Chapter 1

I went back to hide in my old existence. I worked to repair the damage to my body as the rest of my mind dealt with the automatic functions. I thought of MehrAk most of all. She was part of my family even if it was because KhAvar brought her in.

I ventured out when I completed each stage of the healing. My hearing was still poor. I could not see out of one healing eye and the other was not much better. Thankfully I was now able to mumble to the girls that I was healing.

The girls and Tertius talked to me during my healing. They understood that I could not answer very well. There had been a lot of death. Many of Tertius' family had died as well as the servants. There had been a lot of guards but not enough for the number of attackers. There was a limited supply of stingers and they had been all used to keep them from falling into enemy hands.

Julian and Lucius had not been near when the attack came. Licinia had been hurt and may now be dead. Not much was known because the attackers made a hasty retreat with their captives.

Patricia was the most damaged mentally and I hoped that she could recover. She had reverted again to her seeing me as her master once more. KhAvar was little better. She cried much of the time and I guessed that this was because of the death of MehrAk.

Tertius eagerly told me that Constantius had died. Apparently there were enough Wodenists in the city to take him down along with the remnants of the Praetorian guard.

Bodies could not stay around for long and MehrAk was cremated along with the dead Wodenists. Sermons were going on around the clock now and I could do little to stop this. The city in a way demanded this. There was a religious frenzy now and very few people were not ardent Wodenists. I heard that those that were not, were not persecuted. People were being scrupulous in how the words in the books were treated. I had tried to close all the loopholes but I knew that in time some would be found and abused.

In four days I was up or at least sitting up in bed. My body was healing much quicker than it ever had before. Patricia and KhAvar let people come to see me but they didn't like it. I treated a few people that needed further treatment. These were the people that were in the arena and had suffered too extensive injuries to heal completely on their own.

The visitors wanted to bow or kneel and I again had to correct them on the proper protocol. I was polite and even sounded meek as I said this so as to not hurt feelings. The Augustus demanded some of this and he was just a man while I was the Hand.

I was very well guarded now but none of them wore Praetorian armour. I had to go to a balcony window to wave to them much like the popes did in Rome. The courtyard was always crowded now and the noise was loud even if they tried to be quiet. I performed another sermon and gathered the people to me but I could not call forth the avatar. I could handle more people now and my range was greater but that was it.

Mithridates and Lazeez returned and were admitted by KhAvar. With them was the mage Klement but I did not see him as a threat even though he was near me.

Mithridates said, "Jón tell me the name of the god that came down to rescue you?"

I had found a way to explain this even though I did not understand it myself. "Aldúlfr helped me. Thor is too strong and would have killed too many. I think Woden must have sent Aldúlfr because he is companionate. "

"Companionate? I heard he was very angry."

"I think he was too. Anger gives strength too."

"I believe that this is the first time the people have seen a god. It is talked about before but it is always one person that is supposed to have seen him. It could be almost thought of as the dreams of a fanatic. This time it was different."

"Is the city frightened?"

"They were at the time but not now. Those that left feared for their lives but now regret leaving."

To get off this subject I asked, "What have you been doing while all this was going on?"

"We went to Perinthus. We worked with the true believers there and found a mage you sent."

I looked at Klement and he took this for a request for information. "I had been given the descriptions of your two friends. When I found them, I told them everything I knew. They accepted me into their group. You told me to stay in Perinthus but I heard that you were victorious. I was asked by Mithridates to accompany them here."

"That is ok. Felix had one more mage with him that escaped Aldúlfr. Will you see if you can find him? I need some questions answered. I am not going to have him punished."

"I heard of the man but he's dead. The people did not like him for who he worked for."

"Are you safe?"

"Now I am. Your wife, KhAvar, has introduced me to the people of the city."

I tried to keep the surprise out of my voice but I saw KhAvar turn red and look at the floor. Patricia was beside her and she did the same thing. At least one woman was not trying to exclude the other.

Lazeez had to get in, "We did our best for our god but why did you leave me in that house here in the city for so long?"

"What was the problem? I thought it was the best place for you."

"It was good. When my money ran out I..."

"I gave you lots of gold. What happened to it?"

"Well... I bought things for the girls and they got me to buy more. When I had no more they told me I had to leave... unless I did things for them."

"What things, Lazeez?"

"I... I had... to use my tongue on them."

"What's wrong with that?"

"A man does not do that sort of thing. They worked to teach me how I was wrong. The lessons almost killed me. There were a great many women. I had to please all of them."

"Ah... so you were pleased by a lot of women and then to pay them back, you pleased them in return?"

"They were pleased some of the time before. They wanted it all the time later." He got closer and whispered, "When my jaw and tongue got too sore they had me lay on my back and they did things to me. When that part got too sore they turned me over and used one of their toys on me. They treated me like a piece of meat at the market."

Mithridates and even Klement smiled but didn't break down and laugh. I said, "Lazeez, I think they were just training you like a soldier does. A few more months of that and you would be in demand by most of the ladies in the city. Soon the entire empire would want to try you out."

"I would die long before that. I want to chase women. I don't want them chasing me."

This time I laughed and my jaw hurt. It took a while before I got control of myself and said, "I am sorry Lazeez. You got what you always wanted and found that it was too much for you." Lazeez looked so pitiful I almost laughed again.

My own love affaires were not going so well. Patricia was acting funny but the fact was that I had to heal again. My own testicles had to be rebuilt. Like my bones, muscles and reflexes, I worked here for a few improvements. I wanted to space out my own joy so I would stay excited longer. This also meant that I had to work at producing more. When the time came I could fill both KhAvar and Patricia many more times to our enjoyment.

Messages were sent all over and I usurped the courier service now for my own uses. The letters just gave the current news and the fact that I would not be more than a month in Constantinople. Some of the messages went to Sapor. I wanted to meet with him. Battles were still fought between Persians and Romans which meant that men were dying for nothing. I knew that Sapor was not always the aggressor nor was he the leader of the fighting. The Persian empire was just too large to be adequately governed which was the same as the Roman empire.

Nine days after the fight I was able to walk on my own two feet. The people in the courtyard came and went but the numbers stayed almost constant. The portal I had made was roped off now and the people saw it as a holy relic because the sword cleaved the stone to a polished sheen. There were some people under the wall but nobody wanted to move it to get the bodies out.

I ordered the broken portion broken into smaller portions and given to everybody in the city. This still left a bit which I saved for those that would like a piece. Lazeez was ready to sell the pieces for an aureus each. He was the son of a trader and could not help himself sometimes.

I still had my own gold and recovered what I had. There was some good land that I could build a temple on. This area suffered from earthquakes all the time so any building had to be built strong. I did not have the technology necessary to put a building up on giant springs like what was done in Japan.

Tertius was kicked out and told to build something. He took Lazeez with him. The two had become friends especially after Tertius made some favourable comments about the art that Lazeez showed him. I just hoped that Tertius would not come home complaining of a sore dick the way Lazeez did. Tertius was not that old but he should know enough to not get led astray with Lazeez's art, stories or actions.

When I felt strong enough I gave my own sermons. They were held to capacity crowds in the arena. The damage I had done to the wall had not been repaired but the crosses were now gone. I heard that all the nails that I had removed were now holy relics and stashed away by souvenir hunters. The ends were all squashed by the force used to grasp them.

The service was long because it was the first after Aldúlfr was shown to the people. I stressed about how we had to treat the other religions with respect. A lot of people had taken up the new belief without understanding even a fraction of it. The excesses were mentioned and what I felt about them. I was sure that there were some worried people in the audience.

Because Aldúlfr was taking most of the blame I had to talk about him and mentioned in more detail that was not in my books. He was my patron in a way to the land of the gods. I talked about him with love and respect. I tried to make him out as an average god that just got pissed off at a very fallible human population.

Healings did not tire me out as much because I seemed to be able to gather strength from the audience. A long line of the sick or hurt came by. They were carried in someone's arms or on a litter. In a Pavlovian experiment, I bestowed the blessing of Woden but kept it away from those that were near the platform. I hoped that those that came here for this joy would learn to stay further back and thus give me room to work.

That night I wanted to check out my own equipment. I figured I was healed enough for the test. Patricia seemed happy but I got the feeling that she thought it was her duty. I got her to change into simple clothing and took her and KhAvar down to the courtyard after whispering a request to a servant.

I held the hand of each of the women I loved and said, "We have something to do first." They didn't even ask questions. As we walked through the halls people stopped and bowed their heads and I had to tell them it was ok to just nod and continue with what they were doing. For some it was hard to change since they had to do much more when the Augustus lived here.

It had occurred to me that the girls may also be reluctant to push themselves on me because they had been raped by the people that captured them. I had to show them that this did not matter to me and there was only one good method.

We left through the kitchen which I do not think any Augustus had ever visited. When we were just inside an outside door I said to Patricia, "Patricia, do you remember how you acted when we were in Lutetia?"

Patricia was quick to answer but still answered sombrely, "I remember..." She would have said my lord or some other term.

"It is good that you recall that." I pulled them both out onto the paving stones and looked around.

I found two wooden buckets filled with water where I had asked them to be put. I tried not to draw attention to them but I positioned both girls where I wanted and said, "Both of you, close your eyes."

The were like lambs coming to the slaughter and I picked up a bucket and held both the rim and the bottom and threw the cool water at both women. When the cool water hit, they opened their eyes quickly. I put down the bucket and hurried to the other bucket. By the time I came back the girls had moved and I started to chase them. Somehow they reacted like I wanted and ran. I chased them until they started to split up and tried to hit both with at least some of the remaining water.

With me unarmed so to speak, they stopped and returned with a serious look on their damp features. KhAvar said, "Why did you do that?"

I turned to Patricia and asked, "Will you tell her the whole story, starting with the way you acted before and after?"

"I was... acting in a way that Jón did not approve of. He..."

"Tell her the way you acted."

"I... I acted... like a servant, I guess."

"Tell her more," I said.

"I... guess I pulled away from Jón. I was worried that such an important man would not want the bastard daughter..."

"Patricia! Never mention that again. It hurts you and it hurt me when you feel pain. Tell me how many people that are married with Woden's blessing?"

"Many people... Jón."

"In the world not just those we know."

"I think very few then."

"Then almost every child could be seen as a bastard then."

"But the parents were married."

"They were not married according to Woden therefore almost every person alive is a bastard."

Patricia hung her head. "I said before, that you were pulling yourself away from me. You are doing the same thing again. Do you want to slowly pull away until you think you could leave me without hurting me too much?"

"No! Never."

"You may not mean to but you are doing the same thing again. I am a man. The only difference is that Woden has chosen me to help him. I do not want people bowing to me and I do not want the women I love to be servants."

Patricia looked at the ground and I turned on KhAvar and said, "You were taking your cues from Patricia. She was wrong. I want both of you to love me like women not whores that are obligated because they are paid."

"I would never do that."

"Would you go to bed with me so we can have some fun and make love or for an obligation to a man that serves your god?"

"Well... it may be a bit of both."

"I do not want both. I want you to love me for being me."

"I do love you. You know that."

"I do but you have to treat me like a man."

I looked at both women and said, "I avoided the commitment of marriage for a few reasons. My body was young but my mind was old enough to make commitments. I did not think I would change, and in a way I have not. I wanted to leave enough time for both of you to see what you were getting into. It looks like my love for two women may not allow me to marry just one of you. We can still have something like a marriage but I have to avoid the words wife and husband. Our religion only allows one woman to each man. I cannot flout that law."

Patricia said, "You could still have me any way you want."

"I want you as a hot blooded woman. You have been through a lot but will you love me as a man?"

Patricia put on a sorrowful face and ran to me. She pulled me too her and I looked at KhAvar and held out an arm for her. She ran to me and we hugged.

We walked tightly together back through the kitchen. People from all over were watching us but I did not care. I stopped momentarily to sit the girls down while I went looking for a snack. I figured I needed all the energy I could get tonight.

Later in our rooms I took off the wet clothes a piece at a time from one woman then from another. To help out my cause, I stirred them up with my mind. Soon they were more than eager to jump me.

It took only a finger to slide through each of their creases to set them off. They held me and each other as they shook. I got them to lay on the bed and I licked one then the other and the orgasms came close together.

In a way to bind the two I put KhAvar on top or Patricia and I licked them one after the other and used my hands on both at the same time. They shook and held each other. I stood awkwardly and slipped into Patricia for a few strokes then into KhAvar for a few more. I went back and forth until I emptied into KhAvar.

They had so many orgasms that they did not know about me. I was still hard and began again and again until the needle on the gauge read close to empty.

The girls were turned around and then placed in a sixty nine position. KhAvar was used to girl/girl sex so I worked on Patricia to make sure she did her share. She had done this before but it was something she had to get used to once more.

I allowed the girls to sleep but after a few hours I woke them up for more love. The stimulation never ended even in sleep and the girls clung to each other all the time if they were not holding me.

I sawed slowly into KhAvar's anus as she ate Patricia. Later it was the other way around. They didn't have many rational thoughts but I would rather they now see me as a man than the Hand.

We woke up around noon. I had to heal myself a few times and the girls too. The bed was sticky but none of us cared. It just took a touch to Patricia's thigh and she parted her legs. I rolled over and slipped in once more.

After a few strokes I said, "Have you decided whether to be a hot blooded woman or a servant of the Hand?" I bent over and sucked on one of her nipples and nibbled it just a bit.

"Ohhhhh yes. Do that."

After a few more thrusts I pulled away from her breast and said, "Woman or servant?"

"Oh, I will be your woman."

"What about my other mate? Will you love her like I do?"

"Anything!"

I pushed a few more times and said, "Patricia."

When she opened her eyes she breathed out a deep, "Yes?" because she was close to her orgasm.

"Will you lick her pussy as she licks your's?" Before she could answer I added, "You will have her as a mate too. You have to keep her happy."

She unexpectedly smiled and said, "We will keep each other very happy."

"Then I will make you happy now."

I pushed faster and she just pulled me to her and said, "Oh, yes!"

Patricia had been stimulated by more than my body and her orgasm was very intense. My own orgasm was protracted and I pushed forcefully into her as I filled her womb.

KhAvar was waiting for her good morning fuck and I did not disappoint her. I asked her the same questions and she was less reluctant to commit herself to Patricia. "I will make your other woman wail and thrash till the guards think she is being murdered."

"Now I want to hear what you sound like when you are being murdered." Her screams were more than satisfactory and I unloaded myself into this woman too.

My equipment passed the test. I had two sated women and I was feeling good with myself and what was happening.

I washed up with a basin of water and left to find breakfast. I again ate in the kitchen and talked to the staff. They were getting over this and answered my simple questions easily and even asked me a few. I returned with a large tray of food for the girls. I hoped that this would be enough to keep them occupied until tonight.