Goddess of War (2 page)

THE ABYSS WAS
not how Preeti or Vineet imagined it to be. It wasn’t the bleak wasteland they’d been taught about in their studies. Aden made it seem as though the human world was a place where evil was born, full of weak beings that needed to be under strict rule.

Despite what they’d been taught, there was a beauty to it that astounded them both.

The landing had been brutal, knocking Preeti and Vineet unconscious. A hole the size of a mountain now stood as proof that two young gods had invaded the land of the humans.

It was only a matter of time before Litha located the evidence and sought them out.

Did she care that they were innocent…that neither of them wanted to rule?

Of course not. All she wanted was to rule in their stead.

“I found water,” Preeti shouted from a rushing river that cut through the lush forest that they had slept the night in.

She wasn’t sure exactly how long they’d slept, but she was glad for it. Her body was taxed beyond imagination. She’d only practiced harnessing the elements. Never had she actually used them.

The cold, crisp, water was better than anything she’d drank in all of her sixteen years. Such freshness was not common in Aden, where the gods mostly drank wine and other crafted brews.

But human water…that was divine. Preeti slurped it from her cupped hands, languishing in the feel of it soothing its way down her throat, rejuvenating her from the inside out.

“I swear it’s like pure magic,” she said.

Vineet joined her on his knees, getting his fill. “Amazing,” he said in between gulps.

Preeti dipped her entire head in the water, scrubbing her scalp. “I just want to be clean again. My skin feels awful.” She ran her hands through her long black hair, fighting through tangles. “I wish we had a bottle to take some with us.”

Once Vineet was satisfied, he stood and took account of their surroundings.

“We actually did it,” Preeti said.

Months in the Vault had nearly broken their spirits. It would have been much worse if they’d been separated. It was as if the Goddess of Law wanted them to watch each other suffer.

How wrong she was. Her plan did the opposite. The twins gave each other strength.

Preeti rung her hair out of cold water and braided it down to her waist.

A grin spread across Preeti’s face. “Father would be proud.”

Nodding, Vineet returned the grin. It was a bitter sweet triumph.

Now they were exiled to a land that gods should never walk upon.

“Good job,” she said. “You saved us.”

He gave her a pat on the back. “It was all you. I couldn’t have Leapt worlds if you weren’t there to harness the lightning.”

“Well then. We did it together, as a team.”

“Yes.” He folded his arms across his broad chest. “I suppose Desi had a part of it as well.”

A bright light zipped past them and landed on the grass.

“Desi!” Preeti knelt down to hug the fairy. “Thank you for helping us get out of that awful place.

“Yes,” Vineet said. “Thank you.”

Desi beamed, pressing her body to Preeti’s chest in the best embrace that she could accomplish with her small stature.

“I would do anything for my sweet twins.”

Preeti chuckled. Desi had always loved to call them her sweet twins. Having something from home gave her even more confidence. Maybe they would find their way back home someday.

“What’s the plan?”

Preeti stared at Desi. “We thought you had a plan.” She’d been wondering the same thing since the moment her eyes opened from their long slumber.

Desi smirked. “I was joking, sweet Preeti. I will find you homes to live out your lives until you reach the age of Enlightenment.”

“Then we can go home?”

“Yes. It is then that you will be strong enough to stand against Litha and claim your rightful place as rulers of Aden.”

“That’s it? Simple enough. Right, Vineet?” Preeti glanced back at her brother. She chuckled and pointed at him.

He lifted his shoulders. “What is it?”

She motioned to her clothes. “Look at us,” she said. “We look ridiculous.”

Both of them had on tattered prison uniforms.

Preeti’s white uniform was caked in mud and soot, as was Vineet’s, except his shirt was ripped across the front as if a dragon had used its sharp claws on him.

“We need to find some new clothes, quickly.”

“You’re right,” he said.

Desi looked at their faces for a moment, examining them with her thin golden eyes.

“It shouldn’t be too difficult to blend with the humans. You don’t look much different. But your tattoos will give you away.”

Memories of receiving a new tattoo every year of their life since birth came to Preeti. The pain was a symbol of growth and what it meant to hold such power.

Preeti rubbed her bare arms, the black symbols stark against her bronze skin. They were a part of her that she was proud of.

“We must hide them.”

“Yes. I have an idea,” Desi said. “I know someone that can hide you. Another exiled god.”

“Good,” Vineet said, hope in his eyes. “It’s good to know we aren’t the only ones in this world.”

“He’s a lesser god like your father, but he is wise and just. We must be quick. My power is weak here. I will need to rest. Just listen to my instructions,” Desi said, curling into a small golden ball. She landed in Preeti’s hand.

Desi’s tiny voice came from inside the golden ball that resembled the floating spores of the spitfire flowers.

“Follow the river to a small farm. There is a monastery there. That is where you will find the god named, Errison.”

“One second.” Preeti knelt down for one more drink of water. Wiping her mouth, she nodded. Whatever awaited them on their journey, they would face it together.

“Ready.”

 

THE ENTRANCE TO
the Rhene monastery was quiet. Night had fallen, and the air was still as Allan and Preeti entered the sleeping village that surrounded the rectangular shaped building made of brown stone.

Such silence made Preeti nervous. She was used to the constant chatter of pixies, the howl of the night wind, and the sparkling song of the flowers in her garden outside her window.

Home.

Preeti missed it dearly.

Something about the human world intrigued her despite its strange sun and landscape. What enchanted her most of all was the fact that water fell from the sky.

She looked up at the black sky as that delicious liquid she loved so much splashed onto her face and into her eyes.

“Look at this, Vineet,” she said, opening her mouth to catch more of the water.

Vineet glanced upward and grimaced. “It gets into my eyes.”

“It doesn’t hurt,” Preeti said. “It feels good, doesn’t it?”

“No,” he said. “It’s making me feel cold.”

Preeti continued collecting the falling water into her mouth while Vineet knocked on the door four times and took a step back.

Desi had shrunk herself into a golden ball that Preeti kept in her pocket. They couldn’t risk their fairy being seen by people that knew very little of fairies and magic.

Preeti slid her hand in her pocket and closed it around the ball. Holding it gave her reassurance that their plan would work.

A tall, bearded man in a long black cloak opened the wooden door. Standing almost a foot taller than them, his head was bald and smooth, and his eyes were wise. Preeti hoped they could trust him.

“It’s late,” he said, looking them over. “Beggars can wait until morning to be fed.”

Vineet held a hand out, stopping the monk from closing the door.

“Wait,” he said.

The monk looked annoyed, his thick eyebrows furrowing. “How dare you? Step aside before I set the dogs on you.”

Preeti stepped in front of her brother. “Are you Errison?”

The monk nodded. “I am. Who are you?”

Nervously, she looked from side to side, and then lifted her shirt to just above her navel. The reveal of her mark of the gods, seemed to catch Errison off guard.

Errison’s face morphed from anger to bewilderment. When his eyes rose to Preeti’s, there were tears in his eyes.

Preeti bit her lip.

Please work
, she thought.

She watched Errison examine her tattoos. When he reached a finger out to touch it, she pulled her shirt back down and wrapped her arms around her body. Now she knew what Vineet meant about the falling water making him cold.

Her clothes became soaked, making her shiver.

Preeti and Vineet waited in silence as Errison looked from one to the other, finally noticing all of the other tattoos going up and down the exposed skin on their arms, necks, and faces.

“The Goddess of War,” he said looking to Preeti, then turned his gaze to Vineet. “And the God of Peace.”

Vineet nodded.

To their surprise, he fell to his knees, arms bent and head pressed to the ground at their feet.

“Forgive me. I did not know who you were.”

Errison looked up at them, his face gone pale.

“I just haven’t seen another god in centuries.”

The twins followed Errison into the torch-lit monastery. The air was quite close inside. Raina crossed her arms, hugging herself.

Humans were around. She could sense their sleeping bodies, and it intrigued her along with everything else they had come to experience in the Abyss.

“What was the falling water called out there?”

“Rain,” the monk said.

“Rain,” Preeti repeated. “It sounds beautiful.”

“Why yes. I suppose it does,” he said. “Now, tell me what I can do to help you,” he said, motioning for them to sit down on the long wooden bench inside a large room with sculptures of all of the founding gods, and a fountain in the center.

Preeti cleared her throat. She glanced at the sculpture of Litha, imagining her looking down at her with hate.

“We need help hiding from—” Preeti lowered her voice to a whisper. “The Goddess of Law.”

Errison raised his brows. He folded his arms across his chest and leaned back against a pillar. “Well, that is quite a task.”

“I know,” Preeti said. “But we only have to hide until our Enlightenment. That’s only thirty years from now.”

Errison stroked his beard. “That makes three human years.”

“Oh,” Preeti said. “Even better.”

Errison sighed. “Maybe, but what you’re asking me is dangerous work. Even three years of hiding fugitives can cause great harm to the work I’ve done in this world.”

“We were told you could help us,” Vineet said. “Please don’t send us back out there.”

“No need to worry,” Errison said. “I didn’t say that I wouldn’t help you.”

Preeti reached for her brother’s hand and gave it a squeeze.

Please let there be hope.

The thought of returning to the Vault where Litha could do whatever she wanted to them turned Preeti’s stomach. The next time might not be a prison sentence.

Death awaited if Litha found them.

“Come now,” Errison said, leading them out of the room. “Pardon the meager accommodations. You two will have to sleep with the other young recruits.”

“Thank you so much for helping us,” Preeti said.

“It is my pleasure. It’s not every day that I get to save the world.”

Vineet smiled. “Is that what we are doing?”

Errison nodded, glancing back at them. “It is. With Litha in charge, everyone suffers.”

The monastery was massive. It was built in honor of the Goddess of Health, but all worship was welcome. Four stories above ground resembled the castles of Pollos in Aden, but the two levels below were more like catacombs. Walking those corridors gave her an eerie feeling.

Rubbing her arms, Preeti glanced at a painting of Tawni, the Goddess of Health. They’d met a few times before at the annual feast her father held at their manor. Tawni was a beautiful and kind woman.

If only all gods and goddesses could be as kind and loving. Just thinking of Litha gave her chills. It was only a matter of time before she found them.

Preeti scratched her arm. She couldn’t wait to bathe and change out of her prison uniform.

He stopped and turned to them.

“What are your names?”

“I am Preeti, and this is Vineet.”

Errison nodded, then his soft green eyes went wide. He waved his hands before them. “We will have to change those. No one can suspect who you are.”

Vineet raised a brow. “We have to change our names?”

“Yes,” Errison said.

Preeti cracked a smile. She loved her name, but how often do you have the freedom to choose a name for yourself?

She nudged Vineet. “Errison is right. It will be fun. I already have a few names for you, Vineet.”

“Like what?”

“Glutton, Sleepy, and how about Arrogant?”

Vineet pushed her forward. “And I can call you Ridiculous,” he said. “Let’s just get to our rooms. I’m exhausted.”

Preeti covered a snicker with her hand. It was grand to smile again, but the memory of why they were there crept back upon her. She straightened her shoulders, her smile fading.

As they walked down the dark corridor, she glanced at the many doors on either side where others were already asleep.

“Are you sure this is okay?”

“Yes. I am the head of the monasteries in this region. No one will question me. We receive new recruits every week. There are always young folk seeking refuge and truth. You’ll fit in just fine.”

Preeti was pleased by his answer. Desi was right to send them there. Preeti gave her pocket a little pat.

Once they stopped at the door on the end, Errison pulled a long key from his cloak’s inner pocket. He opened the door and held it for Preeti.

“This one is yours,” he said.

Preeti stepped inside and glanced at the single cot, and a chest. The walls were so close that Preeti could almost stretch both arms out to her sides and touch the slick stone at the same time.

“Where will Vineet sleep?”

She became nervous about leaving Vineet’s side. They’d never been more than a wall apart, and in the past few months they’d been constantly by each other’s side.

“He will be in the male quarters on the other side of the monastery,” Errison said. He nodded to the chest beneath the rectangular window. “You’ll find fresh clothes inside. I’ll have one of the other monks hang a cloak and Seer gear outside your door in the morning. You’re to wear it everywhere. Only top ranked missionaries wear that uniform, but it’s the only one that will make sense.” He lowered his voice. “No one can see those tattoos, and it covers the entire body.”

Preeti nodded, wondering what a Seer was.

“And have a new name picked out by breakfast,” he added. “I’ll see you then.”

Watching them leave left Preeti feeling cold. When the door closed, the emptiness started to settle in. She already missed Vineet, but when she flopped onto her wool-covered cot, Desi flew from her pocket.

A smile came to Preeti’s face as she watched the fairy twirl and light the small room with her bright glow.

“Good,” Desi said. “This is very good. I told you Errison was one of the good ones.” She landed on Preeti’s lap, sat down and crossed her legs. “Now, what are we going to call you?