take care of her? How can I keep my promise if I’m not there to keep her in line? What if her mama dies before I get back? She remembered her dream. Oh, my gosh, what if she’s already dead? All Shalee’s unspoken questions and more would go unanswered.
“Allow me a moment to think,” Bassorine demanded. He looked at Sam. “I believe this to be the handiwork of Lasidious. He’s a master of deception. He must know the location of the Crystal Moon. I’ll check with the others of the Collective to see if they have knowledge of his actions.”
Sam could not believe his ears. “You allowed a master of deception to talk you into letting us touch your crystal? Doesn’t that seem—?”
Bassorine gave Sam a look.
Knowing he was pushing the issue, Sam changed the subject. “So what about George? He fell through the floor with the base of your statue.”
Bassorine tapped the butt end of the staff he was holding against the front of his boot. “If Lasidious is behind this, he must have a reason for George being here. None of the others know of this mortal. I was not expecting Lasidious to place you on Grayham before the Peak. If I had known, none of this would have happened. Lasidious can be unpredictable. I was not anticipating a summons by the crystal until Late Bailem.”
Sam rolled his eyes at Shalee, careful to show only her his disgust of the situation and then responded. “If you didn’t expect us to be here until later ... assuming Late Bailem does mean later ... why did you release your hold on the Crystal Moon before this so-called Peak?”
Bassorine knew he had made a mistake, but he was not about to admit it. The god looked the fighter in the eyes. “Who are you to question me when determining the proper moment in which to do anything? I’ve listened to you make judgments, and I’ve had enough. I suggest you concentrate on fixing the problem, instead of badgering me. Do I make myself clear? I won’t allow a mortal to speak to me in this manner.”
Sam was dying inside. He wanted to tell Bassorine he was an idiot. Instead, he held his tongue. “I’m sorry.”
Shalee, now able to reclaim her speech, piped in. “Why not just kick this Lasidious guy’s behind? You can get the Crystal Moon back yourself while you’re at it. You should be fixin’ your own mess, not us. Fetch the base of your statue, and while you’re at it, put your little crystal back on it. That’s what you should be doing.”
Shalee continued. “I have obligations. This problem of yours doesn’t concern me. You said it yourself. You’re the God of War. Don’t you have the power? Are you weak or something?”
Bassorine remained patient. “It’s not that simple. Your misguided rant is a waste of my moments. Not all the gods choose a side.”
Shalee was about to rebut, but the god silenced her once more. “Some of us stay neutral in events of good and evil. We believe in free will. I’m the God of War, but I don’t determine the alliance that wins a confrontation.
“I love to battle, both hard and fierce, but I do not care who holds the balance of power. When the Collective came to me with this idea, I agreed only because of the entertainment it would provide. We’re gods, and if the worlds are destroyed, we have the power to create others. The Collective will view this struggle as a game. I prefer to think of the gods’ manipulations as an everlasting game of chess.
Bassorine pointed at Sam and then at Shalee. “You will be my pawns. The struggle for power shall not manifest in the form of a war amongst the Collective, but rather, war will manifest across the worlds. I’ll use you to keep as many of my chess pieces on the board as possible.”
“I’m not a chess piece,” Sam protested.
“Me neither,” Shalee added, moving closer to the fighter’s side. “I’m with him.”
Bassorine shook his head. “You are what I say you are. There will be no further conversation regarding this matter.”
“Free will. Yeah, right,” Sam grumbled. “What a joke.”
Shalee started to object, but Bassorine silenced them both with a wave of his hand. “The only reason I care is because a trick has been played, and my control over the Crystal Moon has been stolen. I would like the Crystal Moon back, but it is not essential I