Blood of the Goddess Book I: The Locust King
Table of Contents
Chapter 1: Locusts at the Gate Chapter 2: A New Name Chapter 3: The Capital Prepares Chapter 4: The Princess is Dead, Long Live the Princess Chapter 5: Outside the Gates Chapter 6: Inside the Black Tent Chapter 7: Surrender at the Temple Chapter 8: The Cult of the Locust Chapter 9: The Locust's Tenets of Faith Chapter 10: Mourners on the Cliff Chapter 11: The Eye of Betrayal Chapter 12: The Dead King's Bedchamber Chapter 13: The Arms of the Goddess Chapter 14: Zayaan of the Narim Chapter 15: The Eyes of the Priestess Chapter 16: A More Permanent Disguise Chapter 17: Tribute Chapter 18: Sacrifice of the New Moon Chapter 19: The Lost Bird Chapter 20: Manah and the Priestess Chapter 21: Desert Creatures Chapter 22: Become the Swarm Chapter 23 The Price of Betrayal Chapter 24: Life Under the Locust Chapter 25: Wild Rose Chapter 26: The Lady Wren Chapter 27: Thought and Desire Chapter 28: The Lady's Captivity Chapter 29: The Wine Maiden Chapter 30: End of Childhood Chapter 31: The Children of Aisha Chapter 32: The Forest Runner Chapter 33: Three Sisters Chapter 34: The Hunt Chapter 35: Bones in the Forest Chapter 36: Lullaby Chapter 37: The Hunter's Horn Chapter 38: Ways Between Ways Chapter 39: Morning Star Chapter 40: A Prophecy for Baraz Chapter 41: Equinox Fires Chapter 42: The Lord Prince Takri Chapter 43: Evening Star Sets Chapter 44: Chaos in the Courtyard Chapter 45: Dasha Chapter 46: Memories Chapter 47: The Body Slave Chapter 48: Caged Beasts Chapter 49: Message from the Capital Chapter 50: Heresiarch Chapter 51: The Color of Blood Chapter 52: Winter Winds Chapter 53: The Bookmaker's Closet Chapter 54: Wrapped in Dignity and Beauty Chapter 55: Vessel of the Goddess Chapter 56: Cracks in the Walls Chapter 57: Two Brothers Chapter 58: The Court of Women Chapter 59: Favored of the King Chapter 60: The Sweetest Fruit Chapter 61: Daughter of the Temple Chapter 62: A Nation of Bastards Chapter 63: The Lute Player Chapter 64: Aisha's Prayer Chapter 65: Promises Chapter 66: Lives Lost Chapter 67: The Tea Maker Chapter 68: Object of Desire Chapter 69: Empty Shelves Chapter 70: Darkness and Light Chapter 71: The Love of Men Chapter 72: The Cursed Ones Chapter 73: Hiding Places Chapter 74: Old Men's Tales Chapter 75: False Prophecies Chapter 76: The Lord Prince Radu Chapter 77: Love Becomes Life Chapter 78: Mistress and Mother Chapter 79: A Test of Strength Chapter 80: The Strigoi-Viu Cometh Chapter 81: Scraps from the Table Chapter 82: A Fool's Errand Chapter 83: The Little Ghost Chapter 84: Stolen Honeycakes Chapter 85: Breathe Chapter 86: Beneath the Palace Chapter 87: Red Pebbles Chapter 88: Common Men Chapter 89: Love and Duty Chapter 90: Nightmares Chapter 91: Earth and Sun Chapter 92: Love and Creation Chapter 93: Until My Last Breath Chapter 94: Fruit and Flower Chapter 95: Two Days Chapter 96: Small Comforts Chapter 97: Heroes Chapter 98: Fire, Water, and Wax Chapter 99: Beneath the Temple Chapter 100: the Way of Eagles Chapter 101: The GalluChapter 101: The Gallu
Zayaan pulled himself from the icy water onto the riverbank on the opposite side of the river, spluttering and coughing, still clutching his knife. He looked frantically for his attacker and the source of the strange voice, but he stood completely alone. No cat or human showed itself, only the burned mountainside stretching black and white up to the sky.
“Radu!” Zayaan’s throat seemed to tighten around the words, causing them to come out in something less than a whisper.
“This place is not for him, warrior.”
The cat, white as the snow around the blackened trees and now grown twice as large, stepped out from the swirling mist followed by a woman twice as tall as any man Zayaan had ever seen. In one hand she held a sword, and in the other a blade shaped like a crescent moon. Her eyes burned with fire, and her silver hair flowed down her back to join the mist around her feet.
“Radu!” he croaked once more before his throat closed on his words.
The cat prowled in a circle around him, sniffing the air. Zayaan did his best to control his breathing and remain still, but his heart raced within his chest.
“You have no need to fear the gallu, Narim. Your soul is not one she hungers for. At least not yet.”
The cat came to a stop at the giantess’ side. She bent to touch her crescent shaped blade to the water’s surface. Where it broke the surface, the river bloomed red with blood. Fire caught around her bare feet, melting the snow beneath them and burning backwards up the mountain restoring the trees as it went. Flowers sprang up on the forest floor among cushions of soft moss. The smell of fresh water and growing things enveloped him.
“Zayaan, do not forget how things once were.”
The giantess turned her back on Zayaan and lowered her weapons, allowing the sword’s tip to drag behind her as she and the cat made their way up the mountain. With each step, she grew taller, and the sword dug deeper into the ground, carving a chasm nearly as deep as the canyon itself. First in rivulets and then in a red torrent, blood rushed from the wound in the earth dislodging trees and boulders which tumbled down the mountain in a landslide. Zayaan scrambled into the river to escape, but it was no use. As he was buried beneath blood and rock, he heard the woman’s voice again, echoing like thunder from the sky above.
“Do not lose yourself in your wounds.”
He floated in warm darkness among the stars, hearing the faint songs they sing to each other across the void.
Lilua. Does my sister know the stars play music as she does?
He opened his eyes, willing himself to wake from the comfort of nothingness. The world shifted from warm darkness to cold rippling light. Radu’s face, contorted in fear, wavered before his eyes for a moment before he felt his strong arms drag him free from the void. Cold air hit him in the face as he broke the surface of the water. Zayaan’s lungs burned as he inhaled the cold night air. He retched our river water, temples pounding with each heave of his stomach. He and Radu collapsed on the flat rock above the fishing hole, both trying to catch their breath.
“Praise Mahleck, you are alive, you stupid Tea Maker! I was sure you were dead when I saw you.” Radu pulled himself into a sitting position and picked up one of the cleaned trout from the rock. “At least you caught some dinner.”
Zayaan began to laugh, sending himself into another coughing fit. Radu clapped him on the back until he stopped.
“Do you hear that?” asked Radu. In a moment, he was on his feet running towards the sound of panicked shouts filtering down through the trees from the road, leaving Zayaan gasping for air on the side of the river. The Narim secured his weapons and followed, but by the time he made it back to the campsite, the battle was over. Two mountain cats lay dead in the center of the camp, felled by arrows.
“Is this what you meant by dangerous?” asked Radu once Zayaan reached his side.
“The big cats usually stay far from humans,” said Zayaan. “Their usual prey must be scarce. Perhaps they suffer famine just as the rest of Adyll.”
“My Lord Prince!” called one of the officers. “I feared you to be among the ones taken by the cats! They were lying in wait for us when we arrived.”
“How is that possible?” asked Radu, gesturing to the two horses still grazing at the edge of the meadow. “The horses are just where we left them. The cats must have followed you here. No predators attack a group of men when easy prey is at hand.”
“These were not cats,” said the man. “They came from the night like gallu.”
Zayaan halted at the word from his dream. Gallu.
“Demons?” scoffed Radu. “Don’t blame your shortcomings on imaginary monsters your mother told you about when you were a child.”
“They only took men, my Lord. No horse was harmed. None of the beasts. Only men,” said the man. “It is as if they did not come seeking food, but only blood.”
“How many did they take?” asked Radu.
“Five,” said the captain.
Radu turned one of the dead cats over with his foot. An arrow protruded from its neck. “Aren’t gallu supposed to return to the underworld when they die leaving no body behind? These look like cat corpses to me.”
“Yes, my Lord Prince,” said the captain.
“Take these two and skin them. I will have a coat made when we get to the capital,” said Radu. “Tonight, and every night until we are behind the city walls you will double the watch. You will set archers upon the wagons while we travel. There may not be armed bandits on these roads, but there are other dangers. Make sure you tell the men this is nothing more than a hungry cat looking for food. Not a demon. Do you understand me?”
“Yes, my Lord Prince.”
“Good,” said Radu. “Tea Maker, fetch the trout if the cats didn’t take them already. I’m hungry. Where is the cook? Hopefully the cats didn’t take him.”
Zayaan made his way back to the rock, shivering as the adrenaline began to wear off and the cold seeped through his wet clothes. He stopped and looked across the river where blue flowers bloomed alongside bloody paw prints in the snow before he picked up his fish and headed back to camp.
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