Daughter of Chaos

Chapter Twenty-One

That night, I dreamed of an earthquake: fire and blood, sirens and screams. But I wasn't afraid, and I didn't try to stop any of the chaos around me. In fact, I danced in the street, and each time my foot hit the ground, another tremor shook the earth. When I looked down at my hands, they were stained red, and even as my mind realized I was covered in blood, I couldn't take control of the dream. I lifted a hand to my brow, then brushed it across my lips and my heart. I licked my lips, tasting the metallic tang of the blood, all the while dancing and causing the earth to shake. In the dream, I began to laugh wildly.

I woke somewhere between a laugh and a scream. I sat bolt upright in bed, drenched in sweat. I rushed from my room into the bathroom and shut the door. I examined my face and hands in the mirror under the blindingly bright vanity lights. I couldn't find a trace of the blood from the dream, but when I rinsed my mouth out with a cup of water, my saliva stained the sink red. I gradually became aware of the sharp taste of blood.

I rinsed my mouth again, this time with peroxide, but the spit in the sink was still crimson. Horrified, I brushed my teeth, but nothing could get rid of the metallic tang that filled my mouth. Had some part of my dream been real? The blood in the sink was real enough, unless I'd started hallucinating. I didn't like either option. I was either going crazy or, worse, I was a maniacal killer.

Frightened, I sank to the bathroom floor and clutched my knees to my chest.

"It is a shame, girl, that you are sworn to another. You have the bloodlust to serve me, that is certain!"

I almost didn't look up. Please, I prayed, let that deep, rasping voice be a hallucination. Please don't let me be locked in the bathroom with another goddess. I drew a deep breath and counted to three.

When I looked up, I almost screamed. Perched on the edge of the sink was a grotesque woman. Her lips were stained red, and from the trickle that was smeared across her chin, I didn't think it was makeup. Her skin was the color of campfire ash, and her eyes were wild. But what was even more frightening was her jewelry: a necklace of bones and, draped across her hips, a belt of white skulls. I shut my eyes, willing her to disappear.

She just laughed. "You know better than that, girl. You know who I am."

It wasn't a question, and I nodded. There was no mistaking the goddess who crouched before me.

"Tell me."

I shook my head, not looking at her. I felt the bathroom floor sway.

"You are not stupid. You will do as you are told." Her unspoken threat hung in the air, and my stomach churned.

"You are Kali Ma. You are the destroyer."

She threw back her head and laughed gleefully. The bones around her neck danced, and her belt rattled. My throat convulsed but I kept my eyes down, still not looking at her.

"And you are a Red. Why did you waste yourself, girl? Red magic belongs to me. That goddess you serve is nothing but perfumes and passion. You will not go far in her service."

"But I am sworn."

She waved her hand in the air. "A waste! You would be better at my feet. What work can a goddess of love have for a Witch such as you? With me, you would be unstoppable."

She leaned forward, and I caught a whiff of decay. I started breathing shallowly through my mouth and tried not to grimace.

"Let us make a deal, no? You want more than the bargain you have made. There is a way to unmake your choice."

Suddenly, I remembered Persephone and the pomegranate seeds. I stared at Kali, my thoughts flying. If I could somehow trick her into telling me what to do, maybe I could unbind myself from Aphrodite if I ever got tired of her.