Chapter 26
Chapter Twenty-Six
The other mage’s name is Dan. Since he and Bruce helped us out, I decide to help heal the three other people in their party—after we tied them to some trees.
It doesn’t take long for them to come to, since they were mostly out due to smoke inhalation. Like Bruce, however, they still have a nagging cough.
They likely attacked because I’m breaking the quests, but I want to know more. By their titles, I can tell they’re all Zeus followers. Because of that, this feels like more than anger about the quests breaking.
I have even more questions about what the fuck is up with Tara. However, she’s rooted and silenced by the tree’s roots Miko summoned. If it weren’t for her eyes watching us, I’d assume she was dead. She’s lucky her tree didn’t catch fire.
“Why did you attack us?” I ask. I’m directing my question to Dan, but I’m open to accepting answers from any of them.
“You’re breaking the quests,” Dan answers. “We can’t get any of them done now. If we don’t level up…” His throat bobs. “I just want out of here, you know?”
“So, you thought you’d kill me?”
Dan doesn’t answer. He just focuses on the hem of his robes that he’s fussing with.
“Yeah, well, I’m going to move past that, since you helped bring Cait back,” I say.
“Don’t let him off the hook so easily,” Cait says. “They were all willing to commit murder instead of even just talking to you.”
“It’s not exactly like that,” Bruce says. “We all met at the temple at Ephesus while waiting in line to talk to Zeus, so we’re all bound to the same deity. We have to do what he tells us to do.”
“Are you saying Zeus wants me dead?” I ask. If he does, I’m way more fucked than I thought I was.
“You either play the game by his rules or you’re out,” Dan says.
“And by out, you mean dead?”
“Yeah…” Dan gulps. “He’s going to kill us.”
“I’m sure he’ll—”
“No,” Bruce says. “He really will. He killed Lars when he said he didn’t want to attack another player.”
“Fuck,” I mutter. “No wonder you came at us.”
Miko elbows Guy in the side. “You gotta get the grapes.”
Guy frowns. “I can only call on that boon once a day. So, like, I can convert one person now, but it will be days before they’re all saved.”
“Convert?” Dan asks.
“Yeah,” Miko responds. “Guy can help other players switch over to Team Dionysus if they eat one of his magic grapes.”
Dan and Bruce look at each other with hopeful astonishment. The three tied up men respond with a chorus of pleas.
“Like I said,” Guy says, “I can only do this once a day. It’s still a risk.”
“Give it to Bruce,” Dan says right away. “He can revive the dead. So if Zeus kills one of us, he can bring them back.”
Miko shakes her head. “It’s not like that. Dionysus gives you a new class, and you won’t have any of your new powers until you go to bed.”
Dan’s face falls but then he shakes it. “Give it to him anyway,” he says. “He’s the one who just wanted us to knock the cleric out instead of kill her.”
“Are you sure?” Guy asks.
“Yes,” Dan says.
The other three party members shout, arguing that they each should have the first one. I wonder which one of them killed Cait. I’d love to shove my fist down his throat.
A magic grape appears in Guy’s hand. With solemnity, Bruce plucks the grape and gives Dan a long look. “Maybe we can save you, too…”
Bruce bites into the grape, looking guilty the moment he does. He knows what all of us are trying hard not to. The moment Zeus realizes they’ve failed, everyone in their party but Bruce is dead.
Like Miko, within a few seconds of eating the grape, Bruce is moaning with pure rapture. He holds onto Dan’s shoulder, locking eyes with him. “This is amazing,” he whispers. “It’s like…like…like you.”
Oh, so that’s why Dan wanted Bruce to have the first grape. These two are in love.
My gaze flickers over to Cait, and I see that she’s already looking at me. There’s no mistaking the expression in her eyes, on her lips. I dreamed you kissed me, she’d said it with a smile.
The “Kiss Her” quest isn’t marked as complete, which isn’t a surprise. Aphrodite would want it to be romantic, reciprocal, not a desperate attempt to bring someone back to life.
“Seems their mage and healer are also an item,” Guy whispers to me.
I’m shaken from my reverie and brought back to the real world where we all almost died and I’m mentally cheating on Guy. All in all, today sucks balls.
“Should we trust them enough to untie them?” Miko asks Dan, pointing at the other three Zeus worshippers that are currently bound.
Dan and Bruce share an uncertain look, then Dan says, “You should get on the ship first. They’re pretty desperate to avoid execution.”
“You’re not thinking of staying behind to untie them, are you?” Bruce asks.
“Someone has to,” Dan answers.
“If Zeus doesn’t kill you, they will!” Bruce responds. “We should travel with this group. If you can just make it to tomorrow, Guy can give you a grape.”
“Isaac has a kid at home,” Dan insists. “If there’s a chance I can save him, I have to take it. Tomorrow isn’t promised to any of us, but maybe Zeus will understand.”
Bruce doesn’t look convinced in the least. Zeus doesn’t sound like a forgiving deity. Even if Dan travels with us, there’s no guarantee that he’ll make it to tomorrow. He knows that, knows that he may actually be putting the man he loves in danger.
Dan turns to us. “Can I talk to Bruce in private for a moment?” he asks.
We all agree. They need whatever time Zeus will allow them to say their goodbyes. I wish Aphrodite had given me the favor to convert. Despite their attack, I can see the good in them, and their desperation makes sense. I’m so powerless to help these two, and it’s eating me up.
We make our way to Tara, who’s still bound and gagged by the tree she’d once hidden behind.
“A literal back stabber,” Miko hisses when we draw near.
For someone so new to our group, she’s certainly angry about Tara.
I mean, we all are, but she hasn’t had the time to form an emotional connection with our rogue.
“When my friends betrayed me, all they did was pretend they didn’t know me. At least they didn’t try to kill me.”
“Hold on a minute,” Sylvia interjects. “We should at least hear Tara out. Maybe she was confused or something. She’s always been there for us.”
Miko rolls her eyes. “Fine, I’ll unwrap the root from her mouth, but I’m sure all you’ll hear from her are lies. She is a rogue after all.”
One root uncoils, exposing Tara’s face. There’s a band of what looks like rug burn stretched over her lips and past her jaw lines. She gasps, gulping in as much air as possible. The root must have made it difficult to even breathe through her nose.
We give her a moment to collect herself and then Guy asks, “Why, Tara? Why did you attack Lauren and me?”
Tara’s head droops with exhaustion and perhaps guilt, so when she looks at Guy, she’s peering up at him from a down-turned face. Terror fills her eyes. Is she afraid we’re going to kill her outright? No, there’s something more.
“I-I don’t know,” she says. “It was like you were different people, like you were the enemy.”
“You confused us with the Zeus worshippers?” Guy asks.
“No, I suddenly believed with all my heart that you all were evil or something.” She shakes her head and then lifts it so that we can see that her cheeks are wet with tears.
“I had no control over it. It was only after the battle that my mind cleared, and I realized what I’d just done. I don’t understand it. It’s…it’s…”
“Horrifying…” Sylvia says, and Tara nods.
“I’m sorry,” she says. “I’m so much more than sorry.”
I’m ready to forgive her. Right from the beginning, she’s been there for me.
She was the first to tell everyone to slow down, that I needed time to adjust. She’s so distraught that I want to wrap her in a big hug, but there’s a tree keeping me from doing that.
Though, even if she was perfectly free, I have no way of knowing she wouldn’t plant a dagger into me the moment I got within arm’s reach.
“Someone or something messed with her head,” Cait says. “There’s no way she would do this if she was in her right mind.”
“She’s lying!” Miko insists. “It’s all over her deceitful face. How can you all be so blind to that?”
“You haven’t known her as long as we have,” Sylvia says. “She’s my best friend! One of the Zeus worshippers must have done this to her. Once we’re all on the ship, she’ll be fine.”
“No!” Tara shouts. “Don’t take me on that ship!”
“Tara, we believe you,” Sylvia says.
Miko crosses her arms. “I don’t.”
“I couldn’t control myself, y’all,” Tara continues. “I can’t guarantee this won’t happen again. You need to leave me behind.”
“All by yourself?” Guy says. “You’re bound by a tree!”
“I’ll free her,” Dan says.
We turn to see that Dan and Bruce have both joined us. Each of them has a look of resolve, and they’re holding hands tightly.
“Once you’re far from my view, I’ll use one of my spells to unbind her from the roots,” Dan continues.
“And she won’t be alone,” Bruce adds. “I’ll be with her.”
“We’ll be with her,” Dan corrects. “Zeus may let me live.”
Bruce nods at his love, but there’s no hope in his eyes.
“So you’re both staying here,” I ask Bruce.
“I want whatever time I can get with Dan,” he answers. “Whether that’s a day or a minute.”
I think of Mom lying in her hospice bed, staring blankly at a TV show we used to love watching together.
There was no sign that she had any idea I was there, but I took whatever I could get.
I held her hand, talked to her, stroked her hair, laid my head on her chest so I could feel the comfort of her heartbeat…
My whole motivation to bring Aphrodite her offering was so that I could get even a moment more with my mother.
Lately, I’ve been pretty distracted by love, though.
Another stirring of guilt aches in my guts.
“I understand,” I say.
“Take this grape at least,” Guy says to Dan. “It might work while I’m gone, and Zeus might let you have tomorrow.”
Dan nods and accepts Guy’s gift. “Thank you. You had every right to slaughter us for what we did.”
“We don’t kill players,” Cait responds. “They’re not the enemy.”
She’s right, but now I don’t think the NPCs are the enemy either. I don’t want to admit who I think the villains are. I’ve already gotten on Zeus’s shitlist.
Though I’ve only known Tara for a couple of weeks, it’s hard saying goodbye. One less friend, one less comfort in this cruel game that we’re all trapped in. But we still bid our farewells, we still walk away, and we still board the ship that will take us to Thrace.