Call of the Goddess: A Bona Dea Novel (Stormflies Book 1) Read Online Free Page B
Author: Elizabeth N. Love
immediately and one that required she go alone. As tenderly as her crude vocabulary allowed, she reminded him how much she loved him. Usually, she did not need words to express these things. She only needed to touch him, kiss him and let her gifts open up to him. Lastly, she invited him to come to Undun City and find her. “
I will be waiting for you. But I understand if you do not want to see me again,
” she added. “
All my love, Axandra.
”
This letter she folded once and used the sticky to post it to the door where he would most certainly see it.
With the pack on her shoulder again, she left the cottage and began a long journey.
The Newcomer
30th Trimont, 307
The letter arrived in Undun City seven days after leaving Port Gammerton.
Addressed to the Head of Council, the folded parchment arrived in Nancy Morton's hands unopened. The outside bore no return address and only a single word in the upper left corner. “Ileanne.”
Pursing her eyes and mouth, Nancy cracked the sticky seal and unfolded the sheet of paper with a gentle, curious touch. She reviewed the words written in elegant swirling characters that were almost difficult to read.
“
Esteemed Councilor Morton,
I have carefully considered my obligations to the citizens of our small planet and believe it necessary to reclaim an identity I long ago relinquished when I fled the Prophets and disappeared.
While I do not expect to be believed at first, I am certain you will find that my true identity is that of Ileanne, daughter of Elora and Mitchum Saugray, though I have not gone by that name since the age of six.
I expect to arrive in Undun shortly after this letter is received, and I am prepared to submit to whatever tests you may require in order to prove or disprove my claim.
Sincerely,
Axandra Korte.”
The Councilor frowned at the letter. Nancy feared that someone would attempt to lay claim to the identity of the long missing child. In fact, she anticipated many such claims as the weeks tarried forward. Her plan to deal with them consisted of politely acknowledging each claim. Then she would send a representative to explain that the enthusiasm to fill the shoes of the Esteemed was appreciated, but at the same time unwelcome. So far, this was the first such claim to be made. Unable to send a representative to the claimant, she would wait for the impending arrival.
The Council would indeed require tests to provide proof. Only a few individuals possessed the ability to confirm the identity of this mysterious visitor. And she would share this letter with no one but the few whom she needed. No use giving the people any false hope.
The audacity of anyone to pretend to be a long dead child! A distasteful grab at honor! Nancy could barely palate the thought that anyone would make such a bold and clearly false move.
Sitting at the wide desk in her office, Nancy read the letter a second time, focusing on different words of the composition, seeking out anything in the language that would indicate who this woman was or where she was from. The letter contained no regional references and no date. The family name meant nothing to her. Nor did the letter contain any details that were not publicly known. The letter represented a feeble attempt to excite her. Nancy felt no excitement. She suspected that no one would come. She dreaded her duties if the writer of this letter actually arrived. The visitor would not be welcomed kindly.
+++
5th Quadrember
Councilor Morton kept watch over the front entrance of the Palace for several days, distracted her from her other duties. The staff observed her preoccupation, and they attempted to discover what secret she kept while staying well out of her way. Nancy caught one of the kitchen staff snooping in her office one afternoon and chased the young man out with a disgusted shout.
However, on a planet inhabited by people with telepathic abilities, secrets proved difficult to keep, especially when on the
I will be waiting for you. But I understand if you do not want to see me again,
” she added. “
All my love, Axandra.
”
This letter she folded once and used the sticky to post it to the door where he would most certainly see it.
With the pack on her shoulder again, she left the cottage and began a long journey.
The Newcomer
30th Trimont, 307
The letter arrived in Undun City seven days after leaving Port Gammerton.
Addressed to the Head of Council, the folded parchment arrived in Nancy Morton's hands unopened. The outside bore no return address and only a single word in the upper left corner. “Ileanne.”
Pursing her eyes and mouth, Nancy cracked the sticky seal and unfolded the sheet of paper with a gentle, curious touch. She reviewed the words written in elegant swirling characters that were almost difficult to read.
“
Esteemed Councilor Morton,
I have carefully considered my obligations to the citizens of our small planet and believe it necessary to reclaim an identity I long ago relinquished when I fled the Prophets and disappeared.
While I do not expect to be believed at first, I am certain you will find that my true identity is that of Ileanne, daughter of Elora and Mitchum Saugray, though I have not gone by that name since the age of six.
I expect to arrive in Undun shortly after this letter is received, and I am prepared to submit to whatever tests you may require in order to prove or disprove my claim.
Sincerely,
Axandra Korte.”
The Councilor frowned at the letter. Nancy feared that someone would attempt to lay claim to the identity of the long missing child. In fact, she anticipated many such claims as the weeks tarried forward. Her plan to deal with them consisted of politely acknowledging each claim. Then she would send a representative to explain that the enthusiasm to fill the shoes of the Esteemed was appreciated, but at the same time unwelcome. So far, this was the first such claim to be made. Unable to send a representative to the claimant, she would wait for the impending arrival.
The Council would indeed require tests to provide proof. Only a few individuals possessed the ability to confirm the identity of this mysterious visitor. And she would share this letter with no one but the few whom she needed. No use giving the people any false hope.
The audacity of anyone to pretend to be a long dead child! A distasteful grab at honor! Nancy could barely palate the thought that anyone would make such a bold and clearly false move.
Sitting at the wide desk in her office, Nancy read the letter a second time, focusing on different words of the composition, seeking out anything in the language that would indicate who this woman was or where she was from. The letter contained no regional references and no date. The family name meant nothing to her. Nor did the letter contain any details that were not publicly known. The letter represented a feeble attempt to excite her. Nancy felt no excitement. She suspected that no one would come. She dreaded her duties if the writer of this letter actually arrived. The visitor would not be welcomed kindly.
+++
5th Quadrember
Councilor Morton kept watch over the front entrance of the Palace for several days, distracted her from her other duties. The staff observed her preoccupation, and they attempted to discover what secret she kept while staying well out of her way. Nancy caught one of the kitchen staff snooping in her office one afternoon and chased the young man out with a disgusted shout.
However, on a planet inhabited by people with telepathic abilities, secrets proved difficult to keep, especially when on the
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