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Chapter 63
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2024-10-29 19:42:56With hands across her chest, Cleopoda looked up while Remin applied fresh ointment to her arms and shoulders. The joint in her shoulder ached and the skin around it was so swollen it looked like a deflated ball. On her face were white streaks from her tears, tears that she had long since grown weary of. Her face hurt less now but if the hurt in her hands were anything to go by she would have preferred to have her cheeks stinging than her hands laying uselessly on her body. Mama Remin worked in silence but Cleopoda could hear her sniff from time to time. She refused to look at her and see the pity in her face, in fact, she wished the woman would be done dressing her injuries so she would leave. All Cleopoda wanted was to be in peace, she wanted to have a quiet place to herself, why wouldn't anyone let her have it?
As if the troubles of the palace were not enough for her the voices in her head were louder. In the night they were unbearable, so much that she only had time
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Cursed by the Gods: Cleopoda CBTG Book 1 Chapter 64
It was odd that when Strukus was with her the voices in her head ceased. They were totally silent. It always struck her how different the noise around her was compared to the ones in her head when they stopped. She glanced at Strukus who was no longer concerned about her nose but was now fussing over her shoulders. The small goblet where he has poured some ointment lay beside him and now and then he reached into it to scoop some on his fingers so he could rub it along the length of her arm. On the bedside table beside the lamp, he had lit to disperse the darkness around them lay the jar of honey he had brought for her. It was his gift to her after such a long time of not seeing each other. At intervals, he poured some on his palm and raised it to her lips. "They really shouldn't be treating you this way. You are the princess. Princesses are meant to be spoiled and pampered and only concerned with fabric textures for their tunic." Cleopoda snorted. "That would make th
Cursed by the Gods: Cleopoda CBTG Book 1 Chapter 65
A year has come and gone but some things remain constant. Cleopoda the strings of the battered armor to tighten it around her body, the laces were so worn that she took great measures to pull it carefully so they don't cut. No doubt Garius had a squire who dressed him in his own armor. Garius armor was clean and shiny whereas hers was old and rusted. Strukus had come to her room the previous day like he always did these days but was long gone before the crack of dawn but before slipping out of her room he had pressed some coins into her hands. He never said what she was to use it for since there was nothing she could possibly buy in the palace but he asked her to keep them and promised to send more through Remin. Now that the coins were safely stowed in her trunk she knew what she would use them for, she would get a new sword, shield and armor since she couldn't ask Garius for new ones. "Will you stay in there all day plotting what evils would befall the royal househol
Cursed by the Gods: Cleopoda CBTG Book 1 Chapter 66
She was moving. She felt it she didn't know it because she was still unconscious. Hard hands held her and whoever held her was moving at a fast pace, crushing her stomach to his shoulder but she couldn't make any sound of complaint, no words could come out of her mouth. She was slipping in and out of consciousness for who knows how long. The last time she opened her eyes she was being hoisted on top of a horse, the next time the horse was moving fast on the hard floor the galloping of the horse made her stomach retch. When she tried to open her eyes to see where she was being taken her eyes met with thick darkness. She moaned and tried to widen her eyes so she could see clearly. Only then did she notice that a cloak had been draped over her to completely hide her from the villagers. When she tried to move to remove the cloak a still hand gripped her and hot breath fell against her cheek. "If you try to be stupid you'll find yourself at the end of my sword."&nbs
Cursed by the Gods: Cleopoda CBTG Book 1 Chapter 67
Cleopoda woke up with a start. Darkness engulfed her and for a moment she could still feel the rocking of the horse beneath her, trying to lull her to sleep but she struggled to resist it. It was as if the cloak was still over her head and Garius was above her whispering snidely for her to remain still but her eyes adjusted she realized she was in a room. It was so dark that she couldn't tell if the room was big or small all she knew was it appeared to be empty. She tried to lift her hands to rub her eyes but noticed too late that something bound them, she winced as whatever it was clinked against each other. It was a chain, she was chained. Shock ran through her body making her jerk herself up until she realized that her legs too were bounded and the chains of her hands were linked with that of her legs so tight that she couldn't even stand up straight. The way she had stood up so quickly put a strain on her back forcing her to bend forward. How long she had been here she didn't kn
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Termla let the invisibility cloak around her dissolve. Her servants were absent from the temple because she had sent them off to do whatever they wished in the city of Kpamos. Servants talked and the last thing she wanted was one of them reporting to Helena that she frequented earth, it wouldn't take time for Helena to piece two and two together to know that she was keeping watch over one of her children. It was enough that Helena herself had sent spies in the guise of servants to watch her every move. Though she was angry at Helena for sending spies after her there was nothing she could do, she was merely a subject to Helena's royalty after all which was why she was always extra careful when she wanted to visit Camelorn. Her hair was ruffled from her ride back to her temple so she straightened it quickly and arranged it into a braid just in time because at that moment her door swung open. Her heart skipped a bit a moment before she turned round to see Robos standing by the doorway
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Preparations were well underway at the palace. Servants moved hurried from the main hall to the kitchen to the queen's room that had been empty for so long that it took the servants a whole day to make it clean and habitable. The queen's room that once housed Octavius' mother and Emilia will now also house Lady Amelia. She sat in the sunlit room with a smile on her face while the maids took great care with her clothes and hair to make her look good for the marriage and birthday feast. Emilia had left the laces and frillies that adorned the room while Octavius' mother was alive but at her arrival, Amelia got rid of them all replacing them with satin of dark red and blue. She had directed the servants on how she wanted the room decorated. Octavius sat in his room with his eyes shut tight, cursing at the gods and at fates for making his life miserable. In the days before, when everything was good Emilia would wake him on his birthdays and surprise him with little gifts. H
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While the festivities were going on for days outside Cleopoda hurdled against the cold wall of the cell in which she sat. Her back ached from being bent for too long, her knees having been bent for days were locked and aching even her wrist now had sticky bruises caused by the chains around them. Her breath came out in shallow gasps through dried lips. From outside came footsteps. For days no one had come to check on her or poke sticks at her so when she heard the light steps her head jerked up, an action she instantly regretted when the dizziness hit her hard. The sound of keys made her heart race and when the door flew open she crawled to her shaky knees. Light rushed into the tight dark cell causing a burning sensation in her eyes which she squeezed shut. "No improvement there," came a deep voice. "At least now we can work on her." She heard someone step into the cell then suddenly rough hands were pulling her up to her feet. A small cry of protest rose an
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Once again the door was pushed open but this time instead of having men drag her out for purification rituals a bowl was pushed into the cell. Someone approached her weak bound body and loosened the chains on her hands so she could sit up straight. The bowl was moved closer to her face and the smell of watery corn soup wafted up to her nose. "Eat." Even before the word came out she grabbed the bowl and hungrily downed the warm soup, choking in her hurry to quell the gnawing hunger in her belly. The young priest who had brought the bowl pressed his lips into a thin line. "There's progress after all." Even before Cleopoda could lick the bowl clean he pulled it from her hand, ignoring her whimpered protest, and strode out of the cell. Birian, the priest made his way to the small room where head priest Federic sat on a mat inhaling from a bowl of burning aromatic plants. He clapped his hands lightly. "What do you want?" came the gr
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Cursed by the Gods: Cleopoda CBTG Book 1 Author's note
I have now come to the end of book one of my Cursed by the gods series. It has been a long journey I'm not gonna lie. I lost commitment along the way of writing this book, lost inspiration, even changed the plan I initially had for it. I am really glad that I got to finish it and if you stayed till the end I just want to say thank you for even choosing this book in the first place. I will start with the second book as soon as possible and do my best to make that one better. I hope I have been able to tell you a good story dear readers and once again I thank you for reading Cursed by the gods. Thank you.
Cursed by the Gods: Cleopoda CBTG Book 1 Chapter 123
Octavius stepped back at the sight of the change that came over the brother whom he thought he knew. "What do you mean Angus? Don't do anything stupid I beg you by the gods." Angus laughed as he reached into his robe. "I am not doing anything stupid. This is something that should have been done a long time ago. I am doing the gods a favor. I am doing Camelorn a favor by saving then from the one person who has caused many troubles on them." Octavius kept his eyes locked on Angus' and as soon as his hand came out from behind his robe he knew there was no use fighting. Angus thought of everything. In his hand was a dagger with a golden liquid covering it. It was the Mekai. The one liquid that was known to kill gods and make them wandering souls. "You really want to do this?" Angus approached him. From the corner of his eyes tears fell from Octavius eyes. He knew this was the end, knew this was all his life was coming to and in that last mom
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Cleopoda ran hastily down the hall, her legs barely touched the ground as she ran. She feared that one of the people in the library knew she had been there and may come for her. Tears threatened to blind her as she went. Who would believe that Uncle Angus took so many years to plan his own brother's downfall? The same Uncle Angus who loved her when no one else did, the same one who brother food to her when she was younger, the same one who risked war with an enemy nation to see that she was brought back home. How can the man in the library be the same Uncle Angus? Some part of her was glad that Father would be stripped of his power as King of Camelorn, the other part of her heart broke for him. He loved his brother very much yet that brother planned for years on how best to take his kingdom away from him. She felt sad for him but her anger at his treatment of her over these years threatened to overcome her pity for him. Uncle Angus even knew of Amelia's infidel
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Cleopoda ran down the length of the hall looking for Angus. It was amazing what one declaration from the mouth of a prince could do. Since Uncle Angus made that declaration of her royalty in the morning the servants had treated her with a little more dignity even though they were still wary of her.She wasn't used to having any servant look at her with anything besides disdain, as though she was a common thing stuck to the bottom of their sandals, and curiosity. Now some even bowed slightly. Even Demeris seemed to acknowledge her presence when she stopped in the kitchen for some food for Ajun.As she walked the length of the hall ignoring the soldiers who stood guard she looked from side to side hoping to catch a glimpse of her beloved uncle. She was just about to give up searching for him when she heard his voice coming from the library. She stopped in her tracks listened to be sure it was indeed Uncle Angus. Sure enough, it was he.The door of the
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Octavius raised his hands to silence the people who only yelled more, pumping their fists in the air as they shouted. Octavius looked helplessly at the angry faces as they demanded that he open the gates so they can destroy the temple or do something about their predicament. They spoke simultaneously and loudly that he could not hear a single word.Taking a deep breath he raised his voice high above the din. "People of Camelorn what is it you want?"The replied all at once. Octavius' ears hurt at their shouts. He took another breath and shouted louder."I can not hear what you all are saying and as such can not respond to your complaints. If you may please chose someone to speak for everyone."It was an impossible task. They were an angry mob and everyone wanted to represent the crowd. After much time had been wasted with much pushing and fighting the people finally chose a certain merchant who held a little girl in his arms. He held her
Cursed by the Gods: Cleopoda CBTG Book 1 Chapter 119
Even before the day started Octavius already knew it would be a day he would dread. It started with Asterah visiting him, draining even ounce of his strength before the day even began. How the goddess could never be satisfied with sex he would never know. He was glad that he was able to please her this time. But as soon as she left him and he heard the knock on the door he knew his bad day was about to get worse.It was Angus who knocked. He wore a light tunic and over it was his royal robe of dark blue with the coat of arms of Camelorn sewn below its shoulder."Brother," Octavius greeted, doing his best to sound formal and regal. "You look well."Angus entered the room."You look terrible," he chuckled. Octavius laughed too but in his heart, he knew that he was indeed a miserable man. He picked himself from his bed and drew his robe around his shoulders with a show of confidence."Any news from Amire?" He asked Angus."Much news. They w
Cursed by the Gods: Cleopoda CBTG Book 1 Chapter 118
Cleopoda looked at a sleeping Ajun at the foot of her bed. The palace was quiet at this time of the morning, it was just before dawn but she was already awake. In fact, she couldn't sleep throughout the night because her mind was troubled. Since her return to the palace a week ago there had been changes. The servants were still the same as ever, eyeing her curiously and wondering why she should be allowed to live in the palace but there was a bit of respect for her too because Uncle Angus had commanded that she should be treated like royalty. She still had to cover her head and eyes when moving about the palace, especially when she had to go to the kitchen or the washrooms to hide the allure that drew people to her. But these things weren't troubling her, what was the fact that she had seen someone who didn't belong in the palace creeping around. Her surprise at seeing him there had held her rooted to the ground especially when she had seen from whose room he was coming from.
Cursed by the Gods: Cleopoda CBTG Book 1 Chapter 117
Days after they left the Summer Palace to Camelorn the tension was still high in the atmosphere. The talk and fear of war increased drastically and words of it were whispered from soldier to soldier and servant to servant. Cleopoda remained in her room because Angus told her to. She knew he feared that if she ever ran into her father, Octavius in the halls he would send her back to the temple or someplace where he may never find her again. Father never visited her and neither did his new wife, Amelia and it hurt her but by now she was used to his lack of concern for her. She wanted nothing more than to see Mama Remin and Strukus, maybe even pay a visit to Zenas at the temple if he was still there but she was to remain within the walls of the room Angus had the servants prepare for her. She shared her room with Ajun who did nothing more than to eat and sleep and read the books Angus sent to her through the servants, they were folklore with sketched pictures. The boy barely had storie
Cursed by the Gods: Cleopoda CBTG Book 1 Chapter 116
"What have you done Angus! I sent you to Amire to congratulate our new comrade and you went to stare up trouble! The king of Amire has sent messengers promising war." He turned hateful eyes to her and glared at her with so much venom that made her want to sink to the ground and die. "And what is this cursed child doing here in my palace?!" Shocked Angus moved to shield Cleopoda from his brother's hateful glare. He had not expected Octavius to be here. He had planned to hide out here and plan the next way to let his brother know he brought back his daughter. "What are you doing here, Octavius? I thought you were at the palace in Camelorn" "Angus answer my question, I did not come here to trade petty words with you. What is this cursed child doing here?" There was no way he could distract his brother decided to be blunt. "Your child!" "Not my child! I did not birth evil. How dare you bring her here? Do you not know she possesses ev
