《Heart of Creation》 CH 0: Capture of Heart. "I''m going for a ride!" Those were the last words I said to my original parents. That was five years ago. I was mad about something stupid, I don''t even remember what it was now, but I know it was stupid. I remember grabbing my helmet, hopping on my Honda, and hitting the highway. The last time I looked at the speedo, it read 370 km/h. An hour later I had calmed down, and got off the highway. I don''t remember anything after hitting the exit ramp. I awoke in a beautiful forest, and a young looking woman sat at a picnic table that looked grown instead of carved. And that''s where my story truely began. "Hello, I''m Demeter. I want to give you a chance to change, one that I know you would love to take. Aphrodite and I have a bet, and I''d like to have you help me win." She finally looked up at me. "The bet is: who can make the most recognizable human, and I chose you to be my pawn; you can either say yes, and we will decide on some things for you; or I can send you back, and you can feel that telephone pole you were about to run into." "''Most recognizable'' how?" I asked, figuring I needed to get more information on this bet. "By reputation. As per the bet: Ares will oversee our changes to your soul, both souls will be born on the same day, and then they must live through the war Ares is planning. Once you leave here, we will be able to talk with you only one day of the year, and only while in our temple." "So I become sort of a priestess for you, and fight in a future war in your name?" "Yes." She said. "Die tonight, or die in a few years, I''ll Accept." I said to her. "Great! Ares will be sending you to Gaia, it''s a lot different from your world. But I think you''ll like it." She materialized a book about an inch thick and set it in front of me. "This is a list of all the blessings and curses Aphrodite, Ares, and I agreed we could use for this. You must select one curse, but no more than three. Each curse is rated from 1 to 3 points. You start with 3 automatically, curses give you points, blessings take points. You can take as many blessings as you want, and you may not have any points left over, any questions?" She looked, and sounded, rather excited. "Just one, how long do I have to decide?" "As long as you need," a male''s voice came from behind me, his golden armor looked grossly out of place in this natural garden. "Aphrodite''s hero was done a long time ago, we have been waiting for your patroness to select someone." "Thanks for the interruption, Ares" "Your welcome, by the way, we got permission for you to announce her coming, you will both do it at the same time, but in two different temples. You will be allowed to announce her one year before her birth. The Oracles have already been told about the war, so this won''t be anything new." Ares then looks at me, " may I recommend the ''slow healer'' curse, it''s the easiest one overcome." And he walks back out of the garden. I open the book and start looking through the curses first, as I know I have to take one of them. I ended up accepting the maximum of three. Each one giving me one point. First, The Ares recommend, Slow Healer. It will make me take twice as long to heal, and remedies will be half as effective, in other words, don''t get hurt. I then chose Vulnerability to Heat. I don''t like summer anyway, but something tells me it''s talking about something a bit more drastic than normal temperatures. The third one I selected was Deep Sleeper. This makes it to where I will have difficulty waking up if I don''t get a full nights rest. And if I do wake up early, I will be utterly useless for a few minutes. A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation. But when I look at my advantages those six points were spent in, I''m not complaining at all. First is ''The Gift'' which awakens my soul to Zeon, or Gaia''s ''magic''. That cost me two points. I then took gesture-less and unspoken casting for 1 point each, Apptitude for Zeon Development, for anothe one point, which will give me a clearer, and faster understanding of the spells I can cast. I spent my last point on ''Ki Recovery'' which allows my spiritual energy, not Zeon, to recover six times faster than normal, Demeter made sure to tell me that anyone and anything could use Ki, but only one in 10,000 were born with the gift for Zeon. "Now that we know you are going to be a Zeonist,you can choose your Pathway affinities, there are 11, but I can''t have someone using my name, and you will, and be able to use Necromancy. That school is abhorrent to everything I stand for, not to mention is the natural enemy of all other Zeonists. So that leaves you with the other 10. I won''t prohibit you from any of the others, but I will give you affinity to the five of your choice." She sets a piece of parchment in front of me and if shows a diagram of a web. At the 10 intersections are bubbles with words in them. "This shows the relationship between the Paths. Four greater paths, and the lower paths." Her finger points to Necromancy in the center, and the circle goes black, and the words ''Soul Locked'' appeared. "When you touch a circle, it will be included, Im not allowed to recommend a pathway, but I can recommend for you to look at your Blessings and Curses before deciding, so you know what will benefit you best." I knew she was telling me to aim for healing disciplines, can''t say I disagree. I quickly point at the circles on the right side of the webbed diagram. Light, Creation, for my greater pathways. Water, Earth for the elemental pathways. And the Essence Lower pathway. Light controls the most positive emotions, Love, Peace, and Pleasure; it also regulates knowledge, and detection. Creation is the power to organize and alter the reality that surrounds its casters, the spells are about change, healing, and (of course) creating things. It''s distinctly a defensive Pathway. Earth is the power of the planet, stones, and governs physics, such as gravity or magnetism. Its influence over spirits and the immaterial is limited. Earth spells focus on resistance, endurance, and slowness. Water,like the element, has fluidic concepts, this Path confers dominion over purity of things, and liquids. It also represents the power of ice, and low temperatures, and is ballanced between offense and defense. Essence controls life and souls, and has power over spirits and natural things that belong to the world. It''s also the path of nature, and and Druidic spells. When I read the description for Necromancy, I quickly saw why Dimeter banned me from it. Necromancy deviates from all other paths, whereas the other paths derive power from the network of souls, Necromantic spells destroy the essence of life by stagnating and perverting the souls it uses. It''s power gives back life to the dead, destroys souls, and drains the life and essence of other beings. Because of this, it''s no wonder Necromancy is Opposed to all othe Zeon Paths. CH 1: Dedication I spent a bit of time with Demeter after we finished modifying my soul to live on Gaia. If I was going to represent her for this war, I felt like I needed to get to know her a bit better. After a while Ares came back. Demeter was told that it was time to announce me, and she looked toward me. "Last chance to back out kid. It''s either I send you back to the pole, or you help me with this." "I''d rather not know what the pole feels like." "Thank you." She said through a grin. Her hand touched my forehead and I blinked. When my eyes opened, I knew where I was. And I wanted nothing to do with it. It took me a couple hours to get out. This time I know what being pushed out feels like. I don''t want kids. Ever. Once I was out, I was handed to a woman who looked like she was about as old as I had been before I met Demeter. She had strawberry blonde hair, her amber eyes seemed to be filled with compassion. Her skin was the light tan one would expect from someone who spent a healthy amount of time outdoors. After a few minutes of being held, I fell asleep. It was at this point that I remembered my choice of the ''Deep Sleeper'' curse, and realized why it was a curse. Oh we''ll, the cost is worth it. When I woke up, my new mother and I were in a different room, and the sun was shining in. The poor woman looked to be in a panic. When she turned back around and saw me, her panic seemed to go away. She shouted something, and another woman rushed over. She used instruments I recognized from earth, and checked my vitals, nodded, and said something to Mom, and they both smiled. And then I was fed. And burped. It made me glad I didn''t remember this part of who I once was. Once I was back in the bassinet, the other woman, I guess to be a nurse, opened the window. The smell of a warm early autumn rain filled the room. The wind picked up and an orange tree leaf fell on me in the Bassinet. I recognized Demeter''s message immediately, she was watching me. I''m guessing the nurse recognized the symbol because when Mom went to move it off of me the nurse yelled something, and Mom backed her hand away. After a few minutes several women, and one man, all clothed in earth-toned clothes came in the room. The man pulled on the beaded cord at his waist, it reminded me of a Catholic rosary, but on the end, instead of a cross, was a clear crystal leaf, the same shape as the one that landed on me. it started glowing a strange bluish-green color. He started talking excitedly, and then I heard Demeter''s voice. "Well, I didn''t expect this from Ares, you were born in my main temple, to one of my priestesses. The Paladin who was your father, recently passed away, your mother hasn''t received the news yet. The man in front of you with the stupid expression is one of my Oracles, and he can hear us, so he will tell her in a moment." "Thanks for letting me help." I said when she paused for a moment, and when she started speaking again, I knew it was to the Oracle, and I could understand his words as well. "This one is my chosen one for the upcoming war. " "Yes, Demeter." "She willingly took on this burden, and three curses to endure what''s to come. She has the gift, but the price was for her to heal slowly." "Your champion has the gift!" He seemed to want to fall to his knees, but something kept him from doing it. "Don''t be easy in her training, push her as far as you can. She can cast her spells without words, or actions, but the cost was a full sleep cycle, she will be hard to wake." "Yes Goddess." He seemed less enthusiastic about this one. "Finally she is able train her Zeon faster, and with more clarity than is normal, but the cost is a vulnerability to heat." This one seemed to completely surprise him. "Oracle, if you fail in this next task, I will never speak to, or through, you again: break the news you heard, gently." The leaf crystal in his hand faded back to clear, and I knew I wouldn''t be able to talk to her for another year. Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings. I held the leaf on me up to the man who had paled at Demeter''s order to him. He took it from me, and handed it to Mom. She held it in her hand, and he spoke, I''m guessing he revealed me because of the excitement. He calmed everyone down, and spoke again. When he stopped talking, Mom laid the leaf next to me, picked me up, and started crying. With the little control I had of my body, I wrapped my arms around her neck. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ It has been a year since Demeter told us to expect a champion. She told us another of the Pantheon was the one who chose the birthplace of the one who would come. She made it clear that the champion would be a girl, and she didn''t know where she would be born, only that it would happen around a year from then. One of our young priestesses gave birth last night, right after high-night. Charlotte, the nurse we keep here, is panicking because the child hasn''t woken up to be fed. I hope the poor thing is strong enough to survive. It would be nice if the girl became a Paladin like her father. I doubt anything could kill Paladin Ryan. Priestess Michelle will have a long and happy life with him. "Oracle Darrien! Come see this!" Charlotte yelled, and as expected most of the temple staff stampeded towards Michelle''s room. When I walked in, the little blue hair, grey eyed girl smiled at me while holding a leaf, I pulled out my idol, and it reacted. I stuttered horribly through my excitement. I heard Demeter''s voice, and I knew she was talking to the infant. Her champion was born right here! We can recall the paladins, they don''t need to search. Then I heard her say to the child that Paladin Ryan would not come home. He was our best Paladin. He would have been the best to teach her. His own daughter, would be Demeter''s Champion. Then I heard what I could only assume was the child thanking the goddess. Then her words shifted to me, and told me of the curses this girl took into herself just to be able to help us. What kind of being would willingly take on those things, and still thank the goddess? The threat at the end was clear. Demeter knew I didn''t want to tell Priestess Michelle, and I knew if the Priestess ever found out I withheld something like this, she would leave the service of the Goddess. When Demeter left, the child handed me the leaf. I took it from her, and handed it to the new mother. Trying to hide as much emotion as possible behind a formal tone, I made the announcement. "Recall the remaining Paladins, Demeter''s Champion has been found." All those gathered started to cheer, but Priestess Michelle caught my words and didn''t. I quieted everyone else down, my eyes never left her. "Priestess Michelle," I struggled to keep my eyes on her, knowing if I broke eye contact now, it would be to say her husband was shamed. "The Oaks honor Paladin Ryan." It was the most honorable thing that could ever be said about a Paladin, it meant that Demeter herself was sad in one''s passing. And after I heard her order, I knew it was the truth. I had just become the first Oracle to ever say those words. And everyone in the room now knew Demeter had watched over him, because if I had misspoke that phrase, I would now be dead. We Oracles never spoke the honors of our gods lightly. The new mother picked up the child, and began to cry. I already knew she understood what was going on, so it didn''t surprise me, like it did Charlotte, when the babe wrapped her arms around her mother''s neck. When the nurse looked at me, I simply told her the truth. "The girl was told of her father''s passing by Demeter, I just overheard it, as she was talking to her through my Idol, I don''t think Demeter intended me to hear it, but since I did, she told me to tell Priestess Michelle." The priestesses al quickly filed out, and I started hearing the letter carriers taking off to recall the Paladins. CH 2: The Great Pathways I awoke this morning feeling a bit nostalgic. For some reason I was recalling the last time I was on earth, and the anger in my words aimed at those I loved. Today was my Name Day. I''ve lived for the last five years without one. And today, my mother will be selecting one for me. And tomorrow I will be starting school. Demeter told me that I needed to have a recognized persona for her little bet, so I decided that I would do something for my naming ceremony that I doubted other five year olds would do. I decided to wear a costume to it! I didn''t have any choice on the clothes I would wear, but I did have a choice on accessories. No respectable girl''s outfit is complete without them. I found some stuff that would work for what I had in mind, and went to work. When mom came in as I was finishing up, she had a half smile as she asked me what I was doing. "I''m hoping to be remembered." I smiled back. I grabbed the pair of shorts off my bed, and slid them under the white skirt I would have to wear today. Attached to the back of the shorts, was the white fox tail I had made, I used some blue dye to get the tip to match my hair color. Where my skirt stopped at my knee, my new tail came to the center of my lower legs. I then grabbed one of the barrettes I made, and attached a matching Fox ear to my hair. Mom helped me get the other one right when she saw me struggling with it. She then braided my hair, making sure to hide my real ears and the metal bases I used for the fake ones. The white faux-fur on my head gave me a decidedly exotic appearance, especially with my grey eyes. "You''ll always be unforgettable," she smiled as she looked over my outfit. I think she was surprised at the fact that I chose my naming ceremony to be the first time I did something completely selfish. An hour later, Oracle Darrien, Mom and I entered a crowded governor''s building. It was the first time I had been out of the temple, and because I didn''t have a name yet, I had to wear this greyish-white cloak that fell to just past my ankles. The five clasps on the left side were all brass, white-oak leaves, with two acorns in the middle. The symbol for a follower of Demeter. The sixth and final clasp, rested at the center of my neck, but loose enough to not be a bother, was a Crystal Idol of Demeter, a gift from the Oracle for today. Something told me that the crystal Idol was the one off his cord, because today is the first time I have ever seen him without it. When I put the cloak on, it felt nice, and well made. Because I''m not allowed to show myself, until I have my name, in public, all the clasps were fixed. My fingers fidgeted with the embroidery at the hems of the sleeves. I could barely make out the thin, clear threads as the sun made them glint. I could tell they were Zeon runes, but I couldn''t read them yet. The Early Autumn sun was dancing through the stained glass windows as Oracle Darrien showed Mom and I where to line up. He then walked away, we knew he would be to watch from the seats in the hall. After all, we would also be tested to see if we have the gift, and that was required to be public knowledge. We already knew I did, but this was for the world to know. At the same time would be affinity testing. The same web Demeter showed me was carved into the six pillars around the room. Everyone would know immediately what each gift could do. I was the last in line. Anyone associated with the Pantheon was required to wait until the end, they considered me an orphan because of my symbols of Demeter, and my mother was a well known Priestess. Once the line was set, and it wasn''t hard to tell that it was in order of social standing, the woman walked out into the center of the room, and then began her long boring monologue. Everything other than her name was boxed and tagged under ''crap I already know.'' Good morning, I am Celia Strider, and am the overseer for today. Once I call the first to be named, no talking is allowed in the hall until the last one is tested." She paused for a moment and looked at the six different walls of the hexagonal room. "Most of you are here each month. however The King of Arlan requires I repeat the pathways before we can begin." First are the East and West Greater Pathways. Light and darkness. Where light has domain over positive emotions, darkness has domain over the negative emotions. Next we have the North and South Greter Pathways, Creation and Destruction. Where creation is about Change, Healing, and Defense; Destruction focuses on manipulation of the Flow of souls, and their Offensive power." If you didn''t get it already Pathways of the opposite cardinal direction are weak against each other, and always listed together when someone is lecturing. And although I know al this, I still had to Listen. Every time I tried to zone out Mom would lightly elbow me to keep my attention. "Next are the elemental pathways of the South East, and North West, Fire and Water. Fire is the first of the four Elemental Pathways, these spells generally cover heat, and fire, and have the potential to devastate large areas of land, some spells even require casters to sacrifice parts of themselves to be consumed by the spell. Water confers dominion over liquids and purity, it also represents Ice and cold temperatures." "Next we have the North East and South West of Earth and Air. Earh''s Dominion is the Planet, stones and minerals. It also governs physics, such as gravity and magnatism. Air is the path of the ethereal, and incorporeal. It contains movement, and speed spells, with its power, space may be altered and bodies may be transported from one place to another. It''s also the path of Charge and Electricity." This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience. "This brings me to our Lowest Pathways, Low North and Low South; Essence, and Illusion respectively. Essence is the power over life,souls, and all things natural. Illusion is the power of deception, and often distort the perception of reality." "Finally, this brings us to the last Pathway. If you wil all look at the stone webs located on these pillars, you will see a prominent stone in the center, and no connections attach it to any other pathway. This is necromancy. It is a perversion of the Soul Flow. Anyone showing this affinity will be banished from the kingdom immediately, along with all family members out to their fifth cousins." "These webs will show a blue color if the participant can use it, a red color if they can''t, and white if it''s an affinity. Now that the long and boring part is over, lets get to the reason all of you are here. First Participant." All the noise in the hall stops. The man at the front steps forward, along with someone wearing a well made white cloak. "Please remove the child''s hood, and state the name." Celia told him. He seemed offended by her lack of humility towards him, but even I knew, the next words out of his mouth would be the child''s name. It wouldn''t be the first time a Noble was named ''Why You.'' He lowered the hood, and the boy unbuttoned the cloak, and folded it over his arm. The man then announced the name Charles Ironwood. Charles stepped up to a podium with three spheres. Each one representing the three tests we were required to take, strength of Ki, The Gift, and Psyonics. He touch the gift one first, and all the crystals shown Red. No gift. Then Psyonics, no reaction, and then Ki, a faint black aura surrounded him. Celia didn''t say a word as the boy touched the stones, and simply shouted ''next''. When he was done. The next kid was a girl, she also had no gift, and her Ki aura was an almost non-existent orange. But when she touched the Psyonics stone, her orange aura became so thick it was hard to see her. Her mother was smiling. I guess they are a Psyonics family. After an hour, it was finally my turn. Celia was obviously bored by this point. All of the participants, except black-aura Charles were sitting around the room. "Finally the last one, get up here kid." I step up, but instead of asking Mom for my name, she looks at me, "Do you know either parent''s name?" Mom smirked at this, I just nodded. Celia rolled her hand to motion for me to continue. I walked up to her and took her pen and a blank page, then began to write. ''My father was Paladin Ryan Heart, My mother is Priestess Michelle Heart. Please refrain from dishonoring my mother further and speak with her.'' When I handed back the note, her eyes went wide, and then she addressed Mom. "Please remove the hood, and then state your child''s name." A few gasps could be heard, and a couple people were removed from the room for talking. "Tasha Heart." I heard her say, as my little fake ears were revealed. I took off the cloak, and the air felt like it got warmer. I started to approach the spheres and a chime went off. "Stop!" Celia shouted and walked over to me. She handed my cloak to Mom, and then looked me over a little closer. "Enchanted items aren''t allowed on the podium." When she could tell I didn''t understand she looked at Mom. "Priests Michelle, could you please explain the enchanted cloak?" Mom nodded and then began. "Tasha''s body reacts strangely to today''s weather, so we embroidered this cloak with runes to keep her comfortable, knowing she would be put at the end of the line." Celia seemed pleased with the response and looked at me with a bit less hostility, but it was still there. "Continue, Tasha Heart." I stepped onto the platform, knowing the outcome of only one of the spheres. I touched Psyonic''s test first. And got no reaction. Then the Ki test, and I was surrounded by a silvery Aura. It was thick, but not like that first girl''s Psyonic Aura. And now for, the gift. I looked up at the web above me, having seen all reds, and nothing else, I wondered if it was broken. I extended my hand and put my palm on it. The web lit up with three colors. Red in the center, blue in the South and West, with the North and East being white. I took my hand off the stone, and took my cloak back from Mom, it felt better to have it on. Celia stood there for a moment, then spoke. "I have worked the Naming Ceremony for 12 years, just to try to see one with the gift. That''s all I wanted in my life, was to see one gift revealed. Thank you Tasha Heart. May Demeter''s Oak bear your name." ''It already does'' I thought to myself. Well at least I made an impression. CH 3:Oracles View "we have been hiding a project from you." Three of the Priestesses, one an elder, stood in front of me when I asked about a bill from the Zeon Academic Society. A very expensive runic enchantment, added to a cloak. But that''s all I could get from the bill. "And this project, where is it?" The three tailors looked at each other, then Nodded. Priestess Natalie walked over to her workstation and moved a few pieces of the white cloth we rarely use. She then grabbed a piece of pale grey fabric and held it out to me. I took it in hand, it was a Name Day cloak, in the style an orphan would wear, but exceptionally well made. Now I knew what they were doing. As soon as the fabric touched my hand, a light chill could be felt through it. I looked up at them. "Frost Runes?" I asked, they nodded. Natalie continued the explanation. "We got them to do a few on the cloak. Being from the temple, they are going to put her at the end of the line. We didn''t want her to be embarrassed by fainting on her own Name Day. We all know she doesn''t do well in the heat." I looked over the cloak and decided it needed something more. "Since you three did this, you three are finishing it. We all know who she is, use the same thread for the runes on the back, embroider an oak tree on the back, and just like the runes make it as little noticeable as possible. The effect should look like Demeter''s Oak in Ice." "I like that idea. and it suits her. Make sure to use bronze versions of my symbol for the clasps." There was no mistaking the voice of the Godess. I relayed her instructions and then left. The cloak stayed very well hidden and only the four of us knew about it. This Morning The three of us were going to go to the Governor''s hall for the little one''s name. I handed Michelle the cloak. When she saw it, I saw sadness in her eyes, she honestly thought I would let her daughter get named in an orphan''s robe. When she took it, she looked at me with widened eyes, I knew she felt the chill from the runes. Unauthorized content usage: if you discover this narrative on Amazon, report the violation. I shook my head to tell her not to say anything. I walked out of the temple behind them. As soon as the sun hit the clear thread on her back, the colors of the rainbow made the beautiful tree. On the way there, several people noticed her back, and stared for a moment. I took the two of them to the line, and then went into the auditorium. As always, Celia was doing the naming Ceremony. Everyone knew she only did it to be able to find one person with the gift. In her 12 years here, she had only ever seen the red stones. when the little one was brought out, Celia, as expected treated her as an orphan. She walked up to Celia''s desk and wrote something down. I had only ever seen her do this when she was mad. the reason she said she did this was that words have power, power to heal, and power to hurt. Words spoken can never be taken back, but words written require thought. When Celia confirmed that Priestess Michelle was the child''s mother, the uproar was expected. When her and Ryan married, we kept it quiet, so they couldn''t be used against him. Very few people outside the temple even knew of his daughter''s existence. She had no talent for Psyoncs, expected. Her ability with Ki was fairly good. I think she expected these results, as she chose this order for a reason. After being confirmed with the gift, everyone knew about the enchanted cloak. So when the tree was plainly visible as she left, it drew more eyes than the ears and tail she decided to wear. I think she made more of a scene than she expected. For a girl who doesn''t like showing off, she did a lot of it today. CH 4: First Impressions Its finally my first day of school. Do you remember your first day of Kindergarten? I didn''t. I remember the feeling, being able to get away from my parents, being around others my age. Learning something I didn''t know. But actually remembering that day, not a chance. I put on my ears and tail from yesterday, I figured I might as well make them my trademarks. There was one huge difference between my kindergarten experience and this morning though. "Are you ready Tasha?" And there it is. Because having The Gift is public knowledge, I now have to have a guard everywhere I go. I was assigned Priestess Natalie. And Mom made it blatantly clear that if I attempted to ditch her, not even Demeter would be able to save me. I actually hadn''t planned on it, I know what 1 in 10,000 means to kidnappers and extremists. The two of us step out of the garden that makes the main entrance to the temple, and head straight toward the Zeon Academy. There are a few people looking, but it''s not bothering me like it did yesterday. Today is just formalities. So I picked some baby''s breath and had Mom braid it into my hair. She didn''t cover my ears today. Natalie already knew where I needed to go, so we just walked straight to the classroom. The girl with the orange aura from yesterday went to a different class, but at least I know she is here. Charles, the boy with the faint black aura from yesterday walked into my classroom. He saw Natalie standing next to the door first, then he looked around the room, and decided I would make a good target. I saw this immediately for what it was, the noble was feeling his oats. "Peasant, that''s my seat." He said, well I see where this is going. I pulled my notepad out of the pocket on the inside of my Name Day cloak, then my pencil , and took my sweet time writing my message. ''Seats are assigned by the teacher, look at the board, Charles Ironwood, your in the back, get lost.'' I could tell he was having trouble reading it. About that time the teacher walked in and saw him trying to read it. He came up behind him and didn''t say anythnv for a moment, and read the note from over his head. "i dont give a damn about the teacher, no orphan is going to be in my class." His comment gets me to laugh, not just at his mock pride, but also that half the class was now in the room. "Then, Charles Ironwood, before picking a fight with someone, know their strengths. you lost this fight the moment she decided to start writing. Take your seat.". once the boy was lead away the teacher looks at me. "You must be Tasha, i heard about you already. keep that pad out as long as you need to.". I nodded to him. I don''t know why i started writing when i was mad, but i know that ive done it since i could write on my own. and now that its public that i have the gift, people rarely make me mad. I smile at Natalie once the teacher''s back is turned. she put a hand over her mouth and looked away, failing at stifling the laugh. "Welcome to Mr. Simon''s Rabbit class.". at this point, the game ''Simon Says'' pops into my head. I nearly fell out of my chair trying not to laugh. "We will start the day off with Introductions. Since Mr. Ironwood wanted to make a scene, we will start with him. State your name, city of origin, and the results of your three tests. This is for your fellow classmates, as I already have your correct information, and will give you half points for the day if you lie to them." This novel is published on a different platform. Support the original author by finding the official source. "Charles Ironwood, son of. . ." "STOP! your parents have no authority inside these grounds. That treaty has been in place for a long time. and I know that no respectable parent would have neglected to tell a child who would be attending here that revealing possible political connections is equivalent to self expulsion." I gave a light chuckle as i heard the rebuke. "Charles Ironwood, Home city of Karh. Name Day test result was No psyonics, No Gift, novice level Ki." Was his monotone reply. The teacher then went to the 12 other students in the class, then looked at me, then to Priestess Natalie. "I''m assuming you are her Temple Guard?". he said looking at her, she nodded then looked toward me. I wrote ''all your allowed to''. she nodded once more. "I am Priestess Natalie Stonefoot, I am the Demeter Temple guard and part-time voice for Tasha Heart, her home city is Karh, Her Name Day Test was conducted yesterday. No reaction in Psyonics, Adept reaction to Ki, five affinity, ten pathway gift positive result, negative Necromancy Path result. Due to some health concerns, please do not damage her cloak, or the temple will bill your parents for a replacemet.". the last sentance was aimed at Charles, and i looked around at him and he was gigging. "what does an orphan robe cost? 5 copper? I have underwear more expensive than that!" "you dont recognize that robe at all do you?". the girl directly in front of me said, defending me. " just one of the clasps on that robe would easily go for 8 silver, and there are five of them, the top clasp is a Demeter Idol. . ." at this Natalie moved off the wall when it looked like she was going to say more. "Miss, I understand its the nature of Psyons to see the physical Soul Flow, but please refrain from saying more. Saying it''s obvious she is not an orphan will suffice." Natalie''s usual playful side was gone, and the Blademaster Natalie Stonefoot was showing a throwing knife in her hand. "Yes, My apologies. Her garments alone prove she is not an orphan." She sat back in her chair. i tapped her on her shoulder, and wrote a simple ''Thank you.'' She gave a natural smile back. The boy in front then posed to her a question. "Why did you call yourself her ''part-time voice?" She was about to answer the. I waved her off. "The best way to explain it is that there are times trying to talk doesn''t work. So in those cases, I either rely on Priestess Natalie, or my notebook. I''m not mute, just don''t talk often." I told the half-truth I had rehearsed often. Mom and Oracle Darien both told me that this lie would help keep her in the room, just in case something really did happen. "One with the gift and can''t even speak properly. What cruel joke have the gods played on you?" Charles piped up, while laughing to his heart''s content. This time I wrote ''I volunteered'' and showed it to Natalie. "I''m sorry Tasha, We aren''t allowed to say anything about that here." I looked at her, and then to the teacher, he pointed for me to sit back down. Once I did, the rest of the day went fine. CH 5: A Perlude to War "hello Aphrodite, finally decided to come out of your whore house?" I said as the woman came into my garden. It wasn''t an insult, just playful banter between us. "I was barely able to pull myself out. Weren''t you in there yesterday cleaning the chamber pots?" She nodded to herself. "That''s right, you said you needed more fetilizer. I hope you got enough." I looked at her with a fake hurt look, and then we both stared laughing at each other''s attempt at a put down. "So how is your champion doing?" I asked her, although I had a feeling I knew. "Horrible. He only took one curse: ''Slow healer'', and then spent his blessing points on starting wealth, and an artifact." I could tell she was displeased "Mine took more of an agresive stance. They took three lesser curses, then used the points to set themselves up to be a nice Zeonist." I didn''t want to reveal the gender of mine like she did. She might use that to try and get her hero to chase Tasha. "So Ares got to him too huh?" I already knew Ares recommended it just because her hero selected it. "Unless he is playing both sides of this little bet." "Knowing him, he is playing both sides and throwing his own plans together." She looked pensive when she said it, but we had both been on the wrong side of Ares'' plans before. "Your bet is temporarily canceled." And then there is Hermes. "Why do you say that?" Aphrodite said as she stood. "Hades just confirmed, A Necromancy cult has successfully collected everything needed to open Mundus." Hermes seemed to be sweating at saying this. Aphrodite replied with what was on my mind, but once she started talking I realized the problem. "We open Mundus every three years, so?" "Aphrodite, we unseal it every three years, but the lid stays on. Also, what reason do necromancers need to open the domain of Hades?" I tried to make her think for a moment. "You don''t think those stupid mortals would try and aim for the vault?" "They don''t need to, if they open Mundus, they won''t need to tap into the Soul Flow. They will be standing on the edge of the largest body of souls, all of them ripe to be destroyed, or perverted." I turned from her, to Hermes. "Can we maintain the rule that we can''t directly or indirectly communicate with our opponents champion?" If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. Please report it. "Yes, Athena said you might ask this. She also said that Aphrodite might use this to kill off her hero, so she could try to summon another one; Zeus, Hera, and Athena all agreed on the ruling: if only one Champion dies, that goddess forfeits, if one''s actions results in the death of the other, that goddess forfeits." He looked straight at Aphrodite. "In other words, the only way for you to not loose is to stay completely honest to your champion, and I would send them to opposite fronts, and strive to maintain the seperation." "Well it''s not Ares'' war that we agreed on, but we can use this one." Aphrodite grinned. "How did you recruit yours?" I asked her. " He was easy, I promised him a Harem. I never told him he wouldn''t get it until his next life, after his memory of the request was wiped. He is too much of an ass to let him have one now. You?" "Convinced them they were about to die a horrible and painful death, and I saved them from it." I told her truthfully. "And?" Damn, she knew. "I erased their memory of the horrible and painful death. I didn''t break any rules. I just didn''t tell them everything. If I remember right, their consent statement was something like ''die tonight, or die in a few years, I''m in''. I might be wrong though. But at least I do t have to make a harem, I didn''t promise anything." I grinned. "When did they die?" Hermes asked. "Back when this rock was still called earth." I laughed. "No wonder it took so long, you dug deep into Mundus to find that one." Aphrodite quipped. "Babe, it''s been fun, but when even Hades is worried about Mundus, we have to help." I looked at Hermes. "We can contact them outside of the temples until this is cleared up right?" I attempted to confirm. "The interference, blessing, and curse rules are the only ones in play until Mundus'' artifacts are retrieved." Hermes confirmed. CH 6: Seeing Zeon For the First Time Geography class was boring as always, I had to learn most of this to learn to read. The Temple only had books on history, geography, and Politics. Our temple geography books went into ore deposits, where this one didn''t. We live in the city of Karh, which is the capital of Arlan, and is located on the western shore. Arlan''s western border is a shallow straight called Breached Coast. We have two neighbors to the south, the White Sea''s only coastal country Remo, with its twin capitols Caliardo, where the queen resides, and Albino, the King''s city. Slightly to the east of them is the landlocked country of Togarini, home of the Sylvian, with the capitol of Kaine. Our northern border is the country of Galgados, and although its western border is the Breached Coast, and the Northern border is the North Sea, Galgados''s Capitol, Hecate, is near its eastern border. Our Western border is the largest country East of the Breached coast, and stretches from Arlan to its west, to the Interior Sea, on its east; which on the map looks like a Gulf, with an island in the middle. Abel has three major cities, Sepher, in the South west, and closest to Arlan, Yirath, which is in the south east, but far enough from the coast to not be able to be targeted by pirates. Then in the North east is the city of Tiberias. On the globe I''m currently studying, Abel''s capitol of Archangel appears to the north of Karh, and center of the equator. Making the majority of Arlan in the Southern Hemisphere. These four countries are the only ones that we are being taught this year. Today, my class schedule changes, and I have Independent Study instead of math. In my old life, I had just earned my masters degree in physics, at 17. My my missing language memories included the symbols of the formulae, but once I learned the symbols again, let''s just say I don''t need to learn 5 year old math. The school hocked it up to me having an earth affinity gift, so I can manipulate physics. Although I still don''t know how. But my Independent Study today is with an earth Zeonist. I''m looking forward to finally learning something about it. Mr. Simon calls for us to put our books away, and then instructs us to get out our math books. Since my aptitude was tested in secret, my least favorite person was the one who spoke up when I stood to walk out. This narrative has been purloined without the author''s approval. Report any appearances on Amazon. "Aww, the poor gifted doesn''t even know math, as expected of a temple brat." Charles was officially the only student in this class who only ever read notes from me. A few students would get them once in a while, just to keep up the act. But I never used my voice if I directed a comment to him. I walked up to the front of the class, and wrote out the formula for the golden ratio, then hydraulic pressure differentials, then the formula for vectored velocity. Then left a message: ''You have not caught up to me, or close to me. When you can explain these, il give you more.'' "Ms. Heart, this one and this one are far above what I''m allowed to teach." He then pointed to the golden ratio formula , and then what he said dumbfounded me. "But what is this one?" For the first time in this life, I face-palmed. I then took out my note pad, wrote the formula, and then simply wrote: ''this is a simplified version of what I call the Golden Ratio. It''s found throughout nature. I handed him the note, then left to go to my class. "She has affinity with these pathways, maybe there is something to this." I heard him mumble as I left. I think I just started something. When I got to my new class room a very beautiful woman, comparable to Natalie, was already in the room, she nodded to Natalie, then looked at me. I then saw another woman on the floor, bound and gagged. "I didn''t realize this one is protected by the sisters, I will revoke the contract. Pardon my intrusion of your charge, Sister Natalie." She nodded, then snapped her fingers, and disappeared into a cloud of black smoke. "Demeter help us, the Sisterhood." She ran to the other woman, unbound her, grabbed me, I felt her move Zeon around us, and my vision went blurry, I was then back at the Temple. "Stay here, I have to take care of this. Go straight to Oracle Darien, tell him these words first: Sister Natalie is hunting." After making me say it three times, she disappeared from in front of me. Then it hit me, she has the Gift, and uses the air pathway. I ran straight to the office, and when I said those words, Darien looked mad. He then pushed me into a hidden room behind his office. CH 7: Sisters of Selene "Good, you''re alone now." Demeter called out to me. "I thought you couldn''t talk to me until next year." "Things have changed, those rules are suspended for the foreseeable future." Her voice seemed a little stressed this time. "So, what does that mean for me?" "It means a war that wasn''t part of our arrangement is about to start, and we didn''t see it coming." She sounded like she was about to cry. "By your reaction, I''m guessing it''s a little more than the normal political argument that results in soldier''s blood on the ground." I say as more of a question. "Yes, this has multiple pantheons, as well as the celestial monarchies in an uproar. The various gods and goddesses who reside over the damned are all in a panic. My daughter Persephone will be visiting your temple this evening, to explain it, and ask for your help." She seemed to be thinking about something. We both stayed quiet for a few minutes, but I could tell she was still there. When she started talking again, she was much quieter than I was used to. "Tasha, make sure you bargin with her for your help. You didn''t ask anything from me for using you, be selfish with this, you need to be." "Does she have the ability to bless me like you did?" "No, we can only do that when we move a soul to the plane you are currently in." But you can ask for martial knowledge, knowledge of how your Gift works, or even perfect knowledge over a given pathway." "Knowledge, but not the wisdom in how to use it properly. That could be dangerous. If I did what your suggesting, with Creation, wouldn''t I gain some knowledge of the corresponding pathways?" "To a certain extent. If your body can manipulate your Zeon in Creation well enough you could potentially make your spells permanent, no other Pathways can do that, even your cloak isn''t permanent. It will only last another year at most. I''m still barred from interfering with you, but I can say Persephone is able to give you that, but it won''t be easy." "Thanks. Anythin Else you can tell me?" "Yeah, tell The priestesses that the Sisters of Selene will no longer interfere with you. And I, Demeter Desito, have spoken with Sister Alexis, they now know who you are, and will no longer take contracts against you." "Who are they? I haven''t ever heard of them before." "They are a sisterhood of assassins, but that''s a simple answer. Specifically they are the best assassins of Gaia. They only recruit from orphan girls, who are younger than eight, and enjoy fighting. They are some of the most beautiful women you will ever see. Your guard was once one, she earned enough to buy her way out, which is not a light sum, once she left the sisterhood, she came to this temple, and became one of my priestesses. she figured out how to use the creation, air, and essence pathways to keep herself looking young." Royal Road is the home of this novel. Visit there to read the original and support the author. "Can I learn how to do that? It could become useful?" I felt her shaking her head. "She can''t teach you about your gift. You have five affinities, one of those is creation. And although she also has the gift, only Air is her affinity, and it''s in opposition to your earth. Also the spell she uses has some funny rules, which with your affinities, won''t apply." And with that I felt her leave. I climbed out of the hidden room, and headed for Oracle Darien. A few hours after I told him what Demeter said to me, a woman came Into the temple I immediately recognized. She looked just like Demeter, but instead of chestnut colored hair, this woman''s was a deep black, when it shimmered it looked slightly blue. Instead of warm brown eyes, the new woman''s eyes were an eerie shade of green. And where Demeter''s dress had looked like a tree had wrapped its branches lovingly around her, this woman gave the same feeling, but with the bones of man and beast, the few gaps there were between the bones was a purple fabric holding the woman''s modesty. I gave her a smile as she came into the sancuary, I saw a few of the priestesses in the room pull knives before I began to speak. "Welcome to Demeter''s temple, your mother said to expect you Persephone. I''m Tasha Heart, and I''m assuming your mother was correct when she said you would be here to speak with me." She nodded, and the wide eyed women around me hid their blades again. "They are quite protective of you." Her voice, like her mother''s, reminded me of the tone of wooden instruments. "Yes, they are in a panic because of a Sister of Seline was seen coming after me today." She nodded, and swayed the fears of the staff, then we went to the Oracle''s office. CH: 8 Fruitful Fecundity " I know you need my help, your mother failed to tell me why." "Hades wanted to come, but the presence of the god of the dead among the living would be problematic, at best. also, mother barred him from entering her temples. he would have just stood at the door." she gave with a sad smile. "so I take it that the myths I once knew are true, you are Persephone, daughter of Demeter and wife of Hades?" everyone present knew I still held the memories of wherever I had come from before. so I wasn''t revealing anything new. "Mother told me where she found you, some of the myths of that place and time were somewhat skewed. where all myths have some basis in fact, some are just so outlandish that they are pure entertainment." she said with the first honest smile I had seen on her in the past two hours since she came into the temple. "But yes, in this your myths are true, Hades is my husband, and Demeter is my mother, but that is the extent of the truth of your myth. we are not the only overseers of the dead." she looked at me fairly intently. "The one your memories call ''The Morning-star'' also oversees our domain." My body went still with shock as she continued, "and unlike with my family, the myth you held of him in your past, is very much the case with him down there. it takes everything Hades and I have to keep him from passing his ''Divine Judgement'' on all those souls who have wronged others. when his creator, I believe you refuse to use his name, made him, he didn''t make things easy for us." When the people around me saw how tense I was at the mention of ''The Morning-star'' they seemed to know that I definitely feared this particular being." "You don''t need to worry yourself with him anymore. because you voluntarily became the champion of a different pantheon, that one no longer holds sway over you." This time it was Oracle Daren that spoke up; "There are more gods and goddesses? that are outside of the Pantheon?" "Oracle of My Mother, " she said it as a title, "you are a worldly voice for my mother, and her wishes. you know about this pantheon. but I can tell you that in Tasha''s previous life, she was a follower, albeit a bad one, of the religion followed in Archangel, and even now, follows some of its precepts. have you ever noticed that she bows her head before eating? what follower of me or Mother does this? or the fact that she reads only the doctrinal books on the evening of every seventh day, where most priestesses will only pick up those books during their training, and never read them again." "She may not have been a devout follower, or believer, in her previous life, but she was definitely ingrained in how to behave by their doctrine. its one of the reasons why she was given the opportunity to do this." "But things have changed, Persephone. Demeter made it very clear to me when she spoke to me today, the second time in a year I might add." "Demeter speaks to you each year?" Oracle Daren looked at me with awe, "Most oracles only hear from their benefactor three or four times in their lifetime." he finished when I questioned him with a look. "Demeter told me, when I volunteered, that she could contact me no more than once a year, and only then if I was in a temple. since I was born here, she has spoken with me for about a half an hour on each birthday. then today, she speaks to me again, telling me that rule was revoked for the foreseeable future, and that this woman will know, and explain why." I rebuked. then when I realized how I had said it, I got mad at myself. "Damn it, now you made me loose my tact, and I might have just pissed off the goddess of the dead." "The artifacts for opening Mundus are all in the hands of necromancers. it has been four eons since the last time it was open. opening it will do two things. first it will give the necromancers direct control of souls, not just the soul flow you can use; second it can potentially give eternal life to everything. but not in the way some of you are thinking, its a pseudo-half life. you are half dead, and half alive all the time. eventually children will cease to be born, but by that time the entire planet''s resources will be consumed. even if the atmosphere collapses, you would forever feel suffocation, and starvation, and be unable to die." Persephone then looks at me. " the last time this was attempted, this planet became a burning husk. and everything your old faith taught about hell, was real. but the people didn''t have to die to go there, they couldn''t die. it was just as Revelations had predicted." well, now I know that her little slip up earlier about me being from a different time was no mere slip up. and Mundus being open, sounds worse than anything I read about in hell. "Tasha, there is a reason that Necromancy is named only once in the Torah, or Old Testament. In your old faith, in the book of Deuteronomy, it is one of three things your old faith abhorrently prohibited of its original believers, being led by Moshe, or Moses. And its the only thing, that even Mother prohibits, Hades and I also prohibit our followers from dabbling in it. not because it diminishes their power, but because it can potentially cause huge problems." I paused her for a moment, then pointed at Natalie, " So you are telling me that if Priestess Natalie, over there, wanted to dabble in Necromancy, along with her affinity for air, she could potentially send a Soul through time, and destroy natural order." "That''s the least of the problems that could occur, Which is why when we deities do that very thing, the cost is measured over and over and over again before we do it, and are very cautious of our selection. but mortals cant fathom the complexities of everything that goes into it. and even we aren''t omnipotent. And even though mother could send you back to when and where you came, I''ve been told the circumstances, as well as can read them in your soul, I''m not restricted from telling you things as mother is, so I will say this: if the option ever comes up, to return to your old life, refuse flatly. please do not attempt it." I nodded at her plea, and wondered why her tone had shifted to one of sadness. The narrative has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the infringement. "Since you can read souls like that, are you able to tell if there is anyone in this temple I can not trust with these secrets about me?" "I looked at everyone here, and there is only one you shouldn''t trust. I would say two," she looked at Natalie, "But the former Sister is willing to kill to keep you safe. the honors my mother more than her old, shall I say ''family''." "I may no longer consider myself a Sister, but I still hold the three oaths. and I will use my abilities to protect the Chosen of Demeter." "Well said Natalie, any other answer and I would have taken you tonight like I will take the other." we all knew what this meant, we would loose a friend tonight." I decided to get the conversation back on track, "I''ll help you, but I am taking Demeter''s advice with it. I need something in return for my help. and its something that I know you can give." "I figured as much, I''m guessing the knowledge of your creation pathway?" I shook my head no to her answer. "Not just knowledge, but the wisdom to use it. there is only one thing wrong with having power, and that is not having the wisdom to know when not to use it. That''s what I want from you.." she nodded like she was deciding something and then looked back to me. "It seems your sleeping curse is going to be useful to you. I will start it when you go to sleep. otherwise this whole city will be awake with your screams. what you are asking, is going to hurt a lot. as a deep sleeper, you will neither wake nor feel a thing." she stood to leave then turned back. "The assault on the Necromancers will take place when you are ten, they wont figure out what they have until then anyway. you have this time to get your body ready, and learn how to use your Zeon. Good luck." With that, the goddess of the dead bowed to me, actually bowed her head to me, and then disappeared in the exact moment my eyes were closed from blinking. "With that, I am going to bed." as I leave the room I am grabbed by Mom and Natalie. "Yes?" "Not in your bed tonight, daughter." Mom said, purposefully not using my name, Natalie had the same look in her eyes and moving her head back and forth, then the two of them together drug me to the cellar. "You are going to make a lot of noise tonight. this is the best we can do. we don''t want to wake everyone." a few hours, and a bathroom break, later, my bed had been moved to the cellar, and I had drifted off to sleep. when I woke up the next day, only Natalie looked like she had gotten any rest. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ I knew it would be a harrowing night for Tasha. To see my daughter not even phased by hearing a goddess, the goddess of the dead no less, by hearing that she will be subjected to such pain as to keep the city awake frightened me. what had this poor girl been through to not care about pain? the things I heard Persephone say about the last time Mundus was opened scared me to the point that since the first time since my induction here, I prayed to Demeter, and since I knew she couldn''t directly interfere, I also prayed to Persephone to ease my daughter''s pain. an hour before high-night, the screaming began. from two places, not one. the cellar, all of us expected. the Paladin quarters we had not. This must have been the one deemed untrustworthy. I walked into the Paladin''s room and saw a very handsome man with Persephone. "Hello Michelle, you may not want to be in here. This is ''The Dragon of the Morning'' or as Tasha knows him: ''The Morning-star. I would recommend you not be here for this, its not often I invite Lucifer to punish one of our domain, and I would rather you not witness it." "When the mention of this man, who makes my daughter who does not fear pain, brings the look of utter terror to my daughter''s face, I want to know why. even if its to understand her just a little bit. I want to know." "Very well. but please remember, she has seen worse than what you are about to. Lucifer cant extract everything he wants to, because we aren''t in his domain, she lived for 23 years, before." her pause was contemplative, and not entirely deliberate. "Well, lets just say before Mother found her, she got really used to the dragon''s full abilities, even if she doesn''t remember it." she nodded to the man again, and I forced myself to watch this beautiful man torture a woman I had called friend over my last 30 years, a woman who I knew since childhood, and one who wished ill will toward my daughter. Nobody, except Tasha, and Natalie, got any sleep. it was years later when we started hearing that particular night being called Harrow''s Eve. Thank Demeter that nobody figured out the sounds were coming from her temple. CH 9: My First Spell School, as it always does, has become boring to me. I think Natalie noticed it before I did. Geography was challenging at first, but when is learning a completely new world, not going to be a challenge. Annabelle, is the psyon who defended me on the first day, most of the time everyone just calls her Annie. Zack is the guy who asked why Natalie was there, and the only student in the class who never speaks her name without ''Priestess'' in front of it. The quarter changes today, and with that, our afternoon class. Last quarter it was math, for all of us. This quarter, and moving through the winter months, our afternoon classes are indoors. It''s been comfortable enough lately that I haven''t been wearing my cloak to school. But I noticed Mom hid the ears I made, not well though, and gave me new ones, that are much better made. I think Natalie had something to do with it. One started falling apart at school, and I asked her to fix it. The next day I had six sets on my night stand, all of them had the nylon thread they liked using for embroidery, but the fur is too thick for me to get a good look at what they decided to put on the sets. A week later, the tail I made went missing, and now I have five different ones. The Temple''s tailors even made me skirts with loops on the inside to attach the tails, but when I explained the other reason for the shorts, I was given shorts that were less bulky. So today I have black ears, with white tips, and a blue tail with a black tip. The tailors have also made a version of each of Demeter''s uniforms for me, with only two exceptions. The Paladin, which I would have to wear the heavy armor, and the Oracle robes. Demeter would have to say I was actually an Oracle for me to get that one, so they didn''t, the tailors said there was one for an enchanter as well, but Demeter hasn''t had one in five human generations. Why did I specify, because in my cultural studies class I learned that this world has several different species of sentient bipedal beings. one is the Nekos, they are very short lived, but are crazy smart. A human is an adult in this kingdom at 16. A Neko is an adult in every country at 12. Natalie saw me day dreaming again, and I got a piece of broken pencil thrown at me. I look around and the room is empty, guess it''s lunchtime. "I almost thought you went to sleep Tasha. That would have really worried me." I fell asleep in class the sixth week of school. Mr.Simon was banned from trying to wake me up after that. He set off an air spell that vibrated so fast that it shattered the glass, and I was still asleep. "Sorry, I was just thinking about the Geography test." Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings. "Well you have a new class today, and I doubt you will be able to sleep through it." "If it''s ''Napping'' I''ll prove you wrong." I kidded. "No, you have Spellcraft today." "Oh goodie, it will probably be meditation exercises, which will put me to sleep." "You have been talking more when it''s just the two of us. Does this mean you''re trusting me more?" Natalie had been saying things like this for the past month. Some of the priestess had a pot as to which one would be the first I called a nickname. Everyone''s money is on Natalie. Although I have been thinking about doing it to Nurse Charlotte, just to swing the wager. "Nice try. Nurse Charlotte is closer to being trusted by me than any of you. Demeter already knows I spend way too much time with that woman." I said with a huge smile. As it was right now, I just saw her once a week to check up on bumps and bruises. Retraining my young body for Akido and Kenjitsu means a lot of bruises. I stood up and followed Natalie to a room I hadn''t been to before. When I stepped into the room, I felt the tempeture drop a few degrees. When I looked around the room, I noticed four vertical cylinders, each on a stand, in each corner of the room. I walked up to the one to my right, and noticed a loose thread on my skirt being tugged toward the base of the cylinder. I popped it off with my finger, and held it over the top, not only was it pushed away, small ice crystals formed on it. "You don''t look happy, young one." An elderly man said, as he nodded his head toward the cylinder I was at. "I''m not, it''s upside down." I replied. When he looked puzzled I walked over to the chalk board and drew the lines I remember weathermen using. "Warm air rises, and cold air falls. These devices are simple heat exchangers. In order for them to be at peak efficiency they should be mounted on the ceiling, and the intake should be on the top. Placed where they are, the intake should still be the top, unless they are meant to increase the tempeture." I recalled what an air-conditioner looked like, and imagined one, and it appeared in front of me. But instead of a cord to power it, a small grey crystal was located where it should have been. I looked at it for a second and realized I needed to put some of my Zeon in it, in order for it to work. I moved it to the window, and placed it there, adjusted the tempeture dial, and then pushed as much Zeon into the crystal as I could. The familiar drone of an air conditioner compressor began to drone. When I turned around, the man who was there had turned pale. CH 10: The Old Mans Dilemma "Did you just conjure that box?" He asked me. "Yes, it''s called an air conditioner. And you can set it for a specific tempeture at will. Unlike your exchangers, this relies on two opposing coils and can be made a heater by flipping a lever, and if I''m guessing right, I''ll only need to add Zeon once a week to this crystal in order to maintain a constant temperature." I explained to him. "I''ve never met anyone your age that could conjure like that; no motions, no aria, no scrolls, and from what I can tell, no materials." "Just because you didn''t see me pull materials out of a pouch doesn''t mean I didn''t use any. It doesn''t cost materials to move nature. I simply shifted the ores under the ground and brought to me the specific ones I needed. I knew what was there because of the geology surveys at the temple." He looked at me for a few seconds, as though he was contemplating something. And then nodded once. "Tasha, could you make another one of those?" He finally asked. "Not today, what Zeon I didn''t use in the conjuration, I used to charge the crystal. If I spend any more today, I will be too weak to walk, and I don''t have enough for the conjuring anyway." "It''s your first time doing this, and you already have a firm grasp of the amounts you are able to use. Impressive, that usually takes decades." "Well now that is out of the way, since everything I''ve read says that Zeon varies person to person, and you can only teach me theory and understanding, do you have any books for healers, or theory of any kind?" "True, true, yes, and yes. But I''ll not give you any just yet. I want to know your capabilities before we do that. You wear custom made garments, in the style of Demeter''s acolytes. Perhaps you would like to learn a way to use those garments to increase the speed at which you are able to draw in Zeon?" The old man looked back at the air conditioner he then began moving his arms as though he was about to start dancing, and mumbled a string of words I couldn''t make out. When he stopped, a horn appeared over the crystal on the air conditioner, it''s eerie blue color seemed to glow. "That is a collector. It will keep the crystal charged, as well as prevent devices with similar power requirements from siphoning off of it." "It uses writing instead of Zeon to function." You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version. "In a way. Enchantments work as a logic statement. The author is the only one who needs to understand the exact logic being used. The more failsafes in the statement, the longer it needs to be." He walked over to one of his cylinders and removed the casing, revealing a metal rod suspended in the center. "This method is simple, and can often times be bennificial to keeping your Zeon in reserve when you need it." He flipped the rod around, and placed the cylinder back over it, then took the thread I had used earlier and held it over the device and I saw it get tugged toward it. He then lowered it to the bottom, and the small ice crystals formed again. I gave him a satisfied smile and a nod. We then started going over runes and how they functioned for the rest of the day. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- "Father, why must that peasant be in my class, can''t you do something to have her moved without violating the treaty?" "No, nor will I attempt to. Life is full of things you don''t want. You will learn how to deal with Tasha Heart. Her mother is a very respected priestess, and her father was a childhood friend of mine. You will not disrespect his memory in front of me by calling his daughter, a young girl with the gift, I might add, a peasant again." "Yes, father." "Charlie, why don''t you try to get to know her better? Over these last three months, you''ve been a nasty character to her. That will take a lot of kindness to overcome, and we both know, you don''t have much time until you are needed to help the goddess. Who knows, she might bring honor back to this family. But that''s only possible if you stop treating her as the enemy; even if she was born to a priestess of Demeter." "I doubt Aphrodite has that girl in my cards." "You won''t know, until you stop being a pompous fool to everyone you meet. Your actions do the house of Ironwood no honor. If you can''t get her to willingly come here, for no other reason than to see you on good terms, by the time you turn 16, I will disown you, and disavow you in my will. I will not have a son of mine insult the first child born with the gift in this city in 12 years." "Yes, father." CH 11: First Defeat I''m I woke up at my normal time today, but I instantly knew something was wrong. I''ve spent the last two weeks learning how to recognize Zeon, and how it naturally flows. A person can only absorb so much at once, but there are objects that are not restricted in how they draw it in. There was almost no Zeon in the air. "If you go to classes today, it will be under armed guard, Tasha." Natalie stated matter of factly. "Aren''t you always armed?" I asked, knowing that she meant the guard today would have to be more obvious. "What has happened? There is almost no Zeon in the air." "Nothing much, just that a ship of The Technomagic has come to the city. It''s why the old man paled when you made your ''air conditioner''. The Imperium wants to know how it was made; which means, they brought their floating fortress here to Karh, to speak with you, a five year old girl. They decided to risk war with Arlan, just to know how it''s made." "Well then, let''s get it over with," I said as I finished getting dressed. I decided to put on my solid blue ears and tail today. "How many paladins are coming with us today?" I asked as if it were routine; but knowing it wasn''t. Mom wouldn''t allow an open armed guard unless she was scared of something. "No paladins, Tasha. You aren''t going to like this, but it''s a pride of Sisters who will be guarding you." "How many are a Pride?" "I can''t answer that without breaking the oaths of the sisterhood. But suffice to say that it''s your mother''s idea. And that should give you enough information as to how scared she is." "It does. Having several around me at once is nerve wracking to me." I grabbed my Name Day cloak and put it on, and clasped the five bronze fixtures for the first time since that morning. "Let''s go." Once I stepped outside an unfamiliar sight greeted me. A white steel structure floated above the city, slowly drifting as the wind pushed it. It tugged on massive mooring chains as the winds shifted. It dwarfed the king''s home that sat just to the left of my first view of it. The tall spires reminding me of the buildings I once saw in my previous life. The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement. The walk to school was as uneventful as normal, but when we got a block away, I was immediately surrounded by 12 women, one of which was holding an arrow a few inches from my neck. She had caught it. Someone was testing if I was being protected. "Thank you Sisters." I said respectfully. The ones who revealed themselves didn''t go back into hiding, and we all entered campus together. Heading int Mr. Simon''s class, I noticed two new adult faces. And chose to ignore them both. I looked at Natalie and winked. A sign she knew meant that I would not be speaking today. I needed to keep her in the room today. The morning went as normal, Natalie and I went outside to have lunch in quiet, and then we were followed to my afternoon class. As we approached the room, I started unclasping my cloak as I wouldn''t need it in this room. Natalie took the cloak from me, as though she was no more than a servant. I crossed the threshold of the room. And my vision went dark. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- "The attempted kidnapping failed. The Oracle told us there would be an attempt today, but Oracles have been wrong before." "She took a nasty beating, you were told that she has a weak constitution, why did she take so many hits?" "We weren''t able to get to her in time. We let our guards down, mistress." "No, you let down the goddess Demeter. You let down one of Demeter''s temples, you let down a former Sister who trusted you to protect her charge along her side, and you let a five year old girl down, a girl the goddess has said was important, and now may not be able to help with anything for months." "Demeter''s Priestesses are all great healers, there is even rumored to be a Creation Zeonist at the temple." "Are you daft girl? That little one is their Creation Zeonist. She can''t very well heal herself while unconscious." CH 12: waking up It was hard to move. I could tell I was bandaged, and I could tell I had a lot of injuries. I shifted the Zeon around me and started repairing the bones in my arms. I knew it wouldn''t work well, but I needed to try. "She is awake." I heard Natalie say. "Her breathing is the same, and her eyes are closed," came Mom''s voice. "How can you tell?" "She is using her gift to try and heal herself. It''s not working well, but it seems like she knew that." An unknown female voice followed. "She doesn''t heal well. If I had to guess, she is focusing on her arms, so she can write again." I heard Natalie again. I tried to lift my arm, and found that I couldn''t. So I imagined a tablet with the word water written on it. I felt it cross into existence. "What does that say?" The unfamiliar voice said. "Water." This was a voice I knew. Persephone. I flinched at the sound of it. "You are fine child. I''m not here to take you. On the contrary, I''m here to make sure you stay. You took quite a beating." I imagined writing thanks on the pad of paper again. "Your welcome." Persephone replied. "This looks like the ancient tongue. Does she understand it?" The woman I don''t know said. So I wrote ''who are you?'' "She doesn''t realize she is doing it. She is thinking what she wants to say, and it''s appearing to us. The new line is asking who you are." Persephone said. Unauthorized usage: this narrative is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings. "I''m Bridgette. I''m Mr. Simon''s daughter. He sent me to try and get you caught back up when you awoke." The woman replied. ''How long have I been out?'' "About a month now." Persephone answered. "Don''t panic. But try to concentrate on your language. You aren''t writing in a language that''s been used in a long time." ''Sorry'' At that Mom started crying. I''m guessing she could read that one. "Can you tell us what you remember?" Natalie asked. ''I turned the corner to go into my Spellcraft class, and then this.'' I heard Persephone read my words out loud. I guess I''m writing weird. "We are thankful you are alive." Natalie said. ''Yeah, Demeter would probably be pissed if I kicked the bucket now. We have more important things, than me laid up, to worry about.'' I was finally able to open my eyes. ''Bridgette, you are beautiful.'' "Thanks, Tasha." ''Writing with the gift, and trying to heal myself is draining. I need to sleep again.'' Mom nodded, while helping me get some water down, and I went back to sleep. CH 13: A Mothers Plea "it''s been two weeks, Michelle. The sisters failed in protecting her. We knew something like this would happen when the fortress showed up. They don''t like not knowing something. It''s why they are a part of the Shadow." The Oracle said to me. "I''m dumping our coffers into trying to get Tasha healed. The two runic healing blankets on her each cost a Paladin''s yearly salary." "I know the costs are mounting." I said shamefully to Darrien. I knew he was trying to help. "Michelle, we can''t have this happen again. Check her Ki. If it''s flowing well enough, show her how to heal herself with it. When she wakes for longer than an hour, you are to teach her about healing herbs until she goes back to the academy." "Yes, sir." "Michelle, look at me." I looked up at him. "I''m worried about her too. I mean, who knew that Mr. Simon''s daughter was a Valkyrie. Couple that with the fact that Persephone herself is watching over her." He looked like he was about to cry. "I''ve never seen a goddess stay on this plane for so long. And this thing she keeps mentioning about not being able to interfere. It''s brought to light just how fragile Tasha is. I mean, yeah; she is the chosen of Demeter. But she has a weak constitution, almost nothing wakes her up, and her body can''t even handle normal summer weather." He looked down at the ledger, and spun it to face me. "Michelle, all of these charges are just to try and help your daughter have a somewhat normal childhood. But we don''t have a runemaster, and none of our priestesses can or want to learn. These ears and tails we had made, we even hid from her that we put runes on them. That was 3 gold crowns for each. And 6 crowns for each tail." If you discover this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation. "I''m glad she is using them. But it''s time to curb the cost. I know she is young, and still getting a handle on her gift; but the temple can''t afford to keep doing this." Darrien looked absolutely lost as he looked me in the eye again. "Michelle, I''m sorry, but from now on, her ledger has to ballance. Her scholarship to the academy is paid for by the king himself. I won''t take that from her." The smell of an autumn rain wafts through the room, as a woman with chestnut brown hair enters the room. She looks just like Persephone. "I agree with you Darrien. When she wakes up, she is to be treated as an initiate. She must earn everything you give her from now on. The only thing I don''t want you to take from her is her school." "Michelle, I need you to do something for me. Your daughter won''t open her eyes for another two weeks. So you have time." The woman handed me a scroll, it felt like a wet vine, and smelled of peppermint. "If you follow those instructions, you will ballance the ledger up to date, and you are to teach her everything you learn from that journey. When you come back to the temple in two weeks, you will not remember leaving Tasha''s side; and none of the temple dwellers will remember you gone." With that the woman disappeared in a gust of wind. I unfurled the scroll, grabbed my cloak, and walked out, as that''s all the scroll said I was allowed to bring. If this helps Tasha at all, I must do it. Thank you Demeter, for reminding me why I follow you. CH 14: Demeters Scroll The instructions were simple, annoyingly difficult, but simple. I had to journey by myself, across the Breached Coast to Mantera, the city of Magda, and talk with the prince Misha Mashen''ka, and show him this scroll, I''m guessing that what is read by others is different than what I read, but when he read it, he simply handed me a sack of gemstones, and told me to wait. an hour later, he handed me the lead rope to a tamed zebra, and bid me farewell. I was then to journey to Kaine, in Togarini, and do the same thing. for a simple herb seller. The Sylvan I was told to speak with, took the gemstones, held each one to her head, with the flat part against her forehead, and put them back in the bag. she then took the lead rope off the zebra and set her forehead against his. I could tell she was exchanging Ki with it, but I didn''t know why. The scroll told me to wait at her home for three days, for those three days, I helped her with her other projects, and learned as much about the herbs as I could, thinking this is what Demeter wanted me to teach Tasha. At the appointed time, I walked back to the temple where my daughter was. as I entered the town, a beautiful woman with Chestnut hair stopped me, this time I recognized her, as my goddess. "Set the back of your palm against the head of the zebra." she said, without introduction, just like last time. when I did, everything the Sylvan had ever done in the healing arts was transferred to my memory. all of her herbs, all of the techniques, even how to use makeshift supplies to perfect a tincture. what an herbalist''s belt looks like, and how to make it, and what materials to use, so that not even the finest herb can slip through, and be lost. I felt as though I had lived her lifetime, through her eyes, and I knew I hadn''t. "For the rest of your days, you will remember every memory you just saw as your own, and you will believe you did all those things before you met Ryan. When you return to the temple, you are to place the bag of gemstones in the inside pocket on the right side of Tasha''s Nameday cloak. once you do, the memory of this trip, and everything you did will disappear. Tasha will know what to do with the gemstones. and since you waited the three days instead of rushing back here, your obedience is rewarded. Hand this to Damien before you place the gemstones, and simply say these words: here is what Ryan had put back for our daughter." I nodded to her, and I felt the fabric of Ryan''s coin purse. the one his sister had made for him, and gave to him the day he became a paladin. The city seemed quiet, the Technomagic''s fortress still hovered over the city, and most people were staying inside. Tasha''s first use of her gift, and she made something so complex, its a rare gift indeed. The Technomage''s will probably try to recruit her, but after the beating the sisters gave their enforcer, I doubt the offer to join the shadow will come with a cup of tea. You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version. A woman walking toward me nodded. I looked into her eyes and then to her necklace. A single stiletto pendant; a Sister of Selene. She gave a light hop, as though to start a dance, and then danced around me in a circle. I stopped moving, this is how the sisters fight in the open, as a fluid dance. I started to become enthralled when she stopped. I looked around, having lost track of time and saw four men and two women laying on the ground, their eyes glassed over. I knew there were no healing herbs I could give them to revive them. Hades had already claimed them. The sister escorted me back to the temple, and just before I walked into the gate, I heard her say "To Demeter''s Champion, an easy recovery, an easy battle, an honest life, and your name on Demeter''s Oak. May the Sisters of Selene never meet you across a field of battle, for we will surely perish." how could a trained assassin say something like this about a five year old girl, who hasn''t even been trained how to fight yet? well Demeter''s order was quite clear, we were all to train her from the time she woke up, with everything we knew, even Bridgett had been ordered to teach my daughter the ways of the Valkyrie. something that Freya had never said before. Two Pantheons, and a celestial monarchy was backing my daughter, and the technomagics went and hurt her. I hope they pay dearly for the cost. I walked passed the healer''s building where my daughter lay. I saw Bridgette sleeping on the cot under the roof of the open portion of the building, and Natalie near by sitting upright, but faking staying awake. I know the Pride of Sisters are still here, but true to their name, they aren''t able to be seen. I walked into Darrien''s office, and received a normal daily greeting, as though I hadn''t just returned from a trip. that''s right, Demeter said no one who lived in the temple would remember me leaving. I handed him the coin purse, and he took the white-gold pieces out, and handed the rest back to me. I put the gemstones in the pocket where Demeter had told me, and walked to my daughter''s sick room, and sat down. as I sit there, Natalie comes in. "Have you been awake all night?" I nod. "There hasn''t been a change in two weeks, step outside and get some rest, if she wakes I will get you." I nod, but don''t move. I lay my head down on her bed, and go to sleep. CH 15: My Defender I was rudely awakened. It was still hard for me to move, but I could move my arms a little bit. over the past couple weeks, between the healing blankets on me, and my own use of my gift, as well as Bridgette teaching me how to use my Ki to heal myself, I was exhausted. I knew I hadn''t gotten a full rest, everything was too fuzzy, and I was being moved, I was in someone''s arms. There were loud sounds around me, as though I was in a battle. Then I heard Mom''s Voice. "Bridgette, take her to the Academy! That will be the safest place for her!" I could tell she was shouting, but it was all muffled to me for some reason. I felt myself being lifted, and I knew I was moving through the air. if Mom trusted this person, then I had no problems doing so either, and started healing myself again. it would probably be another week before I could sit up on my own, but I was bound to have that week go by with me doing everything I could. "Tasha, Stop that. Your gift is interfering with my own. wait until we land, I don''t want to drop you." I heard the voice I had so often the last couple of weeks, teaching me by voice only how to direct my gift and heal myself. At her insistence, I stopped. "Thank you!." she said, and I felt us pick up speed. A few seconds later, we landed, and she told me I could continue what I was doing. she carried me through a few doors, and laid me down. I could still hear the dull thuds of what I could only assume were explosions. I was awake and alert now, but I couldn''t hear, I was still wrapped in a blanket. "Bridgette, what is going on? and what is that?" I heard Mr. Simon''s voice in the room, and my face was revealed to him. "Oh! Tasha! Its good to see you again. its been a month since you came to class, classes were canceled for the week after your attack, hopefully Bridgette here is keeping you caught up." he said quickly. "Dad, now is not the time. The Techs attacked Demeter''s Temple directly. Persephone was still there, and wasn''t happy. AllFather, and Freya came through the Bi-frost, and were helping her, Danielle told me to bring Tasha here." she paused for a moment. I think Thor and Loki are going after the Fortress, while everyone else here protects Tasha''s home. Demeter is the only one not helping, and I don''t know why." "She can''t" I say, and they both look at me. "As long as I am alive, she can''t interfere with things that happen around me, or my family." "What do you mean?" Bridgette asks, then her eyes widen as she begins to speak again. "Your a Champion of Demeter?" she asks; and I nod. she gets excited and starts giggling and then runs up and gives me a tight hug, obviously careful not to injure me again. "It makes so much sense now, as to why there were so many deities that came in to check on you. But, why are the members of my pantheon interested in you as well?" "That I don''t know, but I am fairly certain it has to do with some things I am not allowed to talk about yet." I reply. "And to that, you are correct child." I hear a woman''s voice respond, I don''t know this one, but Bridgette turns and faces it, and drops to one knee, head bowed, her left arm up, as though holding a shield, and her right hand, forming an open fist, had its knuckles on the ground next to her foot. Astral wings, that I hadn''t ever seen before, unfolded from her back, and appeared as though she could jump into flight at a moment''s notice. "Mistress, you grace us with your presence." Bridgette said. "Tasha, we knew who you were, and your original purpose here, and I know that has recently changed. Demeter may not be able to interfere, but I can. she leaned forward, and placed her forehead onto mine. I felt a warmth flow through me, and all of my aches disappeared. I knew this woman healed all of my injuries. she pulled away, and touched my forehead, and a chant flowed through my mind. I didn''t know what it was for, but I could tell, this spell must always be cast with voiceless incantations. I pulled the blanket off of me, and the woman handed me my cloak, and when she did, the knowledge and logic of the runes on it came to me, and I could see the problem with this particular set. it was purposely meant to fade. Support the author by searching for the original publication of this novel. "Child, I am Freya, and I Claim you as one of my own." she held her hand up to keep me from interrupting. "I know you belong to Demeter, and I will not take that from her, I am simply claiming you, so that in your next life, you will be born to me." she touched my right hand, and a golden phoenix appeared under her fingertip. "Now. Go give those idiots who attacked you hell; Bridgette, you are to stay with her, until the Technomagic''s Fortress falls. my other orders still stand, but I do not want her claimed by any Valkyries tonight. Am I clear?" "Yes Freya." she said, and stood. as she stood, her clothes disappeared, and golden armor took their place, in her open hand, a Silver sword with a golden hilt rested, on her left arm, a tower shield formed. her rich brown hair became almost white. the features of her face became more pronounced, she was stunning before, and now, she was distractingly beautiful. "Bridgette, try to keep up." I said as I formed a disc of water under each foot, and froze it. I then started collecting and freezing the water as I needed it, and unfreezing what I didn''t, and gave myself the appearance of flight, and sped back home. I buckled my cloak all the way up as I approached, and pulled my hood back up to hide my face, I forced some of my Zeon through the Idol at my neck, making it bright enough to hide my face. as I descended, I started forming Spears with the ice around me, and began communicating with the vines on the ground to hold those in the Technomage''s white and red armor still. I threw the first spear, and took a life for the first time in two lifetimes. I didn''t have time to think about it, I moved on to the next area, and began using Earth as well as Essence and Water. the spikes shot out of the ground just as the vines had halted another person. I kept at this, until I saw Demeter hovering over the main building, she was just below me in the air. most of these guys weren''t a challenge, even to those on the ground, but I simply dispatched them as I saw them, freeing up those on the ground to aid others. in a period of ten minutes of me joining the fray, I had racked up 52 confirmed kills, all through my spells, but my Zeon was getting low, and I needed to get on the ground. Bridgette had been staying with me, and deflected the few attacks that had made it my way. as my foot touched the ground, I pushed the remaining Zeon I had into the spell Freya had given me, and chanted it in my mind. As I said the words, I could understand their meaning, what its intention was, I kept the chant going, and repeated it three times, then willed the spell into existence. A golden light shown through me, and I felt the area go cold, even through my cloak, as an Ice Phoenix rose from Demeter''s Temple, Frosting the earth around it, but not freezing it. I heard her first scream, and watched her first attack, before I passed out from the lack of Zeon. I put everything I had left into the spell: Frozen Phoenix Defender. CH 16: Exhausted Life always throws us curveballs when we least expect it. My mistress blessing, and claiming, Tasha Heart was one of those unexpected things for me. it doesnt feel like it was only ten minutes ago that I was kneeling to my mistress as she healed Tasha, or that I was given a direct order to prevent this soul from being claimed tonight. Demeter seems to be almost crying at seeing her temple in shambles, but one look at Allfather, and Thor comforting her, I know there is more going on here than most people could fathom in three lifetimes. After tasha cast the Frozen Phoenix Defender spell, the attacking mages scurried back to their floating island; the one that the sisters of Selene had speent the better part of the last two weeks infiltrating. the massive bird, covered in feathers of ice, and bringing frost onto everything here, screamed loudly in the skies above the temple, and if possible, the air became more chilled. I knew this thing was beyond mad, and with Tasha unconcious at the moment, no one could control it.This novel is published on a different platform. Support the original author by finding the official source. I watched as it turned, faced the island, and shot off faster than what the tehnomage''s enchanted armors could propell them. in a matter of seconds, the flying ice sculpture had begun to allow its wings to pass through the huge structures on the top of the metropolis island that, only this morning, was the pride and joy of their society. in a matter of seconds, it was a pile of rubble, listing, and slowly falling out of the air toward the outskirts of the city, all its mooring chains shattered, and swinging violently in the wind. The bird flew back to those of us at the temple, and it landed on the girl''s cloak, then seemed to mold into her. Demeter walked over to the girl, and rolled her over. and did something I had only seen one other time. The godess kissed the girl''s forehead, a sign that the godess is always watching someone, a sign of faith from one of the immortals, to one of us lowly mortals. Demeter''s compassion brought tears to my eyes, and knowing that Tasha is this godess''s champion, tells me she was already watching. she picked up Tasha''s hand, and looked at the symbol of the valkarie commanders was emblazoned on her hand. "it wouldnt be good for you, child, if the world knew your next life was claimed by Freya." Demeter kissed the back of her hand, and the symbol disapeared, but I could sti''ll feel my mistress''s presence on the girl, the mark was still there. Tasha began to stir, and Demeter, ran away from her, and seemed to fade into the trees on the temple grounds. CH17: a bit of learning Things seemed different around the temple since I started to be able to move on my own. Persephone doesn''t hang around as often, but I still see here now and then. Bridgette is the one everyone seems to be worried about though. She is a Valkyrie''s daughter, which makes her one too. I guess that would be a bad thing if I was killedinbattle. Mom has been shoving herbs at me anytime I''m awake these past three weeks. It seems Darrien said I needed to learn healing herbs. This attack scared everyone. I would be lying if I said it didn''t scare me as well. I''ve learned most of the plants she has shown me from Arlan, I''m still having trouble with the ones from our neighbors. Bridgette''s Aunt Syr is supposed to be comming today to help. Apparently one of the jobs of the Valkyries is to administer medicine during battle, as well as honor the dead. Bridgette keeps repeating the Valkyrie''s creed whenever she thinks the priestesses start getting too protective. ''Care for the living; tend to the wounded; honor the dead.'' Sounds like a good mantra to me. Darrien showed me the ledger that he has kept on my expenses. There isn''t stuff like ''food'' or ''lamp oil'' or things like that in it. But it does include stuff like ''Zeon AcademyRunic Society'' and ''Diane''s Apothicary''. He explained that everything dated after the attack has been to try and heal me; when I asked him about all the charges before that, he walked out of the room. "You don''t know what they are for?" Bridgette asked me. I shook my head that I didn''t. "I''ll be right back." She said through a smile. When she came back, she was carrying my cloak, and my ears and tails. "These are what they are for." She said setting them on a nearby table. "You can''t have them right now, the runes will conflict." "So my cloak, and all the ears and tails I didn''t make are all enchanted with Runes?" "Yes. Darrien, Natalie, and Michelle all wanted you to have a normal childhood, so they didn''t tell you about them. You probably didn''t know there was an embroidered oak tree on the back of this." She said as she held up my cloak. "That piece of work has been talked about since you left your name day reading. It left an impression."If you discover this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation. "I knew there was an enchantment on the cloak, but I didn''t know about my ears and tail being enchanted, and, no, I didn''t know about the tree on the back." Bridgette looked calmly at me, "Tasha, this temple has given a lot to you, and even though it''s early, you have to show them that you have been worth every copper crown they have spent on you." I looked away from her, "gold crown." "What was that?" "The ledger only showed gold crowns. Almost a thousand gold crowns have been spent on me since my name day." Bridgette''s eyes enlarged to where I thought they would pop out. "How close to ''one thousand gold crowns'' are we talking?" "Eight hundred ninety three." The slight whistle she made, told me that it was a lot of money. "Look, you''re still pretty young, but even I have to admit that you are much smarter than I would expect, usally currency is taught in your next year of school, but I think you need to learn it now." Bridgett seemed to fidget as she began pulling coins out of a small pouch on her side. little squares that looked like tin, copper, bronze, silver, and gold. "These little square coins are each called a bit, with the iron bit being the cheapest one." she held up the little square that I thought was tin. "its not actually made from Iron, its just what its called. next is the copper bit, ten iron bits make a copper, ten copper, make a bronze," she moved her finger and pointed at the one I thought was bronze. "ten bronze equals a silver, and five silvers equals a gold bit." she reached into her little pouch and pulled out slightly larger metal coins, they were each in the shape of a rectangle. "These are called bars. one bar is worth one hundred bits of the same kind." I nodded that I understood what she was telling me. she reached in one more time, and pulled out a round coin whose diameter was the same as the long edge of the coin called a bar. "This is a hearold. one hundred bars to a hearold." I nodded once more, and she pulled out a piece of tin, that looked like an ingot, but was no longer than her index finger. "And this is a crown, a crown is equivelent to one hundred bars of the same kind." "Alright." I rearange myself some, still not seeing the point, only that the ledger shows that I have cost a few hundred gold crowns. oh. oh dear gods. "by the looks on your face, I can see you just realized it. a single Iron crown can keep a family of four in good clothes and food for a year, as well as have a bit left over.