a favor? Now that you can see?"

  "Anything, Boss. Anything you want."

  Her words were so heated that he felt a stirring in spite of the pain in his head and the twisting in his guts. Her sense of gratitude was so strong it felt like it had a presence all its own. He knew without a doubt that she was ready to do whatever he wanted ... and that suited him fine, because he had a big ask.

  "Feed me please," he said plaintively. "I'm fuckin' starvin'."

  She burst out laughing as all her tension flowed out of her and she leaned forward, wrapped her arms around him and kissed him, hard.

  When they came up for air she shifted past him and off the furs to stand as she said, "You stay right there, man o' mine. I'll be right back with food for both of us."

  As she stepped away he couldn't help himself as he said, "By the way ..."

  She paused to look askance at him as he said, "You're blue."

  Her eyes widened and she looked down at her arms, then back up at him as she said, "What in THEE FUCK did you do to me, Boss?"

  "Did you intend to make me a giant?" he asked, keeping his tone mild.

  She blinked, then looked him up and down as though it was just registering with her that he was now actually a bit bigger than she was. Her voice had a questioning note to it as she shook her head and said, "No?"

  "All right then. Bear it in mind. Whatever was done, we did it to each other. I think you look great incidentally, if you care about that sort of thing."

  "So you don't ... I mean, didn't you do this to me on purpose?" she asked. "Theseus controls what gifts we get, and I barely got anything at all from him."

  'Now THAT is interesting information. I do so look forward to scraping every memory out of that man's head before I drain him dry. There's no telling what else we'll learn about being a template.'

  "La, you got what every other woman I've been with on Celestine got," Terry said, pushing Prada's literal bloodthirst out of his mind.

  "What's that?"

  He shrugged and said, "My full attention. Food? Please?"

  Her lips twitched, and she actually winked at him before stepping out the door, her parting words coy.

  "Oh, I'll feed you, Boss ... and then you'll feed me."

  Terry leaned back on his elbows on the furs, shaking his head. He did it slowly so as not to worsen his headache.

  'Harem is now at one, two, three ... what, sevenish? And counting? You're a slut, Husband.'

  He thought about it and said, "Six if we count Mila, and yes, I suppose I am."

  'You forgot Cecaelia.'

  He winced.

  "I don't know that elder gods count."

  'That's why I said sevenISH. I know you're slow sometimes but do try and keep up.'

  He started laughing, then the pain in his head caught up and he gritted his teeth and sent hateful thoughts at Prada as her sense of smug amusement threatened to suffocate him.

  'I love you too, Husband.'

  28

  The Hero Wears Prada

  As they lay in a sweaty heap together on her furs, Terry kissed Halla on the forehead, right between her horns. She murmured and shifted, pressing the length of her body against his.

  As she promised, she'd fed him, and afterward had fucked him rather vigorously. They'd slept, and he'd woken to find her already mounted and riding, which was something of a first for him. Terry'd only just recently been woken by a hummer, and here now he'd been woken by full on intercourse.

  It would have been even better if his head weren't still throbbing. Prada had taken the pain down to manageable levels, but the fact that the pain was there at all proved a significant mental distraction.

  Still, he'd done his best to keep his implied promise to Halla, and given her all his attention.

  Afterward, she snuggled into him and said, "I have never had it like this, Boss. Theseus would grow for me, but even then he was ... small, down there."

  "So he can change size?" Terry asked.

  "He can do anything," she said, and by her tone she believed it. "He just doesn't."

  "What do you mean?"

  She looked up at him, her eyes glowing. In the shadows thrown by the lone torch, which seemed always on the verge of going out but never did, it was hard to read her expression past that golden glow.

  "He ... just takes what he wants. He doesn't try to do anything. Everything he wants is just given to him. Everyone knows that no one can oppose him, so no one does.
Well, rarely. He kills anyone who doesn't do what he wants, but he usually does that by sending some of his more trusted bonds."

  "Is that what that ambush was?" he asked.

  She nodded slightly and said, "I'm ... I was, a favored daughter."

  Terry's brow furrowed.

  "Wait, what?"

  "Mm?"

  She kissed his chest and sighed as she pressed her body against his, seeming to crave contact.

  "Favored daughter. Is that what you said?"

  "Yes? So?"

  "I thought you were his bonded woman."

  "I am. Just like my mother and her mother and hers before that."

  Terry went very still as horror seeped through him. His vision blurred, and the world seemed to tilt as his equilibrium spun wildly. Rage, disgust, and raw, animal hatred filled him. His fists clenched. His jaw tightened until it ached, and he shut his eyes and struggled to control his breathing, to push back the darkness encroaching on his mind.

  "Boss? What's wrong?"

  "Theseus," he ground out between clenched teeth. "He's your father?"

  "Yes? All of us are his children. So?"

  Oh God, Terry silently prayed. Please grant me the strength to kill this man. I have no doubts. None. Not anymore. Whatever good was once in him is gone. This must end. Please give ME the strength to end it. I beg you. Please.

  He waited, trembling, until the wave of primal emotions subsided. It did ... but only a little.

  "Where is he?" he croaked, then swallowed past the ball of pure disgust welling up in his throat.

  "He's at the center. He almost never leaves. Boss, seriously, are you okay? You look ... bad."

  "Right now, I am very bad," he murmured, gently disentangling himself and getting on his feet, facing away from her as he tried to get a firm handle on himself. "But don't worry — I know what'll make me better. Is there a way to get to him? Some way that you know to bypass the rest of the Labyrinth?"

  "Well, I know the route. I can take you there, but there are no shortcuts."

  He could hear the worry in her voice, the mounting insecurity.