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 99: Beneath the Temple
When Aisha returned from the library, she found Nasreen waiting for her. Aisha took her place next to Nasreen with her bowl of soup and began eating as quickly as she could. Nasreen’s bowl was already empty.
“Come on, Aisha! How long does it take for you finish your food when it is mostly water anyway?” asked Nasreen.
Aisha put the bowl up to her mouth and gulped down the last few mouthfuls, put down her bowl and smiled at Nasreen. “I’m done!”
Nasreen grabbed her friend’s bowl along with her own and passed them down to the end of the table. Then she and Aisha headed back to their sleeping area to grab fresh linens before heading to the temple baths.
“Were you able to find the storeroom in the plans?” whispered Nasreen.
“Yes,” answered Aisha. “It is where I guessed it would be. And like I thought, one of the passages we cross on our way to the baths leads to the storerooms. I will show you.”
“I hope he is still there,” said Nasreen. “It is night already.”
“He loves you, of course he will be there!” said Aisha. “Did you get the clothes?”
“Yes. They never even noticed.” She showed Aisha the stableboy garments she folded inside the bath linens. “We can change once we are out of sight of the others.”
The two girls left the dormitory with a little more hope in their step as they headed to the baths. Two passageways before the entrance, Aisha stopped and pointed into the darkness. “It’s this one. We will follow this passageway to the storerooms for the poor.”
Nasreen nodded. “Come on, before anyone else finishes their meal and decides they need to bathe.”
They hurried down the stone hallway until they reached an area beyond the reach of the hallway’s torches and out of sight of anyone else venturing down from the women’s quarters. They stopped and removed their veils and temple robes, wrapping them in the long linen cloths they used to dry themselves after the bath to hide the color that betrayed them as property of the Locust.
Are you sure he won’t be angry that I am coming with you?” asked Aisha.
“He won’t,” Nasreen said. “He is too good to be angry with us. Besides, there will be plenty of time for us to be alone once we are safely outside the capital.”
Aisha smiled and the two took off back down the darkened passageway towards the storerooms.
“I’m glad the men of the Swarm wear their hair so short.” Nasreen tried to smooth her curly hair into place behind her ears. “It feels so good to not have my head covered.”
“I feel lighter,” said Aisha. “I don’t think I have been without the veil except for bathing and sleep since the night Mahleck seized power.”
“We won’t have to dress that way once we are free,” said Nasreen. “We can dress how we want and feel the wind in our hair if we so choose!”
Aisha stopped when they came across a door set in the wall on the left and tried the handle, but it did not move. “I am not sure which of these is the correct storeroom. He said it was unlocked, didn’t he?”
“He did,” said Nasreen. “We need to be quiet. We don’t know what or who is behind the doors. He said there were some boys who had broken in and were stealing from the storeroom. They may have broken into others for all I know. And we cannot trust anyone other than Takri right now, even if they are children.”
Nasreen and Aisha continued to try each door until finally one latch moved under Nasreen’s hands, causing her to jump back as the door opened. It swung back on its hinges to reveal a mostly empty storeroom with a crumbling wall at the back. She motioned to Aisha to follow her as she strained her eyes against the dark looking for a trace of her lover among the jars of food and crumbling rock.
Aisha pulled the door closed behind them, sending the room into darkness.
“Takri?” Nasreen’s voice came out as a croak.
A light flared behind the crumbling wall, causing the two girls’ shadows to leap against the wall.
“Back here, behind the rocks!” Takri’s voice echoed from the hole in the wall.
Nasreen laughed and clamored over the pile of rubble, where Takri took her in his arms and firmly planted a kiss on her mouth.
“I never thought I would find myself kissing a beautiful boy beneath the Temple, but I also never thought I would be called a Prince!” said Takri. “How soon must you return? I want as much time to drink in your beauty as I can have!”
Aisha climbed through the hole in the wall and stood looking awkwardly at the pair of lovers.
“This must be your sister, Aisha!” smiled Takri. “You both frightened me for a moment in your boys’ clothes. I thought I might have to fight some stableboys.”
Aisha smiled at the man holding her friend. Nasreen was right, he was handsome and strong. And he seemed to be kind as well. He reminded her of the other Narim boy she played with when she was known as Irinya, so long ago in the palace gardens. But while that boy had seemed shy and serious, this one was confident and jovial with a mischievous twinkle in his eyes. Perhaps he would be able to protect them after all.
“We can only stay for a short while,” said Nasreen. “We don’t want anyone to notice we are gone.”
“I brought you more food,” said Takri. He handed Nasreen another muslin wrapped piece of cheese, under which was a few pieces of flatbread. “I know you do not have much room to store it, but please take what you can. I cannot have the mother of my child go hungry.”
Aisha took in a shocked breath as she watched Takri’s hand come to rest on Nasreen’s stomach. “Nasreen! You are with child?”
“I was afraid to tell you,” said Nasreen. “I didn’t want you to worry.”
Aisha threw herself at Nasreen and wrapped her arms around her in a fierce hug. “You are right, we have no choice but to leave. If the Holy Mother finds out...”
“She won’t” said Nasreen. “I have fooled her this long. Less than two weeks will make no difference. She will never know.”
“She must never know,” echoed Aisha.
“We will be safe long before she grows fat,” said Takri. “Even if she eats all the cheese in Adyll. And we will be long gone before then.”
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