A Curse of Crows: The internationally acclaimed romantasy with a female villain origin story by Dedroog Lauren

Author:Dedroog, Lauren
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Orion
Published: 2024-09-19T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter 16

Diana

Aerelia, Eiran’s palace

Present day

I stared at my reflection in the tall mirror while Asra put my loose waves up in a braided half up-do for Summer Solstice. Today was the longest day of the year, a day to worship Zhella. Yet her sister’s moon would shine at its brightest tonight.

I’d learned that Keres had indeed been married to Zhella for a short while before he’d left with Antheia, still bleeding from the lashes Eiran had put on her back. Yet Eiran hadn’t been the only deity who’d been absolutely vicious. Khalyna had targeted her plenty as well.

‘Ever since her death, Khalyna’s made it a hobby to hunt vesperae down,’ Asra told me while she wove a golden ribbon into my hair. ‘She got me as well, though Aestor intervened before she could kill me.’ I ached for her, for the horrors Khalyna had put those sweet nymphs through.

‘Winter Solstice used to be a night where we celebrated our Lady but now Khalyna uses that night to haunt us. But we are rather stubborn.’ Asra smiled at me through the reflection of the mirror. ‘So Keres guards us every year. We are not to leave his side then, so he can watch over us while we honour our goddess.’

It was strange to hear someone speak about Antheia and Keres with such respect and reverence. Like Keres was a hero in their mind instead of the villain the mortals crafted him to be. Hearing a nymph speak about a god with such fondness was surprising as well. Gods often viewed nymphs as nothing but servants or courtesans and most used the words nymph, servant and whore interchangeably.

Eiran blessing my mother hadn’t been out of the goodness of his heart. Turning his rival’s dyad into a pretty little nymph had been a subtle way of ridiculing her. Though my mother had laughed the loudest when she’d ordered Ascredia to give her more. She’d scraped her nails over the swirling æther in that pond, digging in deep. She’d demanded her due and received it, and when she’d recounted the experience to me, she told me she could’ve sworn Ascredia had laughed at Eiran.

I met Asra’s gaze through the mirror. ‘It must hurt horribly to have lost her. To have lost so many.’

Asra’s face grew sad while she nodded. ‘Antheia couldn’t bear a child because Eiran cursed her but she always considered us to be her children. I still hear her soft laughter in the night air. I feel her soothing presence whenever I grow scared or sad, as if she’s still holding my hand. No one’s sure what happens to a god when they die.’ She finished braiding the ribbon and smoothed her hands over the golden silk of my dress. ‘What we do know is that she entrusted us to Keres before she died. Eva looks after us as well, both because she’s our Queen and to honour her friend. We still sense our Lady in each other and we like to believe that somehow, she still watches over us.

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