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 DaysChapter 35: Bones in the Forest
The hunters fanned out into the forest, separating into groups. Takri, Lod, and Jacu stayed together as comrades from the same camp. The higher the riders climbed the more the clouds descended, bringing with them a chill that seeped into their bones.
Takri wrapped his damp cloak tighter around him. He missed the dryness of the desert, and the heat. Even more than home, he missed Nasreen's soft warmth.
How weak must the Locust King be to require one hundred men to find a single girl in a forest? thought Takri. I have no desire to play his cruel games.
The wood was silent. The fog muffled any sound further away than their small group of riders. No birds chirped in the trees above. Even the footfalls of the horses on deep moss made no sound. Soon they lost sight of the other hunters in the mist.
Takri heard stories from the princes as they prepared for the hunt of a group of witches called Zorya living in houses that walked about the forest on tree legs. According to the stories, these women ate human flesh and used the entrails to practice necromancy. If the moon was right, they could possess bears or wolves and attacked anyone who ranged too far into the forest.
Takri knew the truth behind the tales.
Every autumn, the Narim traveled to Adyll to take part in the celebration of the equinox. At the day of equal light and dark, the three Oracles would present themselves at the Temple to speak for the Goddess Aaysha and provide guidance for the coming season. Takri and the other children found the three women with their strange yellow hair beautiful yet wildly terrifying, even when they prophesied of good harvests and mild winters. Their last prophesy had given them all nightmares.
Desire unfulfilled consumes as the locust
It flies across the desert on wings of death.
The strigoi-viu comes.
The high priestess interpreted the Oracle's last prophecy as philosophical rather than a prediction of future events and called upon the assembled populace to embrace piety to receive a bountiful harvest. In hindsight, they should have prepared for war.
The fog thickened, and the air grew even colder. Ice began to form on the hunters' cloaks, and on the tree branches around them. Their horses' hooves began to slip, causing the riders to dismount and lead them on foot.
"We should turn back," said Jacu. "The terrain is getting rougher. If the ice continues to form on these trees, the branches will become too heavy and break. If one falls on us, it could kill us."
"You want to turn around and look like a coward?" said Lod. "We just arrived at the palace. I am not going back to the desert to sleep with sand in my bunk. I would rather die out here with the chance of going back to a warm bed and a soft wine maiden than that."
"Quiet!" said Takri. "If she is out here, we can't see her. And we can't head back if we can't see the path before us. Better to find a place clear from the trees and wait for the hunter's horn."
They all agreed and headed forward into the freezing fog, slipping with every step. The forest darkened as they walked. Takri had no idea how many hours had passed since they entered the forest. Without the ability to see the sun's path, he was blind to the passage of time.
"What is that? A floating house?" asked Jacu, incredulously
Through the fog, they could make out the outline of a small hut off the ground in the treetops. The open doorway glowed with orange firelight.
An oracle's hut.
"It isn't floating. It is built on tree trunks, like stilts," explained Takri.
"It looks like those huts the witches live in," growled Jacu. "I told you we should head back."
"It looks warm at least," said Lod. "I say we head there. We are grown men. We don't need to fear old women. If they won't let us in, we just kill them and sit by their fire until the fog lifts." He started toward the hut, but his horse refused to follow. He tugged forcefully on the reins. "Come on, you stupid piece of shit!"
The horse reared on its hind legs, causing Lod to fall backwards into what appeared to be a pile of white kindling, before tearing off into the forest at full speed. Takri and Jacu struggled to keep their own mounts under control.
"I think I'm hurt," gasped Lod incredulously. He looked down at his leg where a spreading bloodstain surrounded the place where bone protruded from his thigh. He held up his hands, dripping with blood from hundreds of white splinters. He turned pale and his voice shook. "I don't think these bones are mine."
"Hold on," said Takri. He tied his horse to a nearby tree and began rummaging through his saddlebags looking for something to stop the bleeding. If they were close to an oracle's hut, then this wasn't a pile of white barked kindling. It was a pile of human bones. He found a length of rope in the bag, which he tied tightly around the top of Lod's thigh. Then he ripped the arm off one of his sleeves and used it to put pressure on the wound. Jacu stood by looking horrified.
"Haven't you ever seen blood before?" yelled Takri. "Tie up your horse and help me. We need to stop the bleeding."
"What do I do?" said Jacu, shaking himself free of his stupor.
"Hold this. Keep pressure here," said Takri, indicating the leg wound.
"I am not feeling right," said Lod, weakly.
"Stay awake, Lod," yelled Takri. "Stay awake!"
Lod turned his head to the side and emptied the contents of his stomach onto the forest floor. Jacu also retched. Takri did his best to hold back his own vomit as he examined the wound. It didn't appear that Lod's bone was actually broken. Instead, he had impaled his leg on one of the bones from the pile when he fell backwards.
"Help me turn him over," said Takri. "I need access behind the wound."
Together, they maneuvered their injured friend onto his side. Takri could see the bone had gone clear through Lod's thigh, and he was bleeding profusely. He picked up a stick and placed it in Lod's mouth lengthwise.
"Bite down. I am going to fix your leg," he said. Lod nodded.
"One, two, three!" Takri pulled the bone free. Even more blood flowed from the wound. He pulled the rest of his shirt off and used it as a bandage to stem the flow. "Jacu, we have to stop the bleeding. I am going to the house to see if I can find help. Stay here and do your best to keep him awake."
Before he could turn towards the little house in the trees the darkness overtook all of them.
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