Goddess by Liv Savell (books for 6 year olds to read themselves txt) 📗

And she just stood there, staring at Delyth as Gethin—Maoz—stared at the warrior too. As if she and Etienne weren’t even worth their attention. The Gods made no move to dart forward or give chase. It wasn’t working!

Meirin smiled broadly, and while she felt her knees tremble, her voice was steady. “I thought you said she was beautiful, your lover. This girl is hardly a shadow. I can’t see why she’s worth the trouble.” Enyo’s bright eyes slithered to Meirin, her brow narrowing. “I bet—” Meirin continued, readying her feet to run. “I could take her with one hand tied behind my back.” She forced a laugh.

Delyth pulled her wings in closer. “Did it make you angry when we got away, Enyo? When little Alphonse managed to steal back control even after you had your precious artifact? Well, we’re here now. Do something about it.”

“Gladly,” the Goddess replied, lunging forward with a burst of speed that terrified Meirin. The clanswoman bolted, running for all she was worth down the hill. They hadn’t calculated how truly fast the Gods were, and their human companion, Tristan, was able to keep up as well.  Meirin glanced back only once to see Tristan, Enyo, and Maoz charging after them with grace. They didn’t even look as if they were running full out down the rocky hill face.

Settling her grip on her spear, Meirin realized that Etienne needed to get ahead of them. He needed to be ready for the trap, to hold it in place with his will or whatever it was that mages did. Despite the fear she felt, Meirin slowed, turning her course to cut in front of the Gods.

Enyo leaped over her, but Tristan and Maoz couldn’t veer away in time. They crashed into her body. It hurt as they collided and fell to the earth, but with a jumble of limbs and a deliberate placement of her spear to tangle with Maoz’s feet, Meirin thought she bought Delyth and Etienne the precious seconds they needed.

Meirin struggled to push herself to her feet, but Tristan punched her, his fist connecting with her cheek. Lights burst before her eyes as she fell back from the impact, but he snarled in frustration and turned, chasing after Enyo and Delyth.

“Enyo!” he shouted, and in her daze, Meirin thought he sounded desperate.

But it didn’t make any difference to the Goddess that her human pet was calling her, for she kept on after Delyth. The warrior was in the air now, winging low over the earth. Meirin blinked in confusion as she watched the small body of the Goddess leap into the air, higher than any mortal could dream to. She caught onto one of Delyth’s feet.

Horror made a pit of Meirin’s belly, and she forced herself up once more. Delyth pumped her wings to keep aloft even as Enyo tried to yank her back down to the earth. It was ludicrous. The Goddess was shouting in a language Meirin didn’t understand, tearing at Delyth as though she meant to savage her even as they flew. Maoz simply stood, watching. He was the Hunter—he should have been as vicious as Enyo. Instead, he turned towards Meirin, his dispassionate gaze sharpening.

“Mortal,” he murmured, his voice far deeper than it had ever been as Gethin. Meirin shuddered and averted her gaze.  She couldn’t make herself look into Gethin’s friendly face and see something cold and distant instead.

༄

“Your little mortal slut is dead, Ba’oto! And you’re going to follow her!”

The warrior grit her teeth against Enyo’s screams, straining for more height. The weight of Alphonse's body was no great strain on her wings, and yet her thrashing made charting a course through the air difficult and uncomfortable.

No matter. It would be all the easier to deposit her into a rune trap from above.

“That’s where you’re wrong, Enyo,” Delyth snarled. “All three of us are going to live a nice, long time. And even after Alphonse and I are dead, you’ll still be rotting in banishment.”

Below them, Etienne had almost reached the traps, Tristan steadily gaining behind her. Delyth’s best bet would be to get the rogue ensnared first so that she could drop Enyo into a trap at her leisure. Shaking Enyo to keep her still, Delyth turned a wide circle, giving Etienne a few more precious moments.

Enyo sunk her teeth into the leather of Delyth’s boot with an unhinged howl, oblivious to the sight below of Meirin running to catch up, Maoz following diligently behind. The clouds overhead rumbled and darkened with ominous flickers of lightning, a reflection of the turmoil within Enyo. The wind was making it harder and harder to fly.

The Goddess spat out a chunk of leather and reached up to Delyth’s knee, gripping it with unbelievable strength, her fingers digging into the warrior’s flesh. Blood welled up beneath Enyo’s nails, and she began to climb up Delyth’s body. “You’ll pay, and I’ll yank your precious, pathetic girl out from the depths I shoved her into just to watch you suffer, you stinking, traitorous, beautiful bitch!”

Tristan was below, shouting something up at them, but it was impossible to make it out above the din of the storm and Enyo’s ranting.

✶

Finally, Etienne skidded to a halt behind the traps they had laid earlier; a mix of his blood and Delyth’s swirled into elaborate runes. He stood still for a moment, breathing heavily, and then dropped his bag to the ground to retrieve his journal. It had been moons since he had written down the spell for banishing the Goddess, but it was still legible in his clear, sure hand.

Above, Delyth wheeled towards him again, Enyo writhing where she hung from Delyth’s leg and Tristan following behind, his neck craned up to look at them. Meirin was heading straight towards the traps as well, a little behind but gaining fast. Maoz’s eyes were fixed upon her, staring. Hungry, almost.

Etienne shuddered and then closed his eyes to all of them. He had