Deidre's gaze lingered on the dark shape of the deity. She'd learned a lot about how shifty the gods and goddesses of the universe were. She'd learned never to trust them, too.
She saved my life. After a brief hesitation, she went to the corner and knelt, feeling around with her hands until she found something.
Deidre leaned back and moved it into the light, dropping it with a startled yelp.
"That's a femur!" she exclaimed.
"Should be femurs for five over there. Not that they'll help," Karma said, unconcerned.
"I'll never understand how dismissive you deities are of life!"
"Not dismissive. We understand it differently."
Whatever that means. Cringing, Deidre patted the ground delicately. Her fingers grazed another bone, then a pile of them. She ordered herself not to get sick and sorted through them. Bile rose in her throat at the thought of the dead Immortals piled like rocks in a corner of a cell.
She began to understand why the Immortals and Deities didn't want Karma loose, too. If this was evidence of what she did to most …
"Anything?" Karma called.
"Bones mostly."
"Knives, tools, belt buckles?"
Deidre grimaced then grabbed an armful and moved to the lighted part of the cell. She deposited it.
"I think I'm gonna be sick," she said, gazing down at the bones. "You did this?"
"They earned it."
"They hurt people or something?"
"These were death dealers who didn't obey Harmony. She tossed them down here. They hurt many people outside the confines of their sworn duties. When they were balanced, they were found lacking. It cost them their lives and souls."
Unwilling to dwell too long on what Karma did to them, Deidre drew a few deep breaths then knelt and began searching for something the deity in the corner could use.
"What happens if we run across someone once we escape?" she asked.
"They must agree to be balanced."
"Or … what?"
"Karma kills."
Her eyes flew up. She could almost see Karma shrug.
"Okay. Let's just try not to kill anyone helping us escape. Can we do that?" Deidre asked.
"If you help Karma out of here, she will be indebted to you."
Don't sound too disappointed. "I don't know about a tool, but this um, bone looks like it was fractured to a point. Will that work?" She had no idea what part of the body the bone in her hand came from.
"She can try it."
"I can try it," Deidre corrected absently.
"I can try it," Karma echoed.
Deidre walked to Karma's corner and handed it to her. "I'll keep looking."
She continued searching and listened to the sound of the deity jamming and manipulating the chains. Deidre brought another two piles of bones to the center of the room. The effort - and idea of touching human-like remains - left her lightheaded. She took a break for a moment before sifting through the remains.