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I slipped out onto the balcony and sucked in my lips. The grass was so green. I wanted to wiggle my toes in it. Some of the other plants looked like they needed a drink, though, which was pretty sad for an earth god’s private garden. The door opened. I spun around and hurried inside. The god marched across the room with four men following him. I tiptoed to the couch.
“My lord, these are the reports from the outlying villages.” The man in a tall, boxy hat spread the papers out across the desk.
The hat had a gold pendant fixed onto the front. It had a leaf carved into the metal with five diamonds positioned around it. The other three men had similar ones on. They all wore the same loose fabric that was buckled at one shoulder and draped down to the floor.
Mahkah scanned the documents. “Make preparations; we’ll head inland toward the west.”
“Yes, my lord.” He rolled up the scrolls and left the room with the others.
The god followed.
“Wait—” I stepped forward.
Mahkah faced me with a look of annoyance.
“Can I go with you?” I grabbed my elbow. “Please.”
“No.”
I groaned. “Your answer is always no. I’ve been sitting here for over two weeks. Can’t I go this once?”
“No.” He turned sharply.
“Can I at least go outside?” I called after him.
“No.”
“Mahkah, please,” I begged.
“No.”
I bowed my head. “Can I take a bath?”
The god stopped at the doorway. “Tonight, when I return.”
“What if you don’t come back, though? Last time you didn’t.”
With a heated sigh, he rubbed his face. “Fine.” He raised a finger. “Stay inside. Understood?”
I nodded.
“Food will be brought shortly.” He closed the door.
He was such a difficult man. With a groan, I flopped face-first onto the couch and rested my chin on my arms. One day, I’d get him to say yes. Rolling onto the floor, I rose to my feet and headed for the bathroom. I need a hot bath.
The god was cautious with me. I understood why but he was being a little extreme. This was the first time since he let me out of the dungeon that I had been allowed to take a bath by myself. I closed the door and enjoyed the feeling of humid air on my skin. Mahkah's constant annoyance toward me was affecting my mood. After taking off my clothes, I sat cross-legged in front of the smaller waterfall. My soaps sat in a box on the floor since the god didn’t want me using anything from his personal collection. They smelt like fresh-cut grass, so I didn’t mind.
I scrubbed some into my hair and leaned back, so the falls could wash it out. I did it once more before standing and cleaning my skin. Grabbing a brush, I went to the hot pool to soak. I sat on the submerged step and combed out my hair. The portion Mahkah had cut off and grown back. It was black with a slight hint of blue. Mahkah assumed since I hadn’t been soaking up the water element for years on end, it wasn’t as potent as the red from the fire garden.
A sponge—I frowned at the comment. They made my ability sound like a bad thing. I healed the trees Fin burned. Fire and water, I brought life back to desolated land. I could be of help to Mahkah. I knew I could.
I finished working through the rest of the tangles in my hair before sinking into the water. The brush didn’t have a single strand stuck in its bristles which seemed odd. I placed the brush on the ledge and kicked off the side of the pool. My blue hair floated out around me as I glided out toward the middle. I twirled a section around my finger. I wondered what would happen if I did pull one out. With that thought in mind, I gave it a tug.
A single strand slid free.
Panic spread when I saw what I had done. Mahkah was going to throw me in the pit! I spun around, trying to figure out where to hide it. If the god thought I was shedding, he’d lock me up. If I said I pulled it out, he’d punish me and then lock me up. A small space between the tiles caught my eye. I trudged through the water to get to it. Picking up a piece of chipped mortar, I wrapped the hair around it and shoved it into the hole. I pounded it into place with my fist. That should do it.
With a sigh, I sunk down, so my nose was just above the surface. Hopefully, Mahkah never found it.
Making my way to the stairs, I climbed out and dried off. I put my old clothes where Mahkah had directed and took a clean set from a basket. Once dressed, I finished drying my hair. My eye flicked over to the corner of the room. I told myself to forget it was even there and returned to the couch to wait.
What if Mahkah did find the strand? Gods were too observant. I twisted my hair into one mass. He would probably glance at me and know instantly a hair was missing. Groaning, I fell onto my back and covered my face.
“Stupid, stupid.” I bounced my fist against my forehead. “Idiot. What were you thinking?”
I hadn’t been—that was the problem.
A knock sounded on the door.
I sprang up. “Come in.”
An older woman carried in a tray. “Lord Mahkah will be back late. He encountered some problems.”
“Okay.” I nodded, trying to act natural.
“Will you need anything else?”
“No.” I shook my head.
She smiled and went to the bathroom. I didn’t move until she had retrieved my clothes and left. Letting out a huff, I slumped over. I had to find somewhere else to hide it. I jumped onto the table and leaped off it straight for the bathroom.
I shuffled along the outer rim off the pool to the corner. Digging my fingers into the crack, I tried to pull out the mortar. It wasn’t coming out. I hooked my finger around a few of the blue loops. The hair snapped. My eyes grew wide.
Did I just release its power? Was water going to start gushing everywhere? Swallowing hard, I wiggled out the rock and stared at the severed ends sticking up. Nothing happened—thank the gods.
I inched my way along the wall, clutching the mortar in my hand. Glancing outside, I saw the plants looked even more wilted than before. They really needed a drink. Hell, this whole city needed one and Mahkah was too busy to even notice.
My foot slipped off the ledge. Dropping the stone, I landed on my ass before toppling into the water. Cursing under my breath, I climbed to my feet—the rock?
I looked around and spotted it sitting at the bottom of the pool near the deep end.
“Curse the gods; today is not my day,” I breathed.
My clothes were drenched, so I pulled my shirt over my head when I heard something bubbling. I glanced behind me to see the water begin to rise into the air.
My eyes grew wide. “Dammit.”
Mahkah was going to kill me! I chucked my shirts to the side and raced across the pool. Snatching the rock, I held it to my chest. It wouldn’t stop. A chill ran along my spine as the blue leaked from my hair and into the water.
“No. No. No.” Dropping the rocks, I gathered my hair and twisted it above my head.
Water poured from the bun like a waterfall and covered my face. I was struggling to breathe and keep the strands from falling. Blinded by the water, I shuffled toward the edge with a hand outstretched. My knee hit the submerged seat and fell forward with a groan. My hair swirled around me. The red tips were all that remained as the pool started to glow. The water was splashing onto the landing and against the bedroom door.
I swam towards the steps, but the current sucked me toward the center as water poured into the garden.
“Damn it.” I latched onto a pillar to keep from being washed away.
Mahkah was never going to let me take a bath alone again. The water level kept rising. I scooted up the pillar, praying to The Great Creator to make it stop and for a major heatwave to dry the garden out. Mahkah couldn’t find out about what I had done. The sound of rocks crumbling came from the outside wall. I held my breath and plead for it to hold.
“Please,” I begged.
If it broke, I’d have no chance of fixing this. A loud crack sounded, and the water rushed toward the source. Closing my eyes, I clung to the column. The water level went down, leaving me hovering in the air. I peeked at the ground to find it a good ten feet below me. I awkwardly shimmied down until my grip gave out and landed flat on my back, knowing the air from my lungs. I gasped and rolled onto my side. The last of the water disappeared through the hole near the base of the wall. A river had formed from the bathroom to the missing stones. I lifted myself off the ground and scanned the area.
Everything was drenched. The god’s things lay strung out across the ground and some had been washed into the garden. Mahkah’s bedroom was probably flooded. He was going to throw me in the pit for this. An emptiness filled my chest. I fell onto my side and covered my mouth. The tears came quickly and turned to sobs. I couldn’t go back to that dark, lifeless prison.
It was hard to breathe. Why did this keep happening? I wanted to help Mahkah and fix the earth, but nothing ever works out for me. I wanted to go home, back to Herminia where I belong, knee-deep in shit and safe in my own mud pit.