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 FlowerChapter 26: The Lady Wren
On the opposite side of the temple complex from the brothel, Aisha sat alone in the library sorting codices and scrolls for translation into the common language of the Locust's Empire. Besides the work on parchment and ink preparation, Baraz tasked Aisha with cataloguing the contents of the temple library. The Locust King decreed every codex and scroll containing the holy myth of The Lady would be stored in his private library where he could decide himself whether it should be destroyed or preserved. At the Holy Mother's suggestion, Baraz appointed Aisha as librarian to assist him in this process. She could read and write the language of Adyll and had been exposed to the the heretical writings the scrolls contained through her study as an acolyte. After all, she was already tasked with procuring the instruments and materials involved in writing.
Aisha tried to protest but it proved fruitless. The high priestess insisted the best way to keep Aisha hidden was to keep her within sight of the enemy where she would be least expected.
“One day you will listen and obey as you should, child. One day you will respect the wisdom that comes with my age. I hope you come to realize your own wishes are insignificant compared to the needs of the whole. There are no others who can be spared to perform your work for you, no matter how unpalatable you might find it,” she said. “It is for you that my family line has died. It is for you that we have no queen. For you, I have sacrificed everything. So, you shall listen and obey. You will work for the priest. Even if your assistance destroys our nation’s history in service to the Locust.”
Aisha complied. Every day she entered the library to sort codices and scrolls into categories – religious myth, histories, herbology, horticulture, maps, and music. The religious writings she put aside to be wrapped in black linen and tied with red cord by Baraz himself before he removed them from the library. Other tomes were set aside to be translated into the common language of the Locust's empire, with all references to The Lady removed or changed to praise Mahleck, the God-Among-Men.
Before the invasion by the Swarm, a multitude of scribes dedicated themselves to the care of the library and the knowledge it held. When the war started, many of the scribes left to fight with the country’s small army. Codices were left in piles, but orderliness was forgotten in the chaos. Aisha knew from looking through the writings that many volumes were missing completely from the archive – most of which were religious texts. She wondered where they had been taken, but did not volunteer her suspicions to Baraz. It was better that he remained ignorant of these stories existence. Whoever took them risked their life to preserve the knowledge they contained.
In recent days the first chill of autumn fell across the mountains. This was the time of year when the story of the Lady’s captivity was retold by the mothers in Adyll. The week prior to the equinox was a time of fasting and contemplation, culminating in the day of equal light and darkness when families gathered to remember loved ones who returned to The Mother of All. There would be no such celebration this year. This year the nation itself lived their own captivity and mourned the loss of the old ways.
Aisha had already completed the random piles that had littered the tables and floor when she began her work months previous. Now, she started on the shelves on the first floor. The scrolls here were stacked in square compartments reaching to the ceiling. These were more organized, and her work progressed faster than it had in previous weeks. Most of the current section contained historical documents. She gathered as many as she could carry safely and brought them to the table in the center of the library to be catalogued for Baraz's review. The library's old resident cat jumped up to the tabletop and spread his black and white form across the open scroll Aisha was reading, exposing his belly as if inviting her to pet him.
"You are not tricking me, Old Scribe! Last time I fell for your trap, I had scratches on my arm for a week." She turned to head back to the shelf she was in the process of emptying. The old cat jumped down to follow her, and then froze, crouching into a hunting position.
Aisha heard a chirp. A lady wren stood in the center of the aisle of shelves, looking a her with its blue head cocked to one side as if asking a question. It chirped again. The cat's ears flattened, and his legs twitched.
"NO!" cried Aisha. But the old cat had already pounced. There was a flurry of feathers and dust. A moment later the bird reappeared on the top shelf, chirping as it flew further down the aisle, finally alighting on a section of shelves emptied during the siege. The cat sat directly below, his tail swishing angrily from side to side as if he was calculating the best angle at which to launch himself at the offending bird. Before Aisha could grab him, he had already jumped. The bird flew off and upward towards the open skylight in the library's rotunda, leaving the cat hanging from the shelf by his front paws. He yowled miserably as Aisha helped him down.
"Old Scribe, your job is to protect the library from mice and rates, not The Lady's birds!" Aisha whispered. Behind the shelf where the cat had been hanging, she saw a long black box pushed to the very back of the compartment, hidden from view. It was covered with a thick layer of dust and cobwebs. As she picked it up, the wooden case cracked in half and the scroll inside rolled itself open on the floor. Immediately, she dropped to her knees to recover the document. Her eyes fell on the words, and she began to read.
There are many beginnings, and no Beginning. There are many endings, but no End. This is a record of the beginning of Adyll, but it is not Her Beginning within the depths of the sky, for that is not for any to know.
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