Iliyal went into Ilwin's room and sighed. How many desdants had he outlived now? There was too many to t, although he could remember all their names.

  Ilwin woke up to a cell. A prison cell, he had been in a few before, this one did not stand out in any way. Tall grey walls, a single mp on the ceiling. A toilet sequestered off by a low wall. A sink. The elf quickly patted his clothes, they had left him in his bck suit, but his pockets had beeied. The daggers were gohe sword removed, all that remained was a small leather ring on his belt which should have held a sheathe.

  He stood up and looked at himself in the mirror. Cold blue eyes under blonde hair stared back at him. How did it go badly? Everything had been phey knew when the pnes would be fuelled up. They… his mio that woman. She had to have been a Goddess.

  The cell door suddenly opeo reveal a human. A guard, in his blue shirt and armour. There was a stunning club on his belt, Ilwin put any ideas to overpower the man out of his head when he saw four other me him from the doorway. “You’re wanted.” The man said. “Turn around, I’ll cuff you.”

  Ilwin rolled his eyes a himself be cuffed. There was little to be done in a situation like this. He walked through a corridor lit only bright LED lights and into a nearby room. A gss wall on side, dark from this side, a tall table in the middle with two metal chairs: an interrogation room if he had ever seen one.

  The guards cuffed him to the table a without a word. Ilwin sat there for a mien, twenty. Did they hope to break him by making him wait? On humans maybe but elves were far more patient than that. Give him a year and then he might think about talking.

  His boredom ended when the door opened again. Ilwin had expected a human or an elf. A dwarf would surprise him, but it wouldn’t make him gawk. In the doorway stood that woman from the runway. Her cheeks pale, her golden eyes morose, her golden hair falling loosely over her shoulders. She wore a simple shirt and she was tall.

  Very tall.

  Taller than him, by a noticeable amount at least. She smiled and sat down opposite Ilwin, her eyes looking at his as if she could see the intricacies of his soul. Finally, she spoke. “I am Leona, Goddess of Luck.”

  Ilwin blinked. He would have fallen over where he not sat down. A Divine? A Divine for him? He wasn’t this important, was he? He remained silent, that was always the correct py to do when dealing with the cops. Leona watched him for a few seds before speaking again. “I know you’re not Anarchia’s men.” She began slowly, Ilwin gave ion. This was standard practice, for the interrogator to lie and the you to firm the lie. Leona’s golden eyes hovered over Ilwin again and then she sighed. “I’ve not read you yhts yet, this versation is off the record.”

  “I apologize, but that’s rather difficult to believe.”

  “I’m a Goddess, if I point my fi you then no amount of ws save you.” Ilwin merely chuckled. Was he supposed to be scared of that?

  “Then go ahead.”

  “Will more attacks e?” Leona asked and Ilwin shrugged. “I’m not asking you to snit the people you’re with, I’m asking to save i lives.” Ilwin shrugged again. This woman wasn’t an interrogator, he was in the hole now, he might as well die with dignity.

  Leona shook her head, her loose strands of golden hair arrahemselves as if they had just been brushed. “What do you want then?” Ilwin shrugged.

  “To walk out of here.” It wasn’t a demand, it was simply a statement to show there was nothing she could offer.

  “You know I ’t do that.”

  “Then there’s nothing to discuss.” Leona shook her head again.

  “There are two ways this end.” She began, Ilwin merely leaned bad crossed his arms. This was a Goddess? A Divine? Out there, she had been inprehensible. He was sure that the pne failed to set off because of her, it could never be him. The pn erfect, the execution erfect too. Failure only happened because of the variables he had failed to at for.

  And now?

  Now she was worse than a noviterrogator. Did she actually expect him to bee a rat simply because of her authority? He had pledged allegiao the God of Pride. What was this? “What ways?” Ilwin asked, his towice as hard as Leona’s.

  “One.” Lady Luck smiled like a little girl. “You tell me what you know and I hand you off to the Karainan authorities. Escape should be far easier from there.” Ilwin could not tain his mog ughter.

  “You mea a trap in some prison with us a bait. Uood, and the option?”

  “It’s not a trap whatsoever. I mean it.” Ilwin rolled his eyes. Maybe some Gods were ho out there, but even Arascus kept secrets from his own men. He could not ceive of a single world where he would actually take Leona up on that offer.

  “And the sed?”

  “If I ’t interrogate you, because of the nature of the grievous crime and the fact a Divine was directly involved, it is under my authority to serve as Divine Justiciar here aence you to impriso in Olympiada.”

  Despair hit Ilwin like a cold shower. A rain that had e on suddenly to wipe away any sort of optimism he may have been feeling. Olympiada was a death sentence. A mountain with a one-way staircase.

  He had tried to take the poison pill ba the p it had slipped out of his pocket. The same sario happeo a great many of his meared at Leona, Goddess of Luck, from across the table.

  Of all Gods, it was the one Arascus and Iliyal had brought up most in their discussions. Alsaria could be stood against, Maisara could be outwitted. Essa’s magic had rules. Luck though… Luck was a miasma imosphere that touched and coated everything with it greasy grip.

  Leona of Luck had defeated them without so much as lifting a finger. Everything simply went wrong.

  And now she wanted him to beg?

  To cry for freedom? He had already made up his mind to die ba the pne. Did it matter if it was by aioner’s axe or by a poison pill? He leaned bad shook his head.

  “I’ll take Olympiada.”