The Woman Behind the Gate
His hand lingered on the low wrought iron gate, wondering if the image he had conjured in his head would be the same as the one that would greet him. In his experience reality often disappointed and whilst Izaria was always the furthest from disappointing, he was doubtful she’d be welcoming. To say their previous interaction had been frosty was…an understatement.
There wasn’t much point hesitating any longer and he pushed the gate open; the wrought iron screeched sharply in protest, the hinges stiffly yielding. He shut it carefully behind him, securing the lock in place and with a wave of his hand, he restored the enchantment in place. Not to keep her in but unwanted visitors out; well, any unwanted visitors besides him. As much as she probably wanted to never see him again there wasn’t much she could do to bar him. Besides, he’d done his best to keep clear of her but the time of avoiding each other was over for now.
He looked ahead finally, up the long winding path through the thicket and low hanging trees. The morning light spilt down across it, lighting the path gold, defined by a scattering of wild flowers along the edge. Before, there hadn’t been flowers but he knew Izaria liked flowers; it was one of the few things she liked and viciously guarded. He shoved away the messy feelings that welled up inside of him and strode on, along the twisting path until it opened onto a large courtyard.
A neatly manicured garden of cherry blossom trees and low hedges defined the yard, with only the care and precision afforded by a Goddess whom had little else to do. The garden fronted a simple wooden house with a deck that ran around the whole place, half consumed by a thin beard of flowering jasmine. He set off to the front door, ascending the couple steps up to the deck when a sharp feeling suddenly pressed against the low of his back. He stilled.
“What brings you to my domain?” Izaria’s sweet voice slid over him like silk, yet there was no mistaking the threat that sharpened her words to a point. “Am I to be removed to another prison?”
He held up his hands. “Might I turn around?”
There was a pause, followed by a quiet and short hiss. The sharp point in his back vanished, so he slowly turned. Izaria never failed to render him speechless at times; it seemed, even after so long, the effect was the same. She was tall like any Goddess, lean and muscled, striking in her deep black gown, stark against her moon pale skin and matching her onyx black hair. As she sheathed her sword at her back, reaching up with her long limbs, she kept her gaze on him, narrowed slightly.
“So, what brings you here?”
He dug into the pockets of his jacket and fished out a medallion, then dangled it before her. Her gaze locked on it, narrowed to thin slits, then lifted to him.
“They’re that desperate? Gods, what kind of shit have you all gotten yourself into that they want me? They threw me into this shit hole because I didn’t suit their ideals, now they’re asking for my help?” She asked scathingly, as if the offer was offensive and the prospect of release insulting.
He tossed the medallion to her, which she caught with sharp reflexes. She toyed it with for a moment but didn’t hand it back or toss it into the dirt to be ground beneath her boots.
“Desperate times indeed,” he murmured.
She sighed. “End of the world?”
“It’d have to be for me to be here – wasn’t that your final words?” He regretted instantly the edge to his voice.
Her gaze flashed fiercely. “I do believe I wasn’t the only one with venom on my tongue that day. Which, if memory serves, was what you liked about me – that is, until you grew too cowardly, like everyone else.”
“Cowardly? You’re the Goddess of Chaos, Izaria and like your mother, Eris, you created it. You really can’t be that pissy it blew up in your face,” he replied. “I warned you, everyone warned you.”
She snorted. “I can only act within my nature. Now, back to the task at hand, what do I get if I do this? My freedom?”
It was like unleashing the strongest storm in history unto humanity if she walked out that gate, though there wasn’t much choice in the matter anymore. Desperate times indeed, he mused.
He nodded slowly. “That is the agreed reward.”
In the morning light Izaria, the Goddess of Chaos, gave a feline smile, promising nothing but what her name entailed. Her eyes gleamed fiercely.
“Well, we best go save the world.”
ns 15.158.61.48da2
