Lottery King 2, page 20
My two-wheeled vehicle tipped onto its left wheel, and I teetered in the air for a gut-dropping moment.
“Fuck!” I shouted, and fear coursed through me as my chariot wobbled precariously in the air.
Chapter 12
I leaned hard against the right-hand side of the wooden chariot, and finally, it dropped back to the dirt track with a hard thump.
Before I could even get a steadying breath, the hostile gorgon tried to slam into me again, but this time I was ready.
A blindingly bright shield of glittering silver light exploded between us, and the gorgon’s white-and-red snakes hissed as they swerved away from the light.
The gorgon gritted his teeth and growled at me as he snapped his reins again.
“Yah!” I shouted to my horses as I snapped my own reins.
The pair of shiny black stallions pushed forward with everything they had, and I guided them away from the angry gorgon’s chariot.
Another harpy racer got caught between us, and his dark gray wings clenched tight against his back as he recognized the confrontation between the gorgon and me.
“Whoooa,” the harpy commanded his horses, and he yanked on the reins until his chariot fell behind mine.
I couldn’t blame him for removing himself so quickly from the top-speed conflict, but I knew I didn’t have that option.
I glanced back at the gorgon as I urged my horses down the track.
He stared at me with rage in his eyes, and it was like the rage was pouring out from his mind in waves. It was almost a tangible presence in the air between us, and I felt like I could have reached out and scooped up a handful of the toxic rage.
He barreled toward me again, and I could just tell he was about to ram my chariot again. I yanked on my horses’ reins, and they evaded the gorgon’s sideswipe just in time.
I became so focused on trying to protect myself and my horses from the gorgon’s attacks that I hardly noticed as we pulled ahead of the only other racer in front of us.
“Thánatos ston pséftiko vasiliá!” the gorgon screamed at me, and his eyes bulged out as his face turned red with rage.
That’s when I noticed the tattoo on the inside of his left forearm. It was the same broken crown on a pile of bones that Helena and I had seen spray-painted on the boarded-up shop.
There wasn’t a single doubt left in my mind after that. This dumbass was a part of the radical group causing all the trouble that had brought me to Athens in the first place.
I gritted my teeth, and I reached out to Poppy’s mind again to coax the delicate teal tendrils of her enchantments to my control. I used it to urge my horses gently forward with the promise of a hefty reward if they got me across that finish line first.
Both of the black stallions lowered their heads as their hooves pounded the dirt track, and I ducked slightly to cut down on the wind resistance of my body.
We gradually inched further ahead of the radical gorgon, and I refused to let myself glance back at him. I could feel his rage slipping behind us, and the angry screams he let out told me we were going to win.
We rounded the final turn, and my chariot came careening across the finish line in a burst of equine energy.
The crowds erupted with cheers and a contagious level of excitement as the grand marshal let the checkered flag fly. I took a deep breath as I eased back on the reins, and I touched the horses’ minds with praise and gratitude.
The black stallions whinnied with satisfaction, and they slowed down to a healthy trot. There was no way we were going to stop before we rounded the track again, and so I raised my hands to greet the crazed crowds of my adoring subjects.
“King Michaaaaeeeel!” Poppy’s voice screeched at the top of her lungs, and she jumped up and down with exhilaration.
Then the fans started to pile out of the stands, and my subjects rushed toward me as my horses came to a stop. Adoring fans and political figures swarmed my chariot, and their voices combined into an unintelligible wall of sound as attendants came rushing onto the dirt tracks to offer water to my horses.
“King Michael are you hurt?” someone’s voice finally broke through the chaos.
“He cheated!” someone else shouted.
“That gorgon interfered!” another person yelled.
“He must be held accountable!” a female voice demanded.
More shouts of agreement that the gorgon had cheated surrounded me, and I finally turned around to look for his white-and-red snakes. He was nowhere in my field of view as Lord Atlas jogged over to my chariot.
“Your majesty are you hurt?” the white-haired merman asked with concern.
“No,” I answered. “I’m not hurt. Where did that gorgon go? Did anyone see where he went?”
“Your majesty,” Firo said in a loud voice that made the crowds part like the Red Sea.
Poppy, Helena, Rune, and several shadow nymph guards followed on Firo’s heels. As soon as they reached me, the dark guards formed a protective wall around us, and I was able to talk with Firo, Poppy, Helena, and Rune without interference.
“Firo,” I said without preamble. “That gorgon, he was one of them.”
“Yes, your majesty,” Firo confirmed. “He took off the second he crossed the finish line. He cut one of the horses’ harnesses and bolted from the stadium.”
I looked around as Firo pointed to the gorgon’s abandoned chariot and its one remaining horse.
“We have to go after him,” I stated.
“Nyxx is already in pursuit, your majesty,” Firo said.
“Of course, she is,” I sighed with a bit of relief and humor.
I should have known the shadow nymph wouldn’t let that gorgon get away. She was always on top of everything, and she never half-assed a damn thing.
“She’ll need backup–” I started to add.
“Ena and Kage followed right behind her, your majesty,” Firo said. “They have it well in hand. My concern at this moment is you. Are you hurt?”
“No, I’m not hurt.” I raked my hand through my hair.
I knew I should let my security detail handle the gorgon situation. There was nobody better to chase him down than Nyxx and her team of shadow nymphs, so I took a deep breath and focused on the people in front of me.
“He slammed into you very hard,” Poppy murmured in a concerned tone.
“I’m okay, I promise,” I assured her, and I pulled her into my arms again.
“Good, because that was a hell of a victory,” Poppy hummed, and she looked up at me with pride in her purple eyes. “I’m glad it won’t be tainted by an injury.”
“It was an incredible victory, your majesty,” Rune chuckled.
“Oh! I almost forgot!” I gasped, and I pointed at the inside of my arm. “He had a tattoo on his forearm.”
“A tattoo?” Rune asked.
“It was that broken crown on the pile of bones,” I said as I looked at Helena. “Like we saw on the graffitied building the other day.”
“The symbol of the Freedom Fighters.” Helena’s eyebrows furrowed together.
“Yes.” I nodded. “He was one of them.”
“Is it possible he was their leader?” Rune asked.
“I don’t know,” I said, and I looked at Firo to gauge his reaction. “I guess it’s possible. It’s not like he introduced himself to me.”
“Lord Atlas!” Helena turned and cupped her hands around her mouth to shout over to the crowd.
“Here!” the white-haired merman’s voice called, and his yellow-scaled forearm stuck up behind the wall of shadow nymph bodies.
“Let him through,” I instructed my guards.
“Your majesty?” Lord Atlas asked as he stepped over to join us.
“Do you know the gorgon who slammed into his majesty?” Firo asked. His tone was light, but there was a fierce look in his slitted eyes that would have made a weak man crumble.
“No,” Lord Atlas answered firmly and plainly. “I do not know him.”
“Your majesty?” Lord Oba’s voice called from behind the wall of shadow nymphs. “Are you well?”
“Let him through,” I said again. “I’m alright, Lord Oba. Is there any chance you recognized the gorgon who slammed into me?”
“A thousand apologies, my King,” Lord Oba said in a sorrowful voice. “My eyesight is failing, and from the stands, all the racers were merely fast-moving blurs.”
“Okay.” I nodded, and I looked back to Firo. “I guess we’ll wait to see if Nyxx catches him?”
“I’m afraid there isn’t much more to do at this moment, your majesty,” Firo sighed. “There are a few teams exploring those mapped areas we discovered, but they have not found anything of substance yet.”
Firo’s slitted orange eyes narrowed just slightly as he spoke, and I figured he was trying to be just vague enough in case our current company wasn’t to be trusted.
“Thank you, Firo.” I nodded.
“Your majesty,” Lord Oba said in a tentative voice, and he pressed his palms together. “Might I offer a pleasant distraction from this ugliness?”
“What did you have in mind?” I arched an eyebrow at the balding harpy.
“I was planning a little…” Lord Oba’s wrinkled face lit up with mischief. “Get together at my home this evening. I had planned to show you and Lady Poppy a bit of Grecian hospitality. I would be honored if you all would join me?”
“Lord Oba,” Helena laughed lightly as she shook her head at the older harpy. “I have seen what you call a ‘get together,’ and they are never little!”
“Well, I suppose that’s true…” Lord Oba admitted, and his face became ruddy. “I don’t like to do anything small.”
“That sounds like fun.” Poppy looked up into my eyes with hope on her face, but I could tell she’d go along with whatever I wanted to do.
“What do you think, your majesty?” Helena asked.
I thought about it for about half a second before I decided it would be a good way to get to know more of the locals and more about Greece, and we’d probably have a good time, too.
“Yeah, why not?” I chuckled.
“Excellent!” Lord Oba’s voice boomed with excitement, and then he looked around us with a bit of nervous energy. “Lord Atlas, you are welcome to come along as well, of course.”
“Thank you, Lord Oba,” the merman said. “That sounds delightful.”
“Um… Apologies.” Lord Oba looked around with confusion. “But how do we… how do we get out of here?”
“Firo,” I said, and the command was clear in my voice.
“Right away, your majesty,” my seven-foot-tall head of security replied.
Firo walked over to the wall of shadow nymphs, and in a rush of well-coordinated movement, they started to redirect the crowd.
A path appeared before us, and the dark-bodied guards held the cheering crowds at bay as Firo led us out and away from the finish line. I grasped Poppy’s fingers in my right hand, and I took hold of Helena’s hand with my other. Lord Atlas, Lord Oba, and Rune took up the rear of our group as if to protect the ladies and their king from the energetic crowd.
Not that there was a need for that because the shadow nymph guards shifted around us like a force field of dark bodies as we headed out to the street. One of the guards must have gone ahead to notify James, because the white-haired siren was waiting for us with the car.
“I don’t believe there will be room for us all,” Lord Atlas pointed out.
“Well, I expect you and your ladies will desire a change of clothes, your majesty,” Lord Oba said. “Lady Helena knows where my residence is, why don’t we meet there this evening?”
“Excellent,” I chuckled as I looked down at my irregular ensemble, and I tugged a bit uncomfortably at the leather chestplate.
“We’ll see you soon,” Helena murmured in a friendly tone.
We divided into our respective groups, and Poppy and Helena climbed into Helena’s car as James held the door for them. I wondered how Rune had gotten into the city as I watched Firo climb onto his nearby motorcycle, but then the golden-haired fae walked toward a street lined with stores. The shops had huge windows that shone like mirrors in the bright afternoon sun, and a second later, my advisor disappeared into one.
I shook my head at the strange sight, and then I nodded at James as I climbed into the car. The siren closed the door behind me and rushed around to the driver’s seat.
“Home, Madame?” James asked.
“Please,” Helena responded.
The shadow nymphs must have worked to clear the crowds away from the streets because it only took us a few minutes to get out of the city center. Then it was a quick drive back to Helena’s mansion, and we headed inside to dress for a party.
I sent a silent word of thanks to my triplet valets for the elegant suit they’d packed. It was a light and very breathable cotton blend in a light-tan fabric, and I felt both comfortable and royal in the pants, jacket, and sky-blue shirt they’d sent along.
Poppy’s emerald-colored dress fell to her mid-calf and looped around her neck in a thin cord that draped down the length of her spine. There were little opalescent gems dangling from the ends of the strands that perfectly matched her iridescent wings. Her hair was pinned into a loose bun at the back of her head, and she wore only her engagement ring and a pair of small diamond studs in her pointed ears. A pair of silver stilettos completed the look and brought Poppy to eye level with me.
Helena wore a flowy gown of silver chiffon that fell in dozens of zigzag layers around her, and they parted to show off her long legs as she walked. It had just a tiny bit of beading right around her natural waist, and her breasts threatened to spill out of the strapless neckline. She wore the sand-golden band around her forehead that she’d been wearing the first time I saw her, and a pair of gold sandals.
“You both look…” I fumbled for the right word for a second. “Incredible.”
“You look very handsome yourself,” Helena replied with a coy smile.
“Doesn’t he just?” Poppy giggled as she shared a playful smile with our Grecian hostess.
“Come on,” Helena laughed.
We found James waiting right where we’d left him a half-hour before, and I wondered if he lived in that car. I felt confident that Helena paid her staff well, though, so I didn’t worry about the siren too much.
I leaned back in the comfortable seats as James drove us through the outskirts of the city to avoid the evening traffic. It didn’t take long to arrive at another sprawling estate surrounded by lush topiaries and marble statues on display.
“Is this Lord Oba’s estate?” Poppy asked as she leaned closer to the window.
“Yes, it’s been in his family even longer than mine,” Helena said.
“Even longer than Lord Oba?” I asked with humor as I recalled the balding harpy’s age.
“Yes.” Helena smirked at me. “Though the house itself was rebuilt about sixty years ago.”
“Why?” Poppy asked.
“The previous house’s wiring had been poorly updated.” Helena frowned. “Something was faulty, and the entire mansion burned to the ground.”
“Holy shit,” I breathed. “Was anybody hurt?”
“Lord Oba’s wife was lost in the fire,” Helena barely whispered the words.
“How tragic,” Poppy breathed, and her purple eyes filled with tears.
“Yes.” Helena grimaced slightly. “Though Lord Oba was not very heartbroken. Their marriage had been arranged, and it was public knowledge that they were unhappy for nearly two centuries.”
“Yikes,” I hissed through gritted teeth.
I couldn’t imagine an arranged marriage, and it made me so very grateful for Poppy.
James pulled the car up in a line of expensive vehicles that moved slowly toward the front door, and a series of guests who looked ready for the red carpet stepped out. Servants in matching suits of dark gray with bright yellow accents helped the ladies from their cars, and in a few minutes, our door was opened by a satyr in a suit jacket that matched the other servants. His goat legs were covered in dark brown fur, and a pair of little horns poked out from his curly hair.
“Your majesty,” the satyr murmured with respect. “Lord Oba awaits the honor of your presence.”
I nodded at the servant, and I offered my arms to Poppy and Helena.
The other guests who were on their way to the front doors stopped and stepped aside to let us pass. Many of the men and ladies dipped in respectful bows and curtsies, but some of them just stared with starstruck expressions.
My heart raced with shock at the reaction my presence brought about from these paranormals who’d likely been alive a hundred times longer than me. They’d spent their whole lives in this opulent world of expense and amazement, but here they were, stunned into silence by my appearance. I didn’t think I’d ever get used to being the king of basically the entire world.
“Fuck,” I whispered to myself, and I took a deep breath to prepare myself.
I expected the entire night would be filled with harpies, merfolk, sirens, gorgons, satyrs, faes, and maybe a few centaurs gawking over me. I hadn’t seen any vampires, dryads, or gnomes since we’d arrived in Greece, but I figured it was more a matter of culture. There had to be a reason some paranormal legends were isolated to certain countries.
A pair of servants in matching uniforms pulled the double doors open, and a third servant inside the door announced our arrival.
“His Majesty, King Michael of the Eternal Realm!” the fae declared to the room.
Then he repeated the announcement in Greek, but his words were drowned out by the cheers from the gathering as I led Poppy and Helena into the foyer.
The space was huge and decorated in a more ostentatiously Greek manner than Lady Helena’s home. Every available space was filled with a statue, vase, or houseplant, and the walls were painted in huge murals of the Greek seaside.
And the people were just as decorated as the home.
The ladies sparkled with jewels and bedazzled gowns, and the men wore gold necklaces instead of silk ties. I would have guessed that not a single one of their outfits had less than a five-digit price tag, and that was before all the diamonds, emeralds, rubies, and sapphires I spotted.
