Page 24 of A Court of Masks and Roses
Barren but for a thin rug covering the stone floor, the Revelations Room hosted a small group of young people, ranging from Violet to Wil in age, who sat cross-legged in a rough circle. They smiled warmly at Violet, as did the man sitting in the room’s sole chair. Twin paintings of the Goddess and Bishop Bahir hung above a crackling fireplace, which bathed the room in both light and warmth.
“You must be Violet.” The man, who was handsome despite his baggy scarlet robes, rose and took both of Violet’s hands in his. “I am Brother Joshua. Zalia and Dasha told me what a smart, conscientious young woman you are. We are all most pleased you are joining our study.”
Heat rose to Violet’s cheeks. “Thank you, but I’m not so much joining as keeping Zalia and Dasha company for the evening.”
“Of course.” Joshua smiled. “Please, sit with us. We have been discussing the ways in which the Goddess has changed our lives and are just about to recount the story of the Messenger’s coming.” Settling beside Dasha and Zalia, Violet gave the girls a questioning look.Is this really how you wish to spend the evening?Both girls smiled eagerly and Violet schooled her face to polite interest.
Once. She would join them for this silliness once.
“For eternity, the Goddess and the Dark God have battled,” Joshua began in a voice honed with practice. “And when humans came, birthed from the Goddess’s love, the Dark God crafted a plan to turn them away from their mother. He sowed corruption and hate and disease amidst the Goddess’s people. The Goddess cried, promising to one day send a Messenger to her children. A Messenger who would come when the time was most dire, who would pull the Goddess’s children from the brink of the darkness’s abyss and prepare them for battle.” Joshua paused, letting everyone in the room ready themselves for his next words.
The energy of the silence crackled against Violet’s skin.
“The Goddess made good on her promise,” Joshua declared triumphantly. “Two decades ago, when the darkness of Everett invaded Dansil, when so many fell to the Dark God’s temptation, when we truly stood on the abyss’s edge, she sent the Messenger to us. And so today, when Dansil’s resolvewavers before the vileness that Everett wants to bring inside our borders, we look to him for guidance. A prophet of truth. A general battling whisperers’ attempts to corrupt our souls. A sentinel against the heresy of Everett.”
Smiles spread around the room as everyone bowed to the paintings of the Goddess and the bishop.
“Is it true that you know him?” a younger boy whispered to Violet. “Zalia claimed that you haddinnerwith him last week.” A few chuckled at the boy, who blushed, swiveling to face them. “It could be true,” he insisted.
Violet shrugged one shoulder, the reverence in the boy’s eyes difficult to dismiss. “I have dinner with Bishop Bahir every week.”
The boy beamed triumphantly as if it werehewho had shared stew with the holy man. Several others, Violet noted, subtly scooted closer to her. Faces pregnant with more questions turned her way. She shied back, her hands hugging her arms.
Joshua’s eyes flickered to Violet. “Leave our guest be, you vultures,” he ordered, his voice gentle but firm. “Perhaps someone has a personal story to share today?”
Zalia adjusted her skirts. “I do,” she said softly. The group turned, all eyes giving Zalia their full attention and empathy. The girl took a fortifying breath, as if whatever she was about to say had the power to flay her bare. “Five years ago, I lived in darkness, spending my days tending a whisperer’s booth, squandering my coppers on ribbons. I stood helpless as my mother birthed three stillborn babes. After the last, she refused to rise from her bed. And still, I did nothing.”
Violet’s gaze shot to Zalia’s. She’d known nothing of this, and now, hearing the words... The image of Violet’s own mother brushed her mind and stung her eyes. She reached out to pat Zalia’s knee, as others were already doing.
Zalia caught Violet’s hand and squeezed it before continuing. “One day, I came home to find that my mother had spilled her own blood. I was so lost, so alone. I would have done the same had the Messenger not found me and brought me here, to my True Family.” Her voice rose, strength and pride slowly replacing despair. “The hope and love you all gave me pulled together my broken pieces. You empowered me to stand against the Dark God, to be a soldier in the fight to stop the Drought, heralding the Goddess’s victory in the coming dual. I want to thank you.”
Applause came from everyone in the group. Several of the girls rose to give Zalia hugs while the boys nodded in approval.
It was an odd kind of thing, the way they cared for one another like a family would. Or at least, how Violet imagined a family would, since neither her father nor her brother much concerned themselves with her thoughts and words. Not like this. “What’s a True Family?” Violet heard herself ask.
“Us.” Zalia smiled at her before looking at Joshua to explain.
“When the Goddess sent her Messenger,” Joshua said, “she told him to assemble the True Family together, the children whose hearts are pure enough to channel her love and whose spirits are brave enough to fight for a better world.”
“That’s us,” Zalia whispered into Violet’s ear.
“The Children of the Goddess are born to different birth parents,” Joshua continued, looking into Violet’s eyes, “but they all feel the pull to their True Family. Like you did.”
Joshua’s words hit Violet’s chest, taking her breath with their surety. “Me?” She shook her head quickly. “No, I—”
“Is your heart tainted with the Dark God’s evil?” Joshua asked gently.
“No,” said Violet. That much she was certain of.
He smiled. “I thought as much. And we know your spirit isbrave, for you came here today. Is that not so?” She nodded shyly, blushing at the compliment. “Now tell me this, Violet,” said Joshua, leaning in toward her, their gazes once more locked as if there was nothing more important in the world than this moment. Than her. “And think deep down before you answer. Do you want toreallyunderstand what’s happening? Is one of your goals to find a way to truly help the world?”
Violet’s whisper rustled on her tongue. “Yes,” she said, and meant it. “Yes.”
14
KALI
My heart lurches, blood pounding hard against my temples as I survey the Wandering Dog. Wil is gone, as are the two girls, the Children of the Goddess. The knife-throwing targets are clean and cleared, with neither Samuels nor Cameron in sight. Stars.
