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"It's been quiet." When I first heard Viola speak in person, I was surprised that her voice was pitched lower than I expected, with this raspy,grating quality that sounded just as rough as her exterior. Now, that voice wraps around me like a warm blanket and brings me serenity.
I wrap my arm around her shoulders and tug her closer to me. "Is that a bad thing?"
"I feel like we've had a couple of uneventful days, is all." She looks up at the sky, eyes drifting closed as she exhales. "It just seems like we're about to stumble into something big unknowingly."
"You're about to summon three Gods, so yeah, I would say that's something big." I tip my head back, looking at the stars that dot the night sky.
Without looking at me, she places her hand atop the one I have on her shoulder. "Are we sure that this is the right thing to do?"
"What other choice do we have? Are you going to take out Himureal and be the sole God for all of Ytopie?"
"Fuck no," she says with a laugh. "That sounds like an awful plan."
I don't think it would actually be that awful, especially now that Viola has pieces of each God, but I keep that sentiment to myself, knowing she would not agree with me. "Right, so then we have to bring the other Gods back and reinstate things as they were, with you in Himureal's place."
She angles her body into mine, her white hair tangling between us, and her loose black blouse falls off one of her shoulders. "But they banished Himureal because he didn't want to forcehumans into devotional servitude."
"According to Himureal," I remind her.
"According to Himureal." Sighing, Viola slumps against me, pressing her body against mine. Her warmth is so incongruent with her icy hair and storm-cloud eyes, and I can feel her melt into me.
"The journals never gave the full story, just that Himureal was going to ruin things, essentially," I add. "Zeph read through them all. I think we're doing the right thing."
"Okay, then we'll do it. Tomorrow, we'll do the first ritual." Shadow, that creepy fucking snake, slithers over from wherever he is hiding and twists and climbs up Viola's body, wrapping around her neck. She doesn't even react to the moment.
Shoving to her feet, Viola brushes dust from her gray linen pants and holds her hand out to me. I take it, letting her haul me off the ground and exaggerate the motion to fall into her body, capturing her mouth in a kiss. She melts into me but eventually pulls away from me with a sigh.
"We should get some sleep. Tomorrow, we summon a God."
The only way to be successful is sacrifice. Giving up something most valuable proves your dedication to prosperity, and will be rewarded ten fold when it is time for harvest. Even through storms, your giftwill be recompensed.
I read the passage over and over from my seat in the amphitheater. Viola stands down below in the middle with Zeph and a small table. "Are you two sure?" I call down.
There is no crowd gathered to watch. We all agreed that since we do not know how this is going to go, it's best if we keep the audience minimal. Plume sits beside me, wearing a breezy green dress and her hair restrained in a braid.
"You found a dress?" I ask her, shocked.
She blushes and nods, not making eye contact with me. "Jaz found it on the ship."
"Oh, they just happened to find it, did they?" Tulip says, flopping down on the bench next to Plume. Her wild hair is piled on top of her hair today, and she wears a light blue blouse and brown trousers. Morrow lowers himself down next to her, cradling his stump with his right hand. His broad chest strains the burnt orange tunic he wears. His braids have been artfully plaited together into one thick braid down his back.
I wonder who helped him with that.
Plume doesn't respond to Tulip, instead turning her attention to Viola and Zeph, who have ignored my question.
"Walk us through this, please," I try again.
Viola sighs heavily, but Zeph nods and faces us. "From what we can gather, the catalyst of this ritual is to sacrifice something of great value to you to get the 'reward.' We're assuming the reward is the God."
Nodding along, I read the passage once more,dragging my finger along the aged paper. "That makes sense. It's a strong interpretation."
"The second half is easier, I think," Zeph continues. "'Even through storms, your gift will be recompensed.' I think the spell for this ritual is a large storm."
"Are you comfortable with Water?" I ask Viola. "I know you haven't used it much."
"I think I'll be okay," she replies with a shrug. "I can feel it just like all the others."
"What about the 'when it is time for harvest' part?" Morrow asks, resting his elbow on his knee.
