“Raptor , Raptor , this is Seer-tral. Luck is above you, unch the birds.”

  “Kavaa has started her march.” Iniri said to Helenna as the former fondled her dress, the tter fondled her khe Goddess of Food & Bounty looked through the window as of Helenna’s quarter, it had a direct view to the grand staircase leading to Olympiada. A staircase deluded by myths of its own grandiosity, mortals vowed it would take a week to climb the steps. It was a half-day climb for the sid feeble. Adults could make the trip there and ba that time. And Kavaa’s Clerics? When led by their Goddess herself, they devoured that staircase step-by-step like a pack of hungry wolves.

  They marched, ting a battle-hymn of Kavaa’s Iniri had heard maybe a dozen times sihe Great War cluded. A dozen ushing it, and it was always sung without fervour, always used in demonstrations and parades. Always as if it was a bde calling to be used once again. Now though… Now, it sounded like a bde g out, eager to taste blood. Four lines of helicopters fhem, in the same fashion that navies would arraheir ships in preparation for a breakthrough of the enemy broadside.

  Iniri watched, and Iniri smiled. You could take men out of war, but you could ake war out of men. It was simply human nature. This feeling was simply bliss.

  Nostalgia.

  “How long?” Helenna asked, she secured the knives under her battleskirt again, her hair had grown darker than pitch. Even Irinika, wherever the Goddess of Darkness was, would be jealous of hair like that.

  “Thirty mi the rate they’re going.”

  “Then it’s time we make our move too.” Helenna said coldly. Iniri turned and smiled, she felt her skin harden like an a oak’s bark, she knew her eyes had gone a noxious green. The flowers in Helenna’s vases had started to grow out of trol, furiously climbing the walls with tiny roots. The wooden table creaked and started to disfigure as Iniri tapped into energies long unused. Energies that did not befit a Goddess whose title was Of Food & Bounty.

  “Essa! Essa! Call Essa! Call her now! WHERE IS SHE?! SEND WORD TO ARCADIA THEN! KAVAA IS LAUNG A COUP!

  “Skyport repeats, skyport repeats! YOU ARE NOT GRANTED CLEARAO LAND!” The speakers rung out throughout Damian’s phe Order of Twis had been ordered to secure Olympiada’s skyport and thhly rough up the runway as to bloy reinforts ing in from abroad. “TURN BACK IMMEDIATELY! THIS IS AN ACT OF TREACHERY AGAINST THE PANTHEON!” Damian turned back to his men.

  They had seen the horrors of Arika, they had seen vilges devastated by epidemic, they had powerlessly watched flooding and ndslides, they had to dig half-rotten corpses out of the ground and give them proper burials. Kavaa had begged for Pantheon suppain and again. The most the White Pantheon could spare ocket-ge. The Orders of oddesses were all too happy to put down revolutions of unarmed men, but to step into the jueeming with ageless beasts? Never. “You hear that boys?” He shouted over the man screeg in the speaker. He wao put musi at first, but the panig tone over the radio, growing higher and higher with desperation, was better than music.

  “Sir, they’ve raised barriers.” Zalewski’s voice through the speaker temporarily stopped the screaming fellow in charge of skyport navigation. The man was the sole pilot of the 77T, officially, they hree pilots, but one good one was enough. It was a huge pne, but Olympiada’s skyport had enough room to line five 77Ts o rear.

  “ you nd?” Damian asked over his radio.

  “I’ve nded in worse before.” Zalewski over the speakers again.

  “YOU WILL TURN BAOW!” That brought a good amount of ughter from the other Cleri board. Every man armoured ie they had received upon taking the vows. With sword and axe and hammer, the Twis had spent too long in Arika to care for such trite as uniformed tool usage. Damian had a halberd in hands, it was good to sy beasts with. Men were much easier to sy thas.

  The 77T tilted its nose sharply downwards. In the massive cargo hold, the hundred cramped meheir cool. There was no falling over, no screams or shouts of panic. They had flown past hurries. This? This wasn’t even light turbulence. “I REPEAT! I WILL GIVE THE ORDER TO ARREST ANYONE ON BOARD!” The radio shouted as Damian moved passed his men to the huge doors on the rear of the pne.

  “Slight warning guys.” Zalewski cut out the tunes of the madness again. “The wheels will e off. Hold on.” He cut out, the pne reversed its angle in a sed, from pointing down to nose up. “HOLD ON!” He cut off as the operator came ba.

  “AAAAAHHHHHH!!!!!” His cry was cut out by the anguished screams of tearial and rock. Damian did not look back at his Clerics to check, he khey were fine. Zalewski turned off the radio once again as he spoke over the speakers.

  “Zalewski Airlihanks its passengers for the journey. Please leave a review.” He heard a few men burst out in ughter and some more crack jokes about how their blind dog could er. Damian kicked the rear door, the meism had busted although that was no surprise. The pne’s steel floor had twisted out of shape in the crash.

  “Get the manual release!” He shouted to the Cleri either side. 77Ts weren’t the fancy scalpels that other jets were. They were clubs. Locks twisted, pistons sounded, air released oher side of the cargo holds and Damian covered his ears. This was the worst part.

  An explosion rocked the pne and the rear door flew off to reveal the runway of the skyport. At the edge, raised steel barriers were twisted out of ship where they had caught the pne’s wheels and then a crevice begahe 77T had carved a path for a ream.

  If this did not t as disabling the Skyport, Damian did know what Kavaa meant. He jumped from the rear as his rew silent and followed out. It was a short drop, and Clerics of Kavaa carried their Goddesses blessings of Health. A fall of a man’s height in full pte armour had about as much impa them as rolling out of bed in the night. Two more 77Ts were closing in, Damian steeled himself for the screaming of steel once again.

  Barriers caught wheels once again, hulls smmed into the ground, jet engines swallowed loose rocks and spewed their meical entrails behind. Doors rear doors bsted open and more Clerics of Twis emerged. Damian saw the various captains look around and being disembarking as the final set of phese smaller 40Ts, flew in. They had the same colours schemes of white and blue, with Order emblems embzoned on them, along with various writings that said what the men thought of the Pantheon. Horribly unprofessional, but Arika killed professionality and repced it with efficy. Damian merely thought they were funny.

  Owo, three, five 40Ts ate up the rest of the runway. Kavaa had led them pn their operation alohey were her trusted doctors after all, there was no reason to take that away from them. Damian had first thought he would have to set fires and blow the pnes but now? He looked over the ruione.

  Pn succeeded.

  Damian motioned for his men to follow him. Those who already made the jump from the parted their mard freed up space for the rest to leave. A ptoon of Seekers, a hundred men in total, had assembled. Tall men, handsome men, with fancy capes and armour and armed with spear and sword. They stood pale-faced, staring at the devastation of what eight trolled crash ndings could do. Damian had to give it to the Seeker captain, the man mao trol his shoough to take a step forwards, he didn’t think Seekers were capable of that.

  “WHAT HAVE YOU DOhe Seeker captain said as Damiahe energy of the men beside him. It wasn’t magic or blessing, it was some greater: brotherhood. Simple human brotherhood, fed in Arika and nht to the Divine Mountain. Professionality died, vanity ceased, needless dispys vanished. “STOP AT Ohe Seeker captain shouted again, his golden armour so pristi did not even have a scrat it, the plete opposite of the Twi’s pte. They had enough scars of battle to share among the Seekers and still have some left over. “STOP! UHE ORDERS OF GODDESS ALLASARIA, TURN IN YOUR ARMS!” He stamped his spear against the ground.

  Damian slowly closed the distance as the other teams prowled i snakes waiting to strike. Damian was disappointed, he had expected a battle and blood spilled and skills tested. He had expected the Seekers of myth, not the pace guards of today. He stopped an arm’s length from the Seeker and heard the Cleric’s march stall behind him. The Seeker angrily stared at him, one fist over the spear, the over csped angrily on his side, both shaking, tears were beginning to form in his eyes. Damia like an adult staring at a petunt child.

  This was a Seeker captain? These were the men who pined about the Clerics? This is who got the first share of resources? This scum? Back when Kavaa gave her speech, Damian knew he would follow, she was his Goddess after all, but he had not believed her. Speeches rallied and exaggerated and embellished. They raised spirits, but only a fool would take them at face value. “TURN OVER YOUR ARMS AT OND WE SORT THIS OUT!” The Seeker Captain shouted, it would have had more effect if the man’s voice didn’t break every word. When Damian did not respond, the line of men in gold armour took a step back. “PLEASE! DO NOT SHED BLOOD! WE DO NOT WANT TO HARM YOU!”

  Kavaa had lied indeed. She had not gone far enough. This was not some mere siess, this was cer. And it was terminal.

  As if he was about to fell one of the great Arikan giant spiders, Damian swung his halberd. The Seeker’s head came off, it unched into the air, blood sprouted from his ned the body dropped to its khe Captain fell as his head nded on the ground, the helmet ing off. The Seekers behind him at least had the thought to lower their spears and start charging their magics.

  Damian’s Clerics raced past him, they were Kavaa’s scalpel against this cer.

  Zerus, Call Zerus! Helenna and Iniri are moving towards the prison! HOLD FOR TEN MINUTES! ELASSA IS BRINGING MAGES!

  Kavaa cleared the final step of Olympiada’s staircase. Eleven thousand men behihey formed a shat winded and scale its way across the cliffside. Alsaria’s Seekers had already prepared a defence, along with several minods. Mere iions. She took a breath, frankly, she would have prepared to meet Zerus or Sceo or even Essa here, the wait was the worst part. It always was. These fools though? They weren’t even a roadblock.

  Kavaa silently took a step forwards onto the marble of Olympiada and walked through the grand gateway. Once, long ago, there had been walls here, the archway had gates. O had served a purpose that wasn’t mere decoration. There were a few hundred Seekers here, Kavaa heard her men run to spread out oher side of her, then tihe silent march forwards. They were men fed by Arika, this would be their first time on the mountain, their first experieh the soft-skinned Seekers a minor deities who ran around and demahey would see the gra city on Arda. She wondered what they would think of the grand pilrs, the empty rooms, the purposeless swarms of maids.

  “STOP AT ONCE GODDESS KAVAA!” Someone shouted from the crowd ahead. A line of men in hard gold, with faces of soft butter and eyes of terrible fear. This was the glorious Order of Seekers. She tinued her march, the rhythmic beat of steel boots on marble behind her said her Clerics followed too. “STOP AT Oen minor iions had interspersed themselves throughout the battleline of Seekers. Kavaa wondered who they were, she never bothered to learn the names of fools who lived up here. Gods of various medies were sent off to Arika, anyone who willingly came to serve Alsaria on the Pantheon was had a bureaucrat’s soul. Kavaa had never liked bureaucrats. “UHE ORDERS OF GODDESS ALLASARIA, MILITARY FORCES ARE BARRED FROM ENTERING OLYMPIADA!”

  Kavaa kept on her march forwards. Her Clerics were right behihe helicopters finally broke rank and flew ahead to secure various important locations. Chokepoints and interses and watchtowers, Kassandora had fed the pn, Kavaa only had to show it to the men. It wasn’t particurly advanced, although the simpler the better when dealing with Divines. She heard her men mutter some curses at the tohe minor deity was using. “GODDESS KAVAA! YOU ARE A MEMBER OF THE PANTHEON! YOU SHOULD KNOW BETTER THAN THIS!”

  A dull explosion sounded from behind the men, judging the sound and dire, it was from the Skyport. Damian Sokolowski’s Order of Twis. They had seen the worst Arika had to offer and they asked for support from the Pantheon every month. Every month, Alsaria would turn them down. Kavaa could only imagihe man’s rage. Some Seekers turhe heads, the ranks slightly shifted as if a wave rolled through them, and Kavaa took aep forward. “GODDESS KAVAA! THIS IS AN ACT OF CLEAR DEFIAND TREACHERY AGAINST THE PANTHEON!”

  Kavaa took aep forwards. The helicopters disappeared behind buildings as they nded. “GODDESS KAVAA! ONE MORE STEP AND YOU WILL BE DECLARED A HERETIC DIVINE!”

  Kavaa took aep forwards. Her Clerics did too. “DO NOT DO THIS, GODDESS KAVAA!” Some of the Seekers began to lower their spears. Kavaa finally stopped. She spread her arms out, she was the Goddess of Health, fighting was not her strong suit.

  She took a heavy breath, fighting was not her strong suit, but this was why she had Clerical Orders. Battlefield Healers, once a feared force. Ohey had been one of the four pilrs of the White Pantheon’s Armies. She closed her eyes, took a breath a her magic seep into the Clerics. On Divines, her magics were weak, there was little she could do to amplify the strength of those who were ever at the peak of Health. But on mortals?

  Fatigue faded away from their Seekers as Kavaa’s healiered them. The trek up the mountain had not tired them out, but now, it was as if they had only just left their beds. Their eyesight became sharper, their hearing sharper, their muscles turned and twisted as they regrew inter versions. Armour that felt like steel suddenly felt as if was as easy a further, swords became the weight of pens. Tower-shields became paper-weights. “Clerics!” Kavaa called out. “We have just been decred heretics for ing to heal the Pantheon!” The Seekers shuffled slightly, and the minor deities took a step back. Clouds rumbled overhead. Zerus was starting to pay attention.

  “GODDESS KAVAA! STOP!” Someone shouted from the other side. “YOU ARE MAD!”

  “Clerics!” Kavaa shouted again and then grew silent. Someone had loosed an arrow into the chest of one of her men. It pierced through the pte of his armour and into his chest. The Cleric pulled it out and Kavaa silently worked her magic. There was no blood, no wound, the man touched his chest and then crushed the arrow in his hand. He looked to Kavaa and then bowed.

  “GODDESS KAVAA! DO NOT BREAK THE PEACE!” Kavaa ughed. Who was this deity? What sort of minor iion would speak to her like this? To even utter her name was bsphemy. Do not break the peace? She existed solely for that. She was not the Goddess of Healing but of Health. She was a doctor, a doctor’s primary role was to keep health, to take preventative measures, to stop disease before it spread. An epidemic was a doctor’s failure. To treat wounds? She was not here to treat wounds. She was here to stop them from happening in the first pce.

  The Goddess of Health was a battlefield Goddess.

  “Clerics!” Kavaa said quietly, she khey could hear her. “They fire at us. You have my blessing, be my sword.”

  A hundred men raced past Kavaa. Every man at the peak human funing, they moved as if naked. Alsaria’s Seekers responded, a phanx formed, the minor deities rose into the air and beams of Alsaria’s light bsted forwards.

  But Alsaria was not here. A proper Divine was a weight uable by humans. Arrows gnced off pte and bounced off skin. Alsaria’s light should have ied and eradicated what it touched, instead it merely singed muscle a hairs alight. One of the minor deities unched forwards and smashed into the Clerics. He broke two men with a sword and then a spear pierced his back. An axe nded in his chest. A Cleric jumped into the air, both hands holding his heavy shield and crashed into the God.

  The God’s head rolled. The line of Seekers was a dam, and the Clerics were a flood. They crashed, the first ushed back, then another and another. Eventually, a craed in the damn. A tall Cleric with a great axe she spears of four Seekers. Before the gap could be filled, before the Seekers drew their swords, the space was overtaken by Kavaa’s Clerics. They utterly outmatched the Seekers, in skill and in power. her Divine blessing nor years of bat experienced could be replicated or feighrough armour and onry.

  The line of Seeker broke from that opening and then it fell as Clerics overran the Seekers. Where lone squads formed, spears pointed in dires, Clerics would jump onto the walls of points and nd behind them. Where men ran, Clerics would catch up or throw their on. Where minods of iions tried to prove their superiority, Kavaa would turtention and empower her men tths they could not imagine.

  The first line of defe the Gates of Olympiada was broken ihan two mihe Clerics rearrahemselves into battlelines and Kavaa restarted her march. She did not t her dead, some Clerics must have died, men died in all battles, but it could not be much. With her blessing, a man would need his head removed or his heart destroyed to die.

  Kavaa wiped the sweat off her forehead and looked up.

  Two figures floated in the air. An aged man and a woman. Kavaa smiled and disappeared into the first temple, the shortest route to the Lower Prison. So Zerus and Sceo had finally awoken.

  She wondered how Iniri and Helenna were doing.

  This was the easy part after all.