“Send a mayday, that is not a storm”

  Last verbal notification received from the Allian cargo ship: O Wanderer. Intercepted near South Western Arika.In the Al mountain, south of Doschia, east of Rancais, north of Rilia, in the tre of Epa, was an a pace, Aldanstein. It had stood there for a few turies, with all the traodern castle building teiques. Round towers, pointed roofs, walls covered in gss windows. It roduct of Pantheon Peace, a pace built for fort rather than a fortress built for war. The gatehouse had no gate, the walls had no etions, there was no moat. It had a winding road, almost as if a giant had drawn a dark line on the white vas of Al snows, and a heliport.

  Today, that heliport was full. The carpark was brimming with dark vehicles, all with tinted gss and luxurious interiors. People meandered about; guards, police, servants and chauffeurs as they waited for the people who had disappeared into the upper levels of pace Aldanstein. The people who mahe nds of Epa.

  “That is everyone.” King Wissel Ellenheim said, ruler of Doschia. A man in his early forties who had served as caretaker of the nd for more than half of his life. “Sit, the meal will e ter, I will pre-emptively apologize for the modesty of it.” Doschia’s mascot Goddess, Saksma, stood behind him. A tall womaiful, although all Divines were. With long golden hair that fell to her waist and brought trast to the green dress. She smiled at Rancais’ Paida, just as tall, but with a more refined fad eyes the colour of her nation’s prized purple wine.

  “Cutting costs Wissel?” King Richard VI, ruler of Allia said. A handsome man, the you of them all here. Only thirty-one, he had sat on his for a mere three years after his father, Richard V, retired.

  Wissel shook his head and spoke as he took his p the table. “It would not be fit to speravagantly in a time like this. The Konigreid Ministers send their regards and wish you good lu your marriage.”

  “Likewise all of Rancais cheers that Allia’s succession is secured.” President Artois said. Head of legisture in Rancais. Tall, dark haired and blue-eyed, he was only dressed in a suit pared to the nobilities royal garbs. “King Louis apologizes for his absend sent me in his stead. He has asked for uanding with regards to the Anarchia issue in Rancais.”

  “It is uandable indeed, you had your hands full with Anarchia and now the Pantheo Maisara.” Richard replied. “Although you said this meeting was about that.”

  “About Divine involvement in Epa.” Wissel firmed. He watched Jozef, take his seat. President of Lubska, a man in his fifties. The man dressed modestly, he had even e in a civilian helicopter all the way. He met Wissel’s eyes and nodded before speaking.

  “Olonia could not attend. She is busy with flooding in the south and we’ve found our own Anar cells in the try.” That was Lubska’s own mascot Goddess. Wissel thought little of it, but Saksma would probably not be happy. The mascots liked each other.

  “My dolences.” Jozef’s chair made a terrible sound as he brought it close to the wooden table and pulled out a folder of papers from his briefcase.

  “I uand did want t up another issue.”

  “I think I know whie it is.” Wissel said. The st man, Aimone came sat down. Ruler of Rilia, he was dressed in all extravagant es ahat brought to mind a perfect Rilian su. Agrita, mascot of Rilia, stood close by. Shorter than Paida and Saksma, far less noble, but far more homely, with a chest ahat always called for attention. The tight dress did not help. Wissel pulled his eyes off her, he had never liked Agrita.

  “Very well gentlemen.” Wissel brought out his own stack of papers now that everyone had sat down. Having served for two decades and since such a young age, people always respected his words, he cared little for theatrics. He disliked them even, but sometimes, situations did call for a speed some drama. “Today marks fourteen months sihe start of Doschia’s recession. Twelve months sihe fighting started in Rancais. We’ve seen Anars spread out even to Lubska now, we’ve seen the recession take seven pert of our ti’s total ey. At the rate we are going now, her will get better. We’ve begged the White Pantheon for assistah both.” He took a sigh.

  “And after so long, they sent Maisara for one issue and Fortia for the other.” He pulled out an image. It had been on every news el for the past week. The image that Everything in Epa had broadcast to the world, of the battle on top of Olympiada. “And this is what the White Pantheon has been up to while Epa has been suffering. You all know me gentlemen, you know I am not one for speaking in grandiosities.” He took a breath. “But this is, without a doubt, the greatest threat to stability in Epa sihe Great War.”

  The room desded in silence. Wissel had thought it would. He wasn’t a schemer, nor did he care much for eople thought of him. He was the King of Doschia, that title was enough for him. He tinued. “I’ve sent this image to historians. I am sure you have too.”

  Richard answered. “I did not want to believe it.”

  Jozef leaned forwards. “That was one of the situations I was hoping you’d bring up.” He pulled out a piece of paper with a photograph of an a portrait of a Goddess. Tall, red haired, in dark armour and with terrible crimson eyes. Below it, something was written in pen. Kassandoddess of War, Daughter-Goddess of Arascus.

  “I think everyone knew immediately.” Artois crossed his arms and leaned back. “Our historians had it down aried to tain the leak.”

  “There was nothing to tain after EIE aired it.” Wissel said.

  “EIE did air it, but the image was out oer before this.” Richard spoke up. EIE was an Allian pany after all.

  “I’m not bming you for the leak. It has happened, we only work around it now. Better that EIE broke the han one of us.” Wissel said. Aimone chuckled grimly before speaking.

  “Imagihe speech.” He raised his hands in a grand theatrical gesture. “Dear people of Epa, I am sorry, but Kassandora is out. Yes, the Kassandora you’re all thinking of. Don’t be afraid, we definitely have it under trol.” He dropped his arms and folded them again. “I was joking, but it’s not funny.” Wissel nodded along and Richard spoke up.

  “There is actually information that has not been leaked, courtesy of AMNI.” That was the Allian Ministry of National Informatiooo sounded grim. “It’s only hearsay, but it lines up with what we do know. And it’s bad.”

  “What?” Wissel asked.

  “Kavaa, Helenna & Iniri are to be kicked out of the White Pantheon.” Richard replied. “But with the fact we know that Kassandora has retreated to Kirinyaa…”

  “And that Kavaa has recalled all her orders from Epa.” Jozef said, he stalled for a moment, then quietly tinued. “To Kirinyaa.”

  “I’d like to add, my gover received a notice from Olympiada to stop and arrest all Clerics still swearing allegiao Kavaa.” Aimone said and Agrita shook her head behind him.

  “I did too.” Wissel replied.

  “As did I.” Artois added.

  “Not here.” Jozef said. “Although all our domestic Orders were in Arika already.”

  “Likewise.” Richard added. “Are you going to gh with it?”

  “Do I want an open civil war?” Artois replied. “The Clerics are loved.”

  “I’m pretending the letter has not arrived.” Wissel said. Anytime the Pantheon made of their ridiculous demands was a lose-lose situation, but this felt more like a death-death situatioh by mob & pitchfork, or death by Alsaria.

  “I’ve not replied to it either.” Aimone said and Agrita nodded with a hmph from behind him. “Letters get mispced all the time and Rilia is not known for its effiyway, is it?” The table had some ughter at the self-depreciation joke at that. “But as I was leaving, something else came through, this one I ’t pretend to ignore, an Iiht it.”

  “What?” Wissel asked.

  “A demand to embargo Kirinyaa.” The king replied. “I assume you’ll get it too.”

  “I received word of it on the phone on the way here. An iion came to Zawitz and personally prese to our Sejm and then the Senat.” Local words for their gover. Wissel had studied some Lubskan for his visits. Jozef shook his head. “A god of cutlery apparently.”

  “We got the god of radios at least.” Aimone replied with a chuckle before looking over the other three. “But if Rilia and Lubska got it, you will too.”

  “So embargo it is.” Wissel replied. “We ’t stand against the Pantheon, and Kirinyaa is poor.”

  “Embargoes in recessions.” Artois said. “Truly genius.”

  “It is what it is. We ’t stand against them.” Wissel replied. “But sihey’re openly treating us like this, I would like to get the point of the meeting. A new vision for Epa.”

  “And that is?”

  “The Anars and the recession will result in revolutions, every academi in Doschia already agrees that someone’s head will roll.”

  “In Rancais, we’ve already giveralization promises and they did little. Now two provinces are aiming for independence referendums precisely because of the cessions in those promises.” Artois said.

  “I want to avert that, salvage what we have.” Wissel said. “It is radical however.”

  “How radical?” Jozef asked.

  “It’s why I asked only you here. bined, Allia, Rancais, Rilia, Lubska and Doschia at for sixty pert of the entire Epan popution. Eically, we are seventy pert. In manufacturing, practically everything made in Epa has the stamp of one of our five tries. What we decide here, the other nations of the Epan unity will follow.”

  “Are you sure?”

  “We cut the fat. Gracya will obviously never join.” Wissel said, that was the nation Olympiada and Arcadia sat in. “But when the ship is sinking, we don’t have the luxury of having time to beg to step on the lifeboats. We ring the arm and cast off when we’re ready.”

  “I agree.” Jozef said. “If we don’t avert civil war in Rancais, it will spread to Doschia and then how many millions will die? Same with the recession. Foodbanks in Zawitz are running low, imagihat? Starvation in the rgest grain producer in the Epan unity?” He shook his head. “So what do you suggest Wissel?”

  Wissel took a breath. “It is radical indeed, but I have talked it over with the Konigreid. The ministers agree.” He sighed again. “At this point, the eic crisis ot be stalled. The Dos financial sector has entered a death-spiral. We ’t stop it, we ’t reverse it. But we find a scapegoat to take the bme.” The man sighed heavily. When he became King at the age of the een, he had hought he would be talking about a plot against the Divine Mountain.

  “You mean…” Richard did not say the name.

  “I mean Fortia, Goddess of Peace. The White Pantheon said it would help, it sent her. She has no knowledge of this, I do not bme her of course, she is the Goddess of Peaot the Goddess of Eics.” He sighed. “But…” Artois broke it the minute-long silence.

  “But indeed.”

  “Likewise, the same be done in Rancais.”

  “Excuse me?” Artois said.

  “You have been having anti-Maisara protests, have you not?”

  “Her methods…” Artois shrugged. “Well, she goes in and kills everyone.”

  “Has she stalled the violehough?”

  “Order has beeored to Aris and the neighb towns, she’ll be sent south.”

  “You let her go South, you let her go under notion that you have nht to interfere with Diviters as per the Olympiadan Directives, and then you abandon her once she s up the mess.”

  “That leaves a bad taste in my mouth.” Artois said.

  “A bad taste in your mouth is better than a rope around your neck, Maisara is effective, she go to northern Rillia after that, then south-eastern Epa, then circle to Lubska before finishing at Doschia. Give her all the logistical assistance she needs but don’t crack down on the protests, then say you’ve won aen Olympiada.”

  “That would actually go against the Directive.”

  “That is the final step of this pn. Once Maisara is finished with her sughter, we expel both her and Fortia and rebuild Epa from the ashes.”

  “You mean, cut ties with the Pantheon.” Artois replied.

  “If what AMNI says is true, there is no White Pantheon anymore. How they kick out the three most loved Goddesses they have?”

  “If they released Kassandora, they .” Artois said.

  “If they released Kassandora, then it raises even more questions about what is happening on Olympiada. People would rather follow Iniri, Helenna and Kavaa rather than Alsaria.” Wissel said. “However we if step away from Olympiada, we have need insurance.”

  “And that is?”

  “To break Pantheon Peace.” The silehis time crushed and deafened.

  “The people would never agree to the creation of an official standing army.” Richard finally said. Wissel finally took out a breath, the fact they weren’t immediately against it but against the logistics meant they agreed, they only o be shown how.

  “An official army is off the table of course.” Wissel brought out more papers. Some for all of them. Doschia had already began its silent buildup. “But an increase in police recruitment. A modernization of their armour. Anti-magic bows uhe guise of tering Anarchia’s magic. Support for rural hunting clubs, any outdoor activities really. This year, we are holding the first Epan Archery petition in Doschia. I invite everyo the table to send their best sharpshooters.”

  “I see.” Jozef flicked through the papers as his eyes greedily sed them.

  “This is…” Aimone said. “This is something indeed.”

  “And if the Pantheon es, which I suspect it will.” Wissel tapped his own stack of papers. “Then it will not be difficult to repurpose these into an unofficial army.”

  “I do not have the authority to agree for Rancais.” Artois said.

  “Rancais does not have to know. Your term sts ahree years. The police has to be expanded in your nation to deal with any Anars.”

  “Lubska will agree.” Jozef said loudly. Wissel allowed himself a smile.

  “Rilia will too.”

  “Allia…” Richard said. “We don’t have the Anar menad my gover is for austerity to deal with the recession.” Wissel nodded. “Of course I see the sense in this, but the feasibility?”

  “This is not a pact.” Wissel said. “I have no authority in your tries, I am simply proposing how to deal with the issue. It is time Epa started dealing with its own issues rather than relying on Divines for all its problem solving.” He smiled again. “We did it in the past.”

  “Indeed.” Artois said. “You have my support in this, but to trick a nation is not easy.”

  “There is no trickery required. Support for the White Pantheon is at all time lows among the poputions no matter who is surveyed. Even the Clerics are polling at only sixty pert. We simply saw the problems first, if we don’t prepare now, then it will be too te when people are cm for solutions.”

  “I agree then.” Richard said. “There is ohing I wa up.” Wissel nodded.

  “I have too.” Jozef added.

  “It seems we all do.” Artois ented.

  “Artica?” Aimone asked.

  “Artica.”

  “I was hoping it was one of you.” Wissel brought out a satellite photo. It was the white Arti ice sheets smudged with a pitch-bck hole.

  “It looks like we were all hoping for that.” Artois said. “This is from our own satellites.” He brought o of his suit, it was simir to Wissel’s photo, but slightly clearer.

  “We lost a satellite.” Richard said. “It’s been recovered now by a sce ship. There’s no photo, but the bottom half was coated with radiation.” He crossed his arms. “And it’s not the sort of damage that uranium makes.”

  “I hope not.” Wissel said.

  “We did an iigation on it through RAE.” Aimone spoke up, Agrita behind nodding with every word said. The Riliament of Acts and Emergencies. In a try with voloes, such a thing was needed. “But the area is Pantheon nd.”

  “Excuse me?” Jozef asked.

  “It’s Pantheon nd.”

  “Why does the Pantheon have nd in Artica?”

  “That’s what I want to know.” Aimone replied. Agrita once again shook her head and Wissel once again forced himself to peel his eyes off her. He felt Saksma’s finger flick his ba disdain.

  “So no one knows?” Wissel asked.

  “AMNI has proposed a theory. It’s top-secret though.” Richard said. The eable turo him, even the Divine mascot-Goddesses.

  “Go on.” Wissel said. Richard brought out a series of papers.

  “With the fact it aerritory, we think it rison.”

  “Why?” The King of Allia spread the papers out and Wissel felt his stomach turn. It was su obvious pattern that it could not denied.

  “This is meteical data. I think you all see it.” Wissel did. It was a taiorm, barely three miles wide, but it started at where that bck mark in Artica was, and then it started moving north. Straight to Epa. “I’ve only brought these images with me, but we take a new rec everything fifteen minutes.” He pulled two more out. “When it got to the edge of the Arti ice sheets, it stopped moving for thirty mihen tioday, we lost a ship.”

  “Excuse me?”

  “It was a cargo ship, twenty-four men on board. It gave a final notice of ing across something that wasn’t a storm. Then unications were lost.”

  “Do you have any rec of that?”

  “We do.” Richard brought out a cassette pyer. “This data has been analysed by AMNI and they’ve sent it to historians. Listen.” He pyed the tape. It was short, only a minute long. Lightning crashed, waves roared, winds howled, the ship’s horn souwice. Suddenly steel snapped, and then there was the sound of an explosion, the sound finished less than half a sed after that. “This was broadcast to Southern Arika, who the it to us.”

  “What did they say?”

  “They said they don’t know, but that it was our ship so it’s our data.” Richard sighed. “AMNI isoted the sounds, it’s faint, but listen to this. Like I said, nothing has been added to the sound, and I don’t think the Arikans are pying some joke on us.” He pyed the sound again. This time the sound of crashing waves was quieter, the ship’s horns were dulled, the lightning wasn’t as vivid. A sound that wasn’t there came through, barely audible, but once Wissel heard it, he could not unhear it.

  Richard pyed the tape again. Now that Wissel knew what he was looking for, it was obviously there, right from the start.

  A woman humming.