Portals of Infinity: Book Four: The Sea of Grass (7 page)

"She's just getting over the shock of discovering that what she thought was a grass snake was actually a hay snake."

I shook my head, "What are those?"

Rees smiled, "A grass snake is a lovely green snake that eats insects, small toads, and is completely harmless and makes a good pet."

"And a hay snake?"

"Looks almost exactly like the grass snake, but its bite can drop a wolat or a man dead in seconds, even the narzhum avoids them."

"Oh", I said, and then thought about it a moment, "Oh!"

Rees laughed, "Exactly. It's always one thing to hear the stories, another thing to see that the male you've welcomed into your tent really does those things."

I shrugged and flicked my tail, "I was just worried about whoever had to go and hamstring it."

"Oh I'd say you were more worried about my sister going and hamstringing it," Rees laughed.

I shook my head with a wane smile, "Well, there is that."

"My sister may be impulsive, and at times a bit crazy," Rees laughed, "but she is not soft, and not one who fears. She is very unlike the women you have met in the cities."

I nodded, she definitely was.

When we stopped to make camp, I walked up to Smoke.

"So, am I forgiven?" I asked dropping my bedroll next to hers.

She looked up at me, "There's nothing to forgive."

"I'm not what you thought I was," I said, "but to be honest, you're not exactly who I thought you were either."

She smiled, "Then I guess we are even."

"Just don't hit me again, that hurt," I said and she laughed.

Six

Cooch Tribe Village

The Cooch tribe and village weren't all that much different than the Glisan tribe and village had been. It was also in a ravine, though this one was a bit wider and had a pond in it. The tents, or teepees rather, were laid out in the same sort of almost random pattern, the only positions I had found that were close to being “set” were the ones of the chief's advisors, who usually set their tents up in the general vicinity of his.

We were greeted by the chief and dined with him, met his family, and then there was a party that night, mainly because half of the hunting party that returned were from the Glisan tribe. I was surprised that Smoke danced for me again that night and told her as much.

"Why does that surprise you?" She asked smiling.

"Because I'm just temporary. I will be gone in a month or two. I would think you'd be more interested in someone serious about you."

"Are you saying you don't like me?" She asked coyly.

I laughed, "Hardly," I was still a sucker for attractive women, and I suspected she knew it.

"Well, I'm still young, and it is my time to waste, though I'd hardly consider it wasted with you." She purred.

We spent a week there, and Smoke didn't spend it all with me, making it clear that she did understand the temporary nature of our relationship.

"So how goes the Priest business?" I asked Henry as we were nearing the end of our stay.

"Rather well. When those four new priests show up, we'll definitely send one here. They're very interested in Feliogustus's words. More than a few are interested in Fordessa as well."

I looked up at him surprised, "Really?"

"You've heard their music. We have several interested in her back at the first village as well. They've heard of wind instruments and are very interested in learning more. Apparently some of her followers wandered through here a few years ago."

"Huh, interesting."

Henry nodded, "I like it out here actually, it's nice."

"And the women are as well?" I teased him a little. More than a few of the women had been flirting with him, and he hadn't been sleeping alone the last few nights.

Henry laughed, "You should talk. But yes, they are rather nice. But there is something to be said for living out on the plains like this. I can't wait for winter when we'll travel to their winter grounds. Yarsha tells me that they rarely get snow, she's only seen it twice in her lifetime!"

"Well, you're going to be here a while, it's better if you like it."

Henry flicked his ears, "I'm thinking of making this my permanent parish. Pick one of the tribes that I like the most and stay with them. Marry, settle down. Be a settled priest."

"I don't see how you can be settled with a semi-nomadic tribe," I said with a smile.

"My point exactly," He agreed flicking an ear. "So when do we leave for the next tribe?"

"Two days. A hunting party from the Alder tribe is supposed to show up tonight. When they return, we'll join them."

Henry nodded. "Good. The previous priests sure did a lot of ground work, too bad they're still not around. There really is a lot of interest here."

"You know, I always thought that missionary work was pretty hard, but you and Steve have really made it look easy."

Henry smiled at me, "It's been going easier because we have you with us."

I stared at him. "What? How?"

"They know that you're William the Godslayer, and then of course there was your little demonstration with the narzhum. No natural male could have done that."

I groaned at that, "But how come they haven't said anything?"

"Because the People don't like titles and honorifics like that. The only time you hear them call their leader 'chief' is when it's something official. They haven't even called you 'champion' like so many do back home."

I considered what he said, he was right, they weren't very formal here at all. "You know, I hadn't noticed."

"Oh I picked up on it right away, even Steve likes it. The class structure here is based on if you can help the tribe or not. And if you can't, well they pretty much kick you out. Everyone is expected to carry their own weight, and help the old and the young. It really is just one big overgrown family." Henry said rather happily.

"Only child?" I asked curious.

"Worse, Orphan. My family died during a severe outbreak of the coughing sickness when I was a small child. There was no priest in our village and it was late winter, so by the time one got to us, a quarter of the village had died."

"Is that why you became a priest?" I asked curious.

He nodded, "That had a lot to do with it, helping people became a goal as I grew up. I found that working with Feliogustus let me help a lot more, and I find his words to be comforting and wise."

I nodded to that.

"Can I ask you something?" Henry said looking at me.

"Sure, I don't mind."

"Why are you with Feliogustus? I know you weren't born here, the stories tell us you came from very far away. That you knew nothing of this place, our people, or our god, until you arrived."

I shrugged, "I was sort of maneuvered into taking the job. Fel had me over a barrel and I had to take it."

Henry looked rather shocked at that, "You're not here willingly?"

I held up a hand to stop him, "If I wasn't willing to be here, I would have left long ago, trust me on that."

"Then why are you still here?" He asked curious.

I thought about that a moment, why was I? I could quit the job if I wanted to, I'd still have Rachel, and I'd still have Darlene. And I'd be able to spend more time with them then I currently could.

"I guess," I said gesturing with my palms up as I held my arms out, "I guess you could say he's my best friend and I care about his people,
my
people." I gave up and shrugged, how do you tell people that you think of their god as just another guy? Sure I knew Fel was a god, and while I was pretty sure he liked me, I doubted that he viewed our relationship like I did. He was a god after all! But to me, he just felt like my best bud and I enjoyed hanging out with him when the rare opportunity gave me the chance to.

Usually after I got killed.

"I'm almost jealous of you," Henry said surprising me, "that you get to know our god that well. It must be a wonderful thing to be able to be in his presence."

I stopped a moment when he said that. Again, to me Fel was just another guy, yes he was an incredibly powerful one, and at times I had trouble remembering what he was, because I thought of him as a friend. But Henry, Henry was among the faithful, the truly devoted faithful. Even Steven fit that description.

"Yes, yes it is," I said after a moment looking at the expression on Henry's feline face, his eyes clearly showing his devotion, his ears up in rapt attention. It made me just a little uncomfortable to see just how I was viewed by so many of them.

"I've met several gods and goddesses in my service to Feliogustus," I told him, using Fel's full name. "You will never find a better god, Henry, and you will be rewarded for your faith and your hard work, he really does care."

He bowed his head a moment, and I think said a prayer, then looked back up at me as we heard the people outside starting to welcome the approaching riders.

"Thank you for that, William," he smiled. "Now, why don't we go outside and meet the new guests?"

"So, shook you a bit did it?" Fel asked. We were sitting outside his bar, instead of inside it. This was a first, usually we always met inside. There were even people walking outside of it, some of whom nodded to me as they passed. The recently dead I assumed.

"Yeah, a bit. It's, it's a bit strange when you think about it, Fel. I really do think of you as a person, as a friend, as just another guy. But you're a god, you have powers I can't even conceive, I'm amazed that I can even understand you.

"And the clergy, Henry, they worship you, they honestly and truly worship you."

"Well of course, Will, I'm their god!" Fel laughed.

I looked at him a moment, "Do you remember what it was like to be mortal?"

He nodded and took a sip of the beer he was holding, "Yes, I even remember when I realized about Aryanna what you're now realizing about me. It's a tough thing to understand when your best friend is something that you can't even fully conceptualize."

"I once lost a friend to a cult, when I was in college, and he looked on the leader the same way Henry looked at you, only there was one difference." I said taking a drink of my own beer.

"That he was worshipping a fraud, while Henry worships a real god." Fel supplied.

I nodded, and didn't care that he had pulled it out of my mind.

"I was impressed at what you said to Henry there at the end," Fel said. "First time that happened to me I had no idea what to say, I think the phrase is 'gob smacked.'"

"I still can't think of you as anything more than another guy, my friend," I said turning to look out at the street and the people walking along it. "I don't know if I ever will. I'm not sure I can wrap my head around it."

"Narasamman is almost the same way, though she had a decade of being a priestess to shield her from the effect." Fel said with a nod.

"The thing is, I don't want to insult you Fel, it's strange, knowing what you are on the one hand, but having trouble processing it on the other."

"I wouldn't worry about it, Will, you're really better off just continuing to deal with me, and any other god or goddess you run into, like we were people."

I looked at him, "Really?"

"William, we are so far above and beyond you, that there is no other way for a mortal to do it. The shocking thing about becoming a god is the first moment you become one, but we all hold on to a bit of our mortality, because that bit is what defines us when we ascend. If we didn't have it, we'd never be able to relate to our followers, we wouldn't be able to even care about them."

"Why did you become a god, Fel?"

Fel looked at me very solemnly, "Because Aryanna told me I'd enjoy it."

"Do you?" I asked, wanting to know very much if he did.

Fel grinned and laughed, "More than I ever thought possible. Some people are cut out to be gods, and I most definitely was one of them."

I nodded and thought about that a moment.

"And to answer your question, you're not. You'd never care for it. You're a good Champion, Will, but you'd make a poor god."

I started at that, "Why?"

"Because you don't like to sacrifice people to do what must be done. As a god, sometimes you have to let hundreds, maybe thousands die, and it's not an easy thing to do. And all of your people, all of your creations, will eventually turn to dust with the passage of time. Yes, you can build more, but those things too will pass.

"Trust me, William, when the time comes, if it ever does, pass it up like you did for Stephanie. I will always have a place for you in my paradise, even if you live a million years, I will take you back, and you
will
be rewarded, William. You will find it more enjoyable and fulfilling than you would ever find being a god."

I thought about that a moment, and I looked up into Fel's eyes, and for a brief moment I could see what he really was and I understood.

"Thanks, Fel, thank you for that."

He smiled and leaning over he ruffled my ears. "Like you said to Henry, I really
do
care."

I smiled.

"And pay attention when you get to Aldar, I think you just may find something of interest there."

The trip to Aldar wasn't much different than the trip to Cooch had been; it was to the east of Cooch, which had been east of Glisan. As I understood it, Aldar was on the eastern edge of what is considered to be the Mowok's lands. On the second day of the trip we came across a herd of suzhen, of which a dozen were quickly dispatched while the rest fled. It was interesting to finally see that suzhen were afraid of something, and that something was wolats.

I also got to see Smoke hunt, she was one of the few to spear one before the herd realized it was in trouble and turned and fled. I had to admit that I was pretty impressed; she took one right through the eye with her spear. Most went for the neck or the heart, as the head of a suzhen is pretty hard and it's not a guaranteed kill.

I think it was then that I realized why a beautiful and very talented female like her was still single; a lot of the males were just too intimidated by her. Most probably felt that they couldn't really measure up to her, and many of the rest probably didn't want to even try when there were females so much easier to impress around.

I kind of felt sorry for her, but she had so much pride it was hard to feel too bad. She didn't strike me as the type to be worried by things like that. I'm sure once she found the male she wanted, she'd make sure he got the message.

We rode into the Aldar village later the same day as the hunt, and even though it was fairly late in the afternoon, they still put together a party. Rees and his new girlfriend were still with us, plus a couple of others from the Glisan tribe, but most of the rest had either stayed back in Cooch, or had returned home to Glisan already. Rees had just offered to stay with us on the whole trip, to guide us.