Daughter of Chaos

Chapter Twenty-Eight

I loosened my invisibility as I came into the vineyard, just as a figure came walking over the hill. I tensed for a moment, waiting to be discovered and punished. As she came closer, I realized that the woman approaching me reminded me of my mother. I figured out who she was in the instant before she spoke.

"There you are! We've been waiting for you." Demeter reached out her hands and clasped mine.

I squeezed her hands, surprised at their warmth. "I'm sorry. I don't know what's got into me today; my mind was wandering." I had to struggle to keep my voice from quavering.

The goddess laughed, shaking her head with a smile. My eyes were drawn to the wreath of wheat and bright red poppies she wore on her head. My mother's patron wasn't stunning like Aphrodite, but she was a stately woman. She looked like an earthy, tribal queen. Demeter squeezed my hand again. "That's my little one. Always thinking. What were you thinking about?"

She looped her arm through mine and we began to walk through the vineyard. I said the first thing that popped into my mind. "I was thinking how quickly the harvest has gone."

Her face clouded for a moment, but then she smiled again. "But it is not over yet! I will have you with me until the end of the harvest. Hades will not break his promise." Her tone was light, but there was something bitter about her words.

I felt a chill at the name of the god of the Underworld. "Has he ever broken his promise?" I didn't plan on meeting him, but if he decided to reclaim his bride by force, I might not have a choice.

She eyed me askance, and I realized that I had somehow said the wrong thing. "Just because he has been honest does not mean I have to like the arrangement!"

I relaxed slightly. Demeter seemed bitter about her daughter's marriage, but she hadn't said anything about Hades regularly storming to earth to take her before the appointed time. I hoped my question hadn't planted any suspicion in her mind, since it was clearly not something Persephone would have said. I decided then that I would need to listen before I spoke to Demeter; I didn't want to say anything that might give me away. I couldn't run the risk of her telling Hecate if she found out who I was. I had no desire to test Demeter's loyalty to her daughter. What if, when push came to shove, Hecate trumped all?

We walked on in companionable silence for a time. Demeter seemed more relaxed the farther we went into the vineyard, which made sense, since it was her home turf. When Demeter finally stopped, I was startled to see that we weren't alone anymore. We had stopped at the edge of a clearing, and it was surrounded by a rough circle of two dozen men and women. They looked perfectly ordinary to me, but it was clear that they could see the goddess—goddesses—that stood before them. Persephone had mentioned the gathering to me, and coached me on my role, but I was nervous.

Demeter raised her arms and spoke. "Friends, loyal devotees. Thank you for your work during this harvest. May your bounty be rich, may your hearts be full, and may your homes never hunger." She lowered her arms and nodded to me in expectation.

"May your joy never fade," I stammered out the words Persephone had taught me, "may your love only deepen, and may your winter be brief." Demeter frowned, and I tried to straighten my shoulders and steady my voice. "We will bless your harvest."

One by one, the people filed across the clearing, each bringing something. The first woman who knelt in front of me carried two jugs. "I ask your blessing on this wine." Her voice was strong, and I felt a sharp pang of guilt. These people wouldn't be blessed by their goddess this fall, but at least I could use my magic to ensure that they got something. Summoning up Red energy, I held my hands over the wine.

Keeping an image of a joyful party in my mind, I channeled the energy into the vessels, red sparks shooting out of my hands. The woman looked at me in awe before she smiled and turned away. Beside me, Demeter was blessing the objects that people brought before her, but she looked up briefly to smile at me. I grinned back and turned to face the next person.

Persephone had told me that the farmers and vintners who sought blessing from her mother each year would bring a sample of their harvest, rather than go to the work of hauling all of it to the vineyard and back to their farms. She had explained that the blessing was symbolic and extended to the entire harvest. In ancient times, she said, the farmers would leave half of their sample at the temple of Eleusis, a place sacred to Persephone and her mother. Now, though, Demeter encouraged the farmers to leave their offering to some charitable organization, often the church in town or the orphanage on the hill. I had been surprised to learn that any Nons still remembered the gods, but Persephone had just laughed.

"Witches are not the only ones who believe in magic, Darlena."

With her words echoing in my mind, I watched the farmers around us, and wondered what it would be like to stand in front of a goddess every season and ask for her assistance. The very idea fascinated me, and I gradually forgot to be nervous as I stood beside Demeter.

Watching her bless the people and their goods, I felt a pang in my heart. I missed my own mother. Here I was, with her patron, and yet there was no way I could tell her. She would have been so happy to help Demeter dole out blessings and donations. Like her patron, my mom always takes care of everyone around her, strangers and family alike.

I blinked back tears and turned to bless the farmer in front of me. He was a short man whose dark skin looked like a ripe grape in the sun. I smiled at him and held out my hands to take his token. He looked at me for a long moment, then shook his head and turned away. A few people in line behind him gasped, and I felt Demeter's sharp eyes on my back.

Had he seen through my disguise? Trying to ignore the way my stomach had started to churn, I focused on blessing the rest of the offerings, but it was impossible not to notice the cautious stares from the people in the field. And every time I looked up, Demeter was watching me, her expression unreadable.