“He thinks I belong to him. Not MIngan as much as that thing that possesses him.” Elloreah explained in disgust. “I barely tolerate him, and whatever is left of the man the god possesses knows full and well why.”
Tallis shook her head, sadly. “Mingan is a good...”
“Bullshit. Mingan is what he is,” Elloreah snapped. “Now stop distracting me,” she muttered and turned her attention back on Belita.
Tallis nodded, biting her tongue. Belita sat stark still, her gut twisting in fear. With the power even she could feel radiating off of Mingan and Elloreah’s flash of anger, she knew she was caught in a very volatile position, and wished nothing more than to escape. Even Tallis was intimidated, despite her own Mythic nature.
“Bring a mirror,” Elloreah commanded, not bothering to look up from her stencil work, checking over her designs. Tallis obeyed, silently and brought a mirror, holding it up so Belita could see the stencils on her chest and right shoulder. The designs were stunning, really, but she still shivered at the thought of being tattooed.
“Oh Reah,” Belita gasped, running her fingertips over the design.
Elloreah catching Belita's hand before she could smudge her hard work and slipped behind her, enjoying the view of her own handiwork in the mirror that Tallis held up patently. “We’ll use a light brown. They’ll be like lace,” she whispered into Belita's ear, wrapping her free arm around the girl's waist as she settled onto the bench behind her.
Belita nodded and Tallis stood, checking over the tools once more before slipping out of the room to retrieve Mingan. Elloreah leaned down to kiss Belita’s neck. “I’m sorry, that you have to go through this,” she said against the girl’s olive skin. “Its the only way I can think of to protect you.”
“Branding the girl as your property,” Mingan’s rumble broke the intimacy of the moment. “Would hardly be necessary if you hadn't interfered in her life to begin with.”
“You’re one to talk,” Elloreah growled, and Belita could feel her friend's muscles tense, ready to rise to a challenge should he make the first move.
Belita took a breath, and moved to stand. “Listen, this can wait, if you two need to...”
“No,” they responded in unison. Elloreah held tight to her, pulling her back down to the bench.
“Come on Bell, we need to get this done, time is running short.”
“I don’t feel entirely comfortable with him putting a needle to my skin while you are insulting him,” Belita clarified.
Mingan chuckled as he stirred the inks. “Don’t worry, my dear. Her sharp tongue doesn’t cut nearly as deep as she’d like to think.” He went about checking the items Tallis had expertly laid out on the table. He then turned to examine the carefully stenciled symbols Elloreah had woven artfully across Belita’s creamy brown skin.
“Beautiful work,” Mingan commented, “you really do have a talent for it.”
Elloreah's response was a muttered, “Thanks,” as she buried her face into Belita's thick hair. Belita laughed a little, relaxing slightly at the thought of Elloreah being embarrassed by the praise.
“You laughing at me?” Elloreah said softly into her ear, hugging the girl more tightly.
“Never,” Belita hissed back, still smiling.
YOU ARE READING
Fabula Obscrua
Short StoryElloreah comes from a world of light and dark, good and evil, and everlasting life and turmoil. She is cast into the land of mortals and faced with the balancing act of being one of the would be gods of this world. These are the stories of her life...
