Blood of the Goddess Book I: The Locust King
Table of Contents
Chapter 1: Locusts at the Gate Chapter 2: A New Name Chapter 3: The Capital Prepares Chapter 4: The Princess is Dead, Long Live the Princess Chapter 5: Outside the Gates Chapter 6: Inside the Black Tent Chapter 7: Surrender at the Temple Chapter 8: The Cult of the Locust Chapter 9: The Locust's Tenets of Faith Chapter 10: Mourners on the Cliff Chapter 11: The Eye of Betrayal Chapter 12: The Dead King's Bedchamber Chapter 13: The Arms of the Goddess Chapter 14: Zayaan of the Narim Chapter 15: The Eyes of the Priestess Chapter 16: A More Permanent Disguise Chapter 17: Tribute Chapter 18: Sacrifice of the New Moon Chapter 19: The Lost Bird Chapter 20: Manah and the Priestess Chapter 21: Desert Creatures Chapter 22: Become the Swarm Chapter 23 The Price of Betrayal Chapter 24: Life Under the Locust Chapter 25: Wild Rose Chapter 26: The Lady Wren Chapter 27: Thought and Desire Chapter 28: The Lady's Captivity Chapter 29: The Wine Maiden Chapter 30: End of Childhood Chapter 31: The Children of Aisha Chapter 32: The Forest Runner Chapter 33: Three Sisters Chapter 34: The Hunt Chapter 35: Bones in the Forest Chapter 36: Lullaby Chapter 37: The Hunter's Horn Chapter 38: Ways Between Ways Chapter 39: Morning Star Chapter 40: A Prophecy for Baraz Chapter 41: Equinox Fires Chapter 42: The Lord Prince Takri Chapter 43: Evening Star Sets Chapter 44: Chaos in the Courtyard Chapter 45: Dasha Chapter 46: Memories Chapter 47: The Body Slave Chapter 48: Caged Beasts Chapter 49: Message from the Capital Chapter 50: Heresiarch Chapter 51: The Color of Blood Chapter 52: Winter Winds Chapter 53: The Bookmaker's Closet Chapter 54: Wrapped in Dignity and Beauty Chapter 55: Vessel of the Goddess Chapter 56: Cracks in the Walls Chapter 57: Two Brothers Chapter 58: The Court of Women Chapter 59: Favored of the King Chapter 60: The Sweetest Fruit Chapter 61: Daughter of the Temple Chapter 62: A Nation of Bastards Chapter 63: The Lute Player Chapter 64: Aisha's Prayer Chapter 65: Promises Chapter 66: Lives Lost Chapter 67: The Tea Maker Chapter 68: Object of Desire Chapter 69: Empty Shelves Chapter 70: Darkness and Light Chapter 71: The Love of Men Chapter 72: The Cursed Ones Chapter 73: Hiding Places Chapter 74: Old Men's Tales Chapter 75: False Prophecies Chapter 76: The Lord Prince Radu Chapter 77: Love Becomes Life Chapter 78: Mistress and Mother Chapter 79: A Test of Strength Chapter 80: The Strigoi-Viu Cometh Chapter 81: Scraps from the Table Chapter 82: A Fool's Errand Chapter 83: The Little Ghost Chapter 84: Stolen Honeycakes Chapter 85: Breathe Chapter 86: Beneath the Palace Chapter 87: Red Pebbles Chapter 88: Common Men Chapter 89: Love and Duty Chapter 90: Nightmares Chapter 91: Earth and Sun Chapter 92: Love and Creation Chapter 93: Until My Last Breath Chapter 94: Fruit and Flower Chapter 95: Two Days Chapter 96: Small ComfortsChapter 62: A Nation of Bastards
Nasreen swallowed the lump in her throat and followed the Locust King's instruction, taking her place at his side. Mahleck was right, she did not belong here.
Baraz smiled as he took his seat across the table from his god, relieved he maintained his position of superiority within the royal house. Eventually, Mahleck would tire of the Narim. His God-King needed someone wise and experienced by his side. Someone willing to sacrifice anything and anyone for his God. Someone who shared Mahleck's bloodlust and cruelty. Not some wildling plucked from an obscure desert at the edge of the world.
"Lilua, take off your veil," commanded Mahleck. "I want the rest of the table to see your beauty tonight."
Lilua pulled the veil from her face and looked up momentarily at Nasreen. The space under her dark eyes seemed shadowed, and her skin shockingly pale, especially for a desert dwelling Narim. Lilua quickly ducked her head back down again, allowing her hair to obscure her face, but not before Nasreen saw the bruising and scabs on the side of her neck. Nasreen knew of men who liked to strangle their lovers, and men who wanted to be strangled during their climax, but that did not break the skin. It was bad enough that this child shared a bed with the strigoi-viu. What did he do to this little girl in the night?
Takri took the seat next to Nasreen but remained silent. Nasreen did her best to keep her eyes focused on the table in front of her while her mind raced.
Surely Takri did not see the marks. How could he sit at table with the monster who did this to his little cousin?
"Nasreen, you must be hungry," said Mahleck. "Please, eat your fill. The servants will bring more substantial food momentarily. But you must try some of the fruit. It was brought at great expense from orchards far to the south of here. Takri, serve her something luscious from the table."
"Yes, your Majesty." Takri fumbled for a moment with his knife. "Nasreen, these are called persimmons. They grow on mountainsides. I never saw them before tonight."
He offered her a slice, which she meekly accepted.
Servants entered the room, clearing away the first course which they quickly replaced with platters of roast duck, venison, root vegetables, and loaves of soft white bread.
"I understand the Adyllians call you a 'daughter of the temple,' Nasreen," said Mahleck. "And I am given to understand this means you were born to a temple whore and have no legitimate father?"
"Yes, your Majesty. My mother served in the temple brothel until she chose to marry a merchant for love," said Nasreen. "He is my adopted father. In Adyll, all children of the temple prostitutes are considered to be children of the temple. It is a great honor."
As Mahleck leaned forward in his chair, his hand found its way under the table to Nasreen's thigh, forcing her knees apart. She gritted her teeth against the unnatural cold of his hand as it pulled up the hem of her garment and ran up and down the inside of her thigh.
"We have a word for children with no knowledge of their father, don't we, Baraz?" chuckled Mahleck.
"Yes, we call them bastards!" laughed Baraz. "We use it as an epitaph while the infidels use it as term of blessing. But I suppose Adyll is a nation of bastards, after all."
"What man would decide to marry a whore and take in her bastard child?" said Mahleck. "The men of Adyll should revel in their new freedom under the rule of the Locust. No man should suffer such indignity. Even the weak ones, like your 'adopted' father."
Mahleck leaned back in his chair and withdrew his hand from her thigh. Nasreen blinked back tears and took a drink from the chalice of wine in front of her. She had suffered humiliation at the hands of men before, but somehow this was so much worse.
"A girl like you must have a large appetite. We can't send you back without taking care of those carnal needs first." Mahleck winked knowingly at Takri, then took her plate and began filling it with food.
"Thank you, your Majesty," whispered Nasreen.
He placed a few morsels of food on Lilua's plate. She toyed with them before taking a small bite.
"Princess Lilua is an ascetic like myself. She seems to gain more life from her music than through food." He smiled at the pale young woman next to him. "I am interested to see how her countenance glows when she worships me with her voice as well as her music."
Lilua froze like a small animal when faced with a predator. She raised her eyes to her cousin across the table.
"Your cousin Takri told me of your beautiful voice. How you sang before the Queen of Adyll, and used your voice to sing the praises of the Adyllian demoness," said Mahleck. "How you once spoke almost more than you took breath. Did I remember that correctly, Takri?"
Takri sat motionless in his chair. Once again, he had failed to protect those who mattered most to him. His selfish lust brought Nasreen here to the table of the strigoi-viu, a place beyond the relative safety of the temple. His careless words brought his cousin into more danger than she already faced as wife to the devil Mahleck. All he wanted was safety for those he cared for. Instead, he struggled to find the right words to speak to the monster who held them all captive here.
"All women talk too much," said Takri. "Lilua was just a child."
"But she did sing, you told me that much," said Mahleck. "You told me a pretty story about how the Narim worshipped their gods through music. I am the one true God and I expect no less from my wife. Full worship in every way possible. Including the beauty of her voice."
Above her plate, Lilua's fingers wove in and out of each other in small movements, barely noticeable, but enough for Takri to understand.
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