Amber and Ashes - Margaret Weis [97]
“Yes, lord.” The young man made another low bow to Chemosh, who brushed him off with a wave of his hand.
The young man’s eyes stole to Mina, who smiled on him, a smile that didn’t know his name. Chemosh’s brows lowered, and the young man turned and ran away.
“If you can wrench your mind from your conquest, perhaps we can get back to business,” Chemosh said. He knew he was being unjust. Mina was doing nothing more than he had instructed her to do. He couldn’t help himself, however.
“You are in an ill humor this day, my lord,” said Mina, entwining her hands over his arm. “What has happened to cast this dark shadow over you?”
“You would not understand,” he said shortly, pushing her hands aside. “You are a mortal.”
“A mortal who has touched the mind of a god.”
Chemosh looked at her sharply. If she was smiling, smug and triumphant, he would slay her where she stood.
He saw her serious, unknowing. She loved him, adored him.
He sighed deeply, reassured.
“It is Sargonnas. The horned god puffs and struts about heaven as if he were the king of us all.” Chemosh fumed as he walked, pacing back and forth along the river bank. “He flaunts his victories in Silvanesti, brags that he has crushed the elves, laughs at how he has cozened the ogres into believing that his minotaur are their allies. He boasts that he and his cows will soon be the unchallenged rulers of the eastern third of Ansalon.”
“Mere braggadocio, my lord,” said Mina dismissively.
“No,” said Chemosh. “The bull-god may be a boorish churl, but he has a crude sort of honor and does not lie.” Chemosh halted in his pacing, turned to face Mina. “It is time for us to put our plan into action.”
“Surely, it is early yet, my lord,” Mina protested. “The numbers of our Beloved grow, but there are not near enough and they are mostly in the west of Ansalon, not the east.”
Chemosh shook his head. “We cannot wait. Sargonnas gains in strength daily and the other gods are either blind to his ambition or too preoccupied with their own concerns to see the danger. If he wins the east, do they truly believe he will be content with that? After centuries of being trapped on their isles, the minotaur have finally gained a foothold upon the main continent. He seeks to rule not only the east, but all the world and heaven into the bargain.”
Chemosh clenched his fist. “I am the only one who is in a position to challenge him. I must act now before he grows stronger still. Where is that fool, Krell?” He glanced about, as though the death knight might be hiding under a rock.
“Committing mayhem somewhere, I suppose, my lord,” said Mina. “I have not kept track of him.”
“Nor have I. I will summon him to meet us in the Abyss. You must leave this plane for a time, Mina. Leave your work that is so dear to you.”
He cast a scathing glance at the rumpled blanket, the imprint of two intertwined bodies still fresh upon it.
“You are dear to me, my lord,” said Mina softly. “My work is just that—my work.”
Chemosh saw his reflection in her amber eyes. He saw no other. He took hold of her hands and pressed them to his lips. “Forgive me. I am not myself.”
“Perhaps that is the problem, my lord,” said Mina.
He paused, thinking this over. “Maybe you are right. I am not even sure what ‘myself’ is these days. It was easier when Takhisis and Paladine held sway in heaven. We knew our places then. We may not have liked it. We may have railed against them and chafed beneath the yoke, but there was order and stability in heaven and in the world. There is something to be said for peace and security, after all. I could sleep with both eyes closed instead of keeping one always open, always on the lookout for someone sneaking up behind me.”
“So you lose a few eons of sleep, Lord,” said Mina. “It will all be worth it, when you are the ruler and the others bow to you.”
“How did you gain such wisdom?” Chemosh took her in his arms, held her close, and pressed his lips against her neck. “I have made a decision. No longer will rough mortals