Wissel, Richard VI, Aimone, Artois and Jozef sat in another pace. An Allian Castle this time. The subject of discussion was the Ausa embargo. “We obviously ’t do it, it would sentence millions to starvation. We’d have a refugee crisis in Epa within the month.” Aimone said.

  Everyone was of the same mind. An embargo for simply harb Olephia and Arascus was a travesty. And it would set too great a pret for the White Pantheon intervening in modern politics. You give an inch, you give a mile. Splitting from the White Pantheon was just as bad though, Alsaria or Essa could demand regime ge.

  “There is a way.” Artois said. “Maisara has finished in Southern Rancais. She’ll be travelling to Rilia now.”

  “What are you suggesting?” Aimone asked.

  “Rancais will take the hit. Maisara has brought peace, but it cost the White Pantheon its public image. And it has made my gover seem iual and weak. We’re not going to break the Pantheon Directive, but we’re not going to follow the embargo. We ot if we want to maintain any sort of legitimad keep the Anars from popping up again.”

  “It’s a full embargo though.” Wissel said. “I don’t see a way around it.” Artois nodded as he dropped maps and papers onto the table.

  “Kirinyaa has reject the proposition already, they’ve told the Pao keep its of Arika. The Kirinyaan embargo affects only panies, not charity NGOs.” Artois tinued. “You send yoods to Rancais, we dohem to the Arika Jungle Crisis Fund, they ship them to Kirinyaa, then Kirinyaa ships them to Ausa. I already have els set up in Kirinyaa, Rancais will already do this, but this way, we avert a total colpse of Ausa and it keeps the Pantheon off your backs for a while.”

  Wissel looked through the notes. It was a genius move of diplomao ws were broken, no embargos were simply ighey kept their hands entirely. “And what happens when the Pantheon blocks this route out too?”

  “What then? Will they san charities too?”

  “Helenna’s running here.” Kassandora said as she looked south. It was midday, with the Sun beaming down straight into them. Kassandora was sure she had got a tan, she had dohe armour for a mere ten minutes, and it was already starting to get unfortably hot, in aen minutes, she would probably be able to fry an egg on her armour. “What is she carrying?”

  “Clothes.” Fer said half-heartedly. Divines did not sleep in the ways mortals did, Kassandora could stay on her feet for months at a time before tiredness began to set ihough was more temperamental, especially after the effort, she needed somewhere cool to lie down in. That had been impossible in the desert, and now she was dragging her feet. Kassandora looked back at her team. Baalka was in Fer’s arms, ed in part of Kavaa’s green dress. Kavaa herself was looking ragged, her armour, unlike Kassandora’s, wasn’t a magical extension of herself, it hysical suit she wore. When they had ehe Juhe woman wore a green battledress that hung to her knees, now it e her thighs. That pristine silvery-steel chestpte was now battered, bloody, with holes in odd spots as in others. Iniri wore Kassandora’s clothes, they were loose and hung low off the woman, but it was better than nothing. Fer had merely grown a light coat of fur to safeguard herself from the Sun.

  “I want a drink.” Kavaa said. Kassandora turned back to Helenna. Neneria was in the distaanding on a hill, standing and watg them on her horse. A ragtag band of Clerics, soldiers and Arikans were behind her. All of them needed a rest. Kassandora sighed, they had just trekked through the unending Sassara, until it ehen they had turned South, entered Kirinyaa a walking the perimeter of the Jungle. Kassandora had kept them a mile or two away. Every so often, they would crest a hill ahe great green sea of flora in the distance, and from the chills it sent down Kassandora’s spi saw them too. It wasn’t merely watg now, Kassandora could tell it wasn’t happy about losing two Divines.

  “You’ll get one.” Kassandora said. She looked down at herself as she pulled another foot forwards. It was getting much too hot. The only saving grace was the yer of blood and dirt and mud her armour still carried. It fixed itself, but it did not keep itself . Every now and then, they would pass by some thin Kirinyaan stream, Kavaa would ask if Kassandora would wash, and Kassandora would deny the request. That thin yer of mess kept her from cooking herself.

  “Shade.” Fer said.

  “You’ll get it.” Kassandora replied. “Stop. Helenna’s getting close.” Kassandora had kept them moving every day, through the hot days and the cold nights. At first, the breaks were mere reprieves, now, Iniri, Kavaa and Fer all sighed with relief. Iniri actually sat down as Kavaa went to lean on Fer. Fer patted the woman’s dirty pale-yellow hair and leaned back as Helenna came into shouting distance.

  It was all cries of You’re back! And I knew you’d make it And Iniri! And I should have gone. Kassandora rolled her eyes at that st statement. Helenna would have died if they took her. “We’re back.” Kassandora said as Helenna grabbed Iniri in a hug.

  “You’re back!”

  “I am.” Kassandora assumed Iniri would have had more of a rea but seeing the woman’s fatigue, that expi. Helenna noticed it too.

  “You’re tired.”

  “We all are.” Kassandora said. “I said we’d get her, we got her.”

  “I brought clothes, Neneria told me to.” Helenna showed off the bundle in her arms.

  “We saw her fairies.” Kassandora said, she hoped there was something in that bundle for her. Helenna gave Iniri loose clothes she threw over the Arikan outfit, and then looked at Baalka. Kassandora watched the woman’s face. It was these first impressions that gave the most away. Kassandora expected disgust at looking at the Goddess of Disease, or fear, or self-ied worry. There was none of that. Helenna looked at Baalka in surprise, then with pity.

  “I have something to cover Baalka with too.” Helenna said. She said the name lightly. It was almost odd. Helenna threw a b onto the ground. “And something for you Fer too.” Fer’s tiredness seemed to fade away as she put Baalka on the b and her ears jumped. Her tail whipped the dirt and her mouth fell slightly ajar.

  “For me?” She asked. Helenna nodded as she handed a massive cloak and a huge shirt to Fer. Kassandora looked at Kavaa and tapped the woman’s battered armour with her gau.

  “We’re not getting anything.”

  “We’re not.” Kavaa agreed as Fer shed her coat of fur.

  “That’s much cooler.” The shirt could have fit two Helennas within it and with the cloak. Her tail ed around her leg and she looked down at it. “Neneria won’t be happy.”

  “Neneria will not happy.” Kassandreed, Neneria ompous stickler for rules. She’ll get mad that they fed Fer powerful blood without her about. “She’ll ask-.”

  Fer interrupted Kassandora. “You tell her about everything. I don’t want to.” Kassandora sighed as they kept up the slow pace. Helenna had practically glued herself to Iniri and now was g joyful tears that she had been rescued. Iniri was telling Helenna how good of a job she did that she tacted Kassandora and Kavaa immediately.

  “I was just about to tell you that you’re doing the expining.” Kassandora did not want to waste an evening calming Neneria down. It would be an evening, and theire night. Not until Neneria just got bored. There was work to do here anyway.

  “I’m not.” Fer said.

  “You are.” Kassandora bickered back.

  “I’m faster than you and her. You ’t make me.” Fer said. Kassandora supposed that was true. Fer wouldn’t run away… She needed reinforts. She turo look at Kavaa.

  “Will you expin to Neneria what happened?” The Goddess of Health was staring at them quizzically, pale eyes flig iween Fer and Kassandora.

  “Do you two not like her that much?” Kavaa asked.

  “I love Nene!” Fer procimed.

  “She’s my sister.” Kassandora said at the same time.

  “So why do you not?” Kavaa asked and then waved her hand. “I mean… she ’t be that bad?”

  “She’ll tell us off.” Kassandora said and Fer harumphed as she nodded rapidly.

  “And?” Kavaa asked. What did the woman not get? Kassandora did not want to get told off. That was it! Neneria would stand over her, wag her stupid fi her, and then drone on and on. It’d be a waste of time, especially sihere was nothing to apologize for!

  “I don’t want that to happen?” Kassandora half-answered, half-asked. Kavaa shook her head and giggled.

  “Alright.” She finally answered. “You lot really are something else.”

  “Everyos like this.” Kassandora replied. “Keep quiet noant to look ourn. There’s a car there. Gover probably.” And so they felt silent. The Arikans circled around and looked on. Kassandora saw Arusei and Kimani watch her in awe and wonder, although what they were saying, she couldn’t make out. Kassandora’s own men simply ahemselves into ranks, it was a wonder what a good month of training could do. Kavaa’s Clerics inally started to move, saw Kass’ men remain still, then stayed themselves. That was good too, it put on a good show whoever was in those cars. Neneria eventually did move. Her opaque horse that shined with pale green trotted up the party.

  “I was worried about you.” Neneria said from on top of the animal, how did the woman bear a bck dress in this weather? “But it’s good that you’ve returned.”

  “We have.” Kassandora replied. “Kavaa will tell you the story.”

  “Mmh.” Neneria said, then her voice became quiet. “I’d prefer you do it.”

  “Who are those people who have arrived?” Kassandora poio the dark men and women in suits and shirts who had gotten out of the cars.

  “Kirinyaan Gover overseers over this situation. They came because of you and Kavaa’s army, to make sure we’re not up to no good.” Neneria said, then she asked again. “And I want you to tell me it, not Kavaa.”

  “Kavaa’s a sweetheart.” Kassandora said, she felt Kavaa’s armour click against hers as the woman elbowed her. “And these people have to be dealt with.”

  “Kass.” Neneria used that tone specifie that meant Kassandora was in trouble. Fer slowed down until even Iniri and Helenna were ahead of her.

  “We rescued Baalka. You should check up on her.”

  “I’m not going to be happy, am I?” Neneria asked.

  “Make you unhappy sister? Me? I would never do that.” Kassandora approached the hill, she had ma the versation on long enough for Neneria to simply fall quiet because there were too many people about. She had alrocimed how much she didn’t care about her public image, how she would do anything and everything irrespective of who was around, but she did care. Neneria cared far more than most. Kassandora picked out Sokolowski from the crowd and waved him over, they were all dressed in the same matg unifreen shirts and shorts. The troop moved with him, almost as ohat was good, anisation like this always made a good impression.

  “We are rep for duty!” Sokolowski said loudly and pulled a salute. The rest of the stamped the ground and pulled their own. Kassandora returhe salute to relieve them. With the Kirinyaan gover here, it would be better to seize the initiative, go to them, and take charge anisation immediately.

  “Sokolowski! By my side! The rest of you follow.” Kassandora left her fellow Divio deal with their own troops. Fifty days had been wasted! Fifty! Now that she was back, she felt the loss of almost two months. “Was anything re-arranged in my tent?”

  “Nothing at all!” Good. Someone’s head would roll if things had been rearranged.

  “I assume Iliyal is not here?” There was a noticeable ck of the elf, he would have been the first on the hill if he was here.

  “He’s been recalled, along with Duchess Sara and Ilwin Tremali.” Kassandora kept on walking back to the camps. They were mu the state she had seen them when she left. More of Kavaa’s pnes had nded. Helicopters too, but it was just a mass of tents, if a rger one. Her own forces were still there, in that cleariween the Arikans and the Clerics, and there was a ne.

  “That’s the gover?”

  “Kirinyaan Internal Affairs Bureau. We call them KIAB for short.” Damian Sokolowski replied. “Also I think you should know, Arascus is in Igos in Ausa. Along with Olephia. She was ing to destroy the city but theopped her. It was in every headline for two weeks.”

  “He succeeded?”

  “Yes. They’re staying there even though the Epan unity put Ausa into an embargo. He’s been helping them fix the damage.” That was io know.

  “Good job for telling me. Anything else that happened?”

  “We’ve been given instrus on how to manufacture the fire you wahey’ve called it napalm. Iliyal sent us the recipe, a pne arrived with one shipment but we ’t request anymore from him.”

  “Why not?”

  “He said Arascus told him not to because it would risk exposure of his own airstrips.”

  “Is it difficult to produce?”

  “I’m not a chemist, I ’t say.” Sokolowski admitted his owness without even thinking about it. That was good.

  “Do you have it?”

  “It’s in my tent.”

  “Bring it to me, anything else?”

  “There’s designs for a vehicle which shoot it, apparently they’ve built one in Karaina but again, there is no way to transport it.”

  “Collect every paper, and wait for on the edge of camp, towards where KIAB has their camp.”

  “Uood.”

  “How is the training going?”

  “On schedule.” Sokolowski replied so ftly that Kassandora smiled. They were indeed ex-Clerics. The regime was difficult, with stant hikes and digging. Back-breaking endurance work that was far more important for soldiery than basic strength training was.

  “Finish today’s training early too, the men have a rest day tomorrow.” It would be bad if they associated her with extra work. They would have enough of that soon enough anyway.