Page 118 of The Curse of the Goddess

Valda’s bulging arm wrapped around her waist and pulled her in. “For now, you are Maris, a good hearted Sealian that happened to be in the right place at the right time. I understand that you might feel I am putting a lot on your shoulders, but if I had a chance to lead my people, to help them organize after what happened to them, I would take it. I would not trust this mission to anyone else.”

“I am not a leader, Valda.”

“Says who?” Valda canted her head before she cupped Maris's cheek. “What I said in my bed was true. You are stronger than you think, and smarter. Besides, you can come up with a thousand ways to make the lives of your people better. Of course, to do that you need to be in direct contact, and so do I. Let’s go together, help me identify what they truly need. If this doesn’t work, you can blame it all on me. They already do.”

Valda’s face stretched to a bright smile that made Maris's heart flutter.

Maris's hand trailed over the collar of Valda’s blouse, playing with it before taking a deep breath. All her life, she was tucked away for no one to see, her abilities hidden. She never told her parents about her powers. There was no reason to. Even Melvian didn’t know. Her powers would come and go as she was younger, but with each passing day she felt she could control it a bit better.

Oh, how she had entertained herself when it was time to take baths, how she had played with the puddles after a rare storm. The Sky Kingdom was such a dry place.Maris always complained to her mother about the heat, and Saha would always look at her with pity.

Her tricks were unpolished, clumsy. As much as she wanted to perfect it, the fear of being found out was stronger. If she were to become a representative to her people and a leader, she needed to break away from all of that, and she needed to step up and be stronger and bolder. Fear settled in her stomach, and she became queasy with the thought of meeting all of them. Valda pulled her into an intimate hug.

Maris tucked her head under Valda’s chin, her own arms circling her waist and slowly squeezing her with a content sigh. Valda was there. She was there, and she was holding her tightly, and she was making her feel so safe. Maris's chest was about to burst with all the love she felt.

Love.

Valda made her feel loved, and she hadn’t felt like ever. Even now, as she held her, asking her to do something so important as to lead, Valda wasn't pushing her to make a quick decision or to give her a straight answer. She simply held her, as if knowing that the decision Maris was about to make was important and needed to be thought through.

But Maris already knew the answer. She knew what she needed to do. She had to protect and help her people. “Valda?” Maris called out, a mere whisper as her hands took hold of the blouse on Valda’s back. “Take me to New Agenor.”

19

They left at first light.

The carriage was surrounded by castle guards, two in the front and two in the back, all on their horses. Maris had insisted on taking guards with them, not only because she had no idea where the New Agenor was, but also because she truly believed that they needed extra protection. The incident back in Lasmeer’s place made her wary of her surroundings. Growling with exasperation, Valda agreed to take the guards. She had refused at first, mentioning that if guards tried to hurt her before, why should they take them to New Agenor?

Inside the carriage, Valda had her arms crossed and was trying to catch some minutes of sleep while Maris wrote in her notebook aggressively. She knew her writing was bothering the queen, who released a couple of annoyed sighs now and then.

Maris’s fears were real, and she was glad that Valda could understand her completely. Of course she did. She had watched Valda stand on the balcony of the late queen’s chamber, making promises to thousands of Skylians that she might not be able to keep. To carry such a burden on her shoulders was something Maris could never bear, and yet Valda did.

Before they left for New Agenor, Maris had run into Melvian and told her all about it, and before Valda could object, both women were in her chamber, discussing all the things Maris should take. The trip to New Agenor would’ve taken them a day and a half; one if they weren’t using the carriage. Therefore, Melvian had brought her bag and kept showing Maris various plants and ointments she could use in case of an emergency. She gave top priority to a plant that was supposed to help with heartburn. Stammering and suppressing a blush, Melvian explained that Sealian food was high on spices, and it usually caused heartburn. Maris couldn’t help but snicker at Valda’s confused frown, probably wondering where Melvian had tasted Sealian food.

After Melvian left the queen’s chamber, a milliard of butterflies invaded Maris’s stomach. As much as she didn’t want to admit it, she was nervous. Valda picked up on it even in her silence. With a sweet rub to her arm, Valda silently asked how she was. Maris could’ve spent hours telling her that she was petrified, that she thought her presence in New Agenor would only bring more turmoil to the survivors. She was an outsider looking in, but she wanted nothing more than to help them. She never considered moving close to New Agenor, nor bothering Melvian with her problems. She seemed to be doing well, Maris didn’t want to bring her down with her problems. Living in the shack she had shared with her mother seemed to be the logical thing to do, but now, as she was heading to New Agenor, it didn’t seem like it was the best idea. But, if her connection to the queen could benefit them, then, damn it, she was going to take advantage of that any way she could.

The carriage shook violently, and Valda touched the wall behind her as she called out to Maris, who had just closed her notebook, irritated by how bumpy the road was.

“I am here.” She tried to hide her displeasure, but Valda picked on it right away.

“We really need to work on these roads,” Valda mumbled, grunting as she settled on her chair and another bump shook them both. “What are you doing?”

“Making a list of things I want to talk about and see.” Maris sighed and scratched her head before turning to Valda. “Do Sealians have ships for them to travel to the Sea Kingdom and back?”

Valda frowned and shook her head. “They use our ships, and only if they are available.”

“And if they want to take them. I guess not a lot of people want to go to the Sea Kingdom. There isn’t much there to look for.”

“There are no complaints that I know of.”

“That you know of…” Maris nodded and wrote something else in her notebook. “I know we can’t trade with other kingdoms if it isn’t through your ships, but maybe you could start by changing that? Wouldn’t it be nice to have their own ships, to do as they please? I mean, there could be things in the Sea Kingdom that they need.”

Valda slumped on the chair for a minute before pursing her lips. Maris took a deep breath and closed the notebook. “Is this the road they use every day to get provisions?” She didn’t hide the annoyance in her voice.

“Yes, it is.”

Maris huffed and moved uncomfortably. “And do you think this is acceptable?”

Valda raised her chin. “It is not.”

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