God killer

Mother's wrath

I flinched. Murderer. That's what I had to become to save Amara.

"Yes, Goddess" my mouth said, body still bent in a bow.

"I'll need it freshly sheared, Princess. In return," she continued, her voice turning like curdled milk. "As your prayers have called for, I will raze the armies threatening your country."

I concentrated to keep from trembling as her voice faded and she said no more. A promise to a god was no light affair, and I had already made my first mistake praying foolishly with no set terms, there was no choice but to follow through now. After a long pause, I gathered myself and returned to the palace.

The royal family sat in silence as I delivered the Goddess's words, dinners unattended.

"Did my daughter and heir really just agree to a harebrained deal set by a Goddess?" my mother glared, her eyebrows deep in a frown. The red mark affixed between her brows gave her expression a frightening effect.

I looked down. My siblings and father sat in silence waiting for my mother's anger to escalate or dissipate. My parents shared a trait common to all Amaran parents, to uphold duty and decorum above all else. In my teenage years, I rebelled against the concept of duty, I had thrown tantrums insisting I stay in bed some days like a 'normal Amaran teenager' instead of attending council meetings and the conclusion was always the same,

"What will people say about their heir refusing to attend?" my mother would ask me.

The answer was implied. 'Shirking duty, meant that I was a bad heir, that I didn't care about Amara and that I was no longer worthy of leading them.' Rebelling after that question meant that I would be taken straight to the cane at the end of the day, and I learned to not make that mistake quickly.

I continued avoiding my mother's gaze as she raised her hand and fanned it in a demanding gesture. Her chiming bangles grated on the tension in the room.

"Tell me, who's going to lead the war when you're out playing adventure?" she continued, her voice frighteningly calm.

"You are," I said suddenly, breaking the tension.

"You and father, all seven of my siblings," I continued, not waiting for the fear of my mother to return. "Not to mention the councilors and all the generals reporting to you. You can manage without me for a few months."

"Months? She expects this to take months!" her mother raised her brows as though she was performing to an audience. "Well, what are you waiting for?"

"If you must be off abandoning your duties, might as well get started now. I can't stop you." she said matter-of-factly, gesturing to the door.

There it was, the implication that I wasn't good enough as heir. I met her eyes with calm, this was her favorite tactic. If she couldn't rage me into submission, she would try guilt. This wasn't the time to take the bait, my mother would have to make peace with the Goddess's wishes on her own.

"Thank you for your blessings, Mother. I promise to you, I will end this war," I bowed quietly before leaving the room. She didn't send after me.

Of my eight siblings, Akila and Aman volunteered to journey with me turning up at my room shortly after family dinner adjourned. They defied our mother's orders to never speak to me, quoting that her wrath would be nothing compared to that of a Goddess. For their company, I will be eternally grateful.

To avoid wasting time, we rode out that very night, headed west towards the red soils. Before we left, I made sure to write to my favored councilors and generals expressing the urgency of our mission, hoping they would see my message before my mother got to them. I prayed that the golden spear would be easy enough to find.

As luck would have it, he found us first.