Read The Shadows of God for Free Online Page B

escaped him.
    Feeling quite unsteady but not unhappy, Adrienne decided it was time to return to her cabin before she did anything even more foolish than she had already.
    On the way she bumped into three of her students, who were swaying a bit themselves.
    “Mademoiselle!” said the first, a tall young fellow named Lomonosov. “It is good to see you up and about.”
    “It is good to be so,” she replied. Or hoped she did. Her voice was a strange roar in her own ears.
    “We have much to discuss with you, Mademoiselle,” a young woman said.
    Even in the dark, Adrienne imagined she could make out the young woman’s green eyes and infectious smile. She also saw that the third fellow, Carl von Linne, was standing quite near her. Had they been holding hands when she arrived? She suspected that they were lovers.
    “Well, we shall begin our meetings again,” Adrienne said.

    THE SHADOWS OF GOD
    “Oh, we have kept up with them. We have found something quite astonishing.”
    “We could even speak of it now!” Lomonosov said.
    “Well…”
    “There you are.” Elizavet’s voice came, from behind. “Monsieur Linne, I disht—dishk— distinctly remember that we had an appointment this evening. How can you dish— disappoint a tsarevna?”
    “Not because of this fat little thing?” She poked a finger at Emilie.
    “What?” Emilie choked out. “What did you say?”
    Elizavet paid no attention to Emilie but stepped forward and gave Linne a sharp slap on the face. Then, laughing, she stumbled back the way she had come. “No matter,” she said. “There are men somewhere in this camp.”
    Linne cleared his throat. “I — ”
    Emilie slapped him, too, and without a word she turned and ran, sobbing.
    “Oh, dear,” said Lomonosov.
    “Well,” Adrienne said, “I think we will delay our discussion until a more appropriate time, yes?”
    “Yes, Mademoiselle,” Lomonosov said.
    Feeling suddenly mischievous, Adrienne turned back to him. “By the way, since you seem to have lost your companions, perhaps you could ask Mademoiselle de Crecy for another fencing lesson.”
    She wished it were light enough to see him blush. Lomonosov was cute when he blushed.
    “Good night,” she said, and continued on.

    THE SHADOWS OF GOD
    Feeling a little dizzy, and fearing to lie down in such a state, she walked to the little river, hoping to clear her head. She paused to stare at the moon, huge and orange on the eastern horizon.
    La loooon! she thought she heard, in the voice of a child, her child. She remembered showing Nicolas the moon and teaching him what to call it.
    Nicolas ? she asked, into the silence of the night.
    I said never to call me that. You said you would call me Apollo .
    “Of course,” she murmured aloud, her heart skipping. “Are you watching the moon, Apollo?”
    Yes. So are you .
    “Beautiful, isn’t it?”
    Yes. Then, almost shyly, J haven’t told anyone about you. Are you still my secret friend?
    “I always shall be. What—how are you?”
    A face seemed to form on the moon, features between boy and man, Adrienne’s own dark eyes and the prominent Bourbon nose.
    I have enemies, he replied. Evil creatures who resist me and my heroes. But it doesn’t matter. My teachers say it doesn’t matter.
    “You are very strong,” Adrienne said cautiously. “I saw the keres you made.”
    That was nothing. But he sounded proud. I have a secret. The keres, my heroes, the great cleansing—it is all just the beginning. My great purpose is above all of that. It is?
    Yes. But—but something is missing. I don’t know what. I can’t do it yet .

    THE SHADOWS OF GOD
    “What is missing?”
    This time a sort of panic crept into the voice. J don’t know. What if— He stopped.
    “What, Apollo? You sound distressed.”
    What if I can’t do it? They say I am the one, the prophet, the Sun Boy, but sometimes — sometimes I think they must be wrong. They know there is something missing. And I have enemies who want to