"Haven't I?"
"No, you haven't," I stress again. "You told me that you're the god of the wild, and that you're cursed with hedonism, and that I'm your anchor. That you can't return to your job until I die, but something tells me I'm not getting the full story."
He shrugs, his big shoulders moving. Kassam rubs his jaw. "Do you like my face like this? My beard tore up your thighs. I did not realize you were so sensitive."
I blink, chewing the chocolate donut slowly. Did he undress me while I was unconscious? I touch a finger under my nose, and there's no blood there, so I'm guessing he washed and changed me like a mannequin or a doll. I'm not sure how I feel about that. "Thanks, I think. You're changing the subject again."
"Ask your question. I will do my best to answer."
Sure he will. "You are the God of the Wild?" When he nods, I ask, "How many gods are there in your world?"
"Twelve, and the High Father who rules over all."
"So where is everyone else?"
"Back in Aos, I imagine." He tilts his head, thinking. "Some have returned to their planes, but I imagine others are still walking the mortal realm. Death was, I know for certain. I met him and his anchor." He looks thoughtful. "I am not sure what happened after they freed me, though."
"Freed you?" When Kassam's eyes narrow, I want to throw the donut I'm eating at him. Unfortunately for me, it's delicious and I shove the rest of it into my face and reach for another one as I chew. "Go on. Freed you from what."
The god gives me a tight look. "The Blood Glacier, where I'd been trapped for a thousand years." He thinks for a moment. "Maybe two thousand."
13
I choke on my donut. Coughing, I take the water he hands me and manage a few sips, waving my hand to indicate he should continue. Lachesis was right. There's more of a story to what's going on and Kassam (and okay, me) has been too distracted by hedonism to pay attention. "What do you mean, you were trapped? What happened?"
The look he gives me is boyishly sheepish. "A goddess wanted to marry me. I refused her. She did not take to it kindly."
Did I think my donut was dry before? It's sawdust in my mouth now. "Goddess…?" Here I'd asked him to marry me to protect me and he's been turning down goddesses? That's…not going to go over well. "Who is she?"
"The fair Riekki," Kassam says dramatically, scooping up one of the cats and cuddling it against his chest. "The Peacekeeper. The Knowledge-Bringer." He leans toward me, conspiratorial. "Bit of a bore." He nuzzles the cat, who eats up the attention. "We were lovers at the dawn of time, but she became very possessive and I decided I did not wish to join to her. Or be in her presence at all, really. Riekki did not take that well." He strokes the cat's triangular ears. "Thus began a thousand years of Riekki trying to pull me to her side. She tried whatever she could to entrap me, and her priests attacked my worshipers regularly. She hunted my conmac, my forest lords."
I frown. "I thought you said she was the Peacekeeper? That doesn't sound peaceful to me."
"And thus you see the problem with Riekki," Kassam agrees. "It is all peaceful as long as it is done her way. Her priests feel it is their duty to convert others to their ways. Only then, can peace be acquired."
"That's fucked." I pull out another donut. I have no idea why I'm starving so badly, but these donuts are the best things I've ever tasted and I can't stop eating them, even when one of the cats licks some of the glaze. "So she's crazy."
"She is focused," he amends. "Riekki is a very determined goddess. And because she is the keeper of knowledge, she believes that only she has the answers and we all should listen to her, regardless of how we feel."
A narcissist. Not ideal to have one of those as a goddess. Between her and easily distracted Kassam, I'm starting to see why the High Father is cleaning house over there. It sounds like a damned mess. "So you turned her down and she imprisoned you?"
"No, I turned her down and Riekki sent her priests to destroy my forests and my faithful. She thought she could control the wild, which, by its very nature, cannot be tamed. And when that did not work, she vowed a full-scale war against me and mine. Before she could do it, however, the Anticipation happened."
"The clean-up," I say, biting down on my donut. I wonder if these things have crack in them. They're seriously so good. I can't stop eating. I'm ravenous. "The big guy sent all the little guys down to the mortal world to shape up."