Goddess of Gotham by Amanda Lees Read Free Book Online

Cautiously, she opened the nearest. It contained nothing but cracked plates.
Another cupboard, larger and shinier, enticed her further along. She grasped the handle on the front and hauled its door open to reveal shelves. A blast of cold air hit her in the face. Light shone
into her eyes.
    Startled, Kumari leapt back, banging her elbow on the sink behind. This was some kind of magic cupboard, she could tell by the fine mist that wafted out. On its shelves were packages. She picked
up a box at random. The finger-shaped cake she pulled from it looked nothing like its picture. Exploding creamily in her mouth, it was like eating sweetened cloud. She offered some to Badmash. Big
mistake. He stuck in his beak and sucked the cake dry of cream, gobbling the remnants with fierce concentration before looking up for more. Kumari fed him the rest of the box but still he looked
hungry. She reached into the cupboard again and pulled out a canister. There were red symbols emblazoned across it that read E-A-S-Y C-H-E-E-S-E.
    No idea what that means, thought Kumari, pressing the button on the top. A yellow stream shot forth, entangling Badmash in a sticky web. Kumari began to giggle, offending him deeply. He
might be a baby vulture but Badmash had his pride. Squawking with outrage, he began to jump up and down on the button. His first two attempts missed. The third hit her wetly in the ear.
    ‘OK, OK, truce!’ she cried, wiping his efforts from her earlobe. Thirsty now, she grabbed a bottle from the magic cupboard and held it up to the light. The contents appeared dark, a
gaseous, murky brew. Steeling herself, she took a slug.
    ‘Urk!’
    Instantly, she spat it out. Her tongue was tingling, her taste buds dancing. Actually, this stuff was not so bad. She took another swig.
    Piling a plate with all the food she could find, Kumari decided to explore some more. She tucked the bottle of brown liquid under her arm. It made her feel curiously alert. The next room along
turned out to be Ma’s bedroom. She could tell by the outsize clothing draped over every surface. Ma certainly had unusual taste, as well as a penchant for fancy footwear. Kumari slipped her
foot into a silver shoe, its sole stacked and squishy She hopped up and down a couple of times, admiring the fluorescent flash on one side.
    Spying a pink, sparkly cap she jammed it down on her head. Rummaging through the piles for more, she unearthed a long scarf made of feathers. Adding a frilly jacket, she gazed at herself in the
wardrobe mirror. The sleeves hung a foot from her hands; the cap obscured half her face. Pleased with the effect Kumari began to twirl, faster and faster. Slithering down, the feather scarf tripped
her up and she fell backwards on to the bed. She seemed to sink forever into its soft embrace, its aged springs sighing soggily. Compared to the unyielding wooden beds in the kingdom this was a
positive invitation to play. Scrambling to her knees, Kumari began to bounce, higher and higher. Whooping with delight she flung herself around, Badmash flapping beside her.
    All of a sudden, she noticed that Badmash was no longer there.
    ‘Badmash? Where are you?’
    She found him trembling in a corner.
    He was staring at a table half-hidden by a screen. Upon it sat a candle, carved into the shape of a skull. Adorning it, a crown of leaves. Before it, a dish of incense. Kumari wrinkled her nose.
It smelt resinous, familiar. The whole arrangement sat on a golden cloth draped across the table.
    ‘It’s OK, Badmash,’ she cooed. ‘It’s only an altar.’
    So they had altars in the World Beyond. Which meant ceremonial magic. Maybe it was not so different to the kingdom after all. Only Time would tell.
    The sound of the front door opening sent Kumari scuttling back to her room, shedding Ma’s clothes. Not two seconds after she had shut her door, it opened again.
    ‘Hi,’ said a friendly voice. Two voices in fact. Two smiling faces stared at her, almost identical