Page 121 of Daughter of the Dark Sea
She slammed the door in his face.
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Somewhere on the way to the war council, Kora had gotten lost.
In her stubborn fury, she hadn’t asked Blake where the meeting was held, or how to get there. And she was sure as Umbra not returning to ask him. They needed some space, and sheneeded some time to think.
The Citadel was a never-ending labyrinth, with hallways leading to dead ends, and spiral staircases hidden in shadowy corners that somehow took her back to where she started. Not one servant had crossed her path, and there was no sign of any courtiers from the feast.
Life had simply vanished.Creepy.
Ready to abandon all hope, her skin flushed with sweat from running around, she spotted a large gold-paned glass door, hidden behind heavy-set green drapes. With a sigh of relief, she hurried through it, embracing rays of sun on her face, and fresh air compared to the musty smell of stone and moss.
Blinking against the sun, she realised she was still in the grounds of Mossfell Castle. Sprawling gardens laid before her,interspersed with willow and wisteria trees, and statues cut from the finest marble. Her feet moved before she could think, and she followed the light-stoned path winding throughout, her eyes darting back and forth, absorbing the lush scenery.
It was as if the gardens were breathing. They felt so . . .alive.
Endless flowers in all colours imaginable, and citrus trees adorned with fruit so large it was impossible. Not only that, but vegetation from all walks of the islands lined the pathway. Plants and foliage she knew were native to Otrovia and Aldara, and yet, here they were. A piece of every territory had been snipped and planted here, a showcase of greenery growing under the Talmon Empire's domain.
She paused before one of the marble statues towering above her on a square platform, encased in neatly trimmed shrubbery. A single sheet of fabric draped the female’s body, covering her most modest areas. Her long hair billowed, reaching the curve of her behind as one hand covered the left side of her face, poised to hide a secret. The other arm stretched out, signalling to the skies.
The longer Kora stared, the more she realised it wasn't fabric covering the female's lithe body—but a river of water, winding all the way up to her fingers. Kora quickly scanned the remaining statues dotted throughout the gardens.
Oh. My. Gods.
She stumbled back from Calypso, Goddess of Sea, pivoting to sprint to the nearest statue on the right, which was settled in its own squared-off viewing area overflowing with flowers and miniature bay trees. A dual-faced, muscled, male statue, standing on boulders stacked on top of each other, with vines of leaves wrapped around his body. His hands were cupped together, fresh yellow roses resting within them.
Kaiah, God of Earth. Also, Kaiah,Goddessof Earth, depending on who told the tales. Here, they clearly believed Kaiah was male. But nature was fickle like that. The deity of the earth had never been recorded as a set gender, because nature created alllife, and therefore, wasall.Some texts had even depicted them as a fawn, or a wildebeest.
Kora whirled again, her heart quickening as she navigated the stoned pathway to the next statue. Her breath was as hot as the sun beaming above, and the muscles in her legs strained. She still felt woozy from the feast, and hoped she wouldn’t vomit again all over this beautiful garden.
Gods,what had been in that wine?
Stones flicked beneath her boots as she skidded to a halt, surveying a sun-baked, scorched statue. The marble was crusted in an odd, red-and-black-toned powder.
Igniso—God of Eternal Flame. Depicted kneeling, his head was thrown back in anguish as flames engulfed him. Tiny black rocks scattered around his bulky form, and his fingers were painted red and black as they curled around the flames. The grass had faded to wheat yellow, cracking beneath her boots from dehydration.
She ran to the next statue.
Thanos, God of Death. She recognised it immediately. Her favoured god to complain to. A figure covered in a cloak, his face unrecognisable, hidden in the darkness of his hood. A simple, grey cloth covered his clasped hands, symbolising the veil between realms. A deep crack lined the middle, stretching from head to toe, as if someone had taken an axe to it. His square was barren, surrounded by plain stone. Even the nearest tree had withered, its roots curling, breaking the surface of the earth.
With a frown, she hurried along to the next one, nearing the end of the gardens, where she paused. This statue had been decimated. A pile of rubble, and old marble stone covered indark soot, had been left to rot in the sun. She inspected the larger pieces, seeking a pattern of clouds, and her suspicions confirmed.
Haizea, Goddess of Wind.
A snapshot in time. Kora turned, surveying the greenery. The windowless walls of the castle surrounded her, enclosing the gardens from prying eyes. What were the empire doing with statues of Devani gods? And why were theyhere?
Footsteps approached, and she instinctively ducked behind the hedge lining the small, plain square Haizea’s crumbled statue resided in. A figure breezed past, her flowing green-and-white robes floating behind her. Her long, gossamer-brown hair tumbled down her back in waves.
Kora silently followed, using the foliage and weeping willows as cover as the female drifted towards one of the statues. Peering around the thick trunk of the tree, Kora squinted, consuming hard-to-see details of the mystery female. Leaves tangled with her hair, and when she breathed in, her senses were overwhelmed with the scent of roses . . . and something bitter underneath.
A small black awning jutted from the stone wall, shielding an unfamiliar statue from the light. It was made of black marble, not white, and Kora could barely make out the statue’s features, other than it stared down at the ground with eyes closed, hands turned out ready to accept an offering.
Giant shrubs and ferns enclosed the space, and the female knelt before the statue. She tossed her shimmering hair over her shoulder, exposing milky-white, smooth skin, and round, green eyes surrounded by thick dark lashes.
Her face was so stunning that Kora nearly stumbled from the tree. The female's looks rivalled Bree's—and that was an accomplishment in itself.
The stranger began murmuring quietly, whispering to the unknown statue, and rocking back and forth on her knees. Kora strained to capture her words, her mind full of shock to witness a member of Barron's court praying to one of the gods, even if she wasn't sure whichone. There’d only ever been five. Maybe one had faded from the records along with the Devanian scholars?
