A Pirate for the Dead Goddess (Legends of Rahasia Book 2)

Chapter Forty-Seven

My boots cannot protect against all the congealing fur, blood, and other unspeakable substances down here. The stone is slick against our feet. One misstep, and we might get covered in sludge, possibly contract something from it.

"Light." Farzaneh whispers, her emerald eyes glowing brightly so we can see somewhat ahead of us into the murky, disgusting darkness.

"Look," Malika smiles to herself, running a hand over her shaved head, "it's the green lantern."

Farzaneh sticks her tongue out at that comment.

Ali speaks after a while. "Maybe it's good Sol didn't come along. Her metal half wouldn't be able to navigate these tunnels."

"Or she knew perfectly well that she'd get left behind, that she and Kura wantedto get left behind." I think back on the broken god, Cato, humbled and clutching at his unnatural eyes. Sparks in his flesh, travelling down and numbing his spine. Lightning twisting pain into his flesh with a Lune-based cattle prod. "They abandoned our team, so Sol could stay with Cato. It's all she wanted from the start. Sympathizing with a traitor, believing he cared for anyone but himself."

"She could have let us struggle with that grate, but she helped us still." Farzaneh places a soft hand on my arm. She nods meaningfully to the Alchemist. "People do crazy things for their fathers."

"I see. Even after all these years, Sol just wants to find love. And Kura, because she's so selfless, would risk losing face just to help her." A bout of silence. "I'm a bit of a thick asshole, aren't I?"

Ali snorts.

Malika coughs behind us, pinching the bridge of her nose from the stench. "As long as those lovebirds fight only for themselves, I'm fine. But if they fight against us..."Malika gestures violently, wrapping her long fingers around her throat.

"Point taken." I reply to her, ignoring the glee in her face as the Witch Queen ruminates on her bloody revenge.

Wet sloshes as we tromp along, feeling and squinting our ways through the drains. I have my father riding like a small child on my back. Huffing and panting. His added weight's starting to get to me, trudging through mud as we are.

Just when my arms are about to give up, Ali goes into attack mode with her blade at a silhouette's throat. When the stranger reveals themselves to be Ode, Ali scrambles back, scraping and bowing. "My goddess, I'm sorry."

Ode chuckles, testing the knife point. "Sharp. Ratu chose her pupil well for the Dragon Veil Gang." We walk further and Fari's light illuminates against Kane, silver eyes flashing in the darkness. Ode takes out a small glass bauble, lit brightly with miniature crystals. The sparkles glinting around even these drenched stone walls. They're like diamond patterns, repeating for infinity as the bauble spins gently in Ode's outstretched palm. The insignia of the Lune's dark moon is etched into the glass, to show it's a product of Port de Lune wares.

"Harnessing the elements to serve humanity." Ode sighs, "the Lunes are clever, cruelly so. But sometimes, they manage to create something beautiful along with their other abominations." Her nose crinkles, looking back at the way we came. "It'd be a shame to destroy them, with their lovely universities and all."

"So, don't." Kane's deep voice rumbles from the back, silky as night. "We can convince them the gods do not need to die for their pursuit of knowledge to exist. We convince them that we can coexist. Superstition will not slaughter reason. And the pursuit of enlightenment will not choke out belief."

Malika yawns, stretching upwards, the ridges of her hairless brows rising in disbelief. "And how, pray tell, shall we accomplish that paradoxical feat?"

"Simple, darlings, we do what we always do to best distract a room full of stuffy, high-strung scholars," a voice purrs from the darkness. My spine chills to see Aziz, red eyes glowing, lithe body not even attempting camouflage, still wearing the gauzy red fabric I'd seen them wear in the palace. They simply form themselves from the shadows, long hair curling. The scent of perfume. My body aches for them. Even Malika looks uncomfortable, hugging her arms around herself as she casts furtive, blushing schoolgirl glances in Aziz's direction.

Damn deity of lust and beauty.

"We must put on a show." Aziz purrs, their laugh silky. Feminine. Masculine. Timbres and sonorous all at once. I want to wrap myself up in that laughter and wear it on my skin. "A show of good faith. That we won't harm their precious city. That they should keep their friends close, but their enemies closer, to use that ancient adage."

Ode's sharp bark breaks the hazy, seductive spell. "Dammit. The love god has got a point." She admits. "But how do we convince them not to kill us? I don't have a clear track record when it comes to, well, my fair share of murder."

Aziz chuckles. I feel heat coming to my face when their gaze lands on me. "Oh, that one's easy, darling. You need a diplomat for the arts, for the pursuit of creative knowledge. Someone harmless. Someone who'll surely grab their attention." They run their hands along their dainty neck, blowing a kiss. "We'll give them me."

***

Pirates,

Aziz is going to play diplomat. They will either 1) play the Lunes like a flute or 2) play themselves.

Or 3) None of the above.

-Sophia