Gameboard of the Gods (Age of X #1)(132)
Author: Richelle Mead

Whatever satisfaction Justin felt at learning Mae was ignoring Lucian was immediately killed when he got to “clever compromise.” The world came grinding to a halt, and Justin gripped the arms of his chair. Clever compromise. Those were the words Geraki had used in the Internal Security holding cell when he’d claimed the god he served had a message for Justin. Yield your stars and flowers and accept the clever compromise.

That was what this god wanted? For Justin to help set Mae up on a faux date with Lucian? It was ridiculous.

You promised Geraki you would, Horatio warned him. When he helped you find the Morrigan. You said you’d do what our boss asked.

That was before I knew what it was! No way am I going to help set Mae up with Lucian, even for something like this. He just wants her because he can’t have her. He knows nothing about her except that the pants she had on when they met made her ass look great.

I thought you weren’t interested in her, jabbed Horatio.

It’s not interest. I’m stating a fact. Why aren’t you chiming in, Magnus?

The other raven sounded forlorn. Because I don’t know what to do. We have to obey our god. But I don’t want to give her to him. I just can’t trust him.

But one thing that came out of this was Justin’s acceptance that he needed to do something very unwelcome and very unpleasant: talk to Geraki. This time, with no cameras and no pretenses from either of them. Justin had to go in with as much out in the open as he could. He called Geraki—who was irritatingly gleeful—and set up a meeting for the following day, just before Cornelia’s debriefing.

When Justin showed up at the designated restaurant, Geraki was already there, sitting at a dark corner table that seemed to have been designed for him.

“You can’t imagine how delighted I was by your call last night.” Geraki grinned as Justin took a chair. “Is it a breach of the restraining order if you seek me out?”

“Depends on what you do.” Justin brought up the menu screen and ordered bourbon. After a moment’s consideration, he made it a double.

“I miss that, you know,” said Geraki. “I used to love a good Pinot Noir.”

“I know a guy who makes some, but it’s not actually any good. Still, you could probably get a discount on it.”

Geraki nodded to the glass of water on the table. “I have to keep my body pure now, in order to hear my master’s voice.”

“Are we going to finally talk about your god? The one whose name no one will tell me?”

“We’re here to talk about anything you like. You’re the one who contacted me.”

Justin took a deep breath. It was now or never. “I finally figured out that message you gave me—about yielding my stars and flowers. I know what it means.”

“I don’t.” Geraki sipped his water with as much reverence as he’d give a fine wine. “It made no sense to me then or now. I just relayed the message. Are you going to fulfill its terms? You promised, you know. I helped you, and you gave your word to him.”

“Your master.”

“Our master,” corrected Geraki.

“Great. Are we back to us being brothers? My master is a woman with terrible hair who hates me.”

“Why are you asking me questions if you don’t believe the answers?” asked Geraki. “And what answer do you actually expect me to give that you would believe?”

“I don’t know,” Justin admitted. He felt weary and wished he’d taken more Exerzol.

“Then why are you here?”

“Because I’ve seen things—wondrous and terrible things that have no human explanation. And I accept—I had to a long time ago—that there are powerful forces in our world. The thing is, I know there’s something bigger going on. I can feel it. It’s more than a jumble of gods and supernatural feats. There’s a pattern, but I can’t find this one—or where I fit in.”

Geraki laughed softly. “That’s maddening for you, isn’t it? Not being in on the master plan.”

Justin’s response was interrupted when a waitress came by with his bourbon. She had cropped brown hair and no bra on under her white tank top. A silver tongue piercing glittered when she spoke, reminding him of a girl he’d gone out with in college. After blatantly checking him out, she smiled and sauntered away.

Geraki grimaced. “You don’t waste time, do you?”

“Or opportunities.”

“You’re wasting a woman who’s worth ten of that one.”

“Who, Mae?” Justin shook his head. “No. There’s nothing like that going on between us.”

“Then you must be an idiot.” The ravens loved that. “She’s a powerful elect who can’t help but attract the divine.”

“Yeah, we kind of noticed, seeing as she finally broke free from a death goddess that’s stalked her since birth.”

“There’ll be more trying to woo her.” Geraki got an eerie gleam in his eye, making him look very much like the prophet he claimed to be. Justin suddenly had a flashback to Mae burning with light and life in Claude’s temple, when the ravens said another god had made a move on her. “It’ll be interesting to see who gains her services. She’s a remarkable woman. Magnificent.”

“Well, if you’re so interested in her, she’s available.”

The self-righteous look on Geraki’s face told Justin what was coming. “I no longer engage in carnal activity. I told you, a prophet’s body must be pure to hear the god’s voice. A priest, on the other hand…” He shrugged. “You have a different role. You have no restrictions with a woman like that.”

“And I told you I don’t want her.”

“Then you must be an idiot,” Geraki repeated. “Which makes it stranger that you were chosen by our god. But we’ll put aside the glorious woman you allegedly don’t want. Obviously, you’ve seen something else of note, if not her.”

“I’ve seen lots of things. I’ve seen the servants of a death goddess turn to smoke and gain supernatural strength and speed. I’ve seen genetically perfect people created from sacrifices to that same goddess. I fought a woman who turned into a jaguar. I’ve watched your ‘prophecies’ come true. I saw two ravens appear out of thin air and save my life, and now they won’t leave me alone.” Justin had no idea why he was spilling all of this. At least no one would believe Geraki anyway if he repeated it.