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“But…”
Levet didn’t allow her to finish her protest. He had been polite, had he not? Even after he’d been kidnapped. He hadn’t used his impressive magic to harm his captors or burned down the fortress with his mighty fireballs. Nothing was stopping him now.
“I will take over, Joya,” a rumbling male voice said from behind him.
“Yes, master,” Joya murmured.
The tall male wearing a crown and fur robe appeared beside Levet as he waddled toward the exit.
“Allow me to escort you,” he said.
Levet snorted. As if he could halt the oversize bull-man. Besides, he was still worried that he couldn’t feel his face.
“Can you see my snout?”
The large male coughed, as if he had something stuck in his throat. “Excuse me?”
“Joya assures me that it is there, but I am not entirely convinced.”
They crossed the arena, which had fallen unnervingly silent, as if the minotaurs were stunned by an unexpected turn of events. Or maybe they’d all had too much ale and blacked out in their seats. At last, they stepped through the open doors and entered the hallway.
“You’re worried about your snout?” the male next to him abruptly demanded, as if he’d been pondering Levet’s last words.
“Oui. It is a very fine snout.”
The minotaur shook his head. “The ways of gods are odd.”
“You can say that again.” Levet readily agreed, puzzled when the male turned down a narrow hallway. He was almost certain his rooms were in the opposite direction. With a shrug, he followed his companion. Surely the creature knew his way around the fortress. “There was this Dark Lord that convinced creatures he was a god and nearly destroyed the world,” he continued his story. It was a fabulous tale, after all. One that he would share with anyone who would listen. Which wasn’t nearly as many as there should be. “You probably heard about him. But what you might not know is that if it had not been for me, the veil would have parted and evil would have taken over.”
“Ah.” There was a proper expression of satisfaction on the male’s face. “So you have performed miracles before.”
“Oui.” Levet tried to wrinkle his snout, only to sigh in exasperation when he still couldn’t feel it. “The miracles were not precisely planned, and most did not occur in the way I would have desired, but there is no question that I am a hero.”
“Good. Then it is time.”
Levet frowned as the male took another turn and entered a short corridor that ended in a narrow staircase.
“Time for what?”
“For you to deliver us from doom.”
“What sort of doom?”
“You will see.”
The male swiftly climbed the steep stairs, his boots making the wood shudder beneath the impact. Levet scrambled to keep up, his heart sinking to the tips of his toes. There was a small part of him curious to know more about his role as the savior of the minotaurs. It was, after all, pretty special to star in a seer’s vision. And it would make a great story to tell once he returned to his world. Inga was certain to be impressed if she knew he was a god.
But a larger part of him sensed that the sooner he could escape from this place the better. It wasn’t modesty that had made him confess that most of his miracles had been accidents. It was the honest-to-goddess truth. Usually, he was simply trying to survive when he’d been swept up in a tidal wave of events.
“Actually, I would rather not see,” Levet said in apologetic tones, reluctantly following as the male reached the top of the stairs and headed toward the ornately carved double doors straight ahead of them. “I mean, I really am busy at the moment. Perhaps we could reschedule this particular doom until a more convenient date.” Levet shivered. “As in never?”
The minotaur halted in front of the doors, sending Levet a confused glance. “I don’t fully comprehend your humor.”
“It isn’t for everyone.” Levet clicked his tongue. “Or so I’ve been told. I assume they are just jealous of my quick wits and overabundance of charm.”
The male was momentarily speechless. Then he gave a sharp shake of his head. “No matter. Once you have performed your duty I promise you can return to your busy schedule.”
Levet’s wings drooped. “Doom duty,” he muttered. “Whymoi?”
