Sir Edward Heffery, director of EIE, read the letter from Olympiada. It carried the official badge of office, but there was no signature. “Here is an article you may be interested in publishing soon.”
He pulled out another piece of paper, the title made him sick, and his eyes got wider and wider with each word:
“Olephia destroys Igos.”
Kavaa held onto Kassandora for dear life. Fer’s claws grew and grew, until they reached the lengths of swords. Then Kavaa was whipped through the air as Fer caught hold of the wall. Those claws dug in like climbing picks, Kassandora and Kavaa both grunted under the strain put on their arms, their bones creaking and their muscles tearing. Kavaa hated that her first thought was about the pain healing would bring. They were here to save Iniri, of course it would hurt.
Fer slid the along the wall. From the smell, it was just bones without a shred of dirt. Fer slid and slid, until they came to a stop in the darkness. Something rumbled from above as Kavaa heard Fer sniff the air. “It’s a short drop ladies. Kavaa you first.”
“What?”
“Let go.” Kavaa looked down, her eyes straining. There wasn’t a floor! What was the woman talking about? “Trust me Kavaa, let go.” Kavaa silently cursed the woman, then let go of Kassandora’s arm. The other Goddess was still holding onto her.
“Heal yourself if need be.” Kassandora said. “I’m right above you.” And then Kassandora let go. Kavaa did not what Fer meant by a short drop, she had seen the monster rip through trees as if they were nothing, she handled Joyeuse like a feather. Kavaa opened her mouth to scream and then her feet touched the floor.
Oh.
It really was a short drop. Fer laughed from above. “Told you scaredy cat.” Kavaa took a few steps and back, through the cracking bones, and heard Kassandora drop. She could just about make out the woman and her red hair in the tiny amount of light that reached these depths, but her armour faded into the darkness entirely. Fer leapt away from the wall and landed behind them. “Stay here. I’ll get her!” She shouted as Kassandora strained her eyes to look around.
“Will she really find her?” Kavaa asked.
“Why wouldn’t she?” Kassandora replied. Joyeuse appeared in her hands. Kavaa could only make out faint glints of light reflected off the blade whenever Kassandora swung it. “We’re not moving from here.” The rumbling from above came about even louder.
“What is that sound?”
“The teeth most likely.” Kassandora said. Kavaa could just about make out the woman’s face. There was nothing on it, apart from a madness in her eyes. Kassandora actually smiled, her perfect white teeth showing.
“A-Are you not scared?” Kavaa asked.
“What is there to be afraid of?” Kassandora asked. She swung her blade again. Was she just doing it for fun? Kavaa felt the wind blow past her. “Are you scared of dying?”
“I… think so?” Kavaa replied. Was she? She had never thought about it. In the Great War, she rarely faced anything that could harm her and then it would be a quick retreat. By the time Paraideisius and Tartarus joined the war, she wasn’t a front-line Goddess unless the battle was exceptionally safe.
“I am.” Kassandora admitted without breaking a sweat. “But what can be done about it?”
“I don’t know… to be brave?” Kavaa asked.
“Veer off the bridge of bravery and you fall into the river of stupidity.” Kassandora replied. “I have an easier method.”
“What is that?” Kavaa asked as she heard Fer howl from within the darkness. “Is she safe?”
“She’d roar if it was bad. She howls when she gets happy.” Kassandora said. “And the method I use is denial.”
“What?” Kavaa asked.
“I just ignore it.” Kavaa blinked, she felt her hands drop and she sat down on the field of bones. It wasn’t comfortable, but it was the first time she had sat since they entered the Jungle. Frankly, she didn’t care anymore.
“How? Fear is a natural reaction. You can’t just… just ignore it.” Kavaa said.
“But I do.” Kassandora replied. Kavaa heard the woman take a step, stop, take another. Kassandora started to walk around in a circle. “Simple as.”
“Shouldn’t we help Fer?”
“Can you see here?” Kavaa felt Kassandora’s hand touch her head. “There you are.” Kassandora said. Hand still on her head, Kassandora sat down next to Kavaa. “She’ll be fine. I wouldn’t let her go if I could help.”
“Just like that?”
“There isn’t a better option here, is there? We go with her and she’ll have to protect us. Who knows what could be here?”
“That’s it?”
“Obviously I’m curious.” Kassandora said and chuckled. “But you know what I do with curiosity in situations like this?”
“What?”
“Ignore it.” Kassandora said. Kavaa heard the woman change posture and then reached over. Her hand touched the cold chest-plate of Kassandora’s armour.
“Are you actually lying down?” Kavaa said in disbelief.
“Can I not? There doesn’t seem to be anything.”
“How do you know?”
“Can’t feel anything watching me.” Kassandora said and Kavaa sighed. Just that? What sort of explanation was that?
Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings.
“You’re mad.”
“I’m the Goddess of War. There has to be some madness in here.” Kavaa heard metal on metal as the woman tapped herself. Kavaa heard the woman shift. “Do you want to be scared?”
“Not really.” Kavaa replied in the darkness.
“Look up.” Kavaa looked up at the hole they had entered. There was…
Nothing.
It had closed. Kavaa felt a tear in her eye, then blinked it away. So this is how it ended. She lay down and burst out in laughter. So this was it? That entire trek? She had brought Fer and Kassandora here for what? Two more Divines dead. And herself. And Iniri. Or maybe they would be assimilated? Would Fer be assimilated? What sort of abilities would that even give? And Kassandora? Well she had intelligence at least. Maybe with Kavaa’s powers, the Jungle would become a grand healer. Kavaa closed her eyes and shook let out a sigh of exasperation. There was something freeing about this.
She had lost.
Lost utterly.
And she had killed two others.
“Kassie!” Fer shouted from the distance.
“Yeah?!” Kassandora shouted back from Kavaa’s side.
“I found her!” Fer said. “She’s in the flower! What should I do?!”
“Can you get her out?” Kassandora sighed. Kavaa listened to them in disbelief. How had they not given up? The Jungle’s maw had swallowed them! What else was there to do? Now they could only lie down and rot!
“Yes!” Fer shouted back.
“Why haven’t you?”
“I don’t know.” Fer shouted. “It might trigger something!”
“Do you think so?” Kassandora shouted back and Fer fell silent for a few moments.
“Well actually I don’t know.”
“Can you get back here?”
“Mmh.” Fer replied. “You smell.”
“Thanks.” Kassandora answered. Kavaa listened to the woman sit up. Or roll over. Or whatever she was doing. Kavaa heard Kassandora whisper quietly. “She’s scared.”
“Is she?”
“This is how she shows it.” Kassandora replied then raised her voice. “I’m here! We have to do it anyway! Just get it over with!”
“Alright!” Fer shouted. “Prepare. I’m doing it! Three! Two! One!” There was a sound of tearing. More tearing. Fer growled. Howled. Something fell. More tearing. And then Kavaa heard the ground besides her break. She lay there unmoving as something walked up to her. It was Fer. The constant sniffing was the giveaway. Kavaa lay there, then suddenly something landed on her stomach. A heavy weight, large. Kavaa ran her hands along it. Soft too. “That’s Iniri.” Fer said and Kavaa pulled her hands away. She shouldn’t have squeezed that soft part.
“Heal her.” Kassandora said. Kavaa was already on it, she didn’t have to be ordered to heal her friends. Kavaa’s magic poured from her and into Iniri. The woman was asleep, she could be awoken after the procedure. Fer sniffed the air again, then walked off. “Where are you going?”
“I smell it.”
“Smell what?”
“There’s someone else here.”
“Grand.” Kassandora said. Kavaa heard Joyeuse slam into the floor of bones. “Can you see it?”
“I can’t see anything here.” Fer replied. “It’s pitch black.”
“You’ll have to fight it then.” Kassandora said. “I can’t feel anything.”
“Oh no.” Fer stopped. She sniffed the air again and again. “It’s not anything we have to fight.” Kavaa heard Kassandora sigh and sit down a few steps away.
“Why didn’t you say that before?” She asked. Fer jumped around.
“Too excited.” She did sound excited. “I smell family.”
Kavaa stopped the healing. There was nothing to see, it was pitch black here, she couldn’t even look down at the tip of her nose. But she still looked up. Family? Fer smelled family? What? That was… That was an impossibility… Kassandora finally moved. Kavaa heard the woman drop her sword. “Excuse me.” Kassandora said. “What did you say?”
“I smell family. Sorry for not… saying before” Fer laughed. “She’s here.”
“Who?”
“Can’t tell.” Fer gave the air a loud sniff. “Just smells familiar.” Another sniff. “One of us.” And another. “Definitely one of us.”
“Where?”
“Off in the distance.” Fer took a pause. “I’ve realised you can’t see me but I’m pointing right now.”
“How far?” Kassandora asked.
“Some distance.” Fer said.
“Is it safe?”
“I think so.”
Kassandora considered something for a moment. “Is anything else down here?”
“I don’t think so. Everything smells dead.”
“Neneria-dead or dead-dead?”
“Dead-dead.” Fer replied.
“Be swift then. Bring her back. Don’t hang around here.”
“I won’t.” Fer replied. Then she shot off. Kavaa heard the woman crush bones under her feet as Iniri coughed underneath her. The Goddess of Nature woke up and panicked. Her hand hit Kavaa. Her legs kicked up. A final trail of magic gave a splutter and then wisped away.
“I’m here Iniri.” Kavaa hugged her friend. “I’m here. I’m sorry. I’m here. You’re with me.” Iniri calmed down, her hand ran up Kavaa’s arm, towards her neck and Kavaa heard Iniri let out a breath.
“Are you real?”
“I am.” Kavaa said. Iniri rolled over and hugged her. Then burst into sobbing tears.
“I’m sorry! I’m sorry! I should have taken Kass! I didn’t want to! I’m sorry!” It continued like that for a while as Kavaa stayed silent. She heard Kassandora’s footsteps crush bones underneath them as she approached. Iniri did not notice. She simply kept repeating how sorry she was. How she didn’t want to seem like a child in front of Kassandora. How Kassandora had enough on her plate. How it was just scouting out the Jungle. How she heard it earlier, from the distance, she just didn’t say anything. How she blanked out. The whole story spilled out in between cries and sobs. “I’m sorry Kavaa! I shouldn’t… You shouldn’t have gone.” Kassandora stumbled in the darkness and there was a crash of metal.
“Fuck!” Kassandora and Iniri fell silent.
“Eh?” She said, still clinging onto Kavaa like a child. Kavaa did not mind. She wanted Iniri to hold on and never let go.
“I’m here too.” Kassandora said growled from the darkness. Kavaa heard the woman stand up and fingers poked her head. “Who’s this?”
“Me.” Kavaa said.
“I’m sorry!” Iniri cried out again Kassandora’s finger trailed down her face and onto Iniri’s arm.
“Well you are real.” Kassandora said flatly. Then Kavaa felt the woman sit down and lean against her side. Kavaa leaned back.
“Why did you come!?” Cried out.
“Why do you think?” Kassandora said flatly. There was some movement, Kavaa couldn’t tell who it was in the pitch-black darkness.
“Ow!” Iniri shouted. “What was that for?”
“So you’d stop crying.” Kassandora said. “You’re alive, I’m here. Kavaa’s here.” She paused. “Fer is here too.” That did make Iniri stop crying. Kavaa felt the woman squeeze her tighter and her tone change scared.
“What did you say?”
“Fer is here. She’s the one you should be thanking.” Kassandora said. “It’s a long story, I’ll explain it when we’re out of here.”
“Fer?” Iniri whispered as quietly as a mouth. “The Fer?”
“I only know the Fer that’s my sister so it may not be the Fer, but it’s a Fer.” Kassandora said with some humour. Kavaa blinked as she realised what Kassandora had done. The woman wasn’t even holding on tightly anymore, she had practically let go and sat on Kavaa’s knees in that pitch black darkness. Kavaa found Kassandora’s thick arm and squeezed it. “That’s my thigh.” Kassandora said. “Here.” She took Kavaa’s hand in hers and held it.
“So where are we?” Iniri asked.
“We’re in the jungle’s stomach.” Iniri scrambled around towards Kassandora. “That’s me Iniri.”
“So where is Fer?”
“She’s found someone else, she’ll be back soon.” Kassandora replied. Iniri scrambled some more until she found Kassandora. “Here.” Kavaa felt Kassandora lean forward. She probably took Iniri’s other hand. They sat there in silence for a minute. Two. Three. Kassandora broke it.
“Iniri?”
“Yes?”
“You can grow plants, right?”
“I can.”
“Can you grow them here?”
“I’m out of magic.”
“Alright then.”
“What did you want?”
“For you to grow one of those glowing ones, I don’t know the name.”
“Sorry.”
“Don’t worry about it.”
“Wait.”
“What?”
“You can’t see here?” Iniri asked and Kassandora chuckled.
“No Iniri. I can’t. I’m not omnipotent.”
“Are you scared of darkness?”
“I ignore it.” Iniri took a pause then scrambled to her feet. She pulled Kassandora and Kavaa up with her.
“What?” She sounded half in disbelief. Kavaa still could barely believe it.
“Don’t bother.” Kavaa interjected.
“So that wasn’t you?” Iniri asked.
Kassandora chuckled again before answering. “What are you talking about?”
“What’s the wetness then?” Iniri moved, from the way she dragged, Kavaa assumed it was a kick.
Something made a splash.
Fer roared in the distance.