Goddess of War Read Free

out of that awful place.
    “Yes,” Vineet said. “Thank you.”
    Desi beamed, pressing her body to Preeti’s chest in the best embrace that she could accomplish with her small stature.
    “I would do anything for my sweet twins.”
    Preeti chuckled. Desi had always loved to call them her sweet twins. Having something from home gave her even more confidence. Maybe they would find their way back home someday.
    “What’s the plan?”
    Preeti stared at Desi. “We thought you had a plan.” She’d been wondering the same thing since the moment her eyes opened from their long slumber.
    Desi smirked. “I was joking, sweet Preeti. I will find you homes to live out your lives until you reach the age of Enlightenment.”
    “Then we can go home?”
    “Yes. It is then that you will be strong enough to stand against Litha and claim your rightful place as rulers of Aden.”
    “That’s it? Simple enough. Right, Vineet?” Preeti glanced back at her brother. She chuckled and pointed at him.
    He lifted his shoulders. “What is it?”
    She motioned to her clothes. “Look at us,” she said. “We look ridiculous.”
    Both of them had on tattered prison uniforms.
    Preeti’s white uniform was caked in mud and soot, as was Vineet’s, except his shirt was ripped across the front as if a dragon had used its sharp claws on him.
    “We need to find some new clothes, quickly.”
    “You’re right,” he said.
    Desi looked at their faces for a moment, examining them with her thin golden eyes.
    “It shouldn’t be too difficult to blend with the humans. You don’t look much different. But your tattoos will give you away.”
    Memories of receiving a new tattoo every year of their life since birth came to Preeti. The pain was a symbol of growth and what it meant to hold such power.
    Preeti rubbed her bare arms, the black symbols stark against her bronze skin. They were a part of her that she was proud of.
    “We must hide them.”
    “Yes. I have an idea,” Desi said. “I know someone that can hide you. Another exiled god.”
    “Good,” Vineet said, hope in his eyes. “It’s good to know we aren’t the only ones in this world.”
    “He’s a lesser god like your father, but he is wise and just. We must be quick. My power is weak here. I will need to rest. Just listen to my instructions,” Desi said, curling into a small golden ball. She landed in Preeti’s hand.
    Desi’s tiny voice came from inside the golden ball that resembled the floating spores of the spitfire flowers.
    “Follow the river to a small farm. There is a monastery there. That is where you will find the god named, Errison.”
    “One second.” Preeti knelt down for one more drink of water. Wiping her mouth, she nodded. Whatever awaited them on their journey, they would face it together.
    “Ready.”
     

 
    THE ENTRANCE TO the Rhene monastery was quiet. Night had fallen, and the air was still as Allan and Preeti entered the sleeping village that surrounded the rectangular shaped building made of brown stone.
    Such silence made Preeti nervous. She was used to the constant chatter of pixies, the howl of the night wind, and the sparkling song of the flowers in her garden outside her window.
    Home.
    Preeti missed it dearly.
    Something about the human world intrigued her despite its strange sun and landscape. What enchanted her most of all was the fact that water fell from the sky.
    She looked up at the black sky as that delicious liquid she loved so much splashed onto her face and into her eyes.
    “Look at this, Vineet,” she said, opening her mouth to catch more of the water.
    Vineet glanced upward and grimaced. “It gets into my eyes.”
    “It doesn’t hurt,” Preeti said. “It feels good, doesn’t it?”
    “No,” he said. “It’s making me feel cold.”
    Preeti continued collecting the falling water into her mouth while Vineet knocked on the door four times and took a step back.
    Desi had shrunk herself into a golden ball that Preeti kept in her