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 PebblesChapter 87: Red Pebbles
The stream tumbled noisily downward through the cavern, cascading over and around rocks in its effort to find lower ground. Light from Takri's lamp glinted off the damp walls of the cave as he made his way downward alongside the stream and towards Nasreen.
The stream will lead you to a place where it flows below the rocks. When it does, follow the wall to the right. You will come to an arch set in the wall that will take you to the catacombs. When Luka and I were children, we never encountered a living person among the dead but we did find many exits out into the city. I do not know if this has changed in the many years since, especially since the Swarm's occupation of the capital. Be watchful. Hungry people are desperate people.
Takri transferred the lamp to his left hand and drew his knife with his right before he stepped through the arch. Inside the catacombs he saw only stone walls and carved niches filled with bones stacked and sorted like kindling for the fire. The dead did not concern him as much as the living.
Turn to your left and look for red pebbles set among the bones. We marked the way back home with them when we were young. It is easy to become disoriented underground with no sky by which to navigate. Stay to the path or you may become lost.
Takri set off down the passageway, examining each pile of bones he passed for the red pebbles placed by the brothers many years ago. Two rights, then a left, then another right. By the sixth turn Takri could not picture the way back to the arch and the caves beneath the palace, but he kept following the trail Floryan and Luka left decades previous.
Count the stones, forty-two in all. Across from the last stone is a place where the wall has crumbled in upon itself. Climb to the top of the pile and you will find a passage you can squeeze through into the room beyond. This is your way into to the temple.
By the thirtieth pebble, Takri was beginning to wonder if he had counted correctly, but the crumbling wall was impossible to miss even without the red pebble set in the skull-packed niche across from it. There was no longer a need to squeeze through a small gap at the top of the wall. He could climb through the rubble easily to the room on the other side. But faintly, from beyond the gap in the wall he could hear a faint conversation. He scrambled backwards away from the gap and down the passageway, extinguishing his lamp as he rounded the corner and keeping his knife at the ready. He sat in darkness, back against the stone trying to control his breathing while the voices grew closer.
"Sasa, hurry!" The voice sounded young, like a child.
"I can't carry everything, Teo!"
"Then leave it! We can come back for more later."
"But what if it is all gone by then?" said Sasa. "What if they eat it all?"
"We can come back tomorrow," said Teo. "Mama needs what we have now. Come on, she will be worried and hungry if we don't come back soon!"
Takri heard a scrambling noise followed by two small thunks as the children's feet hit the floor. Light from a small lamp similar to the one Takri just extinguished spilled onto the passageway wall across from him. He moved silently away from it as the light grew brighter, hoping the two boys' way home wasn't through the passage he had decided to hide in. The two passed by without a second glance down his passageway. One appeared to be about ten summers old, and his brother to be around eight. Judging by their plain clothing they were commoners of no standing. At least one family in Adyll would not be going hungry tonight.
He waited until he could no longer see the light from their lamp, and then counted ten breaths before he struck his flint on the floor and lit his own. He stood up, dusted himself off, and returned to the crumbled wall. Climbing through, he found himself in another storeroom much like the one he left behind at the palace a few hours earlier, only this room was much larger. He followed a trail of spilled lentils to the place from which the boys had been stealing food, a clay container with its lid still askew. Takri kicked the lentils to the side, obscuring the boy's trail and then set the lid back properly. It was obvious Sasa and Teo were new to stealing.
You will find yourself in a temple storeroom used to hold food for those in need. The storeroom is in the eastern side of the building and is rarely visited. The temple brothel is on the northwestern corner of the complex. If you do not draw attention to yourself and stay clear of the high priest, your way should be safe. If Nasreen lives, and Baraz allows her to return to her work in the brothel, you will find her there. Tell the Procuress that Floryan sent you so that you do not make the same mistake he did with Yaril. And that she was right all along. Love is better than duty.
Find your way!
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