Duty Calls: The Reluctant War God Book 1 (9 page)

What the hell? Why make the evening a complete loss? I figured even though I hadn’t been able to scout the enemy camp, I could still get some. I released Blackflame just outside the Black Rose but stayed within the veiled realm until I entered the stable and knew I would not be seen reentering the mortal world. No need to panic a random drunk staggering home.

I intended to honor my promise to Olo as well, but it would have to wait a while. I was in no mood to visit with his wife and her relatives. I needed a drink and the warm embrace of Angelina to warm my heart after the encounter with the Jegu.

I walked from the darkness of the stable to the back of the Inn where an exterior stairway led to Angelina’s room. As I reached the bottom steps, I smelled the overpowering scent of roses envelop me.

I turned around slowly, but saw nothing. I lifted my head to the sky and spoke. “Show yourself, Nanaya.”

A soft, golden glow appeared. It resolved itself into a shower of golden hair, a young tanned face with deep emerald eyes and ruby lips parted in an amused smile. The rest of the body followed as if emerging from a pool. The voluptuous form was wrapped in a sheer cloth of gold barely concealing her full breasts and the valley of her bountiful hips. Looking down I saw she wore silver sandals on her petite feet, tied up with golden cords wrapping all the way up her perfect calves.

The shame of it was she was “technically” considered my sister. Not in the genetic sense, were were full gods and so formed out of the stuff of chaos, not like our half-human demi-god cousins—more in the cosmic sense, really. So if you brought science into it, she wasn’t my sister at all. Legally, we had no family relationship at all. I spend a bit more time rethinking that line of logic every time I see her.

Although, I wouldn’t touch her with a ten foot penis. She was dangerous. I knew her guile was as formidable as her physical beauty, which was only proper for the Goddess of Love… well, love was putting it as delicately as possible. Nanaya was more the goddess of what a young boy felt for a girl, or a porn video, or his hand. Lust didn’t really do it justice either. She was poison, the sweet, delicious, nectar of death to any man, woman or beast. Yet, I still liked her…. hell, I wanted her. I just wasn’t self-destructive enough to consider it.

“Kaltron, sweet brother. Let me embrace you,” she said and came forward to squeeze me in a soft and sweet smelling arms. Her sparkling blond hair brushed my face, causing a shiver to cascade through me.

I gave her back a quick squeeze. “Good to see you too, ‘sister’. But enough of your witchery.” I gently pushed her away.

Nanaya gave me an impish smile with tongue in cheek. “Now, brother. Surely by now you’re immune to my charms.”

“No one is immune—men, women, children, goats, the freshly dead. No one, my lascivious sister, and you know it.e”

She laughed. “I love you Kaltron. You’re the only one who never lets me get away with anything.”

I smiled. “It has been a long time.”

“Yes. I can’t believe how you’ve divorced yourself from your family.”

“I couldn’t take it anymore. You most of all should understand.”

“Well, I don’t. I’ve never understood why you torture yourself, Kaltron. There’s no need for it. You have every right to be happy and powerful. You’re a god. Gods can do anything they want. No rules, no laws, no boundaries.” She came closer and laid her right hand on my crotch.

“Will you please stop?”

She rolled her eyes. “I love toying with you, Kaltron. You are such a prude. Between your morals and your mortals you exasperate me.”

“For every ounce of pleasure you provide a pound of pain is extracted as payment. Between war and love we are the most guilty of torturing humanity.”

“Here we go again, brother. What of true love and honor? We have aspects of purity within us that transcends all the pain.”

I shook my head. “Yeah, whatever, let’s not start this argument again. I’m not in the mood for it. Besides, the only aspect of purity that’s ever in you is the penis of the occasional virgin ploughboy you catch alone in a barn.”

She squinted a bit and paused, staring at me, then licked her lips. “I know what you’re in the mood for, even though you don’t want to play with me. You’re quite taken with Angelina, aren’t you?”

I nodded. “It’s been good to spend time with her. But I can’t hope for much more. We both know where that leads.”

“I think you’re scared. You should open yourself up more. Be willing to let her in.”

“You can stop with the counseling to the lovelorn. We both know why you’re here. Dad sent you. I already spoke to Yond and Enyo. Now, it’s your turn. But you’re right. I am scared. In fact, I’m petrified. I just came from a scouting trip to the Jegu camp. It didn’t go well.”

“How so?”

“Long story. Suffice to say I didn’t get anywhere close to Jegu and the only thing I learned is we have a lot to worry about. What is dad saying?”

“End of days. Signs and portent. The usual mumbo-jumbo. Nothing much useful as far as I can see. He hasn’t been very complimentary toward you. Yond reported back about the argument you had with him. He said you’re a coward and would rather sit and watch everyone die, even the gods rather than risk yourself. Dad seems to agree with the assessment.”

“What do you think?”

“I know your heart, brother. I think you’re more afraid of Angelina than of Jegu.”

“What do you mean?”

“When it comes down to it, I don’t think you’d think twice about doing whatever it takes to oppose Jegu. Even if it means your death. But I know your heart. You like the girl and you dread the thought of watching her grow old and die like others before. You usually compensate by running away from your mortal loves. But, it stops you from being honest with yourself. You’re more the home body than the playboy.”

I sighed. “Gods who fear love, next on Oprah. Why are you here? I am not in the mood to be analyzed.”

Nanaya crossed her arms in front of her, pushing up and her breasts prettily in the process. I’m sure it was a reflex action by this time. “I’m here to help, brother. That’s all. We’re at a crossroads. Either Jegu will sweep over the land and take it for himself, or the old gods will prevail. I of course would prefer to live. I understand you’re torn. Perhaps you even think Jegu can do no worse than we did.”

“No, I’ve seen what Jegu is capable of. It is far worse than anything we have ever done.”

“Then your path should be clear. Take up the Bright Sword and lead the gods and these mortals against the Jegu.”

“To tell the truth, Nanaya. I don’t think it’ll work. Jegu is more powerful than you can imagine. I think we’d be committing another atrocity against humanity and it will be all for nothing. I think there’s something else required to defeat Jegu. I don’t know what it is, and I don’t know if we’re even capable of attaining it. But I know I can’t lead these people to their deaths for a lie. Not again—never again. We’re not the guardians of the afterlife. There’s no paradise. This is the only life these mortals will ever have as far as we know. I won’t lie and tell them otherwise, even if it would make them stronger in battle.”

“Then we will lose.”

I shrugged. “At least we lose honestly.”

“For all you complain about hypocrisy you seem blind to your own. You of all people should know there’s no justice, no reward, no great righter of wrongs. The evil and powerful triumph and are rewarded; the good and just are defeated and miserable. If it occasionally happens the other way around, it’s just a fluke. Your honest defeat could be a dishonest victory. No one will care as long as you win. These people will hail you as a hero and your name will no longer be tarnished by the past.”

I laughed at that. “And the only one left hating will be myself.”

She scowled. “But you already do, what would be different?”

Even in anger she couldn’t help but look cute. I had to smile.

She didn’t take that well. “Yond is right. You are selfish. You think of no one but yourself and your hurt feelings about having to be the bad guy.”

“It is amazing to me how quickly you and the rest of the family are ready to spend the lives and self-respect of others to keep yourselves safe on your mountain tops. What price are
you
prepared to pay? Will you comfort the dead and dying? Will you repair the broken hearts of the children who lose their fathers?”

“But either way—they—will—die.”

“But will they die for a lie? If there’s a choice, I choose the truth.”

Nanaya looked disgusted. “I’ve done everything I can. Go upstairs and enjoy your little mortal bitch. She’ll wither and die like all the others so you’d better hurry while the fruit is still ripe. I hope you live long enough to have your heart broken again before Jegu consumes all of our souls.” She vanished in a golden flash of light, and the sweet smell of roses turned to the stench of horse shit.

My sister, the gold-plated bitch. Strange how quickly you got to the core of her true self when you didn’t play things her way.

But you couldn’t deny that she had the best set of tits in all of creation. And, as usual, there was far too high a price for any man to pay to enjoy them. She was the original high maintenance woman.

Did I mention all of my relatives are horrible? Actually, to be fair, there are one or two that actually do some good. It’s just they’re so far down the food chain they can’t possibly make up for all the bad done by the others.

In any event, I’d had enough dealing with gods. I had a woman to see. A living, breathing, intelligent, beautiful mortal woman who liked me. There was still hope for a good evening.

CHAPTER TWELVE

I walked up the stairs behind the Inn and rapped softly on Angelina’s door. She opened it and the golden candlelight from within spilled out into the night. She was alone, which was convenient. I knew, of course, she’d often be entertaining customers at this hour. Intellectually, I had no problem with that. But I’m glad I didn’t have to test the theory this evening.

“Carl,” She said, smiling.

She pulled me inside and hugged me tightly. She was wearing a plain, white, cotton nightdress and her body was warm beneath it. I held her rightly, and luxuriated in the moment.

“Where have you been?” she asked.

“I thought you didn’t want me to risk coming at all, and now you are upset I’m late?”

“Oh, you idiot. You know what I mean. Usually you arrive earlier than this. I didn’t think you were going to make it at all.”

“I had some scouting duties to attend to,” I said. “Can I sit down?”

She looked at me closely. “Are you all right?”

“Sure, never better—now, don’t look at me like that. I’m fine. It’s just been a long night.”

I sat on the bed and pulled her onto my lap. “Come here.” Took her cheek in my hand and drew her lips toward me. I kissed her long and deeply. I felt her warmth in my arms. I held her close and nuzzled her neck, smelling her sweet skin. I pulled back and regarded her. The candlelight reflected reflected red highlights in her hair. Her dark eyes glistened. She was alive and vital, perfect for this brief moment. She danced in the brief afternoon of her life and the blackness of her night was racing toward her even now.

It wasn’t fair. My “sweet” sister knew me too damn well. In spite of her mortality, and the inevitable fact of loss, I cared for her. But, I needed to know how Angelina felt about the matter.

“Angelina. What do you want to do?”

She giggled. “Carl—”

“No,” I laughed. “Not this instant, I mean when the Jegu are gone. What do you want to do?”

Her smile faded somewhat. “Carl, let’s not talk about this now. Let’s just enjoy each other’s company while we have a chance. Dawn comes too soon.”

“Just tell me, Angelina. Just tell me. It’s okay to talk about it.”

“I serve at the Inn. I don’t make much money. I’ve been with many men. You know this. Some have been generous. Some have loved me and I’ve hurt them. I’ve loved some who’ve hurt me. My life has never been much more.”

“What do you want?”

She sighed. “What does anyone want? I want someone to love, a place to live, a quiet, calm, warm place where I am safe. I want to grow old in someone’s arms and not alone.”

“Would you like to spend that time with me?”

“Carl, is this a test? Some sort of game? I don’t like games. Let’s just leave things where they are for now. With the war and everything, you don’t know what you want.”

“This isn’t about what
I
want. I asked you a question. Even though we’ve only known each other a short while. I’ve learned in my life you generally know in an instant if a person might be compatible. You can confirm it in an hour and in a day you know if that person is part of your tribe or your family of friends and lovers that’ll always be with you. I care very much for you. We are comfortable together. I just need to know what you want. If you want to spend your time with me and grow old with me, let me know. If not, let me know that too. I just want to hear your honest answer, no strings attached. I won’t run away scared, and I won’t cry if you just like me for a bed partner. I’m a big boy and we are both adults. The Jegu are such a threat we all need comfort. I just want to know.”