Earthly Desires

Monica Hasst Part 5

Monica opened the door to her quarters, intending to seek out Emerald Joh—but instead, she stepped into the foyer of the little house where her grandmother had lived when Monica was a child.

Her eyes fell on her father, sitting at the kitchen table, sipping coffee as he read the Chicago Sun. The scene was so vivid it made her heart ache.

As she closed the door behind her, the soft beeping of the stove timer reached her ears, and the warm, savory aroma of her grandmother’s famous goat stew filled the air. For a moment, the temple, the gods, and the war felt impossibly far away.