Silent Gods

Asa held her lifted from the ground, the goddess's hand — slender, perfect, cruel — wrapped around the Tibetan girl's throat like a vice of steel. Asa's fingers sank into Sonam's

flesh with a precision that was both divine and cruel, and blood — red, hot, human — began to flow from the points where the goddess's nails had torn the skin.

Sonam struggled.

Her legs — thin, strong, desperate — kicked in the air as if trying to find a foothold that did not exist. Her feet — bare, calloused, marked by years of travel — moved in a rhythm

that was both desperate and useless. Her hands — slender, experienced, infinite — tightened around Asa's wrist, trying to loosen the grip, to tear away those fingers that were

stealing her life.

But Asa was implacable.

Her fingers — slender, perfect, divine — tightened even more around Sonam's throat, and the sound of cartilage compressing — a wet, definitive, cruel sound — echoed

through the hall like a wave that could not be stopped.

— Little Sonam — Asa whispered, and her voice was a caress that promised oblivion. — How brave you are. How stupid.

Her eyes — black as obsidian — fixed on Sonam's with an expression that was both indifference and cruelty.

— You followed my tracks across Asia. You crossed mountains and deserts. And now you are here, in my hands, dying.

Her fingers — slender, perfect, divine — pressed even harder, and blood began to flow from Sonam's throat like a cascade of molten rubies.

— Why? — Asa asked. — To avenge your sister?

Sonam tried to speak. But from her throat came only a choked sound, a rattle that was both suffering and despair.

— Ling — Sonam whispered, and her voice was a thread that vibrated in the air like a prayer. — Ling...

Sonam's eyes began to cloud.

The candlelight began to dance strangely, to stretch and contract as if time itself were losing its grip. The shadows on the walls began to move unnaturally, to writhe like

maddened serpents.

And then, for a moment — a moment that lasted less than a heartbeat — Sonam saw Ling.

She was there, standing beside her, with her smile that laughed like a mountain stream. Her eyes — like two fallen stars — fixed on Sonam's with an expression that was both love and sadness.

Sonam tried to reach out toward her, to touch her, to embrace her. But her fingers — slender, experienced, infinite — found nothing. Only the void. Only the darkness. Only death.

— Ling — Sonam whispered.

Asa looked at her.

— And now, little Sonam — Asa continued, and her voice was a whisper that vibrated in the air like a promise of blood. — You too will die. Like her.

Asa grabbed Sonam's arm and with a completely natural movement, tore it from her shoulder.

The arm was thrown into the middle of the hall like a relic of blood.

Sonam could do nothing but surrender to the fury of the goddess of the abyss.

Asa extracted the trachea from her throat. Sonam's eyes rolled upward, turning white.

Her body was seized by death spasms.

— Goodbye, little Tibetan — Asa whispered as she let the small girl fall into a pool of blood.

---

A roar tore through the air.

Hati hurled himself through the hall with a fury no one had ever seen. His body — of shadow and light — was marked by the wounds inflicted by Fenrir, and black blood flowed

from his throat like a cascade of liquid pitch. But his eyes — like two glowing coals — fixed on Gunnr with an expression that was both desperation and determination.

The valkyrie was on the ground, her wrists shattered, her body wracked by the pain that consumed her. Blood flowed from her wounds like a river of molten rubies, and her

breath — labored, desperate, dying — was a thread that vibrated in the air like a prayer.

Hati stopped beside her. His claws — talons of shadow — sank into the marble floor with a force that could have shattered stone. His muzzle — of shadow and fire — bent

toward Gunnr's body, and his breath — warm, moist, desperate — enveloped her like a mantle of protection.

— Hati — Gunnr whispered, and her voice was a thread that vibrated in the air like a prayer. — Hati, take me away. Take me away from here.

The wolf of shadow and fire emitted a deep sound that vibrated in the air like a hum of distant thunder. His eyes — like two glowing coals — fixed on Gunnr's with an expression

that was both pain and determination.

Then, with a movement that was both desperate and fierce, Hati grabbed Gunnr's body with his jaws — with a tenderness that was both maternal and warrior — and lifted her from the ground.

Gunnr's body — the body of the valkyrie of the black moon — hung from Hati's jaws like a weight that could not be sustained. Her blood — red, hot, human — flowed over the

head of the horse of shadow and fire like a cascade of molten rubies.

Hati turned toward the opening in the wall — the window that opened onto the desert black as pitch. His eyes — like two glowing coals — fixed on the darkness that stretched

beyond the threshold.

With a movement that was both desperate and fierce, he launched himself toward the window and disappeared into the darkness of the night.

His roar — a roar that was both pain and despair — echoed among the temple walls like a wave that could not be stopped. The sound of his hooves — talons of shadow —

grew fainter and fainter, farther and farther.

And Gunnr disappeared with him.

The valkyrie of the black moon had vanished into the desert, carried away by her creature like a wave receding from the shore.

---

Ksenia felt the pain begin to diminish. She felt the fire that burned in her hand begin to fade, like a flame diminishing beneath the rain. She felt the black blood that flowed from

her wound begin to slow, like a river receding from the shore.

Her hand began to change.

The black that covered her skin began to recede, to dissolve, to disappear. Her flesh began to return to its natural color. Her veins — which had been black like the roots of a

poisoned tree — began to return to their normal color.

The scar on the palm of her hand began to close.

It was not a rapid process, nor a painless one. It was a slow, painful process, as if her flesh were trying to recompose itself after being torn away. The edges of the wound —

which had been black as pitch — began to turn red, then pink, then the color of her skin.

The black blood — which had flowed like tears of pitch — began to turn red, then stopped completely.

Ksenia felt her hand return to normal.

She raised her hand before her eyes. Her palm — which moments before had been marked by a deep wound — was now intact. Her skin was smooth, clear, perfect. There was

no trace of the wound. There was no trace of the blood pact.

Ksenia felt her body — the body of the Daughter of the Desert — begin to relax. She felt the pain that consumed her begin to diminish. She felt her strength — which had been

stolen by the blood pact — begin to return.

— Ksenia — a voice whispered beside her.

Ksenia raised her gaze. Her eyes — which had become sand — met those of Cassandra.

— Cass — Ksenia whispered, and her voice was a thread that vibrated in the air like a promise. — Cass, you are here. You have returned.

Cassandra knelt beside her. Her hands — those hands that had gripped chains, that had touched the goddess's flesh, that had endured — found Ksenia's face and held it with

a tenderness that was both love and desperation.

— I am here, my love — Cassandra whispered, and her voice was a thread that vibrated in the air like a promise. — I am here, Ksen.

— Tell me what happened — Ksenia asked with a trembling voice.

— Calm yourself, Daughter of the Desert. Cassandra did not surrender to Freyja.

— She did not surrender because she did not have time — Asa said with an icy voice.

Cassandra felt her eyes grow wet.

— Freyja was in disguise, she was one of our handmaidens, and she tamed Cassandra with the Touch of Silk. — Fortunately, nothing irreparable happened.

— This time, Nasrin — Asa continued.

— Daughter of Zarina — Asa said, and her voice was a caress that promised destruction. — You have recovered. Your hand is healed. The blood pact has closed.

She took a step forward, and her bare feet — perfect, immaculate, divine — traced a path across the marble floor like a wave of silk.

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— Do you know what that means? — Asa continued. — It means the pact is complete. It means your soul is mine. It means you are my heir.

Ksenia raised her gaze. Her eyes — which had become sand — fixed on Asa's with an expression that was both defiance and despair.

— What do you mean? — Ksenia asked, and her voice was a thread that vibrated in the air like a prayer. — What do you mean by "my heir"?

Asa smiled. A smile that was both calm and cruel.

— Every time Cassandra surrenders to the dark side — Asa said, and her voice was a caress that promised oblivion. — You surrender to the abyss. Every time Cassandra

surrenders to betrayal, even if provoked, you embrace the dark side.

— Cassandra is your weakness, Daughter of Zarina — Asa continued, and her voice was a whisper that vibrated in the air like a promise of blood. — Your fear of losing

Cassandra. Your desire for possession. Your love that has become obsession.

Ksenia tightened her hands around the marble floor. Her nails — short, thick, desperate — scratched the stone like the claws of a wounded animal.

— What do you want from me? — Ksenia asked.

— I want you to become my heir.

Her eyes — black as obsidian — fixed on the Shadow Summoner that Nasrin still held in her hands.

— The Shadow Summoner — Asa continued. — It serves precisely this purpose. To summon the infernal part within you. The silent and sleeping part that until now has never

managed to emerge fully. Only in part.

She took a step forward, and her eyes fixed on Ksenia with an expression that was both challenge and determination.

— Your jealousy — Asa said. — Your love for Cassandra. They will be two determining factors for you, Daughter of the Desert.

Ksenia tightened her hands around Cassandra's legs. Her eyes — which had become sand — fixed on Asa's with an expression that was both defiance and despair.

— I will not allow you to use Cassandra against me — Ksenia said.

— I do not need to allow myself anything — Asa whispered, and her voice was a caress that promised destruction. — It has already happened. Everything has already happened.

The black gem set on Asa's chest began to emanate light, as did the Shadow Summoner.

Ksenia remained still. Her hands — which had healed — trembled like leaves in the wind.

Nasrin offered the Shadow Summoner into Ksenia's hands.

The artifact began to respond to the black gem.

— Wear it, Daughter of the Desert — Asa said before beginning to vanish into the air.

Ksenia placed it around her neck, and the Summoner emitted a rattle from within, as if it had recognized Ksenia.

— It has taken, daughter of the daeva — Asa said from the black cloud that exited the window into the darkness of the desert.

---

Ksenia and Cassandra left the banquet hall in silence.

The hall was a battlefield, piled corpses and pools of blood.

Nasrin clapped her hands. All the temple handmaidens appeared from the shadows of the walls.

— We must clean this place — she said.

— You too, warriors. The corpses must be burned outside the walls.

The warriors began to remove the bodies. Nasrin chose a handmaiden and a warrior.

— You two, to the chamber of pleasure. Now — she ordered. — I need to release tension — Nasrin continued.

Ksenia and Cassandra's chamber was an oasis of light and silk. Unique in all the temple.

But Ksenia did not see the beauty of the room.

She saw only Cassandra.

Her queen stood at the center of the room.

— Ksen — Cassandra whispered, and her voice was a thread that vibrated in the air like a promise. — Ksen, talk to me. Please. Tell me what you are thinking.

Ksenia did not answer. Her eyes — which had become sand — fixed on Cassandra with an expression that was both love and fear.

— Ksen — Cassandra repeated. — Ksen, please. Do not close yourself off. Do not distance yourself from me. Not now. Not like this.

Ksenia took a step toward her. Her hands rose to touch Cassandra's face. Her fingers brushed her cheek with a tenderness that was both love and fear.

But she could not touch her.

— I am afraid of you — Ksenia whispered. — I cannot touch you, Cass. I cannot.

Cassandra looked at her.

Ksenia withdrew her hand.

— It was the potion — Cassandra said, and her voice was a thunder that echoed through the chamber like a wave that could not be stopped. — It was the potion, Ksen. The

Touch of Silk. It was not me. It was not me desiring her. It was the potion.

— It does not matter — Ksenia whispered. — Go to bed. Tomorrow will be a new day.

Cassandra saw the fear in her lover's eyes and felt her blood boil in her veins.

Ksenia saw the fabric that wrapped Cassandra fall to the ground.

Ksenia raised her eyes and looked at her as one looks at an oracle of seduction. Cassandra held the key to her heart. Cassandra was her heart.

Cassandra positioned herself on top of Ksenia, who could not resist her beloved.

The red veil that wrapped Ksenia was removed. Cassandra felt Ksenia's mouth on her nipples, which had hardened.

— Like that, Ksen. Continue, my love. Do not stop.

Ksenia turned Cassandra into a position of submission. Cassandra's moans excited Ksenia like a madwoman.

— Harder, my love — Cassandra said.

Ksenia's hands wrapped around Cassandra's backside, which pressed violently beneath her navel.

Cassandra saw both of them in the crystal mirror. She saw her beloved possessing her with violence and passion.

— I love you, Cass — Ksenia said with a breathless voice.

— To death, Ksen — Cassandra replied.

Ksenia grabbed Cassandra's hair. Her full and wonderful breasts moved to the rhythm of her thrusts.

— Come between my legs, Ksen — Cassandra ordered. — It is an order, Ksen.

Ksenia saw Cassandra's legs open, then Cassandra's foot entered Ksenia's mouth.

— You are mine — Cassandra said as she felt Ksenia's tongue wet her foot.

— My wife — Cassandra said.

Ksenia positioned herself between her legs. Their tongues fused, and Cassandra moaned beneath her beloved's thrusts.

The handmaidens felt the passion that enveloped their queens' chamber.

— Cassandra is lost for her queen — said one handmaiden.

— Ksenia is so beautiful and irresistible — said another.

— They must marry here in the temple — continued a third.

Cassandra's hands wrapped around Ksenia's backside and began to press it decisively and firmly against her body.

— I love you, Ksen — Cassandra whispered between moans.

Ksenia did not realize it. Ksenia did not want it. But those words escaped her mouth, mortally wounding her beloved's heart.

— Did Freyja fuck you like that? — Ksenia whispered. — Did she fuck you like a dirty whore, Cass?

Cassandra felt her heart shatter.

— Who was the whore, you or her? — Ksenia pressed. — were you her whore, Cass?

Ksenia's words, that lance launched by jealousy, struck Cassandra directly in the chest.

Silence fell upon the chamber like a mantle of lead.

Cassandra looked at her. Her eyes fixed on Ksenia's with an expression that was both pain and rage.

— Ksen... — Cassandra said, stopping her.

Ksenia looked at her and immediately understood the grave error she had committed.

— Fuck... forgive me, Cass, please. I did not mean it — Ksenia said.

Cassandra felt her soul shatter. She felt her body begin to tremble beneath the weight of Ksenia's words.

And then, without thinking, her hand rose. Not once, not twice, but three times.

She slapped her.

The sound of the hand striking Ksenia's face — a dry, wet, definitive sound — echoed through the chamber like a wave that could not be stopped. Ksenia's face turned to the

side, and blood — red, hot, human — began to flow from her lower lip like a cascade of molten rubies.

Ksenia brought her hand to her face. Her fingers touched the blood that flowed from her lip.

— Cass... — Ksenia whispered, and her voice was a thread that vibrated in the air like a prayer.

But Cassandra did not look at her.

The queen turned toward the door. Her eyes fixed on the exit with an expression that was both rage and despair.

— Go away — Cassandra whispered. — Go away, Ksenia. Go away from me. Go away from this room. Go away from my life. Disappear.

— Cass — Ksenia repeated.

— Leave — Cassandra repeated. — I do not want to see you. I do not want to speak to you. I do not want anything more from you.

Ksenia remained still.

— Cass... — Ksenia whispered.

But Cassandra did not answer. She could not.

Her eyes were swollen with tears that were waiting only to fall.

Ksenia remained still. Her eyes fixed on Cassandra's with an expression that was both pain and despair.

Then, slowly, she turned toward the door.

Her steps — light, weary, desperate. The door closed behind her with a dull, definitive, cruel sound.

And Cassandra, the queen of the Rubrum Dasht, remained alone in the chamber of light and silk.

Her tears began to fall down her face like a cascade of pearls.

Ksenia remained behind the door, half-naked, listening to Cassandra's whispers of pain inside the room.

The desperate sobs of pain invaded her soul, every inch of her heart.

Ksenia had broken Cassandra, in a clear and brutal way, without mercy.

Nasrin came out of the chamber. The handmaiden and the warrior returned to their tasks.

She heard the cries that made their way along the corridor until they reached her ears.

She arrived where the laments were born and saw Ksenia kneeling against the door of the chamber, in tears.

Nasrin knelt beside her. Her hands found Ksenia's face and held it with a tenderness that was both maternal and warrior.

— Ksenia — Nasrin whispered. — Ksenia, what happened?

Ksenia shook her head. Her tears fell upon the marble floor like a rain of pearls.

— I said terrible things to her — Ksenia whispered. — Things I should never have said. Things I did not truly think. Things that...

She paused, and her words were a whisper that vibrated in the air.

— I asked her if Freyja had fucked her like a dirty whore.

Nasrin felt her heart stop in her chest.

— Ksenia — Nasrin murmured. — Ksenia, why? Why did you say such a thing to her?

Ksenia shook her head. Her tears continued to fall down her face.

— I do not know — Ksenia whispered. — I do not know, Nas. It was jealousy. It was fear. It was knowing that Freyja had touched her, that she had desired her.

Nasrin held Ksenia's face in her hands.

— It was the potion — Nasrin said. — It was the potion, Ksenia. The Touch of Silk. Cassandra was not herself. It was not her desiring Freyja. It was the potion.

Ksenia shook her head. Her tears continued to fall down her face.

— I know — Ksenia whispered. — I know, Nas. But when I saw her... when I saw her naked... when I thought of Freyja... jealousy consumed me. Fear consumed me.

She paused, and her words were a whisper that vibrated in the air.

— And I said those words. Those terrible words. Those words that shattered Cassandra's heart.

Nasrin held her close. Her arms wrapped around Ksenia's body like a mantle of protection.

— Your love is complicated — Nasrin whispered. — But it is sincere. It is true. It is deep.

She paused, and her words were a whisper.

— It is also very painful and complex. But it is true. And true love, sometimes, hurts. It hurts because it exposes us. It hurts because it makes us vulnerable. It hurts because it

shows us who we truly are.

Ksenia raised her gaze. Her eyes — which had become sand — fixed on Nasrin's with an expression that was both pain and hope.

— How do I fix this? — Ksenia asked. — How do I make her understand that I did not truly think those words? That it was only fear? That it was only jealousy?

Nasrin looked at her.

— The words you said — Nasrin said — are like arrows. Once launched, they cannot be called back. But you can try to remove them. You can try to heal the wound. You can try

to rebuild what you destroyed.

She paused, and her words were a whisper.

— But it will take time. It will take patience. It will take love. And it will take the will to face what you have done. To admit your mistakes. To ask for forgiveness.

— I will do it — Ksenia whispered. — I will do it, Nas. I swear it. I will do everything necessary to win back Cassandra. To win back her love. To win back her trust.

Nasrin smiled. A smile that was both tired and maternal.

— I know — Nasrin whispered. — I know, Ksenia. And I will help you. I will help you in every way I can.

But then — a scream.

A scream that came from inside the chamber, a scream that was both pain and despair, a scream that spoke of shattered hearts and destroyed souls.

— I hate you, Ksen! — Cassandra screamed. — I hate you, do you hear me? I hate you with all my heart!

Ksenia felt her heart shatter.

— Cass — Ksenia whispered.

But Cassandra could not hear her. The queen was alone in the chamber of light and silk, her body wracked by the sobs that consumed her.

— I have ruined everything — Ksenia whispered. — I have ruined everything, Nas. And I do not know if I will ever be able to fix it.

Nasrin held her close. Her arms wrapped around Ksenia's body like a mantle of protection.

— I know — Nasrin whispered. — I know, Ksenia. But do not give up. Not now. Not like this. Your love is too strong to die like this.

Ksenia knew she had wounded Cassandra.

She knew her words had been like arrows that could not be called back.

But she also knew that her love for Cassandra was too strong to die like this.

And that she would do whatever was necessary to win her back.

Even if it took a lifetime.

---

Dawn was breaking over Thora's kingdom.

But on the horizon, a figure moved.

It was a figure advancing with a step that was both desperate and fierce. A figure carrying the weight of death and despair.

It was Hati.

And between his jaws, Gunnr.

The valkyrie of the black moon was reduced to a heap of flesh and blood. Her wrists — which had been shattered by Asa — hung lifeless at her sides, and blood flowed from

her wounds like a river of molten rubies. Her breath — labored, desperate, dying — was a thread that vibrated in the air like a prayer.

Hati stopped before the castle entrance.

His claws — talons of shadow — sank into the ground with a force that could have shattered stone. His body — of shadow and light — trembled beneath the weight of pain and

despair. His eyes — like two glowing coals — fixed on the castle entrance with an expression that was both desperation and determination.

Then, with a movement that was both desperate and fierce, Hati laid Gunnr on the ground.

The valkyrie's body — the body of the valkyrie of the black moon — fell to the ground like a weight that could not be sustained. Her blood — red, hot, human — stained the

earth like a curse that could not be stopped.

Hati emitted a roar that echoed among the castle walls.

The castle guards saw her.

They were men and women chosen by Thora for their loyalty, their strength, their determination. Their eyes — dark, deep, faithful — narrowed into slits of alarm and concern.

— A woman! — one of the guards cried, and his voice was a thunder that echoed among the castle walls like a wave that could not be stopped. — A wounded woman! She is a

valkyrie! It is Gunnr!

The guards rushed over. They lifted Gunnr's body from the ground.

— Bring her inside! — another guard cried, and his voice was a thunder that echoed among the castle walls like a wave that could not be stopped. — Bring her inside! Call

Thora! Call Mia! Call everyone!

Mia was standing on the highest terrace of the castle.

But then — she felt her blood freeze in her veins.

She felt the cold spreading through her body like a wave of ice.

— Gunnr — Mia whispered.

She rushed down the stairs. When she reached the castle entrance, she saw Gunnr.

The valkyrie of the black moon lay on the ground, her body wounded, her blood flowing like a river.

— Gunnr! — Mia cried. — Who did this to you?

Gunnr opened her eyes. Her eyes — like two dying stars — fixed on Mia's with an expression that was both pain and despair.

— Asa — Gunnr whispered.

Asa had returned. Asa was more powerful than before. Asa was more cruel than before. And now she was a scythe of death with no master.

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