Waking the Goddess

by Clara Hartley

  Another Chrysari wrapped its arms around my waist. It tried biting me there, but because it had no teeth, a disgusting, liquid sensation slicked over me. The snakes belonging to another monster slithered across my calf.

  “Hansel!”

  Hansel hadn’t woken up, but my powers did. They heightened. I didn’t even have to use my wand as a conduit. My powers burst from my body in all directions. Soft whimpers echoed across the chambers. The Chrysari who were harassing me backed off, and the cool, slimy sensation of them clinging to me slipped from my legs. I kept my neck craned upward and my eyes shut. I didn’t dare open them, and had no idea what was going on.

  I stood still, counting the seconds as my surroundings quietened. The whimpering from the Chrysari faded into nothing at all. “Um, hello?” I waited for a response, and no answer came. The chilling sensation of being all alone in a foreign location, surrounded by monster babies, encompassed me. I hugged my torso and tried gathering my resolve, but who was I kidding? What just happened had me scared shitless. The minutes that passed by creeped on like hours. I fidgeted, rubbing my shoe nervously on the ground.

  “Hello?” I called again. What if my vassals didn’t come back after five minutes? What if that arbitrary timing was only a rumor they’d heard? I couldn’t know for sure. Anxiety crawled its way up my chest. My legs were tired from standing in the same spot for too long. Not knowing what was happening killed me inside, and just when I was about to give up, someone said my name.

  “Cara, you can open your eyes now.”

  The voice belonged to Hansel, who had unfrozen about the same time as Theo. He looked just as he did before the creatures had turned him to stone, but with his hair slightly more tousled. My shoulders slumped, releasing the tension in them. I made my way toward Hansel, but before I did, I saw what my powers had done.

  All the Chrysari had turned to stone. Most of them were mere inches from each other, glancing into their companions’ eyes. Many of them had were cuddling their siblings. They would have looked adorable if not for their jutting ribcages.

  I blinked, shocked at the sight. I thought I’d subdue some of the creatures and send some away, but my powers had that great a reach? I glanced at my wand.

  “Are you all right, Cara?” Theo said, rushing up to me. He drew me into a tight hug. I flinched. I thought my ribcage might get crushed. “Did they get you?”

  “If you’re talking about physical wounds,” I said, “no, they didn’t.” Mentally, however, I was traumatized. I needed more than cake when I got back. I needed cake topped with ice cream. There was nothing better to fix posttraumatic stress disorder. I’d ask Hansel for it later.

  Hansel drew me away from Theo and palmed my face. “No scratches. I can’t believe you did this all by yourself.” He glanced at the damage I’d done. “It’s amazing.”

  “You can kiss my feet and worship me now,” I said, continuing to put up my strong front. Once Liam returned to the realm of the living, I needed to shove my accomplishments down his throat. Humility? What was that? Winning and celebrating my victories, especially when such victories were against grade-A twats, was so much better.

  Before Devon and Liam turned back to flesh, the ceiling shook. I stared up at the opening ceiling like I’d seen a ghost. Again? Really? I hoped the ceiling didn’t reveal more monster babies. I’d had enough of those for the day.

  Luckily, it didn’t.

  A metallic object dropped from a small cavity above. I kicked it lightly with my boot, testing it for traps, then picked it up. Hansel, Theo, and I looked at it.

  It was the bracelet. A line of serpents that swallowed each other’s tails circled it. Bright sapphires were embedded in the serpents’ eyes. They reflected the green flames around us, almost looking turquoise. After what just happened, I hated snakes, but that didn’t take away from the fact that this bracelet looked gorgeous, a masterpiece.

  “That’s Medusa’s bracelet,” Theo said. “Put it on.”

  “It almost looks too pretty. Too elaborate.”

  “Deserving of our goddess,” Hansel said, wearing a bright smile. He hooked an arm around my shoulder and watched as I snapped the object around my wrist. It hung loosely at first, but automatically, the bracelet cinched tighter and fit snugly.

  “Feeling any different?” Theo asked. “You’re supposed to be more graceful now.”

  I took a step forward, wondering if I was lither. A strange, heightened sense of my surroundings swelled over me. I pressed my lips together, trying to gauge my own feelings. “I’m not sure.”

  “Time will tell,” Hansel said.

  I heard another crumbling sound. Devon and Liam emerged from their petrified forms. Devon looked around. “Whoa. What happened around here? They turned each other to stone? We should get out of here before they unfreeze themselves, because it only lasts—”

  I opened my mouth to greet Devon, but Theo flung himself toward him instead. I had no time to react when Theo threw a fist across Devon’s jaw, sending him flying backward. Devon skidded across the ground, knocking aside a few frozen Chrysari. He almost fell into the crack that had formed in the ground.

  Devon grimaced, then rubbed his jaw. “What the hell? What was that for?”

  “You’re not showing off ever again,” Theo said, raising his finger. “You put Cara in danger, and it was my mistake to let you do anything of the sort.”

  “Calm down, guys,” I said, raising my wrist and gesturing to the bracelet. “I got this, didn’t I? Everything’s great.”

  Theo turned toward me. “You just make me want to protect you. Especially from idiots like him.”

  Chapter Twelve

  The bracelet had turned me into a swan. The old Cara was a clumsy duckling. How did I live without this before?

  Grace like never before took control of my limbs as I traipsed through my room to look in the mirror. Hansel had just finished dressing me to get me ready for today’s festivities. The girls had a day off because of some celebration called the Harvest. Some special goddess was apparently born today. We were going to use the extra time to do more sleuthing.

  My feet moved across the tiles of my room. They had a way about them I’d never experienced before. I didn’t think that walking could be improved, but the bracelet worked wonders. It was like I was in a completely different body.

  “Cara, you don’t have to swing your arms around like that,” Theo said with a laugh.

  “You look dumb,” Liam added.

  Theo elbowed Liam. “You didn’t have to say that.”

  “I’m just telling her the truth.”

  “Whatever,” I said. My newfound grace put me in such a good mood that I was practically immune to insults. “Watch me brush my hair elegantly with this comb.” I picked up the comb from the dressing table, bunched up a lock of hair, and swept the comb through it.

  “Wow,” Liam deadpanned. “So amazing.”

  “Not impressed?” I asked.

  “No, no,” Liam responded. “I’m thoroughly amazed by how elegantly you’re carrying out a basic human action. Please, continuing demonstrating your ineptitude.”

  I rolled my eyes and continued raking my comb through Hansel’s handiwork. Hansel winced as he watched me, which indicated that I was probably messing up the hairstyle he’d carefully planned. So, I put the comb back down.

  Liam held Fenrir in his arms. The little pup wagged its tail and attempted to lick Liam’s face. Liam had grown desensitized to the pup’s affection, and he merely pushed the cute puppy away nonchalantly to avoid its licking. I suspected Liam had developed feelings of affection for Fenrir, but the cold bastard would never admit to it.

  Devon, from the corner of the room, watched me with a pleased expression. “I see the bracelet’s serving you well. I guess all that trouble was worth it.”

  “Not sure. I think I almost shit myself about ten times throughout the whole ordeal.”

  “But now you won’t trip ever again.”

  I raised
a brow. “I’m not sure about the ‘ever’ part. My clumsiness might win out in the end. It always does.” I turned my gaze toward the balcony, looking out the window. From this vantage, I could see the chiasma. The giant orb floated above the landscape with its ominous presence. Why did the girls have to be sacrificed to appease it? I’d learned from chiasma theory that the entity was what fueled the world and kept balance. Was there no other way around it? “Have you guys ever gotten close to the chiasma?”

  “Hm?” Theo unfolded his arms and followed my gaze. “No. Vassals are discouraged from going anywhere near there. It’s said the lake for godhood is located there, and the goddesses don’t want males to get any ideas.”

  “I have an idea,” I said.

  Liam rolled his eyes. “I’m sure it’s stupid. You don’t have to say it.”

  “Let’s head over to the chiasma.”

  Liam sighed. “There, she said it.”

  “Head to the source, right?” I asked. “We have to go to the root cause of the problem itself. That’s the best way to figure out why all this is happening in the first place.”

  “It’s not that easy to just waltz up to it,” Liam replied. He stroked the back of Fenrir’s ear, and Fenrir purred. “They say a large monster guards it.”

  “I can fight monsters now,” I said. I raised my wrist, gesturing to my bracelet.

  Liam snorted. “Yeah, like a modicum of grace is going to help you with battling mythical beasts. It doesn’t work like that.”

  Hansel scratched the back of his head. “Liam might have a point.”

  “We keep our distance,” I said. “We haven’t had any clues ever since our trip to the Cierro family failed, and it’s high time we amp up our levels of investigation. If the obstacles at the chiasma prove too difficult, we just turn around and leave. But we’ll never know until we try, right?”

  Silence fell as the vassals considered my words. I continued staring at the giant orb outside. I could still sense it calling to me. The object exuded a certain deathly presence that, strangely, made it more tempting. I wondered if my attraction to it would increase if we got any closer.

  I placed my hands on my hips. The guys were taking too long to answer. “So?” I asked.

  Theo scratched his chin. “Once the danger becomes too much, we leave. Understood? I’m not going to risk you.”

  The level of care he gave to me was touching. I had to hold myself back from giving Theo a big snuggle.

  I nodded. “All right.”

  Liam raised his hands. “Wait. How are we supposed to get to the Chiasma, anyway? We can’t leave the Sanctuary, not without activating the barriers surrounding it. And then the whole goddess council will be on our asses.”

  “Devon has a carpet,” I said.

  “We’re not all going to squeeze on to it,” Liam replied. Another silence fell. Cocking his head, he asked, his voice shaky, “Are we?”

  Ten minutes later, the five of us attempted to balance on the carpet as we flew out of the compound. We needed to head out of the Sanctuary as quickly as possible so no one would spot us.

  “Cara?” Hansel asked. “You’re pushing me off the carpet.”

  I leaned away, but that only mae me smash against Theo, who took up the most space.

  Theo grunted. “Uh, I’m going to fall off if you inch against me even more, and as much as I want to be brave, I’d rather avoid dying from a drop like that.”

  Devon sat uncomfortably close to Liam, and they didn’t seem to like having so little space between each other. The scents of the guys swirled around me, mixing together and making me giddy. Claustrophobia had taken hold of me too.

  Devon sat out front, maneuvering the carpet. He hugged us close to the shadows of the Sanctuary. Coupled with the fear of falling, my worry worsened when I thought about getting spotted by one of the professors. They’d definitely send us to detention again, and I didn’t want to go anywhere near that horrid room.

  A commotion played below us, distracting me from keeping myself from falling to my death.

  “We want answers!”

  I narrowed my eyes at the courtyard beneath us. Papers flew about the place, looking like they’d just been knocked from a stack. Vaguely, I spotted a girl’s face on the papers. She looked about sixteen, and the picture they’d used reminded me of Moping Miley. This girl, however, was much cheerier. She had her hair tied in a bouncy ponytail and wore an offensively pink dress.

  Wind swept across the papers and blew one into my face. I pulled it away and looked at the picture. I recognized this girl. She’d attended potions class with me, and my bickering with Francesca Bitchface had screwed her over once.

  Jeanine.

  I hadn’t talked much with her, but I knew she was studious. Mostly she’d minded her own business, and that helped her keep focus. It gave her the ability to climb up the scoreboard.

  Beneath her name, in big, bold letters, was Justice for Jeanine. That phrase hit me with déjà vu. The same thing had happened with Miley not too long ago.

  Jeanine was dead?

  I squinted at the fine print beneath the header:

  This young girl, only sixteen, was found dead in her room last night. There is injustice happening in the Sanctuary. Our students are dying left and right, but the council is doing little to solve the crimes. Sign this petition to bring more attention to this matter.

  Beneath the script was a single bolded line, meant for a signature.

  What was a petition going to do against literal gods? I imagined the goddesses laughing this off, then continuing with their merry lives.

  “Should we take a look?” Devon asked.

  I turned to my right. A crowd had gathered in front the line of vines that kept them out.

  “We can make a short detour,” I said.

  Devon nodded. He rounded a few corners, using the carpet to bring us to somewhere secluded. We fell from the carpet as soon as it hit the ground. I hopped to my feet (with svelte grace, of course). The lack of personal space made the air around me too stuffy. Hansel pulled the collar of his shirt from his neck to try to cool himself off. Sea-green eyes met mine as he did so. I licked my lips, recalling how he and Devon had taken me just a couple nights back.

  I cursed myself for getting aroused so easily. I didn’t need any of this now.

  I turned my attention to the crowd. Brightlings attempted to push the girls away, but the half-bloods had powers to fight back. I spotted a brightling who’d been completely frozen over with ice, and another had a tuft of hair on its tail charred black from fire.

  More goddesses stood behind Agness’s vines—another line of defense, should the girls get too rowdy. Tension buzzed through the air, and it seemed like a war between the half-bloods and goddesses might break out at any time.

  Behind the vines, I saw Jeanine’s vassals sitting on a flight of steps. Brightlings provided them with refreshments to try to appease them, but they left their food and drink sitting on the steps. My guess was that losing Jeanine had caused them to lose their appetites. What was going to happen to them?

  Danna, surprisingly, stood amongst the crowd. All the cheer had drained from her. I wasn’t used to looking at her this sullen. “Her roommate, like you, woke up to a dead body,” she said. “Jeanine was gray when they found her.”

  “Miley was the same.” I pressed my lips together. Before this, thoughts of visiting the chiasma excited me, but the murder had put a stop to my cheery mood.

  Danna nodded solemnly.

  I glanced at the vassals. “What’s going to happen to them?”

  “They’re going to be sent off to the camps. Prematurely, too. They didn’t have the opportunity to prove themselves.”

  “Was that what happened to Miley’s vassals?” I hadn’t seen them get taken away.

  “Yep.” Danna sighed. “Jeanine was doing well for herself, always scoring well enough to be close to the top of the class. I feel really bad.”

  “There’s no need to feel tha
t way,” I said. “It’s not your fault.”

  “I need a drink.”

  “You’re underage.”

  “Doesn’t usually stop me.”

  I arched a brow at Danna. For some reason, I got the impression that she was a goody-two-shoes. That she followed all the rules and made sure she crossed her t’s and dotted her i’s.

  The girls around us chanted their protests. “We want answers!” They weren’t going to get any around here. Peaceful demonstrations and petitions could only go so far. If we wanted to get to the truth, we had to take the extra step. We needed to go to the chiasma. The vassals and I had spent long enough dallying.

  “Where did all of you come from?” Danna asked.

  I glanced at the brightling standing next to us. This one had a horse’s head. I didn’t want him to overhear, so I lied, “Uh, to get some food? To find meaning in life. Somewhere.” I was terrible at lying.

  Danna frowned at me.

  “And we have to go,” I continued, grabbing Devon’s hand. “Life, uh, time waits for no one.” I laughed sheepishly. “Got to find one on my own.”

  Danna’s frown deepened. “All right, then. I thought we might spend the day together, since we have it off and all.”

  I considered inviting Danna on our expedition. She might prove a useful addition. But I recalled the dangers we had to go through while looking for Medusa’s bracelet and decided against it. I didn’t want to risk Danna’s life.

  I glanced at the paper in my hand. Jeanine was actually smiling in this photo, her eyes bright with hope. She’d died too young. Looking at her picture and imagining her face grayed and dull gave me more motivation to find out the truth. These girls were my age, all filled with aspirations, desires, dreams, and this mythical genocide was ripping them from the lives they deserved.

  I gave Danna a hug and waved her goodbye.

  “Go find food and meaning in life, then,” Danna said. “Some people would argue that they’re one and the same.”