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"My lord Kassam!" cries out a reedy voice. I jerk, startled, and turn to see an elderly woman hobbling across fields, followed by a wide-eyed younger man that must be her son. The woman raises her arms at the sight of Kassam, a look of pure bliss on her face. Tears course down her lined face. "My lord! You have returned to us! I have always prayed to you. Always. You are not forgotten in Chandrilhar."
Kassam tenses under my hands and then nods at the woman. "I will remember."
She drops to her knees, her son following suit, and clasps her hands over her heart. "He has returned," she says, over and over again. "He has returned."
My skin prickles at the blissful look on her face. She's rapturous as she watches us move past, the mess of Kassam's howling, bleating wild army following behind us. "That was amazing."
He grunts. "I am pleased, yes."
"I…aren't you going to say anything to her?" I whisper to him. "She's been waiting for your return. She's been faithful. And you're just going to nod?"
"What would you have me do?" Kassam glances over his shoulder at me.
I can't believe no one has given the gods PR advice in all this time. "Get down from here. Go shake her hand. Make a real connection. Think of what a difference it will make to her if she gets to actually meet a god instead of just watching him stroll past. A person like that will tell others of her experience." I poke him in the ribs. "Try doing things differently this time and maybe there won't be a next time."
He glares down at me but then considers the woman and her son, prostrate in the dirt as the wild army soldiers past. They both quiver, no doubt scared out of their minds at the sight of both Kassam and the animal madness he's at the head of. When I poke him again, he shoots me an irritated look and then slides off the side of the griffin. I remain atop it, because no one cares if I say hello to the locals.
Kassam approaches the woman, and I inwardly wince at the sight of his bare ass. Maybe I should have suggested pants.
The woman sits up on her knees, trembling as Kassam approaches. He holds a hand out to her and she takes it, reverent, and presses it to her brow. He murmurs something to her and her son, and there's a look of complete rapture on her face as she gazes at him, so earnest that it's almost painful to watch. He brushes his fingers over her face lightly, and then that of her son, and walks back toward the pawing griffin I sit atop. He walks alongside it, his hand on the griffin's flank.
"Well?" I prompt when we're out of earshot. "How'd it go?"
The look on Kassam's face is thoughtful. "She said such nice things. It made me feel good. Not forgotten." He glances up at me. "Your advice was wise."
"I'm your anchor. That's my job, right?" I smile down at him, pleased and a little proud that I was able to help.
"More than that. You are my wife." He reaches up and brushes a hand possessively down my leg, sending a flare of desire rushing through me. It's been hours since we last stopped to have sex and eat, and I'm feeling the hedonism beast inside me needing to be fed again. "Are you all right up there?" he asks. "I think I shall walk and greet the mortals as we arrive. I…like seeing their faces."
I'm pleased at his words. He's taking this seriously, which is good. Maybe this is another thing that will help him return to power that much quicker, and I'm glad I said something. "I'm fine. But if I can offer a suggestion…"
He gives me a heated look. "All of your suggestions have been wise so far, my little light. Speak freely."
"Pants."
Kassam blinks up at me—and then laughs. "Pants?"
"I'm just saying, godlike junk might be in a lot of faces if everyone drops to their knees." I wrinkle my nose. "At the very least, maybe a nice towel wrap around the hips."
Kassam just laughs and laughs.
In the end, Kassam goes with one of the plain white shirts I packed for him, torn into a long piece and knotted with vine at his hip. Between the hooves and antlers, the silvery eyes and the tangled hair that never seems to stay in one place, he looks absolutely wild and godlike. If I wasn't already completely messed up over him, I'd probably be as besotted as the farmers that come out in droves to see him.
Because they do come out in droves to see him. The farmer and her son are just the beginning. As we approach the city, more farmers and travelers come to a halt in front of us, dropping to their knees in front of Kassam. Many cry at the sight of him, women hold their babies out to him, and horses and cattle from the farmers leave the fields and join our ragtag army.
