All Chapters of The Goddess Warrior: Chapter 1 - Chapter 10

Dr. Fyfe Kaelan closed his laptop and let the lecture hall settle. The last slides had flickered away, leaving only the faint hum of the overhead lights and the smell of old textbooks. “That concludes our discussion on human-animal transformation myths,” he said, voice calm but carrying the authority that made students sit a little straighter. “Remember, theory is meaningless without practice. Next week, I’ll begin interviews for the Harappa field program. Prepare accordingly.”A ripple of anticipation ran through the room. Some students scribbled notes obsessively; others sat back, pretending disinterest while secretly counting the minutes until the interview sign-ups. Kaelan observed them with sharp eyes — not just seeing, but measuring, calculating. He noted confidence, curiosity, arrogance, and fear, all displayed in subtle gestures.Kaplan Merrick sat near the back, notebook open, pen poised, heart slightly tight in anticipation. He had come prepared, but he knew Kaelan’s scrutin

Maddie wasn’t sure if Kaplan was going to the party, but she wasn’t going to miss the opportunity to look cute and mingle. And, if he didn’t show up, she might just pay him a visit at his apartment. Maddie stood in front of her floor-length mirror, turning this way and that, letting the soft lamplight bounce off her perfectly styled auburn waves. Tonight, she had chosen a deep emerald dress — sexy enough to be noticed, elegant enough to seem effortless. Every detail mattered: the shimmer of her earrings, the gloss on her lips, the way her heels elongated her legs just so.She picked up her phone, scrolling absently through her notifications, but her thoughts weren’t on likes or comments. They were on him. Kaplan.Her pulse quickened at the memory of their brief chats in class, the way he had smiled politely at her once, as if he didn’t yet realize the gravity of her attention. That smile had been enough. Enough to convince her that he was the prize she had to win. Two casual dates h

Maddie didn’t just walk into the party, she made an entrance. Flanked by her girls, she waited for the perfect song with all the right beats to make her red carpet moment. The music shifted to the perfect pop anthem and she swung the doors open causing people to turn their attention to her. She looked like a huntress with a singular prey in mind. She quickly scanned the room and was pleasantly surprised to find Kaplan hiding in a corner, seeming unaware of her presence, which miffed her a bit.She took long, model like strides through the crowd as she stalked her way to Kaplan’s table. She spied the drinks and grabbed a bottle of beer and some type of fruity cocktail and made her way to him.The party buzzed with high octane music and laughter. Kaplan was aware Maddie had entered, but had chosen not to notice when a sudden wave of perfume — heady, floral, unmistakable — drifted across the table.“Kaplan,” a voice cooed, “you didn’t tell me you would be here.”Madison appeared in

Dr. Kaelan sat back in a worn leather chair, the kind that seemed molded to its occupant after decades of use. The office around him was both refined and cluttered, an organized chaos of scholarship. Tall shelves lined the walls, sagging slightly beneath the weight of ancient texts and modern commentaries. Several volumes bore the familiar spines of Ernest John Henry Mackay’s Further Excavations at Mohenjo-daro and Chanhu-daro Excavations, 1935–36, their margins bristling with his handwritten notes. A thinner work by Richard H. Meadow lay open across a stack of student files, a cascade of papers spilling over the round wooden table beside him.Mixed among the archaeology and excavation reports were far older volumes—fragile Sanskrit manuscripts and English translations recounting the hymns of the Rigveda, where Usha, the goddess of dawn, was praised in radiant verse. Other texts sang of Durga’s battles, describing the tiger-riding warrior who struck terror into demons and hope into mo

Kaelan knew the dangers the prophecy foretold and he feared neither earthly nor magical realms would be prepared for what is to come. Kaelan left a hasty note on the door and sent a quick text to his students informing them that the remainder interviews were moved to the next day. He sprinted to his old Bronco and sped in the direction of the Bitterroot Mountains. Just before the summit, Kaelan made a sharp turn onto a hidden dirt road that was camouflaged by the forest trees. He drove as fast as the road conditions would allow, sliding into an abrupt halt in front of a modest cabin.Dr. Kaelan shut the door of his private office, locking the wards with a practiced flick of his hand. The weight of what he had just learned pressed on him like a millstone. This wasn’t something he could shoulder alone. There was only one place—one person—he could turn to.The Obscura Directorate.To the world, it was an innocuous branch of cultural preservation, a shadowy bureau tasked with archivin