Total pages in book: 151
Estimated words: 147649 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 738(@200wpm)___ 591(@250wpm)___ 492(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 147649 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 738(@200wpm)___ 591(@250wpm)___ 492(@300wpm)
And suddenly, there are four little red-capped sparrows flying around Ostanes’ head in a circle.
“We did not agree to this!” Ptah is outraged. He stands up, practically shooting daggers at Ostanes with his eyeballs from across the room.
Ostanes waves a hand in the air. “We didn’t agree to your little key stunt, either.” She snaps her fingers and the four birds fly to us girls and land on our shoulders.
“What does this mean?” Zeus asks.
“It means,” Saturn says, “that the birds contain the magic of the gifts.”
“What?” Cronus—who is a mean-looking guy anyway—stomps over to Ostanes with his hand open. Like he might wrap it around her throat. “Take it back.”
“No.” And I have to give Ostanes credit here. Her ‘no’ is firm. “There has been trickery in this room.” Her eyes slide over to Ptah, who glares back. “The purpose of the gifts is to equalize you. And your gift”—she’s talking to Ptah—“unbalanced everything. So I will lock it up. None of these girls will use their gifts unless they can figure out how to release it from the birds.”
I let out a long breath and for some reason, it comes out loud. Loud enough to make everyone look in my direction. Even the other girls.
“Sorry,” I mutter.
A moment later the protests resume, the room filling up with angry accusations.
But things are starting to make sense for me. This is where Pia came from. This is how I got the power over the rings. Saturn could be my father and Ostanes could be my mother, but it’s far more likely that it happened the way Pell told it.
Whatever us lion-girls are, we are a product of science, not love. And if Ostanes is my mother, she is the mother of these girls too. Because I am certain that we are just a consequence of her alchemy.
I’m guessing that each of the twelve doors I saw had four gods in succession inside. I’m not any kind of god expert, but if Ptah, Cronus, Zeus, and Saturn are in this throne room, then there is another throne room with other sets of successive gods. Apollo, or whoever. Venus, maybe. I really don’t know any Egyptian gods. Ra, or something. And the only other Titan I remember from school is Rhea.
But it doesn’t matter if I can name them. I’m certain this Caretaker Ceremony has something to do with… equality.
So it’s possible that Ostanes is the only mother alchemist. Possible, but not likely. I’m guessing she’s in charge of us four. And each room filled with damaged gods has their own alchemist who is doing the same. Producing chimera offspring to use in a war of power.
In fact, maybe Pell’s divorce story—which always sounded kinda stupid, if I’m being honest—is true? Surely Juno is in one of these other rooms. And maybe she and Saturn really did have a thing and now they are in some kind of chimera-monster war?
It would not surprise me. I mean, the Egypt guy just fucked everything up by giving me a bag of magic doorway rings. Is it so outlandish that the gods in other rooms would be warring and plotting in a similar way?
Power corrupts. And absolute power corrupts absolutely.
This whole production is a way to spread the power out and create a game. To give them something to do, maybe?
They are old gods. Unnecessary gods. But they are still gods. And for whatever reason, their influence needs to be equal.
Like this is some kind of… treaty.
Yep. I like this reasoning. It feels very close to true.
But, of course, we’re talking about gods here. So I’m not really surprised that no one seems to be playing by the rules.
Suddenly, the room is quiet again. All the yelling has stopped. Like the gods and the alchemist have reached some kind of agreement.
And I wasn’t paying attention. Good job, Pie.
Little Pia snuggles up against my neck and I am filled with warmth. Then Ostanes claps her hands. “Let’s go, girls. Your big sisters are waiting to give you away.”
At this point, I’m ready to go. I understand the rings, I understand Pia, and I think I even understand the gods. So why keep going? I already lived the life that comes next. I’d much rather be back in the forest with Pell’s arms around me so we can talk all this shit out and make a plan to go forward.
What’s the point of visiting the past, anyway? It’s dumb. And do I really need all the details of how the devil stole me?
6
The three other girls and I leave the gods behind and fall into a single line behind Ostanes. There are other short parades, just like ours, coming out of other doors. And I feel pretty proud of myself for getting this right. Because each is led by an older woman who is probably an alchemist.