The Goddesses Throne

by A. Kingsley

  Sage sat down at the end of the table, rubbing her head, she too had a headache, but not for the same reason.

  Julius set both of their bags down and sat happily by her side. “Good morning,” he greeted. His eyes shifted to Cassius who looked more like a zombie than a man. Him and Clare seemed happier than they had been a few weeks prior and judging by their disheveled appearances, they had been up to something themselves. At least Clare finally had her shirt on correctly.

  “Good morning,” Gracielle greeted as she started to load up her plate. “Jesse and Natalia, I’d like you to formally meet Julius and of course you know Sage, you just haven’t seen her in a while,” she said as she poured some coffee into Jesse's mug.

  “Nice to meet you kid, you seem like a gentle fellow and nice to see you Sage.” He smiled sadly at her, she was a married woman, ‘where had the time gone?’

  “It’s good to see you again Jesse and it's nice to meet you Natalia,” Sage said.

  “Where’s the blonde kid?” Jesse asked curiously as he took a bite of his food.

  Silence filled the space, Julius’s heart sank in his chest and Clare recoiled uncomfortably.

  Gracielle was the first one to speak in hopes to make Jesse feel better. ‘How would he take the news that someone died?’ He had only known him briefly, but Antoine was very young. “Jesse, he was executed. He’s no longer with us,” Gracielle said.

  Clare looked up from the fruit she was eating, “actually he is,” she whispered softly, looking to a far off corner. Antoine stood awkwardly, he was still too scared to go to the afterlife, but this time, there was someone waiting for him, ready to disappear with him when it was time. Wade stood by Antoine’s side, a hand on his shoulder. The two of them were still watching over the Pax family. When it was their time to leave their loved ones behind, Wade promised Clare that he would take care of Antoine in the afterlife.

  “What the hell are you talking about?” Sage growled. Though she had just become aware that the Goddesses were real yesterday, she had no faith in spirits, she had once heard Clare talking to an absent figure, but she thought it was just her sister grieving. She had never heard Cassius and Clare’s conversation the night of the execution. She wanted to believe her sister, but it all felt so fake that she finally burst.

  Clare folded her arms across her chest and rolled her eyes. “Seriously Sage? Believe it or not, but I can see spirits. Antoine has been staying around and well … recently so has Wade.”

  “What?” Sage and Gracielle said simultaneously.

  “Since when? Why didn’t you tell me? You selfish fool!” Sage snapped.

  “I didn’t tell you because the few times that I have seen him, there was never an appropriate moment to bring it up. Forgive me for just wanting you to be happy,” she retorted, sharing only half of the truth to make her sister feel better. She angrily took a bite of her eggs.

  “I’ve seen it,” Cassius reassured. “Well, I can’t see the spirits, but I’ve seen her talk to them and I trust her and so should you. If she says Antoine and Wade are here then I believe her.”

  “Wade is here?” Gracielle whispered, her heart thumping against her chest.

  Clare nodded and promised that she would translate for Wade later so the two of them could talk, but they both agreed that it couldn’t be today. They had to get back to their kingdoms and assure that there had been no new attacks.

  As Clare walked with her mother, Sage, Julius, Natalia and Jesse to their carriages, she gave them each a hug, before turning to Julius. “Do you know when this will all be cleared up so I can come home?” she asked him. She knew Erebus would not clear her name, but Maximus had promised to explain her outburst of magic to the people.

  “Maximus has got it covered, you should be able to come back to your home within the next week. Once he delivers his message, your mother can back it and if Cassius backs it, that clears it for all three kingdoms. Don’t stress about it okay? One day everything is going to be alright again.”

  He gave her another hug before he pulled away and stepped into the carriage that Sage was in.

  “We’ll see you soon, I promise!” he shouted, before shutting the door.

  She said goodbye to her mother and thanked her for staying the night.

  She finally she said goodbye to Natalia and Jesse. “When you’re at the palace and you are ready, I promise that I’ll have Wade speak to you again. Well you’ll speak to me and I’ll translate what he says to you. Is that alright?”

  “Yeah, that would be okay,” Jesse murmured. He gave her a thankful pat on the back.

  Once Natalia had embraced both Cassius and Clare, she left with Jesse.

  The carriages rolled off, leaving Cassius and Clare alone.

  A permanent decision

  Three days later, Clare and Cassius were allowed to return home. There were no angry citizens near the palace and when they walked through the town, people stared, but no one was mad at the princess. Gracielle and Maximus had done a good job creating an explanation for what had happened. They stuck to the original story that Maximus had proposed. There were a few citizens who didn’t believe this story and still thought that she had magic, but they weren’t loud and they weren’t angry like they had been before.

  Cassius was not able to speak to his people, but instead he spoke to the people of Pax et Lux and confirmed Gracielle and Maximus’s story. He assured that since he was engaged to Clare, he would know if she had magic. Erebus did not speak upon the matter. Though he did not agree with their claims, he did not come out against them. No one would believe him if he did, his kingdom was already in unrest. His citizens were angry that their queen was gone and they were angry at him for killing a man who did nothing but love. His citizens were burning down statues and buildings, demanding that their prince come back and take the throne, but Erebus would never step down willingly and Cassius was not in the right headspace to challenge him.

  Gracielle, was ready to step down. She welcomed Clare and Cassius home with open arms. Cisily embraced them as well, but Sage was not at the door.

  “Where is she?” Clare asked curiously as the guard dropped their bags. She peaked her head around the hallway, her hand dropped from Cassius’s.

  “She’s upset with me,” Gracielle said. “Julius is with her. They’re trying to make a decision.”

  “Why would she be upset with you and why does she need to make a decision?” Clare asked curiously.

  “I’m done, I don’t have it in me anymore Clare, I’m old and I’m alone. The people will get bored of me. They need a young voice to lead them through war. I’ve trained her well and I want Sage to take the throne with Julius by her side.”

  Disregarding her manners, Clare ran down the hallway and up the stairs to Sage’s room. She burst through the doors and found her sister sitting on the floor, clutching her elephant necklace. Julius was holding her tight. He’d have to become the king if she agreed to become the queen. He wouldn’t have any true power, but he would stand by her decisions and help her make them if she needed assistance.

  “Sage,” Clare called, hoping that her sister would look up from her lap. “You can do this. I want you to do this. If I’m at all any part of the reason why you’re holding back, please tell me. I promise that you will not be alone. I will help you. If you can not make a decision or write a speech, I will do it for you. Just be our voice. Mum doesn’t have the strength for another war. It’ll kill her.” She kept her distance in hopes that Sage would listen and not respond angrily. She then looked to Julius. “And I know you would do good too. I trust you, my mum trusts you. Prince of Deus and King of Pax et Lux. You will be able to manage them both. I believe in you Julius, just as much as I believe in Sage.”

  Cassius had followed Clare up to Sage’s room, he stood by the cracked open door. He thought about turning away, but instead he squeezed inside. “I believe in you two as well and I am not lying.” He wasn’t sure he liked the idea of Sage running a kingdom, she
had a short temper and was not great with her words, but if Clare trusted her, then he would trust her too. Even if he still wanted to hate her, for punching him in the face and beating him at all of those fights. As for Julius, his dislike towards him had faded. He’d be perfectly okay with him as king. Not that Cassius had a say in any of this, he just liked to believe that he did.

  Sage looked up from the floor, she dropped the necklace that had been in her fingers. “You are not holding me back Clare. I am holding myself back. Is papa here?” she asked her sister. Sage’s eyes were sunken, she did not to believe in herself. “I would like to get his opinion on the matter, if you will translate his words for me. Mum said she wasn’t ready to talk to him and that she needed time to go over what she would say. I’m sorry for what I said earlier, but just know that I believe you now.”

  “It’s alright Sage. I think papa is here. I just got home, so I’m not really sure. If he is, I’ll translate for you.”

  Clare held out her hand for her sister to take. Sage grasped it firmly.

  Cassius and Julius acknowledged that they needed to give the two girls some space and and exited the room.

  Clare and Sage followed the cold. They found Wade’s spirit in the library.

  He looked thrilled to see the two of them together. “Sage, Clare!” he exclaimed, though he knew only one of his daughters could see and hear him.

  “He’s right here,” Clare said, she gestured to the back left corner of the library. “I hope you trust me.” She pointed Sage to the back of the room. “Look this way. He can talk to you. I’ll translate. Go ahead and talk to papa. He will respond to you. Just trust me.”

  “Talk to the wall … no talk to Papa. I trust you Clare,” Sage said whispered.

  Sage sat down on the floor and did her best to look straight ahead, but she found herself looking down at her lap. “Hi papa,” she whispered. “I miss you and I have an important question for you. I don’t know if I can be queen. Please be honest with me. Can I do this? If not, tell me no. I don’t want to ruin mum's great work,” she hesitantly looked over to Clare.

  “He wants to know if he can stand closer to you. Oh he wants to know if he can kneel down by your side,” Clare said.

  When her sister nodded, Wade’s spirit rushed towards her and Sage was hit with an icy cold blast. She shivered as he kneeled by her side.

  “Of course you can do this. You’re my daughter,” Wade said. “I trust you with this kingdom and this kingdom will trust you, they’ll come to love you.” As he said each word, Clare regurgitated it back to Sage.

  “And if I mess up? If they hate me?”

  “Then you fix your mistake and there are many people around you who will help guide you in the right direction. They’ll support you and so will I. If you girls aren’t ready for me to leave, then I won’t leave. I’ll stay.”

  “Please stay,” Sage begged after she heard his words from Clare.

  The conversation didn’t last much longer. Sage told Clare that she was good after the two exchanged temporary goodbyes. Wade had left the library to give them space.

  “So what are you going to tell mum?” Clare asked.

  “I’m going to tell her yes, but promise me that you are going to help me.”

  “Of course,” Clare smiled. “I’ll be right by your side.”

  The Goddesses Throne

  An announcement spread throughout Pax et Lux that evening. The people were informed that Gracielle would step down from her position in a weeks time and that Sage would take her place.

  During that week, Gracielle took the time to locate all of the important files, codes, commands and keys that she would need to transfer to Sage. She spent day and night preparing the girl to lead, following up on their lessons about manners and history and adding in lessons about how to command during a time of war.

  The day of Sage’s coronation had arrived. Sage was dressed in the largest olive green ball gown that her mother could find. Her short, chin length hair had been brushed until it was pin straight. Julius stood by her side in a matching olive green suit. His hair was not shaggy like usual, but instead gelled up into a swoop on the right side of his head. A new crown had been made for him. It was pointed and silver, with both metal leaves and flowers twisted together on the crown’s rim. Diamonds and sapphire jewels alternated throughout the points of the crown.

  Sage was still wearing her old crown, she’d have a new hand made crown given to her shortly.

  The two of them stood on the palace rooftop that overlooked the city. They could see people lined up for miles and miles, trying to get a glimpse of the ceremony that would be written in the newspapers. The royal family was far enough away where no one could directly attack them, but close enough to the people where they could hear their shouts.

  The ceremony was supposed to be short. Gracielle would take the crown off of Sage’s head, put the new one on her daughter and then the Goddesses would send a sign of approval.

  The mother took off her daughter's princess crown and set it aside. Gracielle placed the new crown on top of her daughter’s head. It was a round crown with intricate loops rising from the base and a diamond dangling down from every oval. White and olive green metal flowers lined the side of the crown.

  Before Gracielle could speak, there was an arrow. Enemy soldiers were nearby and the arrow flew straight towards Sage’s heart. Gasps, screams and the look of shock on the future queens face would be frozen in time.

  Clare, who had been standing at the entrance to the rooftop, linking arms with Cassius, let go of him and sprinted forward. She threw off her rose quartz necklace and tossed it to Cassius. She stepped in front of her sister, her heart pounding, her belly on fire. Her palms opened and a big green blast spread for miles and miles. When the blast subsided, a green haze lingered in the air. When Clare looked to assess the damage, her jaw opened wide.

  Sage stood, her eyes wide and unblinking, her hand out. Gracielle was leaned forward, Cassius’s hand clutched her necklace, but they were all frozen still. She looked for the spirit of Antoine and Wade who had been standing beside her and Cassius. They were not frozen.

  A loud clap of thunder sounded, even though the sky was sunny and bright.

  Eight Goddesses touched down onto the Earth. They were a mess of beauty wrapped in magnificent dresses.

  Olive, of North America, was a short woman, she was pale and had freckles all over her face and her skin. Her chestnut hair was wavy and was kept to the side in a braid that stopped just below her breast. She had wispy bangs that covered her forehead and stopped just above her hazel eyes. She wore a bright orange dress with long sheer sleeves, the dress cascaded in a train behind her bare feet. Abilene, the Goddess of Asia, was even shorter. She had brown skin and pin straight black hair that cut off at her shoulders. She had deep brown eyes and perfectly clear skin. Her dress cut across her shoulders and was a pastel purple with light pink swirls, there was a slit in her dress at her thighs that exposed her skin and her bright pink heels.

  Jenara, of Antarctica, towered over Abilene. Her hair was pitch black and fell down to her waist in wispy curls, her hair was full of volume and parted to the right. Her eyes were bright blue, her skin a light shade of brown. She wore a pure white dress with white pearls and shiny, pastel blue shoes.

  Visola, of Africa, was a bit shorter than Jenara. Her skin was the shade of the night sky and her brown hair was bunched up in tight curls at the top of her head. Her eyes were brown and framed by her winged eyeliner and thick eyelashes. She wore a tight ruby red dress, gold bracelets and ruby red heels.

  Next to Visola, was Mallory, of South America, more widely known as the Goddess of death. She was not too short, but not too tall and had a smug look on her face, her light hazel eyes glared around the space. Her hair was wavy and ebony black, she had it pinned back with a skull clip. Her dress spilled over her tan skin and was pitch black and sheer, it cascaded down to her ankles that were covered by black boots.

  K
alani, of Oceania, who was the same height as Visola, stood right by Mallory’s side. Kalani had dark brown curly hair that went down to her shoulders and light brown eyes. She wore a red skirt that cascaded down to her ankles and a brown blouse.

  The last Goddess stood at the front with Oralee, her name was Evangeline and she was the Goddess of Australia and the Goddess of life. She was the tallest out of the group. Her hair was wavy, bright blonde and fell to her lower back. She wore a golden dress that draped across her cream skin and crossed in all different directions, she also wore tall golden shoes. Her bright yellow eyes fixed onto Clare.

  “That wasn’t you,” Evangeline told her. “We stopped time. It’s time that we talk to you Clare. You and your family are going to help us change the world.”

  ABOUT THE AUTHOR

  A. Kingsley grew up in Arizona and has been writing since she was a little girl. She is currently a teenager with a lot more life to live. The Goddesses Throne is her first novel. She plans to continue the Two Red Flames series and share her love of writing with the world.