The Black Gods War

Orazia’s worshipers cheered. The beloved of Orazia stood out with their bright, parti-colored clothing.
    Caio continued to the statue of broad Lord Sansone, The Servant of Man. Miniature black anvils hung from the corded necklaces of the god’s worshipers. They wore common, coarse wool and looked sturdier than the other devotees, many of them powerfully built. Little Caio turned his head and studied the statue with a mischievous smile.
    The crowd held its breath.
    The boy lifted his head and walked on, his stubby legs carrying him to the statue of the goddess Vani, The Bringer of Love. He left a tiny red object at the goddess’s feet and kept moving around the circle. Lucia realized he’d dropped a toy pig he must have carried with him.
    Caio approached the statue of powerful Lord Danato, The Black One, and stopped directly under the god’s frowning glare. The boy looked around the circle for Lucia. She waved to him and barely shook her head ‘no.’
    Her brother walked to the goddess Ysa. Caio studied the goddess’s armor, rounded shield, and sword. He sat and put one of his little hands to his cheeks, as if contemplating. Ysa’s devotees lowered themselves to their knees and prostrated to the young Haizzem. He turned back to Lucia and smiled his dimpled smile before moving on to the next god.
    Behind the statue of Lord Cosimo, the god’s male followers wore only loincloths, while Cosimo’s female devotees covered their bodies in loose, purple robes. Caio raised his red and black hands and clapped them for The Lord of Miracles before continuing on.
    He skipped to the goddess Mya. Vines covered her statue as well as the next statue, her brother Lord Oderigo. Vine circlets wrapped around the foreheads of Mya’s worshipers. Vine-wrapped cloth belts decorated the followers of Lord Oderigo. Their devotees shared in common sea green and royal blue tunics running down to their ankles.
    Caio skipped on toward Lord Oderigo. He stopped, chuckling unselfconsciously for some time as the crowd laughed with him. He walked between the statues of Oderigo and Mya, off the stone path, then sat on the hard clay and stared at the pool.
    A ray of sunshine burst through the smoky air and landed on Caio and the two statues beside him. The vines adorning Mya and Oderigo grew down the statues, onto the floor, and crept toward the boy. The vine from Mya wrapped around his left forearm; the vine from Lord Oderigo wrapped around his right.
    “Havah ilz avah Haizzem!” The Exalted shouted, and the crowd repeated the chant ten times.
    Lucia realized that either Caio had just chosen two deities or they had chosen him. Mya and Oderigo, brother and sister, like the goddess Ysa and Lord Danato. The vine-blessed followers of Mya and Oderigo rose to their feet and cheered as Caio stood, weeping and wailing with joy.
    “My dearest Lucia.”
    That sick voice again.
    From behind the statue of Lord Danato, the black god himself appeared, tall as his likeness. His coal eyes froze her with terror. She couldn’t feel her body.
    Lord Danato walked in front of Ysa’s statue.
    Stop him, my goddess! Ysa!
    The vines trailing from the statues of Mya and Oderigo seemed to be holding Caio’s tiny body in place. He giggled, playing to the crowd, and the people filled the atrium with their laughter again. Their chuckling sounded like mockery in Lucia’s ears.
    Danato walked in front of The Lord of Miracles.
    You’re jealous he didn’t choose you!
    Lucia came to her senses and ran past her father, past Tiberio, past the statue of the goddess Jacopa. “Stop him!” she screamed. “Lord Danato’s going to kill Caio!”
    Caio looked at her with his mouth wide open.
    She ran in front of Lord Oderigo’s statue just as Danato stepped behind the vine-covered goddess.
    A hand gripped one of her upper arms. “Lucia!” her father said through clenched teeth. “This is no time for jealousy.”
    Lucia struggled to breathe. I’m not , she wanted to say.
    “Warpriests, take her away. This is the Haizzem’s day.”
    Lord Danato stepped behind Caio. “Sweet Lucia, do not fear your Lord.”
    “Get away from him!” she yelled back.
    Two bald warpriests lifted her from under her arms. She struggled at first, but it was no use fighting them. The men carried her back through the crowd. She swallowed her voice and strained to see Caio through the throng. Once they lifted her to the top of the stairs, she saw Lord Danato again, staring up at her with his