Goddess revealed, p.1
Goddess Revealed, page 1
Goddess Revealed
CHRONICLES OF AN ELEMENTAL WITCH
KENZIE HARRTE
Copyright
This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are either products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events, or locales is entirely coincidental. The author makes no claims to, but instead acknowledges the trademarked status and trademark owners of the word marks mentioned in this work of fiction.
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Copyright © 2022 by Immortal Imprints
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Goddess Revealed: Chronicles of an Elemental Witch by Kenzie Harrte.
All rights reserved. Published in the United States of America by Immortal Imprints.
No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission of the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.
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Published by Immortal Imprints
Dedication
This book is dedicated to the unanswered rage stirring in us all. For me, writing a book was easier than therapy, but you should also go to therapy. But to be fair, you wouldn’t have this rage if people would simply leave you alone…because you did warn them and you were just minding your business…
Where to Find Me
I love hearing from readers just like you! Your support means everything to me and I want to ensure I keep adding value to your experience. My email list is a great way to stay in “the know” of things happening.
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If you’re looking for freebies, ARCs, or signed paperbacks, no need to worry, I’ve got you covered.
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Contents
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Author Thoughts
Chapter
One
Leilani
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I stared inside the tank, right into the lifeless eyes of Eloise, the sacrifice to the goddess this year.
“I hope that’s you next year, my love,” said Mama, her hand resting at the small of my back.
Leave it to Mama to think her words are a comfort to me instead of a curse. Being sacrificed was supposed to be an honor, but it was an honor I would avoid.
“She looks so peaceful,” whispered the woman next to me, her thin lips twisted into a lop-sided smile.
“She looks dead,” I muttered back.
The weather worn woman scowled at me while the long stray hairs on her chin trembled.
I rolled my eyes and turned back to face the tank. She was right, though. Eloise did look peaceful as she stared out at the rest of the townsfolk, a milky haze blanketing her faded blue eyes. Today was the third day of her being on display for all to see. No amount of flowers or perfumed oil could mask the stench emanating from the tank. The scent would linger for days, even after the tank’s removal.
Three days ago, we watched her smile and wave as she willingly offered her life over to Myomi, our patron goddess of water.
Myomi was our protector, the one we called on for help, the source of our power to wield control over water, but she was nowhere to be found.
In fact, her so called beloved people of Shuisia, were without her power or presence for the last thousand years. Yet the pointless ceremonies and sacrifices continued in her honor. A thousand years of women dying for nothing. None of it made sense if you asked me.
I closed my eyes and counted to ten. Today was supposed to be one of celebration, but for me it was everything except that. The air was heavy and I struggled to convince myself that I wasn’t being suffocated.
Mama nervously adjusted the pale blue veil around her face as she stepped closer to me.
“Knock it off,” she hissed. “Today isn’t the day for your attitude. Eloise volunteered to be sacrificed to show her devotion to the goddess, and she’s at peace. She wasn’t like some of the others from previous ceremonies. Saiyra’s screams still keep me up at night and her ceremony was nearly two years ago. Seeing her kicking and thrashing around like that was enough to turn my stomach.”
She shuddered and as she tried to usher me away from the tank.
“Let’s go.”
My stomach turned that day too as I imagined what Saiyra thought while being forcibly drowned. She didn’t look all that willing to me.
Even though I had thousands of reasons not to join the temple, the stipend was enough to convince me to take the bad with the good. I’d serve my two years and be on my way. My fake devotion to the goddess didn’t extend to volunteering to be sacrificed, but getting Mama to understand that was useless.
“Just a few more minutes,” I protested, digging my heels into the earth.
Honestly, I didn’t need a few more minutes because there was nothing left for me to see. I had memorized all that I could of Eloise’s features, from the curve of her nose to the permanent pucker of her lips. She did indeed look peaceful, or rather, as peaceful as a dead person could look.
“You’ll be late,” snapped Mama. “You don’t want to start off your service on the wrong foot.”
My service… more like my prison sentence.
Despite my reservations and overflowing complaints, no matter how I wanted to phrase it, this was voluntary. I’d get the stipend and my family would enjoy the slight elevation in status as well. It wouldn’t be much, but the elevation would ensure that my mother, aunt, and grandmother would have a proper meal each night and enough coins for heat all winter long. Things were bad enough being Shuisian in the first place, so every little bit helped. We got the leftovers the other tribes didn’t want and it was never enough.
The sound of wailing drew my attention, and I glanced over my shoulder to see cart filled with criminals rolling by. The mines. They were headed for the mines. Well, it’s not fair to call them criminals in the grand scheme of things. Their crimes were worthy of a fine at best, but with the reopening of the mines, the punishments lately have been more severe. None of the other tribes forced their people to work in the mines. Unfortunately, we were at the bottom of the totem pole in terms of power and societal ranking. Wrong or not, no one would speak up for Shuisians being treated poorly. Our goddess had abandoned us, unlike the neighboring tribes whose goddesses gave them the power and strength to rule over us. Well, the power was just for their selected Vessel, the mortal selected to represent them in this realm.
The Vatrans, Zemenisans, and Ilmakis, fire, earth, and air tribes respectively, also had celebrations today, but none of theirs included death. They could sing, dance, feast, and have an exhibition of power without the stench of decay blanketing the air.
“I won’t be late,” I muttered as I continued to back away. “I have to go see Niall, anyway.”
Mama narrowed her eyes at me. “I thought you said your goodbyes to that boy already.”
That boy… she still refuses to say his name.
“Maaaaaa,” I whined, bouncing from one foot to the other. “Don’t be that way.”
Mama had a foul taste in her mouth about Niall ever since we revealed our plans to take my stipend from my service and buy a ship. I wanted to sail the twelve seas with a crew by my side and Niall always agreed to whatever I wanted. Per our agreement, he’d help me buy the ship as long as I would be his wife. I’d use my two years in service to figure out a way to avoid marrying him. He was a great guy and I did love him, but marriage wasn’t in my cards. I needed to leave this town, and I was more than willing to do whatever it took to do so. I wanted to explore the world for myself and I couldn’t do that penniless.
“Your father, goddess rest his soul until I get there, planted those ridiculous ideas in your head and you have yet to realize they were just stories. There’s nothing out there that you can’t see right here. The last thing I want is to see you sail away to your death like he did.”
I winced and took another step back, her words stinging like a slap to the face. What she said was more or less true, but it still hurt.
Mama, realizing the impact of her words a few seconds too late, reached for me, the silver bangles on her wrist clanging together loudly.
“I didn’t mean it that way,” she said, tears welling in her eyes. “Your father was a good man with a vivid imagination, and I just don’t want you to lose sight of what’s truly important. Without the touch of the goddess, we are all just husks and need to do what we must in order to survive. Deep down I know you don’t want to remain in service, so I do want to see you married and living well, not sailing off into the unknown.”
“Well, I guess I have two years to make a final decision,” I said flatly, locking away my tears for another day. “I’ll be right back.”
I twisted away and pushed through into the crowd before Mama could say anything else to add more to the darkening cloud looming over me.
I understood where she was coming from, but I needed to find my own way. Life beyond the horizons beckoned to me daily, and I would answer the call soon.
“Leilani!”
Niall was easy to spot as he was half a head taller than the folks around him. His tanned skin resembled wet sand and his eyes matched the deep blue of the ocean. All Shuisians had eyes in varying shades of blue, but his eyes were special, they had a darkness to get lost in. He tamed his wild, sun bleached hair into a tight braid today, leaving his face free from obstruction, revealing the hard angles of his jawline.
The corners of my mouth turned upwards as we closed the distance between us. He returned the smile as he wrapped his massive arms around my waist and lifted me off the ground.
I would miss his hugs. I’d miss the softness of his touch and the velvety smoothness of his lips pressed against mine.
He finally lowered me to the ground, his head cocked over to the side like a confused walrus. He raised his brow slightly as he raked his eyes over my body from head to toe.
“You’re not dressed,” he said, offering a crooked smile. “Shouldn’t you be dressed?”
I sighed and slumped my shoulders for extra effect.
“Both you and my mama are in such a rush to get rid of me already,” I teased.
Niall bent his knees in order to bring our eyes level with each other. “I’ll never be ready to get rid of you,” he replied. “But you don’t want to be late either. You already know how Priestess is.”
The pale woman went by many names such as Priestess, Sister Verna, and I’ve heard her referred to as “that old bitch” on several occasions. An icy wave of air rushed over my skin as I shuddered. The slim woman with her permanently reddened cheeks and severely hooked nose was truly a nightmarish sight to see. More people feared her than the wrath of the goddess. Once a year she’d come to Shuisia to oversee the festivities and collect any new acolytes. This year her entourage was much larger than in year’s past. Priestess hailed from Osiri, a huge mass of land just north of the capital. Unlike the people around me with skin tones in various shades of brown, Osirians were the same shade as a full moon on a clear night. Most of them migrated to our lands for better lives and I’m sure the ones with blue eyes regretted being assigned to Shuisia. Priestess faired better than most considering her rise through the ranks only to end up in one of the most powerful positions aside from being a council member.
I looked over my shoulder at the stage. Me and ten other girls, would submit ourselves to the whims of Priestess soon. I scanned the crowd and noticed at least seven girls already dressed and accounted for.
Shuisia was vast in terms of the mainland, and it included several tiny islands off the coast, so it made sense most of the girls were ones I didn’t recognize.
“I guess I better hurry.”
Niall nodded, his smile fading into a solemn smirk. I stared up at his freckled face and tried to keep my emotions in check.
“I will come to temple every day.”
I nudged him playfully and bit my lip. “Don’t you think that will be a little suspicious? You rarely go to temple once a month and that’s being generous.”
“Maybe I’ve turned over a new leaf,” he whispered, pulling me in close again.
“Or maybe you’re trying to sneak a kiss from me,” I said right before our lips touched.
“Oh, I fully intend to steal every kiss I can.” His voice was low with just enough bass to send a flash of heat through my body.
A loud cough interrupted our moment, and it was a cough I recognized.
Niall’s eyes flickered over my head and he slowly released me, his arms dropping to his sides.
There stood my aunt Delilah, clad in a dark blue dress with golden embroidery around the neckline. Her coily hair was loose today spread out in a wide halo around her head. Tiny seashells with golden thread adorned the braids framing her face. She looked like the one preparing to go into service instead of me.
She tried to force a scowl, but a smile replaced her efforts. My aunt was the only one who semi-approved of my relationship with Niall.
“Your mother is about to have a complete meltdown,” she said, folding her arms across her chest. “It will haunt her forever if her daughter is the one that causes the completion of the ceremony to be delayed.”
“Coming,” I grumbled before returning my attention to Niall. “Make sure you’re in the very front.”
“Of course, my love, now hurry before your mom comes over here and yells at both of us.”
I offered one last quick kiss before allowing my aunt to drag me away to the tent next to the stage. My lips twisted to the side as I chewed the inner part of my mouth with my teeth.
“You’re locking lips with him like you’re not about to spend the next two years cozying up to Shadow,” said Delilah.
She smiled and gave me a wink. Shadow’s name was whispered around this parts even more than the goddess. He was the main guard the Priestess kept around. Granted, he was very handsome with skin reminiscent of the void between the stars, but his looks weren’t the only reason people knew his name, it was his blade. The tenets of our faith are clear as are the laws the council members created, but should a person break one of them, Shadow just might pay you a visit. The mines were bad, but having Shadow be the last thing you saw was infinitely worse.
“Nope, it’s nothing like that. If anything I plan to fully avoid him.”
“Don’t be stupid. Remember what I told you. The best way to get by is to find a guard to get close to. You don’t have to bed him, but if you give a man the right look, he’ll do just about anything for you.”
“Yeah, but if things go wrong my two years could end up being much shorter if I’m dead.”
Delilah dismissed my words with a wave of her hand as she ushered me toward the changing tent.
“Thank the goddess you found her,” said Mama, clapping her hands together.
“Fatima, I told you I would. Now, please calm down. We’re all on edge as it is and your constant worrying isn’t helping.”
I glanced around the tent as two other girls scrambled to get dressed just as my mom and aunt stripped me of all of my clothes. There was no time to be shy as they forced me into the hot tub that was waiting. I stepped into the milky water and inhaled a sharp breath.
“Are you trying to boil me alive?” I complained through clenched teeth.
Both of them ignored me as they scrubbed my body from head to toe. My skin screamed for them to stop and I tried to pull away a few times as they continued to remove my top layer of skin. I nervously glanced down a few times, surprised I didn’t see blood.
This will all be over soon, but not soon enough.
My eyes filled with tears and my skin ached and burned as they anointed my body with perfumed oil. I clenched my jaw as they helped me into my undergarments and pale blue dress. The garment was shapeless, with nothing truly hugging the curves of my body. It made the wearer go unnoticed. The softness of the material surprised me, because it looked to be itchy and irritable against the skin.
