“Damned doesn’t count as a swear word,” he muttered as I pulled the corset from where it was hanging.
“It does where I come from.”
“You’re a long way from home, Enyo.”
“My name is Bella,” I corrected him. And as I stared past him at the thriving, angry city, I couldn’t help the feeling that the rest of his statement was wrong too.
After the stallholder enthusiastically demonstrated the magically reinforced quality of the leather armor by stabbing it repeatedly with a sharp knife, and allayed my concerns about the corset’s lack of upper coverage by producing wide shoulder straps that laced into the bodice, I was sold. It was awesome. I wanted to put it straight on, but Ares grumbled something about finding a caravanserai for accommodation and gossip, and stamped off before I had time to unlace it.
“I think we should talk about what happened,” I said as I skipped along beside him, trying to keep up as I rammed my new leather-wear into my bag. It was too big, and I eventually gave up, draping it over my arm instead as we weaved through the crowd.
“You are angry with me that you were injured? It was your own fault.”
“Why would I be mad with you that I was injured? I was the one careless enough to get stabbed,” I said. “I’m mad with you because whenever you use my power it throws off my focus. And that’s what makes me good. My focus. I need it. I can’t have you messing it up every two minutes.”
Ares let out a long sigh. “It is called war-sight. Not focus.”
“What?”
“Everything slowing down and you being able to anticipate other’s moves and block out distractions. It is called battle vision.”
I frowned up at him. I’d relied on those abilities to keep me alive countless times over the years, and it was weird as hell hearing someone else describe them. “So, it’s part of the war magic?”
“Yes.”
“And I’ve been using it in the normal world all these years?”
“A small part of it, yes.”
“When I got that burst of tingly energy, was that me using a large part of it?”
“Yes.”
“Why did it go into my flick-knife?”
Ares slowed, finally turning to look at me. “We will not discuss this here,” he said. “There is child stealing from you.”
“What!” I whirled, tearing my rucksack away from a skinny, shirtless kid who yelped in surprise. “Fuck off and steal someone else’s shit!” He looked down at the bit of fabric in his hand that he’d managed to pull from the bag at the same time I did. My panties. He was clutching a pair of my damned panties. “Give those back!” But he was off, racing through the crowd like a whippet. Before I could tear off after him, Ares gripped my shoulder.
“We do not have time for this.”
“He stole my godamned underwear!” I spun to Ares, outraged, and for a moment I swear I saw the corner of his mouth quirk up. But his words carried no hint of humor at all.
“Then I regret not informing you of his presence sooner.”
“You knew he was trying to rob me and you said nothing?”
“You were being annoying.”
“I was asking questions I need answers to!”
“You were being annoying,” he repeated.
I bared my teeth at him. “You know, I’d almost forgotten that you were a giant asshole.” Dark embers danced through his eyes, and I realized that insulting him when he didn’t have his helmet and armor on was quite different than before. I could see the muscles twitch in his jaw, the skin across his forehead and eyes tighten, his hair move against his shoulders as he swelled and tensed. His anger resonated in me, the excitement and challenge of it intoxicating.
“Do not call me an asshole,” he ground out.
“Or what?”
“Or-” he started, but I never found out what my alternative was. At that exact moment, the two us were lifted clean off our feet.
12
Bella
“That’s them,” barked a voice, as I kicked and flailed my feet as I spun in the air. The minotaur from the fighters’ camp came into view as I twirled uselessly, an armored guard next to him holding a tall staff that glowed.
“Put me down right now!” roared Ares.
“You’re coming with me,” the guard answered from under a purple fabric helmet. He turned and began to march through the courtyard, people moving out of his way with sideways glances, and I began to bob through the air behind him. The minotaur gave me a vicious smile as we passed her.
“How are we floating?” I ground out, as I bounced against Ares’ enormous arm. A spark of electricity zipped between us and he scowled as his hair fell over his shoulder.
“The staff. All the guards have them. They encase people.”
“Right. How do we get out of being encased?”
“We don’t. They’re designed to restrain people in a world inhabited by the strongest and most violent fighters in existence.”
I gritted my teeth, panic beginning to coil in my stomach. I didn’t do well with being trapped. Not since my stint in prison. “I assume they can’t hold gods?” I asked, angrily.
“Of course not. But you do not have the power of full god, and therefore neither do I.”
I balled my fists as I drifted too far from Ares to hear him, and a small creature that I guessed was a satyr walked underneath me. He was a little two-legged goat, his bearded face the only human-looking thing about him. Nobody seemed surprised or concerned to see us floating through the bazaar after the guard. It must be a common occurrence in Erimos. When I drifted close to Ares again, I spoke. “Where is he taking us?”
“Hopefully not to the King,” he muttered. My arm bumped against his again, and more sparks fired. “Is that the staff’s magic?”
Ares just grunted. I glanced down at the ground, wondering where Zeeva was, but I couldn’t spot her. I wasn’t sure if that was good or bad.
Energy was coursing through me with nowhere to go, and I knew I needed to calm it, to slow my panic. I took a long breath, flexed my fingers, and patted the pocket with my knife in it. Enjoy the scenery, I told myself. Learn about where you are. When you’re in a situation you can’t control, make a list.
After ten minutes of being bounced through the air of Erimos, my ‘things that will help me survive in the city’ list didn’t have much on it. There seemed to be an endless array of creatures living in Erimos. Beautiful women were everywhere, some with skin that looked like water, others with skin that looked like tree-bark. Muscular human men mingled with creatures that appeared to be made up of the most bizarre animal combinations imaginable. Many had wings and tails, and all looked like they could take a punch or two.
The guard marched on without pause, so I was only afforded fleeting glimpses. We were heading toward the center of the city and the buildings around us were becoming more opulent as we went. There were no more noisy bazaars, but the shady doorways we passed were definitely selling trade. Several appeared to be drinking establishments, men and women stumbling in and out, clutching goblets. More were brothels, I was guessing from the number of scantily clad bodies leaning against the jewel-encrusted building-fronts. And they were certainly not all women. This place looked to be a pervert’s dream, I thought as I stared wide-eyed at a four foot tall creature with six arms, and six breasts. She gave me a little finger wave as I passed, and I mutely returned the gesture.