Chapter Nine
"It all begins thousands of years ago," said Lady Sherida as I slid out of her. Fara, sitting cross-legged, already began taking more notes. "It was a very different world than anything you would know. Progress was slow. Conditions could be absolutely brutal. Then one day, a woman took the throne of a city. Queen Puabi. When her husband died, she sat on the throne because his heir was but a boy."
"Meskalamdug," I said.
"Meskalamdug the Younger," said Lady Sherida. "Or, as you would put it, Meskalamdug the Second, named after his father, Queen Puabi's dead husband. She defied convention and ruled. It sent a ripple through us Goddesses."
Smoke rose from Fara's journal as her red-feathered quill worked across the page.
"We questioned our Lords, the Gods we were married to. They were not happy." Lady Sherida shook her head. "They were wroth. Their anger at Queen Puabi was great. They moved against her. They wanted to destroy her. To tear her down. So she tapped into a vast magic, the very magic of creation, and seized a secret that was known only to us Gods."
"The secret of the Word," I said.
"The Word is Creation," said the Goddess. "With it, one can work miracles. It was always closely guarded, kept to the male priesthood. It was never supposed to be in the hands of a mere woman who herself
is
a Vessel of Creation. She worked power, but it wasn't enough. The Gods were poised to destroy her, so she came to this world."
"But you followed," I said.
Lady Sherida nodded. "This was a very different world. A universe with different rules. A place where magic was more plentiful. It was so easy to come here, but impossible to return. Think of our world as the pinnacle of a mountain and this world a valley. Easy to tumble down the slope, so hard to climb back up it."
"And here, you co-opted the dragons," Fara said. "Stole their magic and took their elements."
"Thus we became something new," said Lady Sherida. "This world had magic, but no Gods. So we filled that void. We rallied supporters to hunt her down. So what did she do?"
"Summon Champions to protect her."
"And these Champions were given powers of the Word. Of creation to make monster girls, all born from the fertile imagination of Queen Puabi. She dreams of your world often. She follows it. Sees what you are developing, is inspired by it."
"But why did thrusting my sword summon you," said Halia, pointing to the wall where the slot used to be. Now light glowed from it."
"Because I am your sword," said Lady Sherida. "Or, I should say, I was imprisoned in it. The slot destroyed the sword and freed me."
"Why were you imprisoned?" I asked, surprised.
She squirmed. "For still desiring to support Queen Puabi. The Gods realized that their ladies could make the same choice. To upset things, so they imprisoned us in weapons and gave them to their champions. They unleashed them to hunt down Queen Puabi's dungeon builders and stop her from achieving her goal."
"Which is?" I asked. "What does the Incarnation want."
"To be free. To be safe. To be loved. To overthrow the Gods that played so capriciously with men in your world. She lured us to this place, trapped us here, but she is still not free. So she made these shrines with the aim to set us free. You have claimed me, cuckolded my husband, and now you must find the other eleven swords and shrines."
"Where? All the other swords are lost."
"But not destroyed." Lady Sherida smiled. "Seek out priestesses. Look for holy places. The swords are out there. You must free the other Goddesses and let us help Queen Puabi. That's why you were brought here."
I swallowed. It was insidious. The one thing Queen Puabi needed, the Gods made sure she could never have. The swords vanished when their owner was killed, heading to the next person who had their blood. That was how Halia got hers. If I had never befriended her...
"That's why you helped Halia," I said. "Blessed her so she would work with me. Convinced her I was good."
The Goddess nodded, closing her eyes. Her light dimmed. "Find the others." She folded her hands and rested them on her belly. "I have to rest... Sleep... When the time is right... Awaken me."
Her breathing slowed. I stared at the sleeping Goddess, my mind whirling. I had to find not just the shrines, but the missing Blessed Blades. I wanted to cry out in frustration. I had learned so much and felt even farther from my goal.
* * / *
Halia watched as Leo placed the sleeping Goddess on a bed.
The paladin shivered as he carefully set the glowing Lady Sherida on the narrow bed. It was in a small room off the Vault. A place for her to rest until she would be needed. Halia didn't know what to do. Behind her, the others of the harem watched, gathered as Leo had carried Lady Sherida through the dungeon, whispering about it.
Gossiping.
Halia didn't know what to make of this. She felt numb after the pleasure had worn off. She quivered there as her Goddess slept with her hands folded over her belly. Her breasts didn't rise or fall. She didn't breathe. A flutter of panic washed through Halia for a heartbeat or two.
She's not alive,
thought Halia.
