Queendom of Chaos, page 1
Copyright © 2022 by Megan Aldridge
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All rights reserved.
No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.
This book is a work of fiction. Any references to historical events, real people, or real places are used fictitiously. Other names, characters, places, and events are products of the author’s imagination, and any resemblance to actual events, places, or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.
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ISBN: 979-8-9858109-0-5 | ebook
ISBN: 979-8-9858109-1-2 | Paperback
ISBN: 979-8-9858109-2-9 | Hardcover
Library of Congress Control Number: 2022903540
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Developmental edit by Dr. Plot Twist
Copyedit by Kimberly Cannon
Proofread by Judy Zweifel
Cover by Hannah Sternjakob
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First printing, 2022
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www.meganaldridge.com
To my husband
my heart is yours forever
I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me
Philippians 4:13
Content Warning
This book is intended for adults and includes elements of violence, racism, adult language, and sexual situations.
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
About the Author
Prologue
Water crawled inch by inch, pulling itself onto the bridge and slithering through the village streets. The swell turned violent, slamming people down in its path. It barreled into homes, clutching anything within its reach and dragging it out to the streets. Dwellings crumbled as people sprinted for higher ground. Too few reached the hill’s peak as water devoured the tops of fir trees.
“No!” the young girl gasped.
Her mother laughed. “It’s all right, little one. I can stop reading if you’re too scared.”
The girl curled up to her mother. “No, it’s okay.” She scooched even closer, placing her mother’s arm around her. “Ready.”
The girl’s mother smiled before returning to the book:
Villagers plunged their arms into the merciless river, reaching for the hands of people rushing by that grabbed for anything outside the raging waters. Women screamed as loved ones disappeared beneath the surface, dragged away by the current and swallowed whole.
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The three goddesses laughed at the little humans scurrying about and screaming as the river washed so many of them away. Amphitrite adjusted her crown of seashells and jewels and clanked her glass with Demeter’s. “This was an inspired idea.”
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“Truly,” Demeter replied, sweeping her golden tresses from her shoulder. “I can’t believe it took us so long to finally do this. It’s even more fun than I thought it would be.” She beamed and turned to face her sister. “What do you think, Hecate?”
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Hecate scoffed. “I think you both waited too long. These humans are softer than the old ones. I’m not sure they’ll be able to handle it.” Hecate put on her best pouty face, though it could never work as well as Demeter’s baby cheeks and wide eyes. Hecate’s narrowed brows and stern face worked better for intimidation than anything else, so she returned to her usual annoyed look.
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“Nonsense,” Amphitrite said. “These will work just fine for us. I’m having fun already.” Hecate rolled her eyes, and Amphitrite continued. “Oh, lighten up, dear sister. Enjoy the show. It’s about to happen!”
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The three goddesses huddled together, peering down from Olympus over the balcony ledge. They waited impatiently as the wave built higher, blotting out the sun and obstructing their view of everything below. The deafening crash of the wave thundered around them as it submerged the villages. When the water receded, a smile crept onto each goddess’s face. Their plan had worked—the only remnant of the villages being a large hollow in the earth.
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Demeter sprang up from the bench, almost knocking over the bottle of wine on the railing. “We did it!”
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The goddesses joined hands and jumped together, rejoicing in their triumph. When they finally calmed down, they picked up their glasses and went over the plan again.
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“How long should we give them?” Demeter asked.
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Amphitrite replied, “Let’s give them some time to adjust. They’ve had a great upset. We don’t want to frighten them further.”
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The two goddesses nodded in agreement. Amphitrite was always best at making important decisions.
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Hecate spoke. “One more round, then we will greet them in their new home, far from this world.” She winked at her sisters. “Our little secret.” Hecate grabbed the bottle and poured them each another glass as they giggled to themselves.
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Once the goddesses had finished off their drinks, it was time for the next step. They joined hands and set off for the far side of the universe. Sparks rained behind the goddesses as they soared through space. Just before their arrival, they unbound their hands so each could make an entrance into the new world.
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Amphitrite, goddess of the seas, plunged deep into the ocean. She grabbed on to a dolphin, riding it to shore on a wave fifty feet high. Her jewels and skin glistened in the water.
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The humans stopped their frantic scrambling to marvel at her arrival. When she stepped foot onto the sand, she kissed the dolphin, thanking him, and he swam back to sea. Amphitrite gazed upon the humans she and her sisters had brought to this new world. The crowd stared back from a distance, not daring to come closer to the power that exuded from such a being. Some dropped to their knees as they recognized the sea goddess.
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Before a word could be spoken, the ground quaked, and the crowd screamed out in terror. They dispersed, until they realized they had nowhere to go. They grabbed whatever was near—a tree, a rock, even a loved one—until the ground settled. A stalk shot out of the soil, reaching one hundred feet into the air, adorned on top with the goddess of harvest herself, Demeter. The stalk bowed to lower the goddess beside her sister, who welcomed her with a simple nod. When Demeter stepped off her stalk, it sprung back up and turned into roses, showering the humans in white petals. The crowd stared bewildered at the goddesses. But the sisters did not look back. Instead, they looked to the skies.
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Day instantly turned to night, and a large violet moon rose in the sky. The air became thin, and a chill descended on the crowd, a collective shiver sent up their spines. As the beam from the moon kissed the beach, Hecate—goddess of the night, moon, and magic—rode it down to complete the trinity sisterhood. Once her toes met the sand, daylight returned, and the humans exhaled a breath of relief.
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Side by side, the goddesses walked toward the cowering humans. Three brave souls stepped forward. The largest of them spoke.
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“What is the meaning of this? Where are our homes?” He motioned to the empty land around him that had once contained the flourishing villages they had built by hand.
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“And what have you done with our land? And the skies?” the second man said.
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A young woman chimed in, “We never settled on a beach. And the sun is not blue. The clouds are not pink.”
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The crowd nodded their agreement with the three but didn’t dare speak a word as the goddesses looked among them.
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Amphitrite lifted her hand. “We have made you a new home, a new world.”
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The first man spoke again, “A new what?” He stepped toward the goddesses; his hands balled into tight fists.
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“Oh hush,” Hecate said. “What was so great about the old one? This one is going to be much more fun.”
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“How’s that?” the man asked.
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“Because this one is all about us,” Demeter said with a smug look on her face.
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The crowd murmured among themselves. The young woman stepped forward, crossing her arms. “How is this world about you, Demeter?”
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Demeter laughed. “Because the only goddesses you’ll be worshipping are us.”
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A voice from the crowd broke through. “Never!”
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Several humans chanted in agreement, though most only cowered.
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The goddesses did not waver, but the skies turned dark, the ground shook, and the waters rose. Children screamed, and mothers comforted them with anticipation of the end. Just as quickly as the threat of death loomed over them, it retreated.
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The large man yelled out to the goddesses, “You cannot win our affections with your threats!”
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The goddesses paused, turning away from the humans and discussing the matter among themselves.
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“Perhaps they will not give in to fear,” Amphitrite said.
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“We don’t want their fear; we want their love, their adoration,” Hecate said.
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“Then maybe that man is right. If we want love and adoration, then that is what we must give. Agreed?” Demeter said.
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The three goddesses nodded and turned back to address the crowd. “We apologize for frightening you and your children. All we wanted was your love. We do not consider ourselves goddesses of hate. For our indiscretion, we each have a gift for you all, for this new world.”
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The young woman called out, “That’s it? An apology and a gift fix what you’ve done here?”
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The crowd nodded their agreement.
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The sisters stood stunned. They’d done everything right. Why wouldn’t these humans accept their new lives and praise them for it?
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Hecate rolled her eyes and stepped forward in a huff. “Enough!” She held up her hands, waves of blue energy flowing and dancing around her arms. Many of the humans cowered and fell back with a gasp. In one quick motion, Hecate cast her arms out wide and sent the energy from her being into the sky. It exploded in a flash of light, and flecks of blue dust rained over the humans and the land. Hecate turned on her heel and walked back to her sisters, who stared at her with brows raised. With a quick smile, she turned back to them to watch her work in action.
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The humans’ faces softened before they each knelt before the goddesses.
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Demeter whispered out of the corner of her mouth, “You did it.”
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Amphitrite smiled and looked toward the other goddesses. “Let’s finish what we started, my sisters.”
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Demeter stepped toward the crowd and extended her hand. The young woman, who had spoken earlier, hesitated a moment, then joined hands with the goddess. “For this land, I give everlasting prosperity and life. And for your bravery to speak for the people, I grant you command over the land. A queen among men. Your family shall be granted the same favor, your lineage shall bear this responsibility for all of time.”
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The woman bowed to Demeter. “I accept this honor, Demeter. We shall worship you as our truest goddess in our new home. Thank you.”
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Hecate stepped forward, offering her hand to the second brave man. “For your world, I grant magic, woven with the fertility of the land. You will be granted favor as well, and your family under the same conditions, with rule over all magic entails.”
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The man bowed, accepting his new role, and naming Hecate his family’s truest goddess.
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Amphitrite offered her hand to the large man. “I will grant you and your family the same stature and responsibilities in this new world. You will have command in the sea.”
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The man wrinkled his brow.
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“I am granting you this.” Amphitrite guided the man to the edge of the water, laid her hands on his shoulders, and motioned for him to step in. Once his feet hit the water, his legs turned to fins. He was a merman—a king of the sea. He bowed to Amphitrite. “Thank you, Amphitrite, truest goddess to our home of the sea.”
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The goddesses turned back to speak to the crowd. “Find the others on the far side of this world and tell them what has happened here,” Amphitrite said. “Use these gifts to build new homes.” The humans shouted their thanks to the goddesses, whose hearts filled with love and joy they had long been searching for.
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The goddesses left their new world to return home to Olympus, keeping their little secret all to themselves and never returning.
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But any time one of them felt a twinge of loneliness in their heart, they looked across the universe to that small world they’d created, where those humans had kept their promises and built temples honoring only them.
The young girl snored as her mother closed the book, kissed her on the forehead, and quietly walked out of the room.
Chapter One
Frogs hopped along the edge of the lake. Their splashes blended with the chirping crickets, nearly drowning out the hiss and whistle of the passing locomotive. Even after nightfall, the heat from the southern summer left beads of sweat under Sam’s shirt.
He swatted at the mosquito that pricked his neck, then went back to reading the letter in his hand while he waited for Annabelle, hoping she’d been able to sneak out to meet him safely. The thought of her walking the streets alone after dark worried him, but the women’s boarding house stood much too far away on days he was set up at the market.
