The Goddess of Death and Her Empress

"Valina. Go to the Elorshin and let them know they may move their tribe to the temple, and the lands around. They will be the ones to farm the land, mine the mountains, fish the sea, and help the Vhaac in the forests." Lena said. "Their breeders may not mingle with the Vhaac, nor may the females take the Vhaac as mates. The two races must remain separate." Valina tilted her head.

"Empress? Why must the two tribes stay separate if they all worship the goddess?" Valina asked.

"The reason is simple." Lena said with a warm smile. "The Elorshin are the descendants of the shadows. The shadows always come from their tribe. The Vhaac are the purest of the old Asmarian tribes, and I don't want their people to go extinct." She reached out, and pulled Valina close.

"E-Empress?" Valina stuttered.

"My shadows are important to me. So are the Asmarians. Each have their own talents, and attractiveness." She pursed her lips. "However, Nadya and Nuri are not of the Elorshin, nor the Asmarians."

"Correct. Nuri is from Caeda, an island on the West coast, north of Gasina. Nadya is from Aervik, a west coast island in the south. The goddess once had temples in all Asmarian cities, but the Digallans invaded and removed the worship of the goddess in Old Asmaria." Valina said. "Each of them were brought to the Great Temple a year before they were Offered, and long before the invasion."

"That makes sense. Their appearance and body types are so different. Nadya is darker than Nuri, but not as much as Asmarians. Both have large chests, but Nadya is more compact and solid, while Nuri is softer." She said. Valina grinned.

"That 'appearance' is how they see themselves. It is not their true appearance." Valina said.

"I don't understand." Lena pulled Valina practically onto her lap. "Too far away. I need a bite." She inhaled Valina's scent and let out a shaky breath.

"The physical appearance of the Others is what we picture ourselves to be. This is how I appeared at my peak of my physical strength. Nuri and Nadya think they are fat and unattractive, so they appear that way." She murmured as Lena's teeth slowly sank into her flesh.

Once she took a large mouthful, she briefly chewed and tasted Valina's flesh, and groaned. She prevented herself from devouring her, but she really wanted to.

"They think they are too fat and appear that way?" She asked. Her frown deepened. "Those bitches conditioned them into believing that they were lucky to have anyone's attention!" She growled. "I should have chewed more slowly on their cores!"

Valina shivered a bit. Only the goddess could chew through the material she used to make the core that held their life essence. Now, their Empress could as well, which made her quite powerful.

"Eep!" Valina suddenly felt herself get flipped and laid out onto the bed. She looked up into the ruby red eyes of the Empress.

"I'm incredibly hungry, Valina. Will you feed me?"

* * *

"She's in Haven recovering, Empress." Valyria said with a smirk. "She's quite happy too, just like Valthyria was to be devoured by you." Lena sat quietly and thought for several minutes.

"Send Valthyria to the Elorshin and let them know that their tribe is not required to move here, as this is my decision. The shadows I've been assigned belong to me, but the Elorshin themselves belong to my Kyrie. They must come to this decision themselves." She said with pursed lips, and sighed a little. "It would have been nice to have so many around who worship her."

"Empress, you know how much the goddess cares for you." She said. "She gave you her temple. She entrusts her most precious people to your care. The goddess has already been quite clear. If the Empress calls, Haven must answer." Lena looked at Valyria quietly. "All of Haven." Lena slowly nodded.

"This affects their entire tribe, for all time. Moving an entire people, not just the first time from their ancestral home on their islands, but from their current home will put them in danger. I don't want to harm them, or paint a target on them." Lena slowly came to a decision in her mind.

"Let their elders make the choice. If they should come here, a squad of shadows must ensure that they remain safely away from the rest of Imera, so that they may go to Haven at the end." Lena said firmly. Valyria smiled.

"The goddess agrees. No empire, or kingdom will be allowed to infiltrate, pollute, or subdue her people on Imera." She said and laid her head on Lena's lap. The shadows were quite addicted to her touch.

"When Valina recovers, I am devouring you next." That would sound like a threat to anyone who heard it, but Valyria shivered and grinned. Joy filled her heart as she knew the experience was unlike anything she had ever experienced.

It wasn't a threat to her. It was a reward.

* * *

"The Elorshin didn't need to consider the request long." Kyrie said with a smile.

"Of course not." Lydia said, but she smiled gently at the image of the Empress. "She is the one giving the request, and she reflects your desires. The west coast has been their home for a long time, but the east is where they are from. Their roots are here. The temple is here. The Empress is here. The worshipers of the goddess among the Vhaac are also getting ready to walk the sands of the Great Desert." Kyrie pursed her lips.

"The core of their people remain, while some come north?" She asked.

"Yes. Though they have preserved their tribe's integrity, the males know they don't go to Haven. The females are given the option to worship, just like their ancestors, and so many do. The ones who are ready to go are the ones whose heart is already inclined." Lydia smiled a little. "Though the Empress wished for the entire tribe, she also knows they are not like the Elorshin. They are not a complete race."

"True. We have Asmarians among those in Haven, and they are a big part of our society. We also have those from Ados, Caeda, and Aervik." Kyrie growled. "There have been no Offerings in centuries. Imera is divided, and worships my nieces and nephews while ignoring Mother Imera, Gallae, and myself. I do not like it."

Kyrie watched the window, her scowl slowly dissolved into a soft smile as she saw her Lena make decisions that would affect her people in the long term.

The ones she made were all geared towards guiding the worship, and making it pure again. She shivered a little as she heard Lena's unconscious whisper. She said a little phrase every hour or so.

'My Kyrie.' That made the goddess of death smile.