Value in Visions by Williams Ali

Author:Williams, Ali
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2022-09-13T00:00:00+00:00

* * *

HEARING her sister’s name shredded any kind of self-control that Aerten had been clinging on to. She launched herself across the room, grabbing Andraste by the pelt and shoving her up against the wall.

“You dare say her name? You whom caused her death? Who caused all of our deaths?” She shook the goddess once, twice, thrice, slamming the back of the goddess’ head against some cabinet with each movement, and would have continued if it hadn’t been for the fact that Andraste was not fighting back.

Andraste always fought back.

She let go and stalked across to the other side of the room, staring out the window and seeing nothing. The silence in the room was heavy, and she knew that only she could break it. The words, when they came, were clipped. Bitter. “What do you want, Andraste?”

The answer was quiet, each word a bite. “Want? I want more things that you could conceive. But I’ll start with my oracle.”

That made Aerten turn around “You shall not have her; I will not allow you.”

“Ahem.”

They both whirled on Rina, who raised an eyebrow. She looked a little pissed off. With both of them. “I’d like to point out that I am not some thing to be argued over. I am a person with my own very definitive opinions about what I shall or shall not be doing. And oracling is not on the agenda for today thank you very much. But,” here she shot a look at Aerten, “‘You shall not have her’? Really?! That’s what you go with?”

There was a pause in which Aerten realised that the question had not been hypothetical. “Oh. Should I not have?”

Rina strode across the room in as large steps as her shorter legs could manage, until she was standing in front of Aerten, folding her arms and furrowing her brow. “Is this some kind of alpha warrior woman thing? Over-protective girlfriend mode or something?”

Aerten blinked a few times.

She could see Andraste over Rina’s shoulder. The goddess moved to sit atop a tall stool and was smirking – smirking – at Aerten.

“I…” she wasn’t sure exactly what it was that Rina wanted to hear, but she would give it a good go. “I was trying to help…?”

The brunette raised her hands to the sky and threw them down again in one swift movement, before going on her tiptoes to kiss Aerten hard. “That’s very sweet, but next time please ask. I don’t need rescuing.”

“Well actually-”

“Shut it.” Her voice was suddenly frosty as she rounded on the goddess and Aerten was relieved that she’d only gotten a mild rebuke. She never wanted to hear Rina use that tone with her. It was more than a little scary. “I’m done with you today. I’m still pissed off and all you’re doing is stopping me from doing the things I want to do. I don’t like that. So kindly fuck off.”

And to Aerten’s astonishment, the goddess did. One moment she was there, and the next she was nowhere to be seen.

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