The Pandora Curse (Greek Myth Series Book 4) (3 page)

“Yes and no,” commented Nikolai nonchalantly. “No one knows except for soothsayers who have been given their gift from the queen goddess, Hera, herself.”

Vara’s eyes shot to the man’s fringe of peacock feathers lining the edge of his cape. He wore the symbol of the goddess, Hera. She should have remembered this. No one but soothsayers carried Hera’s symbolic gift of protection.

“Why are you here? What do you want?”

“I come to warn you,” he said directly, “of your future.”

“Then speak,” she demanded.

His emerald eyes roamed from her face to that of her guard. Then he glanced at the busy courtyard. Peasants ran to and fro, and her soldiers gathered up the last of the prisoners to take to the dungeon cells. An obstinate goat brushed by them, then the herder trying to catch it, and a soldier trying to veer him away from Vara. Nikolai scratched the back of his neck and continued.

“I have had a premonition of your destiny. Would you require me to divulge your future in front of so many present? Perhaps inside would be more - private shall we say?”

Vara noticed some of her soldiers loitering nearby, and a group of alewives in the distance talking behind their hands. Zetes stood next to her, eagerly waiting for the discussion to continue.

Then she saw the little girl, the daughter of the king, watching her from behind the drinking well. A pain shot through her heart, and she felt like fleeing. She had to get out of the courtyard.

She slipped her sword back into her scabbard.

“Zetes, find a stable boy to tend to my horse. And keep everyone out of the great hall for now.”

“Aye, my lady.”

Zetes gave a quick nod of his head, then signaled for a nearby stable boy to join them. The boy rushed over. His face was covered with dirt, as well as his ragged clothes and bare feet. He grabbed the reins of her horse and hurried away.

“We’ll talk inside,” Vara instructed the seer. “And if I find this is a trick - you’ll die.” She motioned with her head for Nikolai to lead the way.

He smiled, amusement lighting his face.

“Just like a true warrior, never turning your back on anyone.”

“I am a conqueror,” she reminded him. “But even if I wasn’t, I still wouldn’t trust you.”

Nikolai made his way inside the building, Vara right on his heels. He wondered if it was such a good idea to come here after all. Then again, he’d had no choice. He’d been given his orders from the goddess, Hera. He could not go against Hera’s will. He would comply, but hoped he wouldn’t be struck down dead by Zeus himself, when the deity discovered the plan.

Once inside, the woman pulled off her helmet, and long strands of curly ebony hair bounced against her shoulders. It shimmered in the sunlight that was streaking in the arrow slit windows. A slight halo clung to her hair, glowing like a candle in a dim room. Her beauty became her, albeit her body was much more generous in proportions than the average comely wench.

She seated herself at the dais in the chair that was formerly the king’s.

“So talk.”

She rested her feet atop the long trestle table with a loud thump. His eyes wandered to her bare legs and the way the tunic wrap rode up her thighs. They were strong legs, strong thighs. And even though they were hefty, they were very enticing indeed. His body reacted.

“I . . .” He cleared his throat, trying to also clear away his distraction. But this time he let his gaze settle on her face. Dark obsidian eyes much like a raven’s studied him, drawing him in, drinking in his essence. Innocence shone forth, confusing him as to if it portrayed a mockery of her evil deeds or showed a glimpse of goodness buried deep inside. After all, he’d seen her inner struggle when the time came to kill Corinth’s king. He’d also seen a glimpse of demure sadness and compassion when she looked at the child. Complexity painted every one of her actions, every decision she made, every word she spoke.

He didn’t understand his fascination with her. He loathed Vara the Conqueror for everything she’d done, for everything she stood for. Yet the longer he stayed in her presence, the more he wanted to remain there.

He shook his head, hoping to find clarity among a very clouded situation. He was there for a purpose, he reminded himself. Not to be mesmerized by a cursed woman who could only bring him trouble.

He picked up his crystal orb and gazed into it, knowing Vara would want answers.

“I see your destruction,” he told her. “There is a man who will take from you everything that makes you the woman you now are.”

“No.” She put her feet on the ground. “No one can defeat me. No one can take all that I have. I refuse to give up all that I own.”

He found it odd that her eyes turned from obsidian to ochre in just a moment. It seemed to have something to do with her mood.

“It is true, my lady. I have seen it in my gazing crystal. You will surrender to him little by little until he has drained you of all your power.”

“That’s impossible.” She angered, and her eyes turned black again. She pounded a fist on the table and leaned over to see him. As she did, the neck of her tunic wrap gaped and exposed her lavishly-endowed breasts underneath her clothing. His eyes fastened on her olive skin and trailed to her dusky nipples.

“Why do you look at me that way?” She followed his gaze downward and then up. “Oh. I see.” A sly smile widened her mouth and her eyes danced as they turned a tempting shade of indigo. She stood upright, pushing out her chest and walked around the table. All the time she kept her eyes locked on his.

“You are a lustful creature, aren’t you?” Her voice changed. She spoke in a sultry tone now, which reminded him of the castle whores. She stopped in front of him and ran a finger over his lips. “I like that. You want me, admit it.”

The anger she’d held for him in the courtyard was no longer seen. Like changing a garment, her attitude turned quickly from that of a warrior, to that of a temptress. Nikolai didn’t know what to say. He loathed this woman, yet at the same time he lusted her. He felt his own emotions swinging dramatically just from being in her presence. She had strange forces drawing him in, making him wonder if he truly knew himself.

“No,” he answered. “I do not want you in that way.”

“Why not?” Her hands caressed her hips. “Because I am not thin and pleasing to the eye?”

“No. Not at all. I find you very alluring, but I come to you only as a soothsayer. To warn you. Naught else.” He looked away so as not to be tempted again, but she grabbed his chin and pulled herself up to cover his mouth with her own.

Sweet lips reminding him of honeyed mead caressed his, making it hard to concentrate on his mission. Her kiss was soft like velvet. This surprised him. He would have thought she’d be more like hard weathered leather and soured ale. There was a hidden side to this woman that truly belied her outward actions.

He closed his eyes, trying to gain control of the emotions that were consuming him from below his waist. One more kiss and he’d be falling at her feet, worshipping her like a goddess, giving her everything she wanted, when he’d really come to destroy her powers of persuasion and avaricious ways.

“Kiss me,” she said softly, her voice musical and magical.

His body begged for more, and he found difficulty denying her command. Without another thought, he reached down and quickly touched his lips to hers.

“Now kiss me like you mean it,” she cooed in a sing-song voice, reminding him of a siren.

He wanted her more than anything, and if she asked once more, he would throw her down and rip off her clothes and have his way with her right there in the open. But then, he remembered the true reason why he was there. He’d never accomplish anything if he fell prey to her wily ways.

“No,” he said, pushing away. A sudden desperate thought made him wonder if he’d ever have the chance to kiss her again.

“No?” She walked around him, rubbing her hands together in thought. “I can have any man I want. Men are more than willing to give me everything I need. But yet you, you foolish man, have the opportunity to kiss and perhaps couple with a queen, but yet you refuse. Tell me - why?”

Nikolai regained his composure. He remembered Hera telling him that Vara was a descendent of Pandora. A great-granddaughter if he wasn’t mistaken. She, just like all of her other ancestors, had been born with
The Pandora Curse
. No wonder her powers of persuasion were drawing him in. No wonder her beauty had consumed him so much that he had almost forgotten everything. He had to be cautious from now on. The vices within her were getting stronger and stronger with each passing year. He was under the protection of Hera while on this mission, but he still had free choice. And what he wanted to choose with Vara would bring upon his destruction, not hers.

“You have something I want,” he told her in a low voice. “But it isn’t what you think.”

Her eyes widened, turning ochre again. Greed sounded in her words. “Really? Tell me, man of magic, what is it that you want that is so powerful it pushes lust aside?”

“I cannot tell you, Vara. For if I do, you will never give it to me of free will. And if you do not give me what I want by your own choice, then I will have failed.”

“Well, now you have me intrigued. I have not been intrigued by a man in a long time. Perhaps I’ll let you live. Better yet, I think I’ll keep you as my own personal soothsayer. If what you say is true, there is a man who wants to see me destroyed. You, Nikolai the seer, will be by my side day and night until we discover who he is, and I can devise a plan to destroy him.”

“I will stay, but not by your orders. I will advise you, but it will be by my own choice that I do so. And when I am finished, I guarantee you will have given me everything I want from you.”

Her eyes met his in a state of challenge. He could see the blush stain her cheeks and the excitement growing in her gaze. He could also see the way she was purposely leaning toward him, hoping his eyes would settle beneath her tunic once more.

He kept his eyes locked with hers.

“You are a peculiar man, Nikolai. I will let you stay because I, too, want something from you. But I promise you, I will get everything I want, and you will get from me, only what I want to give.”

Nikolai rubbed the crystal orb in his hand, seeing in it the two of them coupling in heated passion on a fur coverlet before a fire. His loins stirred again, and he willed the vision to disappear before it became reality right here.

“I disagree with you, my lady. For I believe even with me by your side, you will still be conquered.”

“Impossible. Is that what you just saw in your gazing crystal?” she asked.

A smile passed his face. If only she knew.

“Nay, it is not. I saw something much more interesting, which I choose not to share at this moment.”

Her face hardened. The hue of her eyes change once again to obsidian.

“Whatever you came for, you will not get it.”

“Oh, but I think I will,” he assured her. He patted the crystal and covered it with his cloak. “Remember, I can see the future, you cannot. I assure you I will not fail.”

Two

Nikolai settled atop the bed within the chamber he chose as his own. This had been another man’s room this morning, and now that
Vara the Evil One
had instructed her army to kill off the occupants, he had gained from their misfortune.

“I don’t like any of this.” He took off his cloak and threw it on the bed. He kicked off his boots and lay back atop the covers.

A glowing ball of blue light appeared at the foot of his bed, and he pushed up to see it better. It flickered, then flashed, and next materialized into his mother. Hera,
Queen Goddess of
Olympus,
stood before him.

“Mother!” He jumped up and straightened his tunic.

“Nikolai, I heard what you said.”

Hera was an elegant woman, dressed from head to toe in shimmering blue silk. Her head was adorned with a circlet crown of peacock feathers, and a larger feather strung with pearls from the sea hung from a gold chain around her neck. Her eyes sparkled a glowing green, and her lips looked afire with the shade of red.

“I sent you here on a mission, but when I looked in on you, do you know what I saw? You were kissing Vara instead of destroying her.”

“I don’t know what overcame me. I didn’t want to do it. But it was almost as if I could not obey my own will.”

“I told you that Vara has
The Pandora Curse
. She cannot control her actions. But you can control yours. Do not let her distract you from your mission.”

“I don’t know how to destroy her,” he blurted out. “And I don’t want to hurt her. Please don’t ask me to do that.”

“You are only destroying her conqueror self, a part of her that truly needs to be dealt with. It’s a simple process, and she won’t feel a thing. You only have to take her vices of anger, greed, lust, jealousy, and gluttony, and close them into these jars.” Hera reached out her hand, and in it were five vials. “They are small, so you can hide them in a pouch at your side.”

Nikolai took the vials from her, holding one up to survey it. “How can this small thing hold a huge vice like lust?”

When he looked back to her, she had a gleam in her eye.

“I know that it seems as though it needs a bigger jar, but I assure you, these were made by Hephaestus,
God of the Forge
, and will work fine. When you get the vices contained, you must find the box of Pandora, and lock them inside.”

“The box of Pandora? That’s been missing for years. No one knows where to find it. You are a goddess, can’t you locate it?”

“No, Nikolai. You don’t seem to understand. Zeus’s powers upon it keep me or anyone else from being able to locate it. He likes to see the humans suffer with these vices. As far as he’s concerned, mankind can live with them for eternity.”

“So now I am expected to save the entire human race?”

“Wouldn’t that make Zeus mad?” she said with a chuckle. “You are only a demi-god, yet you may be able to undo the curse of a god. By collecting Vara’s vices, you will help mankind as well. But not until the vices are locked away will humans see a difference.”

“Mother, you are asking me to deceive a woman. To take from her everything that makes her who she is.”

“Only who she thinks she is, Nikolai.”

“I disagree. She has lived with this curse her entire life. She has laid the foundation to her own future. Who am I to change it?”

“You are my son. The son of a goddess. You will do as I say.”

“But what if in the process I truly destroy her? After all, taking away her vices will be like knocking apart a fortress blow by blow. Eventually, all that will be left is a pile of rubble. If this curse truly is as strong as you say, then if I remove her vices, I may be destroying any part of her that’s left. Can you promise me she will not be harmed?”

“No, Nikolai. That I cannot. But I am not concerned with that, and neither should you be.”

“Not concerned? You mean, you don’t care any more for the race of humans than Zeus does.”

“I didn’t say that.”

“You didn’t need to. I know all you care about is getting revenge. Even if humans are hurt in the process.”

“They are inferior to the gods, and to demi-gods such as yourself,” she sniffed. “True, I don’t care about them. They mean nothing to me. But I want to do it to spite Zeus for the many love affairs he’s had behind my back. That is all that truly matters.”

“It seems to me you’ve already done that.” Nikolai felt a gnawing in the pit of his stomach. “After all, my father is human. I’m the vengeance you so wanted on Zeus, am I not?”

She raised one eyebrow and then her chin. “No, Nikolai, you are not. My love affair with your father, Tiomoid, meant nothing to Zeus. It was a wasted act on my part.”

Wasted act. The words rang loudly through his brain. Hera was a ruthless goddess, and she didn’t care who she hurt. Not even her own son.

“The only thing that would bring about true justice,” continued Hera, “is if I out-tricked Zeus at one of his own ploys. That’s why I want you to undo the damage he did when he sent Pandora to earth.”

“This is just a game to you, isn’t it?” Frustration welled up within him. “Well, I don’t think I want to play it. I don’t like the way it feels.” He crossed his arms over his chest, waiting for her reply.

“If you don’t do it, I’ll take away your gift of prophecy. I know how much it means to you, since it’s your only attribute of being a demi-god.”

Hera played with a strand of black hair straying from under the crown on her head, twisting it around one of her long-taloned fingers. She toyed with him just as she did with anyone else. This was probably amusing her. And in her games, there was only one winner. That is, herself. He knew she held no feelings for him in her heart, even if he was her son by birth. She wouldn’t think twice about doing exactly what she threatened to do.

“I was born with the gift of prophecy,” he reminded her. “No god or goddess bestowed it upon me at birth. It is in my blood. I carry this power of the gods within me.”

“Hmph. If you can call that minute gift a power.” She made a tsking noise with her mouth. “Had I known my own child would be born with nothing more than the power I give to seers, I would have chosen a much worthier human to couple with.” She played with a peacock feather on her sleeve.

“You are heartless, Mother. Almost as heartless as Vara.”

That caused her to look up, a darkness shadowing her face.

“I am nothing like that human, and don’t you ever compare me to her again. You will help me or I will strip your gift from you. Don’t think I can’t.”

Nikolai sat down on the bed and laid the bottles next to him. He didn’t know if her words were true, but he really couldn’t risk it. He treasured his gift and would never want to lose it. It made him special, something he had never felt in his life. Even in his empty childhood without having a mother or father there to raise him, he’d always had the comfort of his gift of prophecy. It was like a guiding hand, a mentor, a light in the night showing him which way to go.

“What if I tell Vara just what I’m planning to do?” He looked at the bottles in thought.

“No! You can’t. If you do, the plan won’t work. She has to give you her vices willingly, without knowing what you’re doing. And if Vara so much as touches these vials, since she has the curse, she’ll be consumed immediately.”

Nikolai looked up, seriously contemplating this whole situation. He wouldn’t have to just concern himself with hurting someone - but now he had to worry about killing her as well. He didn’t like this one bit. If he reverted to trickery, he was no better than the gods, or even Vara, for that matter.

“It doesn’t feel right to deceive.”

“Don’t think of it as deceiving. Think of it as doing a service.”

“A service that not only destroys, but has the ability to kill.”

“You worry me, Nikolai. And I don’t have time to keep an eye on your doings. I am going to have to leave one of my minions here to watch over you, and perhaps help you. The minion will report back to me every day on your progress.”

With a wave of her hand, a small green blob resembling a man with donkey ears, the eyes of an owl, and the tail of a lion appeared next to her. Two little curved horns sprouted from his head like seedlings emerging from a dry, cracked earth. Fully rounded in the stomach, it prevented Nikolai from seeing the minions short little legs. He wore nothing in the form of clothes but a small cloth covering his loins. His full height reached only up to Nikolai’s knee.

Nikolai stared, never having seen anything so hideous in his entire life.

“This is Baruch,” she explained. “He’s one of my best minions.”

Baruch’s breath was so foul, Nikolai could smell it from across the room.

“He’s not staying. There is no way I can explain a naked green blob following me around wherever I go.” He lay back on the bed and put his arms behind his head.

“Don’t worry. You won’t even know he’s here.”

Nikolai pushed upright with a start. “Won’t even know he’s here? You do jest, Mother. After all, his breath alone could knock a man from a horse at high speed. Don’t you think people will start to question me about him?”

“Trust me.” She waved a hand, starting her own dismissal. “You won’t even notice him.”

Hera disappeared before Nikolai could stop her. “

Wait!” He sprang from the bed and reached for her, but she was already gone. In anger, he kicked the bed, then jumped up and down in agony, remembering he’d already removed his boots.

“Ay, it’s not that bad, Niko.” The blob climbed up and sat on the foot of the bed.

“Not that bad? Not that bad?” Nikolai asked in desperation, hoping his words would give him an answer of what to do with this beast.

“Nay. After all, you could have gotten her second favorite minion. Now that’s a frightful thought indeed.”

“Oh really? And what does he look like? Mayhap he would have blended in a little easier without being noticed.”

“I doubt it. After all, he’s a she. A she with ten tails and ten arms to match.”

“Arrgh!” Nikolai threw his hands up in the air and paced the room. “How in the name of Hades am I supposed to do anything at all with you following at my side?”

“Hades has minions too,” Baruch said with wide eyes. “Cerberus, his guard hound, has three heads.”

Nikolai ran a weary hand through his tangled hair, wondering how much worse it could get. He almost wondered if Hera did this to spite him, as well as Zeus. After all, Hera had never been a true mother to him. She’d been an unreachable goddess, showing her face only when it was advantageous to her. When he was born, he’d been handed over like the daily trash to his human father, Tiomoid, a poor merchant with little, but having a very big heart. Tiomoid was the only parent to ever show him love. Hera had used Nikolai’s father for her own selfish purpose, and now she was using Nikolai as well.

A quick knock sounded at the door. It opened wide before he could answer. Nikolai glanced at the minion, then rushed to the door to try to stop the entry.

A woman dressed in a long brown robe with russet cornsilk hair piled atop her head strode into the room, holding the door open for someone.

Nikolai felt his heart jump into his throat when he saw who entered next.

“Vara.”

His stomach formed a knot, wondering how he was going to explain the minion. He jerked his head around to where he’d last seen the green blob, but to his surprise, Baruch was gone.

“Dinner is being served, and I am appalled that you choose to dishonor me by hiding in your chamber.”

Vara swept into the room with the grace of a queen. She had changed from her war attire, and cleaned her body. Instead of a conqueror, she looked like a lady.

Her tight-fitting gown covered only one shoulder, which held up a wispy veil that trailed down her back. The veil wrapped around her front, tying at the top of the small bulge of her stomach. Dressed in pure white, she looked so innocent. So virginal. That thought alone led his mind astray to the vision he’d seen in his gazing orb. Her tousled hair was now neatly braided and coiled around each ear. He envisioned himself letting down those braids and unwrapping her hair with his fingers.

“The woman with me is my closest confidant and lady-in-waiting,” she said, nodding to the redhead at the door. “Her name is Calanthra. She oversees me in my domestic affairs, while Zetes is in charge of my army.”

“Domestic affairs?” Nikolai chuckled at that. He couldn’t imagine Vara sewing tapestries, creating poetry, or playing a lute. She may dress like a lady, but her sharp tongue and indignant attitude marked her as the warrior she truly was.

“I will send Calanthra to you whenever I require your services.”

“Services?” She was starting to sound like Hera. Nikolai raised a brow, leaning against a tapestry on the wall, patting it, trying to find Baruch. “Are you speaking of my gazing abilities?”

“I’m speaking of your services. You will come whenever I see fit to call and do whatever I ask you to.”

“I am here of my own will and do not service anyone.” With no sign of the minion, he strolled over toward the open window, nonchalantly looking out. The ground was far below, and he didn’t notice any green puddles.