Goddess Unravelled

Eyes of Stone

A blur from overhead, and Alice didn’t even have time to scream before something tackled her to the ground, knocking the breath from her lungs. Grit scraped her hands and arms as she fell, and she knocked her head painfully on the cement. Stars burst in front of her eyes, spots of light that blocked out her attacker’s face. There was a constant hissing sound somewhere close by, like air being let out of a flat tire.

The face looming over her swam into view, and Alice’s heart stuttered and nearly stopped in her chest. It was a woman, or…something like one. Her face was grotesque, rough with scales. Her eyes were covered by dark, tinted shades and her hair…her hair.

Oh my God. Alice blinked, trying to convince herself to stop staring and do something, but she felt like she might be paralyzed.

The woman’s hair was made of snakes. Thin green snakes with yellow diamond patterns down their backs. The snakes writhed around the woman’s face, mouths open, needle sharp fangs dripping with venom. They were admitting the hissing sounds she’d been hearing.

When the woman spoke her voice was a reptilian hiss, “Ready for your close up, love?” She reached up and seized the side of her glasses, and Alice knew something very bad was about to happen. She could only remember a little about the mythology behind women with snake hair, but she was pretty sure you weren’t supposed to look at their eyes.

She squeezed her eyes shut tightly, and the woman made a “tsk” sound. “Stop that. Open your eyes.”

Alice shook her head frantically, mind racing. She hadn’t seen any threads of magic when she had entered the alley way. But there was still a few strands of magic in the storage necklace she was wearing. But would she be able to unscrew the cap and get the magic out in time while her eyes were closed?

She was just reaching for the necklace when she felt the woman’s body shift on top of her. There was a dull thud and a shriek. A low voice shouted, “Owch! Get off!”

More high pitched shrieking and then there were footsteps that grew fainter as Alice listened. By then she had the magic out of the necklace and in both hands, and was weaving together a fast protection spell. It was sloppy, but it would work.

Shuffling noises neared her, and she threw up the threads in front of her.

“Woah!” A low voice cried. “It’s okay! I’m not attacking you! She’s gone…”

Alice opened one eye a crack. “She’s gone?”

A fuzzy face was looming over her, a blur of blonde hair. The face said, “Yeah, I think we made too much noise for her. Or something…”

She opened both eyes and stared at her rescuer. Her breath caught in her throat. The man leaning over her was very very good looking. But that wasn’t why she stared at him in shock. He was also very tall, with golden blond hair and intense dark eyes. His jaw line was firm and his lips were red and full for a man. Instantly she was transported back to the dream. The eyes behind the mask…

No, there’s no way.

The man’s brows shot up. “Are you okay? You look shocked. She didn’t look at you in the eyes, did you?”

Alice flinched as the man reached out and poked her in the arm. “Owch.”

“Sorry, but good news, she didn’t turn you to stone.”

Her mouth dropped open. “She could have done that?”

“Gorgons aren’t pleasant.” The man stood up and offered her a hand. After a second she took it, and he helped her to her feet, still explaining. “They’re also rare, it sort of bizarre there’s one hanging out in an alley waiting for you.”