Glax felt his knees move so he could use the chance to get rid of the unwanted commitment.
He didn't know what Glax's original plans were. Did it have to do with his need for revenge?
What did he want in the Hall of Bones, or whatever it was called?
Glax had no way of knowing now, but he had the impression that he shouldn't go back on his plans. Eventually, he would find out. Glax had worked hard to be on that selection of 6 men. That was the first big step towards something even bigger.
One of them took a step back, and kneeling, he justified.
"I am not worthy of that honor. I fall short of the other men in this room. I beg that my hubris be forgiven."
Glax gaped at the speech. The high priest looked displeased, giving Glax a sidelong look. Obviously he seemed to have expected Glax to do that.
The audience was uneasy.
"Gorgias of Pergale. You fall short of those warriors. You shame your province and your mother. Your disability is a disgrace for an Echelian."
'Hey! He was among the seven toughest! He survived! Ninety-eight men entered that island, and only seven left! He must be kidding!'
"I dared to compare myself with the greatest, but I am not worthy to join any of these noble houses. I hope the gods accept my service as a penalty," Gorgias continued, as if following a protocol. He was nervous, but kept his pose, without looking up.
"The Ascents always need servants. Gorgias, you will serve your town's temple for five years as an executioner. After that you will use your name again."
'DAFUQ! Forced public services for the guy who resigned from getting married?'
Of course, Glax suspected Gorgias knew his box didn't contain enough necklaces. He didn't want to go through the shame of being the most incapable. And accepted the penalty for having survived before being labeled out as a conceited idiot.
The rules of that game were very strict.
Glax was relieved to be at least third place.
Gorgias' box was thrown into a large bowl of fire, and Glax struggled not to suffocate with the smoke and stench. 'They never thought of doing this outdoors, or building an exhaust fan? They certainly have some technology for that.' Glax fought not to touch his watery eyes.
He had escaped making a serious mistake. Five years of servitude as an executioner? They could only be kidding.
Unfortunately, they were not. Gorgias left with no one knowing how many braids were in his box. What if he wasn't the worst placed?
Anticipation was killing him, but after a few quiet conversations between the high priest and some people, a bell rang and there was some excitement.
The brides' arrival was announced.
"The biggest and best daughters of Echelian houses will choose the most valiant as their spouses."
'Oh hell. I'm feeling like I'm in a beauty contest to enter the harem! ' Unfortunately, he couldn't complain on social media about the sexist treatment of this contest. Why did a man have to be a murderer to be considered desirable? What was wrong with a poor artist, an ugly but millionaire CEO, or a friendly athlete?
No, to be considered a good match, a guy had to be a slayer.
His attention was drawn to the women's entrance, announced loudly.
"Lady Megara of Echelion, commander of the Fortress of Phameia, first daughter of Demophon, leader of the Kroton and the people of Echelian."
There was little time between the entrances, the second woman was already being announced while Lady Megara entered the room.
Glax wasn't sure what he expected, but he hadn't really thought about it until then. When the titles were declared, he realized he was wrong, and thankfully surprised! Women could be warriors too!
Lady Megara of the Kroton family wore armor over her black dress. The gown had slits that allowed freedom of movement and showed their firm and athletic thighs. Megara had dark hair in a thick braid, adorned with gold jewelry and gems.
Her hard features and aquiline gaze made Glax guess she must look a lot like her father physically, and the expression of arrogance seemed sewn on her face.
Megara looked at the six standing men, and her gaze fixed on Glax.
Glax had failed to pay attention to the introduction of the other women. He only tried to keep his frown from moving in disgust when he saw her coming towards him. 'What was Glax thinking to enter this contest to be the noble's breeder for the clan? Pick another one. Pick another!'
He was aware that if she chose him, he would be the son-in-law of the clan chief. It seemed very desirable. Then she stopped in front of him, and looked at him. Glax did not ignore her, and looked back at her, raising an eyebrow in question. 'Are you sure it's me, Milady?' It was the ironic message.
"Megara!" one voice sounded above the others. Glax looked away, seeing that a woman was coming towards them, clearly ignoring the strict protocol.
The blonde woman walked around as if she owned the whole fucking everything.
She was tall, certainly six feet tall, which made her at least a head taller than Glax.
She wore a short tunic and golden armor, and Glax noticed that her right arm was covered with a coppery gauntlet and bracer. He couldn't tell if it was a prosthesis or part of the armor. The blonde was impressive to see, with her sparkling, very blue eyes.
The two Amazons stopped in front of Glax. And they faced each other in defiance.
Everyone looked in disbelief.
"Lady Chriseis. The ritual says that the fam..." The priest tried to keep control. But she raised an arm, the golden arm, towards him to order him to shut up.
"Don't I have the right to choose who I want? Didn't I defend Thepomesus? I fought in Oreum, and saw the Lost Sea on the other side of Atlantides. I defended the gates of the River Victum in the capital of the Empire. Will my clan not allow me to choose first?"
Glax pursed his lips, trying not to laugh. When could he guess he was being disputed in this way? At the same time, it was a little worrying. They had Proctius, Rasmus and other guys to choose from... Why were they fighting over him?
"Chriseis, you are also a Kroton. Our family gets stronger, whatever the choice," Megara said, containing her irritation.
"So, Megara, I choose Glax of Valosia. Five other valiant warriors are at your disposal," Saying this, Chriseis put her foot on Glax's box.
Another woman, a short woman who wore short hair and a long dress with gold trims, said,
"Lady Chriseis, your choice will have dire consequences!"
"Augurer, your words are not the voice of the gods if your interests are involved!" replied the warrior lady promptly.
"It's not possible that you can't see he's not one of us! He's…"
This time, Glax decided to intervene, being ironic.
"Miss Augurer, thanks for the opinion. Of course, Lady Chriseis should not choose me, with so much better candidates to pick from. Just don't overdo your fervor of wanting me for you. We already understand your trick..." he blinked, shrugging and waving his hands in a gesture of resignation.
He didn't intend to let her offend him or reveal anything embarrassing. If she was really a psychic, she might know something.
As expected, she was taken aback by Glax's reaction, while the other guys barely hid their laughter, looking at Glax. Only Proctius looked furious!
'What did I do this time?!'