Call of the Goddess: A Bona Dea Novel (Stormflies Book 1) Read Online Free PDF Page B

summon you at that time to meet with him. I trust you're prepared to allow him to enter your mind.”
    “I have nothing to hide, Councilor. I wish you to understand the truth, as improbable as you believe it to be.” Morton observed that Axandra remained calm about the situation, as though she had no doubt what they would find.
    “Very well. We'll proceed. Do you have accommodations? I take it you just arrived in the city.” Nancy eyed the wrinkled dress the woman wore and the stuffed travel bag that rested to one side of the doorway.
    “I came straight here,” Axandra confirmed. “This is a very urgent matter for many people. I'll find a suitable inn in the city.”
    “Nonsense. You may stay here in the Palace. I will have Miri show you to a guest room.”
    Nancy thought the woman about to protest, but saw her think the better of it. Miss Korte appeared tired and in need of rest.
    “Thank you. That is much appreciated.”
    “You're welcome,” Morton said with a snort, still putting on an air of distrust. She turned on her heels and marched from the room. She sent Miri in to see to her guest's needs and returned to her office for a final task of the day. As part of her daily ritual, she cleared her desk of all papers and arranged her personal items suitably on the dark surface. While doing so, Nancy discovered that her staunch disbelief of the young woman's claim was quickly replaced with overall acceptance. This both relieved her, as the office needed filled desperately, and disturbed her. Miss Korte's emanations emitted a pervasive pulse of persuasion.
    Once the task was complete, Nancy left the Palace for her residence.
    +++
    Releasing a breath of great relief, Axandra allowed her shoulders slump as soon as Councilor Morton exited the room. The Head of Council, to her credit, did not allow the prospect of filling the position blindly lead her into accepting the claim. As frustrating as it was to go through the rigor of people stepping into her mind and eying her body, the ritual was also comforting. Not just anyone would be able to pose as the lost Heir.
    And at least the Goddess rested quietly for now, having kept its promise to calm her mind if she came to Undun City. The creature still weighed heavily in her head, a physical weight that strained her neck. She hoped she would get used to the burden.
    Soft pattering footsteps alerted her that someone else approached. Straightening her posture, she made herself ready for another round of questions.
    Miri, the young blonde woman who had greeted her in the main hall, appeared in the Library again and asked that Axandra follow her. The aide moved lithely and quick, every move purposeful. They walked quietly up a flight of stairs in the center of the Palace and turned right into the south wing of the elaborate edifice, where the guest residences lay opposite the Protectress' residential suite.
    Many memories from her childhood returned, things she had long ago buried in her strife to be someone else. She was never allowed in the guest wing, though she had wandered down this corridor a couple of times. She'd been just four or five then. The details were unclear, except for the feelings she remembered, a curiosity about everything and the desire to explore. She used to escape from her nanny and tutor and sneak around all over the Palace, much to their chagrin.
    Antiquities and art lined the corridor, depicting a faraway world from the past. A large painting illustrated a pastoral scene, a picnic of ladies and gentlemen dressed in fine fabrics and buckled shoes. Heads nodded toward each other as though conversing. The grass lay green and the sky soared blue—not the lavender color of this planet's atmosphere.
    Miri guided Axandra to a suite halfway down the corridor and on the east side of the building, where she stopped to open an ornately carved door.
    “We refer to this as the Fairytale Room,” Miri explained cheerfully, her pink lips beaming a welcoming, toothy