“I’m sorry.” I told him for so much more than he would ever know. As soon as I said this I knew it was a mistake for his features grew hard and his eyes flashed purple.
“Only the guilty speak in such a way,” he told me in a cold unfeeling voice that spoke volumes to the amount of hurt I had inflicted. I reached out to him, needing to comfort him but it was once again a mistake. He snarled down at my hand the second it landed on his arm and I watched in slow motion as my fingers lost their hold on him as he moved away from me and off the bed. It then landed on the cold covers and as the first tear fell, I fisted the material as my own pain doubled.
“It’s not what you think,” I told him looking up and finding only pain, one that mirrored my own but for different reasons. He thought I loved another and the reality was that I loved him too much. I loved him enough to lie and the weight of those lies were crushing my soul.
“No?! Then tell me, who cries out for a man they don’t remember?!” Well he had me with that one because he was right, who would shed tears for a memory they couldn’t find?
“You don’t understand,” I told him because it was the truth.
“Oh I think I understand all too well! Now it’s time for you to understand. You are never to see this man again. You are never to speak his name or even think of him, for if you do, then I vow to you that I will find him. I will hunt him down to the ends of the earth and make sure there is nothing left for you to love…now do you understand?!” he thundered at me and I knew that most of it was said out of anger and jealousy. I knew that no matter how brutal his threats sounded I couldn’t judge him too harshly as how did I feel when I found out about his Head Concubine? Well for starters I had tried to run away because it was eating me up inside, so yes, who was I to judge? And besides, it was an empty threat considering who Draven was as he wouldn’t exactly have to go far to find him now would he.
“Yes, my King,” I said looking down at the bed in defeat for there was no argument there for me to fight.
“Guards!” Draven shouted as he wrenched open the door, nearly pulling it from its hinges.
“See to it that no one but her servant is to enter this room, nor is she to leave it without my say so. Am I understood?” he ordered once four guards had appeared and I winced at how humiliating it sounded. As though he was dealing with some naughty child, or worse, some prisoner who no longer needed protecting but now needed a warden to keep me in my place.
“Yes, my King.” The one in charge spoke for the rest as they all bowed at the same time.
“You will remain here until Ranka comes to escort you to tonight’s Choosing. So if I were you, I would use this time wisely and figure out a way to have my favour in you restored, for after this, I now remain undecided.” These became his parting words as after this cruel statement he slammed the door behind him and left me to my misery. I jumped as the door rattled in its frame and then finally let myself give in to despair.
All because of my dreams, I had gone from being the King’s favourite and had him declaring his love for me, to one frayed thread away from casting me aside and having done with me. I had come so far in the short time I had been here and now with one whispered name my goal was crumbling around me. And ironically, the worse part about all this was that it was his name that I had been calling out for.
“It’s alright, ssshh, I am here now.” Pip’s voice started to filter through the sounds of me sobbing as she took me in her arms to comfort me. I hadn’t even heard her come in, that’s how lost in my agony I had been. Because it wasn’t just his harsh treatment of me that was causing this now but it was a combination of everything.
It was being in this strange place where I didn’t belong. It was missing my life and not knowing for sure how much of that life I even had left to live when I made it back. It was feeling as though I was betraying not only this Draven but the one back in my time. But worst yet, it was doing all of this and facing it knowing that at some point I would have to say goodbye.
Because no one but me knew that there was only one destiny waiting for me. Only one outcome to it all, whether I succeeded or not. The only difference was choosing to do so where my life had meaning and that was always going to be enough to carry on. No matter the tears. No matter the pain. No matter the heartache. In the end I was simply a vessel as well, only I was the one who had the power to change the outcome of the future of not only humanity but also the Gods themselves and all they ruled over.
I got it now. I was starting to understand what it meant to be an Electus. I was the Chosen One not because the Gods and Fates deemed it so, but because I was choosing to save them all.
Just as they knew I always would.
After my emotional outburst to Pip I decided no more tears. I had finally accepted my fate and would now concentrate all my time in making it happen rather than crying over the things I couldn’t control. It was time to take a stand and show the world, this one and theirs, what I was made of but more than that, what I was capable of.
I thought more on what I had done over the years and found it incredible to realise that it had all come from a mortal girl who was once broken before she stepped into Draven’s world. I had fought Demons, Angels and all of those in between who called themselves my enemies. And up until now I had won, for I was still alive and what would that have all been for, if not this final mission? If not something as important as changing the course of history and making it better. Healing the wrongs that threatened to crack its foundations. I needed not only to be strong, but stronger than ever before.
Now if all that wasn’t riding on me having to know this bloody dance!
“I think you’re getting better,” Pip said and I sighed out the opposite,
“I think I am getting worse.”
“It’s just such a shame we can’t hit him over the head and tie him up…what? Adam always liked it,” she said with a hand on her hip like everyone should have a bed with a cage around it!
“Yes and you’re also married to the most dangerous Demon ever known who could destroy a city as though it was made of playdough.” Pip smiled one of those loved up smiles before her eyes turned sad. She plopped herself on the bed next to me and sighed,
“I miss my boo pants.” Then she looked down sadly at his name she had tattooed over her knuckles as she started tracing the letters surrounded by hearts and flowers. I hadn’t taken one second to think about how hard this must also be on her as I wasn’t the only one missing a husband.
“I’m sorry, Pip.” I told her taking her hand and giving it a squeeze.
“For what?”
“For getting you into all this,” I said letting my head hang with the added guilt.
“Hey, you didn’t get me into all this…I chose to get myself into all this and you know what?”
“What?” I asked looking at her and frowning in confusion when I saw her smirking.
“I might be missing Adam but right now, honestly…well there is nowhere I would rather be. Plus, I would have shit bricks and smashed in your windows with them if I had found out you had gone without me!” I looked at her a minute and then couldn’t help but burst out laughing at her comment.
“I love you, Pip.” I told her grabbing her to me and she chuckled a girly giggle before she said,
“I love you too sugar Toots, but you’re kinda squashing our boobies together…hey it’s not a problem, just thought you should know is all.” I laughed again before letting her go and said,
“Well we are the Boobeteers after all.” She gave me a wink and replied,
“And I wouldn’t want it any other way, Tittanian!” We were still laughing when the door opened to see a panicked looking Ranka on the other side of it.
“And watch out, here comes the Cardinal now,” Pip commented dryly referring back to the Musketeers once again.
“Behave,” I warned as Ranka closed the door.
“What has happened?” she asked once she was a safe distance from the door an
d any would be eavesdroppers we had close by.
“What do you mean?” I asked, first wanting to be sure we were on the same page before I admitted to pissing off her King.
“I, of course, speak of the King who is out there now laying waste to my warriors’ efforts in fighting him.” she told me and I gasped.
“What she means to say is he is training with her men and beating the crap out of them but not killing them.” Pip said putting a hand on my shoulder, knowing I would have taken this bit of news the wrong way.
“Oh, well that’s alright then,” I muttered sarcastically.
“I have not seen him in this foul a mood since the Romans killed that Carpenter in the City of Jerusalem but that was nearly 200 years ago,” Ranka said making my mouth drop open.
“Uh...I wouldn’t go there,” Pip said shaking her head to me as I doubted Ranka would understand the importance of that single event until many years to come.
“So what did you do?” she asked and Pip and I gave each other a look as if to say ‘Where do we start?’.
“I had a dream and called out the King’s name.”
“Well that doesn’t sound too…”
“Or should I say, my husband’s name.” I interrupted before she got confused. I watched as she slowly realised what I was getting at but just to be sure I added,
“His name in my time is Draven… Dominic Draven.”
“But this can’t be true,” she argued looking at me in utter disbelief.
“Why not, because I assure you, that’s his name.” I told her.
“I do not know what this ‘Draven’ means but I do know that Dominic or Dominicus as it is more formally known, is Latin and my King would never choose a name from his enemies.” I laughed thinking a lot can happen in two thousand years.
“He may feel that way now, but time can do a lot to a person and to a country at war.” Ranka didn’t look convinced until it became obvious something started to fit into place for her, to the point where I couldn’t help but ask,
“What is it?”
“Well if what you say is true, then I wondered at its meaning and...” she paused which drove me nuts.
“What…what does it mean?”
“It means ‘Of our Lord, he is our Master and belonging to God.’”
“Yep, that fits!” Pip said clapping her hands.
“So what am I going to do now because it isn’t exactly as if I can say ‘Ooops, sorry but you’re the spitting image of my husband back home’ won’t you forgive me?” I said and Ranka’s response made Pip smack her forehead after giving us both a look of confusion,
“Why would you ever spit on the image of your husband?”
“It’s an expression Ranka, we don’t actually do that.”
“Not unless it’s an ex-husband and that dude is a Grade A asshole!” Pip added trying no doubt to be helpful. Ranka just ended up looking even more confused and I waved a hand at her and said,
“Don’t worry about it, let’s just concentrate on what we all understand here and think of a way to get me…”
“Unfucked to get fucked?” Pip said jumping in there and coming right out with it in the only way Pip knew how…blunt and blunt.
“Pretty much,” I agreed.
“The only chance you have left is at tonight’s Choosing…how is the dance coming along?” I heard Pip clear her throat and I turned around to see her pretending to shoot herself in the head.
“Well that’s a confidence booster right there,” I remarked with a groan.
“What does this mean?” Ranka asked mimicking Pip’s action.
“Oh right, guns haven’t been invented yet. Okay how about this…” Pip said now pretending to pull an arrow from behind her back to then fire it with an imaginary bow under her chin.
“Ah, I believe I understand your little friend now,” Ranka said to me and I rolled my eyes thinking this was getting us nowhere.
“Great, glad one of us does.”
“Oi! I heard that!” Pip complained which I ignored out of frustration.
“Can we get back to the plan now?”
“What plan?” Pip asked and I groaned again.
“Exactly! There is no bloody plan, which is why we need one!” I snapped losing my patience and angry at myself that I couldn’t just master this stupid dance.
“Alright, but let’s leave the blood out of it should we…right Warrior woman…?”
“Don’t call me that,” Ranka answered wryly.
“Whatever you want Miss Stabby Pants, the point is we need to know exactly what happens at these shindigs,” Pip snapped back and this time I translated for her,
“The Choosing.” Ranka quickly understood and continued to tell us what we needed to know.
“First the women are presented to the King for him to eliminate any he sees fit. And then the ones remaining are all to dance for him one by one, then he chooses which one is to be named his next Head Concubine in front of the court. After this there is a great feast before he then takes his new Chosen to the royal bedchamber.”
“I’m so screwed.”
“You’re screwed.” Both Pip and I said at the same time once Ranka had finished her thorough walkthrough of tonight’s events.
“You cannot dance?”
“That depends what you mean by dance because if we are talking cheesy disco music after a few tequilas and a bottle of beer, then sure, I can shake it. But if we are talking crazy shit with scarves that are pointless and keep getting tangled between my legs, then no, I can’t dance,” I told her, wishing I had a few of those tequilas right now as I could have done with some liquid courage. Ranka looked to Pip who simply shook her head and said,
“That’s a no, Mohawk.” Ranka didn’t understand the reference to her hair but at least she got how hopeless our situation looked.
“What about an instrument? We once had a girl who played a Kamancheh and I believed the King enjoyed that greatly.”
“Think of a little round guitar with three strings that you play with a bow,” Pip informed me when I looked confused and I had to say, I was impressed.
“I asked for a book once on the history of sexual instruments but Adam missed out the ‘sexual’ bit as it was written on a used napkin that had guacamole over the word ‘sexual’,” she told me obviously reading my surprise.
“Turned out it made a good toilet book,” she added and all I could do in response was give her a fake nod when really what I wanted to do was weirdly ask what other books she had in her ‘Toilet Book’’ collection.
“Sorry, I never learned and I don’t do tapestries or sing either, so both are a no, no.”
“No, but you do paint!” Pip jumped up and shouted with one arm up in the air.
“You are a Master of Arts?” Ranka asked me in surprise, making me blush.
“I can draw and paint, but I wouldn’t call myself a master at it.” Pip came to stand next to me and bumped my hip with hers before putting her arm around my back and pulling me closer by the shoulder.
“Oh, would you listen to her, but she’s just being modest! Of course she is a Master of the Arts …so do you think that will impress him?” she asked leaning forward and waggling her eyebrows.
“Well it would certainly be different,” Ranka said and you could almost see the cogs turning around trying to picture it for herself.
“Leave it with me and I will see what I can do,” she said before walking towards the door, but there was one last question I wanted to ask her before she left.
“Ranka wait.”
“Yes, Electus?”
“I wanted to know, when you said that he takes them to his bedchamber and…” I didn’t have to finish my question.
“Ah, I thought you would wonder upon that. The bedchamber he takes them to is not his own but one staged as such. His real quarters are among his own people and to my knowledge, you are the first female he has ever taken to his bed there,” she told me with a grin and thankfully through time,
it was one that was getting less unnerving to look at.
“Oooh, that’s promising,” Pip said elbowing me.
“But when they are there…I don’t…I mean I just don’t see how…” Okay so my question wasn’t coming out the right way but again thankfully she knew what I was trying to say, if her smirk was anything to go by.
“The King is forbidden to bed any humans apart from one…His true Chosen One. His Electus named by the Gods and sent to him…”
“Yes, yes she knows this…now get to the good part,” Pip said urging her on. Ranka first gave Pip a raised eyebrow but then chose to ignore the interruption.
“But he is still King and like all Kings before him, there is a certain reputation to uphold. It would do no good if he were to have a harem of beauties without ever touching any of them.” I nodded biting my bottom lip waiting to hear the rest and finally have my jealous fears confirmed.
“I wouldn’t worry yourself over such matters Electus, for the King has dealt with…”
“Oh, just put her out of her misery woman, before she bites her lip off!” Pip snapped, making Ranka frown.
“They are human so he simply makes them believe they have spent a night with their King,” she said quickly and getting to the point.
“Oh I just bet he does, Mr Lover, Lover,” Pip said, like that crap Shaggy song back in early 2000’s.
“Not now Pip,” I snapped.
“So there is no…uh…” I was trying to word the question when Pip jumped in and stuck two fingers in her fist making me roll my eyes once again.
“No! That would be forbidden,” Ranka said affronted and looking disgusted. Well at least that was one bit of good news for today’s crapathon.
“Now, I must be getting back to the King… and see what is left of my warriors,” she added not looking too pleased by the idea.
“Oh, but I nearly forgot,” she said opening the door and gesturing for some servants to bring something in.
Sacrifice of the Septimus: Part 2 (Afterlife saga Book 7) Page 20