My latest outburst, suffice it to say, brought the biggest gasp yet. This, after all, was their spiritual leader, their connection to the goddesses, to all that they were and held so dearly. And yet, when Lola shouted, “Find the zombies at once!” they did not hesitate. Instead, they stormed up the stairs, trampling past us as they raced inside the statue in search of Dara and Ricky. Those who remained outside merely prostrated themselves and prayed at our feet.
“I can see how someone could get used to this,” I whispered into Lola’s ear.
She turned and replied, “But we’re tricking them, Creature. I’m not the goddess and you’re no saint.”
A knot formed in my long-dead belly. She was right of course and yet not right as well. But things here were not so black and white; this was a gray area, to be certain—and this coming from someone who knew gray all too well, who stared gray in the face each and every day for centuries. “They are traitors, Lola,” I replied. “They were helping Blondella to bring about their own people’s destruction, to snuff out, by all accounts, the last vestiges of mankind.” I stared at the moaning masses beneath us. “Or at least dragkind.”
She held my hand in hers. “I know you’re right, but . . .”
“You’re an actress, Lola,” I told her, gripping her hand in mine. “This is just another role for you, albeit one with grave consequences if the play closes too soon.”
She shut her eyes and nodded. When she opened them again, the smile had returned to her face. “And the play, as they say, must go on.”
“Thatta girl.”
She released my hand. “Thatta goddess you mean.”
And then, at last, the crowd reemerged from the statue, Topaz pushed to the front, fear plastered across her face. With her was VaVa. So, yes, two birds, one stone. Except, two was all there were, two and no more.
“Where are they!” barked Lola, her eyes practically aflame.
Those directly behind the prisoners cowered, the one closest to us replying, “They were alone, Goddess. There are no others within.”
To which another added, “We searched everywhere, Goddess. They are not inside.”
Lola closed the gap between them, her face up close to the priestess’. “Where are they?”
Topaz blinked. It was clear she thought she was gazing at Blondella and then clear again that she knew she wasn’t. “I am not a traitor, Goddess,” she replied.
“And that’s not what I asked you.”
Topaz gazed on, still in fear, but with a smidge of curiosity thrown in; I could see it in her eyes. “I do not know of whom you speak, but I surmise that it amounts to the same thing: I am no traitor and I do not have the answer to your question.”
It was my turn to move in, while the crowd retreated a few feet in reverse, equally as afraid of the zombie and the goddess as the prisoners were. “I saw you at the marina, Topaz.”
“Funny,” she replied, “I did not see you, Creature.”
We were now eye to eye, hers staring down into mine. “But you did see Blondella. You did recognize her.” I turned to VaVa. “You both recognized her, neither all that shocked to see her, not like the others were. I know what I saw. Do you deny it?”
The queens stared at each other and then back to us. “We are not traitors, Creature,” said VaVa.
“We do not know who you seek or where they are hidden,” added Topaz. “But perhaps we know who does.” The briefest of smiles broke free from her face, wiped away completely with what she saw next.
Though, to be fair, there wasn’t a smile to be found once that happened—except perhaps on the true Blondella’s disco-ball-crushed face.
Energy Boost
I looked past her and spotted the smallish boat docked in the same spot that we had docked. She must’ve been close behind the entire time. Which meant that we should’ve been looking aft as well as forward.
She approached us slowly. Given her present state, it was a wonder she could do even that. She was also well guarded, a crush of undead underlings all around her, every human within a hundred feet moving in reverse at the sight of them, not to mention the smell.
“Not good,” I muttered.
“Nope,” agreed Lola.
“Nope,” agreed Topaz.
“Not even close,” added VaVa.
The humans below watched her progress, confused, as well they should have been, at what they were witnessing. I had, after all, just promised them that there would be no more zombie attacks, and yet here the zombies were. I had just offered them their goddess, and yet another had arrived that bore the same resemblance, albeit squashed and gray and withered though it was. And so they stood their ground and we stood ours and the goddess in question got carried up the stairs, half-crushed face twisted in an angry snarl all the while as she stared at me and me at her.
“Damn, girl,” I said, once she was set down, “you look like crap.” I flinched when she moved in even closer. “Plus, I, uh, thought you were, you know, dead.”
The faintest of grins inched its way up her ghastly face. “I was. Have been for centuries, old friend. Gonna take a lot more than a disco ball to finish the deed, though.” She then turned to the crowd and brayed as she pointed our way, “Here are your traitors!”
Lola pushed between us and addressed the crowd. “No!” she shouted. “This one is the traitor. This one intends on your destruction!”