Tangles and Temptation (13 page)

Kyra first blinked at the sudden abrupt change in subject then blushed as his hungry eyes feasted upon her skin, heating her instantly. “Thank you. The queen has been most generous.”

Eris leaned forward and whispered huskily in her ear, “The gown only decorates what is already true beauty.
You
look utterly ravishing tonight.”

Kyra cleared her throat. She recalled the Eris she had first met, playful and mischievous. It was good to note that it was not an extinct characteristic. He was a man who had not forgotten the boy within him. This aspect of his personality fascinated her. The thought of his manly hardness intermingled with playful boyishness would lead to great adventures in the bedroom. This thought excited her. But she could not allow herself to be whisked away on a dreamy tide. There were matters that needed clearing up. “Your compliment is appreciated, but right now I would like to know where it is you implied I shall be accompanying you.”

Eris leaned back and reached for his goblet. “There were no implications, simply a fact.” He swirled the deep-red contents leisurely as his lips lifted at the corners. “You shall accompany me on my errand tomorrow.”

Kyra choked over the grape that had slid down her stunned throat. She blinked back tears as it lodged itself in her chest. Her voice left her somewhat hoarsely. “Is that an accepted custom here? Are the women permitted to engage in battle?”

Eris watched as her face grew distinctly redder at each passing moment. He reached out and thumped her soundly on the back, dislodging the errant grape. “You will not be forced to battle in the battlefield, Kyra. However, there shall remain other areas you may, of course, show your unique feminine prowess.” Quickly, before she could cut him off with a biting remark from her wicked tongue, he added, “On completion of my errand, I shall also escort you to the place that has been connected to your name. Before you ask for the name of this place, I shall beg of you your patience. Nothing is certain. Shall we simply travel to the place and see whether your memories are returned?”

She nodded reluctantly. There was no sense in demanding answers. The knowledge of her past was not life threatening. But this errand Eris was embarking on was. That had to take precedence now. “It is vitally important I come to know my birthright. I shall accept your conditions. But pray, make haste in your defeat of this beast.”

Eris answered curtly, “Your past is vitally important. The snake has marked you as mine, but what if you already belong to another?”

For no certain reason, the statement left a bitter taste in Kyra’s mouth. She could not deny she still had a deep physical attraction for him. She also could not deny that she could not bear to lose him before fully satisfying her craving for him. She continued to sip at her goblet as her appetite fled. Unfortunately, the rich spirits did nothing to fill the hollow emptiness of uncertainty that overpowered her.

* * * *

Seven gladiators, huge and dominating, gathered in the counseling chamber with the king. Eris sank gratefully into his seat. The night’s procession had gone on longer than anticipated due to his mate’s tardiness. Thankfully the furnishing had been constructed with just them in mind. Everything, from the overly large chairs and table to the preposterously huge cutlery, was specially designed, masculine. The first order of the night, the pouring of wine, had been quickly seen to by the slave girls before they, too, beat a hasty retreat. He nodded his greeting as Vasilis Amyntas gulped down his drink in a single swig and reached for his own goblet laid on the table close to him. From here on they would serve themselves. No one would be permitted entrance to this meeting.

The king’s voice rang out, boisterous in authority. “My fellow protectors of our prestigious realm, Argos, esteemed Gladiators of the House Andromeda, I bid you seat yourselves and make comfort as we plot our strategy for the venture ahead.” He raised his goblet and saluted the room as a whole. “As you all are aware, Eris, Erpo—the snake—will leave us at first light. His duty shall not be an easy one, but riddled with danger and the added task of first rooting out this elusive menace. I have ordered this action be taken due to the nearing of the attacks to our shores. I propose that we venture forth and seek out this threat in our backyard, before it is upon our doorstep and we are forced to fend our women and children.” He sat down and sipped of his wine before adding, “This decision was solely mine to make, yet I have gathered you here tonight to hear any objections. You are the princes of this realm and have my ear regarding any concerns pertaining to its rulership. Speak now if there is any among you who does not comply with the decision I have undertaken.”

The men nodded in agreement but remained quiet. Eris suspected they heralded the decision. No one wanted the beast upon their shores. While they were confident of their elite team emerging the victors, they did not relish the idea of their women and children coming under any threat. Causalities were always a possibility.

Sappho spoke quietly from his seat, “I would ask to accompany the men leaving to search out this creature.” He raised his hand as the king made to answer. “With all respect, sire, I wish to deliver my reasoning behind such a request before you render a decision.”

The king nodded, and the table fell silent as they focused on him. Sappho wet his throat before continuing. “We have proof that the creatures retires to the mountains, my realm. I know that according to the ancient scrolls the recipient of that challenge should be the defender from whence it emerges. In this case it would be the plantations. However, seeing as never before has a gladiator had to leave the realm in order to seek the enemy from Cronus, as the creature has always come to us directly, it shows he is indeed changing his strategy by calling out our defender, thereby leaving the safety of his home and fellow gladiators. I propose that we also change with the times. I shall be able to seek out the creature where it retires. Instead of Eris having to await its next attack, which I must add, he would have no idea the destination of such an attack beyond mere speculation, I can arouse this beast from its unassuming slumber and lure it to the plantations, to Eris. The effort of the search would be halved, and the time that a great number of our army’s absence from their duty protecting the city would be drastically reduced.”

Eris stared at his brother. He had overcome his drunken stupor, somehow managing to drain his wine-logged brain, and spoke with the clarity of a sober man. Eris narrowed his eyes in speculation. Had the drunken act merely been a ruse? All evidence pointed to just that.

The king chose that moment to respond, “I believe you bring a vital stratagem to the table, Sappho, Skorpio—the scorpion. Indeed, by all accounts the power of Cronus has not only changed, but his support has also gained momentum. But however relevant your plot may be, the challenged one is still your brother, Eris. Ultimately, it is only he who can make that decision, for this is now his errand.”

All eyes turned to Eris. He scowled. Sappho had been calculating and wise. He had set up for himself an audience that would not be denied. Furthermore, any dismissal of his proposal would have to have sound reasoning. Personal strife would not be tolerated. “I take the offer made by Sappho, Skorpio—the scorpion—under the closest consideration. However, I must vote against it.”

Before he could get a chance to verbalize his reasons for the dismissal of the offer, Sappho leapt up in anger. “You make a decision such as this rather hastily. Allow not your personal afflictions to alter your reasoning.”

Eris nodded calmly and raised his hand, stalling the king’s interruption. “The speed at which I take this decision does not lighten it in any respect. The venture remains mine, the challenge to the snake. Therefore,
all
fall under my responsibility—the lives of the men I take into battle with me. I shall take no more than twenty of the fifty offered, thus ensuring the continued protection of the city.” He leaned back in his chair as he addressed his brother. “The beast can only be defeated by
my
beast,
the snake
. It has been proven through history that interference from the wrong gladiator can be detrimental, yet you propose to enter its lair, disturb its slumber, and lure it to me. Your plan may appear to be easy, but it is nothing more than a death sentence—
yours.
I will not have your death on my conscience.”

Sappho was furious. It was clear in the daggers he stared at Eris. The king spoke to Sappho in a calming voice, “Eris has decided and denied your involvement, as is his right. While your plan did sound rational, it is nevertheless punched with as many holes as the sieve through which our wine is purified. I must admit I shall not willingly lose a valuable gladiator due to speculation and random hope.” He refilled his goblet. “Now, if there are no more objections, shall we toast our first gladiator as he rides out to meet the enemy of this generation?”

As cheers of approval greeted his question, he raised his goblet. “A toast. To Erpo, the snake. May his feet and fighting hands be guided by the Gods, and may he emerge victor.”

A deafening chorus followed. “To Erpo, the snake.” The men gulped their drinks down lustily. They took turns thumping Eris on the back and wishing him success. All except Sappho. He remained sullen, stubbornly rooted to his seat.

Vasilis Amyntas dismissed the men on a merry note. “Now follow your lances and find your bedmates for the night. I am sure they are already overcome with yearning.” The gladiators drifted away with eager expressions.

Eris smiled as they exited. They each wished the battle that lay ahead was their own, and would thrust and plunder their bed partner mercilessly tonight, seeking release of their bitter disappointment and impatience at awaiting their respective turns for battle. He eyed Sappho as he stepped over the threshold. While his brother was adamant, he was also loyal to his duty. He would never consider disobeying the king and following Eris. He sighed. That was one less matter to concern himself with. He would not allow Sappho to place his life in danger heedlessly.

“Eris, a word before you leave.”

The king’s command stopped him in his tracks. “Of course, sire. Nothing but barrenness awaits me in my bed.”

Vasilis Amyntas laughed and patted him on the back sympathetically. “Perhaps that is a blessing in disguise. It will ensure you a night’s sound rest before your early departure. As for myself, I plan on finding a welcoming wench to slake my thirst. The queen, it appears, has other plans for the night. Come, have this drink with me.”

He reached out and splashed wine in two goblets. Eris watched his king closely. The man appeared, on the surface, frivolous and playful, but Eris had seen firsthand the wisdom of his king. His appearance was for naught but show, and only the unaware were convinced by it. It was part of a delicate stratagem that kept his subjects ignorantly clueless about the real man beneath the elaborate crown. The banquet held tonight was proof enough to anyone with half a brain. It was not overly extravagant. No flagrant feasting of the flesh or overindulgence of spirits had been encouraged. Rather, the king had dismissed everyone promptly, allowing each the sanctity of his or her own chamber. But what truly astounded Eris was the lack of caring with regards to his wife’s open transgressions. In fact, it appeared as though she had the blessings of her spouse in that regard. He did not feel comfortable prying into the personal life of his king, so he held his tongue and plied it with liquor instead.

Vasilis Amyntas finally broke the silence. “I am not overly pleased with the antagonism that exists between you and Sappho. I would prefer the battles be restricted to enemies.”

“As would I, sire. Unfortunately, I predict a slow recovery from him. He harbored quite a tender spot for Kyra, which I unwittingly crushed. But were the choice up to me alone I would have not chosen her, or least not with such haste.”

The king sputtered over the wine he had just sipped. “Such a thing is not possible. Here is a bit of advice, Eris. You have chosen, be it with your beast, your lance, or your heart, but the choice has been made. The sooner you accept it, the sooner things will begin to fall into place. Fighting the wiles of an enticing woman would prove a futile endeavor, trust me.”

Eris looked at the older man in speculation. “You speak from experience? I would think you would guard your property with a sterner hand.” The words were out before he could stop them. Fortunately the king took no offense.

“Had I married the choice of my heart, indeed, I would have done just that. However, as king and leader to my people, my choices are limited. Be thankful you are awarded freedom in the choosing of your mate. I will confess to you what I have not to anyone else—a man’s lance finds difficulty in rising for another once he had tasted
the one
that is made especially for him.”

Eris pondered the king’s words. It explained much but not all. If he had been forced to enter marriage to someone he held no feelings for, his lance would have surely wandered before long. At least the royal couple still maintained a healthy degree of physical attraction between them, if their frequent groping was any indication, no matter their individual transgressions. “I shall take your words under advisement. However, at present my main concern is my duty.”

Vasilis Amyntas thumped him hard soundly on his back. “The juices flow and blood pumps with anticipation within you already. That is a good sign. But I would caution you, however, Eris. Cronus must not be underestimated. His supporters have greatly increased in numbers. They have instated themselves in lofty positions, seeking to overthrow leaders and turn the hierarchy of the Gods’ worshippers into disarray, total chaos. Do not trust anyone you meet on your path, no matter the elevation of his position.” His voice suddenly held a spark of steel, “
Trust no one.
”