“I say that Inea’s Paladins should be dispersed amongst the militia, to better defend against the rest of his army,” Xanathel said, sitting at a table in one of the palace’s many rooms with Derzina, Araveena and the other gods. “Then we can focus on dealing with Meztraxia while my Paladins support us.”

“If my paladins are assisting the militia, then yours should be as well,” Inea said, icily.

“I believe my Paladins will be better utilised assisting us, their abilities lend themselves more to that than direct combat.”

“They hardly seem very useful then.”

Xanathel shrugged. “It is what it is. But I suppose a small bodyguard of your Paladins could remain behind to protect you and Atasimon, in the event of anything unforeseen happening.”

Before Inea had a chance to argue further, Derzina took advantage of Xanathel’s offer to interject. “That handles the distribution of the Paladins then. Unless Gorthar has anything to add regarding his followers?”

“I have no Paladins of my own, my followers will fight with the other militia or tend to the wounded as their inclinations dictate.”

Sensing that was the extent of what Gorthar had to say, Derzina moved on. “I believe that’s pretty much everything, unless anyone has something else they wish to discuss?”

Though she looked upset, Inea abstained from speaking in favour of glaring at Xanathel who seemed unconcerned by her attention.

“Are we certain we’ll be able to immobilise him long enough for my magic to take hold?” Araveena asked, clearly uncomfortable with her role in all this.

“As certain as we can be about any of this,” Derzina said. “For all the power that we have available here, it means nothing if it gets absorbed by the heart.” She stood up and addressed the gods as a whole. “I can’t stress this enough; you must keep the use of your power against him to an absolute minimum. Save it for when we need it most, or you’ll soon be all but helpless.”

Derzina imagined that must be what had happened to Ortesia. Without knowing about the heart ahead of time, it would have been impossible for the goddess to predict that it would be capable of absorbing her power.

“Yes, yes,” Xanathel said, “we’re all well aware of what we need to do.”

“Good, then I believe all that remains is to spend the rest of today and tomorrow preparing. Atasimon assures me that he’s about two days away at present. But be cautious, advance elements of his army might be upon us at any moment.”

Gorthar grunted. “I’m not worried about them.”

With little left to discuss, the meeting broke up and everyone went their separate ways. Despite the arguments, things had gone better than Derzina had hoped. Their plan was sound enough and she’d managed to get through the whole process without Atasimon’s intervention. Even if it had taken them until close to midnight to work through it all.

“Where are you going?” Inea asked, once the other gods were gone and Derzina was on her way out.

“Nowhere in particular, probably just to look over the city’s walls, why?”

“It’s best that you stay here. This is our headquarters after all and you’re the one Meztraxia is after. Or at least, the goddess within you is.”

“True, I suppose I may as well stay ten. Thank you for the invitation, Lady Inea. Your palace is a most beautiful residence, truly the jewel of the city.”

Inea sneered at her. “Save your flattery, I’m well aware of how little respect you have for me. There’s no point pretending otherwise.”

Derzina’s first impulse was to insist that she had every respect for Inea’s position, but it simply wasn’t true. After how she’d treated her people and the terrible things she’d said, Derzina had little fondness or respect for the arrogant goddess.

“I may not always agree with you,” Derzina said, choosing her words carefully, “but I respect your insights and your wishes to the greatest extent I can without alienating any of the others.”

“You have a great deal of conviction for a mortal. It’s admirable in a way, no matter how misplaced it might be. Yet for all your righteousness, in the end, all you will bring to my city is ruin.” She strode past Inea, pausing at the door. “I shall enjoy seeing everything you wished for turn to ash.”

As she watched Inea leave, Derzina found herself at a loss as to how the goddess could have become so hateful in their short association. It was only when Derzina compared Inea losing her city to her own loss that she appreciated the depth of Inea’s feeling. Perhaps to Inea this was also the worst thing that had ever happened in her life, such that it eclipsed all other sorrow she’d ever felt.

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That the two incidents could have similar impact spoke to the sheer extent of Inea’s arrogance, but Derzina hardly needed further confirmation of that. One had only to look at the statues throughout the city, or the sprawling palace in which they stood. It was incredible that even now, beyond a few rooms step aside for the war council and Inea herself, it was unoccupied. Once Meztraxia was defeated, they’d have to see about having it put to better use.

Irritated by Inea’s conduct after the meeting, Derzina found the constant reminders of the goddess throughout the palace served only to annoy her further. Wishing to clear her head, Derzina walked the streets of Brtet. She rationalised it as inspecting the city’s defences, but that was just an excuse. All she truly desired was a little peace before the coming storm. Most of the people she passed were engaged in errands in service to the war effort, such as ferrying supplies or weapons.

There was a frantic edge to their activity, and she was sure they must be afraid. She’d been terrified when she learnt of the demon army outside the walls of Ortesion. Yet for all their fear, they went about their duties in an orderly and efficient manner. Afraid as they must be, Derzina saw nothing that gave her reason to doubt their resolve.

Seeing an elderly man hunched beneath his heavy burden, Derzina stepped in to help. “Do you mind if I give you a hand with that?” she asked.

“By all means,” he said, giving her a weary smile. As he was shifting some of the load to her, he seemed to recognise her for the first time. “Oh, it’s you, the one from outside the city. Do you really have a god inside you?”

“I realise it might be hard to believe, but yes, I do.”

“If it’s anything like the ones we have around here, then I can’t say I envy you.”

They finished distributing the weight and she followed him down the street.

“It’s taken a little getting used to,” Derzina said. “I never would have imagined such a thing was even possible before it happened. Though it’s hardly all been great, I’m still glad to have her.”

“Well good for you then. I’m sure it must have its benefits.”

“Indeed, our bond offers many advantages. Lady Atasimon is the only reason I’m still alive today.”

“I hope she can help our city the same way she helped you.”

He directed her into a building and they both set their loads down inside.

“That’ll be all,” the old man said, as he sat down beside his cargo to catch his breath. “Thank you very much for your help.”

“It was no problem, I’m just happy to do what I can.”

As she was leaving, she saw Mostanto waiting for her at the door. He seemed to have made quite a habit of it since she’d arrived in Brtet and she was getting rather tired of it.

“Did you really follow me all the way here?” she asked.

“Of course not, I was just passing by when I saw you helping that man. You’re quite a helpful sort, aren’t you?”

Derzina walked out to stand before him, distinctly unamused. “Don’t you have anything better to be doing than wasting my time? I would have thought a Paladin would have more duties to attend to, especially with the coming battle.”

“No need to worry about that,” Mostanto said, “I’m attending to my duties just fine. No matter how it might seem to an outsider like yourself.”

“Is that it then? Your job is to watch me?”

“I never said that, though the view has given me little cause to complain.”

Nor did he have to say it, his hints were far from subtle. What was the point of letting her know? Frivolous as he may be, she found it hard believe that he’d let her know he was following her solely for his own amusement. If his Xanathel still wanted him to watch her, then there must be an important reason for it. Was Mostanto trying to warn her about something in his own roundabout fashion?

“Do you need something from me? Or have you simply come to shower me with compliments?”

“Would that be such a crime?” Mostanto asked.

“Given all the more important things you could be doing to protect the city, it certainly approaches one. But to be frank, I tire of these games. If you have something to say to me, then speak clearly and spare me these meandering vagaries you seem so fond of.”

The Paladins nostrils crinkled, as if disturbed by a foul smell. “If you insist on draining all the fun from it, then I suppose I must do as you say if only to spare myself a rather tedious conversation.”

All humour faded from him, and he drew her gently but firmly aside. “I have been watching you for much of your time here, and I’m convinced that you care more about Brtet than any of our gods. Before I tell you what I know, you must swear that you will never repeat it to anyone.”

For all his facades and skulking about, it seemed Mostanto had an honest heart. Not that Derzina had expected any less. “I swear that I will tell no one of this.”

Licking his lips, Mostanto checked to make sure no one was watching them before speaking in a hushed tone. “The moment the battle is over, Lord Xanathel intends to kill Inea along with his Paladins. If you wish to prevent Lord Xanathel from holding sole dominion over the city, then Inea must strike before he has a chance to do so.”

“Why would you tell me all this?” Derzina asked, horrified. “If you speak the truth, then you have utterly betrayed the god you swore to serve.”

“I know,” Mostanto said, eyes downcast, “and I shall bear that stain for the rest of my days. Yet I will bear it proudly rather than allow such a terrible crime to take place. I have never liked Inea and I owe her no loyalty, but if we are to build a better future for our city then we cannot begin by breaking the peace you forged for the sake of eliminating my lord’s sole rival.”

“Then why tell me this and not Inea?”

“She’d never trust me. I doubt she’d trust you either, but you at least have a chance of succeeding. If not, you or Atasimon may still be able to save her. All I ask is that you try.”

“Thank you for entrusting me with this, you’re a more honourable man than I thought. I promise that I shall do all I can.”

“That’s all that I ask. No matter what happens, your arrival here was the single greatest event in the city’s history. I only hope that it all ends well.”

“As do I.”

They said their farewells, and Mostanto faded into crowd.

“Do you think we can trust him?” Derzina asked, turning inward. Her inclination was that they could, but this was far too important a matter for her not to consult Atasimon.

“His intentions seem good, though I am loath to trust one of my son’s servants. They’re likely to be every bit as devious as he is. Still, you should not let the bad blood in my family influence you overmuch. You know this Paladin far better than I; do you trust him?”

“I do, he has been honourable in his dealings with me and I believe his heart is in the right place.”

“Then that will have to suffice for us both, his account was certainly believable.”