Earth's Paladin by Eve Langlais

Author:Eve Langlais [Langlais, Eve]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Eve Langlais
Published: 2024-03-13T18:30:00+00:00

Chapter 12

Circe lived. The shock of it rooted Daphne.

Mother, why didn’t you tell me?

No answer. Then again, what could the Earth Mother say that would forgive this betrayal?

A seething Daphne faced the witch who’d trapped her for centuries. “I am going to kill you!” A threat without any power because the iron cuffs kept Daphne weak.

“Me? Shouldn’t you be mad that your precious Mother would leave you stuck in that tree for so long? I mean, how hard is it to break a curse?” The witch tapped her chin and pretended to think. “Oh, that’s right, very hard when it’s tied to a ley line that’s constantly feeding it.” She cackled an ugly sound that didn’t match her exterior.

While centuries old, Circe still appeared in her prime, her golden hair hinting only lightly of silver. Her face was mostly smooth but for a few lines by her eyes and forehead, her trim figure tall and straight.

“Thanks for the rest. I needed a break,” Daphne lied.

“Oh, how lovely. Pretending you don’t have a burning hatred for me.” Again, Circe giggled nastily. “I’ll admit I had a feeling when I felt my spell finally snap that you’d come for vengeance. I put out word that any dryads spotted in the area should be brought to me.”

“You’re the one who corrupted the Cryptid Authority.”

“Didn’t take much. Kidnap a few family members, kill a few to show I’m serious, and it’s amazing how much they’ll ignore in the hopes I won’t eliminate the rest.”

The prideful taunting had Daphne wishing for something sharp to jab in her ears so she wouldn’t have to listen. The witch had no remorse, only arrogance. But she must also have a plan. What happened here wasn’t by accident.

“You’ve been poisoning the land,” Daphne stated.

Circe waved a hand. “An unfortunate side effect to my experiments.”

“Experiments to do what?”

“Become a goddess, of course. I’m so close. I’ve managed to defy aging and sickness. Even regrew a hand after an incident.” Circe held up the limb and twisted it to show off. “At this point, I’ve amassed so much magic the next logical step is divinity itself.”

“You can’t make yourself into a god,” Daphne exclaimed.

“Why not?”

“Because gods aren’t created.”

“Then where do they come from?” Circe countered.

“Nowhere. They’re divine. They just are.” Daphne had never wondered before.

“Are they, though? Or are they simply beings who found a way to push their power to the next level?”

“Even if they were, what does that have to do with the people you’ve been murdering?”

“I need their souls.” A mad light danced in Circe’s gaze. “The idea occurred to me as I was torturing a hitchhiker. When he died, a burst of energy was expelled from his body, and it made me think of the gods and their quest to be worshipped. ‘Why?’ I asked myself. Why would they care if anyone believed in them unless it conveyed extra power? Only, what power? Humans have none. Belief is a feeling, not a tangible thing. The only thing a non-cryptid has is a soul.

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