In the Shadow of the Goddess (Book 1 of The Fallen Gods Trilogy)

CHAPTER SIX

Jill decided to approach Pydia with an open mind, not sure if she should expect a squalid hamlet beaten down by poverty or a bustling pioneer village. She got neither.

To get into the village proper, the horses crossed a well-tended wood bridge that spanned a swiftly moving river. Along its bank, she glimpsed a sawmill with an enormous water wheel in constant motion. Copper piping was fitted intricately into the building and the ground, and a trailing plume of white smoke puffed from two chimneys in the roof. Once over the bridge, the horses clomped sedately over a hard packed dirt road.

Then she got her first look at the village. Actually, it was more than a village. Pydia was a organized collection of sturdy homes, storehouses, and barns. Jill bobbed about behind Brexten, trying to see everything. Though she didn't immediately see familiar things like stores or banks, she did glimpse small shops and well-tended buildings that might possibly be motels, or even lodges. And she thought she might have seen a small church or a temple—if the stained glass, statue of a serene young woman, and ornate flowers beds bursting with color were any indication. In the distance roamed herds of grazing cattle. Beyond that, she noted patchwork tracts of farmland harvested for the fall. Pydia truly bordered the edge of the Forest, marking an obvious boundary between it and the civilized world.

"Sit still," Brexten advised her over his shoulder. "You're going to unseat us both."

"I can't help it. I've never been here before so let me gawk like a tourist. And before you ask, a tourist is a person who visits new places simply for the thrill of visiting."

"And do you think Kachine intended you to be a tourist?" He sounded amused.

"I have no idea what she intended. Just let me enjoy the view before I figure that out."

"Then enjoy away, my lady."

Tipping her head back, Jill tried to track the source of the shrieking, delighted laughter above them. Then she saw it: children. They swung precariously from tree branches, calling out nosily to the passing riders. She envied their freedom, that ability to relish every moment despite so many obvious dangers. Why can't I be more like that? Why do I have to be so afraid of everything all the time?

Ahead at the town's center, and solidly located on the ground, loitered the adults. They murmured excitedly, heads tilted to look up at the trees in awe.

"They really missed the Forest," Jill whispered to Brexten, amazed. "It's obvious how much this means to them. I'm glad we had some part in bringing it back."

"As am I. Pydia exists solely to serve the Forest of Arianie. Without it, the Sahen'chi really have no reason for being. It's a symbiotic relationship. It's said there are no people in the known world, not even the priestesses, who have a closer bond to Arianie than the Sahen'chi. These truly are her people."

Wow. To have a personal connection to a goddess...Jill shivered at the intriguing thought.

Finally they reached the waiting crowd, slowing the horses to a walk before stopping. Casir dismounted first, then offered a hand to Jill. Brexten slid from the saddle beside her. She stole a look up at him. Obviously at ease, he grinned so widely, not even his matted beard could hide it. Jill clasped her hands and waited for whatever might happen next.

First came the curious stares. Then, recognition with its startled gasps and whispers as Jill heard Brexten's name ripple throughout the assembled. So, more than a just prince, Brexten was their prince and apparently, they adored him. She shot him another speculative look. How did this new side to him fit into her overall opinion? Don't know. I'll figure it out later.