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Everyone knows Kassam's name. He's not been all that forgotten, it seems, because they chant and whisper about him. They follow him towards the city atop the hill—Chandrilhar—and cry with pure joy when he touches them. They flock at his side, gazing at him adoringly, and I think it does wonders for his bruised god-ego. He's worried so much about being completely forgotten, but it's obvious that even back in the day, people loved him. That they remember him with fondness and they're genuinely thrilled to see his return.
I bet Seth can't say the same, and the thought makes me a little smug.
By the time we get to the lower set of walls around the city, there's a parade around Kassam. People have abandoned their farms to walk at his side, clutching children and gazing at him with adoration as he speaks. He tells the story of Riekki's betrayal over and over again, and I'd swear the mob is ready to destroy her on his behalf. They seem furious that one god would sabotage another, and vow vengeance on his behalf. The hedonism affects them, and they touch Kassam all over, shooting him lascivious, hungry looks before turning on each other. A lot of people make it to the bushes nearby to sate their needs. Quite a few of them don't.
More than one of Kassam's devotees shoot looks in my direction, and it makes me more than a little wary.
"Shall we kill your anchor for you, my lord Kassam?" someone cries out.
I'm suddenly glad I'm atop a mean-looking griffin instead of on the ground, in the midst of the parade next to Kassam. I shoot him a worried look.
"My friends," Kassam says in that rich, honeyed voice of his. "This is Carly. She is my anchor and has traveled from another world to serve at my side. She is also my wife and my chosen mate. I know that an anchor must die to free the god they are bound to, but I would keep Carly alive and unharmed. Once we have taken care of the evil Riekki, we will journey to the Spidae and beg for their help to keep her safe."
"Is it love?" a woman asks, reaching out to touch Kassam's arm.
He takes the woman's hand and kisses her knuckles. "It is. I have fallen for a mortal female. Protect and cherish her as you would protect and cherish me."
I gape at Kassam. Is he…lying? Or is it the truth? Why is my heart fluttering like mad at the thought? I have a lot of feelings for him myself, but I haven't unpacked them. If anything, I've deliberately avoided thinking about my feelings lately because the thought of love generally makes me want to run for the hills. It's just another one of those things that I'm terrible at.
But Kassam smiles up at me, all cheer once more.
I don't smile back. I don't know what to think. Part of me wants to steer this griffin back toward the mountains, because at least there, I didn't have to worry about well-meaning people eagerly asking if they can kill me. It's not the only reason, of course. The bigger part of me wants to run because of Kassam's declaration. If it's the truth, it's just going to cause us both misery. If he's lying…well, my feelings are still hurt, stupidly enough.
The pull of hedonism starts to get to the people around us, and Kassam's parade turns into a traveling orgy. They pull at his minuscule clothing, and when that doesn't work, they pull at him, trying to get him to join them. I try not to judge. I really do. Kassam affects everyone like that. But each time a strange woman touches his hair, or a man runs his hand down Kassam's well-muscled arm, I feel a surge of jealousy. Stupid, petty jealousy.
Here I am sitting atop the world's angriest bird-lion and people are touching my man.
And then I get mad at myself because I think of him as my man. He's not mine, and he's not a man, as he's reminded me many times before. Here I am dripping with crystals to keep my sanity and…why? So someone else can paw him? So they can all flock around him and make goo-goo eyes at him and threaten to kill me just to please him? Not for the first time, I wonder why I agreed to this.
But then Kassam glances up at me and gives me a rueful smile as if to say “Look at this mess” and my heart skips a beat.
Because I know why I'm here. I know why I went through all of this. I know why I'm at his side even if it's dangerous and people want to kill me. It's because of Kassam. Kassam with his laughing, affectionate nature and his eager drive to set things right. It's the way he smiles at me and looks at me. It's the way he's possessive of me, and how he gazes at me with so much pride when I speak. He's everything I'd want in a partner, and I'm probably falling in love with him.
