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

Chapter Forty-Eight

I swivel around on my heel to see Ryu smiling benignly at me. His teeth shine like pearls, and his ochre skin smells strongly of expensive, scented creams and incense. His hair is oiled to a shine, and his eyes stare shrewdly at me, beautiful, but not in the natural, kindly way like when I first met him. Now he's turned into something manicured. Too polished to be human.

Artifice. Trickery. A bright candle hidden beneath colored glass.

Ryu waves one hand to the side and I turn in horror to see tiny strings of light stretching from his skin. Connected to him by this puppetry twine are two struggling, bound figures. Arno and Ratu are trapped beneath magical, spider web. They're all bound by these strings, like two mechanical puppets, grotesque dolls being moved by a divine hand. Ryu moves his fingers and the bits of twine twitch. Arno and Ratu's skin breaks open beneath the magical twine as they cry.

"You've given your soul completely over to Aziz, haven't you, Ryu?" I step closer to him, see the wires more clearly from his skin. The blood sacrifice from those guards before must have heightened my senses, death traded for power. When I gaze into his empty, doll-like eyes, I see a divine face beaming coyly at me, dark raven hair flowing past birdlike shoulders, a face so beautiful that it is neither man or woman. It simply is.

This must be Aziz, controlling Ryu as easily as if he were a dancing puppet.

I shake my head in disgust. "Are you even Ryu anymore, or you just their pretty, waxen shell?" I point at his eyes, "I'm talking to you, Aziz."

Ryu's smile doesn't even falter. A painted face for a painted, perfect human doll. "Don't pretend that you haven't had help from the gods, Ode the Cursed. Just look at that mirror you're holding. Kane had something to do with that, didn't he?" But I see something else behind the false, musical bravado. His eyes are pained, trapped in this puppet body that Aziz made for him. "You mortals need us." Ryu's face flickers for a moment. "Ode, you have to help Eli..." The face flickers again. "Oh, sorry. How rude of me. My tongue must have slipped."

How much of Ryu is left inside him?

How much of Ryu did Aziz destroy to make him perfect?

The red robe slips, and I see the brands have disappeared. Covered with layers of caked mud. Makeup to hide the imperfections. Makeup to hide who he truly is.

"This way, dear," Ryu turns around and Arno and Ratu step jerkily after him, puppets on strings. "It's almost time for the grand performance. We can't miss it."

"Let Ratu and Arno go." I grab for the wires, hissing as my skin breaks open and bleeds. "Or you won't have your performance."

Ryu turns back, smiles, "of course, dear." He claps his hands and Arno and Ratu collapse to the ground, shaking. I cut their bindings as they massage to get the blood flowing again through their flesh. "You're the guest we've been waiting for. You can have your precious little playthings. Elio isn't worried about them. They're minor annoyances compared to, well, you."

Arno and Ratu glower at the insult.

"They're my friends."

"Of course, dear," Ryu smiles that same, permanent smile. His eyes are glassy, framed by those insect-wing lashes. "We were your friends once too. Funny."

"What do you mean by...?"

"Come along, dear," Ryu turns around in his red robes slit at his thighs and chest, the gold-embroidered, sheer gauze flowing behind him like a river of blood, "Elio's waiting."

I look at Ratu and Arno, these two brave, foolish idiots coming to my rescue. "You should get out of here before it gets violent." I tell them.

"Like hell I will!" Ratu takes the lead and Arno follows suit.

Brave idiots, indeed.

I follow Ryu, still troubled by those marionette puppet strings stretching from his almost-flawless skin. He's not the real Ryu anymore. He's just a shell.

I think back to what Ryu told me at the beginning of all this, standing in that dusty, desert arena. Scared for our lives, before it all began.

"I'm used to being owned, Ode. I know slavery when I see it."

It seems Ryu's premonition came true.

I can only pray that I can save him from the gods' clutches before it's too late.

***

Hello Champions!

Thank you so much. "A Priestess for the Blind God" has reached #75 in Fantasy. :) My dream is this one day gets a Watty's or maybe Featured. (I'd most likely have to finish this entire novel first either way). Who knows? A girl can dream, right?

Ryu had a dream... 

...and then Aziz turned him into a puppet.

I miss Ryu. I wonder if Ode misses her time back at that training camp, or if she's just tired and wants to retire like an old gladiator (the whole "ARE YOU NOT ENTERTAINED?" Gladiator ((2000)) bit.)

Anyways, darlings, enjoy.

Sophia