The Black God's War Read Free

hair as she walked past.
    Silver-haired Tiberio led them toward the pool and statues, to the front of the crowd, between the statues of Lord Galleazzo and his wife, the goddess Jacopa. By the statue of Galleazzo, the stately followers of her father’s patron god wore golden sashes across one shoulder, over their short white tunics and leather girdles. They bowed to their king and then kept their heads low.
    The barefoot devotees of the goddess Jacopa mostly wore primitive dress, earthy, non-dyed clothing. Each of them held either a pomegranate or an orange. Lucia assumed they brought the fruits to give to Caio if he chose their goddess.
    The statues of Lord Danato and his sister the goddess Ysa stood across the circle. Lucia gave a quick glance at the bald, black-clothed devotees of Lord Danato. Many of them had a tattoo of an orange tear beneath their left eyes. Seeing them, Lucia felt unclean beneath her skin.
    She focused on the devotees of the goddess Ysa, her patron goddess, The Protector of Man. The men and women who worshiped Ysa wore red metal circles in their earlobes and clean yellow dresses or tunics. The metal symbolized the goddess’s holy shield, a relic Lucia knew she would be entrusted with some day.
    Tiberio placed Caio on the ground before the statue of Lord Galleazzo, the traditional choice for a future king. “Choose your god, young Haizzem.” Tiberio sprinkled more holy water over Caio and stepped back, still muttering prayers.
    Good luck, Caio! Lucia felt so excited she wanted to squeal.
    Caio looked up at Lord Galleazzo’s statue and smiled, but turned to his left and continued along the ancient stone path around the sunken pool. King Vieri’s eyes drooped in disappointment.
    Her brother looked up at the joyful goddess Orazia and giggled, leading to contagious laughter erupting around the atrium. Behind the statue, Orazia’s worshipers cheered. The beloved of Orazia stood out with their bright, parti-colored clothing.
    Caio continued to the statue of broad Lord Sansone, The Servant of Man. Miniature black anvils hung from the corded necklaces of the god’s worshipers. They wore common, coarse wool and looked sturdier than the other devotees, many of them powerfully built. Little Caio turned his head and studied the statue with a mischievous smile.
    The crowd held its breath.
    The boy lifted his head and walked on, his stubby legs carrying him to the statue of the goddess Vani, The Bringer of Love. He left a tiny red object at the goddess’s feet and kept moving around the circle. Lucia realized he’d dropped a toy pig he must have carried with him.
    Caio approached the statue of powerful Lord Danato, The Black One, and stopped directly under the god’s frowning glare. The boy looked around the circle for Lucia. She waved to him and barely shook her head ‘no.’
    Her brother walked to the goddess Ysa. Caio studied the goddess’s armor, rounded shield, and sword. He sat and put one of his little hands to his cheeks, as if contemplating. Ysa’s devotees lowered themselves to their knees and prostrated to the young Haizzem. He turned back to Lucia and smiled his dimpled smile, picked himself up, and moved on to the next god.
    Behind the statue of Lord Cosimo, the god’s male followers wore only loincloths, while Cosimo’s female devotees covered their bodies in loose, purple robes. Caio raised his red and black hands and clapped them for The Lord of Miracles before continuing on.
    He skipped to the goddess Mya. Vines covered her statue as well as the next statue, her brother Lord Oderigo. Vine circlets wrapped around the foreheads of Mya’s worshipers. Vine-wrapped cloth belts decorated the followers of Lord Oderigo. Their devotees shared in common sea green and royal blue tunics running down to their ankles.
    Caio skipped on toward Lord Oderigo. He stopped, chuckling unselfconsciously for some time as the crowd laughed with him. He walked between the statues of Oderigo and Mya, off the