Fortia, Maisara and Waeh all shook hands.

  Kassandora would be killed tomorrow. This war would be over by the end of the week.

  Before Zawitz became the capital of Lubska, it was Kaczaw. On a capital, with a royal pace that housed royalty, now the city was a tourist hub, an educational powerhouse, Lubska’s sed rgest industrial zone and a historical relic. Today though, Zawitz returo its a roots: Epan nobles were being hosted in Vavel Castle, and people were out ireets. If not for the cars and trams and trains, the pnes in the air, the smoke from factories in the distahe tarmad crete and tower blocks, it could have been a city of the past, with golden sandstone and cobblestoreets iy’s old town.

  President Jozef sat in one of the rooms of Vavel castle. High-ceilings, with royal a royal aper, all brown and red. And paintings on the walls. And huge windows tall enough for Divio fit through. They had a good view of Kaczaw as a whole, but today he wished that the windows could be removed. Another massive strike protest had taken form in Lubska, people were out in all the streets. Several highways to Kaczaw were blocked off, the airport had been shut down too. It’s two train stations had the same fate. The city had been put to a plete and stop. “Not Our War!” Posters were hung up on every building and someone was flying a small pne across the city with a barailing behind it: “Back To The Mountain!”

  Jozef sighed. He could not do much with it, and it would look bad in front of the other leaders but there wasn’t much he could do. The Dos recession had spiralled even further out of trol and noreading to Lubska. People had no work to occupy them and a news cycle that was difficult to tear their eyes away from. Jozef uood though, it was just as difficult for him to stop paying attention to the divine war in Kirinyaa as it was for them. Watg it, he got the feeling as if he was seeing history being made.

  The other Epan leaders arrived. It wasn’t the whole ti, it was only those who were relevant to the ti’s deaking. Aimone had taken to calling them the Gang of Five and the uck. King Wissel Ellenheim, first of his name, King of Doschia arrived first. He always did, in a dark uniform and a short cape fit for movement. Saksma followed in behind him, half again his height, Doschia’s national Goddess. With long golden hair and blue eyes and a dark coat and a cold face that looked as if it was about to tell Jozef off for the sorry state of Kaczaw right now, she looked like all the stereotypes of hardw industrious Doschia rolled into one.

  But then she saw Olonia, Lubska’s own mascot Goddess, and warmed up with a cheery smile. The two Goddesses exged a hug. Olonia was just an inch shorter, with hair of pure white akin to Lubskan snows. In a green coat that hung low, ever-modest, and that hair done in a traditional braid that hung over her shoulder.

  Artois entered, Paida behind him. Both Rancais, so both dressed excellently. Artois in a dark coat and a scarf, Paida in a dark brown with a scarf of dark blue. It brought attention to the woman’s eyes. She also hugged Olonia and Saksma. Aimoh Agrita, Rilia’s king and Goddess. Homely, joyous, pleasant, but Aimone had been looking more tired retly. Maisara’s putting down of Anar’s in his nd had brought a toll onto the man. And finally Richard VI. Unfortunately Aliana was missing again. Then again, it didn’t matter. Divine Mascots were mere representatives.

  “I pre-emptively apologize for the issue at the airport.” Artois and Richard had both e by pheir ndings had to be deyed by an hour as the pnes circled the city in the air and police cleared the runway of protestors.

  “Do not.” Artois said immediately. “The situation is better here than in Aris.” Jozef shook his head. There had been a time when he was fully aware of the news in other tries, now though, all he could do was keep up with the sad state of Lubska arack of Kassandora’s war in Arika.

  “The entire north of Rilia is shut down.” Aimone said. “I saw you actually have police who aren’t on strike.”

  “Are yours?” Jozef asked incredulously.

  “Striking and uaffed.” Aimone said as the mascot Goddesses took their positions, eae standing behind the leader of their respective nation. Agrita was especially hard to pull eyes off. “We had a third quit ht when Maisara came in Wissel.” The Dos king sighed as Jozef looked away from Agrita.

  “I do not think it would do muyway. In Doschia we ’t evehe protests tained.” He said. “That’s why I called the meeting. Epa is crumbling apart in our hands.” Richard crossed his arms and leaned back.

  “If it was at least our issue, I’d uand. But what are we supposed to do about a White Pantheon war?” The table fell silent.

  “We’ve stemmed them by ung an official pint.” Jozef said. “Send a letter to Essa to expiuation and then officially denouhe war.”

  “Essa?” Wissel asked. Jozef shrugged.

  “It’s a White Pantheon War officially, but Fortia didn’t do herself any favours with Melukal.”

  “She did not.” Aimone said coldly. Agrita behind him broke procedure and leaned down, officially Divines were merely supposed to keep watch.

  “Did not is an uatement, she massacred aire city.” Jozef had fotten how sweet Agrita’s voice sounded, it was like verbal honey with the way she pronounced each word with that Rilian at.

  “Agrita.” Aimone shut her down and the Goddess straightened and blushed.

  “Apologies, I did not mean to interve don’t beat around the bush. She-“

  “Agrita!” Saksma said loudly from behind Wissel, she softened her toer a moment. “Now’s not the time.”

  “But what Agrita says is true.” Wissel said as he put his elbows oable and leaned forwards. “Let us not beat around the bush, Fortia did massacre Melukal.” They had all brought their own dots with them. Jozef had just brought every piece of data he sidered important, whether or not it would be used didn’t matter. This meeting was something he hoped would happen, but he had more important things to manage.

  Wissel dropped his e folder oable and brought out a piece of paper. “I’ve sent diplomats to every Arikan try. Ausa actually allowed us to duct a survey of White Pantheon opinion among the popution.”

  “And?” Jozef asked.

  “Less than one pert.” Wissel said. “My men struggled to find even one person in favour of the Pantheon. The most supportive was that Kassandora had gooo far with the Military Implementation Bill but that were wasn’t any need for a full on invasion of Kirinyaa.” He took a sigh. “Grahis is Ausa and they’re about to start their owion War, but I assume the other Arikan nations are not too different.”

  “The ohat border the Jungle are the same.” Richard said slowly as he brought out his paper. “We have ducted our own surveys. I’ve never seen suanimity of opinion.”

  “They let you?” Wissel asked.

  “No.” Richard replied ftly. “We sent school professors. What are the Arikans going to do? Arrest teachers for taking surveys?” Richard’s question didn’t need an answer.

  “In Doschia, support is overwhelming to ending the war.” Wissel said. “Well, to go even further and san the Pantheon. How we are supposed to san them, I’m not sure about.”

  “I spiracies of course.” Richard said. “But it’s more that no one has really realised there’s nothing to san. I don’t bme them, but it’s misdirected anger.”

  Artois made a graure with his hands. “Lovely Richard, lovely Wissel. I weep for your people that your people haven’t got the message yet, mine have.” Wissel and Richard both turo look sourly at President Artois. The Rancais man held his cool though, as did Paida behind him. She stared the two kings coldly. “In Rancais, they’ve got the notice you ’t san the Pantheon, do you know what they’re calling for?”

  “What?” Wissel asked.

  “A trial on Maisara and on Fortia and for Rancais to formally leave Pantheon Peace as a sign of protest.” The four other leader’s faces went pale. Artois somehow made it even worse. “And it’s bee aion issue. This isn’t just a joke or theories or just demands made by a crowd anymore, we are actually discussing how to put White Pantheon Divines on trial in our parliament.”

  Aimoook a deep breath and added his own thoughts. “Obviously it won’t happen though.” Artois shrugged as Paida shook her head.

  “Obviously, do you even to say anything about the farce of people talking about putting Fortia in cuffs?”

  “But it’s a real issue.” Wissel said. “Misguided, but real, at this point you safely assume the default for people is that they hate the Pantheon.”

  “The Pantheo do itself any favours.” Richard added. He made a show of looking around the room. “But it’s the Gang of Five again.”

  “It is.” Aimone said, happily rubbing his that the name had stuck.

  Richard nodded. “So I think I know what that means.” Wissel nodded and leaned forwards.

  “How to break Pantheon Peace.”

  “We’re not ready yet.” Richard said.

  Wissel scratched his and shook his head. “You ’t be ready for it, but Kirinyaa be used as a lesson, we see what happens when a try breaks Pantheon Peace.”

  “You get invaded.” Aimone said ftly.

  “The question is how. I thought they would do a quick-takeover. A nding in the capital and a coup.” Wissel said, Jozef found his turn to speak.

  “Not parable, Kirinyaa is loaded with Divi this point. And it’s not weak Diviher.” The mascot Goddesses all made glum faces as they shared looks. They weren’t weak either but… Well, they weren’t Kassandora or Fer, much less a Neneria, Anassa or Olephia. “If we force them into a nd-war, then there’s a ce. The slower the front moves, the better our situation, but we ’t stop a lightning strike on our capitals.”

  “Not yet.” Wissel said.

  “I don’t see how ever.” Jozef said. “Minor Divines, maybe, but Zerus? Essa? Alsaria?”

  “Alsaria has not been seen for months now.” Richard added and Jozef shrugged.

  “Essa and Zerus then. Alkom too. I don’t want a Sun desding on Zawitz.”

  “Maisara is untouchable.” Artois said. “When she was clearing Rancais, every time she’d enter a building, she’d return without a scratch. Covered in blood, but not a scrat her.”

  “So unless you have a way to defend us…” Richard said. Wissel smiled and pulled out a piece of paper.

  “After the Artica situation, I did some iigation. I believe it was Olephia’s prison.” He pulled out a map of all Arda with a line drawn through it. The red marking started in Artica, entitled Point X, hit Igos perfectly a into Rilia and then further through tral Epa. “She would have gohrough Dos territory too.”

  “And?” Jozef asked, whehe versation strayed into these topics he was always disappointed in his own nation’s ck of expertise iter. He had absolutely nothing to offer.

  “This is a map of the White Paerritories in Epa we know about. You thank the Ministerium fur historische Angelegeen for this news.” He brought out a ruler on the map and put it down to resemble Olephia’s flight path. “It hits the White Pantheon’s Padin Headquarters exactly. It’s not even a stretch to say that is where Olephia was heading to.”

  “So Olephia wao destroy the Padin HQ, I…” Aimorailed off and chuckled before pulling a sarcastie. “Well why would one of the Daughter-Goddesses want to destroy the Padin HQ? It really makes me think.” Agrita chuckled at the joke behind him as Richard leaned forwards and shook his head.

  “Olephia was caught in the first tury. The Padins only returo Epa in two-huwenty after Pantheon Peafort was finished.” Wissel of Doschia smiled and motioned with his finger.

  “Exactly.” He said. “Unless Olephia found out in her impriso what had happehere is no reason to head there.” Artois shrugged.

  “Not much of a lead.”

  “It’s the only spark in the dark we had.” Wissel replied promptly. He brought out another report, it hotocopies of pictures of an a page. “Written by General Eleyad Galhan, ander of the fourth Legion of Arascus in the Great War. In elvish, we had t in transtors to decipher it.”

  “So what did you find?” Richard said. Wissel proudly brought out another report and hit the page with his fingers, then passed it around. There was one for everyone, but Wissel read it out loud anyway, just from the tone, Jozef could tell hoy the King was with this discovery.

  “One-huhirty-two miles east of Bck Bear, slight tilt to the south. Two hundred seventy south from the coast, straight south. One hundred, sixty-six northwest of Four Crests. All dires are given straight as the crow flies and rouo the mile. For reference, I am using Goddess Kassandora’s mileage system and not Maisara’s.” The king fihe five men shared looks. How very elven it was, the nguage didn’t have a single word that didn’t o be said.

  “Bck Bear and Four Crests are obviously codewords.” Richard said.

  “Are they?” Wissel asked. “This is a report from his own writings.” Aimone chuckled.

  “He gives Kassandora the Goddess title and not Maisara.”

  “Fitting for one of hers.” Artois said. “But it is though, ce has four crests?” Jozef blinked. It was so obvious he didn’t even want to believe it at first.

  “Vroczis does.” It had one crest split into four parts, the city had been under kingdoms in the past and in the age, to honour that, they incorporated the four as crests into one. Wissel leaned down with a smile.

  “Aadt.” Jozef khat was the capital of Doschia. Wissel lowered his tone as if about to spill a secret, the man ractically brimming with joy at this point. “It’s built on the ruins of Kollin.” He brought out another picture. “This is its crest.” A bck bear standing on its hind legs.

  “I see.” Richard said. “And you lihose up.” Wissel nodded as he started drawing lines on the map.

  “We don’t kly what a Kassandora mile is, but…” Wissel said. “When we checked with the maths, then the distances lined up perfectly. No matter whie you substituted for a variable, Eleyad Galhan’s distances lined up.” The three lines verged perfectly over the Padin’s Headquarters in Doschia.

  “It still doesn’t expin why Olephia was heading there.” Aimone said.

  Wissel shook his head as he started ruffling through his notes. “But it does.” He said and brought a piece of paper. “But it does.” He repeated and put it down. Jozef stood up to leahe table. Another piece of Galhan’s work, transted: Dires to Arascus’ Divine Armoury.

  Jozef blinked as he felt blood drain from his face. The other leaders shook their heads, eyes wide. Even the Goddesses in the room looked stunned. Wissel crossed his arms. “And we all know which group of Divines was kept in the armoury, I’m sure.”

  Iliyal leaned back. He drank some coffee for the energy, and some whiskey to wash out the taste. Another article was going up today, in Dos this time: ‘Why we o trial Goddess Fortia.’ Kassandora would truly proud be of him.