“Leave my person all alone to be hurt or killed by those monsters? I don’t think so!” Tisa exclaimed and Ty got a mental image of her fluffing up her fur and straightening her tail in anger.
Clearly she wanted to stay and fight—but since Kikbax and his henchman were both about a hundred times bigger than the little chewchie, it was a fight she would inevitably lose.
Ty began to feel really afraid for her.
“Listen, little girl,” he said coaxingly. “I know you want to stay by my side but the best way you can help me now is by getting out of here before they come back. Please…” He reached up to pet her soft fur. “I couldn’t bear it if anything happened to you,” he told her in a low voice.
“But I can’t leave you, Ty!” she protested. “Not if there’s any way I can help.”
Ty shook his head.
“I don’t see how, little girl. I’m sorry.”
Suddenly he felt a burst of inspiration coming from the little creature.
“I’ve got it, Ty—I know exactly what to do!” she exclaimed.
And before Ty could ask what she was talking about, she had scampered away, into the darkness.
He had a moment of doubt. Was she going to try to steal the keys to his cell? He certainly hoped not since Fundreg held the keys and had standing orders to kill her.
Protect her, Goddess, he prayed. Keep my little girl safe—watch over her and Ellina and Lor too, Please!
He got no answer and there was nothing he could do but pace in the cage and wait.
Chapter Forty-five
Ellina was dragged down the dungeons steps, the scent of damp and rot rising in her nostrils. The last time she’d been down here it had been to witness the masterful little play the High Priest had put on with the prisoner who was supposedly from the Southern Continent.
She wondered now, how he had pulled that off. Had the prisoner been an actor, paid to portray a part? Or maybe he really was from the Southern Continent and he was crazy enough to say anything. The radiation the people absorbed down there changed them—made them strange and insane. So really, either scenario was possible, though she doubted that the man had known Kikbax was going to blow his head off.
The thought of that casual violence brought bile to her throat now. What would she do if the High Priest tried to kill her? Would he dare such a thing? She supposed he would. After all, he had dared to send men after her to capture her and drag her down to the dungeon. What fresh horror awaited her when she reached the bottom of the stairs?
Her question was answered all too soon when she caught sight of a torch flaring in the darkness and saw that it was being held by none other than Kikbax himself. The flickering torch flames were glinting off his golden breastplate and he had a very unpleasant smile on his face—as if he was about to commit an act of cruelty which he expected to enjoy very much.
Despite her fear, Ellina stiffened her spine and lifted her chin.
“What is the meaning of this, Lord Kikbax?” she demanded in her loudest, most imperious voice. “How dare you have these men lay hands on me and drag me down here? I am the Goddess in the Flesh!”
“Yes, and soon you’ll be the Goddess of the flesh,” he remarked, lifting his clenched fist.
Ellina shied back at first, thinking he was going to hit her. But instead, the High Priest opened his fingers, revealing a small mound of pinkish dust in the center of his palm. Taking a deep breath, he blew the dust directly into Ellina’s face.
“Wha…what are you doing?” Ellina demanded, coughing and choking as she tried to get the dust out of her lungs and mouth. It had a strange, sickly-sweetish taste that she disliked at once.
“Making certain this time that your Heat Cycle will start, my dear Potentate,” Kikbax said, giving her that same cruel smile again. “I don’t know why the lust dust didn’t work on you when I put it in your wine—which is the general application—but this should be foolproof. Inhalation is the fastest way to get it into your bloodstream.”
“Lust dust?” Then the rest of his words registered and Ellina had a sudden realization. “It was you who drugged my wine those two times! You’re the one who did it!”
“Indeed—I don’t deny it.” He bowed and gave her a mocking smile. “And before you ask the obvious question—why—let me explain. I was trying to start your Heat Cycle so you would have no choice but to accept what—and who—was good for you. Which in my best judgment was Hennessy Tolland.”
“You were manipulating me! Or trying to, anyway!” Ellina exclaimed. “How dare you? I told you I wanted nothing to do with Hennessy.”
“So you made abundantly clear, my dear,” Kikbax said dryly. “But that’s a moot point now, since the late Barron Tolland is dead. Which is why I have taken it upon myself to choose another consort for you.”
“I told you, I will choose my own consort!” Ellina snapped. “I want nothing to do with any of the nobles you picked for me. I loathe each and every one of them!”
“Rejoice then, my dear, for I didn’t choose any of the nobles you so despise,” Kikbax said. “I chose someone quite different. Someone who can satisfy you completely when your Heat Cycle finally kicks in—which shouldn’t be long now.”
“As if I’d take anyone you would choose,” Ellina spat. “Who did you pick?”
“Why, me, of course.” Kikbax made another sweeping bow. “Lord Kikbax, High Priest of Thufar at
