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Unravel the threads of fate.
It is written in blood.
One of Her kind will betray Her.
In a world where mortals are at the whims of the capricious
gods, a prophecy foretells treachery committed by one of their own, leading to
the inevitable downfall of the once-mighty Titans. The Great Goddess Rhea,
seeking retribution, dispatches Her vengeance goddess, Becuille, to the land of
Hatti. She is charged with the daunting task of uncovering the origins of star
metal, a substance fatal to the old gods, and finding the enigmatic Destroyer.
Disguised as a human slave in the royal palace, Becuille
finds herself entwined with her master, Prince Callileon, plunging both into a
treacherous world of power-hungry gods, formidable magic, and widespread
betrayal. As tension mounts and loyalties are tested, Becuille faces an
impossible choice between duty to her goddess and the stirrings of forbidden
love for Callileon.
Warning: Of Gods and Vengeance is a Greek tragedy
featuring star-crossed lovers set in an era where slavery and human and animal
sacrifice were commonplace.
Excerpt:
Dazed by the relentless, blinding
sun, she stumbled and fell. Laughter erupted from the crowd. Becuille pulled
herself up and brushed dirt from her knees as best she could with shackled
wrists.
The slave trader cast her a lewd
grin, raking his kohl-lined gaze over her body. He stroked her bare thigh. “She
is a bit clumsy, but this maiden is skilled in the arts of love and augury. Her skin is on the fair side,
but she is worth the high price
I ask for her. She comes from the mysterious island in the Aegean
called Crete. Just look at how flawless
her skin is, and her ripe
breasts are like succulent apples.”
People had exclaimed awe when he’d mentioned
she was from Crete. He tugged
her tunic down, revealing one of her breasts to the mostly male audience.
His skin smelled foul like rotten fish. She pulled her chin up, recoiling
from his dirty touch.
For her ears only, he whispered as he covered her exposed
breast, “I have to sell you to the palace as your mistress wished. They only want the
best.”
Wincing at his terrible breath, she
stood still and allowed him to play his part. This was a new experience for her
and already she despised slave traders and how they treated
their merchandise. This one had been overpaid for his services, but it was important that she be sold into the palace.
She gave him a hard look, certain
the greedy Egyptian
had raised the price for her to make himself even richer in
silver shekels.
“Do not let her shyness fool you. Though her maidenhead is ruined, she has more important
skills, and she is still young and nubile.”
He leered at her, and she suppressed the urge to strike him. “She is truly a rare gem in the bedchamber, and
she is an augur who can speak many languages. Her talents do not end there for
she has the singing voice of a goddess, most enchanting. Thirty shekels and she
is yours.”
The slave trader moved on to
another of his prized slaves, a young Nubian man with skin as black as a moonless
night. Selling his wares, the Egyptian continued addressing the
crowd in the blistering heat.
Becuille turned her attention
to a tall young man wearing a clean
white, gold-trimmed tunic who watched her with intense blue eyes. His combed
hair gleamed like shimmering wheat in
the blazing sun. He wore a barbaric close-cropped beard and mustache, but his facial hair gave him a masculinity that strangely intrigued her. Royalty
swirled around him like the brightly
colored feathers of a cuckoo.
He stood much taller than the men she was accustomed to on the island, and with his golden hair, muscular arms and
thighs, he resembled an invincible sun god.
So,
this is the land of the Hatti, brutal invaders
of the lands of the Great Goddess.
Hmm. This tall man did not seem brutal. She returned his penetrating
stare, forgetting that a slave should always keep her gaze lowered in
submission.
“Do my eyes deceive
me or do I see a striking
maiden with the untamed
spirit of a spring mare?”
He spoke in the strange
Egyptian tongue. Grasping
her chained hands, he forced her closer to him.
His sheathed sword brushed
against her thigh,
causing a curious
quiver in her lower regions. If she could break her shackles, she would have pulled
away from him. The feelings he roused frightened her. Were unbridled emotions always present inside mortals? She felt a
sudden twinge of pity for them.
He continued to look intently at
her, compressing his mouth, as if awaiting her response.
She realized he was testing her. “Your eyes do not deceive you. This spring mare will not be so easy
to tame,” she whispered, answering him in the Egyptian tongue.
He stood so close to her she could
smell his manly perfume of wood smoke, leather, and spices. She caught a whiff
of sandalwood, which further aroused her. Biting her lower lip to quell her
unwanted emotions, she reminded herself why she came here as a slave to this
sweltering land.
His eyes burned into hers, glinting
with arrogance. “Hmm, we shall see about that.”
“I
am a freeborn woman, lord,”
she said, unable
to hide her sneer.
Her anger rose unchecked, and she forgot
her place here as a humble slave.
His insolent nature intensified her ire as well as her lust.
“These chains indicate otherwise.” He stepped back, his chin
and shoulders lifted in a show of superiority. “I will take this one,” he said to the slave trader,
speaking again in his own language and handing him a bulging, jingling
bag.
The Egyptian untied the leather bag and inspected
the silver shekels.
“After a long bath, she will be
presentable to the House of Suppiluliuma,” the golden-haired man said.
Seething inside, Becuille tried
to ignore his insolent comment,
keeping her eyes lowered and away from his penetrating, and she was
certain, mocking gaze. Was he still testing her? Did he want her to forget she
was a slave and lash out at him? His peculiar behavior puzzled her. She kept
her gaze lowered, hoping he would be her first connection to finding Celmis. So
far the plan was working. She was on her way to the royal palace. A small
triumph on this frustrating day.
