Cione's Reverie by Wendy T. Lyoness

Author:Wendy T. Lyoness [Lyoness, Wendy T.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2020-08-13T22:00:00+00:00

Ardent

“A month and a half. I think they screwed in my bedroom. There’re blue-green feathers everywhere,” she murmured, barely looked at the calendar as she wrote another note, and focused on the board in front of her.

Sephefah had tried to teach her how to play the game that resembled elven chess, but seemed much more complex and bigger. She’d called it Cione’s Board, or the Peacock Board, but she’d grown bored of Dulcet before she’d gotten halfway through the rules.

She’d risen from her seat on the floor, walked off, and gone to find Xiroah. At least that’s what Dulcet assumed Sephefah had done. It seemed to be what they always did now. Wander off to make love.

She picked a round white piece off the chequered board, studied its pattern, and thought it reminded her of a wheat straw. Why someone needed to mark every round and triangular piece of the game she’d not grasped yet, but they were pretty. They looked like soldiers, workers, peasants, and resources opposing armies might need.

She’d asked whether Cione played this game with her chosen, and Sephefah had said that there were legends of games between Cione and historic individuals that had lasted for weeks. Dulcet wouldn’t have wanted to spend weeks in Cione’s company, but then again, it might have granted her insight into the goddess’ personality.

If she’d somehow managed to beat Cione at this complicated game, would the goddess have surrendered with grace? Or would she have killed her on the spot? Would they have gained new respect for each other?

A thud resounded from the window. She slapped her palm over the pendant around her neck, but when she turned to look, she only saw the darkness of another moonless night.

Last she’d checked, night hadn’t descended over them. It had been afternoon. She must have spent hours distracted by the board in front of her, its pieces, and its potential history. She’d fetched the tome about farming to compare its drawings to the pieces on the board. Other than that, she’d not moved.

Although, now that she remembered she had a body, her stomach growled. She grabbed the tome, rose to her feet, and wondered whether she should bother returning to her own bedroom. She had a bed there, yes, but she might sooner sleep on the floor than among a bunch of feathers.

Perhaps it was a bit strange that Xiroah and Sephefah had filled her room with blue-green feathers, since every feather on Xiroah’s body was grey, but she’d not thought of it earlier. She’d been preoccupied with her studies.

She slid a hand across the multi-coloured garment Sephefah had chosen for her, since no one except those who were dirt poor should wear dull clothes. She’d loved her maroon dress, but she’d exchanged it for the garment without hesitation. The plum purple, sun orange, and death black reminded her of the gods. And how they could both inspire and terrify.

A second thud resounded from the window. She discovered a shirtless man with a feathered, wooden mask staring straight at her.

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