The Goddess of Death and Her Empress

Up to chapter 25 for first tier patrons, and chapter 27 for second tier.

"Well done, child." Gallae said after Kyrie left the carriage. She froze time once again, and combed her fingers through Lena's hair.

She held out her hand. A white light illuminated the carriage, and made Lena glow from the inside.

"Your seed has sprouted, but the red mist has taken a firm dominant hold. You'll need another seed in order to grow properly, and be without shackles." Gallae said, opened her mouth, and took out a small glass bead. She put it on Lena's chest and watched it sink into her skin.

"Now, sleep, my little darling. Gallae watches over you." A stream with white light flowed from the child avatar and into Lena's body. Gallae stopped the stream, and leaned down.

"I shall always watch over you." She kissed Lena's forehead, and disappeared. Once time started to flow again, Lena quietly murmured in her sleep.

"Momma." She felt the comfort that only her mother had ever brought her, and it made her feel sad and nostalgic once again.

She really missed her parents.

* * *

Kyrie watched as Hannah, Sol, and Nikki all watched the carriage with eyes filled with desire and hunger. For some reason, Hannah's look slightly irritated her. Nikki was filled with reverence, while Sol was speculative. Hannah's look was almost reckless.

"Hannah, pull back your gaze or I'll gouge out your eyes." Kyrie said with a slight growl. Hannah lowered her eyes quickly. "Now, Valthyria, one of her Shadows, has returned to Haven for a few days to recharge. Since she likes her shadows so much, each one will return on their own day to recharge. As will each of you. Until her coming of age ceremony, no one is to warm her bed." Hannah pouted, while Sol and Nikki sighed, and accepted her judgment.

'Shadows. Keep an eye on Hannah. She gives me the impression that her heart is not completely with me.'

'Understood, goddess.' Valina said quietly. 'How is our sister?'

'Happy. She was eaten right down to her core. Much like I do. Make sure the Empress has regular amounts of meat from Haven from now on. I don't want her to lose control like that again.' Kyrie said. 'Her strength is on par with Rachel now, has my appetite, but she is not yet stable. She must not stress her strength.'

'We will watch over our Empress, goddess. No one will act against her.'

* * *

"She loves you." Sol said as Hannah laid her head on Lena's lap. She wanted to be spoiled and pampered by Lena, like a small child who couldn't help but want to get close to their mother.

"She's familiar to me." Lena said as she ran her fingers through Hannah's hair. "I don't know why." There was a familiarity in Hannah's actions, as though Lena knew her in the past, but she was sure she had never met Hannah before.

Hannah could feel Lena's hand in her hair, and felt her heart soar. Unseen to everyone, Lena's baby finger had lightly run along the inside of Hannah's ear, and now lightly rubbed her earlobe.

From that fingertip, a small green shoot slid into Hannah's ear, but didn't go any deeper. Lena did not see this shoot as it was an offshoot of one of the seeds Gallae left behind. As Hannah was not yet one of her chosen ones, she decided to see how things would go before she claimed her.

Valina, Valthyria, Valcynie, Valjhana, and Valyria were all chosen by Lena, and each had a small connection to her that would grow with time.

Sol and Nikki felt a pull, while Rachel was fascinated with her, almost reverent. Hannah, on the other hand, felt desperation. She didn't know why, but she really wanted to belong to this human.

To Hannah, Lena felt like a celestial body, a moon that was forever out of reach, but its path across the heavens would swing closer from time to time.

Lena's growth was already on par with the demi god children born to Kyrie's brothers and sisters.

* * *

Even though it took nearly a month of travel to get to their destination, the flaming nightmare horses made the trip in less than half the time of a standard horse.

"How was the trip so smooth?" Kata asked as they passed the walled town a few miles from the temple. Sol lifted an eyebrow.

"The smiths and craftswomen of Haven are highly skilled. The carriages built by our people make the ones on Imera look like rough wagons." Sol said in a soft silky voice. Hannah nodded.

"My sisters have lived for thousands of years. They have made hundreds of carriages, and thousands of improvements in their techniques." She said with a wide smile. Sol stretched and watched as Kata's eyes were drawn to her chest. She had half a mind to take this servant of the Empress and teach her what her naked observation meant to the Others of Haven.

"Hannah is correct. Though the humans have developed several master craftsmen over the centuries, they will only be able to practice from sixty to eighty years before their bodies grow too old to continue. Our sisters never age. They can practice, sharpen, and refine their skills over thousands of years." Sol said, and lightly ran her fingers through Lena's hair.

Lena had fallen asleep a few hours ago, and thanks to the smooth ride of the carriage, she laid her head on Sol's lap for a little rest.

"They don't grow bored doing the same thing over and over?" Kata asked.

"They aren't limited to the same things." Hannah said. "You enjoy the sword, right?" Kata nodded. "Many soldiers practice their entire lives, and if their bodies didn't give out, they would practice for another lifetime, wouldn't they?" Kata frowned slightly, but slowly nodded.

"Yes, I think so. So the same applies to the masters in Haven?" Kata asked. Sol smirked.

"Our sisters are not fools. Sometimes they go from the forge to the carpentry shop, and back to the forge. It's all according to their whims, and desires. That is what life is like in Haven. We live for the goddess, and she gives us unending life so that we can pursue all of our desires, no matter how small or large." Sol looked down at Lena. "You have no idea how much our sisters in Haven envy us. Or you, for that matter, Kata."

"Me?" Kata was surprised.

"You're the directly chosen servant of the Empress. The Empress is the chosen person of the goddess." Sol sighed. "You have no clue how much I envy Thyria." She wrapped her arms around her body, just below her breasts.

"I can only imagine how wonderful it felt to be completely devoured by the Empress, and feel those teeth slide through her skin." She shivered. Hannah nodded, her eyes bright.

"I hope I get a turn soon."