The Tormented Goddess (4 page)

             
“Are you alright, you seem awfully pale. Here is your tea, by the way
did you realise that tonight
is a full moon. I’m not superstitious or anything but I would prefer if we made our way to Paris as soon as possible, the server never stops
rubbernecking
in
this
di
rection, his attitude is not exactly what I call
heart
warm.
”

             
After a sip of her tea she repeated “A full moon”. Edward gave her a quire grimace, each full moon the nightmares of the underworld took life, they overtake her soul and returns her to her flesh at the sound of a human voice. The painful separation was more that she could bear but it was almost only there that she learnt the most truth of her past. Therefor she had no choice but to let herself affront the tormenting event.

             
In the carriage the two sat opposing to each other, they each had their own velvet bench. Edward yawned and leaned on the window to get some sleep. Before he fell asleep Venus mentioned “Don’t wake me up under any circumstances. I’m terrible exhausted.” Laying back on the cushions of her seat she gently closed her eyes. An immortals sleep is not necessary but she hoped that it
would help her avoid the undesirable event, for she did not wish Edward to suspect anything paranormal of her character. But the force of the command overtook her once again.
Falling deeply again into the seas
to her death she arrived at the gates of the underworld where a man less gondola awaited her. It drove her to the devils home. Welcomed in by the dead lost souls she felt her roman toga take shape around her hips and shoulders, she despised the amount of flesh revealed by this sleeveless draped cloth,
rev
ealing her backs skin whiter then snow
, but one was condemned to where the garments of the era in which their life ended in.

             
In the house of evil was regrouped the lost souls mingled with the non-hearted souls consumers of life. Venus quietly sat on one of the bright red couches when out of nowhere came Pluto. “Welcome my dear” his hands roughly made their way to Venus’s cheeks rubbing the smell of death on her face. “You grow prettier each occasion I get to see you.
”

             
“I do not grow
Pluto and wish to make this visit brief” Replied Venus clearly, purposely over enunciating the phrase.

             
“You know, I long for the time you will come down here perpetually we would have so much fun.”

             
“You disgust me, now can you tell me anything?”

             
“We since your little adventures are to my advantage, the more I tell you the more dangerous your situation will get, approaching our eternal reunion.”

             
“So you care for me king of the dead!”

             
Pluto smiled and said “You little goddess are searching for parents whom you don’t even come from
, they may have brought you into this world but you are the daughter of the most divine creation ever existed. You cannot possibly be truly originated from pathetic mortals.”

             
“What’s your point?”

             
“I wish to make an agreement with you.”

             
“Don’t flatter yourself you perfectly know that I do not make agreements with anyone from the underworld.”

             
“Still wishing to save your soul, oh please, alright then, if you continue your harmless quest and seek your last lover then you shall find the light. Or wasn’t he from the underworld?” Pluto
said with the heart of a viper.

             
“May I ask why HIM?”

             
“Well he seemed to long for you so much and I found that keeping your desire
d information
out of immediate grasp could possibly be entertaining.
”

             
“Pluto
,
the
last time I saw him was two hundred years ago, I’ve changed since then and do not intend of seeing him again.”

             
“Really I thought you were complaining how you couldn’t grow.”

             
“Count Dracula wasn’t as he is now, you blacked his heart.”

             
“Don’t accuse me of anything, besides you were the one severely in love.”

             
“Hypnotised” she corrected him.

             
“No that only works on mortals, beside he over took you too much I became jealous what else would you have me
do,
am I not the king of the dead?”

             
“You…”

             
“What my dear?”

             
The rocking of the carriage awoke Edward, left staring at the night he could only think of how he came to being there with her. As he thought of her he couldn’t help but observe the quite divinity of her charm
.
H
is eyes were so intensively fixed
that he realised that she wasn’t breathing. He grasped her hand to discover that it was as cold as ice; her possible death brought him to panic as he called her to wake up. Feeling powerless he continued to call on her, his mortal voice awakened her, when out of nowhere she sat up and automatically accused him “Why did you wake me up?” he sat up properly onto his bench fixing her as if she was mad.

             
“What’s wrong with you, you were pulseless.” With his hand still on her arm he commented “Venus your skin is colder then ice
, we should take you to a physician.”

             
“
That’s unnecessary, anyhow
you should get some sleep we have a long day awaiting us tomorrow,
and we
are seeing Mr. Dubois at Versailles.”
Venus glared out the window as mist settled onto the darkened scenery. Edward followed her suggestion and finally fell asleep.
Only howls screams could be heard at this time of the night keeping Venus vigilant throughout the ride.
 

C
hapter
F
ive

             
In the morning Venus apologised for her irrational conduct, Edward said nothing in return; all he could think of was how much time it would take till they
arrive at destination thus he asked the coachman
. “In less than an hour Monsieur
”
replied the man.
Edward pulled back his head into the carriage, and looked towards her direction.

             
“Who is Mr. Dubois?” he asked.

             
“He gates some of the most precious inventories of the revolution.”
responded Venus.

             
“May I ask you how you know him?”

             
“As you are aware multitudes use to break into the palaces at the time, including his ancestors
, instead of going for the gold and jewels as the flock they went for the books and the hidden knowledge of the court, very educated people. I met Mr. Dubois last winter while I was having an exclusive tour of Versailles a snow storm hit making my return to Paris impossible, so he offered me to stay with him and his family. Anyhow I began discussing of the topic and thus he revealed me his little se
crets, since I am a very trust worthy
person we became good friends soon enough.” Edward nodded as she spoke to show that he was attentively listening to her.
“You’ll see from your eyes he has a peculiar attitude making him rather repulsive, but he is most certainly essential.” The morning light glimmered onto her face as she held on her windows curtains.

             
Edward spent the remainder of the trip looking down at his
black shoes glaring occasionally
towards
his
protégé. The time seemed to be endless; a minute left enough emptiness to ponder on one’s existence, but eventually they arrived to the golden sanctuary of their curiosity. Descending the carriage they walked to the dazzling gardens, finding a round timid looking middle aged man sitting on a bench staring at the grandness
of a dead mutilated rat at his feet
.
Immediately recognised by Miss Venus she rushed over to his side to greet him, it was Mr. Dubois, he stood up kissed her hand exclaiming “Welcome mademoiselle, and who may this fine young man be?”

             
“This is my colleague Edward Charleston from the University of Oxford.” stated Venus.

             
“
It is n
ice to meet you Mr. Charleston.” Mr. Dubois
said soberly clearly interested
.

             
Edward nodded and cordially followed the party into an exceedingly warm green house. The diversity in
specimens
which roamed this
room sprouted everywhere invading the artificial perimeter imprinted of the smell of a
Turkish bath house. The man approached a vivid red plant woven with yellow
strikes;
he caressed it and began defining it.

“This little
specimen
produces
venom
ten times more lethal than the one of a python, Marie Antoinette the deceased today headless queen of France brought it with her from her native homeland, Austria. She used it to get rid of those who dared
to
compete
with
her beauty. Venus you must be rather familiar with this plant. Any how I would give you some for a souvenir but
its
very touch could end your days.”

Edward questioned him.
“
Sir
, if the touch of this plant is
as
lethal as you say, than how come its power seems indifferent at your touch.
”

“That my boy is due to my antibodies.”

“Excuse me, what in the world are antibodies?”
 

“We have only begun to scratch the surface of
science;
let’s
just say that my immune system has been trained to repent su
ch threats from
this potentially deadly plant. Now if we wish to have enough time we must run along a little faster, excuse me for the delay.”

Venus's piercing eyes drove Mr. Dubois to hurry, for his little childish habits would draw suspicion from her mortal companion. They took a little walk through the long enchanting hallways before entering a luxurious pavilion. Mr. Dubois handed Venus a little case then turned his head toward his lit fireplace.

Venus turned her head towards the roaring fire and exclaimed.
“I
wish to have a word with you Mr. Dubois, privately. Edward
,
would you be so kind to hold this and wait outside, it will only take a few minutes.” Her sincere smile bothered him enormously, but he obeyed her took the box and left the room closing the door behind himself. Venus began the conversation saying.
“Louis
I need the copy of my map of Atlantis I left safely with you, it is of great importance.”

“For what my dear, will you use it to enchant your little friend as you have done with many
others?
” He
looked amused as he teased her, hoping
that Edward was a gift to add on his dinner table.

“Edward has no idea of my current position in immortality, and I desire to keep it t
his way till I restore him home, t
he maps please!”

“I don't do favors at no price, the boy interests me, besides his flesh seems perfectly ripened.”

“I ask of no favor, besides the maps are all mine.” She said in an angered tone. “I didn't save you out of charity, you were my friend, and I left your wife Marie to the grave because she never ceased trying to murder me by every means. Why did you show that plant to Edwards any way, do you wish to ruin my disguise. I saved you from the bastille because you seemed fit enough to do good deeds, never did I intend that you shall deal with the devil, due to your hunger for immortality. What good does it bring
you;
you've become a murderer who seeks little children as your breakfast
. H
ave you no humility?”

As Venus grasped for another gasp of air to continue her argument Mr. Dubois, Frances last king Louis interrupt her in a pacific tone. “Venus beautiful Venus, never mind o
ur little arguments of the past, i
f you wish to have your map back I insist of you to come to tonight's little banquette given to all our friends servant of the full moon to rest after their night of labour. The only mortals invited are those for supper, so make sure your little Edward is well tucked into bed, so no harm comes to him. Now
let’s
rejoin your friend before he gets lost, we wouldn't want that would we?”