Isaa walked along his ship as it sailed through the River Conbols against the current, just north of the Enratic Sea. The ship navigated the half-mile width of the river with ease. The eighty-foot-long vessel reeked of cedar and oak, which composed the hull, and the leather of the skibok, a bovine creature found in abundance within the Albetan Floodplains. Isaa had crafted this ship quickly with the help of Joeb, deity of crafting.

Isaa, the deity of the sea, watched over the flowing water of the River Conbols. He felt most at peace in the waters and longed to be drenched with it. Suddenly, the river turned from crystalline blue to crimson red. Isaa extended his right hand, just over the edge of the ship, allowing his kelp green robes to flow in the breeze. The water of the River Conbols rose up to meet Isaa's hand. The deity separated the blood out of the water and licked the contents out of the air. "Human blood," he muttered. Isaa pivoted from the wooden railing of his ship and the water splashed back into the river as if the container that held it evaporated into thin air.

Isaa made his way to the ship's cabin to inform his companions. As the deity of the sea walked, he used his golden trident like a cane, creating an offbeat rhythm with his stride. The golden trident was crafted for Isaa by Hetes, Maker of Tools, and it gave him the power to manipulate water. It was this very power, granted by the trident, that allowed Isaa's ship to travel upstream. Isaa was constantly propelling the water underneath the ship to flow in the opposite direction of the current at speeds faster than any other ship could produce.

“Human blood fills the river!” Isaa exclaimed as he thrust open the cabin doors, revealing three more deities sitting around a rectangular table.

"The blood must have come from the River Confi, to the east." Sab, deity of the earth and soil, said as he stood up abruptly, "where Haboo, Mahon, and Foal press to reclaim Isonia from Hetes and Tanpk."

"Aye, the Maker's hold on Isonia is strong," Cajo, deity of the shadows, agreed, "we should provide them with aid!"

"No," Sego, deity of longevity and time, retorted quickly, "we shall take this opportunity while the Makers are distracted to find and conquer Garsuna, Maker of the World, and Ninecht, Maker of Health. The hourglass strongly suggests they are hidden deep within the Kohte Hapen Mountains. Overcoming those two may turn the tide of this war to our advantage."

"We follow Sego," Isaa concluded, staying the course of his ship, "he speaks true and not before deliberation." Isaa finished with a frown, showing his true feelings.

Cajo and Sab nodded compliantly. The War of the Makers began less than a year ago, and the deities were losing. The conflict was sparked as the deities grew tired of following the Maker's agenda. Apena, Maker of the Sky, and Garsuna, Maker of the World, first crafted life for the very purpose of stopping Chosrgel, Maker of Chaos, from ruining Garsuna's perfect planet. The deities were tasked with keeping Chosrgel contained, but being the Maker of Chaos, Chosrgel escaped frequently. The repetitive nature of locating and capturing the Maker of Chaos proved fruitless as it, too, wanted to keep Garsuna's planet in perfection. The deities decided they wanted to carve out their own futures within Garsuna, but the Makers would not allow it. The deities then concluded they would need to destroy the Makers if they were to live their lives as they wished.

"We will follow the River Conbols until the confluence of the River Bols and Confi. We will then take the River Bols to the peaks of Mount Hetes, from there we will climb north into Mount Caxpa, where it is said Garsuna rests. This route should give us enough cover from the Maker's lurking creatures," Sego explained to the other deities.

"Return to your rest," Isaa began, "it will be another day's travel to Mount Hetes, the source of the River Bols."

Isaa turned to exit the ship's cabin and that is when he heard it.

"Help! We need help!" a woman shouted; her voice muffled behind the wooden door that separated Isaa from the ship's top deck.

Isaa burst through the door and rushed back to his place on the edge of the ship's bow. Isaa peered over the wooden railing. Two women and a man were using a tree's branch like a safety raft, holding themselves afloat. The humans were flowing with the current and quickly passed Isaa's ship. Isaa acted swiftly and halted the water underneath the ship while simultaneously lifting the three humans onto the top deck in a floating puddle of water. Isaa placed the humans as softly as he could onto the deck. They crashed down with a splash, soaking the ship, and sending the tree branch they clutched rolling towards the cabin.

Two of the humans were clad in armor from head to toe. The light of the two suns glistened off their chest plates, revealing dull splashes of blood muddling the armor's glassy sheen. The other human, a woman, was wounded on the chest and fitted in a loose, white dress. A bump showed at her stomach indicating she was with child. The two armored humans helped the pregnant woman to her feet and slung both of her arms over their shoulders.

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"Do you come from Isonia?" Isaa demanded, curious of the state of his homeland.

"Yes, your holiness," the armored man said, "we couldn't breach the walls. The Makers they...'' the man shuddered, "they had their legion of balrgos and Ruonians waiting for us on the banks of the River Confi. We didn't even stand a chance..."

"Dammit all!" Sego spat out as he rushed out of the ship's cabin behind Sab and Cajo. The news of the deities' recurring failure angered all of deities.

"There's no time for that!" the armored woman yelled out, shooting a glance towards Sego, "this is Lady Eflowin, we must save her!"

Isaa's ears perked up, he normally wouldn’t worry about the life of just one human, but he has heard that name before. Lady Eflowin was one of Haboo’s lovers, deity of the winds and Isaa’s brother. Isaa would do all in his power to save Haboo's baby as a half-breed human makes for a powerful weapon.

"Give her to me," Isaa said, grabbing for Eflowin and pushing away the two human soldiers.

With his golden trident strapped to his back, Isaa hauled Eflowin up with both hands, cradling her like a child. Isaa could now see that Eflowin was bitten across her chest with teeth punctures about a half-inch in diameter that trailed from Eflowin's shoulder, around the top of her breast, and up the opposite shoulder. The deities used their human creations and their divine tools to fight this war while the Makers controlled not only the forces of nature, but also the powerful creatures that inhabit Garsuna. Isaa imagined that Eflowin had been bitten from above with her head becoming concealed within the maw of some great beast as it tried to remove her torso. She was lucky to be alive.

Isaa called the water from the river as he entered the ship's cabin. The water obeyed and flowed to cloak Isaa's back like a cape. Once in the ship's cabin, Isaa went to his room and gently placed Eflowin onto his bed. Isaa checked her heartbeat by placing his ear to her chest. A slow beat and cold to the touch.

The other deities and two armored humans followed Isaa to stand right outside of the deity's room. Isaa used the water cloaked on his back to create thin streams, one for each puncture in Eflowin's pale skin. Isaa cautiously and expertly cleaned out each wound. When the water emerged, it was filled with blood and impurities. Isaa carried the bloodied water and its waste out of a window within his room. Isaa again checked Eflowin’s heartbeat. No better. Not even slightly warmer.

Isaa began to bandage the woman’s wounds using cotton pads produced from a drawer next to the bed. Isaa then used a thin cloth wrap to hold the bandages in place. Isaa exited his room but not before covering Eflowin with his blanket, made from pure wasashk fur. Isaa checked her heartbeat one last time. A little faster now. Good.

“If only Xle were here,” Isaa whispered to the others as he walked into the hallway of cabin rooms, “we could ensure Eflowin's survival. She has lost too much blood and the humans aren’t as resilient as…”

“I fear she is lost to us,” Sego cut in, his eyes wide. Sego was holding the hourglass that Hetes had crafted for him. Hetes imbued the hourglass with the ability to gaze into the future. “Every possible future I have searched ends in Eflowin's death. The strings of fate, as fickle as they may be, have decided now is her time. And the child…” Eflowin screamed from within Isaa’s room.

Isaa and the others expeditiously ran into the room. Eflowin clenched her hands onto the edge of the bed as she lay flat on her back, her knees bent upwards. The bottom part of her dress bloomed against its original whiteness like a rose. The bandages Isaa had applied were beginning to bleed through and tears were streaming down Eflowin's face. Isaa didn’t have any experience with childbirth and left the room immediately, along with Sego and Sab. Cajo and the two humans remained to help with the delivery. The three deities tried staying close, sitting outside in the hall, but the harshness of Eflowin’s screams provoked them to vacate.

Isaa went back to directing the currents of the river and the water returned to its natural color as the ship left the flow of the River Conbols, ascending into the River Bols. Sab and Sego accompanied Isaa on the ship's top deck.

“I see an ambush coming soon, right before nightfall.” Sego declared, still clutching his hourglass.

“How certain?” Sab asked.

“Practically a premonition,” Sego replied irritably.

“And what do we face?” Isaa asked.

“Death from above, flocks of eopdi, tariatoges and halliphals. We should inform the humans.”

“I trust you and Sab to communicate this,” Isaa directed.

The two deities left Isaa to command the waters and disappeared into a hatch that lay in the middle of the ship's top deck. Cajo, deity of the shadows, emerged from the cabin and eagerly beckoned Isaa to follow her. The two deities entered the ship's cabin and immediately went into Isaa’s room. Isaa’s bed was completely bare, the bedsheets, the wasashk fur blanket, and Eflowin were nowhere to be seen. The two humans that accompanied Eflowin had since taken off their armor, except their helmets, and now sat on the naked bed, clutching a baby girl.

Isaa stepped towards them quickly, “give the half-breed to me,” he commanded.

Isaa grabbed the freshly swaddled infant. “An unusually strong gale of wind came through the window, right as the girl was born,” Cajo said excitedly. "It was as if Haboo was helping to free her of Eflowin's mortal clutches. I fear Eflowin did not survive.”

“No matter, she was merely a human, we can always make more,” Isaa announced. The two humans present looked at one another wearily through the slits in their helmets. “The child lives and the blood of the deity of wind runs through its veins. I shall name her, Zilliad, and as foretold, she will play a strong hand in ending this war and emerge a great Queen among the humans.” Isaa's mouth widened into a proud, but deceitful smile.

There was a sudden screech that came from above the ship, followed by the pounding and shattering of wood. Isaa quickly handed the baby Zilliad back to the two humans.

“Protect her with your life, that’s an order!” Isaa exclaimed as he rushed out of the cabin door directly behind Cajo.