by C. M. Kane
‘I told you a lifetime ago I would return this to you. Please accept its return with my eternal gratitude, Master Brohan.’
Brohan reached out, accepting the knife with a formal nod as the gods watched on, totally enthralled in the little scene.
Tae reached out her arm to the old warrior and he gripped it in the warriors’ greeting. Then he simply pulled her into his arms. Suddenly Valaria was hugging her from the opposite side, crying, telling her how proud they were of her and, at long last, Tae let herself become enveloped in the safety of her loved ones’ embraces. She pulled away slightly as a vampire stepped forward.
‘Miss Rames, I believe introductions are now in order. May I present you to, my Lord Zeus?’
Tae’s eyes widened. Zeus?
A handsome, beautifully proportioned man with wavy pale blonde hair walked over to her. ‘I believe we met when you sent me a prayer a short time ago.’
Tae froze. ‘You got that?’ she asked in horror, as she remembered exactly what she’d said.
Zeus narrowed his eyes. ‘I’m a god, of course I got it. I particularly enjoyed your last line, now, what was it again? “Screw you. I’ll do it myself” or something to that effect. Tae heard someone snort with laughter and realised it was Loki. One by one she was introduced to each god and goddess. After the introductions Zeus seated himself leaving Tae standing alone feeling totally overwhelmed.
‘As you may now realise, we have been following your progress, trying to fathom exactly what it was you were up to. We finally had the warrior Brohan brought here when you were almost at Loki’s Pyre. He refused to tell us what you were about to do because he had given his word and refused to break it. Even for me,’ he said, his tone slightly aggrieved. ‘Still, you have rescued one of our own and have given us much amusement. We did so enjoy you waving to the orange thalien when you booted him off the cliff.’ He sighed.
He turned to Loki. ‘We will give you the vids to watch, if you like.’ Loki nodded, clearly intrigued by what Zeus was saying. ‘This little terran mortal has been most ingenious,’ Zeus added. ‘She even evaded Commander Vesh, my best hunter, for a short time.’ He gestured to Vesh who inclined his head. ‘This brings me to my next announcement. Before we take all of you back to your hometown, we wish to reward you with a position of service aboard one of our ships, the choice of which one is yours.’ He leant back and smiled. ‘That, of course, includes my own flagship, the Olympus, where you would be trained by my second in command, Elite Commander Tannan.’ He pointed over at the vampire who had introduced her to Zeus earlier.
‘You’re Tannan?’ Tae smiled, turning from Zeus and walking over to the tall dark-haired vampire.
He nodded. ‘Yes, Miss Rames.’
Tae grinned. ‘Please, it’s just, Tae, and thank you for saving my mother and brother … I hope this is alright.’ She stepped forward and hugged him tightly.
Frowning, Zeus said testily. ‘Now, don’t let her too close to your neck Tannan, we all saw what happened to the last man she hugged.’
Tae blushed scarlet and turned around. ‘You saw that too?’ she whispered, mortified.
‘Wonderfully executed my dear, I couldn’t have done better myself,’ Isis said from the couch, ‘and believe me, that’s saying something.’
Thor smiled at the near naked Goddess ‘I’d like to test that theory.’
‘I’m afraid the outcome would still be the same as Tae’s,’ she said, whilst staring directly into Thor’s hopeful face.
Thor’s smile faded as he realised she had just implied he’d meet the same fate as the cannibal.
Loki sighed and grabbed a glass of wine from the tray of a passing warrior. ‘Nine hundred years in that hellhole, and I swear it’s as if I never left.’
At his words Poseidon spoke up. ‘We’ll be talking very soon, Loki.’
Loki raised his glass and smiled back. ‘Any time Poseidon, anytime at all.’
‘Enough.’ Zeus turned his attention back to Tae. ‘You will be allowed a short break to rest and recuperate from your trials, and then you will begin your service with one of us. So who is it to be?’ He gave her his most charming smile, whilst leaning back in his seat, showing his body to its best advantage.
Even as tired as she was, Tae realised the opportunity she was being given. This was the chance of a lifetime, but as she was mulling things over, the same thoughts kept going through her mind. Who did this to Loki? Who did this to me? There were still so many unanswered questions in her mind. Can I really just let it all alone now Loki’s free? What if I can’t put it behind me and just get on with my life, what happens then? C’mon Tae, you’ve just been given the opportunity of your life, but who do I choose? I’ve changed so much from the girl I once was. I’ve seen and done too much to ever go back, even if I wanted to. Well I guess it’s time to make up my mind once and for all. What do I really need from life now, and more importantly, who will quell my need to know who set me on this path ?
That’s when she knew what she had to do, what she needed to do.
‘Well,’ urged Zeus impatiently.
Tae raised her head as a slow smile spread across her face. ‘I have made my decision, my lord,’ she announced carefully. ‘I would like to go into the service of …’ she took a deep breath and then said loudly, ‘… Loki.’
The End
THANKYOU FROM THE AUTHOR
Well I can’t believe it, you actually made it to the end. I’m kind of hoping that means you liked it. Firstly, thank you for taking the time out of your life to read my humble little story, I do appreciate it. Secondly, if my ramblings haven’t given you a brain hemorrhage or made your eyes bleed uncontrollably, could you do me a HUGE favor and put some stars up along with a – hopefully – nice review. Stars and reviews are incredibly important to every writer … well, unless they’re bad of course; then they just make you hide out in your room cuddling your cat -with a bottle of wine and some chocolates at your side. As I feel I have more than enough weight on my frame as it is, and the cat is spoilt enough, I’m hoping that won’t be necessary. (I’ll still have the wine handy of course … all right, all right, and the chocolates, but I swear they’re for emergencies only.) I’m hoping the second book in the trilogy will be ready by late October. It has a little more action in it as Tae discovers new enemies, along with some surprising new allies. I’ve included a chapter at random for you to have a quick look at.
Carol Kane
Ps: Before I forget, I also have a Facebook page, where you will find out when each book in the trilogy will be released. So feel free to drop by, here’s the address
https://www.facebook.com/CMKane-1642858532691088/
Realms of the Gods
Chapter 5
Tae awoke to noises just outside her door. She sat up just as it opened and two shadows entered, the light from the corridor momentarily blinding her because of her darkened room.
‘What’s going on?’ she asked groggily.
The first shadow moved quickly and sprayed something in her face. She immediately fell back, unconscious. One of the shadows, a large male thalien, pulled her hair back to place a small chip in her ear. He’d been told she needed to understand what was being said to her, so a portable translation chip was to be used. It was the quickest, easiest solution; the chips were used to translate all languages into Realms standard. Although everyone onboard a spaceship used Realms standard as a matter of course, when under pressure people had an unfortunate tendency to revert back to their native tongue. The translator chips stopped any nasty little miscommunications from happening in battle, as well as serving as a way for Command staff to contact those wearing one by tapping into their individual frequencies. He picked her up easily and placed her in a large crate held open by his companion, looking down at her, he shook his head.
‘I hope she’s worth it because they’re going to know we’re here soon. We’re shorthanded for this operation as it is without me leaving.’ He closed the lid of the box,
locked it, and glanced at his companion. ‘Go help the others, I’ll get her to the Hindishah.’ His companion nodded and moved away as the larger one picked up the crate marked machinery parts and started to move as quickly as he could without raising suspicion.
He used every shortcut he could think of, all the while carrying the box easily in his arms, finally he reached the turbo lift that would take him directly to his destination. Taking his passive bundle to the jumper bay had proved to be remarkably easy for one of the Worker Caste like him. On the few occasions he had come across anyone, he just continued on as if he were carrying spare machinery to a designated area. The fools had left him alone to complete his mission unchallenged. He might as well have been invisible.
Once he reached hangar two’s jumper bay he walked swiftly behind the rows of machinery crates stacked along the wall. Only two techs asked what he was doing and what he was carrying. They died just as quickly and he left their bodies hidden behind the crates. He hurried to a jumper and boarded it, dumping the crate unceremoniously in a corner. Strapping himself into the flight seat, he punched in the code that opened the jumper bay doors and took off.
He flew as quickly as he dared and was sweating uncomfortably from both nerves, and from lugging the crate with the woman in it. He patiently tried not to raise any suspicions by doing anything untoward unless absolutely necessary. Relief washed over him as he made it to the outer doors and hit free space. Too soon he heard the lazy voice of the flight master crackle in his ear.
‘Jumper Euripides, please explain why you have left the flight deck. I have no flight plan registered with control.’
‘Sorry, Olympus.’ He kept his tone casual as he made a beeline for the Hindishah. ‘I’ve been ordered to drop off a package to the Hindishah, something to do with Pan’s death, I think.’ It was all he could think of and he hoped it would be enough. There was silence for a short time while the flight controllers obviously tried to verify his story, all the while his jumper got further and further away from the Olympus.
“Jumper Euripides we have checked with … the line went dead and filled with static as he started to close in on the Hindishah, he breathed a long sigh of relief and finally allowed a smile to creep across his face. The other operatives must have cut communications. It had begun.
He signaled the Hindishah that he had arrived by sending a coded message that only he and the bridge crew of the ship knew. On receiving it the warship opened a smaller set of hangar doors with remarkable swiftness. It was as his jumper entered the main hangar that he heard the woman stirring, followed closely by thumping and an inordinate amount of swearing. As he entered the main hanger he was informed that Pan’s second-in-command, Elite Commander Jalek, would be awaiting him and his cargo close to the secondary turbo lift. Questions swirled through his mind as he quickly bought the small craft into land in front of the commander, his mission now complete.
Who is she? He thought in confusion. To have engendered the second-in-command to await her arrival personally was surprising, to say the least. He switched off the jumper’s engines and went back to the now violently swearing crate and opened it. The bright light of the jumper hit her eyes, momentarily blinding her. He knew this would happen and used the advantage to drag her out by her long hair to meet his commander.
Tae had woken to darkness, when she’d tried to move she’d found a confining wall surrounding, her like a coffin. Her first instinct was complete panic. Was she dreaming? Was this a nightmare? She felt the walls with her hand as a wave of dizziness assailed her, her breath now coming in short, panicked gasps. When she realized she wasn’t dreaming she started to yell for help, hitting the walls and swearing for someone to open whatever it was she was trapped in.
Apparently confined spaces aren’t my thing, either. She thought frantically as she kicked and swore in frustration, barely controlling her fright. She felt a slight bump and stilled momentarily as she tried to think rationally again. Was that the slow whine of the reactors of a jumper shutting down? What the hell had happened?
Tae started to swear again for whoever had put her in the container to let her out. She thought she heard movement close by just before the crate was wrenched open. Her hands shot up instinctively to shield her eyes against the light, before large hands reached down and grabbed a handful of her hair and pulled her roughly out onto her feet.
Looking up she couldn’t stop her gasp of surprise at the huge thalien looking down at her. Before she could say a word he pushed her toward an open door and she stumbled out in her bare feet, her little green dress doing nothing much to hide her from the gaze of the person waiting for her. Yet another thalien had been waiting for them to disembark, and he was now looking over at her with keen interest. Unfortunately for Tae, even from where she stood by the jumper doors she could feel the waves of hatred rolling off of him.
Jaden? It was the first terrified thought that sprang to her mind as her eyes adjusted to the massive room she was now in. She sagged in relief when, on her second look, she realized that this wasn’t the man she had so recently killed. Her heartbeat returned to normal after its initial wild panic and she began to breathe again.
No, it wasn’t Jaden but he looked eerily similar. As she was dragged nearer she surveyed him more closely. Yes, there were definite differences. This one had a slightly longer nose, his lips were a tad thinner, and his violet eyes held just a shade more insanity in them than her recently dead pursuer. She giggled nervously at the insane road her own thoughts travelled down. Her nervous laughter stopped abruptly as she now became sure that this man was somehow related to the dead hunter. The guy looked even more insane at her giggling.
He stepped forward, slapping her hard across the face.
Tae flew backward onto the floor, her short dress landing around her waist. Her right leg and arm hit the floor first taking the brunt of the fall making her grunt involuntarily in pain.
Jalek eyed her body and the scanty little panties she wore with increased hostility, his rage, if anything, intensifying. ‘Did you wear this for Zeus? So you could ensnare that pathetic excuse for a god, you murdering little whore?’
Tae sat on the floor and pulled her dress back down, trying to buy some time. She needed to think. This guy was obviously a relative of Jaden, he looked far too much like him not to be; and if that were the case, then she’d just landed herself in yet another huge pile of centaur shit. She looked up at him in fear, this guy didn’t just look like the poster boy for insanity; he looked like he’d designed the poster along with the whole media campaign that followed.
She started to look around, trying desperately to get her bearings. She was not onboard the Olympus anymore, that much was obvious, so where the hell was she? And, more importantly, did anyone know she was gone? She knew Brohan would raise hell if she were missing, which would be nothing compared to how Valaria, her mum, and Jason would react.
No, she needed to use her brains and try to keep herself alive until she could find a way out of this mess. Tae stopped trying to hold back her tears and allowed them to spill from her eyes. Play along, she thought. She knew her tears and fear were what he wanted. If she could find out what was going on then maybe she could work out what to do, perhaps even find a way to contact someone who could rescue her.
At the sight of her tears Jalek smiled with satisfaction. ‘Do you know who I am?’ Tae shook her head and cowered even more. Thankfully it seemed to mollify him somewhat.
‘I am Elite Commander Jalek. I am the brother of Jaden, the warrior you murdered.’
Tae went as wide-eyed as she could while trying to look as frightened as possible. No acting here, she thought in terror. This guy is a serious bloody lunatic, judging by the look in his eyes.
He leant forward. ‘In payment for what you did I’m going to make you watch as I destroy everything you worked so hard for, including your beloved Loki and Zeus.’ He reached out and grabbed her left arm then squeezed it brutally.
Tae scream
ed as his thumbs and fingers dug deep and then began to twist, a dull snapping noise came from the limb as she felt the bone give way under the immense pressure being applied to it. Tears fell from her eyes and she started crying in earnest as pain lanced up and down her arm in unrelenting waves. At her reaction Jalek smiled and pressed his thumb harder into her now broken arm, with clear enjoyment. Her renewed gasp of pain fell to broken sobs as she clutched at his arm in a vain attempt to loosen his grip.
‘You think this hurts, woman?’ he asked, his voice a soft caress. ‘This is nothing compared to what I have planned for you.’ He hoisted her roughly to her feet by the damaged arm making her scream once more.
Must…stay…conscious. She desperately tried to focus her thoughts, barely aware of where she was being taken; knowing only that to faint was to die. Black dots swam before her eyes as a sudden urge to vomit assailed her. There was just too much pain, there was no fighting it, it was inescapable, so she did the only thing she could, she allowed herself full rein to feel everything.
In the small corner of her mind that was still functioning rationally she knew with a cold certainty that all of the pain she was in, and her reaction to it, was the only thing keeping her alive at the moment. This Jalek seemed to be on the razor’s edge of a killing rage. He wanted his pound of flesh for the death of his brother and, like it or not, Tae was going to have to provide it, at least until a chance to escape presented itself.
‘You’re going to get a ringside seat to the destruction of your gods. Everything you worked so hard to save I intend to destroy. Then I’m going to take my time in punishing you for what you did to my brother.’ He smiled, obviously relishing the prospect of what he had in mind for her. ‘And trust me when I tell you, I can keep you alive for a very, very, long time.’