“It’s ok Morwen. It’s really her. Or a snapshot as she was just before her death, anyway.” Rozien assured her.

Captain Morwen continued to stare at the golden ghost of the goddess Aeryn. She wasn’t at all anything Morwen had expected. She’d never been deeply religious, but she never expected this. This woman was too casual, too…normal? Ok, well, not exactly normal, but she lacked the regality that the nobility and clergy all insisted she’d be. Were she not a spectral image, Morwen could have pictured her in the ranks of her squad.

Aeryn stood up after a few minutes of Morwen silently gawking at her. “What? Do I have something on my face?”

Morwen shook her head. “What? No. Sorry, I just…”

Aeryn smiled with a nod, standing up and clapping her thighs as slapping off imaginary dust. “Not quite what you expected, am I?”

“Not exactly. No.”

“Unfortunately, I never was one for the pomp and circumstance. This whole religion nonsense you guys have built has me out like some kind of stuffy matron. The Wyrms insisted it would boost my worship. Unfortunately, I hate to admit it worked.”

“And the reality is you’re just a soldier.” Morwen finished.

“Just like you.”

Morwen stiffened, tugging her jacket uniform down tighter.

“Relax. For me? Being a goddess wasn’t any different from just being a much stronger spell soldier. But before we do any bonding or anything, you need to drink.”

Morwen approached the well cautiously. This was some kind of trick. It had to be.

“No tricks. I’ve chosen you to be a replacement. The Divine War is about to resume. Our people need a warrior, not a politician, to protect them.”

“How did you?”

“Read your mind? I was a goddess, after all. I may be a shadow, but I still have some of those abilities. You’re a strong mage. But we need to get you prepared for when the brown stuff hits the fan.”

She kneeled, watching Aeryn cautiously. She cupped her hands together and began scooping handfuls of aether and drinking. This would be her second time consuming magic from the well. A soothing warmth spread throughout her and a need to consume more quickly gripped her. She was no novice and was used to resisting that siren’s call.

“Don’t resist it this time. You’re strong, but not strong enough yet. Keep going.”

Morwen scooped more and more. She drank and never felt full. Eventually the euphoria overwhelmed her motor skills, forcing her to drop back from the lip of the well and stare off vacantly until she passed out.

She awoke sooner than she thought she would. Until she immediately recognized she was riding shotgun in someone else’s memories.

“ Mine .” Aeryn said.

It was strange. Morwen was acting out the memory, with Aeryn’s divine shadow standing out of place in the memory as though she was superimposed into it post fact.

Dream Aeryn pushed herself out of bed, not bothering to make it. She strode over to several crumpled uniforms that lay on the floor and eyed herself over in the mirror. Bags under her eyes showed a struggle with sleep, even though she was a goddess.

“Once you’re a god, your mentality determines your reality. If you think you’re exhausted? You’ll feel exhausted. Puts a whole new spin on the whole manifesting what you want thing all those crystal queens push in markets, huh?”

Crystal queens? Morwen thought more than said.

“Yeah, those vendors who pose as mages trying to cash in on any poor zero’s naivete. They sell those crystals they say will charm them or boost aether flow around them to improve their health, or something. It’s all a scam. There’s magic out there, but none in those crystals. Those peddlers just sell rocks and rosey words.”

Dream Aeryn had made herself as presentable as possible, throwing on one uniform from off the floor.

She strode out of her quarters and found Rozien in his uniform in the corridor; he held a spell staff that resembled the one he’d forged himself into in Morwen’s time. Dream Aeryn sighed heavily.

“The night watch was quiet. Too quiet. The fleet is still making best speed away from Maleficus’ seat of power. Many have concerns we’re flying headlong into an ambush by the Sauridius. Most of us are running on fumes and Maleficus’ darkness is spreading.”

Aeryn nodded, accepting the spell staff from Rozien. Known rather plainly as the key, it was the item through which they could control the Theferis. It, along with the rest of the grand fleet of spells, ships crafted by gods were more than just vessels. They were temples of religions. Portable cities to house worshipers. Batteries of power. And last but not least, weapons for gods.

Aeryn lingered at a window, looking over the great fleet of divine warships. The gods who once wielded them were no longer with the fleet. Mustered as a last desperate gambit to stop Maleficus and Sauridius, the fleet lacked their divine counter parts rendering the ships without the gods. She couldn’t help but wonder if this was part of Xanofex’s plan all along. For all the gods to take each other out, knock down the pantheon and make room for the mortals to flourish.

Rozien remained there, waiting silently for her to say anything. He’d grown used to her silent interludes dragging on longer and longer. Becoming a goddess had made her more deliberate and less hasty. Less human. She’d lost that mortal edge. Every minute was now dissected forwards and backwards for maximum effect.

Gone were the days of her acting recklessly. Brashly charging off with the barest hints of a plan. Now she’d become just as slow and contemplative as the other gods had. Inured to the power of divine sight and the ability to touch the web of fate. To perceive its many threads. To get lost in its complexity.

“I miss the days when I was reckless.”

Rozien’s brow arched curiously. “Ma’am?”

“Not quite the response you expected, was it? I’m sorry.”

“Are you ok?”

“Just tired, that’s all. The war is long. Everyone’s faith is tired. We need to give them something.”

This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it

“Like what?”

Aeryn shrugged, “Hope? Relief? Maleficus has us on the run and Sauridius has us doubting everyone.”

Rozien frowned. “So what do we do?”

“We stick to the plan. Xanofex never led us wrong. We just have to hope.”

Rozien snapped to attention and saluted firmly. Aeryn made her way to the bridge of the ship. Technically, with the key in hand, she was the bridge. But she’d gotten her start as a mortal with magic, so the all too familiar bridge was like a security blanket or a creature comfort.

“Status?”

“We’re in the black. We should be reaching our exit point any moment.” One of the crewman manning the controls said.

Aeryn nodded. They’d come so far, and given up so much to make this last ditch run. She only hoped that Xanofex was right.

“Last chance to turn back.” Rozien said.

Aeryn shook her head. “No. We have to move forward. Everything we’ve lost, everything we’ve given up, it has to be for something. If we give up now? It’s all ash. But no matter what happens, going forward makes it worth something.”

“Generating exit gate in 3, 2, 1, mark,” the helmsman said.

Ahead of the massive staff shaped spell ship, space cracked open like an astral zipper being pulled down. It wasn’t a clean crack, though. It was jagged and fluid, like space was resisting the tear in reality. Blinding light spilled in as even a little light in a void of black was still enough to hurt. There was a lesson in there, she was sure.

She gave the sensors a moment to recalibrate and get used to the change in planar shift. Then she plunged into the ship, merging her own consciousness with its hull. It’s body becoming her own. She gasped as the data feeds poured in.

She was starting into an eye. A massive eye. As large as a supermassive star, and a matching eye flanked it. She had to magically pull back her senses and only then did she truly feel small, as she found a platinum wyrm that made her feel like an insect compared to it. The pair of massive eyes blinked lazily at the tiny spell ship before it, and the wyrm yawned, revealing rows of planet sized razor-sharp teeth.

“ Why have you come to visit me, little godling ?”

Morwen crashed back into her body with a jolt. All eyes on the bridge were on her. Rozien gave her an encouraging nod. She tried to speak, but found her mouth dry and took a moment to compose herself.

“I-you’re him. The Wyrmfather of all dragons. Midgardzormir!”

All of creation rumbled with bemusement as the platinum wyrm bobbed its head.

“ Indeed, I am. But you have yet to answer my question. Why brings you before me? A feat few have accomplished. ”

“We come with a plea most urgent. A pair of dark gods are rampaging across the galaxy, spreading darkness, death, and dominion. We came to beg your aid.”

Midgardzormir raised his head, narrowing his eyes as if gazing at something far off. Perhaps looking right at Maleficus and Sauridius themselves. His lips curled back in disgust, followed by an icey sigh.

“ Alas. I am bound by the system. This is my cage. I can not leave it. ”

Aeryn’s gaze fell to the deck. “Then you can’t help.”

“ Fret not, child of light. I may be bound by rules. But what is a rule, if not something to be broken or ignored when times have need of drastic action? ”

“Then you will help?”

“ I will. It has been an age or two since I collected a noble deed. And this will be a good one to trade with an old friend.”

“What can you do? You mentioned being chained here?”

“ Child of light. ” Midgardzormir began affectionately. “ I am not bound here against my will, but by choice. An arrangement I am all too happy to breach when and as I see fit. And right now? I see fit. ”

“That’s it then? You’ll break the accords and risk a full scale conflict?”

A black-cloaked figure with a red mask said. Aeryn blinked. Had they always been there? Lurking?

Midgardzormir’s gaze shifted to the black robbed being who flinched so slightly only an expert eye would have detected it. They were here because the platinum wyrm allowed it, but that could easily be remedied.

“ Do not presume to lie to me and pretend this is not already a full scale conflict that is threatening to break the system. I know full well the plans of your peers. You would be wise to remember that here in this tiny domain, you fall under my command. ”

“Of course, Midgardzormir. I wouldn’t seek to antagonize the father of all dragonkind. I merely wish to state the importance of deliberation before action. After all, interference on our part could destabilize the system and bring ruination to everything. The suffering of a few mortals shouldn’t merit risking the entirety of the system.” The masked man said.

“ Zeretheus. ” The platinum dragon began with a sigh. He sounded like a grandparent counseling a child.

“ We both know that your words are honeyed and full of deception. Even now, one of your own has been backing and supporting Maleficus and Sauridius. Such deception will not be tolerated. Thus. An act for an act. You and yours have thrown in with my errant children. So I will support these poor souls that seek my aid now. ”

“You can’t!” Zeretheus boomed.

Midgardzormir roared. All of creation within this tiny pocket domain shook. It was defeaning and yet, Aeryn felt no pain. In a strange way, she felt like someone had draped a warm blanket around her shoulders on a freezing afternoon.

“ I can. And I will .”

His words were final. Judgement rendered. The vision faded to black after that and Morwen couldn’t help shake the feeling that this was important. Somehow, the platinum dragon would prove vital once again.

‎