Challenge #04825-M076: Cold Comfort

The god was not angry at Wraithvine and the child, but it was angry. A cold anger of betrayal. It was also angry a child had been used. The cold spurred them on, but while it could, it did not freeze them, and did not make the child AS cold. Its curse would last until its eye was restored, it was restored to where it came from, its betrayers were delt with, and justice was served. Which order? Who knew?
@internutter/challenge-04780-m031-gifted-a-curse -- Anon Guest

If there was one thing for certain, Ereshkygal definitely frowned on child sacrifices. She hated that Girra had been used to hand the curse of Boreas' one-eyed idol to Wraithvine. The Hostess of All had wrapped her protective wings around the child and was - metaphorically speaking - hissing at the new cat invading her house.

Well. Her devotee.

Ze didn't need two gods facing off like cats on top of the chill of the curse creeping into hir bones. Wraithvine was encouraged to move North as quickly as ze could manage. Stopping only to make sure Girra had enough to keep her comfortable in the cold. Hir tower always had shelter from the wind and snow, but ze could not get warm.

Wraithvine's goddess would not allow more than an unpleasant chill, yet hir meditations were filled with the grievous wrong that had occurred.

The temple was spare of anything the roaming Adventurers wanted. They complained about killing all the priests for nothing. One took the idol from its altar, mumbling about the gems. They wiped their blades on the robes of the fallen and charged off to other destinations, but not for long.

Boreas was angry, and cursed the holder of His idol with a creeping chill and visions of where His idol belonged. The one that stole the idol figured out how to pry out a single sapphire before he froze completely. Callous, one of the thief's compatriots shattered the frozen hands to gather up the gemstone and the idol.

The curse carried on as the roaming Adventurers laid waste to everything in their path. From one of the murdering hobos to the next. All the way down to the smartest among them who gave a gift to a child. Encouraging Girra to gift it onwards to their favoured grown-up.

At least that last thief was smart enough to not curse a child.

That would have ended very badly for them, if they had decided on doing that. It would still end badly for them, but a lot later.

The sapphire was lost to the greed of Adventurers, but Boreas most wanted to return to His temple home. His followers would find a new eye. But first, the idol had to reach the followers.

It was a long and uncomfortable trip to the north, which only fueled Wraithvine's temptation towards a complicated revenge. Simple revenge would be way too easy on them.

[Photo by MIGUEL BAIXAULI on Unsplash]

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