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 Comforts Chapter 97: Heroes Chapter 98: Fire, Water, and Wax Chapter 99: Beneath the Temple Chapter 100: the Way of EaglesChapter 97: Heroes
Eager to see Nasreen again, Takri made his way back through the catacombs counting red pebbles as he went. When he reached the forty-second pebble across from the temple storeroom, he bent down to examine the floor. Just as he suspected, he found a faint trail of dried lentils and small footprints leading down the passageway. He followed them until they stopped in front of another crumbling wall, atop which was a hole small enough for a child to climb through.
He backtracked down the passage to the first intersecting hallway, just out of sight from the boys’ entrance to the catacombs. He put down his bag and began unpacking. First, he lay a square piece of cloth on the floor as if setting a table. He continued unpacking his bag, procuring containers of dates and sweetmeats which he placed on the cloth along with another hunk of sheep's milk cheese poached from the cook's private larder. A loaf of fine white bread followed, and two fat oranges. He sat down to wait a few paces down the intersecting passage, making sure to keep himself hidden from the boy's view.
An hour later he heard the sound of a small person sliding down loose rocks, followed by another. He extinguished his lamp and waited in the darkness for the boys to discover the feast laid for them in the dark.
"Ow!" cried one boy. "I scraped my elbow, Sasa!"
"Don't be a baby!" said his brother. "Come on! Remember what Mama said? We need to be home before the sun comes up or the Locusts might catch us and feed us to the strigoi-viu!"
"She just wants to scare us!" said Teo. "They don't really eat people."
"What about all the children they took who never came back?" Sasa's voice grew louder as he turned down the passageway towards Takri's feast. "Remember?"
Takri heard them both skid to a stop as they saw the cloth and food laid before them on the floor.
"We should go home," whispered Teo.
The light from Sasa's lamp grew brighter as he approached the feast. "Teo, there are dates and bread like we see in the market. The kind Mama says costs too much."
"But who's is it?"
"It doesn't matter," said the older boy. "Maybe the old dead Queens took pity on us and saw us looking for food, and they brought us this to feed us?"
"I'm scared," said Teo.
"You are always scared, Teo!" Sasa shoved a date in his mouth and chewed a few times before sticking his food covered tongue out at his brother.
Takri pulled his hood over his head, and his scarf over his face as the two boys argued about whether to return home with or without the food. He hit his flint against his dagger, catching the wick on his lamp. The light kept his face in darkness while his shadow loomed large against the bone filled wall behind him. He stood up, and the boys' eyes grew wide with fear. Teo grabbed the loaf of bread and took off running while Sasa sat frozen in fear before the apparition before him.
"Who... Who are you?" he asked.
"I am sent by the Lady," said Takri. "She seeks two young heroes to bring food to Her people."
Sasa narrowed his eyes in suspicion and took a bite of a sweetmeat. "You don't look like a spirit."
From the rubble pile, Takri heard shouting followed by the sound of rocks hitting the stone floor.
"Sasa?!!" called a woman's voice. "Sasa, I am coming!"
"Is that your mother?" asked Takri.
"Yes," said Sasa through his mouthful of food.
A haggard woman brandishing a knife stumbled into the circle of lamplight. Teo followed close on her heels. She stared at Takri standing in the shadows, and then at her oldest son who was still shoveling sweets into his mouth. She turned back to Takri, who held his hands up to show he was unarmed. She pointed at him with her knife. "Who are you?"
"He said he was sent by the Lady," Sasa mumbled through a mouthful of food.
"Why do you lie to small children?" she asked. "And why do you tempt them with rich people's food?"
"I have a proposal for you," said Takri. "One that will benefit you and every other mother in the city if you choose to accept it."
"I do not accept anything from men, especially a Locust," said the woman. "And you do not sound Adyllian-born."
"He said we would be heroes," said Sasa.
"Quiet, Sasa!" said his mother.
"There is much more food where this came from," said Takri. "Food that I can bring to you. More than you could ever eat yourselves. I need someone to take it to the rest of the city. I know there is famine. Everyone in the city is in danger of starving. People will die."
"People are already dying," said the woman. "If my boys had not found the storeroom, our family might be dead already."
"Then let me help," said Takri. "Can you and your boys distribute the food to those who need it most? No child in the city should starve. No woman, no elder, no man should be hungry when there is such an abundance to be shared."
The woman lowered her knife. "I will help. Against my better judgement, I will help."
Takri nodded, and pulled out his still half-full bag. "This can be a start. Feed yourselves first, then distribute to those with the most need. Someone will leave food in this spot daily for the boys to retrieve."
"So, we may eat better than we did before the famine," said the boy's mother. "I will not ask your name, or where you procured your food. I ask you to not mention my boy's names should you be caught."
"I will never speak of them," said Takri. "You do a great service for your people."
"No, I do only what a mother would do," she said. "Feed the children."
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