eyes narrowed. "What message?"
"The message is for him," the blonde gestured at Seth.
Seth looked at her.
"We respectfully request your presence," the blonde said. "To escort the goddess across the playa this afternoon, to be her champion for another day."
"The who?" Cecilia scowled. "Who the hell is this goddess?"
Seth frowned.
"Seth?" Cecilia demanded. "Who is she?"
He sighed. "She's the woman I was with last night."
Cecilia stared at him in horror, then rage.
"It was just a kiss."
"It doesn't look like it was just a kiss."
"I'm sorry if I hurt you," he said, looking her in the eyes. "I mean that."
"You're sorry?"
"Yes."
"You're sorry!" she yelled at him.
"It isn't working between us. It hasn't been for some time. I think you know that."
"And that's your excuse?"
"No. I'm not making excuses."
"Oh, okay. You're just breaking up with me."
"I'm asking you to be honest about what you want."
"I'll show you what I want!"
Rising from her chair, Cecilia batted off his cowboy hat and slapped him hard across the face, leaving the skin stinging. Grabbing the bottle of water, she took it with her as she stomped off into the RV.
The blonde waited, a soft smile playing on her lips.
Seth nodded, rubbing his hand once over his jaw. "Please tell Miranda that I'll be there in a bit."
* * *
Miranda woke on the altar, drawing a deep, desperate breath. She winced in pain. Her muscles ached, her body feeling heavy and her mind sluggish. She swallowed dry air and pushed herself up from the surface of the altar.
Someone had been there with her.
She was clothed in a flowing dress of opaque white fabric, heavy bracelets on her wrists, a thickly jeweled necklace at her throat.
Pressing her lips together, she slid off the altar and glared at her reflection in one of the polished metal panels. They had applied shimmering paint to her eyes, threaded gold strands through her hair.
"You're ready," Julie stood in the doorway, looking pleased. She had abandoned the dark cloak of the previous night in favor of a short white dress, its style simple and pleasant.
"It's time for you to make an appearance," she said. "Everyone who sees you will be drawn to you, to us, to our camp and our celebration tonight. It's important that we have as many people here as possible."
Miranda let a slow breath through her teeth. "Who dressed me? Who did all this?"
"Your servants."
"You?"
"And others. We were honored."
"Why don't I remember it?"
"You were meditating."
"Meditating," Miranda repeated, raising one brow.
"The Necromancer helped you. He visited you last night."
Miranda held her gaze, feeling her teeth clench.
"We have to go," Julie said. "Seth is waiting."
"The guy from last night?"
"Yes."
"I told you not to involve him."
Julie frowned. "I can't change his destiny. He's your champion. If he weren't, he wouldn't have been able to awaken you, right?"
Miranda resisted the urge to slap her.
"He's waiting for you."
Miranda nodded, knowing that this was not the time to react. Julie was the key to all the answers. Cultivating a relationship with her was the safest way, maybe the only way, to discover the truth of what they had done to her.
Before she could focus on that, however, her 'champion' needed to go. Seth needed to be distanced, forced to leave on his own. They had some expectation for him, as her lover, or her champion, and that put him at serious risk. She couldn't protect him if she couldn't even protect herself.
She straightened her shoulders, hoping like hell she could pass herself off as a goddess. "Where is he?"
* * *
She followed Julie down a series of metal corridors and over a bridge made of stage scaffolding. Ducking under a thick vinyl curtain, the woman led her into the glare of sunlight outside. They stood at the top of a stair platform, overlooking the dusty mass of tightly huddled camps below.
Miranda glanced over the surrounding area, realizing that the Divine Gate was entirely covered by a vast
"The message is for him," the blonde gestured at Seth.
Seth looked at her.
"We respectfully request your presence," the blonde said. "To escort the goddess across the playa this afternoon, to be her champion for another day."
"The who?" Cecilia scowled. "Who the hell is this goddess?"
Seth frowned.
"Seth?" Cecilia demanded. "Who is she?"
He sighed. "She's the woman I was with last night."
Cecilia stared at him in horror, then rage.
"It was just a kiss."
"It doesn't look like it was just a kiss."
"I'm sorry if I hurt you," he said, looking her in the eyes. "I mean that."
"You're sorry?"
"Yes."
"You're sorry!" she yelled at him.
"It isn't working between us. It hasn't been for some time. I think you know that."
"And that's your excuse?"
"No. I'm not making excuses."
"Oh, okay. You're just breaking up with me."
"I'm asking you to be honest about what you want."
"I'll show you what I want!"
Rising from her chair, Cecilia batted off his cowboy hat and slapped him hard across the face, leaving the skin stinging. Grabbing the bottle of water, she took it with her as she stomped off into the RV.
The blonde waited, a soft smile playing on her lips.
Seth nodded, rubbing his hand once over his jaw. "Please tell Miranda that I'll be there in a bit."
* * *
Miranda woke on the altar, drawing a deep, desperate breath. She winced in pain. Her muscles ached, her body feeling heavy and her mind sluggish. She swallowed dry air and pushed herself up from the surface of the altar.
Someone had been there with her.
She was clothed in a flowing dress of opaque white fabric, heavy bracelets on her wrists, a thickly jeweled necklace at her throat.
Pressing her lips together, she slid off the altar and glared at her reflection in one of the polished metal panels. They had applied shimmering paint to her eyes, threaded gold strands through her hair.
"You're ready," Julie stood in the doorway, looking pleased. She had abandoned the dark cloak of the previous night in favor of a short white dress, its style simple and pleasant.
"It's time for you to make an appearance," she said. "Everyone who sees you will be drawn to you, to us, to our camp and our celebration tonight. It's important that we have as many people here as possible."
Miranda let a slow breath through her teeth. "Who dressed me? Who did all this?"
"Your servants."
"You?"
"And others. We were honored."
"Why don't I remember it?"
"You were meditating."
"Meditating," Miranda repeated, raising one brow.
"The Necromancer helped you. He visited you last night."
Miranda held her gaze, feeling her teeth clench.
"We have to go," Julie said. "Seth is waiting."
"The guy from last night?"
"Yes."
"I told you not to involve him."
Julie frowned. "I can't change his destiny. He's your champion. If he weren't, he wouldn't have been able to awaken you, right?"
Miranda resisted the urge to slap her.
"He's waiting for you."
Miranda nodded, knowing that this was not the time to react. Julie was the key to all the answers. Cultivating a relationship with her was the safest way, maybe the only way, to discover the truth of what they had done to her.
Before she could focus on that, however, her 'champion' needed to go. Seth needed to be distanced, forced to leave on his own. They had some expectation for him, as her lover, or her champion, and that put him at serious risk. She couldn't protect him if she couldn't even protect herself.
She straightened her shoulders, hoping like hell she could pass herself off as a goddess. "Where is he?"
* * *
She followed Julie down a series of metal corridors and over a bridge made of stage scaffolding. Ducking under a thick vinyl curtain, the woman led her into the glare of sunlight outside. They stood at the top of a stair platform, overlooking the dusty mass of tightly huddled camps below.
Miranda glanced over the surrounding area, realizing that the Divine Gate was entirely covered by a vast
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