“Like how my uncle tried to rob me of my birthright?”
“Not exactly. You see, the people of Aith worshiped me, not as a goddess, but look at me--what do you see?” She pulled the hood back from her face.
“Well, you’re pretty fucking gorgeous,” I had to admit. “Even among these people, you stand out like a diamond on a pebble beach.”
For a moment a sparkle came to Isu’s eyes before her face settled into a scowl again. “Precisely. I was a good, just ruler, and I was the most beautiful woman in all of Aith. But then, when Lucielle came along, I had an equal. As you can imagine, while many Aithians loved my beauty, many were jealous of it. And Lucielle made these jealous fools a promise, behind my back.”
“And what was that?”
“She promised she could make all of them as beautiful as me. All they had to do was worship her. And she had one minor additional request—that they depose me and make her Queen of Aith.”
“So she was as sneaky as my uncle, huh.”
“A two-faced little bitch.” Isu’s eyes blazed with hatred. “Regardless, I became a goddess and focused all of my energy on growing my powers. Lucielle, meanwhile, was working behind my back, quietly gathering supporters in Aith for her coup. Eventually, despite how good a ruler I was, the people of Aith banded together and demanded that I step aside. And Lucielle had already given them their side of the bargain. She had blessed the oldest fountain in Aith with her powers. Anyone who drank from it would become more beautiful and youthful in appearance. As you can imagine, crowds began to grow around the fountain. I knew I was beaten; the fools had fallen head over heels for the Charm Goddess’ cheap trick. So I stepped down and handed Aith over to that wily sow. But before I left this city, I drew on all of my powers as a goddess and called down a curse on everyone within Aith’s walls who’d betrayed me. Since Lucielle had acted like a spider, weaving a web of lies and deceit in which she had trapped me, I cursed the fountain. Anyone who drank from it would become like spiders themselves. I was not powerful enough to turn them into actual spiders, but I had enough power to partially alter them… and that is how the Arachne came to be.”
“So they might be just a tiny bit pissed if they find you in the palace again.”
“On the contrary,” Isu answered, somewhat haughtily. “That idiot Lucielle knew nothing about governing a city, especially one this size. Just like the people who had fallen so easily for her lies, she only cared about one thing: admiring herself in the mirror. Soon after I left, the city started to crumble. Those with the intelligence and wisdom to not drink from Lucielle’s fountain left the city in droves. Many of them were scholars and inventors and alchemists. Those who kept the culture of Aith alive. They were able to leave since they did not drink from the fountain and were therefore unaffected by my curse.
“Soon after, the city began to decay. The very people who had deposed me soon realized the error they had made. But it was too late. Once you have wronged me, I never forgive. Those who had become like spiders could not leave the gates of Aith, for if they did, they would wither and die. The fountain that had blessed them with beauty and youth became a shackle. To live, they had to drink from it, so they could never leave. Eventually, they realized that everything was Lucielle’s fault, and they forced her out. They have prayed for my return ever since, in the hope that I will forgive them and lift the curse.”
“You’re no longer a god,” I said. “They might have stopped praying to you, and you wouldn’t know it.”
“I doubt that very much.”
“So, if you’re not a goddess anymore, then you can’t lift the curse.”
“Correct. Without my divinity, I couldn’t lift the curse even if I wanted to.”
“But you don’t want to, do you?”
“I never forgive,” Isu said.
We were interrupted by a gasp coming from a couple of yards to my right. It was Layna, who had just stepped around the corner and caught sight of Isu without her hood on.
Well, I figured I was about to find out whether the Arachne had forgiven Isu, even if she wouldn’t ever forgive them.
Chapter Twenty
“The Great Queen has returned,” Webmaven Layna murmured. “The curse will finally be lifted.” Then she dropped to her hands and knees, pressing her forehead to the floor.
I chuckled, folded my arms across my chest, and raised an eyebrow at Isu. “Are you going to tell her or should I?” I asked.
“Get up, Webmaven,” Isu said, a heavy weariness suddenly evident in her voice. “I’m no longer the Queen of Aith, nor am I able to lift the curse on the city. I am no longer a goddess.”
Layna got back to her feet, looking sad and confused. “But it was prophesied that, that when Queen Isu returned, the—”
“Did you not hear me, Webmaven?” Isu asked. “Your prophecy was an expression of a vain, self-serving hope. I’m no longer your queen and no longer a goddess. Any association I had with this city
