Total pages in book: 151
Estimated words: 147649 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 738(@200wpm)___ 591(@250wpm)___ 492(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 147649 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 738(@200wpm)___ 591(@250wpm)___ 492(@300wpm)
The Eros is here in the flesh.
He claps. Not a Tomas clap, which is always delightful. One of those slow claps. The mocking ones.
And in between these slow claps he says, “Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Well done you.”
The three of us are actually speechless. And we look at each other, throwing meaningful glances that are saying, Do you know what he’s talking about? and No, do you?
We don’t. We don’t have a clue.
Eros slowly turns in a circle, meeting each of our stunned gazes as he does this. Then he chuckles. “Well, I can see an explanation is in order. Shall we begin so we can wrap this up?”
“Wrap what up?” Pell’s growl is back and so is that voice.
“Oh, just calm down there, godling. I’m getting there. But let’s not jump to the end just yet, OK? I’ve been waiting two thousand years for my moment and you will let me have it.”
“So get on with it,” I deadpan. “You’re boring us.” I’m not sure where that came from. It’s more along the lines of something Callistina might say. But it seems to delight Eros.
“Oh,” he exclaims. “I love that haughtiness, little royal lioness. Soon, my dear. Very soon you will forget all about your human life. There will be no scars. And I didn’t bother you a bit, did I? No. I didn’t. I left you to live your life.”
“You left me,” I growl—and can I just say my growl is on par with one of Pell’s?—“to be raised by a lunatic who locked me up in mental institutions and then abandoned me to Child Protective Services!”
“All because of that stupid bird. Who wasn’t even real, little Pie. She was just a curse.”
This makes me angry. Because Pia wasn’t just a curse. She was my friend. And Callistina killed her to release the curse and free up my magic rings.
Wow. My life is really fucked up.
“And you.” Eros points to Pell. “You were the perfect vessel. No.” And now he glares at Pell. “You did not curse yourself. Don’t be ridiculous. You couldn’t come up with a three-stanza spelling if your life depended on it. You don’t know a single rule about spelling, luckily for me. Because it means that Tarq is not the king. Was never the king.”
We just stand there, trying to work it all out.
Then Tomas says, “Well, what about me? Don’t you have something to say to me?”
Eros shrugs. “Not really. I don’t know why you’re always hanging about. You’re not a part of this.”
I make a face. Because how is that true? Tomas is in the room. He got here using magic. So…
“Anyway.” Eros swipes his hand through the air, like he’s clearing it. “On with the business. I need you to bring me Tarq.” He’s pointing at Pell. “And I need that done immediately.” Then he points to me. “And I need you to pair with Tarq and spit me out the godling I was promised two thousand years ago. And if you both do that—”
“Whoa, whoa, whoa.” Pell puts up a hand. “Godling?”
“Yes. A godling. I was promised one by the gods for leaving the pantheon. From a pairing of my choosing. And I chose Tarq and Pianna.” He smiles.
“Then why did you fuck everything up?” I ask. “Why didn’t you just leave me alone? Why pull me out of that world and put me in the human one?”
The eros’s face goes dark and menacing. Then he points at me. “Because I knew.”
“You knew what?”
“I wasn’t there in the gifting room, but I know what Ptah did. He gave you a bag of rings.”
I’m not sure why I pat my waist where the bag was attached to my belt when this gifting took place, but it’s an automatic gesture. Of course, there is no bag of rings there. All the rings are in Pell’s tomb.
“And that bag of rings was a bad-faith effort to wriggle out of our deal. If I had left you alone, as you put it, then you would’ve grown up with those rings, and you would’ve been surrounded by royal alchemists, and they would’ve taught you how to properly use them.”
Properly use them. So is he implying that we’re using them incorrectly?
“That didn’t happen, did it? No. And while it did take me a very long time to catch up with my own magic, we are here now. And we can resume where we left off. Which was you marrying the royal beast, Tarq, and producing me a child to use to start my own House.” He pauses to smile. “House of Love. How do you like that? It’s good, right?”
Pell and I just stare at Eros, trying to envision this future.
But Tomas has a question. “Don’t you need an alchemist to have your own House?”