Olephia stirred in her sleep and murmured an unintelligible word. The men watg from behind the thick pane of gss down. The ander of Olephia’s Prison spoke after reading the notification which just popped up on his s. “Send word to the Pantheon, we need another recharge.”

  The message travelled through the air, beamed from Artica to a satellite and back down to Olympiada. It ran through the air, an invisible snake of bits and bytes dang and swirling across the world in a mere minute. Impossible to see by the naked eye. Its smell shot in all dires, the snake had never been careful and the smell sted for the blink of an eye.

  No one had ever tried to intercept the Pantheoroniunications.

  But today, five different wolves around Olympiada caught the snake’s st.

  “So here we are.” Arascus stood up in the war-room as he looked at the team of every important figure in the pn. Everyone had e, from the young sorcerers to his daughter-Goddesses, everyone dressed formally, in battle armour for those who were leaving and suits for those who weren’t. “Ladies alemen, two months have passed and we have received word from the teams providing surveiln Atny.”

  Markus sat on his b in the shadow of Olympiada. A Dos pair of binocurs had beeo the Atny Branch from Headquarters, one of the best in the world apparently. He believed it, they could pick out even spiderwebs half a mile away. Navigating here, he had passed by Kavaa’s Clerics at least twenty times. They did not seem to care about sightseers though and a short story about how he was taking a few weeks off to escape the depression of Atny pulled them away.

  Some had given water, a few treats, two men had handed over a bottle of Arikan spirits. Strong stuff, although he only took a sip here and there to get to bed. He fiddled with his phone, a throwaway also sent from headquarters, and looked back through the binocurs. Olympiada’s mountain skyport came into view as if he was right there.

  Five pnes had e ierday from the north. Fat, oversized jets, as if someone had taken standard airpnes and simply made them bigger. A crowd stood there, tall people although Markus could work it out because of the Seekers about. They stood in formation and brought scale to the situation. A giant walked among them: Alsaria. Leona was o her, Lady Luck looked as if she did not want to be there. She turned, spoke something, pointed about, to the Gods, to the pnes, aually the versation ended.

  Markus sighed, flipped open the cheap phone aed the sighting to the one number which had been saved as a tact.

  Outskirts of Olympiada, five days ago.Arascus took a slow walk around the table. The white mps were especially bright today. Everyone knew what this meeting would be for, no one so much as spoke. Arascus was sure some of them were even holding their breathes. He flipped open his notes and pulled out a piece of paper. “From the Atny branch, this has beeed: Five pnes, sized for Divines, spotted. Thirty to Fifty lesser Diviimated. Alsaria spotted. Leona spotted. Predi is soon. Clerics are not moving, goal still unknown.” Arascus finished and looked over to Mikhail.

  Mikhail Ash stood in his workshop and gazed at Raptor One and Raptor Two. It was airely different kind of pne from anything ience, a mad-man’s vision of pnes made to hunt other phe world’s first interceptors. All bck, with the beak and eyes painted on the front, massive engines built into the wings rather than hanging below them, two more attached to the back. The pilot appeared from the rear and gave him a thumbs up. “It’s all good sir, the ges have made her even easier!”

  Mikhail looked over to his assistant who was scribbling everyone down. “Write that Raptor One and Raptor Terfect. There is nothing to improve upon now.”

  “Are you sure sir?” The assistant was anineer. A man called Igor Sasky. He had been a handful when Ilwin had brought him but a nice pce to stay in, good drinks, pretty maids and an unlimited budget had quickly ged his mind.

  “ you think of anything?” To mount the engines into the wings was Igor’s idea, it reduced weight by a good amount but also fulfilled Arascus’ demand for the smallest amount of points of failure possible. Every screw had been checked by Igor, then by another pair of engineers, then by Mikhail himself.

  “I ot.” Igor admitted.

  “Then we are ready, write that down.”

  Mikhail Ash’s secret workshop. Two weeks ago. Arascus pulled out a photo of the two pnes and slid them onto the table. Everyone looked over, the two young sorcerers, Fleur and Edmonton gawked. The older, more experienced members who remembered the nostalgia of the Great War only reed and smiled. Iliyal’s eyes had a burning fire within them Arascus had only seen in the man when he had first returned. Neneria paid attention as she had always done, Fer simply stretched and yawned. Cssic. “Your pnes are ready Mikhail?” It was both a statement and a question. Arascus knew already, but he wao make sure that everyone else koo.

  “They are Sir.” Mikhail said. He stood up and saluted, Sara had apparently chosen a pristine suit for him but the man had only gone for a pin and unimpressive one: Bd white, the sort of modesty in looks that would befit his engineering skill. “Iions have been ran every day siwo weeks ago. All testing flights, even the long-distance hypersonic tests have e in within the prediodels. There are no faults, I would bet my life on it.” Arasodded and motioned for him to sit down as the table nodded in silence. Most of the table did, Neneria rarely expressed emotion in public, Iliyal only smiled as if it was expected and Fer looked around as if bored. Arascus looked over to the two young sorcerers, Fleur Ambelee and Edmonton Weaver. Both dressed in military uniforms, short red cloaks behind them falling halfway down their backs.

  Edmonton looked in amazement as five trees were cut through. Ten days ago he had mao cut only one down, a month ago, he was barely scratg the bark. Fifty days ago, Arascus had sit him and Fleur down to expin the exercise that was sorcery.

  The God had stopped visiting, now they were going out with Sara to practice by themselves. Arascus had described it as riding a bike, he could show them the stances and expin the ba ultimately, it relied on one’s own practice to get better. He looked down at his hands, touched his brow and blinked. Dry as the sand in the desert, he had not even broken a sweat.

  “Nie.” Fleur said o him and snapped her finger. For a brief moment, a halo ht red light surrounded her body and then vanished. She crossed her arms, smiling proudly as Edmonton tilted to look behind her. A tree slowly moved, then fell, the cut had been fast it had take a sed or two to realise it had been felled. “That’s how you do it.” She said when the sound of crashing needles and breaking branches reached them.

  And just as yesterday, and the day before, and the entire week, they got into a fight on who was better.

  The forest around Headquarters, two days ago.“Stand up.” Arascus motioo them. They both stood up, staring down at everyo the Divines in the room. Arascus k was annoying but to train pride out of a sorcerer was to train a dog not to drink water, a fruitless exercise that made one more experienced only in futility. Iliyal smirked at them as if they were children, Sara tilted her nose up, Neneria merely gazed over them and Fer colpsed oable, her arms outstretched as she pyed with her fingers. “How is training?”

  “I fell six trees in a beam. Sir” Edmonton said, he saluted then smiled proudly. “Five easily.”

  “Same here.” Fleur added and then did her own quick salute.

  “And range?” Arascus asked.

  “Up to a hundred metres.” Fleur replied, Arascus saw Iliyal scribble down a seventy on the piece of paper before him. It was always better to be safe and sorry, and Arascus had rgely left them to their own training. Sara had little to do in the past few weeks anyway, all activities had been focused on perfeg the Irinika pn.

  “And the skydiving lessons?”

  Fleur and Edmonton gave each rin. Sara had taken them skydiving, although the woman did not want to take any part of it. They had assumed it was going to be some secret base and jumping in the middle of nowhere, her of them sidered that it would be a two-day course near Elzbietgrad. They had spent st night seeing the beautiful city with its grand bridges casg over the Volrha.

  Sara had treated them well, she had found a private instructor aed him out for the two days. The first jump, she had doh the man on his back, theched Ed. Two times that repeated. This was her first jump alone. She took a deep breath as the instructor opehe door, the r engines and wind blowing into the small pne forced them to shout. “I… right…you…” He gave up, throwing his arms up in the air.

  The only issue was that they had no on nguage. The man poio Fleur, then made a running motion with his fingers and jumped as he poio the window. Theed the same movements to Edmonton. He ted to ten, showing off with his fio both of them, then made a pulling motion at his breast. “Ten seds and then pull the chute.” Edmonton leaned in and shouted into Fleur’s ear.

  Did he think she was stupid? The instructor saw them talking, most likely assumed they were agreeing, smiled and gave them two thumbs up. Fleur returhumbs up with her own friendly smile. He poio the door.

  Well here it was… all or nothing…

  Fleur ran out of the pne aowards Arda.

  Elzbietgrad, three weeks ago.“Both of them are qualified now.” Sara replied to Arascus’ question. “They run their own skydiving lessons now.”

  “I’d do it again.” Fleur said and she gave the Duchess an angry look. Arascus didn’t ent, sorcerers and their pride.

  “Quite fun.” Edmonton added.

  “It was.”

  “Very well.” Arascus motioned for them to sit down. Frankly, the skydiving lessons of Fleur and Edmonton weren’t important, their loss was not assured, but their survival was not guaranteed either. He simply did not want to throw away two sorcerers his daughter had chosen personally out of sheer apathy. It could be done, so it should be dohe God turo Iliyal, this was a matter more important. “Have we secured an airbase in Southern Arika?”

  Iliyal looked over to the setting Arikan sun, it paihe sky purple and red and e and yellow and gold as the stars came out. The sand here was a deep red and the terraiiful. Iliyal had never seen anything like it, a pin so ft it may have as well been smoothed out by a giant’s iron but interspersed with odd pimples of rock. Some where mountains, simply rising out of the ground with steep cliffs, others were the size of homes.

  He had chosen this space for the airbase. What was an airbase anyway? A building? A warehouse? A runway? A radar instaltion was needed, but they khe general path that pnes from Olympiada to Artica would take. Ultimately, you do just have to go south. But did you need arance hall? A barracks? A dining hall? Arascus did say to be as fast as possible.

  He looked at the team of thirty men. Ultimately, an airbase could just be a campsite. The pnes would be covered in camoufged ings and what did me the end of day? They should be gd he had giveents, this nd was away from civilization anyway. It was a full day drive to the vilge.

  “Ftten out two paths in the sand, then smooth them out. Press the sand in and be fast about it.” He gave the and.

  South Arikan Badnds, a month ago.The elf stood up, his long oving like a slow wave as he pulled a salute. “They are. The pnes are ready to be sent, notice came in that the airport was ready four weeks ago.” He gave a report as he always did, and effit. Neneria gave ion and Fer got up from the table. The ears popping out of her bounced up and down and she started to scratch herself. Arascus turo Mikhail.

  “And they have the rao get to Artica?” A question which was a statement again.

  “They do.” The engineer responded. “Enough to fly to Artid back twice. I thought they would set off from Karaina se is a none-issue if we’re setting off from Arika.” Excellent, although Arascus expected nothing less. He motioned for Iliyal to sit down and turo Neneria.

  “Neneria.” The Goddess of Death stood up and made a slow salute.

  “Yes Father?”

  “The Atis situation?”

  Arascus had been impressed that Neneria found Atis but there was little he could do with a God’s soul. The onality of Divines who could unicate with the world beyond per Divine was simir to the amount of Divines per mortal. That, and of them all, Atis articurly annoying God. He had been a hunter in the Great War, sying dragon a and rarely making any strategic decision.

  He was no Fortia or Maisara, much less an Alsaria, nor did he have the knowledge of Saranael or the wits of Helenna.

  Atis, through and through, was a brute. Neneria had always sidered him a brute, and when she opehe jar and saw his ghastly visage appear before her, colourless apart from a green glow in the clothes he had died in, his chest pockmarked with bullet-wounds and he held his spear. His bow was on his back. He focused his gaze on Neneria, sighed, and looked around the underground room that she had seed off for this. “I hought I would look at the world like this, Goddess of Death.” Atis said, his voice resigned. “Who killed me?”

  “Iliyal Tremali.” Neneria answered as she looked up at the man. He was iall. She had prepared everything already, a binding circle, the walls were covered in runes, her own bck dress she ented to protect herself from him.

  “A mouse kill an elephant.” Atis said.

  “I’ll tell him you said that.”

  “Please do.” Atis replied and sighed again. “So what do you wish to know from me? I will not lie when I’ve been caught, Alsaria kept us all away from her deaking and I was never oo stick my nose where it does not belong.”

  “For now, nothing. I don’t want your knowledge yet, I want you.” Neneria said. “Kneel, reise me as Queen of the Damned and join the Dead Legion.” Atis raised an eyebrow at her and snorted in humour.

  “I am a Divine Neneria.” Neneria smiled back at him.

  “And?”

  “Have some respect, I thought you better than this.”

  “I hate to disappoint.” Neneria said coldly. Atis nodded and ran his fingers along the spear. He could not touch her, they both k.

  “And to think I ohought myself better than people.”

  “When did you stop?”

  “As the Great War cluded. When I saw Fortia and Maisara ao better than your beastly sister.”

  “We are unequal even ih.” Neneria raised her hand at him. “Unfortunately for you, the hierarchy is quite simple here. There’s me, and then there’s everyone else.” She snapped her fingers.

  Atis’ scream filled the room.

  Neneria’s chamber, fifty-five days ago.Arascus watched Neneria smile. Her eyes start to exude darkness, her fingers fidget. The room turned silent as everyone looked up. Even Fer, ears turning forwards, leaned away from the Goddess of Death.

  Atis colpsed as Neneria let his bones regrow and heal again. He was a ghost, a soul in another world, a soul that stayed behind because it was much too attached to the world here. A child who wao stay home instead of going to school. A child who had to be punished. She poured her magito him. She was the God of Death, the Gatekeeper who held the keys to what y beyond. Ohere, he would be safe from her reach but while he was in the mid-point, while he was at the Gates of Death, he was in her demesne. And her demesouched everything, there was nothing that did not die.

  Atis screamed again as he colpsed. “Stop… stop… please…”

  “Swear allegiand join the Legion.” Neneria said coldly as she stared unmoving at Atis.

  “I… I… I swear.” Neneria smiled.

  She had broken a God.

  Neneria’s chamber, five days ago.Arascus raised his eyebrow. “Neneria?”

  “Atis is broken.” For a moment, she smiled. It was a smile so terrible, only Arascus, Iliyal and Fer did not shudder. Thereated bato herself, being the cold emotionless statue she alreteo be.

  “Good.” Arascus said. That only made things better. The pn would have worked without Atis, but now that Neneria had broken the God of the Hunt, it only gave them a spare ace to use. That was everything important that o be covered. The groundwork was id, the game was set. The God of Pride pulled out one sheet from the folder before as Neneria sat back down. “Ladies alemen, this will be the final meeting for Operation Misfortuhree ho, the radars we have set up around Olympiada intercepted a message.”

  He read out what was had been caught. “Chaos stirs, Lueeded.”