Zerus held Sceo’s hand, they hovered above Olympiada and watched Kavaa’s Clerics move in. The first line of Allasaria’s had been broken, the second line had assembled between Maisara’s and Kavaa’s own quarters. “Are you not going to do anything?” Sceo asked.
“Do what?” Zerus growled.
“Stop them?”
“Kavaa must have her own reason.” Zerus said.
“Kavaa has marched the Clerics on Olympiada. This is an act of revolution.”
“So you want me to kill them?” Zerus growled. “Helenna and Iniri are part of it too.”
“Stall them at least.” Sceo said.
“We’ve been in a good position because of our refusal to take sides. Maisara, Allasaria, Kavaa, I do not care who leads”
“You have to get off the fence when it’s on fire Zerus.”
“I’m not too fond of Elassa myself Sceo.”
“But Allasaria?”
“Allasaria is not here, is she?”
“But she will be, with Leona. And then what hope do any of them have?”
“Then why should we move in if Allasaria’s success is assured?”
“You’re despicable Zerus.”
“As are you, my lovely wife.”
“I’m trying to make sure that there is a Pantheon for Allasaria to return to.”
“You’re not even part of the Pantheon.”
“That’s why it’s your job, your duty to hold them together.”
Iniri followed Helenna as the two Goddesses made their way through the Pantheon. For once, the Divine Mountain was not silent. Explosions were coming from the direction of the skyport and the sounds of battle had travelled from the entrance to Kavaa’s quarter. Helenna’s would be next, then Kavaa would arrive at the Lower Prison. Iniri took a deep breath as Of Love left the empty marble corridor they marched through and entered the field which guarded the Lower Prison. Seekers were already assembled there, along with minor deities Iniri had never bothered to learn the name of. Such things were beneath even her.
The Seeker captain saw them, spears lowered, a golden phalanx formed. “Goddess Helenna! Goddess Iniri! You are under arrest under charge of conspiracy!”
Helenna turned to Iniri. “Can you clear a path?”
“Can I?” Iniri walked past Helenna. What sort of question was that? Could she? How many Divines had served in the Great War? How many had ended up in the Pantheon? She was one of the pillars of this world. Gods of suits, Gods of clothes, Goddesses of grass and Gods of barks simply did not have the qualifications to go toe-to-toe with her. She had even changed her title to appease them, to make them feel good about themselves, to feign that there was some pretend equality among the Divines.
No.
Of Food & Bounty? What a joke. Food & Bounty were not the reason she had been a Great War general. Iniri saw Helenna’s eyes look up at her as she stepped onto the grass between them and the battle-line of Seekers. Grass sprouted around her shoes, the branches in her dress turned and twisted, flowers burst from the ground, seedlings deposited over the years start to sprout: Sunflowers and roses, ash and birch saplings broke the earth, a thin apple tree rose and collapse under the weight of fruit in a matter of seconds. Iniri took another step and shouted. “I am a pillar of the Pantheon, lower your weapons.” She blinked, that was too… modern. What would the Iniri of a millennia ago have said? “Move.” The grass carried her whisper. That was better. The Seekers took a step back as Helenna caught up to Iniri.
“I didn’t think you could do this anymore.” The sunflower by Helenna’s side replied for Iniri.
“Cannot and did not are two different things.”
The Seeker captain rallied his men, several of the minor Divines took steps forward. Zerus hung in the air above, Sceo did too. Kavaa had just broken through the second line of Seekers, she lost twelve men, eighty-three Seekers were lying dead, two minor invention Gods as well. On the other side of the mountain, Clerics of the Order of Twin Hearts were setting fire to the planes. Alkom of the Sun was approaching them. Through flowers and roots, through trees and decorative vines, Iniri saw it all.
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She saw and she heard. She spoke. “I have suffered a millennia of humiliation. Do not think that the Pantheon can go against Nature.” The branches of Iniri’s dress launched themselves against the ground. “Move!”
The Seekers remained still, so Iniri moved them.
The ground below them burst. Marble and man screamed as ancient roots ripped both apart. Spikes of wood tore through armour of gold. It had been a long time since the flora of Olympiada had tasted blood. Iniri licked her lips. Her arms remained still as the Seekers answered. Beams of light tried to answer devouring woods. Those Seekers who lost their spears drew blades encased in Allasaria’s magic. They burned vine and incinerated wood. And then they fell themselves, pierced by furious woods, slashed by razor leaves or torn apart by green ivy.
Iniri moved a finger and an oak roared out of the ground. A tree that would grow a century flourished in mere moments, it turned and croaked and groaned and twisted, and twenty Seeker were sent flying through the air. One of the minor Gods started to fly away, branches caught him by the foot and dragged him into the earth. Iniri turned to Of Love, “Helenna, your path is clear.”
Helenna nodded nervously, her eyes wide, her hair as white as bone. She murmured something unintelligible and ran off into the entrance of the Lower Prison. “Iniri.” Zerus’ voice boomed from the sky. A thunderous boom. “What are you doing?”
Iniri looked up at the man. Sceo, of the Sky, was floating next to him with Alkom, of the Sun, by the other side. All three of them were dressed in their ancient armours, fine plates, silver for Sceo and Zerus, gold for Alkom. There were no weapons among them, the Divines of the highest forces would not lower themselves to carry arms. A wind piercing roared through the fresh forest that had sprouted from Iniri’s magic, Alkom held a ball of fire in his hands. “Can you not see Zerus? Has age caught up to you?” Iniri shouted from the ground. Sceo’s brows furrowed in anger, those blue eyes shot daggers at Iniri.
“So you destroy the Pantheon?”
“The Pantheon is a walking corpse. From the ground we are born, to the ground we return. The Pantheon is no different.”
“Would you say the same if Allasaria were here?” Sceo shouted in that high-pitched voice of hers. Iniri had always disliked it. The Goddess of the Sky was a Goddess destined to be part of the background, she hated that the woman always tried to take centre stage.
“Allasaria is not here, is she?”
“Why did Helenna enter the prison?” Zerus asked. Another oak sprouted under Iniri, it grew rapidly, the wood tearing through buildings around it as the trunk expanded to the thickness of a river. Iniri looked down on the Divines from her stand in the branches.
“Why do you think? Leona is going to die. If not us, then Maisara and Fortia will free her.” Zerus tightened his fists and shook his head as he slowly floated through the air, higher and higher.
“Do not look down on me, Goddess of Food & Bounty.” Iniri’s smile cracked as Kavaa entered the courtyard, Clerics behind her. Their weapons were stained with blood.
“Look down on you?” Iniri shouted, she raised a hand forwards and the great oak twisted, bark screaming as leaves fell to the ground. The tree told Iniri it was ready. “You are part of my demesne.” Zerus’ eyes turned blue, pale wires of electricity burst from them, like drops of white paint flicked from a paint brush. The tiny sun in Alkom’s hand expanded to the size of a man.
“Goddess of Food & Bounty, don’t aggrandize yourself.” Iniri shook her head.
“Goddess of Nature Zerus. Goddess of Nature.”
Alkom’s sun grew larger. Storm clouds roared overhead as Zerus and Sceo held hands. Lightning danced above. Iniri swept her hands through the air, the great oak followed her movements, and swatted at the three flies pestering Mother Nature.
Elassa rose through clouds with two dozen mages behind her. Her gaze touched Olympiada. Fires, trees, destroyed buildings, sounds of battle, screams, Zerus, Alkom & Sceo were flying through the air as Iniri’s trees tried to bring them down. Elassa curled her fists as she heard the gasps of the mages she was bringing back.
Elassa had never liked that Goddess. Of Food & Bounty? What a joke of a title.
Helenna sidestepped a Seeker’s corpse, a knife sticking out of his neck. She turned, and she ran. Through corridors, around other men, too fast for them to realise she was coming. She barged into one man, her sheer height knocking the fellow down and then scrambled to her feet. “STOP! GODDESS HELENNA STOP!” Seekers were screaming behind her, their boots echoing throughout the hallway as they chased Helenna down.
Ahead, two Seekers had raised spears. The corridor was growing tighter now as Helenna got closer to Kassandora’s cell. A final line of defence against Of War’s fighting style of swinging her greatsword. Helenna dropped to one leg and slid on the ground, she grabbed the knives on her thighs and threw them forwards as the two spears aimed at her started to resonate with Allasaria’s divine blessing.
The two Seekers dropped, their throats impaled with a dagger each. Helenna somersaulted over them, landed on her feet and closed the final stretch to Kassandora’s prison. “STOP! YOU WILL BE TRIALED!” Of Love cast a look behind her as she barged into the cell door. It collapsed underneath her weight as Helenna got to her feet.
Kassandora stood there, arms resting on her head. She nodded towards the containment crystal. The Seekers screamed again. “DO NOT DO THIS! THAT IS TREACHERY! SHE IS OF WAR!” The Seekers formed a shield wall with spears extended. The tips were already glowing with magic. Helenna wrapped her fingers around the black obsidian rock, the magic inside it turned and twisted. Of Love turned, the crystal above her head as she looked back into the corridor.
The Seekers stared at her with eyes wide and full of shock. Blood had drained from their faces and their jaws had dropped. Helenna heard Kassandora sigh behind her. “DO NOT DO THIS HELENNA!” One of the Seekers called out. “ANYTHING! WE CAN NEGOTIATE! IT DOES NOT HAVE TO END THIS WAY!”
Helenna shook her head, she saw loose strands of her own fair hair. Pure white, it was always like that when she was scared. She felt a tear go down her cheek. “GODDESS HELENNA! PLEASE! DO NOT FREE HER!”
“You’ve come this far Helenna.” Kassandora said from behind her. “Are you going to back out now?” Helenna shook her head and whispered to the men at the end of the corridor.
“I’m sorry.” She threw the crystal onto the cold stone tiles. It smashed like a delicate wine glass, effortlessly. Magic spewed from behind Helenna, magic she did not want to touch. The Seekers controlled their panic and charged their spears.
Kassandora was faster. A greatsword shot past Helenna, her hair and shirt moved with the wind. It’s flight path faltered, the hilt brushed the wall, and it spun of out control. The Seekers were submerged in a cloud of dust.
Silence flooded into the corridor once again.