Asiah and the Statue

Asiah had one goal and one goal only: to escape from her father by any means possible and take care of her two siblings.She didn't care about how she should do it. She cared not what the right thing to do was nor the consequences that might befall her should she be caught doing what she planned to do. All that she knew was that she could stay in her father's manor no longer.Her father had already done a great deal to their mother. He had forced the woman into an early grave. And the moment she was gone--even though her body had not yet gone cold in her family's mausoleum by the sea--her father decided that if the girl's maternal family would no longer support him the way they did when his wife was alive, he would make use of his daughters. And what was the best way to make use of a woman in high society? Why, marrying her off, of course.Kosaine and Tamira were too young. With the former only having just turned fifteen and Tamira being only ten. So, naturally, he planned to sell Asiah, who had turned twenty that same year, off to Duke Everett of Wintershade.Asiah had no intention of being married to that whoremongering, lecherous, balding pig who disguised himself in expensive Fae silks and velvets and laces in an attempt at appearing genteel to those who saw him from the outside looking in. She'd rather pick out her own tomb in her maternal family's mausoleum and lie in it until she breathed her last than let such a man take her as his wife.Just remembering his gaze on her when he came to her father's manor to discuss their marriage made the hairs on her arms rise and her scalp tingle.That was how she ended up here, in Magdellana's garden, hidden behind a tree as she waited for the guarding Mages to pass her by. They were not drunken, bumbling idiots like the Pendilorian guards. She immediately knew getting over on them wouldn't be easy. She would have to take the utmost care to not be seen or heardHer eyes strayed over to her target. There it was, the statue of Kavaris, and right on his upraised hand, twinkling in the moonlight was the ring gifted to him by his goddess mother, Kasari.The Mages disappeared, headed for the front gate. She counted in her head for two minutes to make sure they were gone and not circling back anytime soon. When she was sure she wouldn't be caught, she gingerly slid away from the tree and stole across the grass. It had been trimmed enough that it wasn't overgrown, but even still, it brushed against her ankles, and she shivered every time the grass touched her.This was a terrible thing she was doing, and she knew it. Kavaris was the son of a god. According to the legends, he had been turned to stone by the gods out of pity to await the return of his beloved, and that ring she planned to steal was given to him by none other than the goddess of the sun. How many times had she been to Magdellana's temples and heard the priestesses speak of Magdellana's fourth child, Kasari, and how fierce she was in doling out punishments to those who crossed her and her children?And now here she was, planning to cross that very same goddess. She was mad. She knew so and yet, she forced herself not to care. She wasn't stealing the ring for selfish reasons, so surely Kasari must forgive her. She needed this ring and the money it would provide.She stole closer to the statue, never letting her eyes stray to the grand mausoleum of solid black marble that reflected beams of moonlight like a pond's surface. It held the body of Kavaris's lover, Ariadne, and buried with her were all the jewels and riches a man--or a woman, in her case--could imagine. She might have stolen into the mausoleum instead and taken her chance at angering the dead woman rather than the gods had she not heard of the curse that befell those who entered.Up close, the statue was as beautiful as the stories said. She wasn't sure that she believed the story that said the statue was not a statue at all, but a man who awaited his lover's return. She was too old to believe the tales old nan's told to children of how Kavaris's life would return to him when Ariadne returned and took his hand.She believed none of it, but standing before the statue, she was tempted to. It looked so real. The man of white marble glistened and he was so beautiful, Asiah could not help but stop and stare.He most definitely was the son of a goddess, she thought to herself, gazing into his face. There are no men with features this fine. Ariadne was a lucky woman, to be sure. And then she thought of how Ariadne died in the tales and frowned. Or not.She reached out to take the ring on his outstretched hand, but her hand shook so violently that she had to ball it into a fist and pull it to her chest."Come on, Asiah, you cannot afford cowardice. Your sisters are depending on you. Your very life is depending on you. Toughen up."At the thought of her sisters and what her life would become should she not steal this ring, she steeled herself and took it, slipping it from the statue's fingers. Her hands brushed against cool marble and she shuddered, her heart pounding against her ribs like a caged hummingbird.She gripped the ring and stared down at it. It certainly looked the part of something crafted by the gods. To be fair, she had never been allowed to see any of the divine artifacts held within the walls of the Citadel for they were heavily protected, but she imagined all of them must have been something like this. The ring was made of solid gold and was heavy in her hands and not only that, there was a large sunstone in the middle.So that's why the ring was shining so. It wasn't the moonlight, but rather the stone itself. Nobles will pay a fortune for this.So caught up in staring at the ring and the sunstone and thinking of the way she and her sisters would be saved, she nearly wet herself when a loud crack resounded through the garden. She was immediately alert, cursing under her breath and shoving the ring into the pouch at her hip. Her eyes scanned the garden but no one was there. Had she been mistaken? Either way, she should no longer stay. She'd gotten what she came for.Another crack sounded and this time, she knew exactly where it was coming from.The statue's head was split down the middle as if someone had taken a Dwarven-made sword and struck the statue from above. With horror, she watched it continue to crack, her mind wild with anxiety.Was some kind of curse being released? Were some kind of magical safeguards placed on the statue to make it crack and release some kind of...magical fumes she didn't understand, so they could find her and try her for the crime of desecrating a place the Order deemed as sacred?She wanted to move, but her feet were stuck and her eyes wouldn't leave the statue as it continued to crack and bits of marble began to fall into the grass with soft, heavy thuds.She felt her heart stop when a bit of the statue's marble face fell away and revealed what was underneath.A man. There was a man inside the statue. The man looked at her with soft golden eyes and Asiah fell back with a cry despite her situation, stumbling and falling on her behind. She scrambled to force herself to stand.She had to get out of here and she had to do so now.The man in the statue's face was entirely free now as the piece of marble on his lips fell away. He raised his arms against the marble, a clear struggle if the exertion on his face was any indication, and reached for her."Ariadne," he whispered.