Silence answered for a moment, and then a slight smile curved the Goddess's lips—not a sweet smile, but the kind of smile that precedes change.

It was too quiet. So quiet that she could hear her own heart beating out of rhythm. The ground swayed beneath her feet, and she didn't know if she was really standing or if her body was still falling. Everything was spinning. She tried to understand where she was, but nothing made sense.

The woman standing in front of her didn't look ...