Children of the Gods - A Chosen Novel (18 page)

“Turn us around,” Jaxson ordered.

“Sir, if we go back now. We show those who
supported this that they can frighten a God.”

“Look at her, Griff.” Jaxson motioned to me,
still curled up in his lap.

“He is right, Jaxson. We have to go. For
those who did not support this, but more so to show those who did,
that they failed. Otherwise, they will assuredly try again. We have
to show them we are strong, but also merciful.”

The rest of the trip was spent in silence. I
was trying to get a grip on my emotions before we arrived at
Festival. Two conflicting emotions were warring inside me. I
worried what would be done to those who planned the attack, but
that concern was overshadowed by the realization that came when I
saw Nathaniel raise his arm to throw the fire bomb at Jaxson.

That was the only thing that frightened me. I
was not afraid watching Nathaniel run toward me with hatred in his
eyes. When he turned his attention on Jaxson, what my life would be
without him flashed in my mind and I realized I did not want to
survive if Jaxson did not.

The outline of the City came into view,
stirring the strange mix of loyalties in me.

Chapter
24

There they sat. The thrones I hated my whole
life. They were the source of more than one sleepless night before
I was Chosen. A recurrent nightmare now brought to fruition. Only
things were far different than in my dreams, I was not a prisoner,
and the man I was to share the throne with was a man I no longer
wanted to live without.

I stepped off the pedestal, taking Jaxson’s
hand. There was silence as we walked the long velvet carpet to our
thrones. I had seen this tradition enough not to need Anaya’s help;
not that she was helping me anymore. We stood and waited for the
doors of the courtyard to be closed.

“We are pleased to be joining you for the
eight-hundred and first Festival of the Children of the Gods.
However, it is with a heavy heart that I cast a shadow of sadness
on the festivities this year,” Jaxson called out in a loud voice.
Murmuring began in the crowd. Jaxson held up his hand to silence
them.

“There was an attempt on your queen’s life
this morning. As you can see, she is unharmed. We tried to
apprehend the attackers without injuring them. Unfortunately, young
Nathaniel Cooper was not so lucky. He was consumed by his own
fire.”

There was a gasp from the crowd, but no one
said anything. Even I was surprised, not by the news of course but
that Jaxson knew Nathaniel’s name. It made me realize just how
foolish I was, trying never to be seen by the Halorans. When you
have been alive for as long as Jaxson has, knowing he considers the
Children his people. He would have watched them all grow up and
would know a lot more than just their name.

How much did Jaxson know about me?

The crowd quieted and we took our seats.
Several men carried the stage out for the play we put on every
year. It was a comedy, making fun of the Choosing. The only time we
were allowed to make fun of the Gods.

I tried not to cry out when Lizanne walked
across the stage, trying very hard to hide her limp. She had a
crown of flowers on her head playing the part of Queen. Lilies. A
tribute to me? I bit my lip and tried to look unaffected. I hated
to cry and already I had become emotional multiple times.

Niko stood next to Lizanne playing the part
of Jaxson. I could not help but laugh as several young boys wearing
stilts and black clothing took up places as guards. Several girls
and boys lined up in the middle of the stage for the mock Choosing.
Every one of them was a close friend of mine.

This was not something we had ever done in
the past. Casting was always whoever showed up to practice the
first night. This was my fault. I gave them a reason to have hope
at my birthday.

Niko walked up and down the short walkway
scratching his chin and eyeing each girl. He stopped in front of
one and pointed. She started ewing and awing and touching her face
as if she were excited. A moment later she pretended to faint and
everyone laughed. I tried to laugh too, but it did not seem quite
so funny anymore.

Jaxson gave me a nervous look. I smiled the
best, reassuring smile I could. He took my hand and held onto it
like he understood what I was feeling. It was like an anchor
securing me to him, keeping me from being pulled under by the waves
of regret I was feeling.

They cleared the stage away and all the
performers came out and stood in a line in front of us. They all
bowed together, then bobbed off, still tethered together, seeming
in lighter spirits than I imagined the whole time I watched their
performance.

“Are you alright?” Jaxson asked as everyone
began to file out to their individual booths.

“Yes. Everyone seems to be having fun.”

He looked at me and I could sense he was not
buying my answer. He could see through me like no one ever had. It
was more than just the scents my Kincha produced. He could read me,
sense my every emotion. I knew it must hurt him that I was keeping
things from him. However, I could not tell him how hard it was to
watch the people I cared for making fun of the ritual that brought
me him, but took everything else away. It was a bittersweet
exchange.

“Are you ready to leave?” he asked finally,
giving up his scrutiny.

I tried to look shocked. “And miss the
booths? Never!” I feigned horror, though honestly I was really
looking forward to seeing what everyone had prepared this year.
Some people spent all year working on their booths. It was all very
secretive until the day of Festival.

The games never disappointed, and the
craftsmanship displayed for barter, or for selection by the Gods
was incredible.

It was the food, though, that really had my
hopes up. It was unbearably good, though after the food on the
ship, I worried it would not seem as fantastic. This was the first
year I would be able to sample the pork, and I had waited my whole
life to try it. If I could only do one thing at Festival this year,
that was going to be it.

Jaxson seemed tense, but for the first time
on such a difficult day, I actually felt relaxed. I would pretend
we were just another couple sampling all that the Festival had to
give. We walked hand in hand, taking in all that was offered.

“My lady, come try a peach. You will not be
disappointed you did,” Jefferson enticed. He loved fruit, and since
his wife died ten years before, it had become his sanctuary;
spending all his time growing the perfect peaches.

“I must work up an appetite. Then I will
truly appreciate them. Save me one?” I winked.

His face brightened and he plucked two
peaches from the stand. “I will,” he responded, turning to place
them on a shelf behind him.

I turned my attention to a game at the end of
the walk. I looked up at Jaxson and he must have caught the scent
of my mischief because his eyebrow perked.

“What are you dreaming up in that head of
yours?” he asked.

I bit my lip and glanced at my target, then
back at him. “I was wondering if you were daring enough to let me
try to dunk you?”

He looked down the walk at the children
throwing stones, trying to dunk whatever poor sap had been voted
the victim this year. He looked back at me and seemed to be
wrestling with what to do.

“How about we visit some other booths first,
get some food. When you are fully satisfied I will let you take one
shot before we leave. That way, in the unlikely event you are
successful, I do not have to walk around in front the whole town
sopping wet.”

I jumped once, unable to contain my
excitement, and clapped my hands.

“You will be getting wet today,” I whispered,
trying to keep my smile from consuming my entire face. He laughed
and kissed my hand.

We stopped in front of Pimilco, the fortune
teller’s booth.

“A reading for you, Sir?” she asked in the
gypsy speak she had recently adopted. No one from the City had ever
seen or heard a gypsy, or any race for that matter, other than the
Gods. So no one could really call her out, and anyways, it was kind
of fun.

“Oh, please?” I took both his hands and
begged. He started to shake his head but stopped. I knew I had
him.

“Try it please? For me?”

“Alright, I’ll try.” He rolled his eyes but
sat in the chair opposite her.

I stood behind him, draping my hands over his
shoulders. I watched, almost holding my breath as Pimilco set the
deck on the little table. Everyone in the City came to Pimilco
because, in spite of her silly accent, she was incredibly
accurate.

She smiled as she flipped over the first
card. “Ah, The Lover’s,” she drummed her fingers on the table for a
moment. “Your feelings of love and respect for one another have
been reignited of late, no?”

Jaxson reached up and squeezed my hands. Her
eyes caught the gesture and she seemed to glow with the
confirmation. Jaxson looked up at me and I could not help giving
him a peck on the lips.

She flipped over another card and placed it
next to the first. “You have found a passion you have not yet had.
I see it not only in the cards but in your eyes.” Her accent
dropped away for a second but came back as she regained her
composure. “You are on a new journey, a journey of discovery.
Learning things of yourself you did not know, and in turn, finding
a new capacity to love each other.”

She flipped the third card and froze. All the
blood seemed to drain from her face.

“What is it?”I asked, feeling suddenly
foolish for standing in front of someone who sees the truth of
things. She shook her head. I snatched the card from her hand and
looked at it in shock. I knew this card and what it meant. I had
watched hundreds of her readings and had seen the emotions this
card fostered in the eyes of the hopeful, especially when placed
next to the previous card.

She snatched the card back and collected the
two from the table, shuffling them all back into the deck.

“What does that mean?” I asked, feeling
lightheaded and hoping for another explanation, one that did not
match what I believed the card to signify.

“It means that I should not be trying to tell
the fortune of a God. I apologize. This is just a silly hobby I
have, to keep me entertained. That is all it is good for,
entertainment. It means nothing.” She turned on her heels, her long
turquoise skirt swirling around her as she vanished through a
curtain.

“What was it?” Jaxson looked concerned as he
stood and embraced me.

“I do not know,” I lied. I knew he would
sense it but I had no other choice. She was right, it meant nothing
and it was a cruel reminder that we could never have the normal
things everyone else wanted. Even Anaya, who was so quiet lately,
trying not to be silenced, was sympathetic.

He stared at me for a long time, probably
confused at how a card could cause such turmoil. Finally he closed
his eyes and took a deep breath, then opened them with a sigh. I
felt bad that I was causing him pain, but telling him would cause
so much more.

“Hey, there are still so many booths to see
before I get a chance to dunk you,” I said, punching him softly. He
looked at me through skeptical eyes.

“Besides, I am starving. Can we get moving so
I can get something to eat.”

He still seemed unconvinced, but reluctantly
followed as I pulled him towards the one shop I was dying to
visit.

“Try some pork roast, my lady?” Marcus’s
wife, Lena, leaned forward with a large chunk of meat skewered on
the end of a stick, cupping a hand below it to catch any that might
escape.

I leaned in took the bite right from the
outstretched stick. I closed my eyes and enjoyed the tender meat.
Why had I never thought to order this on the ship? I opened my eyes
to both Lena and Jaxson watching me. Lena looked pleased, but it
was Jaxson’s face that held my attention.

“Good?” he asked, sounding as amused as he
looked.

“Marcel must speak with her. Get the
recipe.”

Lena made a little sound of excitement and
bobbed back toward the counter behind her. “Let me get you a
plate,” she called as she busied herself dishing up a bed of rice
for the meat to rest on. She ladled some juice out onto the rice
and placed a fork on the plate.

The smell of the open cooker wafted from the
kitchen, making my mouth water as she waddled back toward us. I
took the plate, eager to get started.

“I will bring you back your dishes when we
are done,” I said, holding up the fork.

“Keep them. I have more,” she said, waving
her hand dismissively.

“Thank you,” I murmured, looking at the food.
She giggled as we turned away to continue along the walk.

“Here, try this,” I said, holding up a fork
full of rice and pork. Jaxson leaned in and took a bite. It was my
turn to be amused as his head bobbed from side to side.

“You see?”

“Yes, I will send Marcel to consult with her
as soon as possible,” he said, looking longingly at my plate. We
took turns feeding each other and the food was gone far quicker
than my hunger was.

We stopped and got two ears of corn from
Wendel. He did not actually grow the corn, but he enjoyed cooking
it and everyone loved eating it. His was one of the most popular
booths since everyone, including those of Choosing age, could eat
corn.

We stopped at a puppet show while we ate our
corn. I laughed a little harder than was ladylike as two of the
puppets got into a fist fight. Jaxson looked at me like it was the
first time he ever heard me laugh. He pulled me close and kissed
the side of my head.

The way he was looking at me quenched my
desire to be there any longer.

“Come, I am ready to go home, so it is time
for you to get wet,” I said smugly, resting my hand a little lower
on his back than was appropriate for public.