Rune and Ruin

13 - A Cursed Blessing

391 B.C.E. - The Temple Mount, City of Caere, Coast of the Tasurian Peninsula, Spring, Month of Maius

Thania

Obsidian.

Like the male holding tight to my hand, preventing me from venturing any closer to the shattered altar.

I do like the color, muses the goddess in my head.

She is laughing at the destruction. It fills my head, the haunting sound of her humor squeezing out every thought from my mind until my body shakes from the ceaseless noise.

"Thania!" I hear male voices shouting, their familiar cadence devolving into words I don't know, that I can't understand. The surround me, male bodies, calloused hands, and rumbling voices blend into one being as they blur into movement. I had forgotten how fast demon-shifters move.

Strong arms scoop me up and carry me from the temple. The Mount is teeming with frightened voices in the dark. I shrink away from my blindness, disoriented by how deep the shadows are. I blink in the pitch blackness of the night and flinch from my stomach, pitching to and fro.

I feel a familiar weight in my arms and cuddle Leda closer. A voice, my Warlord, tells me to remain safe. A set of lips brushes mine. A different embrace and a whisper of 'my preistess.' A moment later, Velia's scent fills my nose. I hear an unfamiliar voice growl, "Stay," and my friend cuddles closer to my side obediently.

"Thania, sweetheart," Tems croons. I blink, bringing his worried face into focus. "There's my female," he smiles, but it doesn't reach his eyes. Falx and Quintus are gone, their absence leaving me as hollow as Tems's smile. "Breathe for me, sweetheart. Deep breathes. Can you do that for me?"

I nod slowly. Breathe. I can do that. Tems is watching me closely, his eyes narrowed as he assesses me. "I'm alright," I croak.

One swift kiss, and he steps away, talking to other belators while keeping his eyes on me. I clutch Leda closer, bouncing her slightly and absentmindedly soothing her.

The goddess stops laughing, but I can feel her amusement hovering in the air as the moon finally peeks from behind the clouds, bathing the chaotic scene in faint, white light.

"Gods, help us," Velia whispers.

With the terrible laughter gone, my mind clears enough to see and hear the awful sight of the Temple Mount. There are stones and statues in places where they weren't before. Fallen from their perches and the building facades, I realize. The fountain in the center of the Temple to Enlil is gurgling weakly rather than the steady flow it typically has. The pavers in front of Urto's mighty Temple have split, sending a jagged dark line nearly straight down the middle of the Temple's cella.

This is only the damage I can see. More and more revealed as torches are found and lit. My head turns, and I see the city is dark, too, the cries of fear still echoing in the dark streets. No wonder Falx and Quintus left so quickly. The city is falling to ruins. What is happening?

The Earth is shaken, and the Sea is filled with fury. Stand aside or drown, the goddess whispers in the voice from my childhood, the tone of omen and doom.

I am high above the sea here on the Temple Mount, but the dark voice of the goddess isn't one to ignore. Grabbing Velia's hand in mine, I tug her toward the path to the top of the hill, where we watch the boats every day.

"Thania! Stop, Thania! It's dangerous up there; the cliffs and hills are crumbling!"

I ignore Velia's protests. My fear has lent me strength tonight. I have to see the harbor and refuse to let go of my daughter or closest friend. My head aches, and my feet hurt from stumbling barefoot over debris, but I keep going. A large palm rests on my back, steadying me as I rush on. Was there a sense of urgency in the goddess's laughter earlier? Would my goddess truly find this destruction amusing?