Chapter 34
Chapter Thirty-Four
YEAR 205, ERA OF THE GODS
I t started with small, innocent accidents. Me tripping and cutting my hand. Walking home from the market and my bag breaking open, all the food spilling everywhere. A murder of crows following me, swooping over me and pecking at me. They followed me all the way to my farmhouse.
Then bigger accidents began happening. Dead goats. Missing gold. A perpetual frost settling over our small island village that didn’t seem to affect any of our neighboring villages. Crops were dying, and things were beginning to look dire.
I knew who was responsible and I knew what I had to do.
This morning, I made the trek to his temple. I couldn’t go to hers. It might’ve been a stupid thing to do. Everyone knew the god of shadows was the most unhinged, the most lethal. But that’s exactly why I wanted to see him. If anyone might help me with my problem, it would be him.
He had no allegiances. He seemingly had no agenda. He was destruction and death, and right now, that’s what I needed on my side if I was going to survive these attacks.
They had to be coming from Khalasa, some petty revenge for me ending our relationship. I’d never thought she was capable of this kind of behavior. I stalked across that familiar winding stone path toward his temple. Jungle rose up all around me, and a few fronds brushed my arm as I passed by them.
I stopped when I stood in front of the temple, the gargoyle statues on either side glaring down at me. I bowed my head and forged forward.
The god of shadows sat sprawled across his black throne, just like he had years ago when I’d visited him and changed the course of my fate forever. Thankfully, Khalasa was not there this time, and I breathed a sigh of relief at that. I might very well have lost my life if she’d been present.
The god straightened when he saw me, sitting up slowly in his chair. He watched me approach like a predator watching its prey. The shadows around him lashed out like if I came close enough they might snatch me.
His eyes glowed red before dulling.
The walk to his throne felt like it lasted an eternity, neither of us speaking as he just stared at me the entire time. I finally arrived in front of him and knelt into a low bow.
“Rise,” he said, annoyance lacing his tone.
I stood and met his gaze, straightening my shoulders. “I have a problem,” I said.
“And why is that my problem?” he asked, his tone bored.
“Because it affects your territory.”
His gaze narrowed behind the shadows. “Go on.”
I’d been relieved, then, knowing that I’d caught his interest.
I told him about the strange happenings, the crops dying, the people affected. Then he asked me the most important question. “Who is responsible for this attack?”
“I think you know,” I said.
He knew who I was. And after so much time had passed, he must’ve known that Khalasa and I were no longer together.
His shadows swirled faster, their wispy forms flickering. He was angry. Angry was good. Maybe if he was angry enough, he’d do something about it.
The gods tended to remain removed from most conflicts involving their territories, instating lords and other forms of authorities to handle any issues. But this was an attack from another god. It couldn’t be handled by anyone but the god of shadows.
“I’m not asking for you to protect me,” I said. “I just don’t want my village to suffer because of my own entanglements.”
He’d leaned forward. He was thinking about it. Another good sign. This had already gone better than I’d imagined it would.
Before he could give an answer, green dust swirled up in the air, whirling and whirling as it slowly formed into Aethira. Vines curled around her, slithering like snakes over her body. She wore a flowing green dress that swished as she walked forward.
The god of shadows greeted her with a flat tone, and I sank away into the shadows, hoping she wouldn’t even notice me.
She dipped her head, the firelight in the sconces glinting off the flowers twined in her hair. He asked her why she’d come, and she told him about some of her followers who had angered her. Something about them desecrating an owl statue outside her temple. I didn’t understand why she was here, why she was telling all of this to the god of shadows until she finally made her request, and it all made sense.
“I need you to do what you do best,” she said to him.
I could barely see it through the swirl of shadows, but his jaw ticked. Something was happening here, I was sure of it. So I’d stayed silent, and I listened, beginning to realize this might be just the answer I’d been looking for. The gods used the god of shadows to punish those who displeased them. Everyone thought he reveled in it, liked being their weapon. But something was off. I got the distinct feeling he didn’t like it at all.
Aethira walked forward, vines dipping down from her leg and slinking across the shiny black floor. “I think a flogging will do for this one. Make it public.” She tapped a long green nail against her chin. “Send your shadows to snatch the perpetrators from their home, then punish them in the town square.”
“Perpetrators?” the shadow god ground out.
“Well, I don’t know exactly who did it.” She rolled her eyes. “So we’ll teach all the suspects a lesson.” She gave him a calculated smile. “Glad we had this talk.”
Then she disappeared in a cloud of green smoke, glittering dust falling to the ground in her wake.
It hit me then: the truth. I’d turned to the god of shadows. “You don’t want to kill anyone. The other gods make you.”
His fists curled at his sides.
“But why?” I’d asked.
He didn’t answer, but I was right. I could feel it. And that means we can help each other. I’m just going to have to convince him first.