“I don’t know! I don’t know what the hell that stupid Anat is doing!” the moans and wails of a woman could be heard as she sat upon a throne composed of two golden lions.
“I already told you. She’s a sadist, and she’s probably taking her sweet time,” another woman said, standing to the right of the woman on the throne.
“But it’s already been more than three months, Baalat!” shouted the woman on the throne. She had very pale skin and wore a purple-haired wig. Her clothing left very little to the imagination.
“Are you saying our sister was beaten by a handful of barbarians in Vinland, Astarté?” asked the standing woman. She wore a crown shaped like a golden sun and a long white dress.
Astarté and Baalat had been left in charge of Lel’s administration while their sister had gone out to amuse herself with a hunt. However, more than three months had already passed since Anat had left.
“Your Majesty Astarté!” said one of the malakim guards. “We have received a petition from Jupiter regarding the reward he was promised for Christianizing Denmark.”
“Your Majesty Astarté!” said another malak. “Veles requests a meeting with you concerning Rus.”
“Enough!” Astarté shouted nervously.
“Your Majesty Astarté!” shouted another malak. “Belenus continues reporting movement in Yggdrasil.”
“Enough, please,” Astarté said nervously.
“Your Majesty Astarté!” said another malak. “Al-Lat has once again requested an audience with you.”
Astarté clutched her head tightly and screamed at the top of her lungs.
“I SAID ENOUGH! I CAN’T DO EVERYTHING AT THE SAME TIME!”
The malakim bowed and withdrew. Astarté could only sit back down on the throne, completely frustrated.
“Damn Anat,” the sensual Phoenician goddess said. “How could she just leave when things in the world are messier than ever?”
“Relax, Astarté,” Baalat said. “As long as Athena is our prisoner, we still have an advantage over any rebel group. With her fallen, they know that even without our sister here, we are still the most powerful kingdom.”
“But we can’t execute her until Anat comes back,” Astarté explained melancholically. “Rumors might start spreading that the one we captured is a double, or that we didn’t actually capture anyone at all.”
“All right, all right. I’ll go look for her,” Baalat said. “But that bitch is capable of killing me if I get in the way of her hunt.”
“But she has to understand that this is not the time to play around,” the Phoenician goddess of fertility replied.
Baalat then prepared to leave, when suddenly, the sound of hundreds of trumpets echoed throughout the sacred precinct.
Four monstrous beings with six pairs of wings, seeming to burn like bonfires, appeared floating near the ceiling of the precinct. All of them held trumpets in their hands. Their faces were hideous, for they possessed the faces of humans, bulls, lions, and eagles. In addition, their bodies were coiled by a gigantic serpent, and they had eyes all over their bodies.
Reading on Amazon or a pirate site? This novel is from Royal Road. Support the author by reading it there.
“They are Father’s seraphim,” Astarté said nervously.
“We have come to inform you that Lord El wishes to see you at this moment,” the four beings said in unison.
The goddesses turned pale, but accepted.
Behind the throne was a gigantic purple curtain beyond which no one could enter, only the elohim, that is, the children of El. The two goddesses swallowed and crossed the curtain. At that moment, they were teleported to a world with a golden sky and clouds that shone like gold.
There was a gigantic golden staircase where malakim similar to the seraphim ascended and descended. The staircase was so tall that its end could not be seen.
Before that divine presence, both goddesses removed their sandals and walked barefoot to the foot of the stairs. Angelic sounds, yet at the same time eerie ones, could be heard throughout the entire precinct.
“Father El, we have heard your summons through the Seraphim. What do you require of us?” Baalat asked while remaining on her knees, almost trembling on the ground.
“My daughters,” someone’s voice was heard, though his face could not be seen. His voice sounded tired. “I have awakened after sleeping for some years, and I decided to look upon the universe to see how you are carrying out your duties.”
“We have worked very hard to keep Lel as the most powerful divine kingdom, thanks to you,” Astarté said.
“By the way, where is my daughter Anat?” El asked.
The two goddesses grew nervous.
“She… went hunting in Vinland,” Astarté said nervously. “But you mustn’t worry about her. You know your daughter is a free soul.”
“Of course. She is not with you,” El said. “SHE IS NOT WITH YOU BECAUSE SHE HAS BEEN CAPTURED IN YGGDRASIL, YOU USELESS PAIR OF ASSHOLES!” the omniscient god then shouted, making both goddesses sweat.
“What is she doing in Yggdrasil?” Astarté asked nervously, when suddenly, she was thrown to the floor by an invisible blow, causing a great deal of blood to pour from her mouth.
“THAT IS YOUR FUCKING JOB!” El shouted furiously.
“Father, forgive us… we will take care of our sister,” Baalat said worriedly.
“If she was captured because she is weak, I have no interest in having her rescued,” the supreme god confessed. “However, an event awakened me from my sleep. Something far more important.”
“What event is that, Father?” Baalat asked, while Astarté got back on her knees and bowed before her father again.
“There is a young man named Rodrigo,” El said. “I want you to stop everything you have planned and kill him.”
“Rodrigo?” Astarté asked.
“He is the young man Tania found,” Baalat replied.
“Father, we discovered that this subject has tannin blood, but we doubt he is a threat,” Astarté confessed, only to receive another invisible blow from El.
“FILTHY WHORE, DO YOU KNOW HOW TO DO ANYTHING OTHER THAN ARGUE?” El shouted furiously as he watched his daughter, covered in blood, tremble in fear on the floor.
“Father, forgive my sister’s discourtesy,” Baalat interrupted. “We will search for that boy and kill him.”
“Very well, Baalat,” El replied. “I shall return to sleep once more. I will likely awaken near the year 1000 of the human calendar. I expect that, by then, Rodrigo’s head will be right here before my throne.”
“Do not worry, Father,” Baalat replied nervously. “We will even hold games in your honor.”
“Good. That is all,” El replied.
At that moment, the dimension where they stood disappeared completely. The two goddesses appeared once again in the chamber where Anat’s throne stood.
“Well, looks like now we really do have urgent work to do,” Baalat said while watching Astarté force herself back to her feet.
“We have about thirteen human years to kill this Rodrigo person,” Astarté said. “I don’t think we need to make him such a priority yet.”
“No, but I’m sure that guy will show up soon, since he was part of Orniskem’s group,” Baalat said.
Then the goddess with the sun crown turned around.
“Baalat, where are you going?” Astarté asked, confused.
“Isn’t it obvious? I’m going to rescue our idiot sister,” Baalat said.
Astarté nodded and wished her luck.
As the goddess left Lel and flew through space, she became absorbed in her thoughts.
How was it possible that her sister had fallen into that prison in Yggdrasil? she wondered. Although she knew that world very well, since it was there, two years earlier, that she had rescued Loki.
“Is it possible that, without us realizing it, the gap between our power and that of our rivals has shrunk?” the Phoenician goddess asked herself, but she tried not to think too deeply about it.