Gods Concubine by Sara Douglass

A white stag lay there, its head crowned by blood-red antlers.

“He is my lover,” she whispered.

William snatched his hand back from Caela. ―By all the gods,‖ he whispered, ―you are

Mag?”

She hesitated, then nodded. ―I am what she once was, yes.‖

―Ah,‖ he said. ―Now I understand you. And to think that once all I thought you wanted

was my attention and my babies. No. You wanted power. You wanted revenge, against both me

and Swanne. And this is it. You have now taken Swanne‘s place in the Game, or at least fooled

the Game into thinking you were what it wanted, which is why it allowed you to touch the bands,

and—‖

―I am to this land what Mag once was. And yes, I am what the Troy Game now

wants—one half of it, at least. That is why I could move the bands. I did not ‗fool‘ it, William. I

only accepted the decision of both the Troy Game and the land.‖

―I cannot believe that you would do this to me! And yet…how could I not expect it? You

always were ready with the dagger to plunge into my back. You were always ready to—‖

―Stop! No, William. No. None of this is my plan, but that of the Game itself, and of the

land.‖

―And who do you—oh, I offer my apologies—the Game and the land, think to replace me with, then? Loth-reborn, whoever he is?‖

―His name is now Saeweald, William. He is a physician, tending the wounded as he tends

this land.‖

―Saeweald? Well, Saeweald then. Oh, how it would please him to have me crawl to him

and offer him my powers. Or Harold? Is Harold the one who you mean to take as your mate and

partner? Yes, I can see that.

Harold. I imagine you have a plan to raise him from the dead.‖

―Don‘t do this, William,‖ Caela whispered. ―Don‘t become that man of hate again.‖

―Did you think that you could walk in here and seduce me with face and body and tender

voice into betraying everything I have fought for…through two lives?‖

He stopped, swore, and stalked away.

―William—‖

―You are not the Mistress of the Labyrinth,‖ William said, turning back to face her. ―I

don‘t care what else you are, but you are not the Mistress of the Labyrinth. You do not have the power, and you do not know the steps to complete the Game. It cannot teach you. Silvius cannot teach you.‖

―One day, eventually, Swanne will hand to me her powers as Mistress of the Labyrinth.‖

―What? You have lost your mind. She will never willingly hand over her powers! I will never willingly hand over…I cannot believe I am having this conversation with you!‖

―Will Swanne willingly hand her responsibilities as Mistress of the Labyrinth to me one

day? Yes, she will.‖ Caela‘s voice was very certain.

―You are a fool, and out of your mind.‖

―Swanne has betrayed you to Asterion.‖

She could not have said anything else to more certainly stun William into silence. He

gaped at her, his face paling away from its fury-induced red, Caela‘s words bouncing over and

over within his head.

Swanne has betrayed you to Asterion. No. Those words could not mean what they

seemed to. Swanne could never have betrayed him to…

The taste of blood and decay suddenly overwhelmed William, and he grunted, as if

someone had punched him in the belly, and he sat down quickly on a chair.

Caela walked slowly, carefully, over to the chair, kneeling before it and taking one of

William‘s hands in hers. ―This was none of my doing, William.‖

William was not looking at her, slowly shaking his head to and fro.

―I do not know what powers or persuasions Asterion used to so capture Swanne‘s heart

and loyalty, but that he has is undoubted. William, Asterion does not want to destroy the Game.

He wants to control it. He wants to become its Kingman, using Swanne as his Mistress. She has

agreed to this, thinking that in Asterion she has a more powerful Kingman than you. If you ask

why I have moved the bands, then that is why. To protect the Game, and through it the land,

from Asterion and Swanne combined.‖

William was still shaking his head back and forth, back and forth, but Caela‘s calm, soft

words were beginning to make a terrible sense.

Asterion wanted to control the Game, become its Kingman, dance his ambitions out with

Swanne. Yes, that made sense. Why hadn”t he ever considered this?

―Who is Asterion?‖ he asked finally, softly.

―Aldred.‖

William winced. Aldred had been playing both him and Swanne all this time…

―Asterion and Swanne want to trap you, to use you to find the bands. Then, once they

have them…‖

―Stop!‖

―William, listen to me. Swanne is Asterion‘s creature now. Everything she says and does

is said and done on his behalf. Do not trust her. Do not—‖

―And everything you say and do is done on your behalf, yours and Silvius‘, no doubt!‖

―Everything I say and do is for you, William.‖

―That is not what you have just been saying. In one breath you tell me you want me to

relinquish all control I have of the Game into Saeweald‘s or Harold‘s hands—‖

―I never said that. What I said was—‖

―Get out, Caela. Get out!”

―William, don‘t push me away!‖ The words tumbled out of Caela‘s mouth, so desperate

was she to have him hear them. ―Beware of Swanne and Aldred, and trust me. Trust me.”

―Don‘t you dare say that to me!‖ He grabbed at her hands and pushed her away roughly

so that she sprawled on the floor.

―William!‖ Caela cried. ―Don‘t push me away when I can—‖

―Get out.‖

She rose to her feet. ―William, when you need me—

― Get out. ‖

―When you need me, seek me out.‖

And then she was gone.

SEVENTEEN

The only space Swanne could find for herself in the abbey house was a small, dusty attic

space within the roof of the building. It was filthy, there were rats and lice in the thatch, and she

was forced to sleep on a pallet that was padded only with her cloak.

It was an existence far different from that she‘d enjoyed as Genvissa, or as Harold‘s wife.

But Swanne did not allow herself to think of such things. These discomforts became as

nothing when she thought of what would be hers once she‘d trapped and killed William, Asterion

had the bands, and both of them controlled the Game.

But for now she could neither dream of future powers and glories, nor even sneer at the

terrible state of the thatch, for Asterion was with her, and he was angrier than she‘d ever seen

him before.

―I cannot understand,‖ he said in a low hiss, ―why it is that you have not yet taken

William. How many weeks? How many opportunities?‖

―I have tried!‖ she said, her words stumbling in her haste to placate Asterion. ―But…oh!

He has some nauseous commitment to his wife. He is afraid of her. The simpering fool. He says

he cannot abide to annoy Matilda. And she, the bitch, she won‘t allow me near him.‖

Asterion‘s hands were on Swanne‘s shoulders now, soft and caressing, yet somehow

managing to convey

infinite threat in that caress. ―Are you sure it is not you he cannot abide?‖

―Ha! I almost had him, even though he was terrified of his wife. I had him on the floor,

and then that…that dwarf interrupted us.‖

―What manner of woman are you,‖ Asterion continued, ―that you cannot even seduce a

man to your bed? What manner of Mistress of the Labyrinth is scared of a mere ‗wife‘?‖

Swanne wrenched herself away from his tight hands, furious at him, terrified at his anger.

―I have done all I can. Rubbed my nakedness against him. Taken his member in my hands and

roused him! Do not accuse me of—‖

Asterion grabbed her shoulders again and gave her a hard shake. ―I need William dead,

you fool. Neither of us can dare to have him wandering about—‖

―You are afraid of him,‖ Swanne said, wonderingly. ―Perhaps I was wrong to think you

would make a good Kingman, after all. Perhaps William is the preferable—‖

Swanne stopped as if struck, then her eyes widened and a whine of sheer agony escaped

her mouth. She tried to say something, but couldn‘t. Instead, as Asterion let her go, she sank to

the floor and curled up, whimpering in agony.

―You will do what I need,‖ whispered Asterion. ―You will kill William, and

you…will…do…it…soon. Before he has a chance to ruin all our plans. Do you understand me?‖

She gave a tiny nod, and then visibly relaxed as the imp within her ceased its vicious

nibbling.

―There‘s a good girl,‖ said Asterion in a sickeningly soothing voice. He leaned down and