Flame of Cytherea: Cytherean Chronicles book 1 (2 page)

First, she took him on a tour of the place.
 
The kitchen was large.
 
A huge island was in the middle of the room
with many wood burning stoves along the walls.
 
Outside of the stoves, pots, and pans, everything else was made of finished
good quality wood.
 
Through the kitchen
doors was a large room with a bar along one wall.
 
The center of the room was all tables and
chairs, and a small stage was on the opposite wall from the bar.
 
There was a fireplace, but no fire was lit as
it was warm outside.
 
She led him up the
stairs and showed him where he would be bedding down.

He thought she was probably teasing him from his obvious
ogling earlier.
 
She kept touching his
arm and back as she led him around, flirting just a bit.
 
He wasn’t about to argue about it though he
just flirted back a bit, keeping eye contact just a second or two longer than
normal.

His room wasn’t much, just a small, maybe eight by six
room.
 
There was a small bed, and a foot
locker inside.
 
That was it.
 
Of course, he couldn’t complain, he didn’t
have anything at all except the clothes on his back.

He was also impressed with how clean it all was, he knew
from history that Earth in a time before technology and advanced medical
knowledge was not clean at all.
 
She then
introduced him to the other people working there.

Cynthia was about thirty, she took care of the bedding
during the day and was a server for the evening meal.
 
Ben was an older man, maybe fifty though he
was bad at guessing ages, Ben was a cook and split firewood, a chore he would
be sharing from now on he guessed.

He was right of course, he followed her back to where the
tour started and she gave him an axe.
 
He
had split wood before, but now, it was almost too easy.
 
He was definitely much stronger.
 
She stayed for a minute, watching him.
 
He turned and could see something in her eyes
he couldn’t quite identify.
 
But she was
definitely checking him out as he split the wood.

He asked carelessly before splitting another piece, “So, how
does a beautiful young woman wind up running an inn?”

Oh crap.
 
He just
wanted to talk and get to know her, why does stupid shit keep coming out of his
mouth?
 
It had sounded good in his head,
but when he said it out loud it sounded like the winner in a bad pickup line
contest.

Her face tightened into a grimace, “Why, don’t think a
simple woman can do so?”

That response brought him up short.
 
He thought a moment, splitting another piece,
giving himself time to think.
 
He had
expected her to tease, mock, or laugh at the pathetic attempt at flirting, not
at all expecting what she said.
 
He knew
nothing of this world… were women considered less here?
 
Based on her reaction it looked like that was
the basic sentiment at least that she faced.
 
He almost took too long to answer, but before she could say anything
else, he got his thoughts composed and spoke.

“Not at all, I meant to give you a compliment and learn more
about you.
 
Is… gender inequality an
issue here?
 
I literally got here today,
I know nothing of your society, customs or even laws.
 
My old home was… different.
 
I also want to thank you for the job.”

He felt relief when her countenance softened, she said,
“Your welcome.”

She continued in a softer tone, “As for how I came to run
this tavern, I inherited it after the raids three years ago.
 
I’m… sorry I jumped to conclusions.
 
Just the fact that you’re willing to work for
me should have shown me you don’t feel that way.
 
But yes, many doubted my ability after I took
over merely because I am female.”

“Raids?”
 
He worried
about all the things he didn’t know.
 
Whole new world…

They talked for a while longer.
 
He learned the planet’s name was Cytherea,
named after a goddess.
 
He was skeptical
about that, but wasn’t about to insult a religion.
 
Who knows, he got here somehow didn’t
he?
 
It sure as hell wasn’t in a space
ship.

The town they were in was called
Nerin
,
which was in the southern part of the kingdom of Abelaweth, named so after the
founding King.
 
Abelaweth was still a
monarchy, the king had absolute rule, but she told him that the taxes were
fair, and they weren’t overly bothered much down here.

The downside of course, was the raiders that encroached
every few years from the South.
 
The
kingdom to the south was called
Egeria
.
 
They usually came in, took slaves, raped and
pillaged, then fled back south before the king could respond with troops from
the northern part of the kingdom.

He took a break from history and asked some questions about
her, hoping he didn’t stick his foot in his mouth again.
 
He was attracted to her beauty, but the more
he spoke to her and learned about her, the more he wanted to know.
 
She was sharp, witty and beautiful.

He still had a great number of things he wanted to know but…

“As much as I’d like to, I can’t stand here and ogle you all
day chopping wood while you
ply
me with questions, I
have things to do.
 
We can talk more tonight,
after the tavern closes.”

She winked and turned away, he couldn’t help staring at her
long toned legs and backside as she made her way back inside.
 
He turned back and returned to chopping
wood.
 
He wasn’t sure how much would be
needed, but he imagined it was a lot to keep the kitchen going.
 
While chopping he mulled over his situation,
the steady movements and repetitiveness of the task helped keep him grounded.

He was a little overwhelmed, he missed his grandparents, and
friends back home, and the list would only grow.
 
On top of that his mind kept returning to
Kat.
 
He found her intoxicating.
 
She was smart, driven, didn’t take shit yet
didn’t come across as bitchy at all, and had shown him kindness.
 
Even respect despite his obvious cluelessness
in the forest.
 
Without her he would be
truly screwed, he had no idea how to survive in the wild, or where he could go…

There may have been other opportunities here, but the
village was small, there probably wasn’t many job openings for a stranger.
 
Especially an unskilled one.
 
It also didn’t hurt that she was one of the
most attractive woman that he ever laid eyes on.

He lost track of the time as his thoughts wandered, by the
time Kat called him in he was surprised how much he had gotten done…

Waiting tables was… hard.
 
He couldn’t imagine how the waiters and waitresses back home did
it.
 
Here they had only one drink, ale,
and just one food choice.
 
Tonight was
venison stew and a small loaf of bread.
 
Things were going well after a while though, once he caught the rhythm
and flow of the people coming in and out.
 
That’s when the trouble started.

He walked over to a table full of drunk men with smirks on
their faces and asked what they wanted.

A very large man turned to his friend and said, “Jim, what
is the world coming to these days, men hired by a woman, running her own
business and making the man do a woman’s job.”

Jim shook his head in mock sadness, a smirk fighting at the
corner of his mouth, “I don’t know Bill, there’s just so much wrong with
everything you just said.
 
Miles, what do
you think.”

He froze not sure what to do, he was a part bouncer too as
he understood it, but he wasn’t sure a bunch of mocking assholes were grounds
to try and kick them out.

Miles said, “Yes, very sad.
 
But what I’d like to know is what kind of man would go along with
that.
 
It seems a speechless one.”

He was about to retort but he caught Cynthia shaking her
head at him, and she signaled that she’d take the table.
 
He turned and walked away, angry, but unsure
how things worked here.
 
He had no choice
but to be guided by the people that lived here, at least until he
understood.
 
It burned though, he was not
a coward and just walking away grated on his nerves.

Kat grabbed him and pulled him into the kitchen.

“I’m glad Cynthia got your attention.
 
Bill is an asshole, but everyone in town just
lets him be.
 
His talent is too strong to
do otherwise.”

Justin felt like he was missing something, she obviously
wasn’t talking about the piano, “Talent?”

She looked at him in shock, “Don’t you have magical talents
where you come from?
 
Everyone here has
one.
 
You saw mine of course, and Bill
can move things with his mind.
 
Everyone
is different, and most talents are harmless, his isn’t.”

Magical talents?
 
What
the hell.
 
He didn’t have one, there was
no way…
 
The not so comforting thought of
his body being stronger came to him, what if that wasn’t the only change
imposed on him?

He shook his head, “No, no one has them where I come from,
and I am pretty sure I still don’t, although… it’s possible,” he finished
grudgingly, really uncomfortable with the idea.
 
“How would I know?” he asked.

She sighed.
 
“You must
come from a strange place.
 
Talents are
different, but similar ones usually run in families.
 
My parents were both shape shifters as well,
though their animals were different.
 
But
it’s close enough that they knew how to draw it out of me.
 
If you do have one, it could be anything.
 
In those cases, which are usually orphans,
they have to wait until something triggers it.
 

“Usually a need.
 
But
it can’t be any need or want, it has to be something your talent will
address.
 
For me it was the desire to
hunt with my parents, for you… it could be anything.
 
But back to the reason I pulled you back
here.
 
No matter how good a fighter you
are, Bill could toss you across the room and put a dozen knives in you from a
dozen different tables without leaving his chair.

“That’s why we put up with him.
 
Thankfully people with the talents of
telekinesis and fire starters are rare.
 
There are other forms of magic as well, the rarest talent is to shape
magic itself which translates into having multiple talents, and lastly, some
few clerics in the temples can wield the power of the goddess.
 
But we have none of those here.”

Right… he tallied the weirdness in his head.
 
So far today, shot in an alley, wake up in a
forest, two
suns
, a moon-planet, a better stronger
body, new world, tons to learn which he was now rethinking due to the shock of
this new information, maybe ignorance would be better, and now magical talents
for all, what’s next?
 

Oh yeah, and rumors of a goddess…
 
He wondered if this first day would ever
end.
 
As he stared into Kat’s beautiful
expressive eyes that were showing concern for him, he decided that not everything
about today was bad.
 
He suddenly became
intensely aware of just how close their bodies were to each other.
 
He fought off the irrational urge to kiss her
senseless.

He cleared his throat uncomfortably, “Thanks, I had no
idea.
 
I mean, I knew you were the tiger,
but I didn’t know how or that everyone else could do… things.”
 
He couldn’t bring himself to say the word
magic.
 
He was also finding her scent to
be just a bit distracting and he was losing the point of the conversation.

“Just don’t ask other people about what they can do, it’s
considered rude.
 
If you stick around
long enough it’s not hard to figure out though.
 
Just steer clear of Bill out there and you should be fine.”

He nodded and thanked her, then headed back out into the
bustle, his body on autopilot as his mind tried to come to terms with this new
disturbing information.
 
It seemed as if
the whole town might be out there, as a distraction he focused on trying to
learn everyone’s name and face that he met…

As the lulls in the nights business got longer and longer,
he realized to his pleasure Katrina kept coming up to him to talk about
stuff.
 
Maybe her earlier flirting hadn’t
been teasing, he could hope…

Before he knew it everyone was gone, the tables were wiped
down and they were done for the day.
 
He
trudged up to his room, truly exhausted.
 
He wondered if working at the tavern would put him in better shape than
all the workouts and martial arts he used to do.
 
He slapped his forehead, he had no other
clothes but what he wore, and they were stained with food.
 
He had no clothes to sleep in or even to wear
tomorrow.
 
The thought of wearing his
dirty ones was not a welcome one.