P c cast goddess summo.., p.1
P. C. Cast - Goddess Summoning 02, page 1
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Goddess of the Spring
By
PC Cast
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Contents
Prologue
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26
Chapter 27
Chapter 28
Chapter 29
Epilogue
Excerpt from Goddess of Light
Prologue
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Praise for
Goddess of the Sea
“Suspense, fantasy, time travel, all topped off with a very healthy dollop of romance… The good news is that this is just the beginning… in the Goddess Summoning series.”
—Romance Reviews Today
“Captivating—poignant, funny, erotic! Lovely characters, wonderful romance, constant action and a truly whimsical fantasy make Ms. Cast’s novel hard to put down… delightful. A great read.”
—The Best Reviews
“A fun combination of myth, girl power and sweet romance [with] a bit of suspense. A must-read… a romance that celebrates the magic of being a woman.”
—Affaire de Coeur
“[An] adult fairy tale… the audience will cherish.”
—Midwest Book Review
“Without doubt, one of the most innovative fantasy romances I’ve read. From beginning to end, the surprises in P. C. Cast’s new page-turner never stopped. Its poignancy resonates with both whimsy and fantasy, leaving the reader with a childlike believability in the impossible. I loved it!”
—Sharon Sala, bestselling author of Out of the Dark
“Vivid and colorful… splendid blend of fantasy, history, intrigue and passion… outstanding. Watch out for this author, she’s sure to rise to the top of the romantic fantasy genre.”
—Rendezvous
continued…
Goddess By Mistake
“A witty retelling of The Beauty and the Beast myth with a dash of Celtic lore and a twist of ‘You go, girlfriend!’”
—bibliora.com
“A mythic world of humor and verve.”
—Publishers Weekly
“A high-spirited fantasy romp, wickedly funny and filled with action. P. C. Cast turns traditional fantasy elements inside out for a story you won’t soon forget. Highly recommended!”
—K. D. Wentworth, author of Stars Over Stars and This Fair Land
“I hated for it to end.”
—Romance Under the Rainbow
“A funny, sexy heroine… the story is well written, rich with secondary characters, and peppered with humorous dialogue. In the battle of good against evil, modern conveniences against ancient culture and a bit of Beauty and the Beast tossed in, readers will enjoy being transported into this fantasy world.”
—Romance Reviews Today
“If you like your fantasy novels tongue-in-cheek, you will enjoy Goddess By Mistake, the debut novel by an Oklahoma high school teacher with a vivid imagination and a wicked sense of humor.”
—The Romance Reader
“Sassy… big points for originality, style, humor and sheer exuberance of storytelling… a wild ride and a rollicking good time all around.”
—All About Romance
“A fun read.”
—Christopher Moore, author of Bloodsucking Fiends: A Love Story
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This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.
GODDESS OF SPRING
A Berkley Sensation Book / published by arrangement with the author
PRINTING HISTORY
Berkley Sensation edition / August 2004
Copyright © 2004 by P. C. Cast.
Excerpt of Goddess of Light copyright © 2004 by P. C. Cast.
Cover art by Lisa Desimini/Matt Mahurin.
Cover design by Lesley Worrell.
Interior text design by Kristin del Rosario.
All rights reserved.
No part of this book may be reproduced, scanned, or distributed in any printed or electronic form without permission. Please do not participate in or encourage electronic piracy of copyrighted materials in violation of the author’s rights. Purchase only authorized editions. For information address: The Berkley Publishing Group, a division of Penguin Group (USA) Inc.,
375 Hudson Street, New York, New York 10014.
ISBN: 0-425-19749-2
BERKLEY SENSATION®
Berkley Sensation Books are published by The Berkley Publishing Group, a division of Penguin Group (USA) Inc.,
375 Hudson Street, New York, New York 10014.
BERKLEY SENSATION and the “B” design are trademarks belonging to Penguin Group (USA) Inc.
PRINTED IN THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
10 987654321
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To the other three parts of the Core Four—
Kim, Robin and Teresa. I cherish the blessing of our friendship.
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Acknowledgments
I am thankful for the continued magic of my editor, Christine Zika, and for the brilliance of my agent, Meredith Bernstein. What a fabulous team we make!
I am profoundly grateful to my friend, Lola Palazzo, for her expertise. Thank you for helping me to create a dream bakery, and for educating me about baking in general. Lola—you would be doing Tulsa (and your friends) a great service if you opened another restaurant!
Thank you, Sean Georges, for your research help. Once again, we work very well together.
I appreciate Pamela Chew for taking the time to answer my questions about the Italian language. Any inaccuracies in translation are my own.
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Prologue
“Even amidst the lovely Dryads your daughter shines, my Lady,” Eirene said. She wasn’t looking at me as she spoke. Instead she was smiling at Persephone in a proud, motherly fashion, and she did not notice that my lips tightened into a thin line at her words.
“She is Spring personified and even the beauty of the nymphs cannot begin to compete with her splendor.”
At the sound of my words, Eirene’s sharp gaze immediately shifted to my face. My faithful nursemaid had known me too long not to recognize my tone.
“The child troubles you, Demeter?” she asked gently.
“How could she not!” I snapped.
Only Eirene’s silence betrayed her hurt. I shifted my golden scepter from my right hand to my left, and leaned forward so that I could touch her arm in a wordless apology. As usual, she stood near my throne, always ready to serve me. But she was, of course, much more to me than a simple nursemaid or servant. She was my confidant and one of my most loyal advisors. As such she deserved to be treated with respect, and my harsh tone toward her was a sign of how distracted I had become.
Her distinctive gray eyes softened with understanding at my touch.
“Would you like wine, Great Goddess?” she asked.
“For us both.” I did not smile; it was not my way. But she understood me and my moods so completely that often only a look or a word was needed between us.
I studied my daughter as Eirene called for wine. The little Nysaian meadow had been the perfect choice in which to spend the unseasonably warm afternoon. Persephone and her wood nymph companions complemented the beauty that surrounded us. Though the day was pleasant, the trees that ringed the meadow were already beginning to shed their summer clothes. I watched Persephone twirl gracefully under one ancient oak, making a game of trying to catch the brilliantly colored falling leaves. The nymphs aided the young goddess by dancing on the limbs to assure a steady waterfall of orange and scarlet and rust.
As usual, Eirene was correct. The woodland Dryads were ethereal and delicate. Each of them was a breathing masterpiece. It was easy to understand why mortals found them irresistible. But when compared to Persephone, their beauty turned mundane. In her presence they became common house slaves.
My daughter’s hair shone with a rich mahogany luster, the color of which never ceased to amaze me because I am so fair. It does not curl, either, as do my grain-colored tresses. Instead her hair was a ripple of thick, brilliant waves that lapped around the soft curve of her waist.
Obviously feeling my scrutiny, she waved joyously at me before capturing another watercolored leaf. Her face tilted in my direction. It was a perfect heart. Enormous violet-colored eyes were
“Your wine, my Lady.” Eirene offered me a golden goblet filled with chilled wine the color of sunlight.
I sipped thoughtfully, speaking my thoughts aloud, secure in the knowledge that they were safe with Eirene. “Of course Persephone is supple and lovely. Why would she not be? She spends all her time frolicking with nymphs and picking flowers.”
“She also creates glorious feasts.”
I made a very ungoddess-like noise through my nose. “I am quite aware that she produces culinary masterpieces, and then lolls about feasting to all hours with”—I wafted my hand in the direction of the Dryads—“semi-deities.”
“She is much beloved.” Eirene reminded me patiently.
“She is frivolous.” I countered.
Suddenly, I closed my eyes and cringed as another voice rose from the multitudes and rang with the insistence of a clarion bell throughout my mind. Lover, somber Goddess of the Fields and Fruits and Flowers, strong and just, please aid our mother’s spirit as she roams restless through the Darkened Realm without the comfort of a Goddess…
“Demeter, are you well?” Eirene’s concern broke through the supplication, effectively causing the voice to dissipate like windblown dust.
Opening my eyes I met her gaze. “It has become never-ending.” Even as I spoke more voices crowded my mind. O Demeter, we do call upon thee, that our sister who has passed Beyond be accorded the comfort of a Goddess… and… O gracious Goddess who gives life through the harvest, I do ask your indulgence for my beloved wife who has passed through the Gates of the Underworld and dwells evermore beyond the comfort of a Goddess…
With a mighty effort I blocked the teeming throng from my mind.
“Something must be done about Hades.” My voice was stone. “I understand the mortals. Their entreaties are valid. It is fact that there is no Goddess of the Underworld.” I leapt up and began to pace back and forth in frustration. “But what am I to do? The Goddess of the Riches of the Field cannot abandon her realm and descend into the Land of the Dead.”
“But the dead do require the touch of a Goddess,” Eirene agreed firmly.
“They need more than just the touch of a Goddess. They need light and care and…” My words faded away as Persephone’s bright laughter filled the meadow. “They need the breath of Spring.”
Eirene’s eyes widened. “You cannot mean your daughter!”
“And why can I not! Light and life follow the child. She is exactly what is needed within that shadowy realm.”
“But she is so young.”
I felt my gaze soften as I watched Persephone leap over a narrow stream, allowing her hand to trail over the dried remains of the season’s last wildflowers. Instantly the stalks filled and straightened and burst into brilliant bloom. Despite her faults, she was so precious, so filled with the joy of life. There was no doubt that I loved her dearly. I often wondered if my fierce devotion had kept her from growing into Goddess of her own realm. I straightened my shoulders. It was past time that I taught my daughter how to fly.
“She is a Goddess.”
“She will not like it.”
I set my already firm jaw. “Persephone will obey my command.”
Eirene opened her mouth as if she wished to speak, then seemed to change her mind and instead drank deeply of her wine.
I sighed. “You know you may speak your mind to me.”
“I was just thinking that it would not be a matter of Persephone obeying your command, but rather…” She hesitated.
“Oh, come! Tell me your thoughts.”
Eirene looked decidedly uncomfortable. “Demeter, you know that I love Persephone as if she were my own child.” nodded impatiently. “Yes, yes. Of course.”
“She is delightful and full of life, but she has little depth. I do not think she has enough maturity to be Goddess of the Underworld.”
A hot retort came to my mind, but wisdom held my tongue. Eirene was correct. Persephone was a lovely young goddess, but her life had been too easy, too filled with cosseted pleasures. And I was at fault. My frivolous daughter was proof that even a goddess could make mistakes as a parent.
“I agree, my old friend. Before Persephone can become Goddess of the Underworld, she must mature.”
“Perhaps she should spend some time with Athena,” Eirene said.
“No, that would only teach her to pry into the affairs of others.”
“Diana?” Eirene offered.
I scowled. “I think not. I would someday like to be blessed with grandchildren.” I narrowed my eyes. “No, my daughter must grow up and see that life is not always filled with Olympian pleasures and luxury. She needs to learn responsibility, but as long as she can draw upon the power of a goddess, as long as she can be recognized as my daughter, she will never learn—” Suddenly I knew what I must do.
“My Lady?”
“There is only one place where Persephone will truly learn to be a goddess. It is a place where she must first learn to be a woman.”
Eirene drew back, her face taking on a horrified expression as she began to understand.
“You will not send her there!”
“Oh, yes. There is exactly where I shall send her.”
“But they will not know her; they do not even know you.” Eirene’s deeply lined brow furrowed in agitation.
I felt my lips turning up in one of my rare smiles. “Exactly, my friend. Exactly.”
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Chapter 1
Oklahoma, Present Day
“No, it’s not that I don’t ‘get it,’ it’s that I don’t understand bow you could have let it happen.” Lina spoke slowly and distinctly through clenched teeth.
“Ms. Santoro, I have already explained that we had no idea until the IRS contacted us yesterday that there had been any error at all.”
“Did you not have any checks and balances? The reason I pay you to manage the taxes for my business is because I need an expert.” She glanced down at the obscene number typed in neat, no-nonsense black and white across the bottom of the government form. “I understand accidents and mistakes, but I don’t understand how something this large could have escaped your notice.”
Frank Rayburn cleared his throat before answering. Lina had always thought he looked a little like a gangster-wannabe. Today his black pinstriped suit and his slippery demeanor did nothing to dispel the image.
“Your bakery did very well last year, Ms. Santoro. Actually, you more than doubled your income from the previous year. When we’re talking about a major increase in figures, it is easy for mistakes to happen. I think that what would be more productive for us now is to focus on how you can pay what you owe the government instead of casting blame.” Before she could speak he hurried on, “I have drawn up several suggestions.” He pulled out another sheet of paper filled with bulleted columns and numbers and handed it to her. “Suggestion number one is to borrow the money. Interest rates are very reasonable right now.”
Lina felt her jaw clench. She hated the idea of borrowing money, especially that much money. She knew it would make her feel exposed and vulnerable until the loan was repaid. If the loan could be repaid. Yes, she had been doing well, but a bakery wasn’t exactly a necessity to a community, and times were hard.
“What are your other suggestions?”
“Well, you could introduce a newer, more glitzy line of foods. Maybe add a little something for the lunch crowd, more than those…” He hesitated, making little circles in the air with one thick forefinger. “Baby pizza things.”
“Pizette Florentine.” She bit the words at him. “They are mini-pizzas that originated in Florence, and they are not meant to be a meal, they are meant to be a mid-afternoon snack served with cheese and wine.”
