It wasn’t until I was standing before the actual altars that I thought to compose some form of prayer. I definitely didn’t have anything to offer in the way of tributes. Even if I’d thought to bring something, the conversation with Stormsong was still forefront in my head, preventing me from thinking of anything else. So I was left standing awkwardly in front of seven altars, without the faintest idea as to what I was going to pray for. In real life, I was by no means religious. It had been nearly two decades since I’d last prayed. Everything my life was either in my control or not, in which case I just ignored it, focusing on what I could achieve. No point in agonizing over things I couldn’t change, right?

Gogo had been fast in her address of Grimr Longfang. She’d knelt in quiet respect, bowing her head and uttering a quiet prayer, then placed a bough of frostwart before the altar. It had been a successful communion, and the bough had vanished, letting a gust of clean fresh air blow through the space. Gogo had smiled, then said something so quietly that nobody nearby could hear, and rose to her feet. No other reply that any of the people around could notice. Then it was my turn, and now I was standing in front of the altars, trying to make up my mind and not take too long.

The trouble of the moment was that, now that I was actually here, I found my attention wandering to the other altars. Not all gods were represented here. And my choice wasn’t as simple as expected, either. No sooner had I looked at them all than words flashed across my field of vision. The system, I thought with a sigh of exasperation. It was presenting the choices to me as if I didn’t know who they all were already.

Divines of Ahya

In the world of Ahya, you may offer tributes to and call upon the favor of the Divines, supernatural beings of great power that interact with the physical world via communion with their followers.

Visiting an altar is an easy way to establish communication with a Divine, but you may also forge a connection in the wild through various practices. Each Divine has their special interest and a domain they cover, so you’ll want to heavily consider your choice before deciding which Divine to pledge yourself to. The Divines that own the altars before you will now be listed. Select the Divine or Divines that you wish to worship from now on:

Grimr Longfang, God of Nature

Shigeru Tokugawa, God of War, Peace, and Battle

Minerva Moran, Goddess of Maidens

Noctis Ciayol, God of Herbology and Plants

Arcana, God of Knowledge and Magic

Rorshach, God of Dreams

Haere Hrafn, God of Journeys and Nomads

Unknown Deity

I frowned at the last name on the list. Well, it didn’t show a name, of course. Glancing back at the right-hand side of the altar, I noticed that there was a faint impression in the ground, where something had previously existed. The passing of time and different weather situations had eroded it almost to the point of non-existence, but it was clear that an altar had been there at some point. Could it have been an altar to Dexter, removed because not enough people bothered to worship him or pay tribute? Either way, there was a hint of something there. Some kind of lingering energy. Not enough for the average person to notice, but I did.

Someone cleared their throat behind me, and I mentally cursed myself, realizing that I was taking too long. My curiosity was roused by the last item on the list. I would pick Shigeru and Arcana as previously planned, but I was also going to pick that last entry. If it turned out to not be as interesting as it seemed now, I’d give up on it and focus purely on Shigeru and Arcana. But for now, it couldn’t hurt, right? After I focused on the three choices, the words vanished, replaced with a single line of text.

Make your prayers. The Divines respond best to the right words and intentions.

Well, that was easy for Shigeru and Arcana. I’d written everything about them, so I knew exactly what words to use. “God of Battle, please grant me your guidance and strength in all future battles. Guide my soul and my sword so that I may strike true. God of Knowledge, present me with the opportunity to pursue my goals and to learn. Grant my power your dominion, so that my studies may advance.”

With no tributes to offer, I had no way of knowing whether or not I’d made a connection. I certainly didn’t feel any different, at least. I focused on where the old altar had been placed, “Ancient deity lost to the world, make your presence known. Show yourself to me, so that I may forge a connection and grant you strength anew.”

That had a definite and marked reaction. First, the energy that lingered in the ground around where the altar had sat flickered, and faded. Then, without warning, I felt a burst of energy run through my body. It made me slightly dizzy and nearly made me fall over, but I caught myself in time, and stood on shaky legs. I hadn’t expected much, but the transfer of energy, as that clearly was, concerned me. I didn’t like the idea of carrying the essence of a being I’d never met and knew nothing about.

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Still, I didn’t want to hold up those behind me any longer. So I stepped aside, muttering a quick apology to those right behind me. They shrugged in reply, and knelt before the altar in their own turn, placing a small wreath of flowers before the altar of Minerva. I was just close enough to hear his words. “Lady Minerva, please place my daughter within your protection. Grant her your strength, and protect her from those that would cause her harm.”

I hastily moved further away, pretending that I hadn’t overheard his prayers. Communion with the Divines was often a private affair, and I wagered that he wouldn’t appreciate me knowing what was in his heart when he knelt before the altar. I caught up with Gogo, who was waiting several yards away, sitting on a log. “Hey.”

“Hey,” she said back. “Done with your prayers?”

I nodded. “I didn’t expect to see that an altar had been removed. I’m surprised the Wild Mages would remove the altar of a Divine.”

“Maybe there weren’t enough people paying tribute to it,” Gogo replied, echoing my earlier thought. “Did you have an idea as to who it belonged?”

I shook my head. I technically wasn’t lying, because it could have been any number of people. It could have been an altar to Bora Bora, taken out after he’d died. But then surely an altar to Pandemonium would have been made, I thought. They didn’t know about Dexter yet, so honoring the chaotic weapon would have been the next choice. I knew that there were warlocks of the weapon. I shrugged, letting the thought flitter out of my mind.

“I’m hungry,” I told Gogo. “Fancy some breakfast?”

______________________________________________________________________

“Tuck.”

I glance up from the light of the fire I was using to cook our lunch and squinted at the approaching form of Miel Firefang. The hunter had a grave expression on his face, and he cast a quick glance around. He was checking to make sure that nobody was able to eavesdrop on us, I thought. For my own part, I glanced past him to the two figures that were following him, nodding in polite welcome. “Hello, Miel. Please join our fire.”

He did sit down, but it was with the air of someone who didn’t want to take too long. “I have something to tell you, friend. You helped me with the hunt and made quite a name for yourself by helping the Alpha reclaim his map.”

I frowned in confusion. If that was all he’d wanted to say, he could have done it any time, and certainly not have required all this secrecy. I leaned forward. “What’s wrong, Miel?”

He hesitated a moment, throwing a quick glance around. “I do not know how to begin. It is, err, a sensitive topic.”

“You can be blunt,” I replied, wondering what he was getting at. “Do not worry about wounding my pride.”

“You must leave the camp,” he said suddenly, his eyes serious. “There is a plan to attack and destroy you.”

Suddenly, it felt as though an ice-cold blade had been thrust into my stomach and frozen me to the core. “What? Why would anyone want to attack me?”

Miel quickly waved his hands in a pacifying gesture. “Quiet! I will be in great trouble if it is discovered that I told you. I rushed over as soon as I heard about it. I do not think you have long.”

I shared a quick glance with Gogo, noting the surprise on their face, then lowered my voice. “Why do people want to attack me? Is it the Calderans? Are they back already?”

He shook his head firmly. “It is not the Calderans, friend. It is the Wild Mages. They say you are corrupted.”

I blinked, letting those words sink in. “That’s ridiculous. I haven’t been anywhere near Corruption. How could I have been infected?”

“I do not know. All I heard was that one of the druids sensed it within you. There is a deep hatred of Corruption here in Zaban, as I’m sure you know.”

I nodded my understanding. Still, I had no clue where I could have picked Corruption up. Not to mention that everyone knew that Corruption weakened a body greatly. If I was corrupted, I should have been able to feel it. “There’s no way I can be corrupted.”

“I am inclined to agree,” he said quickly, with yet another glance around. “I haven’t seen the tiniest trace of Corruption on you. But Zerial has given them permission to hunt you. If you do not leave now and run as fast as you can, you will be destroyed. They will not listen to explanations. They will destroy your body to make sure that the Corruption will not spread.”

“But I don’t have-” I began, and Miel lifted a hand, cutting me off.

“I don’t know why they think you do,” he said. “But I came to warn you, in honor of our friendship. I must go now. Do not tarry, friend. You must run!”

Without another word, he rose to his feet, gave me and Gogo a swift nod, then moved away, his silent friends moving with him. Miel had timed his pause perfectly, arriving and leaving with the cover of a larger group of figures. Nobody would have noticed him talking to us. I understood why he’d want it that way. Anyone who might run the risk of being Corrupted would also be a target. But also, he had a certain reputation within the camp and didn’t want to throw that away by being marked as an ally of a corrupted individual. He might have been a stranger mere days ago, but I had no doubt that he was telling me the truth. Quick as I could, I snatched up the pack beside me.

“You might want to leave too,” I told Gogo. “You don’t have to come with me if you think I’ve been Corrupted, but I’m willing to bet they’ll attack you too.”

“You’re probably right,” Gogo replied, leaping to their feet and snatching their pack as well. “I don’t think you’re corrupted. I could smell if you were, but I’m not going to wait and see what they say.”

We both headed for the eastern exit at once, as it was the closest. Only once we were outside the gate did I stop. “Damn. We should alert Stormsong. He’s counting on us to get to Milagre.”

Gogo gave me a rough shove between the shoulders, getting me going again. “There’s no time, you fool! If they think you’re corrupted, word will spread quickly. We cannot afford to wait around for him or to make contact. We have to leave the country as quickly as we can!”

He was right, I realized and started forward again. We made a sharp right turn to point to the south, and broke into a run, not bothering to hide our actions. We had to make as much distance as we could before the pursuit began. As I ran, I thought through what Miel had said. I was corrupted? There was no way, I thought. I would have known, even if there was the tiniest bit of corruption in the camp. Zaban was a natural refuge. There was no chance that corruption could have gotten in without someone noticing. Unless they thought that I brought it in, of course. But no, that didn’t make sense. It had to be the Calderans, I thought. Either they had more influence in the camp than I thought, or they’d slipped back into the camp unnoticed and spread the rumor that I committed the most grievous crime known to the continent. Either way, I’d have to try and figure it out later. For now, I had to flee.