A God of War's Hound

The captain's cabin felt as if it were holding its breath. The air was still and heavy with tension. Every Hound watched the two women at the front of the cabin, eyes darting across the space between Anikai and Corentine. With her enchanted shackles taken off, her full breath of power lapped against all of their senses in gentle waves. The feeling was eerily similar to the sense of returning home. Each man felt as if he had been lost, wandering amidst a void until now. This feeling baffled everyone, but no one was willing to voice this. So it became a collective, and unspoken, secret that Anikai felt like a home that they have never been to. 'Daughter of the Lost, indeed', thought one Hound. On the other hand, Corentine's power was sheer control. It demanded their focus and shackled their being. Two beacons of power pushed and pulled on one another in an unseen dance. Neither woman looked away from the other for several minutes. The Hounds became restless.

Anikai chewed on Corentine's words for the third time since they left the latter's mouth some time ago. A continent devouring war. That would be the result of Anikai refusing to aid the Hounds of War. From the northern mountains of Garan to the southern beaches of Dhasini, everything will be soaked in blood and smothered with ashes. 'We are in the business of war, but this one would bring the other deities united against our Master. That in turn would cost more mortal lives. And our own,' Corentine offered as an explanation before she had freed Anikai.

"Start from the beginning." The dreadlocked woman finally spoke. The cabin released its breath. The air lightened and the walls expanded. Anikai rubbed her wrist. Across from her, Corentine sighed.

"The emperor's eight children have gone missing three weeks ago. His heir, two legitimate daughters, and his concubines' offspring simply disappeared. His lords are in an uproar pointing their fat fingers at one another. Some have already been exposed for conspiring against the emperor but none of them were connected to the vanished royals. Politically speaking, the emperor is at a disadvantage without his heir. Without a successor, the throne is open for anyone. Those loyal to the emperor are searching desperately for his children. However, there are rumors of armies being built against the now vulnerable royal family. The sake of the empire rests on the rescue of those children. If they are already dead..." Corentine left the rest of the words to hang on a noose in the air.

"Your mother, Anighi, had not answered any prayers nor accepted any offerings from the emperor. When an oracle was summoned, the goddess revealed your existence and whereabouts through the vessel. It seems the goddess chose you to take her place." Corentine continued.

"Did she say anything else?" Anikai hated the child-like desperation lacing her words. It had been three years since her mother stopped visiting her. A sharp pain cut through Anikai's chest. She could still hear her mother's wind chime laughter. If she closed her eyes, the maiden could see the goddess's ethereal face. A privilege that no one, not even her father, had been graced with.

Corentine paused.

"She had said 'nothing and everything can be found in memories.' No one could interpret that. They did, however, manage to locate you and send us to retrieve you. We were hired to guard the currently most important person in the empire aside from the emperor. You."

Tears ran freely down Anikai's face then. Everything up until now could have been a ruse, but no one alive knew that saying from her mother. It was one of the many things the goddess had taught her throughout the years. 'Maman summoned me.' Anikai smiled broadly. She did not care about her wounds or the blonde man in the far corner or if the woman was keeping information about the mission a secret. Her mother gave her a task and she will not fail her.

"Earlier you mentioned that the other deities would unite against your master. Why is that, exactly?"

Corentine opened her mouth to respond.

"I will explain that for you, Nik." A low voice replied. Everyone immediately sank to their knees, revealing a hooded man in the midst of them. Overwhelming, almost smothering, power radiated off his figure like heat from the summer sun. His crimson hood disguised his features but Anikai could make out the harsh plains of his strong jawline. She frowned as the man approached. He was not there a moment ago. Just as his face came into full view, Anikai realized that he had used a nickname that only one person had ever addressed her by. She lunged at him with a gasp. The new arrival chuckled. It sounded like melodic thunder to her ears.

"It really is you!" Despite her new status as a woman, seeing him made her feel like a child again. Anikai hugged him around his waist, her head reaching just below his chest. Large solid arms wrapped around her gently, as if she were made of glass. She had been embraced by these arms countless times so she could recognize them anywhere. Within his embrace, Anikai was taken back to when she was a child, first learning about her lineage. Her mother brought him once when Anikai was about five years old and he often visited her with her mother since then. He visited even after her mother stopped, but disappeared a year ago. Her heart pounded as she squeezed his body. Looking up, she caught his gentle gaze. She spent nearly a lifetime receiving that expression from him. A lump formed in her throat.

"I missed you." They said in unison, which prompted the pair to laugh. Anikai could have stayed like that for eternity but when his eyes fell on her wounded lips, his serene face contorted into a sinister look that promised death. A slow and unimaginably painful death. Anikai had only seen that expression once, years ago when a group of older children taunted her because of her darkness. It had been the first and last time she'd allowed herself to be hurt in his presence.

He lifted her face even higher to inspect the rest of her face. Then he scanned her body and tattered clothes. His slow deep breaths were all to be heard in that cabin. Not a single soul moved.

"Who."

"Did."

"This."

His voice was low but carried throughout the room as if he had shouted. Several audible gulps responded. Anikai began to shake. She realized his intentions. 'Please forgive me for this,' she thought. Gently placing one hand on his hot cheek, disarming smile plastered on her face, Anikai lied to one of the very few people she loved.

"Oh relax, no need for the theatrics. I had been sparring with baba before I was brought here. I thought I was ready for the next level of training. Cleary I asked for more than I can handle. You know how much of a brute my father is," Anikai chuckled as if she felt embarrassed. He watched her for a long minute.

Glancing away, Anikai noticed that everyone was still kneeling.

"Why are they kneeling like that?" Her eyes scanned the room until they fell on familiar golden locks. She wished Kahlil would stay like that for the next decade. Corentine was kneeling as well.

"I am their master. They are to kneel in my presence."

"Wait. You are their master? But that would make you-" Anikai took a small step back. She had known that he was a deity, but he nor her mother ever told her which one. Never would she have imagined that the same god who treated her so gently would be-

"The God of War." He finished for her with a grim tone. Anikai gasped. When he reached out to her, she envisioned the hand covered in blood and body matter. Her stomach knotted and flipped and sank in her belly. She needed air.

Anikai turned and walked away. Blindly, following her instincts, she stalked through the ship until she reached the deck and hurled up this morning's breakfast. Hot tears stung her eyes as even hotter vomit scorched her throat. Her small body convulsed long after her belly emptied itself. Her vision swam as she fell onto the hard wood. Anikai accepted the sharp pain in her knees. It reminded her that this is not some horrible nightmare. 'The God of War.' The vile words continued to echo in her racing mind. A whimper escaped her. She wanted to go home. Anikai felt cold despite having the sun hang over her. She was cold and numb and alone. So unbearably alone. Not caring who would see, Anikai curled up into a ball behind some barrels and fell asleep.

*****

Kahlil stayed as far away from the girl as he could once they reached Corentine's cabin. Not because she clearly hated him and told him to. It was because of what he did, the shame he was drowning in. He took advantage of her virgin naivety and treated her like every other woman before her. At first, it was just harmless teases to rattle the stunning creature. He never intended to go further with Anikai. However, from the moment she closed those citrine feline eyes and moaned, he lost control. Her face ceased to exist. She became just another body beneath him. 'Holy gods, her body was captivating.' He could not resist thinking. Her responses were wild and free and genuine. Anikai had become a taut bowstring in his hands and he desperately wanted to see how she would release herself. She would have just been another faceless substitute for Corentine. Until she reached up to hold his face. She had a face then. A beautiful, teary eyed face that refused to be ignored or forgotten. Those golden eyes burned their way into his mind and remained beneath his eyelids, haunting him every time he blinked. Kahlil was going to stop just as Corentine appeared. That certainly did not help matters. It did remind him of his place, however. Anikai Kyrie, no matter how tempting, was off limits.

When Corentine had removed Anikai's shackles, Kahlil nearly walked toward her. It felt as if all the air in the room existed because of her. She felt like the Hound belonged by her side, like a home that he had left for far too long. They were warned of her power's call but no one thought it was as potent as this. The only thing that kept his sorry ass in check was the blood tie to Corentine. That felt like a tight leash on a stray dog in that moment. He cursed that traitorous thought. 'Just a side effect of Anikai's lure.'

He was fine with never speaking to the cat-eyed woman again, until the god arrived. Kahlil's fists clenched as his body moved like a puppet to the ground. For some strange unexplainable reason, he did not want her to meet his master. Perhaps he did not want her to fear him even more. Or maybe she would hate him more instead.

"It really is you!" She had lunged at his master. She hugged him. The scene left Kahlil speechless. He watched as the god embraced her. He had even chuckled. Chuckled. Kahlil's eyes could have popped out of their sockets with how wide they'd gone. He could not bring himself to look at Corentine. She must feel as dumbfounded as the rest of the Hounds. For a moment, Kahlil wondered if Corentine was jealous. 'Did their master ever treat her like that?' The way the god gazed at Anikai told him otherwise. It was obvious that the god only saw the dreadlocked virgin. Something slid around in his belly. Kahlil wanted to leave. He wanted to grab Corentine and leave.

The rest of the exchange passed in a blur for Kahlil. His mind groaned with the weight of questions. Obviously Anikai was not the god's lover. That much Kahlil was sure of. But he had affection for the mortal. That was just as obvious. So how does the god of war know a mortal from a tiny peaceful island so intimately? Were they going to be lovers now that Anikai was of age? Were they actually related? Was there another reason why their master ordered them to guard her? Many more questions plagued his thoughts. Kahlil almost did not see Anikai escape the crowded cabin. It felt like the air changed once her tiny figure vanished. Kahlil breathed deeply for the first time since he met the girl.

Then invisible hands wrapped around his throat.

His master turned to face the Hounds. Gone were his gentle expressions, replaced with his usual mask of quiet rage. The whites of the god's eyes were swallowed up until only hell's pits stared back at them. Kahlil fought against the urge to claw at his throat. He knew that would be useless. Someone made a choking sound. All of the Hounds were being punished.

"That child is worth more to me than you lot. I can create more beasts to replace you all. No one can replace her. If you value your useless tails, ensure that I never see my Anikai in that state again." The grip their throats tightened until stars danced in everyone's visions. "She protected all of you by lying to me. Consider yourselves fortunate to receive such mercy. I will return for her soon. Let this be your first and last warning." He and his power vanished. Nearly all of the Hounds doubled over with great gasping breaths. Coughs shook the cabin walls. Kahlil looked around. Corentine was gone.