The Goddesses Throne

by A. Kingsley

  While she wore flowers like her sister, Cassius wore spikes and the Demetrias’s wore leaves.

  On Maximus’s arm was a man in his twenties who was groomed well, smiling and leaning onto the king of Deus’s shoulder. . Julius stood next to his brother and waved to Sage. But after he waved to Sage, Clare and Julius caught eyes.

  Instead of looking away, Clare caught herself staring. It was as if a magnetic force was keeping their eyes locked on one another. ‘What the hell was going on?’ Both of their eyes were wide, unblinking, struggling to pull away.

  Sage had pulled her sister’s arm, she staggered on her heels and her eye contact broke. “Clare are you alright?” Sage whispered. Julius looked dazed himself, he had to turn around to rub his eyes before standing at attention once more. Clare rubbed her own.

  “I’m fine. There is something strange going on here, but I can not figure it out.”

  “I feel nothing. I don’t feel any danger. Everything is okay, you may just need to eat more,” Sage explained.

  Clare had drowned out half of his words, but Maximus had explained what was going to happen today. They were all going to travel to the grand arena and there they would sit in the booths and watch fights between people and animals, then they would feast back at the castle for dinner. The group turned around right where they stood to get back into their carriages. Their luggages had been taken inside of the castle.

  “I am going to ride with my sister, I will see you there,” Clare told Cassius, quickly running off so he would not be able to stop her. As soon as the two climbed into the white carriage, Sage slammed the door shut and they squealed.

  “So, tell me all about what mum put you through,” Clare said as she leaned back against the cushions. She took off the gloves and let her fingers run against the soft fabric that she knew so well.

  Sage rolled her eyes “She made me read more books then I have read in months. Five books to be exact and then she made me take a test on all of the material. I did pass in flying colors and I was quite shocked. Then she sat me down at the dinner table and scolded me for creating drama and told me how to act properly. She is rather boring in that sense, but I did get a good meal out of all this. She expects me to talk like a queen and impress the others today. Though I may have already disappointed her as I ran off with you squealing like a little girl. But how was your time with Cassius and how is our plan going? I wanted to write to you more, but I was afraid that any letter I sent would be read before it was handed to you. Erebus would like to see me ten feet underground, so I wouldn’t put it past him to use information against me.”

  Clare sighed, she leaned forward. “Erebus would like to see me ten feet under ground as well. He interrogates me at every dinner, I don’t know if it will ever stop. I am proud of you Sage. I don’t care if everyone doubts you, I have always had faith in you, in fact I think you would make a better queen than I would.”

  “What?” Sage seemed shocked.

  “It is true, you can fight well and you are more than willing to say what is on your mind even if it is a bit offensive. Sure I have poise and grace and a bit of sass, but you would be a passionate leader. You are fearless, you are bold and you were born for the spotlight.” Clare could tell that her sister was speechless, she was frozen still, so Clare kept talking. “I’ll stop attacking you with compliments and change the subject. Cassius is confusing. Sometimes he is mean to me and sometimes he is nice to me, it’s as if he is flipping a switch. His cousins, Cisily and Theo are nice. His mother is kind, but you know Erebus is a nightmare. They are going to let Cassius leave with me tomorrow. Oh and we also had an incident with my magic.”

  “An incident? Clare please tell me nobody saw you.” Sage was suddenly able to speak again.

  “No, I do not think so, all the guards were outside, his cousins were gone. I was able to do something else besides heal. Defensive magic. I created a shield. Cassius is worried about what I can do and though I do not trust him fully, I trust him not to hurt me. However I do not trust him to keep his mouth shut, which is why he must come with me. Oh and a cut from a sword healed on my arm within seconds.”

  “Why did you get cut by a sword?”

  “Cassius did it, but do not worry, it was just a test.”

  “A test that could have failed and could have broken our kingdom's heart. He was reckless, I should cut his dick off.”

  “Well I’m not sure you have to do that,” Clare replied.

  They did not have time to discuss much else in the carriage. The arena was only a few minutes away from the castle itself. Citizens wearing their family colors and symbols packed the streets. It was a big day, it was not everyday all three families came together to watch people and animals fight to the death. Some citizens had been privileged enough to buy a seat in the large arena. Of course they would be rows beneath the royalty, but they would be honored to be in the same open space as them, enjoying the same festivities. Both Clare and Sage shared a breath before they made their way out of the carriage.

  The switch happened fast on the side of the carriages unseen to the public. Maximus led the way, the gorgeous man still attached to his hip. Behind him, Julius and Sage. Then Gracielle, accompanied by a handsome guard so that she would not be left alone. Behind her Adria and Erebus and then finally Cassius and Clare, who were hardly in front of the servants.

  “So they think we are the scum of the lot hmm?” Cassius scowled.

  Clare looked back, sure enough she had locked eyes with Antoine. Their gaze was strong for a moment, before she forced herself to look away. She took Cassius’s arm in order not to seem suspicious.

  “I doubt that is what they think, though the Demetrias twins don’t seem to like you very much.”

  “You seem to find them odd yourself, I saw the way you were looking at them Clare, what is it?”

  “Honestly I don’t know, but you need to smile,” she told him. When they stopped talking, a soft and kind grin spread across Clare’s lips. The citizens cleared a path for them to get through. Cassius had put on one of those smug and tight grins. Though Clare could tell it was fake, from afar it looked real.

  The games had not started yet, no one would dare to begin the show before the king arrived. Suddenly Clare grew uneasy as she began to remember what this event would entail. “There will be blood,” she was talking under her breath, but Cassius was so close that he could hear her.

  “Right,” he said, he hadn’t thought about that, he checked to make sure that her gloves were on and they were. Leaving the event would be rude if they had no excuse, but he could not imagine what might happen if somebody died and Clare were there to watch. ‘Surely she could not revive the dead, that was dark magic right?’ “Try and control yourself and if you can not, then I will think of an excuse to make sure we can get you out of here,” Cassius said.

  “Alright,” she told him.

  The booth was not big enough for all of them so they had to take two. Julius, Sage, Cassius and Clare were in one booth with Antoine as their servant and Erebus, Adria, Gracielle, Maximus and his man were in another. Sage was partially relieved because she would no longer have to impress her mother, but she would be sure to stay formal and try to integrate politics into the conversation if she could because Gracielle always seemed to be watching.

  Clare on the other hand was horrified. She would have to navigate her way between Cassius and Antoine all while trying not to lose control and attempting to figure out the mystery that was Julius. Antoine and Julius exchanged an acknowledging glance upon their arrival to the box. Though Clare wanted to sit with her sister it was frowned upon and they were encouraged to stay seated with their partners.

  Clare and Cassius took the seats to the left and Julius and Sage took the seats to the right. In the middle there was a gold table.

  Antoine was dressed in all white, holding a platter of food, standing awkwardly at the back of the booth.

  “So,” Julius started as they waited for the ‘fun’ to
begin. “Do you feel more acquainted?” he asked Cassius and Clare.

  Cassius spoke first, “yes,” he said bluntly. Clare shrugged, he wasn’t wrong, she did feel closer to him.

  Clare was burning up in her gloves. There was hardly a breeze and it was clear she was sweating, even in the booth’s cool shade.

  “Antoine, would you mind taking her gloves. I do not want her to be uncomfortable, it's hot,” Julius said, smiling innocently at Clare.

  She could not tell if he knew or if he was being genuine. It would have been odd to object. She felt her face go hot as Antoine kneeled to the ground.

  He looked up at her, his shiny white was hair glistening, his pearly white teeth were glimmering.

  Cassius tensed as he watched Antoine pull her gloves off with ease and precision.

  Antoine did not say anything to her, he just neatly folded her gloves and set them aside. He ignored anything between them and darted back to his spot.

  Once the royals were comfortable in their seats, the event quickly commenced. The first man to enter the arena was large and tall with lots of muscle, he was decked out in solid black armor. There was the crest of a moon on the front of his chest plate and he held a black sword in his hands.

  “He is fighting for the Goddess Mallory of South America. She is the Goddess of their continent and the Goddess of the moon and death, my family worships her,” Cassius said as he leaned forward to get a closer look at the man down below. His hands were on his chin, he was eager, practically bouncing in his seat when they released the tiger.

  Sage looked over to him in disgust. Most people worshiped the Goddess of their continent, most people in Europe worshipped Oralee, the goddess of Europe, light and happiness. But people worshipped the Goddesses for different reasons. In Sage’s mind, she figured that the Antias family was fond of the moon or death and it was not hard to figure out which one considering their history in murder. But what Sage was unaware of was that his family had descended from South America and that was why they worshiped Mallory.

  Clare noticed Julius tense up, his eyes filled with tears. Her fiancé was excited about the Goddess of death even though Julius’s parents had been murdered in front of him. She elbowed Cassius in the gut and he groaned, glaring at her in annoyance. But it had worked, he hushed himself.

  Sage on the other hand kept talking through the fight to sooth Julius. “Well, I do not like Mallory very much, but I have always liked Visola, as she brings good health and Africa is a very beautiful continent after all, or so I have heard, I have never had the good fortune of going.”

  The fight was quick, the man must have been well experienced. The people sighed at how fast the battle was over. The man had sliced the tiger with his sword. The animal’s head rolled off of its body and landed several feet away. A group of people came to collect the tiger and bring in the next competitor. Clare could not comprehend what had just happened or how quickly he had managed to kill. Her hands were itching and her brain was clouded. She felt heat spread through her fingertips and she shoved them quickly under her dress. Cassius stood in recognition and extended his arm out to her. “What?” she murmured, her voice was hot. She could feel Sage’s stare and she could feel Julius’s energy growing brighter than before. She wanted to yell out loud and scream because of the overload of emotions. Cassius had distracted her by pulling her up by her feet.

  “We are going to dance.”

  “Now? Surely that can’t be appropriate.”

  “Yes dance, it’s good publicity,” but that was not his true intention.

  He pulled her into position and grabbed her hands as tightly as he could, the instant harsh sensation, washed away the prickling rush in her fingertips. Her eyes refused to look at the tiger and Julius must have calmed himself down as well, as his presence faded in her mind. She breathed Cassius in deeply, the smell of cologne was comforting and soothing. His hands entirely covered hers and though he could feel a weakening beam of her magic, he showed no signs of shock. He twirled her around and then dipped her low to the floor.

  People were cheering, not for the fight, but for them.

  King Erebus and Queen Adria were smiling just as bright as the citizens down below, but Cassius wasn't doing this for his parents, he was doing it for Clare. He sat her back down when the clapping began to slow and she felt much more calm.

  Julius who could not dance for the life of him groaned, “Nice job showing off.”

  “What can I do? I love the attention,” Cassius shrugged. He gave her hand one last squeeze before letting go and relaxing back into his chair.

  ‘How much more blood was going to spill today?’ If the fights got worse, Clare and Cassius would have to leave the event, which would damage their public image. Clare assumed that Cassius thrived in situations like these, his home life must have been tense when she was not there, a chaotic space must have been what he was used to. Both Maximus and Julius had witnessed murders and neither seemed to be enjoying the event for its intended purposes. Maximus hadn’t been watching the games, he was making out with his date right in front of Erebus just to piss him off. Clare doubted he radiated the same tense energy as Julius. She could not navigate her sister like she could the Demetrias twins and she was not sure why.

  When the tiger was cleaned out from the arena, another fighter took its place. ‘No,’ Clare thought. She immediately stood up, her eyes squinting. The fighter wore the armor of the Goddess of North America, Olive. A bronze armor, shiny and engraved with the symbol of a leaf. Clare knew she would not be able to control herself if human blood was shed.

  Cassius was gazing at her from the corner of his eye, he knew he had to get her out of there. “Sit down,” he commanded and she did. He looked back to Antoine, hardly acknowledging his human presence, but beckoning him forward as a servant. “A glass of water please. Clare is faint.”

  Clare caught Sage’s eyes, sparkling with concern.

  Antoine had hid the blush on his face with his sleeve as he handed her a glass of water and then dipped away.

  If she wasn’t so nervous she would have graciously thanked him or asked him how he was doing, but her heart was shaky and her mind was cloudy. She truly did not feel well and she had no idea what was happening to her body or how to control it.

  Sage cleared her throat, watching as Cassius took the glass of water and gently held it to Clare’s frozen lips. She took tiny sips.

  Sage tugged on Julius’s arm. He turned his head innocently, his eyes shining.

  “What is it?”

  “Will you draw Clare a carriage? She does not look well. I can go with her so that way she is not alone.”

  Julius squeezed Sage’s hand. “I will, do not worry, but you can not go with her. One of the daughters of Pax et Lux must be present, or it will bring bad publicity. Italus is at home with one of the sitters, he would be good company.”

  “Do not be silly, a tiny boy can not take care of a woman.”

  Cassius who was still holding the glass to her lips raised an eyebrow, “Why are we arguing? It is clear that I will go.”

  “You can’t. As much as I don’t enjoy your company, you have to represent your kingdom.” Julius glanced over to Antoine who had his nose buried in a book, a book Clare had given him. “I will send Antoine.” He smiled as he waved his good pal and servant over. The blonde hurried over to the royals, his eyes fearful that he had done something wrong. “Will you please accompany miss Pax to her carriage? She does not feel well. Make sure that she lays down and has something to eat,” Julius said.

  Cassius and Antoine met eyes. Cassius tore them away and glared at Julius, his eyes sharp and pointed. Antoine quickly looked away from the group and turned to Clare. He extended his hand out to her and she gratefully took it, her head pounding as she heard a yell of pain from down below.

  “She likes sweet fruity teas and desserts!” Sage hollered out to Antoine who was guiding Clare into the tunnel that would lead the two of them out of the arena.

>   Clare smiled a bit, resting her head against his shoulder when they were out of the public eye.

  “It is a shame that you are ill,” he said solemnly.

  “I will feel better once we are out of this arena.”

  “Does the sight of blood nauseate you?” he questioned.

  “It does.”

  As soon as they were in the carriage and away from the arena, Clare doubled over in relief. Antoine gently held her up by her waist, letting go when she was properly sitting up straight.

  Clare broke the silence between the two of them,“I painted you something. It is in my luggage. I think you will like it,” she said hopefully.

  Antoine smiled, his smiles were always genuine and sheepish, as if he was embarrassed to be having a good time. “I can not wait to see it. You saved me as well by the way. I hate that bloodshed is a form of entertainment, I try to bury my head in my book and ignore it all,” he said.

  “I don’t blame you,” there was a sad smile on her lips. “Antoine, I need your help.”

  Now he was terrified. “As much as I would like to help you. I am a servant, but I am not your servant, I can’t do much for you unless it is a simple task. Princess, how many times do people have to tell you that being seen with me is a death sentence to the both of us?”