A Priestess for the Blind God (Legends of Rahasia Book 1)

Chapter Twenty-Seven

"Ode the Cursed." Elio and Ryu sit at the opposite end of the table. Elio has taken to donning his armor as an act of strength. He had a foreign court magician enchant it so that it would withstand his solar powers. His tattoos throb against his veins. Ryu lounges on a cushion next to him, his arms draped lazily around Elio's neck. Elio's hand rests gently on Ryu's hair, his fingers entangled with the beads. Ryu pops a grape into Elio's mouth, and Elio grins down at him. "Ode the Cursed is the nickname the other men have given you."

Ryu is still nervous around me. I tried to hug him and wish him good luck on his singing performance this morning, but he'd held me at arm's length. Even now, if Ryu speaks to me, he looks to my lips and not my eyes. "Cursed," I snort, tearing into a slice of spiced steak, "it's a nice change from them calling me bitch."

"This isn't a joke, Ode," Ryu frowns at me, "Elio's just trying to protect you."

"Am I a helpless maiden in need of your protection now, my prince?" I keep on chewing my food, letting Ryu and Elio squirm in the silence. "I see. So, when a man is favored by one of the gods, he's the Chosen One. Yet, when a woman is chosen, she's Cursed. Is that it?"

Elio slams his fist into the table, some food falls to the ground. Wasted. "Stop making this about you, Ode. Kane isn't trustworthy."

I refuse to back down, remembering the eerie face of Astera the Beautiful again, the woman whose life was ended too early because her father couldn't protect her from the angry mobs. "This isn't about me, my prince, don't you see? This is about Astera the Beautiful, killed for being born in the wrong body. This is about my cousins trying to murder me because I rejected their wedding proposal. This is about my mother dying in combat because they believed she was a witch since women can't be Diviners."

Elio gets to his feet, his fists clenched in anger. I grit my teeth, ready to fight him no matter how much blood it takes. But we both stop when we hear sniffling noises. Ryu's got his hands over his head in terror.

"I know how cruel this society is to its outcasts, Ode." Tears stream down Ryu's perfect cheeks, his pretty eyes stained with the salt. He pulls down his shirt, showing the old burns and scars. Elio falls to his knees, silent in his disbelief, hugging Ryu to him. "Look at these, Ode. Do you know what my legal brothers called me? They taunted me, saying I was an abomination. They claimed that I lured men into the harem. They told me to go out there and do my work, to act as a prostitute like I was meant to be. Some of these burns were because I refused, because I just wanted to be like them instead of me, a bastard pariah."

Elio holds Ryu tighter. They're both trembling now. "Everything doesn't have to be a fight, Ode. Can't you just let me have this happiness? Can't you let us hide in peace?"

I shake my head, about to walk toward Ryu and comfort him, but stop when I realize that nothing I can do will comfort him compared to Elio. "I'm fighting for you, Ryu. I'm fighting for your future. All our futures." I look to the prince. "Do you think the Elder will allow you to settle down and find happiness, Elio? Or will he just use you like a pawn, have you die for him on the battlefield?"

"You know nothing of my god's intentions." Elio growls, his eyes full of spite.

"Neither do you." I reply. And with that, I leave the tent.

I really am Cursed.

***

Hello my Champions!

Ode the Cursed. Elio the Chosen.

Poor Ryu doesn't have a title yet.

-Sophia