by Nicole Fox
“Keir will have to fight his father to the death to save all of us and Oceanus.”
“Three simple tests revealed a deep devious plan devised to control everyone in our Cosmos.”
“I worry for Keir.”
“Don’t, he was born for this. He wasn’t born to be Dark Lord. He will be a fine ruler one day with you at his side.”
“Our marriage is strong.”
“Its strength will weather these trying times.”
“Blane?”
“Why do you keep referring to that man?”
“He’s your husband.”
“Our child will bond us even further, and it will be a bittersweet moment for me. I will not be living in a crypt like a snake. My baby will play in flowers, living flowers. Chase butterflies. Drink cool fresh water from a brook. Not these dying death lilies. She won’t chase mosquitoes. Drink dirty water from the bog. This is short term until Keir finds a way to vanquish our father.”
“If you say so.”
“It’s a law decreed by Silke. This will never work. We’ll be happy into two different homes living separate lives.”
Silke’s mouth set in a terse line when a great wooden door swung open; Blane bustled into their living area. His drones hurried to him, wiping his sweaty brow, offering goblets of wine, and presenting clean clothes.
Silke pointed to a vivid spectacle of her husband placating his attendants. “He’s the Lord of Death, and he needs five drones to help him through the day. It’s disgusting and going to make me lose my lunch. At least, Keir had a manservant.”
Tatum viewed Blane with his attendants with open interest as they fawned over him. He flirted with them and kissed their withered hands. Casting a glance at Silke, she twisted her fingers in her lap; her blue eyes stared at her husband out of the corner of her eyes. After a few minutes, Blane broke away from his admirers to saunter over to his wife. Silke froze like a garden statue, pasting a small smile on her face. Carelessly, Blane dropped next to his wife. Copper hair brushed along her pale shoulder as he kissed her softly on her cheek. His contact forced Silke to scoot away from her husband, slapping his hands away from her stomach.
“We have a guest, Blane,” Silke uttered tersely, motioning to Tatum.
“Tatum, my love, is part of our family. We are married.”
“Don’t remind me.”
“Our child growing contently in your womb should be a constant reminder of our everlasting bond.”
“Don’t over speak your place in my life. This is temporary until Keir defeats Father.”
Blane reclined on his soft leather couch, “Yes, we had quite a sparring match. I didn’t realize that I’ve been sitting on my hunches, allowing everything to happen around me. I never took an active approach to life. I sat back, and I waited patiently. Now I know that I must protect what’s mine.”
His light blue eyes darkened when his eyes roamed possessively over Silke. Tatum was uncomfortable with their verbal exchange. Blane declared that he would not sit by idle any longer in his marriage. Silke’s blatantly refused to budge on her stance that she needed sunshine, not gloom.
“Have you heard from Ruby and Cormac?” Silke inquired of her husband to change the subject.
“Yes, a few messages arrived from them earlier. They are closer than previously reported.”
“That fares well for my-our baby, Blane.”
Catching Silke with her guard down, Blane reached over and rubbed her mound. “Your father can’t penetrate my walls, even though he wants to. You are quite safe unless you leave my side.”
“How convenient.”
“I think it’s lovely.”
Blane dug around in his back pocket and removed a rolled parchment. “Ruby sent you a message, Tatum.” With a large smile, Blane offered a tightly rolled parchment to Tatum.
“Thank you.”
“I will always be in your debt to you for protecting my wife and unborn.”
“Blah, Blah, I was fine without either of you,” Silke snapped. “I’m a big goddess, not a fledgling.”
Tatum ignored Silke’s emotional outburst, curling her hand around the crinkled parchment.
“I think I will leave you and read my letter in private.”
Silke’s mouth dropped, “Don’t leave me in here with him and them.” She offered Tatum a pitifully crestfallen look like a puppy.
“It’s almost time for your nap, Silke,” Blane admonished. “You must rest to maintain your physical and emotional strength for our baby.”
“You can stop with so many ours.”
“Okay the child.”
“Don’t be so vague.”
Rising from her chair, Tatum slipped from their chamber. She lightly banged her head against the door as she heard them bickering over everything in their life.
“I’m not saying a word. She loves him, and they need to figure it out. I can’t handle another god marriage. I have my own.”
~~~
Tatum found a quite boulder under a few blazing torches to unravel her long parchment from Ruby.
Tatum,
I’m sorry that I wasn’t present when you woke from your deep sleep. I pressed cool cloths to your mind as you fought off the poison from Murale’s blood and those nasty little bug things. Currently we are camped in a beautiful rainforest. It's almost romantic except for a deranged god hunting us. Cormac knows of a tunnel that will lead us to unnamed seas. He won’t tell me any names of locations; Azael can read my mind. Cormac fears that he will discover our plans to fight back against Murale and him.
Azael is constantly hovering over us. I lose my mind when he summons me to him, just dark sensations of sex not like Cormac’s. It’s becoming harder to resist his call. Part of me wishes to ask Cormac to make love to me. But I want him to love me and make our first marital night special. I wonder if I should just make love to him to lessen Azael’s power of me. I must send my parchment with a bird; it’s pecking on my dress, impatient snot.
I will write to you soon.
Love, Ruby.
Tatum rested her head on her palms.
“Poor Ruby, she needs a friend, and we’re tapped in a huge, dirty underground cave temple. Just trust in Cormac.” Hopping of the boulder, Tatum began to walk towards her borrowed apartment.
~~~
Tatum trudged down a torched lit path back to her borrowed chambers in Blane’s lair. She refused to spin around when she heard things fly, cracking, or moving. Fine hairs on her arms sprouted to life as she moved around a bizarre and creepy temple. Sighing, she rested her hand on a heavy ornate bronze door handle. Candles flickered as she stepped into her suite.
“Keir, are you back from training?”
Tatum waited for a humbling response in his deep voice. Nothing.
“Keir?”
“Maybe, he’s not in here.”
She noticed his sword resting on a dark cheery end table; its gleaming silver blade brightened a room with a silent darkness.
“Why isn’t he answering me?”
She brushed silky strings from hanging down from the ceiling. Casting her eyes up, she spotted Baby nibbling on something in her multiple legs. Baby dropped her snack on a sticky section of her web, hurriedly she lowered herself to dangle in front of Tatum. She placed her legs on Tatum’s’ shoulder as she waited for a rub.
“You are rather sweet, darling.”
Baby’s eyes lit up with joy when Tatum rubbed her belly and whispered soft words near her head.
“Where is he?”
Baby’s head shook when she spotted something crawling in a corner. Joyfully, she bounced away to snare a late-night snack.
“At least, I don’t have to worry about creepy little things in here.”
Tatum continued deeper into their apartment. Her foot kicked something wet and sticky on her slipper. Reaching down, she grabbed a pair of sweaty black leather pants.
“He wants a maid to clean up after him.”
She tossed his pants in a wic
ker basket of dirty clothing. Exhaling, Tatum stepped closer to their bedroom. Her eyebrow rose with she spotted dirty muddy footprints marring their clean stone floor.
“That little bugger didn’t wipe his feet from training. He should know by now to wipe his feet. That’s what started this mess.”
A huge smile curved on Tatum’s lips as her heart skipped a beat. Her mind drifted back to that fateful day that she met Keir as she scrubbed Silke’s temple floors.
“It changed my life,” she whispered.
Tatum opened the door their bed chamber. Candlelight illuminated a quiet suite, Keir laid on his stomach with an arm resting over his dark head. A single white sheet covered his lower body; his muscular back bare. Tatum removed her feet from her slippers, unfastened her gown. It pooled around her feet. Quietly, she walked across the room to join Keir, their bed dipped from her weight as she laid on his chest, pressing soft kisses along his neck. His skin was warm under her touch. Rolling off his back Tatum lifted his arm, snuggling into his side. Keir murmured something into his pillow; his arms tightening around her slender waist.
“Where have you been? I was worried,” he mumbled as he dropped a kiss on her forehead.
“Speaking with Silke, reading a note from Ruby, and thinking about our future.”
“It will be bright; have faith I’m going to fix this colossal mess with my father.”
“I have faith in you.”
“I always have faith and trust in you.”
“Keir, I love you.”
“I love you, too.”
“Honey, what about your muddy footprints?”
“You didn’t clean them? It’s your job as a mini Goddess of Light… maintaining good and clean floors.”
Tatum poked his ribs until he began wriggling from her prodding.
“Didn’t you sign up to clean my dirty mess?”
“No, I signed up to keep you on a straight path.”
“So, clean up my muddy one, I’m tired.”
Giggling, Tatum rested her head on Keir’s chest. “After we take a nap, I’ll take care of everything.”
“See I knew it; my way is always right, Mouse.”