Breaking Gods

Born to mimic any talent she sees, Lieta is asked for help in taking down those of her own kind. A new career in
Breaking Gods
.

Abandoned at the doors of an abbey, Lieta began life with knowledge of how to use any talent she was in contact with. As she grew, so did her collection of accessible power.

When the Citadel came to the abbey to ask for her assistance, she was astonished to learn she was not only not the only one of her kind, but she was one of the only sane ones. Her species enjoys being worshipped and that is rarely a good result for their people.

Lieta has to stop them, nullify them and make sure that they won’t hurt others. Running into one of her previous arrests and finding out that she is expected to let him be her shadow is a shock.

Muraz once fancied himself a god, but after being shown that he was not alone, he has decided that working with the only being more powerful than himself might be educational.

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This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events or locales or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

Breaking Gods

Copyright © 2014 Viola Grace

ISBN: 978-1-77111-918-4

Cover art by Martine Jardin

All rights reserved. Except for use in any review, the reproduction or utilization of this work in whole or in part in any form by any electronic, mechanical or other means, now known or hereafter invented, is forbidden without the written permission of the publisher.

Published by Devine Destinies

An imprint of eXtasy Books

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Breaking Gods

Tales of the Citadel Book 28

By

Viola Grace

The storm was wild. She clutched the baby to her chest and ran through the rain.

She had been given five minutes to get her child to safety and her lack of control had caused her to overshoot the landing site. Now, she had to run.

The woman set the child against the gate in the shelter of an overhang, and she rang the bells with all her might. Her keeper was coming for her to resume her training. This was the only moment in the entire span of time that she wanted.

Her daughter needed to be safe.

A figure appeared next to her and she was hauled away before she knew that her daughter was safe. She screamed as she was taken away and then fell silent. Her daughter had heard that scream twice today. The first time had been when she died.

* * * *

The monk opened the door as the blood-curdling scream faded in the air. The smaller, more insistent shout came from the bundle at his feet. He leaned down and lifted her in his arms. “Hello, little one. Did you make all that noise?”

The baby looked at him with eyes in a purple so dark they looked to be deep brown. She blinked and slurped her fist.

The monk lifted his hand and light covered it, illuminating their new arrival. The baby waved her fist in the air and it glowed in reaction.

“Oh dear, little one. You have a lot of power in that tiny body.”

She waved both fists and both glowed. She giggled and then burped. He brought her inside to the warmth and shelter of the temple. Sister Esrai would know what to do with her.

* * * *

Twenty-three years later, Lieta was hauling in the harvest with the monks and acolytes when a blast struck the ground near her feet.

“You. Manager.”

She turned to face the young man with the dark soul and blacker temper. “Redol, right?”

“She talked about me, did she? The stupid bitch.”

Well, she had guessed right. “Ah, so you are Venila’s ex-boyfriend. You are everything she said.”

Lieta moved away from the wagon and toward the intruder, into the monastery’s property. “What did you want?”

“I want Venila back. Give her to me.”

“She is not a slave, nor is she owned by the monastery. She can come and go as she pleases, but she is choosing to live there and take vows to serve others.”

Lieta kept easing to one side until there was nothing to strike behind her.

“She is mine. She will come back to me.”

“Oh, I do not think so. She will remain where she is safe. Where a jackass with a bad temper will not cow her and make her feel like nothing has happened because her healing talent takes over the wounds.”

“Then she will be working on you tonight, bitch.” He extended his hand and a ball of whirling wind emerged. With a clumsy shove, he directed it at her.

She shook her head, caught it and sent it back with a tight, hard ball of whirling air that struck him straight in the chest.

He was knocked on his ass and he didn’t like that. He got up and sent a larger ball toward her. She caught it, tightened and sped it up, and sent it back to him.

He was swept along in the ball of wind and tumbled down the hill. She knew he would return but not today.

The harvesters were staring at her and then they broke into smiles. “Well done, Lieta.”

“Thanks, Brother Frimin, but I was just doing my job.” Lieta helped them push the cart back to the abbey, a normal woman once again.

They shoved as they climbed the hill, and soon, the fruit was safely inside the wall where the brothers and sisters of the order were waiting to turn it into jams and jellies for the local market.

Sister Esrai greeted her with a smile. “They are talking about what you did. Your control was admirable. Mother and Father wish to speak to you.”

The last sentence made Lieta straighten in shock. “Now?”

Sister Esrai gave her a wry look. “Have you ever known them to make an appointment for the future?”

She chuckled. “No. Their interest in the future is spurious at best. Can you handle this? Sister Aliyin’s talent for propagation was amazing. This is the best harvest I have seen in my twenty years here.”

“I can handle it. Now go.” Sister Esrai stroked her cheek and sent her off.

Lieta brushed her hands on her robe as she passed the industry in the forecourt. Venila was with one of the monks and her hands were steady as she chopped up fruit for the press. In the two days since she had been on the edge of death, she had recovered remarkably.

Lieta walked the halls until she reached the chapel. She pressed her hands to the door at the back of the chapel, and when she heard it unlock, she opened it.

The private garden was the home of Mother and Father, the founders of Aruda Abbey. The ancient stones had been built around them.

Lieta walked carefully into the garden, watching for any small movements that would tell her she had stepped on the wrong thing. She mentally smacked herself and removed her shoes before continuing further.

The change moved up her legs as she walked, and by the time she had reached the stone bench in the centre of the garden, her body was covered in moss, vines and twigs.

The huge tree next to her stirred and the vines parted to release Mother and Father. The figure had made itself a familiar shape, but the life within those eyes was not of the world of Kenhoick.

“Daughter, are you well?” Mother and Father sat next to her and took her hand. Thin tendrils of vine connected it to the bole of the tree.

“I am well, Mother and Father.”

There was no sense in pressing with questions. Mother and Father would only answer when they were ready, which was coincidentally when the questioner was ready.

“The harvest was good this year. The new talents are strong and have a will to work.” Mother and Father smiled, the wood of their features creaking.

“Yes, they are and do.”

Silence fell between them, but it wasn’t true silence. Trees creaked, leaves rustled and branches swayed as the heartbeat of the world was felt in the garden.

“You must leave us for a time. There is a need for it.” Mother and Father took her hand.

Lieta was shocked. “Leave the abbey?”

“Leave this world. You will return soon, but you are needed for a task you are uniquely suited for. When Sister Esrai brought you to us as a squalling pink creature and you turned into a bundle of leaves and twigs, we knew that you had a greater purpose. The opportunity to see you fulfill that purpose is a wonderful thing.”

“Mother and Father, who will protect the abbey?”

“The Citadel needs your services, so they will be sending in a guard to help us keep our security during this trying time for Venila. The monks and acolytes will be safe with the one they are sending until you return.”

Lieta was tense. She had been in charge of keeping everyone on the premises safe since she was six. The idea of leaving home to work for the benefit of someone else was a foreign idea that would take some getting used to.

“When will this be happening?”

“They are on final approach and will be landing near Corln Valley. I would like you to meet them there.” Mother and Father patted her hand. “Do not worry, you will be able to verify the suitability of your stand-in on the way back.”

“Why did you only tell me of this now?”

“You are slow to build to tension, so the proximity to the event makes it less traumatic for you. I have been watching, Lieta.”

The wooden face smiled with light cracks appearing in the surface. “You need to go now. I give you permission to leave directly from the garden if you like.”

Lieta smiled. “Thank you, Mother and Father. You do know me best.”

“Run along, little light. I will see you when you return from your adventure.”

Lieta kissed the wooden cheek and walked to a small stone circle and bent her knees. With a push, she was up and flying through the air, heading for the valley and the visitors who were carefully landing with as little motion as possible.

Strictly speaking, Kenhoick was a closed world. They had minimal technology and it was supposed to stay that way. What made them a curiosity to those around them was the ninety percent psychic-talented population that ran through their world. Everyone had a skill that came of mind and not body and that was where it became complicated. They squabbled, fought for supremacy, divided into encampments with similar interests and generally tried to stay away from each other. The abbey was one of those encampments and Mother and Father had kept things safe until Lieta arrived, making the ground outside the orchards inhospitable. There had been a ring of desolation miles wide to keep the abbey safe until Lieta took over guardianship of the abbey.

The ground became fertile and townships moved closer to the bounty that Mother and Father brought to the land without knowing why. Now, the keepers of their land were risking it all, and Lieta didn’t know why, but she knew she would obey.

She walked toward the landing party just as the damp began to radiate out of the nearby river. “Greetings.”

Her simple gown was often mistaken for robes, but Mother and Father had been adamant that she was never to join the order. She had to remain apart but they wouldn’t say why.

There were two men and a woman walking to her with their robes flaring around. “Greetings. Are you from the abbey?”

“I am. Shall we continue? You can ask your questions on the way.”

One of the men looked around, “Why did we have to land here?”

She smiled and started forging the path through the rocks and grasses. “Kenhoick is dangerous. The host of the abbey covered your landing here. Which one of you will be staying?”

The woman looked uncertain. “The choice will be made at the abbey.”

“Fine. What are your talents?”

“I believe that we should wait until we are at the abbey before we mention them.”

Lieta laughed. “Everyone there has a talent, too; I am just curious as to the effective nature of whatever you control. We have a stalker threatening one of the acolytes. Her ex-boyfriend. He balls up wind and uses it as a weapon. With enough force behind it, I believe it could shatter rock.”

The female cleared her throat. “I create protective walls of force.”

One of the males nodded. “I encourage rapid vine growth.”

The last male said, “Fireballs.”

Lieta quirked her lips. “You might want to see a healer for that.”

The other two coughed to cover up laughter.

“It isn’t the first time that I have heard that. What is your talent?”