[The Onic Empire 03] - Sinful Harvest (24 page)

She made several comments in a language he didn’t grasp, but the rhythm of the words sounded similar to what he’d said during the Harvest ritual. She reached out and touched the tip with her tiny hands, making him twitch.

“What I could do with you if we were a bit more equal in size.” Flashing him a lusty smile, she flicked her hand dismis-sively. “You may cover yourself.”

Kerrick gratefully yanked on his pants and shirt. With the string cut, he had to wrestle the two loose ends of the pants together and tie them in a small knot that probably wouldn’t last long. As Ariss suggested, he had to find pants with a different type of fastener.

“Tell me why you’ve summoned me.”

Haltingly, he said, “Tavarus has been possessing my body.”

One brow drew up. “I wouldn’t mind playing with your body myself.”

This was not the reaction he’d been looking for. Given her flirtatious nature, maybe the gods didn’t bond as humans did. All his effort might be for nothing. Still, he had to try. Softly, he said, “Tavarus has been possessing my body in order to mate.”

Varnatha went very still. “He what?” Her voice lowered dangerously. Her face became a controlled mask.

Now Kerrick was getting somewhere. “Tavarus is obsessed with my woman.” His words sounded unbearably arrogant, and almost asinine to his own ears, but he gave up eloquence for succinctness. Ariss wasn’t technically his woman, but he wasn’t sure he could make Varnatha understand their complicated relationship. In an effort to curry her favor, he gave himself adequate ties to Ariss so that she would understand why he cared.

One eye twitched down as Varnatha gritted her teeth. After she peered intently at the floor, she shifted her gaze to him. Calmly, she asked, “And what, exactly, does he do to your woman?”

Kerrick wasn’t sure what she was asking for. Hopefully not a blow-by-blow description of his mating technique. “Well, he says he’s the father of her child, which is bad enough, but now he won’t leave her alone. He abuses her with my body.”

Varnatha withdrew her tiny sword. “Where is he?”

This was what he wanted: an angry, vengeful warrior woman who would rein Tavarus in. Kerrick pointed the direction of the throne. “He’s with her now.”

“Show me.” Varnatha lifted her leg as if to take a step, then slammed it down. She bellowed another expletive. “I can’t do anything in this form!” Her cool stone gaze swung to him. “How do you expect me to do anything when I only come up to your shin?”

Kerrick hadn’t thought she’d need physical form. “I thought you could just do something to him in
Jarasine
?”

Waving her sword about, shaking her breasts with her motions, Varnatha said, “Do you want me to stop him or not?”

He did. “I don’t know of any bigger statues of you.” Just his luck. He got the goddess to come to his aid only to be stymied by her size. Life simply wasn’t fair.

Eyeing him up and down, Varnatha said, “I could, with your permission, enter your body.”

Kerrick considered. Having one god with a free pass was bad enough; was he seriously contemplating letting in another? What would happen to him if they were both in his brain at the same time? He considered finding a larger statue, but he didn’t know how much time they had. She had to catch Tavarus in the act, or he would just deny Kerrick’s claims and continue to possess him. Pressed for time, Kerrick realized he didn’t have the luxury to consider all his options. Desperate to be with Ariss, willing to do anything he must, he granted Varnatha entrance.

A flash of light stumbled him back and then Varnatha was within his mind and body. She flexed his fist and looked over
the surroundings from her new and far greater height. Lowering his right hand to his crotch, she cupped his shaft, giving him a strong squeeze.

“We don’t have time for this.” Kerrick tried to pull his hand back, but she continued her wanton exploration.

That’s all he needed. How vile would his nickname grow if they caught him groping himself in the temple? If he were at Ariss’ feet, that would be one thing, but standing around, idly fondling himself? No, that wouldn’t look good.

With a frustrated sigh, realizing he wasn’t going to get harder, she let go, and asked, “Where are they?”

Kerrick told her the way, and she moved his feet in the right direction.

“I need a weapon.”

He frowned at her in his mind. “He’s not actually in there, not physically. He’s within his likeness.”

Varnatha made a noncommittal grunt.

“This woman, does she know how to fight?”

“Ariss? No. Why does that matter?”

“Then she will be much easier to kill.”

Kerrick’s heart stopped, then started beating at three times normal. “What do you mean? I don’t want you to kill Ariss!”

Varnatha laughed. “Did you think I would kill Tavarus?”

“I thought you’d scare him and get him to stop possessing me.”

“Oh, that he will, when the woman with his child is dead.”

To his horror, Kerrick realized he’d made a bad situation much, much worse. Varnatha had total control of his body. When he tried to push her out, she waved her hand dismis-sively, shoving him mentally back into a corner.

And like the story of his life, it was too late to turn back now.

Using his eyes, Varnatha looked to the short line of men and demanded to know their purpose. When he refused to tell her,
she plucked the information directly from his brain. Just like Tavarus, she had complete power over him. Worse, he’d willingly let her in. Varnatha now understood that Ariss was within the room, sitting on Tavarus’ likeness, receiving tribute. A sharp flicker of fury washed from her when she thought of the stone cock within Ariss’ sex and Tavarus lurking within the rock.

“That soulless fiend!” Varnatha hissed under her breath. “Once when he did this I destroyed an entire village!”

Kerrick felt his hopes slump even more. He’d wanted a vengeful goddess, and he’d gotten one, but she was bitter at the wrong person. How many people would she kill before the guards cut his body down? All he could hope for was that Ariss’ guards reacted quickly and killed him before Varnatha could hurt her.

Apparently, this wasn’t the first time Tavarus had mated with a mortal through one of his statues, not if Varnatha’s thoughts were any indication. From what Kerrick gathered, it was his preferred way to meet mortal women. The trick was in finding a suitable man to possess. It had to be a man who had an affinity for the woman, something beyond the merely physical. Kerrick fit that description perfectly this time around. The village that Varnatha spoke of was a situation long, long ago, back in the time of the ancients. Tavarus had been able to possess every man in the town to mate with every woman because of their religious rites. He’d turned the entire town into abusive sex maniacs.

Just as Kerrick suspected, having Tavarus possess him long enough would destroy who he was. His battered soul would depart, leaving behind an empty shell that Tavarus could use whenever the whim possessed him. To her credit, Varnatha did the villagers a favor; they were no longer in control of their bodies. She found it an abomination to let Tavarus keep them all as toys.

But that was not the situation here. Desperately, Kerrick tried to explain to her, but she ignored him. He struggled to regain control, but Varnatha ruled him with an iron fist. Her goal was clear in her mind and subsequently his: punish Tavarus once she sent him running back to
Jarasine
; but first, she would kill Ariss and the child she carried.

A
riss tried to scream, but all that came out was a thin, high whisper of air. Terror gripped her so tightly she couldn’t move. The stone phallus that had felt sizzling hot just a moment ago was now shockingly cold, so deeply frigid the edges burned her tender sex.

Kerrick grinned at her, but she realized what he flashed wasn’t a smile but a bearing of his teeth. The man she loved wasn’t happy, he was snarling.

“I’m going to kill you with my bare hands. Something I haven’t done in thousands of seasons.” Lifting his hands, Ker-rick held them out to her, clenching them slowly as if to show her what he intended to do to her neck.

Looking deep into his eyes, seeing the soulless black, she knew it wasn’t Kerrick who threatened her, but Tavarus. He must have discovered that she and Kerrick searched desperately for a solution to block him from their lives. In retaliation, he would force Kerrick to kill her. As much as she feared dying, she couldn’t bear the thought of Kerrick living on with her murder on his conscience.

“Kerrick, I know you’re in there.” She reached out to him, longing to touch him, desperate to hold his hand just one last time. “Please, know that I understand.”

When he snarled, she pulled her hand back. Last night had been the most beautiful moment of her life. She was grateful that they’d been able to share that final, touching moment.

“What do you understand?” One eye twitched down, peering at her curiously as his brow furrowed.

“I forgive you.” Using all her might, Ariss placed her hands on the arms of the throne and stood, pulling herself out of Tavarus’ stone embrace. The phallus pulled free with a soft, almost inaudible
pop.
Her legs wobbled slightly, but she hoped he wouldn’t notice. “I know you have no control over what he does.”

Kerrick’s eyes opened wide. “You’re going to, what, stand there and
allow
me to kill you?” He plunked his hands on his hips in a curiously feminine gesture.

“If that’s what he makes you do.” Ariss considered running, but where would she go? If she screamed, she knew the acolytes and the guards, who always stood in attendance, would come to do her bidding, but they would be too late to save her, and she couldn’t bear to watch them kill Kerrick in her last dying moments. Moreover, she clung desperately to her belief that Tavarus would not harm his own child.

“He?”

The one word question caused Ariss to furrow her brow in confusion. “Tavarus.”

Kerrick tossed back his head and laughed. Again, his movements were oddly feminine. He took two steps toward her, stopping just short of the final step up to the clear throne.

They stood level to one another. Ariss gazed into his eyes and felt lost in the abyss of darkness.

“I am not Tavarus.”

Ariss felt no relief at the revelation. Her mind was awhirl
with possibilities. Cool air washed over her, tightening her exposed nipples. Protectively, she crossed her arms, covering her chest. When she took a steadying breath, she tasted the combined aroma of her and Kerrick on his body. The rich, musky scent of their lovemaking calmed her despite her agitation.

Haltingly, she asked, “Who are you?” Had some other god possessed him? What kind of world were they living in if powerful beings could command them on a whim? Or was it a whim? Ariss had no idea what Kerrick had been doing since he’d left their rooms this morning. Just what had Kerrick tried to do?

Ignoring her, Kerrick, or whoever commanded his body, stomped over to the throne. He grasped the stone phallus in one mighty fist and snapped it free. Lifting his head to the leering face of Tavarus, he bellowed, “I will punish you, Tavarus! You can’t escape my wrath!” Shaking the broken-off stone penis at his carved likeness, Kerrick added, “And this time I will do the same to your pathetic cock!” With a snarl of fury, he tossed the chunk of stone aside.

Ariss backed slowly away, angling toward the door, hoping that if she escaped him, the guards could protect her and capture him without bloodshed.

“Where do you think you’re going?” Kerrick’s voice was so low it rumbled toward her, caressing over her shoulders, holding her like a compelling whisper.

“Please, I don’t know who you are,” Ariss said. “I haven’t done anything to you.”

Kerrick thrust an accusing finger at her belly. “You carry his child.”

Ariss hugged one arm tighter across her breasts but lowered the other to her belly. Desperately, she tried to determine who would be so angry that she carried Tavarus’ child. Terror kept her mind a confused jumble, preventing her from thinking
clearly. Every time she took a step toward the safety of the exit, Kerrick took one as well, flashing her a gleeful smile. Whoever was in there was daring her to run because he or she would enjoy pursuing her.

“Stop it!” Ariss cried. It was bad enough that whoever was in there was tormenting her, but that they used Kerrick to do so was beyond cruel.

“Stop it!” Kerrick mimicked, lifting his hands, spreading his arms wide, ready to grab her no matter what direction she went.

Frustrated, terrified, filled with such anxiety she could hardly catch her breath, Ariss demanded, “Tell me who you are.”

“I am the goddess Varnatha!” Kerrick tossed his hands into the air.

Ariss jumped back, convinced that lightning bolts would descend from the sky. All that happened was Kerrick’s pants fell down to his ankles. If she wasn’t so frightened, she might have laughed.

“What the—” he bent over to yank them up.

Donlan erupted from the side, knocking Kerrick over. Lifting his blade on high, Donlan bellowed a battle cry. Light glistened off his dagger as Donlan’s arm swept down.

“No!” Ariss yelled, diving toward their entwined bodies. She managed to knock Donlan’s blade aside before he could plunge the metal deep into Kerrick’s chest.

In a timeless moment, her eyes locked on to Kerrick’s, hoping that the god within would depart. To her horror, his pupils widened until both eyes turned glossy black. No whiteness, no color; his eyeballs turned into fathomless pools of darkness.

“Kerrick?”

Donlan lifted his blade in one hand and tried to hold her back with the other.

“Don’t!” she commanded. “He’s not fighting you!”

Donlan stopped struggling with her. They both looked down at Kerrick. Perfectly still, he lay on his back, his sightless black eyes pointed toward the ceiling.

“They’re in me,” he whispered weakly.

“Who?” Donlan asked.

Ariss shushed him.

“Tavarus and Varnatha.”

Placing herself right above Kerrick, so that without moving his head he could see her, she sternly said, “Leave, Tavarus. If you hurt him, you won’t be able to have me anymore.” To save Kerrick, she was willing to go back to appeasing Tavarus’ lust.

A snarl darted across Kerrick’s face. “I’ll kill you!” Just as he reached up to place his hands around her neck, he stopped and bellowed, “I won’t let you!”

Ariss could see the struggle between the god and goddess within Kerrick’s body.

As his eyes slowly drifted closed, he whispered, “She won’t let him have me.” He drew a pained breath. “He won’t let her kill you.”

Tavarus and Varnatha battled for control of Kerrick and there wasn’t anything she could do.

Kerrick lay on his back in the center of Ariss’ bed, his eyes closed, his breathing shallow. His once gloriously golden hair lay limp, brushed back from his face in lifeless clumps.

Ariss sat beside him, tracks of tears dried on her face. Nothing had changed after a quarter cycle. Nine days and nights of utter agony. Neither Tavarus nor Varnatha would give up. While they fought, Kerrick wasted away.

The doctors wanted to force nutrients into him, but keeping him alive would only prolong the war within. Varnatha and Tavarus were tenacious. Both were warriors without mercy who never backed away from a fight. They would battle over Kerrick until he drew his last breath. Once that happened, they
would simply depart and go back to
Jarasine,
killing the man she loved and leaving her life in a shambles as they found something new to battle over. How could anyone worship such childish gods?

“How is he?” Donlan asked as he stood behind her.

With Kerrick’s condition, Donlan had become her protector. He was a good man, honest and steadfast to a fault. Ariss sensed there was more to his vigilance than his desire to be a good protector. At times, when she caught him looking at her, unaware of her attention, she saw something like love shining in his eyes. When he caught her looking, he would hurriedly glance away, guilt stamping clear lines on his handsome face. He’d made no overt overtures to her, and probably never would, but his longing was still there, lurking just below the surface.

“The same.” Ariss kept her gaze riveted to Kerrick’s face. “I thought I saw a flicker of movement in his eyes, but it might have been just wishful thinking.” In his state, Kerrick didn’t even dream. Neither she nor the doctors had seen any indication of eye movement. Or any movement. He lay so perfectly still he was like a statue.

Donlan placed a comforting hand on her shoulder. “You should rest.”

She placed her hand atop his. “How can I when he lies here, alone, fighting against inexhaustible foes?”

Donlan had no answer. “I will have them bring you something to eat.”

Nodding absently, she smoothed Kerrick’s shirt for the thousandth time. She hadn’t felt hungry since the confrontation in the temple, but she ate anyway, for her child. Because as she sat here, holding Kerrick’s hand and smoothing cool cloths to his forehead, she continued to cling to hope that somehow, he would vanquish the selfish gods within and then they could be together.

Her deepest wish was that all three of them could find a small bit of happiness. She didn’t care where they lived or what they did, she would be happy just to be together. All her silly dreams of living in the forest meant nothing if she couldn’t have Kerrick there with her. As the days rolled slowly into one another, even that tiny hope grew ever more dim. Right before her eyes, Kerrick was disappearing.

One of her servants approached with a small tray of food. The young girl placed it beside Ariss, bowed, and backed away. Ariss ate absently. Bite, chew, swallow, repeat. Everything tasted the same, chalky and bland. All she could think of was how much she hated Tavarus. She hated him with a white-hot rage that no amount of cool reasoning could ever dampen. Never in her life had she wished ill on another, but if she could, she would kill Tavarus herself.

In spite of her loathing toward Tavarus, she loved her child. Tenderly, she cupped her hand to her belly. He was an innocent. A part of her wanted to join Kerrick and waste away until they were nothing but dust together, but she couldn’t harm her child. Moreover, she realized Kerrick wouldn’t want her to die to be with him. He would want her to live on, strong, raising her child to be a loving, responsible man, because if nothing else, Ariss would teach him how to behave. Her child would not be a self-absorbed spoiled child that would grow up to be a self-indulged god. Not if she had anything to say about it.

Briefly, Ariss had thought of appealing to Varnatha, but jealousy consumed the goddess. She would never let go of Kerrick so that Tavarus could use him to mount her again.

During her vigil at Kerrick’s bedside, several people had come to pay their respects and to offer suggestions. Ariss had listened with great hope, but her optimism quickly faded when no one came up with a solution that would work. Several people suggested killing Kerrick to force the gods from his body. Once they departed, they could just bring Kerrick back to life.
Ariss pointed out that Tavarus would simply return once Ker-rick was alive again. She wasn’t sure about Varnatha; speculation was that Kerrick had invited her in to fight off Tavarus. His death would revoke her invitation, but that still left Tavarus. Knowing that Kerrick had brought Varnatha in to fight him off would only anger the childish god; Ariss couldn’t even fathom what Tavarus would do in retaliation.

Another suggested trying to invoke the supreme god who ruled over all the gods in
Jarasine,
but Ariss didn’t want any more gods involved, especially not one with more power than all of them combined. Orsolua was said to be both male and female, with all the powers of the other gods and goddesses combined. Still, who knew what Orsolua was actually like? Ariss had no idea what placing a third god in Kerrick would do. If two made him catatonic, three would probably kill him outright. Moreover, the gods and goddesses had minds of their own. Each had their own agenda that clearly didn’t involve helping mere mortals. Adamantly, Ariss had insisted that there be no more divine interference.

When she had issued her edict, Donlan had grimaced, dropped his gaze to the floor, and turned slightly away. That’s when she knew he had sought out a god, hoping to curry favor. She confronted Donlan and he fell to his knees, apologizing so profusely that she found his obsequious behavior embarrassing. She hurriedly forgave him, but warned him to make no further efforts along those lines. Donlan pleaded his case, insisting that he could reach Tavarus if only she would let him, but she put her foot down. In the end, Donlan relented, bowing to her wishes.

Scholars, acolytes, and even the empress herself had devoted countless hours to finding a solution, but they all came up empty. Bithia could not have been more kind; she gave Ariss leave to use whatever resources she needed to help Kerrick.

“He is far too fine a man to die so young,” Bithia said, her
rough-hewn hand gripping Ariss’ hand with such compassion, Ariss felt the emotion right down to her bones. She had thanked her greatly, then turned back to her lonely vigil.

As night fell, her servants drifted away, and the guards left to their posts outside her door. Donlan was loath to join them.

“I wish to stay in here with you.”

Even though she hadn’t really done anything all day but worry over Kerrick, she was exhausted and far to weary to deal with Donlan’s infatuation.

“There is nothing else for you to do, Donlan. Please, I ask you to return to your rooms until morning.”