Chapter 19 A Deadly Promise
A Deadly Promise
If the gods were real, why did they allow me to suffer for so long?
The thought rang through my head as I stared at the beaming images radiating off the Luminoso.
When I was mortal, I was ignorant enough to pray to the gods—I prayed for them to free me from my mother, from my life in total isolation. I begged for a normal life, to experience friendship, adventure, and maybe even love.
Yet, the gods never answered my prayers, so I stopped believing in them the day I broke free and fought to forge my own destiny. The day I climbed the mountain and entered Morotis was the same day the gods ceased to exist in my mind.
Yet now, the Serpent King expected me to accept they were real? How could I accept the fact the gods truly existed, meaning they deliberately left my prayers unanswered?
The rage simmering beneath my skin was like boiling water, begging to explode.
Anger was an emotion I had no problem dealing with—I’d just tear the life from a traitor in my lands to dispel the beast gnashing within me.
I reveled in bloodshed, in the one act that made me feel alive.
Maybe, if the gods answered my prayers all those years ago, I wouldn’t have been desperate enough to escape the claws of one monster just to slip into the grip of another.
“Why did they abandon the mortals?” My voice shifted to the cold tone I used in my dungeons, the one I reserved for when I carved up my people.
“What made you think the gods cared about the mortals in the first place?” He frowned, crossing his arms while turning to fully face me.
My vision blurred as my rage seeped into every inch of my body.
These were the gods my people prayed to?
The ones they thought would save them from the likes of me?
My subjects were bigger fools than I thought.
Glaring at the gods, I made a silent vow, or more so, a deadly promise . . .
I’d kill them all for abandoning us.
A sinister plan wove through my head. If my people witnessed me defeating the gods they worshipped, they would have no other choice but to bow to me.
I tugged my lip between my teeth as the idea took root deep inside me, making me realize I didn’t have to make another bargain with the Serpent King after all.
Squaring my shoulders, I worked on replacing my anger with determination. Even though my anger still lingered in the shadows, I placed it to the side for later.
For the day the gods met their reckoning by my hand.
“Show me the gods’ faces.”
“I don’t see how that is relevant—” The king started, but I cut him off by pointing a sharp, blood-red nail at the orb.
“Show. Me. Them.” I suddenly wanted to learn everything about the gods I had long ago abandoned, so I could figure out the best way to destroy them.
His lips pursed as his brows bunched together at the violence creeping into my voice. However, he didn’t push any further, instead swiping a finger across the crystal orb. A moment later, it illuminated with five beautiful faces—each one unique enough that I could commit every detail to memory.
I imagined such fine features twisted in agony. I’d make them beg for mercy, just like I did all those years ago.
“Tell me who they are.”
The Serpent King gave me one more sideways glance before pointing a pale finger at the furthest screen of the orb. A fair-skinned woman with blazing red hair flashed across the screen.
“Hestia, goddess of the fire realm, also known as Ignitus.”
The god smiled at someone off-screen, giving me time to memorize her every feature, down to the splatter of light freckles dusted across her nose and cheeks.
Once I digested every detail of the fire goddess’s visage, my gaze drifted to the section beneath her. A woman with light brown skin swam through a body of water, an iridescent purple tail whipping gracefully behind her.
“Who is that?” I pointed at the stunning creature.
“That is Vasara, goddess of the sirens. She rules the realm Echandria.”
The goddess held a cruel beauty to her, with her lips painted a deep shade of purple, nearly appearing black, as they perpetually sat in a sinister smile.
She swam through the murky waters, her black hair streaming behind her, carrying a magenta shine to it as sparse sun rays streamed across her face.
She reminded me a lot of myself, but that fact would not spare me from unleashing hell on her the day we met.
Before I could ask who the woman with deep brown skin and the most gorgeous brunette hair featuring honeyed highlights was, the king spoke.
“That is Aradia, the goddess of witches. She rules the realm Caraway.”
“She doesn’t look like a witch,” I said as I stared at her friendly face, appearing nothing like the old hags with moles I read about in fairytale novels.
“Don’t let her sweet face deceive you. She is not to be trifled with. I avoid the witch realm at all costs.” He looked at Aradia once more, but then quickly glanced away—as if she would look through the orb and cast a wicked spell on him.
Besting the goddess of witches seemed like it would be challenging, considering the bitter scent wafting from the Serpent King . . . but nothing worth having came easy.
“Wait.” Curiosity crawled through me. “Can you travel between realms?”
The king’s smile was dripping with cockiness as he puffed his chest. “Of course I can.” His eyes trailed down my figure. “Would you like a private demonstration of how powerful I am?”
It felt like someone sparked me with a live wire, right between my thighs.
I squeezed them together, annoyed that the Serpent King’s words affected me in such a way.
His eyes dipped between my legs, not missing a single thing I did.
He chewed on his lip as he inhaled the sparse bit of air between us, and I silently cursed myself for letting my mask slip around him once more.
For Serpent’s Sake, I needed him to stop looking at me like he wanted to consume every glorious inch of me.
Flicking my hair over my shoulder, I turned my gaze back to the Luminoso, pointing at the bottom of the orb. “And who is she?”
A stunning, sun-kissed woman with blonde waves loosely flowing around her heart-shaped face flashed across it. Her hair whipped around, almost as if she was caught in the eye of a windstorm. Even with her hair a mess, she radiated pure beauty.
Her emerald green eyes shone at whoever she was looking at, then she tipped her head back as if she was laughing. There was no sound emitting from the Luminoso, but I knew without hearing her laugh it was probably perfect, just like her.
She was sunshine personified.
The Serpent King chuckled, prompting me to glare at him. He met my stare, his lips twitching as if he was holding himself from completely bursting into laughter.
“What is so funny?”
“Oh, I’m simply thinking about how you will react to the next piece of information I share.” He tapped his fingers against his mouth, making my anger rear its ugly head.
I clenched my jaw, giving the king a scowl that promised death if he made me wait in anticipation for a moment longer.
His dark laugh echoed through the cave while he rubbed his jaw. “Are you sure you are ready for the truth of who that woman is?” He pointed a finger at the goddess who rivaled the sun.
“Tell me who she is, before I pummel the answer out of you.” My hand tightened into a fist, and his eyes flickered down, noting my movement.
He grinned, then breathed five words that changed everything.
“That is the Serpent Queen.”