Page 23 of A Haven of Brimstone and Darkness

"You are all here," she begins, "because you are descendants of the Divine. Great and powerful, you are. Extraordinary creatures, our children."

I bite down, grinding my jaw. To listen to the lies in silence is an effort in restraint and though I clench my hands into fists in my lap and keep my back straight, I wonder if I can manage it.

"It has been three hundred years since the dawn of our descendance upon this mortal realm, and though we have already observed the Day of Descendance, we have never shared with you the meaning of the Spring Equinox. To us, the Divine Beings, the glory of the Spring Equinox is something we've kept for ourselves. This year, however, we have decided to share it with you." Her smile is brilliant, capturing more than a few worshipping Mortal Gods with its beauty. "We have decided that you are to be gifted with the opportunity to observe this most auspicious festival in the way of your ancestors, of your Divine sires."

Excited murmurings pass through the crowd, but are quickly quieted as she continues.

"There are three rites to this celebration," Gygaea announces. Holding up a hand, she lowers all fingers save for one, two, three as she counts them off. "The Cleansing. The Hunt. And the Feast."

My nails dig into my palms harder than ever before. I want to scream at her to get on with it, to tell us how they plan to deceive the lot of us and then steal from our bodies, the source for their long lives. My throat works as I swallow down a bit of bile that threatens to come up. Closing my eyes, I focus on the heat of the two powerful thighs on either side of mine. Theos and Ruen. Only when I'm sure I can keep my composure do I lift my lashes once more and focus on the flawless face of the Goddess below.

"All are required to participate," she states. "Anyone found not doing so will be punished."

My eyes skim away towards the row of bodies at her back. I tense as I pass over Tryphone's obvious frame. His face is impassive, his eyes fixed on some point straight ahead of him.There's no ruffling inside my head that belies another attempt to get into my mind. Yet, still, my breaths come a bit faster. I move on and nearly give a startled yelp, only managing to clamp down on the response at the last second, when I see that Danai, the Queen of the Gods, is staring straight at me.

Pinpricks of awareness slither over every bared inch of flesh that I have, from my cheeks to my throat, to the backs of my hands. Her eyes are open, framed in gold and swirling textures. There's no negative emotion in their depths. No hatred or suspicion. No rage or malice. My heart hammers inside my chest.

"Kiera?" Reaching out at Ruen's soft questioning tone, I latch on to him, loosening my fists and turning my hand over to dig my nails into the meat of his thigh. His responding grunt is so quiet that I almost don't hear it. His hand comes down over mine and thankfully, he doesn't remove my grip, but instead, presses me harder against him, giving me an anchor.

The longer my eyes stay on the Queen's, the more weightless I feel. As if my whole body is being lifted from the confines of the earth and set adrift into the ether. Fear makes sweat beads pop up along my brow and at the back of my neck beneath my braid.

Ruen leans to the side, sliding one arm around my back, and the heat of his body burns through our layers of clothing. "It's alright," he murmurs. "You're alright."

My throat closes up. My lungs seize. Ruen continues to repeat soothing phrases, but too softly for my senses to pick up. I can no longer hear him, nor can I hear the Goddess Gygaea below either.

All will be well, child.Those words enter my mind amidst the chaos of my body. I claw at Ruen's leg, needing to feel it. He grips me back tighter. Tears gather at the corners of my eyes, but I refuse to let them fall. Instead, I glare back at the God Queen with all of the fury I possess.

Get. Out. Of. My. Head.I thrust each word like the practiced strike of a dagger. If I cannot be safe inside my own mind, then where can I be safe?

The answer is not lost on me and it only serves to make me that much more determined to drive her from my thoughts.

Though the God Queen's expression never changes, I sense her presence inside me easing away.

You have no need to fear me,she murmurs, her voice softer than before, further away.No harm will befall you at my hand.

I don't believe her, but the words she offers me make me pause. Why say them in the first place? She and the rest of the Gods have us right where they want us. We're slowly being boiled alive in the pot they've created and though I can see the opening of the sky, know that freedom is somewhere, I cannot seem to grasp it.

Suddenly, the sounds of the assembly hall roars back to me all at once as students jump from their seats, squealing with glee. Gasping for breath, I turn and press my forehead into Ruen's chest.

"What is it?" he demands. "What's wrong? Did Tryphone try to?—"

"No." I shake my head, cutting off his tirade of questions. "No, he—it wasn't him this time."

Feeling exhausted, I lift my head away from him and glance down the rows upon rows of seating. Danai is no longer looking at me, but is instead talking quietly with another Goddess—Makeda, the Goddess of Knowledge, I recognize. Leaning around Ruen, I reach for Kalix. My earlier annoyance with him is gone in favor of knowing what I'm about to ask of him.

"Kalix?"

Rich, forest green eyes meet mine. Kalix captures my seeking hand and brings the palm to his mouth. He bites lightly againstthe soft flesh, nipping with a single fang that sends a cascade of shivers up the limb.

"What is it, Little Thief?" he inquires. "Do you want?—"

Before he can suggest something obscene, I interrupt him with my request. "Have you managed to attract any of the snakes in Ortus?"

Kalix's mouth recedes from my palm. "Yes, why?"

I look towards the dais before lowering my voice. "I want you to send one after Danai, the God Queen," I say. "To watch her."

"Your spiders are unavailable?" he guesses.

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