Page 60 of Heart of the Villain

She’d heard enough.

Her arm shot up, and with a gust of angry wind, the door to the library slammed open and cracked down the middle when it hit the wall behind it with too much force, pieces falling to the floor.

Arlet jumped again, the skirt of her dress fluttering with the movement. She nodded once and turned her back on Marlena as she quickly took her exit.

Marlena watched her go, and when Arlet was out of sight and she could no longer hear her footsteps, Marlena fell to her knees and let out a shriek that felt like it shredded her vocal chords.

Who are you now that no one’s around to see?

Recovered from the notebook

of Marlena Caelum:

Twenty-Two Years Old

The crowd below the balcony looked up, their eyes fixed on Marlena and her parents. All morning had been spent signing paperwork, turning over control of Amora to Marlena.

Only one thing stood between her and the start of a new life—the start of a new world. And that was being sworn in by the head priest and priestess of Oro, being presented to the people and the dead gods.

Her parents’ hands were on her shoulders, one standing on each side of her. They’d both finished their speeches, her mother’s drawing on longer than her father’s. She wanted to thank all of Amora by name, it seemed, and then went on to boast about how she was excited to relax more… Oh, and “to hopefully plan a wedding!”

But now it was Marlena’s turn to take the stage.

“People of Tolevarre, tonight, a new leader steps into place. Marlena Caelum.” The oldest of the two acolytes, in stark-white robes, stepped forward. “It is time for you to take an oath with the old gods. Are you ready?”

Marlena nodded, taking a step forward with an exaggerated roll of her shoulders, forcing her parents’ tight grips off her body. “I’m ready.”

Not just for this seat… but for all of them.

“Fantastic. Please face the sky.” Stella was as close as one could get to the stars in Tolevarre—as close as anyone could get to the dead gods. Initiation ceremonies were always held in Stella, in the home she’d grown up in. It didn’t matter what seat was being replaced, the leaders of Oro wouldn’t allow them to happen anywhere else.

“You need to be as close to the old gods as you can,” they would always say.

Marlena’s head fell back, and she closed her eyes.

“Marlena, all of the dead gods are here with us tonight.”

At his words, a rush of warmth swept over her entire body. Marlena could feel it, feel them. She’d attended only one of these her entire life, and while she was much younger, there was no way she’d ever forget this feeling.

“Strong.”

“What we need.”

The gods are here.

“They’re here to guide you on your journey as a new leader, to watch the world their powers created live on.”

The room was silent. All of the attendees craned their necks up to the dark night sky with their eyes closed like everyone was praying in unison. People at home watched on their monitors, and if they didn’t have one, they were at a local pub that did or were standing in their town squares, watching.

Everyone will see what I’ve done. They’ll know who’s coming for them.

“Repeat after me.”

The priest began, and Marlena followed in his words. “I will guide my territory as if my ancestors and the original gods are with me. I am here to be a voice for the people, ready to put them first.” No one ever meant those words. Marlena didn’t feel bad for lying in front of the entire realm. “From now until my time is up, I will lead how the gods would have. I will be better than the last.”

The prayer continued on, Marlena reciting every word seamlessly. She’d known the acceptance prayer like a monologue since the age of ten. It had been beaten into her. A test she’d been forced to take countless times until she got it perfect.

“Marlena, open your eyes,” the priestess said, taking a finger she’d dipped in a mixture of berries and red liquid to resemble blood and dragging it down the center of Marlena’s eyebrows to her nose. “Marlena Caelum. Amora’s newest leader.”