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 DesireChapter 27: Thought and Desire
Aisha quickly gathered up the scroll and case, taking them to the center table under the rotunda's windows where she could better read the archaic script. The scroll's material was different from the parchment she was used to handling. Instead of stretched sheepskin, it appeared to be made from overlaying fibers of some sort of plant. It was more fragile than the scrolls she worked with during her cataloging. She continued to read. Her curiosity piqued.
A thousand, thousand years ago, and still a thousand more, two half-brothers lived on the Land, both sons of the Earth, one of the Day, and one of the Night. Earth called one Thought, and the other Desire.
Desire said to Thought, “This Land should be mine as I am the eldest.”
Thought said, “If this brings you pleasure, Desire, you may have the Land.” And Thought built a boat and sailed upon the Ocean, and he was happy.
The Moon looked down upon the Ocean and saw Thought, and looked down and saw Desire. Thought was happy in a place he did not possess, but Desire was unhappy although he possessed everything around him. Moon had a daughter, the embodiment of all that is Good in the Heavens, which is where all hope and life have their beginnings.
Moon asked her daughter, “Aisha, do you see these sons of my sister and brothers?” And Aisha looked upon the two brothers and she wished to understand them, for there had never been men before these.
Aisha, the daughter of the Moon, decided to visit these sons of the Earth. She opened her wings and flew down to the Earth, lighting not upon the land or in the Ocean, but upon the edge of both where the waves turn to sea foam upon the shore. Thought saw Aisha from his boat among the waves, and she was beautiful to behold, for she was made of life and hope. Her hair was sunlight, and her body was clothed in seafoam. Thought changed his sails and came closer to Aisha, for he wished to learn from her. Desire also saw Aisha walking upon the edge of his kingdom, and as he beheld her, he coveted her life and her hope for his own. He ran to her on the beach.
“You belong to me!” said Desire. “You are on the Land, and all that is on the Land is mine to possess and do with as I wish!”
Aisha turned to face him; her face as beautiful as her mother the Moon. “I walk on the border between your realm and the realm of your brother, no one owns me.”
“But your feet touch the Land, and the water recedes!” called Desire.
Aisha looked at him with disdain and spread her wings to fly away. “My feet no longer touch your Land, Desire. I go to your brother.” And Aisha flew towards the boat bobbing on the waves of the sea. She lighted upon it and took her human form.
Thought smiled and said to her, “Lady, from whence have you come? I saw you walking upon the edge of the water and talking with my brother, Desire. How fares he upon his Land?”
“I have come from the Heavens to ask a question. Why is it that you have nothing but are happy, but your brother who has everything he wanted is unhappy?”
“Ah, my poor brother Desire can never be satisfied. It is his nature to covet what he cannot have. I am satisfied to watch, to learn, and be.”
And Aisha looked upon Thought, and she loved him.”
Footsteps. In the library. Aisha’s heart leapt to her throat. How long had she been reading? She had pulled the mandatory veil from her eyes after reading the first few sentences of the text. This was a record of the Goddess with which she was unfamiliar. Who was this Thought? And Desire? Her hands shook as she quickly shoved the scroll into her robes and replaced the broken case in the wall of shelves. She hurried back to the closet which stored prepared parchments and ink. She could no longer hear the footsteps, but she knew their owner was still inside the library. She shimmied the stolen manuscript down to the bottom of her ink-stained tunic, and used her foot to push it under the shelves where the earthen jars of ink were kept. If she was caught with the manuscript she would be killed. As would the old priestess, and possibly many more.
Why am I doing this?
She hurried out of the closet and back into the library, stopping short in front of Baraz, who wrinkled his nose at the smell coming from her clothes. She dropped to her knees in front of him, careful to bow her head and look at nothing but the floor. Her heart was racing.
Did he see? Did he know?
“Get up, wench! You stink of piss!” said the High Priest, covering his nose and mouth with his sleeve. “Get out!”
Aisha hurried to comply, running out of the library so quickly she almost tripped over the hem of her garment. She spent the rest of the night in terror he would find the manuscript she had hidden. The next morning the scroll was where she had left it. She resolved to keep the story safe, no matter the risk. That night she brought the scroll back to the dormitory, hidden in the folds of her tunic. She showed no one, but when everyone was asleep, and the full moon shone through the windows, she pulled out the old parchment and read.
...Aisha looked upon Thought and she loved him. And Thought looked upon Aisha and loved her. And she bore him a child, a daughter, with hair the color of gold.
Desire saw the family on the waves of the sea, and jealousy consumed him, for he wanted a family for himself. He devised a way to deceive Thought and Aisha to come to the Land where he could own them, for the Land had been given to him by his brother. He called to his brother, “Brother Thought! I, your brother, wish to speak with you, for I see you have a child and a wife, but nowhere to call home. I will give you a place on this Land of mine.”
Thought looked at his child and his wife on the Ocean, and he looked at the Land. The Land was broad, and his boat was narrow, so he set his sail towards his brother Desire, and lighted upon the Land.
Thank you, my brother. It is well met,” said Thought. “My family has need of a place to grow and to live. Together we can make a home in the Land.”
And Desire agreed. Thought and Desire joined and made all things that are good on the Land – grasses, and plants, and trees that bear fruit. They made animals that walk upon the Land. They made great rivers and great plains and craggy mountains. And out of the mountains came more people, men, and women, and children, the youngest children of Earth. All the Land was good, and Thought dwelled with Aisha and their daughter in the West, and Desire lived with the men in the mountains of the East.
Nasreen stirred in her sleep in her cot next to Aisha, mumbling something about the desert. Aisha froze for a moment, before returning to her reading.
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