Total pages in book: 40
Estimated words: 38711 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 194(@200wpm)___ 155(@250wpm)___ 129(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 38711 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 194(@200wpm)___ 155(@250wpm)___ 129(@300wpm)
“They do that.” Roman took a swallow of his drink. “Speaking of hounds, when did the dog show up?”
“A month ago. I found her shivering in the rain by our porch.” He petted the puppy, and she licked his hand. “I didn’t know Athena was a special dog. I only found out three days ago.”
“You named Morena’s sacred animal after a Greek goddess?” Roman sighed.
Finn’s jawline hardened.
“I get it,” Roman said. “An occasional screw-up is allowed. Just remember you have to earn it. What happened three days ago?”
“I had a nightmare.”
It must’ve shaken him. His eyes turned haunted.
“What did you see?”
“My parents. They were dead in our house,” Finn said quietly.
Heavy. “Anything else?”
“A priest in front of an altar. He had Athena on it. He cut her throat with a long, curved knife. Her blood was all over the altar, and it was glowing with green and purple lights. It felt…real.”
The shepherd whined softly. Finn petted her again.
“What happened next?”
“Her blood froze, and I heard a woman’s voice. She said that if I wanted to keep my parents, my dog, and myself alive, I had to run. She said to follow the dog, and when I got to the fir tree in front of a big house, ask for sanctuary, and stay there until my sister came. Then she told me to wake up, and I did. I got dressed, took my backpack and Athena, and left.”
Mystery solved. Morena must’ve been really convincing. Probably scared him out of his mind. Didn’t clarify why those assholes outside were hunting him though.
“I’m sorry,” Finn said.
“For what?”
“For coming here. You got hurt because of me.”
Roman shrugged. “All part of the job. I have to say, that’s the first time someone asked me for sanctuary, but turns out, I’m rather good at providing it. Catholics, eat your heart out.”
“You joke a lot,” Finn said.
“I do. Helps with the darkness.”
“Why do you do it? Why do you serve Chernobog?”
And here we go. “Usually, I quip something witty here about it being a family business or that I love the dark power. But I’m going to give you the real answer, as a professional courtesy. I do it, because someone has to, Finn. Like it or not, gods exist. Even the weakest of them have enough power to ruin lives and bring unimaginable misery to our world. We serve as intermediaries between them and the rest of humanity. We guard the boundary.”
Finn stared at him.
“It’s a shit job no matter what god you serve. People don’t seek divine intervention because their lives are going well. They come to you when they are desperate. When a child has been taken, when the crops have failed, when plague is burning through their loved ones, when nothing else has helped. They come ridden with guilt and filled with pain. And your job is to listen to their tragedies, take it all in, offer kindness and understanding, and then go to your god and beg them for salvation and mercy. Sometimes it’s granted. Sometimes you bargain for hours, and you get them from fifty righteous men to ten, and then you can’t find the damn ten righteous men, and the entire city gets destroyed, and you carry that with you for the rest of your life, but at least you tried. It takes a particular person to do this. You don’t get a thank you often. There will be times when you will try your best, and people you’ve bled and fought for will spit on you and curse your name. But it’s a job that must be done.”
Finn looked away. “What if I can’t do it?”
“Do you know why Morena wants you? Yes, it’s because of your magic and compatibility, but also because you don’t want the job. You will not abuse it. I’ve had a front row seat to what happens when a priest is seduced by the power. It’s not pretty. You won’t be one of those. I can tell. You can say no, Finn. Even though you’ve invoked, you can still renounce Morena and quit. The choice is yours.”
The house fell silent, except for the cracking of the logs in the fireplace and the soothing purr of the korgorusha watching them with glowing eyes.
“If I do this, will anyone even come to me?” Finn said quietly. “Would they even ask for my help?”
“Of course they will. Why wouldn’t they?”
“Pagans kill Morena every spring. They make an effigy out of straw, and they throw it in the river.”
Roman nodded. “True.”
“They drown her. Every year.”
“Sometimes they also burn her.”
“People hate her that much.”
He almost laughed, but held it in. Pragmatism came with age and exposure, and the boy had neither.
“Hate is a strong word here. People do fear Morena. They are cautious with her name. They don’t implore her unless shit has truly hit the fan. But that doesn’t mean they hate her or that they don’t want her blessing.”