A soft wind whipped my face as I knew the sun was shining and flooding the world with its scorching heat. I lazily opened my eyes when I heard someone calling me for the third time, insistently and in an urgent voice.
Anat was staring at me with wide, surprised eyes. I took a deep breath and sat up. The subjects stopped waving their giant fans and the pleasant wind disappeared. Those fans they held with pride and devotion were a gift from Frod, a god who had fallen in love with me and was trying at all costs to win me over by sending rare gifts. As I was no fool, I knew that the day I fell for his charms, he would use me, and soon he would be bored and go find someone else who would make him happy again for a few months.
I didn't like to see Anat in my domains, much less in my palace, for I knew she liked to leave a present in the belly of everyone she visited.
"Anat! What do you want here? I will not be one of your incubators to hold another of your subjects."
She smiled. A white smile, on her dark skin and golden eyes. She was considered the most beautiful of the goddesses, which didn't bother me, because she wasn't interested in long relationships and extinguished the love she caused in her victims, leaving them free to find someone who truly loved them after enjoying that awakening love for a while.
"Don't be ungrateful Cybele. I found and enslaved Helio for you."
"I don't know him. Is he a god or a simpleton?" Simple, that's what we called humans.
"He is a god. Very beautiful and very powerful. His power comes from the sun and the sun itself obeys and reveres him. But I have imprisoned his power in this necklace." She said showing a beautiful shiny necklace with the pendant shaped like a bow that seemed to hold flames in its Romba Tip. Greed entered my heart, but for the necklace and not for the god. "The sun won't be happy, but.... Then I'll give him a little toy to distract him."
"And why don't you keep it?" I asked suspiciously. "What do you want in return?" I asked already thinking of throwing the god into some tomb on my property. Already getting tired with the ceremony that the simple ones liked to do on these occasions. But to get that necklace I would make an effort.
Anat stared at me as if she could read my mind. I knew that she was paying attention to my reactions and that she must have realized by now that I was not interested in the god. But it had become important to me to have the power of the sun within my reach.
"The price is three from each of your fields. Three young women who can give birth to more subjects for me. I don't keep it because I'm enjoying playing with a simple one who has fallen in love with me, like everyone else I let see my face. And I need the young girls more than the power of the sun."
"Your price is high. They will turn against me and you know it. Do you want them to stop making the stars shine and deny me my powers? My tributes?"
"With that necklace you can tell them that in exchange for the young girls, they will have afternoons of gentle wind. You can command how much sunny weather they will have. I bet they'll approve of having the cool evenings and not seeing their crops lost by half because of the heat. And on the other hand, I'm not Lineo. I'm not going to sacrifice the young ones. I'm just going to make them fruitful for me."
"Lineo's power comes from the blood of the sacrifice of his simple ones, and you know it. He has no alternatives." I said wanting to defend my god friend who lived in the shadows.
"Líneo abuses his power. I know he drinks blood to fortify himself and he always wants more. He can't get enough... But, back to the god who is in the courtyard waiting for you. Will you want to make the exchange or should I go with my proposal to another god?"
I couldn't let her make this proposal to another god, because the story of whoever had that power in their hands would travel the world and attract more simple people to be their subjects. That power had to be mine.
"Let's see the reaction of the simple ones in each field and I'll decide whether to accept the proposal. I can't ask something like that of them without proving that I can even command the sun to keep some of its warmth."
"Sure. Let's go?" Anat said as if he knew that was the answer he would give.
"Let me see how I look first." I said approaching the mirror and looking proudly at my physique envied by women and coveted by the simple and gods. My long silver hair matched well with my perfect face and peach-colored eyes. I thought I looked perfect in that garment made of thread that the gods made and that only a god could wear. It allowed me to escape the stares of the simple-minded when necessary.
"You look great." Anat said impatiently. "Let's go soon. We should go out on the balcony and when we get back, you come down to meet the god."
I agreed and we headed out into the fields. In each field I passed, the simple folk were pleased with the bargain and didn't think twice about handing over their daughters. Anat would collect them happily. I knew that she would have many subjects, but that necklace would give me many more than the ones she was taking, and even more, for I knew that many simple ones from other gods would abandon them, seduced by my power and be mine. The exchange was good for both of us.
Anat did not want to go back to my palace anymore and I left in the carriage that was pulled by a fire that never burned and never went out. She said it belonged to the god she captured. I flew in the chariot to the palace that no simple person who didn't work in there for me could find or even see. Even though I was tired, I had to welcome the god and tell him about the fate I had prepared for him. It would be discourtesy to leave him in simple hands to be taken to the tomb.
When I arrived at the palace courtyard, he was surrounded by simpletons. I realized that he must be charismatic, for they seemed happy in his presence. They had their backs to me and did not see me coming.
I approached slowly, wondering why I couldn't hear what he was saying to the simple people to make them happy like that. He seemed to sense my presence and very slowly turned towards me when I stopped some distance away. I stepped back as I saw the splendor of his beauty and understood why Anat didn't want him for himself. He would dominate any heart he wanted and she was afraid and took advantage of my innocence. But the discovery came late. As soon as he stared at me with his sapphire eyes, bright as a star, I knew I was lost.
He began to approach me with his hands bound in chains, and when he got very close, he raised them. He wanted me to free him from them. I noticed that the simple ones stared at us interested in the outcome. I snapped my fingers grudgingly and the chains fell off. They were simply gold when they were not touching a god. They lost their magic. But to humans it had an incalculable value that I never understood. Where it came from, the streets were lined with this mineral and no one valued it. But I also never asked what they used the gold for. I only knew that I had to reward those who worked for me with those stones, in the form of coins. I didn't know that they used it to exchange it for food and clothes, since all this was brought to me by other gods, who no longer wanted us in our home. And they ran to collect the fallen gold while the god continued to look me in the eye. I would try to resist his charms, even though I knew it was a losing battle. Without saying a single word, I walked past him and at that moment I realized how tall he was and entered the palace knowing he was behind me. I went into the shower room, which had flowers and pillows in the decoration and was my favorite place and sat down on a pillow to think. However, he sat down in front of me, making the task of ignoring him impossible. I couldn't think either, as I couldn't concentrate feeling his gaze on me. Resigned and taking a deep breath, I faced him.
"That power you display on your beautiful neck belongs to me." He said quietly. As if it didn't matter.
"It is mine now. I paid a high price for him."
"He didn't belong to Anat so she could dispose of him as she pleased..."
"You know the rules. If a god can imprison you and take your power, it becomes that god's property." I said touching the necklace and feeling his power vibrating within the necklace.
"Do you really think a god like me would be imprisoned by mediocre gods like those sent to this world?" He said smiling.
I was awed by the beauty of that smile and his words.
"What do you mean?" I asked really confused.
"Do you think a necklace could contain the power of a bender?"
My fear made my hand tremble. But I tried hard not to do the same with my voice.
"You're a bender?" I thought about how much that made sense. The simple ones were fascinated by him, just as I was. They were creatures who probed the world for errors that would cause them to destroy gods and simple ones. I remembered Líneo. I had to warn him to stay away and collected in his palace until she put that god in the tomb.
"Yes."
"You and Anat tricked me?"
"Oh!" he smiled as if remembering something funny. "Anat really tried to capture me. She begged me to remove her fascination with me from her and that in return she would deliver me into the hands of a goddess who could give me what I came to seek in this world."
"And what did you come here to seek?"
"The dark god."
Lineo! I couldn't betray him like that. I would never do that.
"I will never give him up to you." I said determinedly. "And know that our laws here must be followed as the world was ruled. I bought you and paid your price. No matter who you are. I will keep you in some tomb. I promise that in two centuries I will free you and give you your power back."
He gave a laugh and looked at me humorously.
"My power? You can keep your necklace. The power inside it won't last more than three moons. I put some in there to fool you..." He said and stood thoughtfully, looking at me again, this time curious. "I don't sense much devotion in you.... Any other would have already handed me the necklace, the dark god, and still licked my feet... But you seem immune to my charms.... How do you do that?"
"My feelings are not so easy to manipulate. It is pleasant your presence, your voice and your beauty, but it takes more than that to be swept away. As for the power lasting three moons, it matters little to me. By then the simple ones will have forgotten that I once made a promise to them. They are fragile and don't live like us. They die quickly."
He looked at me deeply and suddenly, surprising me, took my hand with unnecessary force and stared at me for the time he held it. When he released it, he opened a smile, but became thoughtful again. A meditative silence filled the room and for the first time I wanted to get away from him.
When I decided to get up and leave, he finally spoke.
"I can't leave knowing that there is someone in the world who won't surrender to my will. I will stay here in the palace until I discover your secret. I've seen that you have fallen in love many times, but they were all superficial. None was deep. With me it will be different.
I stood up, and this time I was the one who smiled.
"I believe this means that the tomb is no longer an alternative..."
"Only an idiot would sleep with a goddess like you around."
"I won't turn you down if you want to lie with me.... If it's a resistance you're expecting, you'll be disappointed..."
"No. When I took your hand, I read your heart. You like pleasure. But the one I can give you, you will only get after your heart has given itself to me."
"Have you ever thought that the opposite might happen? You might end up falling in love with me."
"If I did not fall in love with Anat, whose beauty I have never found equal, why should I fall in love with you? You are also very beautiful and stir my imagination, but nothing I can't achieve with other goddesses.... Or even with simple ones."
"Perhaps I was mistaken and you are nothing but a fool. The moment I saw you I felt that the loose rope that existed inside me was attached and drew me to you. I'm sure that the same rope held you to me. I don't know if it is a big joke of the greater gods, but we are made of the same matter. We have been separated. So nothing you do will bring your freedom back. We belong to each other."
"The only rope that binds me to you is your friend from the shadows. After you destroy him, or take him captive, I will break your heart and laugh at the words you just said."
"You will never have the strength to part with me.... It almost makes me want to give you my friend to watch you fight your need to stay close to me..."
"Do this. Make things easier for me. I'm going to find the sooner or later. Just today, as soon as we entered the palace, I felt his presence approaching. But my carriage outside must have alerted him to my presence..."
He interrupted himself when I started laughing at his assumption.
"You warned him! He... Do you guys use telepathy? I thought only dominators could use..."
"I got it as a gift from one of the greater gods. Couldn't you read that as your heart bled at seeing me in arms that were not yours?" I asked laughing.
For the first time his face turned serious and a shadow hovered over his countenance.
"Why are you so protective of him? I may not hurt you because of a certain sympathy that hangs over my heart every time I think about being harsh, but know that I can arrest you for conspiring with him."
"Why do you want him so badly? Leave him alone."
"He has drunk the blood of the simple. He has become something more than a god. He could be dangerous even to yourself. He must be stopped... I will lock him up in a world where he can have a family and rethink his attitudes. He is doomed to watch his children multiply across the earth and be hunted by a single species for life, if he doesn't give up his addiction to blood. He has broken many rules to have blood and sacrifice the simple ones. Need I remind you that they are your responsibilities? That you are here to protect the simple ones and not to use them to get more power than you have already been given? I know you all want this, but he has gone too far. He crossed the line. Blood is sacred. The gods can't have access to it."
"Maybe he likes this prison.... But he will have to come forward. I will never betray him."
"You are betraying all the other gods, when you decided to hide him from me."
"I didn't hide him. If I find him, I won't do anything to change his fate, even because I believe it will be better for him to leave here, I just won't tell you where he is. I'm not stopping you from finding him."
"Do you love him?"
I saw the same jealousy I had seen in many others, flash through his eyes and felt flattered this time.
"Don't you recognize the gods who have lain with me? You don't know what he looks like!" I finally understood why he needed my help. Lineo had only let me see his true face. And that was fate, so that one day that god who was my half would find me. He would come to me. "No. I have never lain with him, but I will do so before his eyes, the day he recognizes that he cannot stay away from me." I said victoriously.
"I asked only if you love him. Of course I can feel him. Don't be an idiot."
"You know I've never loved anyone beyond the surface. That is my atonement. The gods won't allow it. They fell in love with me and I rejected them. So they cursed me."
"You said you love me..."
"No. I said we are halves. I can't hurt you and you can't hurt me. But... I feel that you are mine and I am a little selfish with my things. So be careful what you do. Because the consequence is me." I said and walked away. I went back to lie down on the couch. The subjects should have gone to sleep by now. But the night was cool, I didn't need them. I just wanted to rest and receive the magic of the stars that illuminated me through my balcony. Let the god in the bathroom find a place to receive his magic.
The next day, I could notice, after a certain hour, that there were too many simple vibrations in the palace. Much more than those of my subjects. I followed the direction of the vibrations and they were coming from the throne room, from where I judged the simple ones, but never allowed them to come there. I appeared sitting on the throne, in the middle of the fields, to hear their complaints. I opened the door to the room without touching it and saw Helios sitting on the throne and many simples around him. There must have been at least a hundred of them. I know my voice sounded menacing and rang like a bell in the heads of everyone there.
"What is going on here?" I inquired and only then did they turn around to see who was speaking. They immediately dropped to their knees. Even with that sign of respect, I felt like unleashing a curse on all of them.
"I invited them." Helios said smiling, "I opened the eyes of all the young women so that they can see and know the way to this palace. But don't worry, for they have only found the place if they come alone..."
"And what is the purpose of that?"
"Good. I thought that while I am your guest, I will need distractions. I'll pick one and stay for a while, and then I'll switch. Each one already has her number in line.... I hope you don't mind..."
I looked at the young and beautiful simple girls. I could see the number he had hidden marked on their foreheads with magic and turned to him with a wry smile.
"Do as you see fit." I said and walked away. As soon as the door behind me closed, hatred surrounded me. I knew he was doing this to torture me because I revealed that I was selfish. He would do this for a long time, given the numbers of each one, and he wouldn't just keep them for one day. Maybe he would make children in them. He wanted me to give up my friend so that he would go away and take away the anguish of seeing him with others... But he didn't know me.
I went to the room where the gods usually left meals for me, and the table was full of food from the simple ones. I asked one of the subjects and he said that the god Helios had ordered me to set those places at the table for the first simple young women he had chosen for company. I saw my food in the corner of the table, next to another, which had probably been brought for him, and I left there furious.