Page 7 of Ties of Deception

Flavia’s expression was blank. “I’m not sure, but I think she might not be coming back.”

Oh. Had I been too much for her? Had trying to make me happy been too overwhelming? Guilt stirred, even though I wasn’t sure that I’d done anything wrong. I massaged my temples until Flavia’s own fingers took over, moving in slow circles around my scalp.

A large carppond in the garden lay half sheltered by an enormous weeping willow. It was becoming part of my routine to feed the fish every afternoon and watch their colorful, graceful bodies suddenly swirl around in a frenzy. It felt satisfying to see the frantic energy that had been so carefully buried beneath a calm exterior.

This afternoon—my second day recovering from petitions—I sat on the marble bench, watching them return to their lazy, aimless wanderings weaving between the stems of lily pads. A few lily buds bloomed in my presence, causing stars of pale pink, white, and rich magenta. There was something timeless about this place. Aimless and peaceful.

“Purity!”

I looked up and saw Pris crossing the ornate bridge that arched over the stream that fed the pond with a little waterfall. She waved in excitement as if she didn’t see me almost every day.

She hurried down the path, then collapsed onto the bench beside me. “I’m so glad I found you here. Can you help me?”

She held out a finger. One of her nails had broken, and a half moon of crusted blood rimmed the fingertip. “It hurts. Can you fix it for me? I’d be so grateful. I’m meant to play the harp tomorrow for the councilman’s visit, but it’s hard to perform like this.”

I turned back to the fish and searched for that feeling of peace and enjoyment again. “Will my powers work on such a small wound?”

Pris frowned down at her finger. “I hope so. I think Mother wants the councilman’s son to court me. She’ll murder me if I don’t make a good impression.”

I raised an eyebrow. I’d never thought that there’d be events hosted in the main villa that I wasn’t invited to, but I supposed that made sense. The family had their own affairs apart from me, and I got the impression that I wasn’t privy to much pertaining to their lives. “Do youwanthim to court you?”

She wrinkled the bridge of her nose. “Maybe. I don’t know. I haven't spoken to him often. But still, I need to play the harp well…oh.” She looked back down at her finger and leapt from the bench in excitement, whirling her hand around. “You did it! You did it!”

I wasn’t even aware it had happened, but Pris was moving too fast for me to verify the state of her nail.

She bent down in front of me. “Thank you! Is there anything I can do for you in return?”

I was about to decline, then thought for a moment. “Can you teach me?”

Her eyes widened. “Teach you? Teach you what? Goddesses don’t need to go to school. You’re not meant to do anything stressful.”

I nodded, feeling more certain about what I wanted. What I needed. “Can you teach me about the city? The country? How everything works? What I need to know to understand interactions with different people. That sort of thing.”

She pursed her lips then held up a finger. “Maps. I’ll show you the maps. If you go to your villa, I’ll bring them to you straightaway and answer all your questions.”

Her excitement was infectious, and I felt much better as I returned to the main room of my villa, the curtains pulled back around the pillars to show the garden drenched in sunlight. Pris returned only minutes after me.

She spread out a map on the low table and helped herself to a couple of grapes as she used various bowls and cups to weigh down the curling corners. The map was drawn with shimmering gold, red, and blue ink. “Our empire is outlined in red. It was originally two different countries, and as you can see, it spans two continents. We live here in Atos. Our island might be small, but we have prospered due to the Graces.” She tapped a raggedly shaped island nestled in a vast expanse of sea.

“Atos lost their independence almost two hundred and fifty years ago to Hassia to the south.” She tapped a finger on the map. “This country here, which is part of a vast continent. The people of Hassia have different bloodlines, and instead of Graces, they have warrior goddesses, Amazones. They’re fierce and powerful, so it wasn’t difficult for them to take Atos.”

I licked my lips. “And does Atos want independence again?”

Pris winced and shook her head. “It is not seen as a polite subject to discuss so I’d be very careful about bringing up this matter if you’re in powerful company. We are ruled well by the empress and emperor-consort. Before the empire, Atos was regularly raided by many countries. Pirates would kidnap Graces as well as steal our bountiful harvests. Now, we’re safe since no country would dare challenge the might of Hassia. Both countries have greatly prospered as both goddess bloodlines are now dispersed across them. This means we now have the protection of Amazones. And Hassia now has Graces to Bless their country.”

I nodded slowly. “But I don’t understand. I wasn’t naturally born with a mother or father, so how can there be ‘bloodlines?’ Are all Graces ethnically like the people of Atos, like you and me? Why would the ethnicity of the people around me decide my own?”

Pris shrugged and scrunched her nose as if such an odd question had never crossed her mind. “I don’t know. Maybe it’s due to the bloodlines of the priests? Or maybe because you’re in some way associated with Ismara, the original goddess of life? She’s always painted with pale skin and hair. Maybe you’re related to her.”

I hoped one day I’d be able to talk to somebody who knew more about how goddesses were born. I was yet to meet a priest…or another Grace.

I turned back to the map to hide my frustration. “And what about the other countries here?”

Pris straightened. “The mainland to the north doesn’t have gods or goddesses. Some call them savages. Pirates. They raid the seas still, even though they no longer have the courage to raid our islands. To the west we have the continent of Vekatna. The countries there are our allies.”

“And the east?”

Pris shivered as she unrolled the map further to reveal a black land the artist had depicted as shrouded in mist, obscuring any detail. “The Unseen Lands. The realm of the dead. They have the only gods. The gods of death are the equivalent of a royal family, and their people are known as the Aida. There is very little travel or migration to and from those lands, and they’re very secretive. Hopefully, you’ll never see an Aida or their gods of death, but if you do at royal functions, beware their charm and beauty. Remember, whereas you bring life, they bring death. They’re not well liked here and for good reason.”

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