Goddess's Saga 1: Touch of the Goddess

by Maria Hammarblad

  This time, he’d have to ask if he needed help. She even pretended not to see when he buttoned his shirt wrong, cursed, and had to do it over again.

  Once outside, he grimaced at the bright sunshine, and she bit her lip to suppress a smile. He glanced over at her, clearly trying to look grim, and she put up an innocent face.

  “What?”

  “Nothing.”

  A warm feeling spread in her chest when he put his sunglasses on, flashed a smile, and jumped into the driver’s seat of the rover.

  I love you so much. Too much, probably.

  It was such a fine day to be enjoying a planet, and the warm wind in her hair felt so good. She bent over to kiss Stephan’s cheek, and he looked surprised.

  “What’s that for?”

  She didn’t answer. She just shrugged and unfolded the map Olga gave them.

  I’ll never get this back into such a neat little package again.

  It wasn’t difficult to find the old camping site and from there, the entrance to the cave. Stephan headed for the dark and narrow opening, but she lingered behind.

  “I don’t like this place.”

  “Well, the sooner we go in, the sooner we can go home and take a nap.”

  I guess, but something’s not right here. I think a lot of unexpected and unwanted thing await on the other side.

  Stephan was already out of sight and she opened her mouth to call him back. Then, she shook her head.

  “Stop being such a silly old woman. You’re probably just imagining disasters because you want to leave.”

  She ran to catch up with him and almost bumped into his back. He stood just inside the entrance, looking at a rock wall filled with ancient carvings, and the antique scripture sent a chill down her spine.

  She understood it just fine, and finding it here was both unexpected and frightening.

  *****

  Stephan gave the writing on the wall a cursory glance. The shadows were thick around them, the cave was small, and it would be a great place for the others to ambush careless visitors.

  Maria seemed engulfed with the strange letters, and he squinted to penetrate the darkness.

  Bloody hangover from hell, I can’t see.

  “We should leave.”

  Whatever he might have expected her to say, that was not it.

  She wasn’t one to run, and she had little to fear from any creature, living or undead. Even if there would be something able to threaten her, she wasn’t a coward.

  Only one explanation remained: she feared for him.

  “You mean we should go back to the castle?”

  Maria shook her head without taking her eyes off the wall.

  “No. You and I should leave this planet right now, and never come back. This place is not for us.”

  Stephan sighed and rubbed his temples. His head throbbed, and that might explain why she didn’t seem to make any sense.

  “I’m sure you’ve got a great reason why we should leave all these people to their own problems, and if you really want to go, we’ll go. It just doesn’t… feel right.”

  There it is again, the conscience. I knew it would become a burden.

  He stepped up to her, still mindful of the darkness around them.

  “What’s it say anyway?”

  She wrapped an arm around his waist.

  “It’s not so much what it says, it’s more what it is. It says the key buried on the island is well protected, and only the chosen one will be allowed to leave with it. Yadda, yadda, some elaborations on that theme. But...”

  Key? Okay, this is crazy.

  “It’s signed by my cousin, Cratus. He’s much, much older than I am, and many times as powerful. Whatever this is, it might be beyond my powers. I might not be able to protect you.”

  Cratus, wasn’t that the dude with wings?

  He rolled his eyes.

  He hated the notion of his woman protecting him.

  Sure she was a powerful alien being, but the idea of her sheltering him made him feel like a child and not a man.

  “Yeah, whatever.”

  He slapped her butt and headed down the tunnel, hoping she’d follow. He heard Maria sigh, “That’s not what I meant,” and ignored her.

  She called out, “Wait, you don’t understand!”

  He still didn’t turn around. He just shook his head and waved a hand dismissively in the air, unable to explain even to himself why he was so irritated.

  “I’m going. You don’t have to, but I’m going.”

  *****

  Maria stared at Stephan’s disappearing back.

  Well, that went well. Me and my big mouth…

  Whatever security measures Cratus might have placed around the object hidden on the island, it would be impossible for anyone except himself and the elusive chosen one to get through. Moreover, whatever the hidden item might be, it was more than likely dangerous in itself, or he wouldn’t have hidden and protected it. Cratus was much more likely to shrink the thing, stuff it in a pocket, and forget about it. He did that all the time, while this was unheard of.

  I spent so much time with him, did he ever say anything about this? He probably did this before I was even born…

  A memory from her childhood almost broke through. She could see herself sit on his lap, her beloved cousin ruffling his wings and telling her stories. Maybe they hadn’t been just stories. Maybe he tried to teach her things about the world, things the others didn’t want her to know? It was so long ago...

  Stephan was out of sight and she shook her indecision off.

  “Stephan, wait!”

  She ran on the uneven rock floor until she could see him and was relieved when he paused, waiting for her to catch up. She tucked her hand into his and he managed a smile. It looked forced, but was far better than no smile.

  The winding path took them through a number of smaller caves down to the underground lake, and Maria gave in to her flair for the dramatic, letting a miniature star guide their way. When they reached a great underground hall, the star darted up to the high ceiling and shone over the dark water like a tiny sun.

  “Wow, that’s big.”

  The walls curved out from where they were standing and disappeared into shadows. Even her sharp eyes couldn’t see the other side.

  Stephan glanced up at the light.

  “Yeah, that won’t alert anyone to us being here...”

  You are such a grouch today. It’s not my fault you can’t resist pretty girls and booze.

  She stuck her tongue out at his back.

  “Whatever. It will help against being attacked by those creatures.”

  “You know what? This isn’t going well. I should just throw you over my shoulder and humour your wish to leave.”

  His words made her smile, until he croached down to look at the water.

  “Careful!”

  This time, he was visibly irritated.

  “I know. I’m not five years old.”

  Crap, why can’t I ever stay quiet?

  *****

  Stephan roamed away, watching the water.

  Wouldn’t it be nice if she could be dependent on me just once? Just for one day? Who would have thought this would become a problem? She’s independent, strong, and protective, and I hate it.

  He was so engulfed in his own thoughts he didn’t notice a little ripple on the otherwise completely calm surface.

  The ripple expanded into a wave that snuck up on him, and when it splashed over his shoes it grew, physically gripping after him, trying to pull him down.

  “Oh bloody hell!”

  He staggered backwards, pulling his shoes off, still cursing loudly, angry with himself.

  Great. Now you’ve proven yourself completely incapable of even standing next to something dangerous.

  An ordinary man would have been assimilated quietly, giving the newly turned being plenty of time to lure people around it into a trap to be turned or devoured. Stephan’s finely tuned immune system reacted fiercely
to the virus seeping in through the material in his boots, through his skin, and into his blood. First his feet, then his legs, and his entire body seemed to be on fire.

  Taking the shoes off was too little too late; the infection had found its way in.

  As aggressively as his body fought it, he didn’t doubt he would soon shuffle around along with all the others, with a big silly smile on his face.

  Dying might not be such a bad thing.

  Dying actually seemed preferable to this blazing pain. His strong heart pumped the intruding organisms all around his body, and his skin seemed too small to hold it all.

  I’m going to explode.

  The pain abated and when he opened his eyes, it took several seconds for him to understand what he saw. He lie on his back on the ground, and the bright and soothing light that surrounded him came from his Goddess’s hand on his forehead.

  Something sounded like a song of angels.

  It was her voice, saying, “I love you. Everything will be alright.”

  He hadn’t expected to look into those ancient eyes shining from the most beautiful and frightening face he knew. Her radiance surrounded him, filling him with peace, and he could swear the lock of moonlight hair that fell on his shoulder had a life of its own. It caressed him, and it tickled.

  She was an alien life form and more.

  One who chose to spend her time with him, one who loved him and saved him over and over again.

  Why was I so angry with her?

  He wanted to say, “Thank you,” but no words came over his lips, and he forgot all about it when she bent her head to kiss him.

  And I thought kissing the human her was good…

  A few minutes later, they stood side by side, looking out over the underground lake.

  “This water is harmless now. Children could go swimming in it without fear, you could even drink it.”

  “Thanks, but I think I’ll pass.”

  She smirked.

  “I didn’t think Cratus’s protective measures would let me do it. If it was this easy, almost anyone could go pick the key up.”

  “Unless you’re the chosen one.”

  She laughed heartily.

  “Sure. Are you ready?”

  He nodded, and closed his eyes as she teleported them to the island they knew would be there, but couldn’t see.

  Soft and white sand materialized under their feet, and he wanted to rub his eyes when he looked around. Her little star still hung over the horizon, spreading light over the shore from whence they came, but it wasn’t the source of the island’s light. The radiance seemed to come from the ceiling, from the water, and from the very rock that showed through dense and unlikely vegetation.

  “I’ll be damned.”

  Everything was lush and green, and some plants held flowers.

  I wonder if they’re as deadly as everything else. I didn’t believe in her vision of trees and plants growing underground. Guess I was wrong. Again.

  Maria nodded towards a path leading through the trees. The journey was easy at first, but what started as a gentle slope quickly grew into a steep hill. They climbed on treacherous grounds where pebbles rolled away under their feet. She stumbled and yelped, and he caught her the moment before she sprawled face down in the gravel.

  “Careful there, baby doll. Are you alright?”

  She clung to him.

  “I’m fine, thanks to you, but we have a problem.”

  He chuckled and kissed her forehead.

  “Just one? And what might that be?”

  “Something’s blocking my powers. I never fall, you know I never fall, and I couldn’t steady myself.”

  Oh crap.

  He had wished for her to be dependent of him less than an hour earlier, and now when she was, he didn’t like it at all.

  He had wanted to protect her, but what if he wasn’t able to?

  Anything or anyone that could do this to her must be powerful indeed.

  Can I tell her not to be scared, or is that too patronizing? It would be a lie, anyway.

  He couldn’t even begin to imagine what she must feel. A being used to all that power, someone who could normally create a universe with a wink of an eye, was suddenly reduced to being human. More human than he was, even.

  “I’m sorry I didn’t listen to you earlier. Do you think we should go back?”

  “No, it’s too late for that. We’ve come too far to be allowed to leave.”

  “I was afraid you’d say that.”

  He relaxed his grip on her and searched his pockets until he found a small gun. Pressing it into her hand, he murmured, “Take this, and stay close to me, okay?”

  She took the pistol and grimaced.

  “I’m a bad shot.”

  “I know, but as long as you don’t shoot me I don’t care.”

  Gazing into her eyes, he tried to sound calm and confident.

  “We’ll be fine. Someday we’ll look back at all this and laugh.”

  Maria mumbled, “Yeah...”

  She did not look convinced.

  Stephan took the lead, climbing carefully while keeping an eye on the surroundings. Maria couldn’t hit the side of a barn without her powers. If anything tried to sneak up on them, he needed to spot it in time.

  It’s too calm.

  Behind him, Maria whispered, “I’m not too worried about the infected being here. They wouldn’t have much reason to come back as long as the village keeps them supplied with new recruits and food.”

  Good point, but there might be other unexpected dangers. No harm in being prepared.

  He was so focused on looking around, concentrating on protecting her from whatever might come at them, that he didn’t pay attention to the ground.

  “Stephan, look out!”

  She grabbed the back of his shirt and he teetered on the edge of an abyss for a long moment before regaining his balance. Once he managed to step back, she threw her arms around him and squeezed him hard.

  I wonder if everything in here is a hallucination. Maybe she’s the only thing real.

  ~ 21 ~

  Maria drew a deep breath and told herself to calm down.

  She held Stephan too hard and she was in his way, but it was so hard to let go.

  He ran a hand over her back and whispered, “I’m okay, it’s okay.”

  “I know this place.”

  He glanced around.

  “How? From where?”

  It sounded strange even in her own ears, but she tried to explain anyway.

  “This is where he took her. That first man who fell in the lake, he took her down here and... well, he ate her.”

  She didn’t have to look to know Stephan made a grimace.

  “I remember you saying he killed you. Nice guy, huh?”

  He stepped closer to the abyss and peeked down.

  “He doesn’t live down that hole, does he?”

  “I don’t think so. I mean, he must have ventured out of here in order to get to the others.”

  Funny how I’m used to just knowing everything, and how hard it is to figure things out for myself.

  “Just keep your eyes open, okay. One single guard would be enough to do away with us if we’re not careful.”

  “Okay.”

  She probably wouldn’t be in any danger herself, even if her powers were suppressed at the moment. Stephan definitely was, and her human shell might be.

  “Do we have to go down there?”

  Stephan’s voice made her jump.

  Taking a long glance around, she frowned. The path didn’t really continue beyond the deep hole that almost took him moments earlier. It led up to this underground abyss like a highway, but on the other side of the gaping opening in front of them, bushes were taking over.

  I so don’t want to go down there, but it’s the right way.

  “Probably. This is where he went, where we’ve been led, and where everyone goes from the looks of it.”

  Stephan glanced at her from under
the hair falling into his eyes, and she couldn’t help but think how handsome he looked.

  Handsome, sexy, strong, and all too vulnerable.

  We shouldn’t have come to this place.

  “Okay. I’m going down first. Be careful.”

  “You too.”

  What if I never see him again? I should at least tell him I love him.

  It was too late; he was already gone, climbing down a vine that hung into the hole in a manner a little too convenient for her taste.

  She fidgeted with the gun as she looked around, certain someone would jump out and attack her at any moment.

  If that happens, what do I do? I’m completely useless.

  She didn’t even realize she held her breath until she heard Stephan’s voice from below.

  “Goddamn it’s hot down here. You can come down, but be careful.”

  Drawing a deep breath, she tucked the gun into a pocket, took one last glance around, and started climbing, doing her best to concentrate on the practical task ahead of her instead of useless fears.

  Lowering herself down was much harder than she expected. The body was so heavy, and the human arms so weak.

  How the hell does he carry me? I weigh a ton.

  She started to slip and struggled to hold on, all the while squinting at the peculiar orange light below her. The heat hadn’t seemed all that bad when she started the descent, but after just a few seconds it was like being boiled.

  Finally, she felt Stephan’s steadying hands on her thighs. He reached over his head and lifted her down.

  Even when I fail, he’s as strong and reliable as ever.

  “I’d normally enjoy the view, but right now having you down here feels better.”

  She wanted to stick her tongue out at him for talking about her butt in such an irreverent fashion, but that would expose it to the heat.

  Standing next to Stephan, she could relax enough to glance around.

  I’ve seen this place before, but the vision didn’t make it justice. I can see how the poor girl who died down here thought she entered hell.

  The cave stretched as far as she could see in every direction, and the heat was accentuated by steam rising from geysers unevenly spread over the large area.

  “Odd with a cave under a cave.”