Chapter 2 #2
“That thing was trying to get frisky with me.”
“That’s definitely what was happening,” I say as we head down more stairs and finally reach the subway platform. It’s at this point, when I can hear the subway coming, that I realize I should warn him. “You know the ‘mounts’ outside? Well, this is also a mount. Just a long one, alright?”
“Are we killing it?”
“No, we’re riding in it. You’re not from this realm, are you? You know what? That’s a silly question. You’re very obviously not.”
Torin grabs his shield—me—and takes up a battle stance as the subway arrives. He actually handles it better than I expected, not fearful at all… more bloodthirsty than anything. I hurry to get in but I’m connected to an immovable force.
“We have to get inside,” I tell him.
“You think I’m going to let a mere peasant talk me into climbing into the belly of that beast? Please, don’t make me laugh. We will ride on top of it.”
“That is how you get beheaded.”
I gesture toward every single other person—both human and nonhuman—clambering on in without a care in the world. Most look bored out of their minds. And then there’s us… convinced death is upon us and prepared to fight our way through it.
“It’s not living. It’s made of metal!” I explain.
“I am disappointed in you.”
What the hell did I do?
And off the subway goes, leaving us standing here in battle position.
“This is fine. This is very much fine,” I mumble to myself.
“You seem lifeless; clearly these things have sucked the very life from your bones,” Torin declares.
“Trust me, it wasn’t the subway that did that.”
“Come, servant, we will use these legs we were given and walk to our next destination.”
“Okay,” I say, lulling him into a false sense of security so he releases me just as another subway car stops in front of me and I swiftly walk right through those open doors.
It’s rather crowded, but there’s enough space for us as the “god” stands there looking absolutely flabbergasted that I went against his wishes.
I give him a grin and pull out my phone, prepared to text Imani that I lost the godly creature somewhere on the subway line, when he slides his hands in between the doors just as they are closing and forces them open.
The recording of “Please stand clear of the doors” begins going off as he takes one step and then another into the car.
All eyes shift to him, and I can feel the way the crowd tenses up.
Seeing nonhuman beings isn’t unusual, but even though Torin appears human, there’s something different about him.
Something that makes it impossible to look away.
Tension fills the subway car as the realization hits the crowd that the lives of every single person here are in this man’s hands.
I don’t blame them. While they haven’t experienced it, I saw it in the way he handled the hellhound, moving so quickly I could barely track him, not to mention the strength it took to cut the beast’s head clean off.
And Imani is just letting him go with me?
Does she realize this too and is trying to keep me near him in case he’s here with ill intentions? Does she still think I’m the person I used to be?
What a joke.
The doors shut and he steps up to me while everyone holds their breath. It’s like they are now convinced this man is here to murder me, and they’re not sure whether they want to run or watch.
“You dare leave me, Torin the Great God of—”
The subway takes off and Torin immediately loses his balance. He grabs me by the front of my shirt, ripping me right off my feet before we go sprawling into the crowd of onlookers who get to catch our bodies, and Torin nearly depants a guy as he goes down.
And I just… start laughing.
Here I am, clinging to a stranger while Kit hangs on, nails digging into my shoulder.
I’m deliriously laughing at a god who has his arms wrapped around a man’s waist, his face smashed right up against the man’s junk as the subway chugs along toward its final destination without a single care in the world.
“You dare laugh at me?” Torin barks.
“This is karma for trying to be so badass for no reason at all. Your face when you fell!”
“Tell this beast to slow the fuck down!”
I manage to choke down my laughter long enough to apologize to the man who caught me and then head over to help Torin up. By the time I reach him, the subway car has stopped and the doors have opened.
Torin rushes for the open doors only for them to shut in his face and off we go again.
“What a disobedient creature!”
This time, I grab him and press him against a bar, which he hangs on to like it might save his life.
“I will assassinate this creature as soon as it stops moving.”
I stand in front of him while I try to fight off my smile. “Torin, it’s fine. It’s just moving fast, so you lost your balance. It’s nothing to be so embarrassed over.”
His eyes narrow. “I’ve never been embarrassed once in my life.”
“For sure,” I say as I pull out my phone and order pizza for delivery while he’s busy cussing out the subway.
Then I snap a picture of Torin hugging the bar for dear life and send it to Imani.
Me: I don’t think he’s going to make it. What do you think happens to us when we lose a god on the subway line?
Me: Actually, I think I might leave him on here. Make sure you catch him on the return trip.
Imani: Are you terrorizing the man? He’s a literal god and you’re… what the hell are you doing, Riley?
Me: I laughed in his face when he fell.
I look up at Torin. “We’re getting off at the next stop. Think you can do it?”
“We are taking horses from now on. Fuck this shit. The mounts in this realm are less than desirable. So is the hospitality.”
“Understandable,” I say as the doors open up and I grab his hand, helping him through them where he spins around and kicks the side of the subway a second before it takes off again.
He seems gratified. “Did you see it run in fear?”
“Ah, yes, sure did. It cowered under the feel of your boot.”
Torin perks up a bit at that, pleased to have thoroughly disciplined the subway, as I lead him up the stairs and out into the street.
His head is on a swivel the entire way while he takes in all of the people, the noise, and the chaos. I have to assume by this point that wherever this man came from, technology doesn’t exist like it does here.
We weave our way through the alleys toward a back road that is much quieter, finally walking up to an apartment building.
“This is your home?”
“Yes… well, an apartment inside the building.”
He follows me up the stairs to the third floor and over to my door which I open before waving him inside. He glances around and nods. “Your foyer is nice and open.”
“Uh… no… this is my home. Kitchen, living room, and bedroom all in one room. Cozy, right? At least the toilet is behind a door.”
Torin is quiet for a moment before going, “This disgusts me.”
“Good.”
The “god” looks around the room and immediately declares the space inhospitable for him.
“This is where you chose to keep me? Is this a joke? Do I need to reiterate the whole—”
Cutting him off, I say, “I’m just a lowly peasant who welcomed you into my humble home.
Please, take pity on me and blame those who placed you in my care.
What you should do is climb back inside the subway beast and ride it back to that place we were just at and demand justice from them.
Someone of your high caliber should never be left to suffer as you have. ”
He nods. “You are right. You are merely a peasant, and you’ve extended what little you have toward me. I am grateful to you for sharing what you have.”
I scowl at the man and question who decided my fate on this boring Friday.