“You’re determined to make me despise you.”
“Only if that means you’ll buy me a cake on the Day of Darkness. The candles will help me see.”
“Just get to work on the dome.”
“Hi, little Dari! Thanks for bringing us some lunch!”
Aeriel follows the ecstatic pointing of Yola and sees the faint form of Dariana on top of the dome. The champion is cradling a merfolk pup in one arm while placing her other hand against the barrier. A burst of energy ripples through the water and the goddesses watch as the ocean pressure slams their potential rescuer against their prison. Bubbles of air rush from the woman’s mouth and pores while she digs her aching fingers into the dense aura. Dariana’s mind begins playing tricks on her when she sees her skin peel away from her bones, but the champion pushes herself to hold onto consciousness. After a minute, she can feel her head getting lighter and water flows into her mouth while she desperately yanks on the dome.
“Her father is going to be so angry if I let her drown,” Yola says. She hurries to the barrier and turns her fingers into fine needles that she uses to pluck at the aura strands. “He’ll punish me severely, so I need to find the one cord that will unravel everything. I have some time since mortals can hold their breath for over an hour.”
“Actually, it’s only a few minutes and that’s if they practice. That doesn’t even take into account the pressure on her body and she probably used up a lot of air swimming to us,” Aeriel points out while she watches Dariana start to go limp. “This one will probably die in a minute or two, which will attract sharks. I hate those things.”
“I’m coming, little Dari!” the Chaos Goddess screams. She grabs the threads of goddess aura in her fists and wraps them around her forearms. “It’ll be just like tearing off a scab or a finger.”
“Wait!”
Aeriel leaps to stop Yola from destroying the dome, but she is too late. The elder deity yanks the aura strands from the delicate tapestry and the released energy drains into her body. She turns with an open mouth to absorb the Insanity Goddess, who kicks and shrieks as she is broken down into pure essence. Unable to grab anything with her ephemeral hands, Aeriel is easily inhaled and swallowed. Yola burps, which releases a large bubble that races toward Dariana and the merfolk pup. The foul-smelling orb envelopes the pair and whisks them off to the surface.
“Tastes like thorns, sawdust, and mangos,” the Chaos Goddess states as the ocean rushes to fill the clearing.
*****
The bubble around Dariana opens to gently lay her on the ocean surface, the remaining power of the whirlpool moving the gasping champion in a lazy circle. She can feel her strength returning with every breath and eases her grip on the squirming pup in her arms. With a whimpering yelp, the child wriggles into the water and darts toward the rest of her pod. Only a few look back at the prone form in the water, the merfolk too scared to get any closer to the stranger. A rumble from below startles the nervous creatures and they vanish into the depths where they can hide among the trenches. A circle of foam surrounds Dariana and the water is frozen in time, giving her a solid platform to stand on. The white froth coalesces into a spurting blob that swiftly takes the form of Yola. With muck dripping from her hair, the goddess hugs the champion and gives her a sloppy kiss on the cheek.
“Thank you for rescuing me, little Dari,” Yola happily says, releasing the hug. She stretches her arms around her head and groans in pleasure. “I owe you my life, which I already repaid by saving you from drowning. That means we’re even, so we can split the dinner bill down the middle. Unless you want to eat and run.”
“I’m sorry, but I don’t have time for your antics,” Dariana explains, putting her hands on the goddess’s cheeks. She pulls away when Yola reaches out with fingers that end in ticklish feathers. “I’m very serious, Lady of Chaos. You have to return to Nevra Coil with me and undo the damage you caused. The other champions have very little time before they’re trapped in their figurines forever. Trinity and Nyx are living explosion spells that you need to repair before they erupt and take chunks of Windemere with them. Only you can stop all these disasters from happening.”
“That does sound like a problem,” the Chaos Goddess admits, her empty smile making the other woman uncomfortable. Without warning, she catches the champion by the chin and stares into her nostrils. “You’re telling the truth and your father would be angry if I made a mess of his beloved prophecy. Even better, I get to be a hero and people will sing praises to me. I’ll be known as the greatest savior of Windemere and my birthday will be a holiday. That means I need to choose a birthday. Maybe the first of Aberdon.”
“That’s the halfling new year, but I’m sure they’ll be fine with sharing. So teleport us to Nevra Coil and become a hero.”
With a crooked smile, Yola gurgles and lurches forward, knocking Dariana off the solid water. The goddess lands on her hands and knees while she vomits red foam. Unable to scream, she arches her back until the back of her head touches her rear. Two slender arms burst from her mouth and grab the corners of her lips, the jagged nails piercing Yola’s flesh. The limbs pull themselves further out of the goddess’s body to reveal a bald head that sprouts red and black hair as soon as it touches the ocean breeze. With the cracking of bone and tearing of muscle, Aeriel drags herself out of the older goddess and collapses on the solid water.
“I will not be defeated so easily,” she gasps as her naked body grows a short, black dress and stiletto heels. “I also refuse to be your meal. Now let’s finish this and see who the real Chaos Goddess is.”
“That would be me, but I have to be a hero now,” Yola replies, flipping to her feet and fixing her twisted jaw. She throws a ten-fingered punch at her enemy, but the blow is easily deflected. “That’s strange. I didn’t have trouble with you before.”
“That’s because you drained a lot of my power for the dome,” Aeriel says while cracking her toe knuckles. She kicks Yola in the stomach with enough force to send the green-haired woman to her knees. “I also took the liberty of tangling your aura while I escaped. You’re probably at a quarter strength right now. I’m going to hack you into tiny pieces and eat them one by one.”
“But I want to be a hero.”
“And I want to be you!”
Aeriel lifts her arm and turns it into a drill that drips with aura-eating acid. Her other hand morphs into a twisted syringe that she can use to drain the primal energies directly from Yola’s core. The Chaos Goddess curls into a ball and cowers, but rolls closer to her enemy. Confused by the action, Aeriel pauses and notices that the wind has become heavy. Every breath is like sucking on an invisible soup that squeezes and burns her lungs. Sensing an approaching threat, the tiny hairs on the back of her neck roll away to hide within her dress. Unfamiliar with such fear, it takes the Insanity Goddess a few minutes to realize that she is in danger and Yola is scared of their new enemy.
The attack comes from Aeriel’s left and she is sent bouncing across the waves, coming to a stop half a mile away. She leaps to her feet, but finds herself alone in a world that is holding its breath in nervous anticipation. Expecting another surprise attack, she grows eyes all over her head and a few on her shoulders. Confident that nobody can catch her by surprise, Aeriel turns her hands into venomous spiders that she plans to swing at her mysterious enemy. She feels a sudden pressure on the soles of her feet and is sent airborne, the unknown threat kicking her from below the water.
Determined not to surrender, Aeriel sprouts wings and searches for the telltale shadow of her opponent. A swift movement to her right makes the anxious deity to hurl one of the spiders, which catches a large ray that dies from the magical venom. Muttering a few curses, she drifts closer to where Yola is patiently sitting with her legs crossed and her eyes squeezed shut. Aeriel hears something erupt from behind her and whirls around to see a long-nosed dolphin leaping out of the water. The elegant beast flips and whistles, distracting her long enough for the real threat to silen
tly pounce from the waves. The hazy form drives an elbow into Aeriel’s back with enough force to smash her into the ocean. The goddess is about to roll onto her back when someone snaps the useless wings from her body and violently beats her with them.
“Who dares assault a goddess?” she screams, not knowing what else to say.
Aeriel is flipped onto her back by a solid kick to her stomach and she is shocked to see Dariana looming over her. The champion’s hair has become a deep black and her eyes flicker with veins of red. A haze surrounds her clothes that are bleached white with a few ebony veins clustered over her heart. Most frightening of all, the woman’s body gives off constant waves of power that can be felt as far as two miles away. It is an energy that is choking and horrifying at first, but possesses an odd undertone of unnerving calm.
“My name is Dariana Kernaghan,” the young woman coldly states, grabbing Aeriel by the face. With a violent tug, she yanks the shorter goddess over her head and tightens her grip. “I am the daughter of Zaria the Purity Goddess and Baron Arthuru Kernaghan the Nightmare of the Gods. I may not be one of your kind, but I am powerful enough to make you beg for death. Due to the laws of my life, I never get to use my full strength. Thank you for threatening the one person who can save my friends. It gives me a reason to unleash a part of me that has remained silent for centuries.”
Dariana begins to crush Aeriel’s skull when a gentle hand touches her wrist and a low hum puts her in a trance. The Insanity Goddess is dropped into the ocean where she swims away from the dangerous champion. She relaxes when she sees Zaria standing next to Dariana, the red-haired deity cradling her daughter’s shoulders.
“You made a pretty big mess of the oceans,” Gabriel declares, appearing behind Aeriel.
“Yola put up a fight and refused to give me what we all know I deserve,” the stubborn goddess argues, her obsession allowing her to face one of the most powerful of her people. She refuses to back down, which earns her a genuine smirk from the Destiny God. “She cannot see to her responsibilities while in exile and she allies herself with our greatest enemy. If we bring her back then she will surely be sealed, so I politely demand that you make a decision now. Bestow upon me the title of Chaos Goddess and grant me the power of Yola Biggs.”
“I always liked your bluntness, little godling,” Gabriel admits while patting her on the cheek. Every tap sends a tremor through Aeriel’s body, reminding her that she should never give him orders. “This does present a problem for us. We’ve been ignoring the issue for a long time in the hope that Yola will return to Ambervale. Yet Aeriel brings up an important point. She has sided with the Baron and taken actions against her kin. That is worse than her initial transgression. What do you think we should do, Zaria?”
“Our hands are tied until she repairs the damage she has done to the champions,” the Purity Goddess answers as she awakens Dariana. A crystal chair rises from the water and she helps her groggy daughter take a seat, the champion already reverting to her normal state. “To be honest, I do not know if we can guarantee that she will return to Ambervale when she is done with the champions. We could go with her, but many will say that such action would break the Law of Influence. Although, escaping back to Shayd cannot make her situation worse. She is already looking at an eternal slumber.”
A lightning blast hits Aeriel and turns her body into grayish white ash, the remains holding onto her form. With a small yawn, Yola steps around Gabriel and flicks the defeated goddess in the forehead. The small amount of force is enough to send the ashes into a gust of wind, which carries them back to Ambervale. Cringing at the knots in her stomach, the Chaos Goddess reaches into her ear and twists her brain. When it is too tight for her to continue turning, she lets go and the organ spins to untangle her aura. The repairs end with a sudden jolt that makes her eyes pop a few inches out of her head and slam back into their sockets.
“As you can see, Aeriel is too weak to hold my power and that would be more dangerous than leaving me as the Chaos Goddess,” Yola calmly explains while taking a seat on Gabriel’s shoulder. She gives him a kiss on the top of his head and coos at the scowl on his face. “Sadly, she does have a point. I can’t be me while I’m in exile and you won’t let me return without being mean. More importantly, I’m bored with being hunted. There’s nothing to do in the Chaos Void and Shayd after being there for so long. I want to see the rest of Windemere and I can only do that if I’m no longer a goddess. Relinquishing my title means the Law of Influence cannot be used against me even for past offenses, which are not nearly as bad as you stuffy badgers make them out to be. So I have a deal to make with the two of you and I trust the others will accept them as well.”
Gabriel gestures for her to continue, so Yola pulls a scroll out of her bellybutton and lets it unfurl across the waves. Her finger turns into a long quill pen, which allows her to write in slimy blood. Several silent minutes pass before the Destiny God gets curious about the document and lifts the far end for a peek. He yanks the scroll out of Yola’s hands when he sees it is nothing more than a collection of childish drawings. Examining the crude art, he realizes there is a picture for each of the deities of Ambervale and none of them are flattering. Though he quietly admits that the picture of Zaria with a long, upturned nose is amusing.
“Our time is precious and running out, so stop with your scribbles,” Gabriel states while tucking the parchment under his cape. He catches the inquiring stare of the Purity Goddess and shrugs. “I will be delivering it to her brother since he is always asking about her. Now tell us your terms.”
“I’m willing to give my title, temples, and a fraction of my power to Aeriel. Only enough to grant her the other two gifts because only I can handle all of Windemere’s chaos,” Yola explains with a few tears spiraling down her cheeks. She takes a deep breath and braces herself to voice the deal that will strip her of the only role she has ever known. “All I ask is that you call off the hunt, leave me the ability to teleport at will, my statues stay at the temples, I get to be claimed by Odigar if I die, you give me a personal orange tree on an island that is ten miles to the south of us, and Ram dances a Gnomish jig during the next Day of Darkness. Those are my terms and they are unbreakable.”
“Those made more sense than I expected,” Zaria claims, covering her mouth to stifle a musical laugh. She clears her throat and wipes a surprising tear from her eye. “As one of the creators of the Law of Influence, I say that this is a suitable arrangement. Though I will remind you that while immortal, you will not be as powerful as a goddess.”
“Dariana seems to be okay with that. Do we have a deal?”
Gabriel removes his glove and places his thumb on Yola’s forehead, his touch making her feel hot. A low, soulful song emerges from his throat in a language that has not been uttered since before the Great Cataclysm. Sparkling magic pours from the goddess’s eyes and her skin loses some of its shine. A shudder runs through her muscles when a tendril of black ooze creeps onto the Destiny God’s fingers and gathers in his palm. Gabriel finishes with a word that echoes with finality and the bit of chaos in his hand becomes an orb.
“You may do the honors, Lady of Chaos,” he says to Yola, handing her the severed piece of her power. “Thank you for making this easy.”
The former goddess takes the ball and gives it a small kiss before throwing it in the direction of Ambervale. It streaks across the ocean to strike the recomposed Aeriel in the chest, granting her the title and power that she has wanted for so long. A wild cackle erupts from her chest, but the sound is abruptly swallowed by a wailing cry of loneliness. Emanating from the center of the world, a sparkling wave coats Windemere and declares the rise of a new Chaos Goddess. Within minutes, the temples of Yola have lost their long-worshipped symbol of a decaying hand clasping a healthy one. In its place is Aeriel’s sign of a pristine skull with hypnotic swirls in its eye sockets. The final change is a jolt to Yola’s senses as she loses the ability to hear the prayers of her followers. It had been a constant ch
orus of voices that gave her comfort and strength for centuries, but now they speak to another. It is an unexpected shift to her reality that leaves the immortal feeling alone and abandoned.
“Your new life awaits,” Zaria whispers to the confused woman. She guides Yola to Dariana and puts their hands together, smiling at the pair. “You still have a job to do, Greatest Savior of Windemere. Good luck.”
“Thank you,” the green-haired woman replies in a numb voice. She takes a final look at the two deities and forces a smile. “Good luck to both of you, too. You’re going to need it if the Baron defeats your champions.”
Yola and Dariana vanish in the blink of an eye and Gabriel attempts to do the same when a wall blocks his path. He whirls on Zaria, who holds up her finger to silence him. Not wanting their conversation to be overheard, the goddess stretches her senses to make sure they are truly alone. She notices a few prying eyes and snaps her fingers to give them a long distance poke, the howls of pain drifting on the wind.
“We are alone and I have questions,” the Purity Goddess states, fixing her ally and rival with a stern gaze. “I know you had Voran give that gnome visions about these figurines. I know you manipulated events to get the toys to Yola, which caused her to go on the attack. You are also the one behind Aeriel being unleashed. Tell me why you did all of this. Windemere and the champions were thrown into great danger and I demand to know why.”
“How is your husband doing?” Gabriel counters with a cruel smirk.
“I went to stop him from making the situation worse and he coerced me into a conversation about old times. I know you have spoken with our old commander too,” Zaria replies, unwilling to give in to the prodding. She draws her longsword and puts it over her shoulder, causing the other deity to do the same with his enchanted blade. “All I want to know is why you did this, Hell Lord. I always felt that you would never do something so risky without a good reason, but my trust only goes so far.”
The Merchant of Nevra Coil (Legends of Windemere Book 8) Page 35
