Amber and Iron - Margaret Weis [25]
“Kill you?” Nuitari allowed his heavy lidded eyes, which always looked as if they were half-closed, to open. “Has my usage of you been that ill, that you should wish for death?”
“I cannot stand to be confined!” Mina cried, and her gaze roved about the room, as though she would bore through solid rock with her eyes.
She regained mastery of herself in the next moment. Biting her lip and looking as though she regretted her outburst, she added, “You have no right to keep me here.”
“No right at all,” Nuitari agreed. “But then, I am a god and I do what I want with mortals, your rights be damned. Though even I don’t go about murdering the innocent, as does Chemosh. I have been hearing reports of his Beloved—as he terms them.”
“My lord does not murder them. He gives them the gift of life unending,” Mina retorted, “lasting youth and beauty. He takes away the fear of death.”
“I’ll give him credit. He does do that,” Nuitari said dryly. “As I understand it, once you’re dead, the fear of dying is considerably reduced. At least, that is how you explained it to Basalt and Caele when you tried to seduce them.”
Mina kept her gaze level with his, which Nuitari found disconcerting. So few mortals could face him or any god. He wondered, with a flash of irritation, if this chit had been so bold with his mother.
“I told them of Chemosh,” Mina said, unapologetic. “That is true.”
“Neither Basalt nor Caele took you up on your offer, though, did they?”
“No,” Mina admitted. “Their respect and reverence for you is great.”
“Let us say they like the power I give them. Most wizards like the power and would be very loath to lose it, even in exchange for ‘life unending’ which, from what I have observed, is more like death warmed over. I doubt if you’ll convert many wizards to the worship of your lord.”
“I doubt it myself,” said Mina, and she smiled.
Her smile transformed her face, made the amber eyes glow, and Nuitari was drawn to their warm allure. He actually felt himself start to slide into them, felt her warmth congeal around him …
He brought himself up with a start and regarded her narrowly. What power did this mortal possess that she could seduce a god with her smile? He’d seen far more attractive mortal females. One of his Black Robes, a wizardess named Ladonna, had been known for her beauty and was far superior in looks to this Mina. Yet there was something about her that, even now, stirred him profoundly.
“Please understand, my lord. I had to try to convert them. It was the only way I could escape.”
“Why do you want to leave us, Mina?” Nuitari said, feigning hurt feelings. “Have we mistreated you in any way? Beyond confining you, of course, and that is for your own safety. Basalt and Caele are both, I confess, a little insane. Caele, especially, is not to be trusted, not to mention the fact there are dangerous scrolls and artifacts lying about that could do you harm. I have tried to make your stay as pleasant as possible. You have all these books to read—”
Mina glanced at the shelves and made a dismissive gesture. “I have already read them.”
“All of them?” Nuitari regarded her with amusement. “You will forgive me if I don’t believe you.”
“Choose one,” Mina challenged.
Nuitari did so, taking a book off the shelf.
“What is the title?” she asked.
“Draconians: A Study. Can Good Come of Evil?”
“Open to the first page.”
Nuitari did so.
Mina began to recite. “ ‘Scholars have long held that because draconians were created by evil magicks, born of the perverted eggs of good dragons, draconians are evil and will forever remain so, capable of possessing no redeeming qualities. However, a study of a group of draconians who are currently settled in the city of Teyr reveals’—” She stopped. “Do I quote correctly?”
“Word for word,” said Nuitari, and he snapped shut the book.
“I read a lot when I was a child at the Citadel,” Mina said, and then she frowned, “or I think I must have. I can’t really remember reading. All I remember is sunshine, and the waves rushing around my feet, and Goldmoon brushing my hair.… Yet I think