Call of the Goddess: A Bona Dea Novel (Stormflies Book 1) (15 page)

“It is possible,” said one of the astronomers, a nasally male voice over the communicator, “that Soporus is also the cause of the Believers maladies. Like our moons, we expect the gravity to have a tidal effect on the Ocean. Every living thing will feel the effects of that pull.”

“I understand. Please give the Council a written report on your theories. We'll continue to monitor the overall situation,” Axandra ordered. “And hope for the best. Thank you.”

“Yes, Your Honor. Right away.”

Morton, Osander and Lelle all looked to each other for a moment, gauging each other's reactions and waiting for someone to speak first.

The Protectress took the lead. “If this is the cause, we need to provide this information to the Healers Council so they can disseminate it to all of the Healers. Hopefully it will help them find a treatment.”

Osander volunteered to prepare the written report and have the papers delivered by courier to the Healers Council in Bexan by the following afternoon. Everyone agreed that the theory was indeed plausible and a glimmer of hope for those afflicted shown through each of their souls.

16th Hexember, 307

A cool front
dropping over the mountains brought a delicate drizzle to the evening, a welcome break from the hot humid days of summer. The local farmers complained that the fields were dry this year and asked several times already to use more water from the river to irrigate the crops. The Council gave permission to do so, seeing no reason to deny such usage. Right now, the river ran high from the snowmelt on the peaks. The light rain might alleviate a fraction of the river's burden to sustain the crops.

Axandra decided to dress casually and take a quiet meditative stroll in the garden. Lifting her face to the soothing sprinkle of rain, she pushed all thoughts from her mind for the moment. She pulled every remote tendril back into herself and closed them all away, resting her mind in the solitude. The true extent of her fatigue lumped onto her back, and she felt hunched. She'd never imagined talking to be such a taxing occupation. She used to remark that anyone could talk all day as long as they got a meal in the end.

Positioned at several points about the garden, Elite kept their eyes on her. Ty remained wary of any other unannounced visits. This was one of the few times in her life that Axandra wished to be invisible, so that they could not watch her every move. She strolled deeper into the garden, wondering how far she could go before the Elite lost sight of her and began to worry. A mischievous thought, to play with their minds. She tried to look aimless, but she purposefully went far into the high hedges until she could no longer see a single guard.

Their minds shifted from passive observation to actively seeking her among the growing shadows of the plants. Axandra opened her mind just enough to sense them, touching them faintly so they would not sense her. All four focused on where she was last seen and each waited a few patient minutes for her to reappear. When she did not present herself, they became concerned, but first for themselves. If they reported that they lost sight of her at any time, Commander Narone would knock their service down to the City Night Watcher. At the moment, they did not fear for her safety, assuming the garden a secure niche. Three of the four began to move about the paths in search of her. The other remained at his high perch on a second floor balcony to keep a look out.

She giggled to herself, enjoying this play way too much. Teasing them was one thing. In another minute, she would make herself visible again and give them a sense of relief. She certainly did not want them to be disciplined for her trickery.

Hearing soft footsteps, Axandra pushed herself against the hedge, hoping to remain invisible to them just a bit longer.

But it wasn't an Elite that passed her by.

Invisibility would have been a perfect defense against this unknown figure. The shape of the person in the dim light looked tall and broad, shrouded in a cloak of coarse gray fabric like those the Prophets wore. A hood shrouded the face, but she caught sight of a pale hand clenched around an edge of the cloak. The figure paused a moment and turned toward her, eyes searching. She knew he would see her if he looked this way. The sky was not dark enough to completely shroud her beneath this arbor. Heart racing, brain swirling, she wished only to remain hidden. His presence here disturbed her. No one knew he was here. The secretive actions of the Prophets made her even less trustful of them than ever before.

Axandra saw his face as he turned her way, the last rays of the blue sun lighting his pale skin beneath the shade of the hood. An older man with silvery hair and a hawk-like nose, she did not recognize him. His dark eyes looked all around her, searching for the presence he surely sensed nearby. He almost looked right at her several times, but his eyes never quite focused on her.

Prophets rarely wore their emotions on their faces, making it difficult to know if he felt disappointment, curiosity, or satisfaction to find no one there. She dared not touch his mind for fear the brush would bring his eyes right to her. Without a sound, the Prophet walked away, disappearing around a hedge.

More footsteps came, these heavy and quick. Two of the guards converged on this spot and now their concern focused on her. She had been out of sight too long.

Emerging from beneath the arbor, Axandra stared in the direction the Prophet had gone, but he had vanished from view in the maze. He probably escaped out a nearby gate in the back. But why had he been here at all?

The guards caught sight of her and immediately slowed their frantic pace. Despite their jog and the humidity in the air, they did not pant or even appear to sweat. Each was in perfect physical condition, a requirement of their service.

“Is something wrong, boys?” Axandra questioned, masking her own face with innocent curiosity. The third guard came just a moment later.

“We were about to ask you the same thing,” spoke the first. She recalled his name as Ben. He looked a bit cross and relieved simultaneously.

She smiled at them and shook her head. “I'm fine. I was just watching the hover birds. They almost glow in the dark. By the way, did you see anyone else in the garden?”

“No, Madam. Are you expecting someone?” the same guard replied. The other two surveyed the vicinity, acutely aware of their surroundings, always on watch.

“No, but I thought I heard footsteps a few minutes ago.” She contemplated if she should tell them the whole truth, and for one of the few times in her life, decided that the full truth would be detrimental. Not noticing the uninvited guest carried a worse penalty than losing track of her for a brief time. “It must've been something on the wind.”

“Of course, Your Honor. Are you going to remain out here for much longer?”

The sky deepened to luxurious purple, like velvet sparkling with stars. Wisps of icy white clouds high in the atmosphere caught the last rays of sun and glowed. The rain clouds long since evaporated into oblivion. All around them, the insects began to chirp and buzz and a few nighttime birds swooped down from the trees to snatch a meal.

“No. I'll head in now. Goodnight.” She walked back up the path to the Palace doors, aware that only one of her troop followed her in. The others dispersed among the hedges and flowers, probably triple-checking for anything that might make footsteps.

They walked less than half-way back when a shout shot from the back edge of the garden. “Hound!” came the warning. Axandra and her escort stopped abruptly and looked in the general direction of the shout, trying to make out what was happening. They heard a growl and a barking noise not far away.

“Packhound!” Ben told her sharply. “We'd better get you inside.” Gripping her elbow forcefully, he steered for the quickest path out.

“How did a packhound get in?” Axandra asked. “They can't jump over the walls.”

“A gate must be broken,” he answered. His eyes focused on the narrow passage ahead and on getting her through quickly. She could barely keep up with his wide strides. His grip tightened painfully on her arm. For the moment, she made no protest, but tried to move her feet faster.

They heard the growl again and another shout. Something trampled through the vegetation beside them with cracks and snaps. Another sound met their ears, an electric buzz. The noise split the air like a soft crack of thunder.

“Hold your fire!” Ben shouted out. He did not want either of them to be hit by the stunner. He halted the Protectress at that moment and followed the movement in the bushes, waiting to see what came out. From his belt, he produced a small black device which he pointed in that direction.

Axandra sensed the beast, primed with raw instinct and primal intelligence. There was one animal, but it wasn't alone. Something shared its consciousness, controlling it, making it more agile and craftier than it would be of its own accord.

With a snarl, the packhound leapt out from behind the hedge. Facing them head on, the beast stopped in their path. The over-sized ears flicked at nearby noises, but the dark, slanted eyes stared directly at the two humans, daring them to move. At the end of the elongated snout, pink nostrils flared with rapid breathing, matching the rhythm of ballooning ribs. The body of the beast appeared emaciated, with every bone clearly outlined beneath thin skin. It limped to the right. Tongue hanging out of its mouth, drool dripped from its long fangs.

Axandra froze on the spot, uncertain what to expect next. Ben hesitated with his weapon, wanting to avoid harming the animal unless it became absolutely necessary.

The beast rolled back on its haunches, the tufted tail extending for balance. Then it snorted again and charged, powerful hind legs propelling the full body forward.

I have no fear of you!
the mind screamed at her.

Ben tried to fire his weapon and nothing happened. He pressed the button frantically over and over, but the device remained dead. His face soured from determination to helplessness. Throwing the device aside, he crouched low, hands out in a defensive posture.

Something had to be done or at least one of them would end up dead. Axandra reacted quickly and instinctively, throwing out her hand with a guttural cry. Power surged through her chest and out through her fingertips in unseen waves.

The next moment, the beast flew backward in the air and sailed in the opposite direction. It yelped sharply, limbs flailing wildly. When the hound hit the ground, it slid along the paved path and stopped when the skull contacted the trunk of a tree with a wretched crunch.

At the same time, the burst knocked Axandra and Ben onto their backs into a patch of flowers. They lay staring at the sky, stunned and breathless. As she stared up at the almost black sky, she felt something else. An escape. The entity in the packhound fled now that its host lay dead. She saw a light flying toward her from above, striking her shoulder before she had a chance to raise her arms in defense. Bouncing away, the light flew up into the sky and vanished among the stars. Heat swelled in her chest a second time.

Gravity pulled hard upon her body as she lay flat on the ground. As the swell of unused energy faded out of her body, pain replaced the electricity. Flame shot through her wrist. Stabbing ripped her shoulder. Each breath caused agony through her torso. She heard her own airway wheezing and heard crying as the anguish overtook her.

Heavy boot heels drummed closer as she lay there, more than the three Elite on duty in the garden. Reinforcements arrived in the form of entire troop of twenty. The Elite gathered around them, some kneeling down to check on Ben, some near her. Others approached the packhound corpse cautiously, weapons drawn.

Eyes squinting, Axandra watched Ben sit up first, shaking his head to clear the daze. He looked around at his fellow guardsman and assured them that he remained unharmed. He looked to the Protectress, his brow furrowed.

Axandra looked up at him, eyes wide with fear. Her brain felt hazy. Bright lanterns made their faces pink, featureless circles floating above her. Help me, she asked of the guards. No one seemed to hear her.

“Protectress, are you all right?” one of the men asked. The voice came at her ears from everywhere. Axandra blinked slowly in response and wheezed again, her chest heavy. Her voice refused to speak. Someone tugged at her arm to help her sit up. She yelped in pain.

“Get her inside. Fetch Healer Gray.”

Axandra felt herself lifted from the ground and carried in Ben's arms. Lack of oxygen combined with pain made her ears ring and her vision blur. A new surface gave softly beneath her. She moaned with the change of pressure, feeling no more relieved of the aches.

What just happened? It was like she had hit the creature with a shovel, yet she hadn't touched it at all. The reaction seemed surreal. She had channeled something powerful through her body and that power killed a living creature. The same force hit her with equal pressure when released, and she felt crushed and broken.

The Goddess. There could be no other explanation. The entity was understood only by those who spent a lifetime hosting it. And she had no one of whom to ask any questions. What have you done? She asked the being. All she sensed was satisfaction.

No one touched her until the Healer arrived, fearful of making her injuries worse. Eryn's face floated above hers, her red hair tied back behind her neck and those green eyes piercing through the haze. The Healer shooed away the Elite with a few words, but gestured someone over. Miri appeared, her young face creased with concern.

“Protectress, you'll be all right,” Eryn promised. “The pain will diminish soon.”

“What's wrong with her?” asked Miri in a whisper. She held the medicine pack as the Healer instructed.

Eryn did not reply, but immediately set to work on finding out. “I am going to touch you, Protectress. I am going to lay my hands where I believe you might be injured. You do not need to speak.”

Axandra blinked hard, trying to keep her eyes open. Her lungs felt so heavy she thought it would be easier to stop breathing all together. She nodded fervently, willing to do anything to stop feeling.

Eryn spoke instructions to Miri, who then opened Axandra's mouth and deposited several drops of strong-tasting liquid that made her tongue feel numb. As she swallowed, the numbness followed the liquid down her throat and into her stomach. The sensation seemed to spread through her body almost instantly. The aching in her muscles eased. The sharp pain in her arm dulled to an ache.

Meanwhile, Eryn touched her arms, first the right, then the left, holding the left longer and squeezing gently. She called out for a splint and bandages. Then she moved her hands to Axandra's torso, pressing gently along her ribs. She listened to Axandra's labored breathing as she did this, her head cocked to one side and her eyes closed.

“Broken ribs,” Eryn stated aloud. “Quiet please,” she requested, then her chin sank down to her chest and she breathed in deeply.

Axandra felt something happening in her chest. The bones pulled back from her lungs as though Eryn's hand pried them apart. Suddenly, her lungs inflated fully with less pain. The renewed source of oxygen woke her brain and everything seemed clearer.