Worship Audiobook

Chapter 1

Carus

Darkness is only natural in a place like this.

I sit at a corner table in the dimly lit tavern, and as more plumes of smoke rise from nearby tables, I lean my head against the cool wall behind me.

I have visited this tavern dozens of times. By now, I know every single one of the regulars, and I can guess at each of their conversations.

I know the patterns of the people who walk in and out of the place, and I know every one of the barmaids by name.

This place isn’t anything special. Except that it is the easiest place to commit a crime on Aerasak.

A barmaid comes around, her voluptuous curves swinging. Her movements are graceful, despite the heavy tray in her hand.

“Would you like another one?” I cannot place her accent. It is harsh and low and her voice is thick and almost hoarse.

Not from this part of the planet, I think idly to myself. She could be from anywhere, really. Accents have never been my strong suit.

And Aerasak is large, sprawling, and unwieldy. New places, people, and accents spring up every day as if organically.

As if the planet is a living thing with a mind, a conscience, of its own, making fun of us. As if it allows new beings to sprout just for fun. Just to trick us. Just to make us say, ‘Hey, you weren’t here a second ago.’

The barmaid stares at me pointedly and clears her throat. 

I look distractedly down at my glass. “Oh, yes, of course.” I smile at her, and it is a dazzling smile. She smiles back with uncertainty in her eyes before she gently takes my glass and whisks it away.

She returns within seconds, with a glass filled with amber liquid. I suppose she has seen me before.

I suppose she knows who I am by now. Knows me enough to know the kind of drink I like.

I sip my drink slowly and savor the rich, rasping flavor that slides over my tongue. This tavern, this establishment, might be very out of the way and slightly low class, but they do serve a damn good dram.

I lean my head back against the wall again. And I sit and observe.

It is early evening, and the sun has crept away from the windows. The only light now comes from the haphazard, dancing flames of the torches that are attached to the walls.

The building that this tavern is in used to be the fortress of an ancient King who lived on Aerasak before even the demons came here. People say that stories of that King are only legends now, but I can see it in the way the ancient volcanic rock is secured together.

I can see the proof of that old King’s existence in the old but sturdy metal bars that keep the torches secured to the walls.

I tilt my head then and listen to the dregs of the conversation that float over to me. There is an immense sense of privacy in this place. Maybe it is the constant, thick plumes of smoke that obscure all sight.

Maybe it is the sound of the steady splash of alcohol coming from the bar.

Maybe it is the low, thrumming thread of music that comes from a music box close by.

“…moving them at dawn. Before any of the filth is out.”

I smile at the words. The people at the table next to me are known smugglers. Their words are tense and so is their body language.

I finish my glass of liquor as I listen to them argue quietly. Clearly, one of their trips around Aerasak has gone wrong recently.

“…not risking it again. Not again!”

I grow bored quickly by their conversation. It is too simple. Too obvious.

I glance over at the flames, flickering dangerously in the torches. They look like they could spill over at any second.

Like they could light this ancient place, this place belonging to a king, on fire and raze it to the ground in moments.

That is how I feel right now.

If something doesn’t happen soon, something interesting, something dangerous, I’m going to light this place on fire.

I look over at the other tables and try to find a conversation that looks interesting enough for me to eavesdrop.

And I see them then.

A gaggle of humans surrounded by several dark elves. The human girls are pretty enough, although they aren’t to my taste.

“Would you like another?” Another barmaid has come around. She is very different from the last one.

She is confident, assertive, and flirtatious. She is a skinny thing and her collarbones protrude in a way that is very unattractive.

She is also human. She leans forward suggestively and reveals some of the cleavage beneath her shirt.

I shake my head impatiently at her and turn away. I can almost see her pouting disappointedly, but she recovers soon enough and walks away.

There’ll be someone else tonight who will take her on. Who will give her what she wants.

Several of the human girls in the group with the dark elves have split off into couples.

I cannot help but feel annoyed, because the second that the barmaid spoke to me, something in the tavern changed.

The air is tense all around, and I can practically see sparks rippling through it.

I listen carefully, trying to catch up on what I missed out on.

And I hear one word that makes me turn back to the human-dark elf couples.

‘Rulers.’

The conversations in the tavern are the same as they always are when people speak about the Rulers.

More and more dark elves are falling for human women. And it is disturbing the status quo. It is making them uncomfortable.

The Rulers do not like change, and they do not like the shift in power as human women gain legitimacy in dark elf society.

There are rumors, things only spoken about in the darkness, about a great, long journey if things continue the way they have.

Maybe I should have said yes to another drink, I think to myself.

I find the whole premise of human women disrupting dark elf society to be ludicrous. I have slept with human women before. I have caused chaos with human women before. They’re fun, different, and sometimes quite delightful.

But they are just humans.

Powerless, weak, and usually very stupid – most dark elf men aren’t looking for intelligent conversation from a woman. All they want is a good, easy lay.

I do not see how the Rulers could be worried that the humans have any ability to overthrow the current order.

My eyes lock onto the human-dark elf couple closest to me. He is tall with dark gray skin and long dark hair. She is beautiful – short and well-rounded but lithe. Her bare arms and legs are muscular.

She laughs, placing her hand on his arm and caressing his skin. His eyes narrow, looking at her from head-to-toe with pure lust behind his gaze.

Something about that makes my skin crawl.

“...they’re nothing but toys for the dark elves. They’re pets.”

A voice comes from somewhere around me, whispering about how humans should be treated in relation to Rulers. Indeed, humans are nothing but distractions for us. Some easy entertainment to keep a dark elf’s bed warm at night.

They’re not supposed to be our equals. They’re not even supposed to be our long-term partners. They are not worthy of such standing.

This whole situation makes my fists clench. I’m tired of hearing this awful conversation about how dark elves and humans are fucking each other.

The bar seems a little lackluster. Quiet. Boring. Mischief crawls through my veins, making my heterochromatic eyes sparkle at the opportunity to have some fun around here.

“Humans are to blame for this, you know. They’re dangerous. They seduce our kin without consequence. Who made them so daring?”

I agree. Who did such a thing?

There should be some ramifications for that. The human women seducing the dark elf men at the corner of the bar should be turned into examples. A reminder to all humans across Aerasak of what happens when you overstep your boundaries.

Mumbling an incantation under my breath, I focus on a pair of brutish dark elves enjoying their drinks across the tavern. They are dressed in armor, so they’re ready for a good fight.

A ripple courses through the air, slithering through the tavern until it reaches the pair I’m focused on. A coy smirk appears along my lips, sitting back and watching my creation materialize.

Within seconds, they burst out of their seats. The sound of chairs scraping rings out in this tavern. One of them immediately reaches for his sword, but the other launches himself across the table with his arms outstretched, aiming for the other’s neck.

Screams ring out as dark elves and humans alike try to separate the sparring two. However, that’s not enough to stop the mess I’ve created.

Another dark elf gets punched. Enraged, he starts to hit back. He hits two dark elves who are not engaged with the situation. A few rapid-fire punches are all it takes to get them fired up.

In return, bottles of liquor are smashed against the tables and used as makeshift weapons. Some bottles are smashed over skulls. Pure chaos takes over this tavern.

The human women start to get flung into this mess. One of them tries to separate the fighting dark elves. She’s cast off to the side like a scrap of trash. Of course, that does nothing to ease the tension within the tavern.

I rest easily in my seat, taking another calm sip from my drink as pandemonium takes over the tavern. It’s entertainment to me. Violence, chaos, and calamity are just a part of today's show.