DIVINE WRATH

18. Crawl On Skinny Knees

The bane of my existence had the audacity to not die when the dawn came. I was not supposed to have wasted so much time in the Human Realm. My shift at the ROGVAIV funnel had already begun for more than two human hours. Sooner or later somebody would see that something was amiss. No one will miss me in particular, but somebody will observe that my assigned trail remained unchecked for some time.

He was packing back his salts. I was entirely covered from head to toes in shadows. He did not see me. But, he kept throwing glances over his shoulder, as if he could sense me. It would have been impossible. He was mortal. I was too paranoic. I should take it easier.

"Not everybody is there looking for you."

What?

"I would not have such expectations of everybody. Just you."

After the first waves of shock passed, I got a grasp on my senses again. He was not talking with me. Ann was back. Her girl was packing their stand, too, in the background. I moved myself from the edge of the near table where I sat perched for almost a day.

Somewhere along our tedious conversation I had myself leave just to put the human man at ease. I had needed a more optimal medium to observe his movements, especially as he was claiming to sell me-repellents.

"What do you want?"

The girl squinted her tiny eyes at me. Her cheeks were puffy. She kept fiddling with the cloth.

"How old are you?"

Children could see through the slim layers of glamour. If at any point her mother would turn her back, the only think that she would see it will be her daughter talking to the air.

"How old are you? Don't you know that strangers should not stop and chat with children?"

Smart ass.

"I am not chatting with you. I asked you a question."

I leaned on, hovering over her.

"I am waiting for an answer."

"Look, lady, I don't like you. I am going to tell you nothing."

I gasped. The sting hurt.

"Why?"

What was wrong with me? No, wrong question. What would give me away to her?

What was she seeing more exactly? Was she seeing farther than my first layers?

"Why, what?"

"Why don't you like me? Do I look .... bad?"

The girl hopped off the stool. She threw a glance in the direction of her mother. She was still preoccupied with the soon-to-be-dead-mortal. They were filling up the wooden crates. There were almost no more salt figures left out. I had to hurry up, before Ann return to the stand she shared with her daughter.

"Ugly?"

I winced, because yes, my ego was bruising over this issue.

"Oh, no, lady. You have the eyes of a smiling sun."

She must be referring to some coloring books of hers.

"And is that a bad thing?"

I thought that the humans liked the sun.

"Those suns are the suns of winter."

Coldness. I breathed freely. That was almost a compliment. Being cold was not a bad thing. It was praised in my family. Flickers of emotions were permitted as long as they were soon followed by sustainable amounts of frostiness.

"Finished?"

Ann chimed in. The girl dragged her gaze from me to her mother. She looked back and forward. Something settled behind her calculated stare because she silently nodded. She did not point at me.

My heart was breaking for her. She knew that her mother would not believe her if she was to say that a lady hidden in shadows was nearby. That made me wonder, how many strange things did she really saw daily?

"And Max?"

Her mother was almost at the end of the table, her back turned.

"Oh, he will be taking some more time to pack."

What was she talking about?! His crates had been sealed; his table had been cleaned. What was to take him that much?

I fisted my fingers. I was on the edge.

"Is Ukan coming to help him?"

With what? There was nothing left to pack. There had been barely something to pack, to begin with. Truth to his word, those salt figures sold like hot bread in the cold mornings.

"Yes."

Ann shushed her girl. She pressed her large hand on her tiny back and gently pushed her ahead.

Did she say Ukan?

I double checked my covering layers. I looked to my right and to my left, expecting for the devil to rose from the narrowest corner from the slightest crack.

Was there no human related event that did not include us two meeting?

I wished to have a club in my hands. Just to make sure.

He worked in the salt mines. He might as well be behind those rumors that claimed that the salt prevented my divine powers to reach them.

It did not even matter that much if that was the case. The story was more dangerous than the truth, because one well nudged pebble could provoke the avalanche. The power stood in belief. If those people bought more repellents than icons to prey to, they will have me from a goddess to a demon in less than a century.

And that could interfere with my powers. I was bound to my believers, more than they were bound to me. For their united morality counted in some aspects more in influence than my singular restrained power.

"What can I be of help to you?"

The assurance in his voice, the obscenity of his grin as he came with his lantern to eye level.

The twilight did not last for long.

Max grunted a "hello". I stepped several steps back. I did not know what was the exact length to which He will start remembering his divinity. He said that it worked when I was around him, but to how many feet would that count? Ten? Five?

My cover would be blown off. I had to exit my cover. I sidestepped another stall and I almost fell to my knees behind the wall. I said all the right words and I made the right signs. The cover was down.

I breathed in. Let the game begin.

//22.08.2020; 20.57//