Page 25 of The Interdimensional Lord's Earthly Delight
A disapproving tsk brought him whirling around. “Keep that up and we’ll have a good excuse to stun you again.”
He faced the Thorkon male—Nor—who had shot him. Beside Nor stood another male, dark where Nor was blond, but with a similar stampto their features and set to their stance that proclaimed them brothers.
“I am Aelazar Amrazal Thorkonos, Duke of Azthronos, Blood Champion of Zalar, Avatar of Azjor, God of Oaths,” the newcomer said. “And I hear you were pretending to be a cleric for my wedding.”
“I am Tynan, Lord of the Lightlands, God of Beloveds.” Tynan smiled thinly. “And yes, I will still bless your union.”
“Didn’t askyou.” The duke strode closer, eyes narrowed.
“You don’t have to.” Tynan backed away to sit on the platform. “My blessing flows from the Lightlands to all beloveds. It falls on you like the light of stars.”
“Uh-huh.” The duke stopped in front of the cell wall, his arms crossed over his chest. “So how long have you been a god?”
“Raz,” Nor said in a warning tone.
The duke flicked one finger forsilence. “My brother faced Blackworm in a fight on this very station not so long ago,” he said. “And I believe him when he says you could be that felon. If you’re going to convince me there’s more to your story, make it good.”
Tynan tilted his head. “I wasn’t just a story. I was a legend, even in my own time.”
“Your time?” Nor growled. “You mean one lunar cycle ago when you were trying to killTrixie?”
Tynan eyed him irately. “That might’ve been this body, but it wasn’t…me. I can see you’re only half Thorkon”—he shifted his gaze to Raz—“butyoumust know our history. Back then, I was an arrogant young warlord with a hundred maidens vying for my eye. But I would have none of them except the one who could win me, body, soul, and galactic credits.” He grimaced. “Did I mention I was arrogant?And like many young lords, I needed the money.”
Raz quirked a wry smile. “I might be familiar,” he murmured.
Familiar with the problems of a young lord, or familiar with the history? Tynan wasn’t sure it mattered. Even has he spoke, the story, which he knew in his tongue, came alive in his memories, as if emerging from a stunned sleep. “To the hundred maidens fair, I set three tasks. I hid myselffrom them in the most distant parts of my kingdom and challenged them to find me. The ones who completed the task of the searching steps would arrive before me weary, their slippers worn thin as fog, sometimes with their soles bloodied.”
“The first invocation of beloveds: the Prayer of Steps Seeking,” Raz said.
“At the time, it wasn’t a prayer,” Tynan reminded him. “Just a young warlord’s idlewhim. But that wasn’t enough for me. If they found me, I asked them to perform the ritual of pixberry tea, win a game of countip against me, and weave a traditional Thorkon robe by hand, in the most intricate geometric patterns.”
Nor snorted softly. “Typical idle nobleman. But I guess those were the skills of the women of your time.”
Tynan dropped his gaze. “And I made them do it blindfolded.”
“Larf-licker,” Nor said, though the insult lacked some heat.
Propping his elbows on his knees, Tynan letting his hands dangle between. “I told them they should need their eyes for nothing but me.”
That earned him eye rolls from both males in front of him. And rightly enough. Even as the memories emerged from the distant past, he found them to be strange, wavering things, like ghosts. Had thatreally been him? No wonder the duke and his brother doubted him.
Raz was silent, but Nor seemed reluctantly interested. “And how many of these paragons of Thorkon girlhood made the cut?”
“Three,” Tynan said. “So I set them one more task.”
“Oh my gods,” Nor exclaimed. “After all that? Really?”
“Wait for it,” Tynan advised him. “The three maidens arrived at my mountain stronghold. One was aspale as starlight. The second had hair like open flame. The third was as dark as the shadows between the stars and flames.” He laced his fingers together. “I could not decide between them.” From beneath his brows, he looked up at the other males. “So I took all three to my bed.”
Raz shook his head. “Oh, you poor idiot.”
Nor pursed his lips. “Well…” he drawled. “I’m sure it seemed like a goodidea at the time.”
Tynan shook his head. “Your Grace has the right of it. Maidens of my time were not to be larfed with.” He sighed and leaned back with his shoulders against the cold, blank wall behind him. “One last task, I promised. Since they were riled by their aching fingers, burned from the hot tea and pierced by their blind weaving, this timeIwould be blindfolded. And I told them, theone of them that I could identify from their touch alone would be my bride.”
Nor barked out a sharp gust of laughter. “Fine. You convinced me. You’re a god. Only a god would be so arrogant.” He slanted a glance at his brother. “Not even a duke would go so far.”
“I was only a man then,” Tynan reminded him. “But it is not unknown for men to rate themselves more highly than the gods.”