Chapter 2

Marzanna's Point of View

All of this was dull. From the orgy in front of me to the feel of my throne.

Everything was just a dull haze. A hollow echo inside of me.

I have lived for so many years. Seen it all. Done it all.

Men and women fell at my feet the moment I appeared. Some envied me but they were swiftly dealt with by the other gods. 

No one dared oppose the person that fed the world. That brought crops and harvest and food to their world. 

Dull.

Meaningless.

I needed a challenge. Stimulation. Or just an honest companion. One that didn't love me at first sight. Hate would also suffice.

It gave me more of a challenge, you see. Something to look forward to.

Gerovit challenged me. Drove me to be better in every way. Drove me to adore life and death all the same. But he was far gone from this world.

And I had no way of getting back to him.

That hollowness in my chest increased. Swallowed me whole as I sat and watched people in the throws of passion.

They were lucky. All of them. They had partners. People to walk through life with them. Enjoyed their company because they were simply...

Them.

"My lady, there was been an incident on the outskirts of the city. Several guards have caught some man hunting in the forest. He killed a deer."

Ah, yes. It wasn't hunting season. We were in the midst of spring. New fawns to be born. Which meant no hunting. 

Even when food was in short supply for the people.

Ixion would have him killed. As the god of hunting and animal,s I understood where he came from. Knew that the forest was his sacred ground.

But people were starving and the human rulers had increased taxes so much that most went hungry. Not even my food drives supplied enough to feed everyone.

"Who is he?" I asked, still leaning on my elbow as I watched the crowd writhe like worms.

My guard was beside me. I could feel his presence. One of Sekhmet's warriors. Highly trained. Highly annoying when I wanted to slip away into the city by myself.

"Axlan. It is said that he has a family on the outskirts. Poor, from what they could tell."

Another justified soul searching for food for his family. 

From in the middle of the city, my food banks didn't reach the outskirts. Most of the time, all the food I supplied was gone by the time it reached the second ring. There were two others just beyond it. Then the forest.

No wonder he killed the deer. 

"Bring him in. Thank the messenger for me. I see this one is faster than the last," I said and let my eyes flick to the golden-clad guard.

He stiffened, remembering the mole we had had a year ago. 

Our messenger had leaked certain information to a foreign king but couldn't get back to me in time to cover his ass. 

We executed him.

"Twenty gold marks seems a bit excessive for his payment each month but it seems it encourages him not to follow in his predecessor's footsteps." He replied. Bowed. Walked backward to whatever door he had come through.

I had long since stopped caring about the names of my guards. Stopped recognizing their faces. Their voices. All of them blended into each other. Became one large mass of gold.

Why would I bother now? 

In a few decades, he would be gone and I would still be here. There was no way around that. 

A few minutes later, I could hear them outside. Even above all of the moaning. 

Another curse of mine. Impeccable hearing and eyesight. This meant I never missed a thing, no matter how badly I wanted to. How badly I wanted to just be kept in the dark at all times.

“She is in session. What is the nature of this visit?” One of my lesser guards asked. Grated against my eardrums.

I wasn't in session. This wasn't a session. This was just something I did to pass the time. 

Besides, Sekhmet always said that I needed to build a certain reputation in public but have some rumors about me in private. This was her suggestion, no matter how much I had protested.

The more I controlled the rumors, the less likely anyone would find fault somewhere else with me.

“He hunted in the sacred forest. The punishment-“

“Let him in. I already caught wind of this infringement.” I said so loudly that most of the people in front of me stopped what they were doing.

All eyes turned to look at me. Swept me up with greedy gulps of their eyes. 

Sheep. The whole fucking lot of them.

When they realized I wasn't speaking to them, they went back to their ministrations. Clawed at each other fervently.

At the end of the large hall, the door opened on silent hinges. Swung wide enough for just one person to enter.

Axlan.

Long black hair braided back and out of his face. Dirt beneath his ice-blue eyes. Strongly built with a prominent jaw. He was even taller than Sekhmet, which was a feat in and of itself. 

But it was the disdain in his eyes that caught me off guard. Promised me some amusement, at least for the time being. A challenge, you see, didn't come very often in my lifetime.

Yet here stood one. 

I smiled broadly at him. Gave him the most impressive smile that I could muster without having his brain melt into pieces.

“I have been expecting you,” I murmured and stood. “Come. Join me.” I said, extending a hand toward him.

When Axlan took too long to move forward, one of my guards forced him further into the opening. Made his knees buckle.

This led Axlan to snarl at him. Like a rabid dog.

Or a wolf about to pounce on its prey.

"That is far enough, guard. You may leave us." I instructed and fell back into my throne. Beckoned Axlan to come closer with a flick of my wrist.

As he walked, the disdain on his face grew tenfold. Became a mess of anger and irritation.

Right before he stopped in front of me, I caught the disgust in his eyes when he looked at me. Right there. Something I haven't seen in a long while.

"So, you killed a deer in the middle of spring. Tell me, were you dumb or desperate? Maybe a mixture of both?" I teased but from the flames licking up the sides of his face, he didn't see it that way in the slightest.

"Neither. But I doubt my sob story would change my punishment." He snarled back and came to a full stop in front of me.

His chin was raised in defiance. hands still cuffed behind his back. 

I smiled at him again and leaned on my elbow. Examined him from head to toe.

"You expect to be killed, I take it."

His following glare was enough to tell me that that was exactly what he was expecting. 

Nodding, I stood again. Couldn't find much comfort in my throne right at that second. Hell, even my skin felt too tight for some reason.

"Well, if your life is at stake, surely you would want to explain yourself? Get ahead of the sentence before I dole it out. Maybe your reasons might change my-"

"I don't want your fucking pity. I want to feed my family. That is my reason. Now, do you want to kill me or not?" 

Fiesty. Filled with rage. 

He reminded me of Gerovit in his prime. Just before he became the general of war. Just before he became a bit lax.

"Hmm. And I assume you wouldn't want any other punishment?"

Axlan's jaw clenched tightly. Eyes darted from person to person around him. Took note of each and every face. Something I had long since stopped doing.

"I just want to-"

"Feed your family. Yes. I get that. A man with morals," I huffed out, barely containing my amusement. He was a challenge and I was eager to indulge in something a bit different. "What if I told you I won't put you to death? Rather, I offer you employment. I have several creatures of value here. They need someone to look after them. The money is good and the employment not very permanent. Say, six months?"

Axlan's eyes widened in shock. Looked near ready to burst out of his sockets. Even his lips trembled a bit.

"But Ixion-"

"Fuck Ixion. He isn't here. He doesn't have to know. Come now... I am offering you the chance of a lifetime."

"You are offering me shackles."

"Maybe so but at least your family will have food."

Check and mate.

Let the games begin.