Chapter 1

I'm pottering around the main living room of our home, Serenity Villa, on Birdsong Lane, and tidying up the things Ulrika left scattered around last night, before she left to attend a mage's convention some three hundred leagues away. However, since, as a powerful sorceress, she has the power of apportation, she would arrive at her destination a split second later.

I may be an immortal demi-goddess but I am also a decent housekeeper!

I'm a good cook and enjoy cooking while 'Rika can burn water! If my amazingly tall and incredibly elegant lover was left to her own devices every cup, plate, pot, or pan, would be piled in the sink unwashed until there wasn't a clean one to use. I'm the type that drinks my mug of tea and immediately washes up and dries it! There's a pot of tea on the stove, and once I've shelved the tomes of magical lore 'Rika left scattered around this room I'll pour myself a mug, and then settle down to read the local news sheet that one of Marina the widow's kids has delivered to me.

Right then a chunk of opalescent light, in the shape of a doorway, appears hanging in the middle of the room. I have no difficulty in recognising an immortal god or goddess's transport gateway forming. I suppose I could hurtle upstairs to our bedroom and come down carrying my named blade, The Falling Star, but I'm not, so far as I know, on any fellow immortal's shit list!

The light curdles like milk, solidifies, and then a woman walks out of it.

"Mum?"

Into my living room walks Phylissa the goddess of the hunt! My lover Ulrika is very tall but mum tops her by a hand and a half. Her hair is short and tightly curled; the colour of autumn leaves. Her eyes are big and topaz hued, a thin nose above a wide mouth that is thin lipped, her chin is finely chiselled. Her shoulders are as wide as a Royal guardsman's and her breasts are large though they never seem to interfere with her uncanny archery skills.

Since she wears only a band of soft doeskin around those big breasts her narrow waist and flat belly are on show. As ridged with muscle as any gladiator's! Her thighs and calves are strong though sleek; and they too are revealed as her skirt is scarce longer than the breast band is wide. Her biceps are thick and her forearms are powerful. Her hands are big; and sinewy on their backs. Her long and narrow feet are shod in moccasins and that is the sum of her clothing; just three items! Mum likes to travel fast and light!

"Karla dear it's so nice to see you again! What about a kiss for your mother?"

Now it's hard enough for me to kiss 'Rika so kissing mum is a major operation. Standing on tip toe I manage to peck her cheek only because she deigns to bend down a little.

"Here dear put these somewhere for me and while you do will you unstring my bow please? Leaving a bow strung too long ruins even the best bow strings."

She hands me a quiver of arrows and a massive double re-curve bow. Laying the quiver on the dining table I place the tip of the bow on our hardwood floor, brace it with my foot, and then bending her bow I slip the loops of the bow string free. Mum smiles approvingly!

"Still in shape then dear! Do you know there's very few immortals can bend my bow and you do it easier than most?"

Coiling the string I slip it into the small pouch on the side of the quiver and turn to face my divine mother.

"What brings you here mum? No trouble with dad I hope?"

Dad is the demi-god who men call "The Immortal General". His name happens to be Keiron Solon.

"Oh no dear everything's fine with your father. He's campaigning in Ogoria with the resistance and trying to put the king back on his throne. I believe it's been seized by somebody called "The Mad Duke" and I'm sure your father will have things sorted out soon!"

Dad is as tall as or even taller than mum and makes a cave bear look puny. He travels the world running military campaigns for oppressed people and putting rightful rulers on their thrones; or arranging honest elections after the bad people have been overthrown. My earliest memories of him are that he always seemed to be showing a couple of recently healed scars!

My musings are interrupted by mum's quite reasonable requests.

"Might I sit down dear? Oh and I'd love a mug of that wonderfully strong tea you brew! And by any chance do you have any of those oatmeal and currant biscuits you bake?"

"Yes mum!"

"Milk and honey for me just like you take yours!"

"Yes mum!"

In our kitchen I rustle up a tray, pour two mugs of tea and add milk and honey, then grabbing a plate I dump half of the biscuit barrel onto it. I know the way mum goes at my biscuits. When I return to the living room she's taken one of the two big and comfortable armchairs that sit either side of the fireplace. It's early spring and still chilly in the early morning, and later on in the evening, so a small fire burns in the grate. Passing mum her tea I take a biscuit for myself and then hand her the plate.

"So dear you've been living here in this city how long now? Three years? I was hoping to meet this sorceress of yours. Ulrika isn't it?"

She knows bloody well its Ulrika. I've told her and dad all about my latest lover and an immortal doesn't forget a name.

"She's out of town mum but there's her picture over the fireplace!"

It's not a portrait but a magical image that a friend of 'Rika created for a present for both of us. It shows 'Rika in a dress of thin, white, silk, and bugger all else. From her short silver white hair, down over her small breasts with their hard nipples, to her spectacular legs, revealed as the skirt is split to the hip on both sides, mum runs the rule over her.

"She seems a quite attractive lady; my dear!"

Crap! The most beautiful woman in the city and mum says she's quite attractive!

"Do you know dear it's always been such a disappointment to me that you've never given me any grand-children!"

Shit! Now she's pushing it!

"Mum you're a bloody immortal so how many kids, grand-kids, great grand-kids etc, do you have? And if you don't know by now, after several millennia, that I love fucking ladies not men, then you never will!"

She takes another gulp of tea and crunches down another of the fast disappearing biscuits before replying.

"Karla as you were growing up and growing older your father and I thought that we had birthed a mortal daughter. We never thought immortality and your divine powers would kick in after such a long time. We thought you'd age and die and we wanted you to have children to remember you by. No-one was more delighted than your parents when you stopped aging to show your divine bloodline."

Which fact explains why I seem an attractive [ or so lots of ladies including 'Rika tell me ] and curvy lady of early middle age rather than a stunningly gorgeous young looking immortal wench!

"Well mum it all turned out well in the long run, I'm happy with my life, without men and kids, and I'm loving life here with 'Rika. What made you decide to drop by and see me anyway?"

Before she speaks she's looking down, as her hand caresses the hilt of the long hunting knife on her belt, and of old I recognise she's either going to lie outright or prevaricate.

"Can't a mother call by to visit with her daughter dear?"

"MUM!"

She wriggles a little in the armchair but I've got her pinned with a stare that even an immortal goddess finds uncomfortable.

"Well dear I was wondering if you could do me a tiny favour? This is a big house and you must have several spare bedrooms so I was wondering if you could put some-one up here for a while?"

Well I've had tougher requests from mum in the past and I can't see much harm in this one but still I have to ask the question.

"Who is coming mum?"

Ever seen an ageless, divine, and senior member of the pantheon look furtive? I have now as I'm looking at my mum!

"Well dear I was wondering if you'd mind having your sister Evaldine stay here for a few weeks?"

"EVALDINE!"

The window frames rattle when I bellow out her name.

"Now dear I know you and Eva have had your differences in the past... !!!"

"Differences mum? Whenever she comes into my life she causes chaos and she has a nasty habit of ditching the current man or woman in her life and going after my latest lady; just to show me that she can! What's she got herself into this time? She has to be in trouble or you wouldn't be asking me to let her lie low here!"

My dear elder sister, Eva, half sister to be more precise, is a genuine full blown immortal child of mum and another god of the pantheon. She holds down the job of goddess of thieves and many other forms of crime! She's a tiny brunette with purple eyes and ebony skin who eats men and women [ figuratively not literally ] for breakfast, dinner, tea, and supper! She has all the powers one expects of a full blooded goddess, though happily for me I'm way stronger physically than her, and when necessary I've kicked her neat little butt!

"What's she got herself into this time mum?"

"Well Karla dear she's been living in Bratavia City and she stole a gold chalice from a temple. The temple high priest appealed to his god to bring vengeance down on the thief and the god in question turns out to be your uncle Vargas! He's threatening to descend to earth from the palace of the gods on Mount Ruination to seek out the perpetrator!"

Oh shit! Now "Uncle" is a curtesy title considering the convoluted bloodlines of the gods and goddesses; where a god can be fathering children by his sister, daughter, or mother! Uncle Vargas is a miserable old bastard [ if gods can be old ] who always looks like he's chewing on a couple of large lemons! He also happens to be the god of storms and tosses a mean thunderbolt so if he catches up with sis she's in serious trouble!

"Right then mum! Sis comes here to hide out while you get to sort things out. What are you going to do about it?"

"Your sister's given me the chalice and it'll mysteriously turn up back in the temple with a grovelling note from an "unknown thief" who will apologise for affronting the god. If that vinegary old prick hurt Eva I'd have to put a few arrows into him and I don't want to start a civil war on Mount Ruination. Your Dad would be in there along side me swinging that name sword of his, Firedrake. And then our king and queen, old I'll fuck anything female Certorian and queen I'll fuck anything male OR female Zenobia, would be sitting in judgement and banging heads together!"

"Fine then! Bring her through the gate and I'll talk to her about how she behaves while she's here. You better bring her in because I doubt she'd get through 'Rika's house shields on her own. In fact if 'Rika had been here I honestly don't think you could have gated in at all mum!"

Mum's nothing if not honest at least.

"Well dear it did take me quite a while to worm through her spells so your lady must be much more than a competent sorceress. But Eva won't be gating in, she decided to take the mail coach from Bratavia so she could see a bit of the countryside, I believe the coach arrives here at noon tomorrow!"

Oh bugger! That certainly means I'll have to sort things out with whomever she's rooked or cleaned out in the coach on the way here.

"Contact her please mum and tell her I'll meet her at the coach stop in Prince's Square outside the post office tomorrow at noon."

Mum rises, puts down her empty tea mug, and turns towards the shimmering gateway. I notice every bloody biscuit is gone so her appetite for my baking is as good as ever! Then she surprises me by spinning round and grabbing me in a hug that sends breath huffing out of me. A hug like that would certainly crack ribs on a mortal.

"Never doubt I love you Karla! Children or not, loving ladies or not, you're my daughter and I'll back you against anyone and anything in this world!"

I return her hug equally hard and then, scooping up her bow and quiver, she steps into that glowing gateway that then flickers out and vanishes. I'm now committed to housing my troublesome big little sis! If 'Rika comes home and Eva lays a finger on her I'll kick my tiny sister so hard she'll land in the Dragon Sea five hundred leagues away!

Automatically I pick up the cups, empty plate, and the tray, and head into the kitchen to wash up. Once I get Eva home she get's told, in no uncertain terms, that 'Rika is off limits. Not that that's likely to stop her trying to worm her way into 'Rika's arms and between her thighs. It will though give me every right to beat the shit out of her if she does!

I sleep badly, missing having my long and lean lover next to me, or on top of me, or beneath me, in our big bed. After breakfast I wash the dishes, kill time with today's broadsheet, and then dress to go to meet my sister. No point in trying to dress to impress Eva since she always looks impeccable alongside whatever I select from my wardrobe. So I go for practical and comfortable by way of clothing. Loose black trousers tucked into half boots, a dark blue shirt, and one of my several leather jackets. A black one and as supple as silk; it didn't come cheap but then I'm a wealthy immortal as most of us are.

It's bloody easy to be rich when you might very well live forever. Deposit a chest of gold with a bank, bugger off, leave compound interest to do its work, and then return a century later to a nice accrued sum. Do that with a few banks and the money grows like weeds!

I'm there in Prince's Square early, but not very early, since the Royal Mail coaches tend to keep very well to schedule. Only minutes after noon, by the clock in the square, the coach thunders in and brakes to a halt outside the main post office. The crossbow toting guard uncocks his weapon and vaults down while his driver starts tossing down baggage onto the pavement. The coach door swings open and of course it's my sister who's first out. She doesn't step down or clamber out; seeing me waiting she calls out "Karla, Sister", and leaps out for me to catch her.

And catch her I do, with ease; even if I were not the powerful offspring of a divine bloodline catching sis would not be a difficult task. She's a tiny woman; a head shorter than me and slender to the point of appearing childlike. A child though she absolutely isn't and her air of innocence is a total sham! Catching her I lower her feet to the ground as light as a feather. She's wearing ankle boots, a blue velvet jacket and trousers, along with a dazzlingly white silk blouse that has a froth of lace at its neck.

With her ebony skin, those purple eyes, and her pouty pink lips, she turns heads both male and female amidst the passers bye. Besides her I feel fat and frumpy, not, as my ladies have told me over my long life, curvy, voluptuous, or cuddly perhaps.

"Sister dear! It's been far too long! I see you are ... Unchanged as usual?"

With just those few arch words I can feel my hackles rising already but I stifle my anger.

"Eva dear, mum will be so pleased to hear you've arrived safe and sound so let's get your luggage and I'll take you home."

The driver places two enormous leather cases at Eva's feet and glowers at her. The guard, minus his crossbow, looks equally sour when he looks at my miniature sister. I don't have to be a seer or an oracle to guess why they both look so unhappy.

"Driver how much did she take you for?"

"Nine silvers lady!"

"She got eight from me lady!"

That's the grumpy guard letting me know he gambled with Eva as well as his mate; so I decide to get my sister off to a clean start here in the city of Tamnet. Rummaging in my pocket I sort out a gold piece, a half gold, and a pair of silvers, and hand them to the driver.

"There! Split that with your guard and remember NEVER to gamble with my sister ever again."

As I heft Eva's two bags, and the mailmen look much happier, a broad shouldered man in chain mail quits the coach. He's tall, deep chested, and owns a thick mane of grey, hair. He also wears the badges of a major in the ducal guard. Ignoring me, perhaps he thinks I'm a porter or a servant, he takes Eva's tiny hand in his, raises it, and then brushes his lips, and moustache, across her fine boned fingers!

"My dear Eva thank you so much for making the journey so pleasant and entertaining. I must report to the duke's palace now but once you're settled in the city just call there and ask for Major Scarlet. I assure you it's been a pleasure my dear!"

He salutes her, continues to ignore me, and strides away straight backed.

"How much did you take him for sis?"

Her smile's like honey dripping from a hive as her eyes follows his muscled body across the square and into the throngs of citizens and visitors.

"Why nothing at all sister dear but he is certainly well endowed and possessed of great stamina. He made a boring trip quite enjoyable each night!"

Heaving up Eva's bags I grumpily set off to lead her to Serenity Villa, and hopefully a quiet spell, until mum can return the chalice and placate an angry storm god.