Chapter 6
SIX
Kissing.
That’s what they call the act of lip touching between two people.
Now I have a name for what was happening at that party. It was kissing. That is what people in love do—or at least according to the movie Casablanca .
The kisses on the screen are intriguing. Full of passion and yearning.
Ah!
The romantic in me can’t help but sigh dreamily at those scenes.
I’ve never seen people kiss before. Certainly not in Aperion. I wonder if mated couples engage in this activity or if it is strictly a human thing to do.
“Minerva,” my brother’s voice penetrates my mind. In a few seconds, he’s seated next to me in the empty movie theatre.
“Kai!” I squeak. “What are you doing here?”
He has a grave expression on his face that morphs into distaste as he glances at the kissing scene on the screen.
“By the Source, Minerva, what are you doing?” he asks in an outraged tone.
“They’re called moving pictures. They’re really nice,” I quip.
I don’t expect Kai to get it, though. He’s far too uptight for any type of entertainment. Me, on the other hand… How I love these moving pictures! It’s even better than reading a story because you can see it in motion. It’s rather fascinating, too, because I get to find out about more human customs and what life is like for people in different parts of the world.
There are plays in Aperion, but they’re nothing like this! They simply recount old and mythical events that no one cares about anymore—or at least, I don’t.
Where is the romance? The excitement? The thrill of action?
How can Aperion not have something like this is beyond me. More people would be paying to see those plays, too. In fact, if there were more stories like this, ladies wouldn’t be going to their mates with absolutely no knowledge of what mating involves.
See? These stories are educational, too!
Kai bristles.
“But they’re…” he trails off, his lips pursed.
“Kissing,” I say. “They’re kissing.”
“You shouldn’t be watching something like this,” he grumbles. With a snap of his fingers, he stops the movie.
My eyes widen in outrage.
“Why did you do that?”
It was just getting to the most interesting part, too!
Casablanca is one of the most explicit movies I’ve seen so far—and I’ve seen tens of them. I was looking forward to getting more information about what couples do in the intimacy of their home. Of course Kai had to come and ruin my fun.
“It’s also inappropriate for an unmated lady such as yourself.”
I narrow my eyes at him.
“Is it? Don’t people in Aperion kiss too?” I ask him.
Heat travels up his neck.
“Kissing. That is what they call it here?” He clears his throat.
That confirms it. Aperites kiss, too. And I have to wonder how my brother knows about it.
“So it does exist in Aperion, too,” I remark drily.
“It is something only mated couples engage in. These humans are far too free with their attentions,” he mutters under his breath.
“Then how would you know about it?” I ask as I watch him intently.
He shrugs.
“I will remind you I am three thousand years older than you,” he mentions.
“And you’re still unmated. So how would you know? Who have you been kissing, Kai?” I ask accusingly.
“Just because you haven’t seen it doesn’t mean I haven’t,” he replies lazily as he leans back in his seat.
I study his features for any sign of deceit. Then again, my brother is a stickler for rules. I do not see him going around kissing anyone without the benefit of marriage. And who would he even kiss? Highborn ladies are just as sheltered as me in that regard. The only other option would be one of those bawdy houses that I’ve heard so many rumors about.
I shake my head at the thought.
Kai would never step foot inside a bawdy house.
“Well, now I want to see it, and you are disturbing me. Please see yourself out and let me finish the movie. It was already hard enough to get a showing without all those humans loudly yapping around.”
“I’m afraid I can’t do that.” He takes a deep breath. “You need to come with me,” he says and grabs my hand.
“What? Where?”
The words are barely out of my mouth when he teleports us to a vacant building. I don’t recognize the location, but based on the architecture and the steel appliances abandoned in a corner, I am certain we have not left England yet.
“What’s the meaning of this?” I demand sharply as I pull my hand from his grasp.
“General Molokai. And Lady Minerva,” someone says. The owner of the voice steps out from the shadows and my eyes widen.
He’s garbed in a long, pearlescent gown tied around the waist with a wide red belt. I recognize the uniform immediately and what this means.
Damn it!
“Minerva, this is Groyo from the House of Moirai.”
I nibble on my lip.
“H-hello,” I murmur guiltily.
“I suppose you know why you have been summoned here, do you not, Lady Minerva?” Groyo asks.
I bite my lip as I sneak a glance at Kai. He’s wearing a somber expression, his hands behind his back as he distances himself from me.
Not wanting to show any favoritism. Got it.
“Uhm, not really?” I force a smile.
With a wave of his hand, Groyo unveils a golden silk veil with one flickering dot.
“This human was supposed to have died twenty-three hours, forty-five minutes, and thirty-four seconds ago.” He pauses. “The human is still alive.”
“Oh, is that so?” I murmur.
Another wave of his hand and the golden veil turns into a canvas featuring a moving picture. The lighting is much better here than it was at the actual site of the incident, and I can clearly see myself reach into the mass of rubble to pull out a little girl.
Oh damn. How did they get this footage? It’s not as if there were cameras around. Then again, I’ve never had to deal with the House of Moirai before, and according to rumors, they are all-seeing.
This is what happens when I break the rules. I’m caught.
“All right. I helped her,” I admit. It’s not as if I can deny it when the evidence of my misdeeds is staring right in my face. After all, I knew about the potential consequences, did I not? And yet, I still chose to get involved.
“You did not help her,” Groyo says, his voice booming in the empty building. “You thwarted her fate and made us work overtime at the House of Moirai to undo the damage you have caused.”
“What do you mean?” I frown.
“The girl will die, as she was meant to. But we were unable to schedule her death until one hundred and five days from now.”
“So you fixed it. She’s still going to die.”
Groyo glares at me.
“No, we did not fix it, as you say it. It means she is going to live one hundred and five days more than she should have.”
“But she’s still going to die,” I add weakly.
He gives me another harsh glare.
“It means that someone else died in her place to maintain the balance, Minerva,” my brother mentions.
“General Molokai is correct. So not only you did not help, since someone did end up dying, but you also made it more difficult for the House of Moirai as we sought a way to ensure that human will die on the exact same day the human who died in her stead would. I cannot even begin to tell you how many threads we had to unravel to make that happen.”
My lips flatten. I didn’t think of it that way. Damn it all, I really messed up, didn’t I?
“We cannot, of course, let this go. It is our duty to ensure that the threads of fate run their course accordingly. It is for that exact reason that deities are not allowed to interfere in mortals’ fates.”
“What?”
“You need to be punished for your misdeeds, Minerva,” my brother says.
“But—”
“As General Molokai said. We cannot overlook this or it would send the wrong message to other deities, which in turn would mess even more with the order of things. You must be punished in accordance with your sin.”
“And what is my punishment going to be?”
Groyo waves the silk canvas away. It dissolves into a myriad of fine particles until there’s nothing left of it.
“One hundred and five days,” he states. “You will need to repay the House of Moirai for the one hundred and five days you stole from the human who wrongly died.”
“But how?” I whisper.
“You will be stripped of your powers for one hundred and five days. General Molokai will ensure the punishment is meted out.”
My eyes widen.
W-what?
Stripped of my powers.
I quickly glance at Kai. He’s not even looking at me as he nods.
“But I’m on a mission. I can’t?—”
“You are hereby relieved of your duties, Minerva. You may return to Aperion until the end of your sentence. Or if you should choose to stay in Anthropa, though I do not recommend it, you will not be given an allowance or any protection from me or my soldiers.”
I blink, shocked.
“I trust you will handle this, General Molokai?”
My brother inclines his head.
Groyo nods and flashes himself out of the building, leaving me alone with my brother.
“You can’t be serious about this, Kai. You can’t strip me of my powers…”
“It is your punishment.”
“But—”
“No buts. You broke the rules, you must pay for it.”
Opening his palm, he releases a burst of energy that surrounds my entire body. An opaque film settles atop my skin, inhibiting my powers.
“One hundred and five days. At the end of your sentence, the shield will evaporate on its own.”
“How am I supposed to fight demons without my powers?” I cry out in frustration.
“You are not. You have been relieved of your duties, as I have mentioned,” he adds tersely.
“You can’t do that! You know how much this mission means to me.”
“You should have thought about that before you broke the rules. I would advise you to take your punishment in stride and head home.”
“Head home? Absolutely not!”
Does he not realize what will happen once I get home? I’ve already left when I shouldn’t have. The moment they catch me, our parents are going to lock me up until the wedding, and without my powers, I won’t have any way to escape.
“That is your prerogative. Should you find yourself in trouble here, however, no one will be able to help you.”
He turns his back to me, ready to leave.
“Kai!” I yell. “What does that mean?”
Only his profile is visible as he speaks. “The shield inhibits all your spiritual energy and as such, it will also slow down your healing. It is to your best advantage to leave Anthropa, dangerous as it is now.”
“W-what?”
“Go home, sister. You’ve created enough trouble as it is.”
And with that, he disappears.
“Kai! Kai!” I call after him, but it’s in vain.
He’s gone.
And I’m…powerless.
I rush out of the building and immediately the darkness hits me in the face. I…can’t see.
I swallow hard, an array of emotions grabbing me by the throat and threatening to make me ill.
Taking one step forward, I’m hit with an astounding fear.
I can’t see.
I don’t know what’s out there.
I don’t know where I am.
I don’t have…anything.
“Kai? Please don’t leave me here,” I whisper. A sob escapes me as I wildly look around but am unable to see anything.
A few more grueling steps and I stop again.
My breathing intensifies and a hole slowly forms in my chest. My pulse is through the roof as fear overtakes me.
So this is what it’s like to be powerless. To be…human.
It’s to not know where you’re going, to not see where your next step might lead you—to know that maybe one wrong turn could prove deadly. And now I could very well die.
Kai said my healing would be slower, too. That means I could get injured. I could get seriously hurt.
And I cannot defend myself.
“Kai? Please,” I continue.
A shiver goes down my body, and for the first time in my life, I feel the cold chill of the night.
I am…cold.
I, a goddess of ice, feel cold.
I drop to my knees, struggling for breath.
“I’m sorry,” I whisper, rubbing my hands together. “Please, I’m sorry. I won’t do it again. Please don’t leave me here. Please…”
No one answers back.
Not even my echo.
I’m yet again reminded of the human condition—of those beings that constantly pray to a higher being but never receive an answer in return.
I am that being now.
Here, on my knees, begging. And there is no one out there to hear my plea.
If only I were stronger. If I had my ninth gate open like my brother, he would not have been able to inhibit all my powers. Given his rank, his orders have precedence over my wants, regardless of whether we’d have equal spiritual energy or not. But at least I wouldn’t have been this helpless…this powerless.
Then the House of Moirai would have found another way to give you a fitting punishment , my inner voice reminds me.
The truth is that no matter how I look at it, I did break the rules. I did something wrong and I deserve to be punished. I just never expected I would feel so bereft without my powers.
I squeeze my eyes shut, hoping that when I open them again, everything will be back to normal. That I will be able to see through the darkness again. That I will be able to find my path again.
But it’s in vain.
I am utterly powerless.
Moments on end pass, and I’m forced to admit to myself that this is my reality now. For the next one hundred and five days, I am no better than those puny humans.
I am just as helpless as they are.
The chilly wind stings across my cheeks. I cannot remain out here.
I carefully make my way back to the warehouse. Inside, it’s not much warmer, but at least I’m no longer shivering so badly that my teeth are clattering in my mouth.
There is a latch at the door, and I pull it to ensure that no one can come inside. With how vulnerable I am…
Think, Minerva. Think.
Admittedly, the only recourse I have is to wait for the sun to rise. Then I can make my way back to my lodgings. But what after?
I have little money left from my last allowance. It might last me until the end of the week but not for another one hundred days. And without money, I will not be able to survive in this world.
Didn’t Kai realize that?
Or he did. And he thought I would do the sensible thing and go home.
Go home more of a failure than I left.
No. I cannot do that.
It might be harder to get my footing in this world with no support, but at least I will have my freedom. The moment I go home, I am forfeiting my independence. My parents might even go as far as to rush the wedding to ensure I don’t escape.
If my brother truly expected me to give up and go home, then he will be in for a surprise. I will not return.
With that thought in mind, I let myself fall asleep.
The next morning, though my body aches from sleeping on the ground of the warehouse, I start out toward my lodgings with renewed optimism.
Yet that quickly fades when I realize how much I have to walk to get home. Several times, I have to ask for directions. Luckily, I know the address of the place, not just the coordinates where to teleport.
Still, I have no money on me to pay for a cab, and that means I must walk for close to six human miles.
By the time I reach my apartment building, I am sweaty, out of breath, and in a foul mood. The only thing that keeps me going is the fact that in just a few steps, I will get to my cozy bed and my stash of cookies. That sounds like the best reward in the world for the effort I had to make.
Disheveled, dirty, and probably looking a fright, I force myself up the stairs of the apartment building.
Why did I have to rent the room on the third floor? Why couldn’t I have chosen the ground level one?
Because I was too cocky, that’s why. Because now, without my abilities, I realize how many things I’ve been taking for granted.
One hundred and five days. Or is it one hundred and four days now?
I brighten a little at the thought.
As I reach the second floor, a door opens and the landlady strides out. She looks around, narrowing her eyes when she sees me.
I muster a smile, though even using those muscles hurts.
“Minerva, just the person I needed to see.”
“Yes, Mrs. Tinley?”
“There will be an increase in rent by one shilling starting next month.”
I stare at her, afraid I haven’t heard her right.
“But next month is in three days!”
“Well, yes. But you see, this area is in high demand since everyone is afraid Central London will be struck again. I am only keeping up with the other prices in the area.”
I might have been able to pay rent for the next month if I reduced all my spending—including food. But now it’s an extra shilling? Where the hell will I get that money from?
“And if I can’t pay that?”
She purses her lips.
“You will have to vacate the premises. I already have someone interested to take your place and…”
I tune her out as I trudge my way to the third floor.
“Your answer, Minerva!” she calls out. “Will you stay or leave?”
I close my eyes and take a deep breath.
Of course everything would go from bad to worse in a matter of hours.
“I will take my leave in three days,” I reply.
Where I will go remains to be seen. But first I must find a way to make money. And fast.
When I get to my room, I wash up and change my clothes. Then I rummage for the leftover cookies from the other day. But as I open the cupboard, a nasty-looking thing jumps out at me.
A rat!
“Agh!” I cry out, stumbling back.
I teeter on my feet before I land on my back. Tears prick at the back of my eyes.
The rat scurries away but not before I see the crumbs he leaves in his trail.
No. Oh no…
I force myself up and inspect the cupboard, only to find it fully ransacked.
And my cookies?
That nasty creature ate them. What’s left is adulterated, and even though I’m salivating at the thought of a sweet cookie, I know I cannot take the chance to eat it. With my healing impaired, who knows what disease I might catch?
Disease. What a thought.
Frustration boils inside of me and I stomp my feet onto the floor. But even the freaking floor strikes back. Now my foot hurts.
I’m hungry, tired, and still cold.
More tears threaten to spill down my cheeks, but I swallow a sob and force myself to think.
One step at a time.
I’ll find a solution… I think.
For now, I just need some food so I can go to sleep with a full stomach.
Grabbing a couple of pence, I go out in search of some filling food. Even if it’s just bread—that might be the only thing I can afford—that’s fine. I just need to fill my stomach with something .
The streets are bustling with people—a stark contrast to the silence of the night. Cars crowd the roads, with people sliding between them to get to their destination—sometimes narrowly escaping an accident.
My hair is wet and clinging to my face, making me look quite a fright. Despite the sun shining in the sky, it’s only early September, so the temperatures are…temperate. That means my wet hair makes me even colder than before.
The dress I’m wearing is a blend of wool and cotton, but it doesn’t seem to help when a chilly breeze makes me shiver from head to toe.
I can’t believe I’m even thinking this but… That rat might have been better off than me. At least he ate cookies— my cookies.
I reach a store and feel for the pence in my pocket. The smell of freshly baked bread is intoxicating and I am close to salivating. But there is a huge line in front of me that moves slowly.
Happy I will at least get some food, I join the line and wait.
Minutes pass by. The queue slowly dissolves until I’m next in line.
“One loaf of bread, please,” I say, presenting my coins.
The seller gives me an odd look.
“Your ration book?”
“What?”
“No ration book, no bread,” he adds curtly.
“But I don’t have?—”
“Next,” he calls out, moving his attention from me.
I blink.
Someone from behind shoves me out of the way. I stumble back and barely regain my balance so I don’t fall—again.
It takes me a few moments to realize that without my powers, I will need to follow the same rules as humans, and that means getting a ration book in order to buy food.
But how does one even get a ration book?
Where do I go to get one?
Will they even give me one? I don’t have any papers, no identification card or anything of the sort. From their perspective, I don’t exist in this world.
Then what about food? How will I get something to eat?
A little faint and more than ravenous, I walk around as I think about the best ways to deal with this.
I might be starving for now, but I still won’t go home.
Spotting a bench, I head over and take a seat. My feet hurt from walking too much yesterday, and I try to massage my calves.
Out of the corner of my eyes, I spot a pole full of fliers nearby. From afar, they look like job offerings—or perhaps it’s my wishful thinking.
Slowly getting up, I take a deep breath as I go to the pole.
I scan the fliers, noting that most of them are either news about the war or advice for people on what to do in case of another Blitz.
I purse my lips.
There goes my wishful thinking.
My stomach growls in hunger again. What I wouldn’t give for at least a slice of bread and some cheese. I won’t even be picky and ask for dessert. Just something to fill my stomach other than air.
I reach the last flier and stop.
My lashes flutter a few times as I try to make sure I’m seeing right.
Snatching the flier, I bring it closer to my face—yes, even my eyesight is now on par with that of a puny human.
Nurses wanted at RAF Thorpe Abbotts in Norfolk. Will provide accommodation, three daily meals, and a small monthly wage.
I read the flier a few times until I’ve memorized the lines.
Accommodation—I will have a place to sleep.
Three daily meals—I will go to sleep with a full belly.
A small monthly wage—I can buy cookies.
Giddiness erupts inside of me. I don’t know what RAF is, but nursing shouldn’t be too hard. I did fix that male the other day, didn’t I? I’d say I have the inclination for it—if not the desperation.
This is perfect. The answer to all my prayers. I will survive these one hundred and four days and I will show my brother that not even being on the same level as a puny human will make me return home.
Take that, Kai!
Now there’s only one issue. How the hell do I get to Norfolk?