Storm Born Page 0,39

To one side I saw a room that must have served as a bathroom, judging from the giant marble tub. Opposite that, a parlor of sorts extended off on the other side of the room. He beckoned me there to an ornate chair with velvet cushions.

"Wine?" he asked, picking up a crystal decanter from a little table.

"You know the answer to that."

"I'm sure a small taste won't hurt."

"Yeah, and Persephone thought a few pomegranate seeds wouldn't hurt either. Now she rules the Underworld."

He poured himself a glass and sat down in a chair facing mine at an angle. "Would it be so bad to rule here?"

"I'm going to ignore that question. Now look, I need to talk to you about a guy named Aeson. He kidnapped a human girl - "

Dorian waved a hand to stop me. "No business yet."

"But I need to get her back soon - "

"And I will help you, I swear it. Now. One more hour won't matter. Sit with me, and I'll tell you a story."

"A story? You're serious?"

"My dear Odile, I assure you I am always serious - well, no, actually that's a lie. Most of the time I'm not. But this time I happen to be. So make yourself comfortable."

I sighed, slouched back in the chair, and took out the other Milky Way. Seeing his eyes on it, I broke it in half and handed him a piece. Nodding his thanks, he ate it with the wine, something that looked ridiculous and nearly made me smile.

"Now. Tell me something. Have you ever heard the story of Storm King?"

"No. Is or was he a real guy?"

"Very real."

"So what, is there, like, a Storm Land or something?"

"Not exactly. He did rule a vast area, but the title was more honorary due to his ability to control storms and the weather."

"Sounds reasonable."

He quirked me a half-smile. "I'm guessing you don't realize just how important that is."

"Not really. I mean, all of you have some kind of magic, right? Why not storms?"

"Ah, but to control storms and the weather is to literally control the elements. Water. Air. The fire of lightning. To see him in his fury was a terrible and amazing thing. He could call down the very heavens to smite his enemies. Few of us have such strength. I've never seen his equal, and I've lived almost two centuries. Even when crossing into your world, his powers didn't dim."

"What do your own powers do?" That was probably something I should have known before being alone with him.

"I can summon and control materials that come from within the earth. Dirt. Rocks. Magma on occasion."

"The magma sounds cool, but the rest...well, sorry. Not so impressive."

Those golden eyes sparkled. "I could call down the stones that have built this keep and reduce the entire building to a pile of rubble within minutes."

I glanced around us. "Yeah. Okay. That's impressive."

"Thank you. Anyway. With power like that, he inevitably drew followers. In those days, we were more fractured...split into smaller kingdoms. Our political and geographic divisions are always changing. Storm King sought to remedy this. He conquered and united a number of the smaller rulers, attempting to unite all of the shining ones under his rule. He made astounding progress."

"Was he a good king?" I was getting sucked in despite my best resistance.

"Depends on how you define 'good.' He was a good war leader, certainly. And he was ruthless - which is an ugly but sometimes necessary part of ruling. But, with such power, he had no qualms about taking what he wanted - no matter the inconvenience to others. Those who angered him died without question. If he wanted land, he took it. If he wanted a woman, he took her. Some of those women thought it was an honor, some were taken forcibly." Dorian paused, giving me a look both studious and sympathetic. "Some were human."

I stiffened. "Like Aeson."

"Unfortunately, yes."

"'Unfortunately'? You're one of them. You must have a thing for humans."

"Of course I do. We all do - men and women alike. You all smell like musk and sex. It screams fertility. It calls to our most basic, primal instincts to reproduce. For a people whose children are dwindling, that means something. So, yes, I understand men like Storm King and Aeson, but" - he shrugged - "I've never been with a woman who didn't want me, never taken one by force. Not even a human."

"You seem to be in the minority."

"No, as I told you earlier, it's