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

CHAPTER SEVEN

Jill never thought of herself as someone fussy about her appearance or overly concerned with products, creams, and makeup. She'd also once heard a statistic claiming a woman spent two years of her life in the bathroom. No doubt she would halve that time if she remained in Pydia because there, she had nothing. The soap and shampoo she used during the bath had both smelled like roses and were mixed possibly with mint. But aside from those two products, there was nothing else. The best Jill had on hand was the lip-gloss she'd found in the pocket of her leather jacket and her hair elastic, which she used to pull her damp hair into a high ponytail.

Nerine had picked out a selection of dresses—all of them sweet, demure, and not to her taste. The fabrics were heavy, utilitarian, and slightly rough. Actually, they looked and felt like lightweight burlap. The best of the lot was a sky-blue dress offset with a tiny floral pattern at the neckline, cuffs, and hem. While the flaring ankle-length skirt was fine, it fit too snugly across her chest. She untied the three lace bows at the throat and pushing back the collar. That helped some, but from the look Jill caught of herself in the bathing room mirror, the overall impression was of a slutty college student off to seduce her math professor. She sighed.

Vashe greeted her upon returning to the sitting room. Jill faltered under her judicious look. Then, "Perhaps some of the other girls might have something you could wear. We can check with them later."

It was all Jill could do not to sigh again. "Good idea."

"As you can see, the Prince's arrival has caused quite a stir." As she spoke, Vashe gestured around the room, offering Jill a look of sympathy at the scene before them. It seemed the entirety of Pydia's female population—or as much as could fit into a single room—had turned out, each loaded with baked goods, sandwiches, or fruit preserves. Every space was occupied and dozens of eyes narrowed to fix on her. Conversations lulled and Jill could see suspicion, curiosity, and even outright fear in many faces. Vashe, Casir, and their family may have welcomed her, but that didn't mean the whole town did. They were happy to see the Forest and Brexten, not her.

Meka burst into the room at a run, holding a frosted, glass square of glowing light in her hands. The square was about the size and shape of a small casserole dish, and the glass panes were held in place by metal framing. From it came a soft yellow light. Eyes slid from Jill to the light and gasps filled the silence. With a flourish, Meka set the box on a table in the center of the room where all could see and stared jumping around it. "The lanterns are working again!" she cried. "I had this one in my closet instead of packed away with the rest. When I went looking for boots for Jill, I saw it hanging there and thought that since the Forest was back, maybe other things were back too. I tried invoking the light and the lantern started to glow! The magic is back! Arianie's brought the magic back to us!"

An explosion of excited shrieks and exclamations followed. Women jumped up to examine the light. Some women even left the cottage entirely, presumably running to their homes to pull out their own lanterns. From her place by the door, Jill watched them forget about her existence as they frantically latch onto Meka's news.

"Sweet goddess, we'll have to test everything to find out what works and what doesn't," Vashe was saying.

"Perhaps it all works!" an older woman close to seventy optimistically spoke out.

"Can you imagine? No more worrying about keeping the fires lit and waiting for the bath water to warm up. What about never running out of hot water? Oh goddess, that would be a miracle," gushed a young woman dandling a baby on her knee.

"The coolers! No more spoiled food and not being able to properly preserve it again!"

Nerine sidled up beside Jill, her face alight with exhilaration. "This means we'll have an even bigger celebration of the Forest's return tonight. It will be a night we'll remember for a long time."