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

Chapter Forty-Five

The people spit at me as I walk through the streets, my hands behind my back, tied loosely with the veils that once sealed my dead cousins' lips. The frightened guard next to me, maybe two years younger than myself, is trembling hard as he escorts me through the city streets, his scimitar placed very lightly against my back.

"Don't be scared." I smile slightly at him. "Remember, no stabbing me with that thing, or you'll end up like the rest of your friends."

Somewhere, in a decrepit alleyway, there's three very happy ghouls feasting on about thirty soldiers' bodies. Somewhere else, Kane the Blind God is melting down their expensive armor and giving it away to the poor littering his temple steps, handing out loaves of bread and fish to the soldiers' wives and children, now made widows and partial-orphans. Somebody needs to take care of them. Gods know that Elio won't because he's so busy trying to kill me.

I still have something resembling a heart.

Right now, however, a sixteen-year old guard boy is pretending to have arrested me all by his lonesome. He is shaking as he escorts me through the city streets, heading towards the magnificent domed palace of the Emperor. I spit at the luxurious architecture, built off the backs of the conquered and with the money of a corrupt trade, of entire peoples enslaved.

The young guard I've kidnapped to serve my own purpose avoids my gaze most of the time, but occasionally I catch him looking.

As usual, all I see is fear.

Witch. His eyes say. Cursed.

"Bring me to the sun lord, boy." I tell him.

He nods, and doesn't make a sound, trying to guard me from as much hateful flying debris from the populace as possible. Trying to appease Evil incarnate, a woman demon, from slicing his throat. My lip curls. Demon, indeed. "Yes, milady."

***

Ratu hears the gossip as she walks back from the marketplace, slicing some imported jackfruit with her kitchen knife.

Ode the Cursed has been arrested.

She's going to see Prince Elio right now.

May the witch burn.

Ratu runs along the city streets, running outside the Rahasian wall to alert Arno.

Gasping for breath, she readjusts her veil and tucks some extra knives into her sash. "Ode's going to see Elio. Maybe we'll get there in time to rescue her, Insya'Allah..."

"Wait a second." Arno pauses. "Is that a Rahasian god? I don't recognize that name."

Ratu opens her mouth, considers, and then shrugs helplessly, "on the Jiwa Islands, a lot of us only have one deity, not many like you do here." She grimaces, pressing her hands to her batik hijab, "sadly, with Ode's killing streak, I'm going to need a lot of forgiveness." She stuffs some prayer beads into her pocket. "But we're fighters, not religious scholars. Enough talk. We go to battle."

Arno beams as he shifts into golem form. "Finally!" He crows, running out the door after Ratu's slender form, throwing the broom into a corner as he trades its bristled end for a proper sword. "I can stop sweeping this damn floor!"

***

Hey Champions,

So, we've reached 5k reads, and it's all because of your beautiful faces.

Also, is Ode getting too violent, or just right?

Best,

Sophia