by Cebelius
I could never leave them now, even if I knew the way home.
He stood up, turned the shower off and stepped out onto the mat, reaching for a towel and putting it to use as he looked at himself in the mirror.
He was bigger now, leaner, harder. His muscle was so well-defined that he could have given Demolition Man-era Stallone a run for his money, but there were scars he hadn't had in his previous life. He could still make out the circular cuts across his back as he shifted to look, left by Cecaelia's suckers. He had splashes of scar tissue across his abdomen and chest, both from the audiofreaks and the zone beasts, and even from Euryale, where she'd gouged him after he'd pinched her ass.
If I woke up back home, none of that would be there, he mused, reaching up to rub the blaze of scar tissue just above his eyes. All these experiences, all the pain and, yes, pleasure. Life back home would be empty after this. I may die tomorrow, or the day after that, but at least I get to live on my own terms until then. I couldn't stand all that being an illusion.
Leaving the mirror, he finished toweling off and wrapped his waist as he stepped out into the bedroom the bath was attached to. At least, that had been his intention.
Instead, he found himself in a room that definitely wasn't in Voight's mansion. Cave walls were warmly lit by flickering torches set in sconces that looked suspiciously like they were made of silver. Heaps of gold and gems were strewn in out-of-the-way corners, and the center of the room was a depression filled with furs, pillows, and other soft things.
"Say the word, and I will send you back to where you wish to be."
Terry tilted his head, then turned to face Asturial. She was standing in the space just behind where the door had opened, and she was looking at him with an expression halfway between hope and determination.
Before he could speak, she said, "Prada spoke to me at length while she masqueraded as my face."
"I am aware," Terry said. "When we joined, she couldn't keep anything from me. I know what she told you about me, and about how you should act if you wanted any chance of obtaining my bond. I also know that you're trying. I understand that ... I just needed to hear you say it."
She nodded, giving him the impression she'd expected the answer.
"Do I have any chance of obtaining your bond?" she asked.
"Why do you still want it? You're now a Power in your own right. The crown is more powerful than anything else I could give you."
She frowned, then shrugged and said, "Power was never what I wanted. I want what Volai wanted."
She put a hand on her belly as she looked at him and said, "I want children. Even now that I have lost everything, that is the one thing I want more than anything else. Please, Terrence Mack. I know why you didn't just tell me to eject everyone from the Labyrinth. When I told you I had to follow the rules ... you reasoned that forcing me to keep those who did not want to leave immediately would constrain me, keep me from following you."
"That's part of the reason, yes. We have nothing in common, Astur. I don't know that I want my children to come up in your care. As it is, the women with me are going to get pregnant at some point. I know that. I'll have kids here, and I want to play a role in their lives, or at least know that their mothers will raise them in a way I won't regret."
"Because your parents were so bad?"
He winced, then shrugged and nodded. "That's part of it, yes. I can't be a better man than my father if I'm not even there for my kids when they come."
"Prada told me that you wanted me to care about others. She told me that you wanted me to learn, 'what it is to be human.'"
The obvious air quotes made him smile despite himself and he said, "Prada talks too damn much. She wants me to bond with you because you'll make me more powerful, give me more of a chance of surviving long term. Prada is an inherently selfish creature and she loves me, in her own bizarre little way. She wants me to stick around."
Asturial nodded. "Everything is out in the open now. I admit you have very neatly put me in check. At the same time you gave me this place, you kept me from staying with you. Now that I have brought you to where you want to go, my word to you is kept save for one last detail."
Her lips twisted, then she met his gaze and asked, "Do you remember?"
She paused, but when he didn't say anything she recited, "'When I beat the ever-lovin' out of you, you'll fly me and everyone here with me to the Eastern Steppes. You'll do it safely, following all instructions from pick up until we touch down at our destination, and then you'll fuck off.'"
"You've got a good memory," he said, not having expected her to quote him word for word.
"Do you still want me to fuck off? Is that really what you want? I can help you. More than that, I want to help you. Please, tell me that this crown was more than just a clever way to get rid of me."
She'd have never said please at the beginning of all this.
The thought made him hesitate. She was changing. He could see it. Some of the changes were subtle, others not. Then there was the unwavering dedication to her goal, to the extent that she risked her life several times to preserve his. But now that she had the crown, she no longer needed to be nice. Giving it to her had been a risk both he and Prada had seen as worth taking. When she'd told them the limits regarding the people in the Labyrinth, leaving her behind had immediately struck him as a good idea, and played a role in the instructions he'd given. He just hadn't expected Asturial to catch on so quickly.
"What have I done to change your mind about me, Astur?" he asked. "What if I told you that giving you the crown was my way of getting rid of you with no hard feelings?"
"I'd know you were lying. You couldn't be aware of all the crown's limitations. I can't imagine that would be something Ariadne would have shared. You figured it out when I told you. You are not stupid ... but neither am I."
"No, far from it," he conceded. "You're probably brighter than I am."
"I am certainly brighter than you are, but that's not what this is about. I saw you, saw the way you looked at my ravaged face. I have been watching you, and I am better at reading you than I once was. Your handing Prada over to me was an act of charity that you would not have thought of if you still hated me. We could bond, Terrence Mack. I would serve your interests willingly. I ... I would leave this crown behind for you."
He blinked, unable to conceal his disbelief. She held a hand out toward him, palm up to forestall his retort as she said, "Believe me. I have considered this. Yes, the Corona Borealis makes me safe. I can recover my full size and more with time. I could become a legitimate power on Celestine. I would regain all that I ever had, and obtain so much more. In time, I might even get another template with the draw of the Labyrinth, and have my progeny by him."
She paused and dropped her hand. "But those children would not be yours. I want yours. I want you. I will submit to a place in your harem. I will abide by your wishes, learn whatever it is you want me to learn. I will be the person you wish I could be. Prada put it a certain way. She said, 'Fake it until you make it.' She said you would understand, said that you had done the same. It will take time, but I have time."
She held out both hands in supplication as she said, "Please, Terrence. Let me give that time to you. When it is all said and done, my children will be raised by the person you had me become, not by the woman who made a bargain she couldn't keep. You may never love me, and I may never love you. Right now we don't even like each other. But I have come to understand that you're a good man, a hero ... someone most mortals and more than a few eldritch would be proud to follow. Even among templates, you are special. Despite everything that has happened, you want to make this world a better place, just for the sake of the people who live here ... even people like me, and any children I might have. That's why I decided that if I am ever to gain the seed of any template, I want that seed to be yours."
Terry felt tears welling in his eyes, and the swell of emotion he was struggling to swallow wasn't something he could explain. B
latantly stalling for time, he walked to the edge of the pool of soft things in the middle of the room and sat down at the edge, his feet disappearing between the pillows. Asturial came and sat next to him, but did not touch him, nor did she speak.
"I ... don't know what to say," he mumbled. "I don't have anyone else I could give the crown to. Halla ... I don't think she could handle the responsibility."
"If you are asking, I would say give it to Marcus."
"Why him?"
"He is steady, and there is more to him than either of us knows. I can see it. He will be everything he once believed Ariadne to be ... and he will have Ariadne herself to help him, thanks to Laina Lowe. Once upon a time, a minotaur was master of the Labyrinth on your world. Prada told me. Let it be so here. He will dispense with the last of your justice for those trapped here, and then he will return to you. Like me, he would be willing to serve your cause. You have but to ask him."
"I have no right to ask that of him."
Terry looked over at Asturial, who smiled slightly as she said, "You are correct. That right is mine, just as the crown is mine to keep or give away. I will ask him. For my sake and yours, I know he will accept. Because it is for my sake, and my desire is for you, the choice is therefore yours to make, here and now. That man is of a sort to change history, and just like you, I think he will leave this world better than he found it. He just needs to be given the chance."
Asturial paused, then set a hand lightly on Terry's shoulder as she said, "He will likely extract a promise from you to save his people though, and you should make that promise."
He glanced at her with a raised eyebrow and she smiled. "You'll be doing it anyway, if I know you."
"I didn't know his people were in any danger," Terry said.
"What you don't know could fill countless volumes, Terrence Mack. That's why you should say yes, and take my help."
"Yuri will be pissed when his shield man goes missing."
Asturial laughed, and when he looked at her she flexed a bicep meaningfully as she said, "I'll take the damn shield. Say yes. Let me stay with you. Let me serve you, protect you ... and in due course, bear your children."
"I'll have to talk to-"
"Laina has already agreed, though you should marry her before you step foot outside the Labyrinth. This conversation has been had. Prada or Shy can give you the details."
Terry chuckled ruefully. "I suppose I should just give up on the idea that I make the decisions around here concerning my love life, yeah?"
"You should. We women are far better suited to that sort of thing."
His chuckling turned into outright laughter as he asked, "How the hell would you know?"
Her smile was smug as she said, "Prada gave me a crash course, and as I mentioned, I'm exceptionally bright. She also told me what you like, and how you like it. Shall I demonstrate?"
"Hah! No."
He set a hand on her shoulder as she turned in toward him and said, "While I believe you, there's an old saying where I come from. Trust, but verify. I'll speak to Shy and Laina first, and then take your advice on giving her the vow she's been wanting. If I involve you before then, I'm in for a world of shit. The last thing I want to do is hurt her feelings again. She deserves better from me."
To his mild surprise, Asturial took his refusal with good grace, and her golden eyes glinted just a bit as she said, "On that note, I have something for the two of you that will make the occasion unique, something I know she wants. Let me give it to you, then I'll take you to her."
"How about I get some freakin' clothes on first? I'm not going to marry anyone in a damn bath towel."
"You will let me stay with you then?"
Terry sighed, then offered her a smile. "Yes, Asturial. Presuming everything is on the level, and I get some clothes on before I run into anyone else, you can stay."
"Your wish is my command, Ma-"
"Don't. You. Dare."
Asturial gave him a faux wounded look, then her expression cracked as she snickered, and before long she was literally shaking with mirth as she leaned back on her hands and laughed. Her laugh was full of relief and joy, and it was a sound unlike any he'd ever heard her make. Terry just smirked as he watched her in bemused silence and shook his head.
At some point, my life went completely off the rails ... and at THIS point, gotta admit, I really don't mind.
They looked at each other for another long moment as her relieved laughter faded into an uncharacteristically warm smile, and thoughts of Laina and the marriage he'd promised rolled through his mind. Something occurred to him, something he hadn't done for anyone else, and he smiled a bit nervously as he said, "Actually, I'd like your help setting something up. Do you mind?"
"For Laina?"
He nodded, and she spoke with what seemed to him like genuine warmth.
"Of course. Tell me what you need."
32
Broken Road
Laina gazed out the window of a second-story bedroom at the grounds of the manor house that Asturial had conjured up from Terry's memories. The room she was in was hers by virtue of the oversized bed, and the fact that most of the furniture was against one wall or another and out of the way of her horns. She had to be careful of the device moving air around though; it hung from the center of the ceiling. It and the lights hanging from it had just ... turned on, like magic, when she'd walked in.
Prada had told her to take the room, and she'd agreed. Now she looked out at the strange sky with its high-moving clouds, and the carefully manicured lawn. From her perspective, it was still morning. She'd woken up, they'd had breakfast, and then Boss had opened the trapdoor. The next thing she knew, she was watching a beast that only looked like the man she loved molding and then threatening to execute the Power of the Lost.
The whole experience had been bewildering. She still didn't know half of what had happened. All she knew was that when Boss and Prada had split, he had looked haggard, and it was obvious to Laina that he'd been through the wringer between one moment and the next. Halla had given her a sketchy outline of what happened in the Labyrinth, but there was still plenty the giant woman hadn't known, that Laina would need to get from Boss.
He listened. He actually listened to me, and spared her life.
She shook her head, gazing out the window but seeing again the scene playing out in front of those mirrors. Boss had looked so ... cold. Even when he'd been helping Ariadne change her shape, something about him had been impossibly remote. She had watched, transfixed, unable to move a muscle. Everything he'd said had been so gentle, kind-sounding, yet wrong. It hadn't been him. He'd never scared her like that, not even when he was burning with power from the Rod of the Heart. That made him look magnificent. Perfected.
In combination with Prada he just looked ... terrifying.
Tears welled again. Back in Florence, when he'd asked her to help him stay straight, she'd told him she'd be doing that anyway. But in front of those mirrors, watching his monstrous face with it's fake smile, Laina had been so close to letting it happen. She almost watched Boss kill Ariadne, because she'd been all but paralyzed with fear. Fear of him, of what he would do if she drew his attention.
But I did speak. And he listened.
She closed her eyes and took a deep breath, then let it out slowly.
A soft knocking at her door brought her from her reverie and she swiped her hand under her eyes quickly as she hurriedly said, "Come in!"
The door swung open and Terry tilted his head as he glanced in and asked, "Got a few?"
"Sure, Boss. I've always got time for you."
She watched him step in and close the door. He was back to his usual size, and dressed in the plain shirt and pants he wore day to day. He had his black backpack with him too, which she thought was odd. Laina noticed with interest that Prada didn't seem to be with him, but given what she'd seen, she couldn't tell for sure and decided to ask.
"Are you alone?"
He blinked, then nodded in u
nderstanding. "Yeah, hon. I am. It's just you and me right now."
Laina didn't bother trying to hide her relief as she sat down on the edge of the bed, looking at him apprehensively. After what happened, she had no idea what to expect.
Their eyes met and held for a long moment, and then he took a deep breath and let it out slowly as he said, "Hon, I owe you. Again. If it weren't for you, I'd have done something today that I'd never have been able to take back."
She managed a weak smile and said, "You're welcome. I mean, I did agree to look out for you, yeah? Just, heh ... you know, doin' the job."
He shook his head and shifted his pack off his shoulders, turning and setting it down before opening it and rooting around as he said, "I have a few things to tell you, about what happened, but most of that can wait a bit. There's something I never thought I'd be able to give you, but now that the opportunity is here I just can't pass it up."
Laina smiled, and felt comfortable enough to tease him a bit as she said, "After all the crap you give me about getting gifts, you think I'm going to take anything you offer me with good grace?"
He blinked as he looked up at her, caught by surprise, then smiled and chuckled ruefully as he said, "Yeah, okay. I suppose I deserved that. But this is something you asked for, so I'm pretty sure you'll take it." He paused, then added with a smile, "Though you may regret asking for it later."
She watched curiously as he pulled a rectangular object from the pack and set it on top of the dresser nearest him. It had circles on the front, and those circles had circles. The material it was made from seemed a combination of metal and other things, but Laina didn't really know what to make of it. A moment later he pulled another blocky object out and set it down, then connected the two things with ropes. The second object lit up, and he touched the lit surface, seeming to manipulate the light.