Cursed By The Gods Book 1 and 2

Chapter 34

Octavius watched from the roof top the preparations the people made for the harvest festival. Children pulled the dried sticks, leaves and twigs that would be used for the celebration to the center of the village square, the older ones among them either supervised or joined mothers with farming tools in the fields. As children he and Angus would sneak out of the palace, right from under Garius’s nose much to his chagrin, to join the village children to gather sticks and every time Garius would come out chasing them until his face became red. The memories of those days made him smile, they were very young and playful then they had grown in height and responsibilities and a bit apart. Garius had used the iron hand on him to drill his responsibilities as the Crown Prince on him while Angus had been allowed to have a life of his own free of responsibilities.

The sound of bleating goats and sheep rent the air as the priests dragged them close to the mounted sticks, they tied them to poles that were erected to form a circles. The children began to play with animals throwing stones and leaves at them until the priests drove them off, they appointed some teenagers to look after the animals and to keep the children away from them.

“You don’t seem so happy, my love.”

Octavius tensed at the voice that came from behind him.

Ashterah.

He felt her come closer, from the side of his eyes he saw her come to stand beside him, appearing only as a transparent image that only he could see. He expected nothing better for someone who was determined to keep their relationship secret.

She had kept him imprisoned in her temple the previous night until the early hours of the morning when she was fully sated and happy.

She slipped her arm around his waist and looked up into his face. “You don’t seem very happy, what is it?”

“I didn’t know you cared.”

She nudged him “You know I do. Tell me what it is. I’m in a good mood today, you my love put me in a good mood.” When he refused to say anything to her she took hold of his hand and transported them to her temple.

“I don’t want to be here,” he protested.

“I know you don’t, your body language says it all. I thought it would be good to do something nice for you since you never fail to make me happy.”

“I never knew masters gave any thought about their slaves concern.”

Anger flashed in her eyes “You’re not a slave. You are mine.”

“Then claim me before everyone, let’s stop this game of hide and seek and let my wife know you want me as much as I want her.”

Ashterah sighed. “I can’t. My father will kill the both of us if I did. I never told you about Seumas and I?”

He ignored her and moved towards a long chair with a single arm covered in red velvet which seemed to be her favorite kind of thing. He hadn’t noticed it the previous night, he didn’t even know what it was but he sat on it and was grateful he did. It was soft and very comfortable, the back rest cushioned him, easing the tension in his back.

Ashterah saw him relax visibly, watched as his face softened and his eyes closed in gratitude. She walked up to him and manifested a bowl of chocolate ice cream, she sat beside him on the chaise and scooped some for him.

“Open up.”

He opened his eyes and immediately narrowed them. “What is this?” he asked.

“It’s called ice cream. It will take years before men would know how to make this. The people of the future take this when they have too much to think about, must be some kind of medicine.”

Octavius a little closer to sniff at the brown colored stuff, he didn’t trust Ashterah a bit but this was a side he never saw in her before. The ‘ice cream’ smelled strange but it made him salivate. He carefully opened his mouth and took it and immediately closed his eyes as it melted on his tongue creating a dazed sensation in his head. He swiveled it around in his mouth enjoying every single bit of it.

“We came up with this?” he asked in amazement.

“Not yet but eventually.” Ashterah scooped some more for him and watched as he downed it hungrily, he loved it and even took it from her hand to wolf it down. It was the first time he ever let his guard down before her, it made him appear boyish to her and even more handsome. When she slipped her hand on his thigh he didn’t object, he seemed so interested in the bowl of ice cream that he couldn’t care less whether she branded him again or not.

When he had scraped the last bit of it he smiled at her for the very first time. Without thinking she leaned forward and kissed his cheek before resting her head on his chest just under his chin. Octavius’s hand automatically wrapped around her.

“That was incredible medicine. I won’t mind having it every time.”

Ashterah laughed “Too much of it makes you sick. I know from experience.” She looked up at his face, his frown was gone and when he looked down at her with an expression softer than any he had ever bestowed on her.

“What about Seumas?” he asked suddenly.

She sighed and snuggled closer to him. “I loved him once. I loved him a lot, we used to be very close and were going to have children of our own. The gods don’t necessarily have to birth young ones but we loved each other so much we wanted our very own kids. But Seumas could never stay faithful to me, he flirted with everyone, cheated on me every single time. One time he hit me and that’s when my father banished him from Mount Kpamos, humans don’t know this but Seumas doesn’t live here anymore, he lives in the depths of the ocean. After that my father forbade me from ever loving any man again.”

“But he still comes here.”

“When he wants me, yes. He doesn’t love me and I don’t love him anymore, not until I met you.”

Octavius made no comment.

Ashterah rubbed at his arm. “Will you tell me what made you so sad now?”

“My wife had to visit her homeland, she may not be home for the festival.”

Anger flared in her chest but she held it down and focused on the fact that she was the one in his arms now and not his stupid b***h of a wife and in the knowledge that she could give him what his human wife couldn’t. She just couldn’t understand why he remained loyal to her, she wanted that loyalty for herself, wanted him to worry about her like he worried about his wife. Even while he was inside her a part of him was always detached, a part of him that held back at the thought of his wife.

She looked up at his handsome face and knew in her heart that she would keep him to herself one way or another. With that in mind she slid down his boy and took hold of the hem of his tunic.

“I will take your mind off your worries for now.” She bunched the material up to his waist exposing his n***d half to her gaze, she brushed her hand against his c**k and smiled slightly at his sharp intake of breath. “I will do something I never once did for Seumas.”

She sank down on her knees and took him into her mouth.

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“My lady, you should wear this cloak, the night is cold.”

Emilia half- mindedly collected the cloak from Ilena’s hand and swung it around her shoulders. Ilena held the door to the servants’ passage open for her.

“I still say this is great folly, Ilena. If I was pregnant I would be the first to know.”

“I doesn’t hurt to be sure, my lady.”

The night was indeed cold, the cold harsh wind blew against her cheeks. Ilena took her hand and led her through the dark streets. The village was asleep, the occasional sheep in barns made little noises and drunken snores drifted from behind closed windows. Ilena walked firmly using the light from the moon to guide them as they moved, she calculated the distance of the wise woman’s hut in her mind hoping it was still at the edge of the village.

As they neared the village end she saw the firelight that was ever constant over years coming from the patches in the straw hut. The aroma of burning herbs wafted through the air. Ilena rounded the hut with Emilia in tow, the entrance of the hut was open revealing a bunch of sticks that had been set on fire, the orange flames illuminated the interior that wasn’t changed either. There in front of the fire was an old woman in tattered tunic and a shawl around her head.

Ilena let go of Emilia’s hand and clapped lightly in front of the hut. ‘‘Omede, she’s here.” Omede the Intavia word used to refer to an old woman.

The omede looked up, her face was old with crisscross lines of age around her eyes and mouth. She beckoned for them to come in which they did. Without a word she searched around her, pulled an old bag from behind her and sprinkled some dried leaves on in the fire. The flames rose and sparked.

“Inhale it, child,” the omede said to Emilia.

Emilia pulled the cowl of her cloak down and leaned forward and put her face just above the fire. As soon as she inhaled the fumes she gagged. It smell was so bad she turned and emptied the content of her stomach. The omede’s hand came to rest on her forehead when she had satisfied herself with what she was looking for she offered Emilia a cup of water which she downed gratefully.

“You are with child, my child,” the omede pronounced. She had a small smile on her face that creased her face even more but all of a sudden as soon the smile appeared it was wiped off and was replaced with a look of horror. The omede looked to Ilena.

“Will your maid excuse us, my lady?” she said to Emilia.

Emilia looked with concern at her maid who mouthed words of assurance to her before leaving the hut, the look of horror on the omede's face damped the happiness she had started feeling at the news of her pregnancy. As soon as she did the omede took her hand and looked at her palm.

“I see darkness in your future, my child,” she looked with suspicious eyes at Emilia before looking back down at her palm. “The child you carry…sorrow abounds in your path, child.” The woman swallowed nervously for a moment. ”Do you know, dear one that your husband lies with the goddess of Camelorn every night?”

Emilia snatched her hand back. “That’s not true,” she said firmly. She rubbed her hand on the skirt of her cloak.

The omede smiled. “Go home, my lady. Go home and raise the child that will be a curse to you.”