Tributes

Chapter Twenty Nine

Tyreol pressed his hand against the door to the garden. It was the only place Luke could have gone in order for the doomed soul to be safe. The trees loved the man too much to go against his wishes and the trees only followed their own desires. He allowed them to remain because they did protect his castle when needed and followed most of the rules set down. Occasionally they misbehaved but some fire and cutting usually put them back into order shortly. Still meant dealing with them was going to be troublesome.

"Let me in," he ordered, his word still law in the castle, as much as the trees hated it.

'No,' a sulkly collective replied.

"Let me have them back please," Tyreol commanded softly, knowing how to treat the trees correctly. They were clever creatures, even if they sounded like a pouting child from time to time.  "They don't belong to you and you know how Luke feels when you steal him away for too long," he warned.

"He's tired. Needs rest. Needs protection," They countered but the vines became to loosen. They knew Tyreol had the right to see his tribute. Sometimes they stole Luke away for weeks. Weeks which Luke hated dearly. Or rather he hated being unaware for that length of time. His time with the trees was always refreshing to him, but the side effects were not wanted. It was also a good way to ensure he avoided them however and they did not what that. "You may enter. But the bloodied one may not," they declared finally, still not looking the sulking feel to their communication.

Tyreol turned and looked at the black-hearted dungeon master who was all but clawing at the doors. He wanted this human returned to him. Tyreol had few choices. Once a human had been given their fate, there was little he could do to intervene. But he wanted too. And he doubted Luke would be content with just 'No, the human is a whore now'.

He would just have to hope the girl's bound to the boy wasn't that strong. Though he knew he was kidding himself there. This was the perfect way to ensure that she hated him. To put a friend of hers in the whorehouse. The image of her speaking up, scared and looking like she wanted nothing more than to disappear. But brave enough to interrupt and help her friend.

There must be a way to do this. A rule had been broken somewhere but that didn't necessarily give him the power to free the man from his fate.

"They will only let me in," Tyreol said firmly, "Wait outside," he commanded before pushing himself against the vines. The plants pulled him through and into the garden beyond as the dungeon master screeched. He growled and rolled his shoulders. He disliked that man intensely.

He looked around the garden calmly. It was either the safest or most dangerous place in the castle depending on who you were. For Tyreol there was nowhere he could step in his castle where he was not safe. He looked up and noticed the upper layer windows had been covered with vines. The trees had ensured Luke's privity here.

Tyreol's eyes moved over the trees, as he walked through the garden carefully. Anywhere else and he wouldn't have cared about his footing, but the trees got moody if he trambled over their roots. It was the same thing as not stepping on people's feet. It was polite not to do it. He spotted the doomed human straight away. He was laying on the ground with a blanket of moss over him. He blinked slightly surprised. There was no doubt that it had been placed there by the vines. They looked after who was in the garden.

The human stirred, his eyes opening and looking up at the god. The human's filled with fear. And another scent reached his nose. Something not many creatures other than gods would be able to smell. He blinked but didn't say anything. The sort of magic was bad news.