Cursed By The Gods Book 1 and 2

Chapter 45

Chapter 45

The child cried in anguish throughout the night. If any felt pity for her at the hour of her birth they hated her now because she cried so much she kept half the palace awake. Her shrill voice rang out and tears spilled down her cheeks unto her straw bed but there was no one to comfort her. People rolled and tossed on their beds but no one would make an effort to seek to comfort the crying baby. Of course they didn’t want to be associated with a curse, after all who would associate themselves with a child even the gods themselves rejected?

So Cleopoda cried until the break of dawn, her head hurt badly, her skin was hot to the touch. There were voices in her head, so many voices and many of them seem to curse at her, although as a new born she couldn’t quite understand anything they said so all the voices, the yelling in her head were a chorus of random shouts made by different people. Among the voices in her head was one that was faint, it sound like a cry, one that was identical to hers but the other much louder voices eclipses it.

Octavius laid in his bed throughout the night wishing his heightened hearing would go deaf against the cry of the baby. As he tossed and turned on his bed he couldn’t help the guilt that burned in his chest. H was the cause of the curse and he knew it, he also knew Emilia was in her chambers crying her eyes out because she thought she disappointed him but he couldn’t find the courage to go over to her room to comfort her. He feared in his heart that the situation would never be rectified, there was no way he would ever go into her room to make love to her, as long as that child was alive, knowing that the same mistake could happen since Ashterah would never let him go. And speaking of Ashterah, the b***h goddess never didn’t make an appearance demanding his services once Emilia discovered she was pregnant. No doubt now that the deed was done she would be back again claim her undying love for him, he could prove stubborn and fight as hard as he wanted but it was either excite her more or cause her to punish him even more cruelly.

Every little sound Emilia made in her chambers he heard and he died slowly every time he heard her sniff back her tears. If he could just turn back the hand of time at this point to when his father refused their union and run away with her regardless of the throne so that this would never have happened. The throne no longer held any allure, it would be an act of complete loyalty and a stroke of luck that would make the people still acknowledge him as king and even want to make him remain in power.

The more he thought about these things the further sleep got from him until he had no choice but to sit up and stare blankly into space. The struck of dawn brought low sunlight streaming through his window. A ray of sun landed on his bed side table right where he put the key to Mount Kpamos that Ashterah had given to him. He took it and stroked it thoughtfully, she had been right when she said a time would come when he would willingly seek her. He resented the fact that indeed if he wanted to confront her he would have to make an entrance to her temple, no doubt she was waiting right now with a smug smile on her face.

With a sigh he stood up, got his cloak and threw it over his shoulders. He forced himself to take deep breathes knowing that barging into her temple with a temper would not serve him well, the last thing he wanted was to provide her with an excuse to ‘punish’ him. He took the key and stroked it, whispering her name. A familiar burn started in his chest, one he had first felt at her temple when she refused to heed his call, although, the burn wasn’t as painful as it was the last time. Then he felt the sensation of being pulled into a vortex, it was a sick feeling that made his stomach churn, he closed his eyes, bile rose to his throat and just he thought he was going to give up on his stomach the feeling passed, his no longer felt the hard ground of his room under his feet instead it was the plush red rug of Ashterah’s room that cushioned.

He opened his eyes to see her laying leisurely on her bed and a n***d male Elonis caressing her body with his tongue. As soon as her eyes opened to see him she pushed the Elonis carelessly away and sat up straight with a smug smile. Of course he hadn’t expected better, she had, after all, told him she used Seumas to compensate his absence in her bed. He wasn’t more than just one of the men in her life, his absence meant the presence of another.

When the Elonis continued to sit in her bed looking in confusion from her to Octavius who remained where he stood.

“Get up you Tsolos!”

If the Camelorn term for p********e or s*x slave affected the Elonis he didn’t show it, after all what power or status did her have to demand that she referred him with respect? All he had was a beautiful body and a handsome face coupled with s****l prowess to please which ever god wished to use him. He picked up his clothes and without donning them opened the door and went out. Ashterah looked from the door to Octavius with her brows raised in question.

“Now you have my time?” she asked flatly. She made no efforts to cloth herself instead she rested her back leisurely against her pillows and stared at him through cold calculating eyes.

He took his time to breathe deeply and remind himself that lashing at her would do him no good. Casually he walked over to the bed and sat at the edge, folded his hands together when what he really wanted to do was wrap them around her neck and choke the life out of her.

“No, Ashterah, I have not come because I want to please you or ask anything of you but to let you know the consequences of your actions.” His voice shook as he struggled to bring his emotions under control. He watched as her brow dipped as she tried to understand him.

“What do you mean by that?”

“My child…”

“You will do well to lower your voice when you speak to me, Octavius!” she cried. Her chest heaved with barely restrained rage. She manifested some clothes on her body, a red leather gown with gold polka dots on it. “I am trying not to hurt you right now, I am barely in control of my anger for your disregard of me so, mortal, do not tempt me.”

He nodded, sucked the inner flesh of his cheek into his mouth and bit hard on it as a reminder. “My child is a curse. Our,” he indicated the both of them “secret activities will not be secret for much longer when the whole kingdom hears that my wife has birthed a god.” He felt tears swell in his eyes and dashed angrily at them. “She thinks she is at fault somehow, I listened to her cry throughout the night but we both know that the fault is mine.”

It angered her that even in this all he ever thought of was his wife. His blind devotion to her irritated her to a point where she wanted nothing more than to humiliate him publicly, let him see that she held the powers his stupid human wife could never have in a lifetime.

But she knew something he didn’t, blind devotion often led to great disappointment especially when the source of disappointment was dear to one’s heart, she was ready to use it to her advantage to get what she wanted.

Ashterah took him by the hand and held him up. “Come with me, I’ll show you why you shouldn’t trust blindly.”

Octavius started to hesitate but quickly realized what great folly it was so he let her lead him.

Ashterah listened for any servant who may be about before opening the door. Though her act was one of desperation she was not willing to risk Octavius’s life for it. She led him to her pool where she made him sit on the slab, taking a space beside him. With a wave of her hand she changed his outfit to a swim trunk, red with gold strips. It was all Octavius could do not to tear it off his body, of course she would give him the one outfit that would serve her obsession.

“Let me show you something your faithful wife has been hiding from you.” She waved her hand over the crystal clear water and spoke softly under her breath. At first nothing happened, then images began to form on the water, rippling at first but they soon became clear until he could see Emilia in a strange room that looked familiar. As he looked closely he recognized it as her room when she had been princess of Intavia but it looked different now, a lot of changes had been done. He faltered as he saw a face he only saw twice but it was so familiar he would recognize it anywhere.

It was Helos.

Their lips were moving but he couldn’t hear anything they said. Then Ashterah touched his ears and the voices came louder and clear to him.

“Ilena thinks I may be pregnant but I don’t know for sure. She wants us to visit someone who will confirm it but I can’t believe it, Helos. It’s being too long, a few more years and I will be beyond the child bearing age,” Emilia was saying.

“You could be. The gods have their ways, they may have looked upon you with kindness. Does your husband know about it?”

“No,” she responded. “I am still not sure.”

Ashterah noticed the look of concentration on Octavius’s face and discretely flicked her fingers against the water surface

“It is fine. Okay? He will never find out”

Helos put his arms around Emilia, she too wrapped her arms around him and raised herself to reach his lips.

“No!” Octavius roared jerking to his feet immediately. “That is not possible!”

“You have seen it with your own eyes Octavius and you still refuse to believe it? Do you think you have been the only unfaithful one in your marriage? I didn’t really make you fertile again you know? The whole of Camelorn knows that a marriage is not cursed when the man has an illicit affair only when the woman does. Your wife, my love, has been lying to you.”