Goddess Rising

Aria took a deep breath, focusing on the building in the distance. This was not a dangerous trip, she told herself. It was simple and safe. She would be in and out with her information in half an hour, having made an ally to boot. Despite her own claims, her heart would not still itself. Safety beckoned her back to Achi’s palace, but no moment spent in that place would be comfortable until she completed this.

She found a measure of composure, fragile though it was, and approached Alogun’s home.

She reached the balcony with no impediments, climbed a set of creaky wooden stairs and pushed open the double doors. She could sense the deity inside, sequestered in the middle of the rectangular building with his bevy of attendants. Once she was through the barrier that protected the house, she felt certain that he sensed her too. But no one came to stop or greet her.

Inside, the entire thing was made up of one large room. Wooden pillars stood here and there, too thin to be accomplishing much, while bookshelves occupied as much room as they reasonably could. They formed rows and columns, interrupted only by occasional clearings holding desks and reading chairs. The room resembled every library she had ever seen. It was simply much larger. It was also oddly dark, since most windows were hidden by bookshelves and most of the lighting drifted from lamps hung from the high ceiling. Oil lamps. So Aria was forced to assume that the books were fire-resistant. It was either that or Alogun’s clever plan to burn his home down in the event of an invasion.

Aria walked cautiously down the shelf-lined corridors. She met the occasional worker, but they each bowed and stayed out of her way. Alogun still paid her no heed. He was sitting in one of the reading sections, though this one was set apart by short walls and an arched doorway. It was still visible from above, but provided some privacy from the rest of the library.

Aria paused at the doorway and waited to be acknowledged. A full minute passed in silence. She knew that Alogun had noticed her but could not tell if he considered her insignificant or was simply engrossed in his reading.

After the first minute, she gave a small cough. He continued to ignore her. Next, she attempted a knock on the wall beside the archway. That did no good. She had a vision of herself snatching his book from his hands and tossing it several feet away, but she composed herself. She was here to make an ally.

“I suppose it must be fine if I read some of your books,” she said. “I’m looking for something for new deities. Would you know where those are?”

Surprisingly he lifted his head and met her eyes. “The reading fee is two thousand Diva per day, per book. Don’t damage any or the fine will be more than you can afford.”

He returned to his reading.

Aria blinked in confusion. “Why are you not capturing me?”

“For Garo?” Alogun flipped a page in his book. “There is no need. He will do so when he wakes. Interfering will only insult him. It has been a while since he was able to hunt anything of note.”

Aria relaxed a little. Her first worry had been that Alogun would simply capture her. Her plans for that eventuality would prove useless afterall.

She took a chair at Alogun’s table, leaving two others.

“What if you helped me?” She tilted her head as she spoke.

“Make your offer quickly. I’m busy.”

“Let me read the books that aren’t public and answer some of my questions. In return, I’ll assist you in any way I can.”

He looked up for the second time, eyes filled with confusion and irritation. “Is that truly what you brought?”

Aria shrugged. “I’m more helpful than you know.”

“Get out.”

Aria frowned. “Fine. It’s a silly offer and you’re busy. Here’s my next offer: let me use all of your library for free and answer some of my questions. In return, Garo won’t kill you.”

He finally put down his book and leaned back in his chair, watching her with interest. When she didn’t speak, he gestured for her to go on.

“I left Garo a note detailing all your dastardly plans to overthrow him now that Evera is gone. They were very detailed. Your alliance with Chalik, your corruption of his attendants, the spying devices you’ve planted in his palace, I detailed it all. And the most important,” Aria leaned over the table. “How you supplied the shielding magic for both he and Evera’s palaces, to make them dependent on your protection. Now that you’ve helped him breach Evera’s own, it’s only a matter of time before you breach his as well.”

Alogun nodded. “Fascinating. So, why would Garo believe a word from the yearling who was just foolish enough to attack him?”

Aria feigned shock. “From me? Of course he wouldn’t. That’s why the note I left was in your own writing. I stole it from your stash of secret writings.”

Alogun frowned, either because he didn’t have a stash of secret writing, or because he did not believe that she could have forged his writing.

“I have a copy,” she said. “Do you want to see it?”

From the largest pocket in her shirt, she pulled out a small book, leather bound and slightly worn. She tossed it to him and watched as he flipped through the pages, his frown growing with every page.

“It’s excellent, is it not? I worked on it all night. I had to capture your voice exactly. It was not as difficult as it should have been, since all you ancient ones have the same arrogant tone. But there is still a subtle difference between the arrogance of strength and the arrogance of knowledge.”

Alogun closed the book and looked back at her. “Excellent work.” He sounded truly impressed. “It does not capture my voice exactly, and I can see errors in the handwriting, but Garo does not need much. If I tell him that this is your plot, he would believe it. But I did supply the palace shields for all the deities, and that nugget of suspicion will not ease. Eventually, it will drive us to war.

“But this still leaves a problem for you. You see, I am plotting against Garo. I had hoped for a few more years to refine the plan, but truly, this could be the perfect time, while he is unconscious. Then I could return to enact my revenge on you.”

Aria felt the shield around the palace solidify. She knew that she would be unable to teleport away now, but she didn’t need to. The bait had been taken.

“Stop bluffing,” she said. “If attacking Garo now was a good idea, you would have done it. You need to wait until your plan has every part in place. You don’t even know how to kill him yet. What are you going to do? Imprison him until he escapes and ruins you?”

She rose and walked up to one of the bookshelves, inspected the offerings as she spoke.

“I don’t want a war between you and Garo.” she said. “I merely needed your attention. I’m willing to pledge my support to your cause when you attack him. In return, you simply have to protect me now.”

“Pass,” Alogun said.

“I can also tell you how to kill him.”

“Lies.”

Aria turned back to him and let him meet her eyes. “No lies. I don’t know the exact details, but I know a piece of the puzzle that you do not. And I suspect that you can do a lot with pieces.”

Alogun looked thoughtful, confused by the sincerity in her gaze.

Aria played her last card. It could give her secret away, but she was not convinced that Alogun would truly fall without it.

She held his gaze and projected all the sincerity she had. “The source of my information is Achi.”