“Hello Hello…” Helenna picked her head up from her own propaganda pieces which were discussing Arikan Federation. These were simply to y the groundwork for the idea, not to actually ge views. She turned around and saeeking through the door. “Hello Hello…” Mam cooed as if she was trying to be seductive, but it was obvious that the Goddess had drank too much. In the past millennium, Helenna could t a dozen times when she had seen a Divine huhree of those were Mam in the past few days.

  “I’m w.”

  “I’m fi-finished.” Mam said.

  “I see that.” Helenna replied quickly.

  “He…lenna…” Mam stretched the words out as she came into the room. “We op..erate on su…” Mam took a deep breath and trailed off. Helenna snapped her fingers o the woman’s ears.

  “Hello, Hello?! Arda to Mam? Is anything w in there?” Mam shook awake.

  “Operate on such different levels that…” Mam trailed off again. And again she had to shake herself awake. “that I am… better drunk so much more than you.” Helenna stared ftly at the woman as she tried to figure out whatever the fuck that auditarbage she just heard actually meant. Mam, eyes closed, somehow still smiling smugly, lifted her hand, dropped a piece of paper oable, then proceeded to drop herself and somehow immediately fall asleep on the floor. Helenna stared with pure disgust at the woman. What a filthy creature.

  And frankly, Helenna would not have it any other way. Mam was the best co-worker she ever had. The woman was funny, was petent, and she never asked too much for help, but her was she so distant and cold that Helen as if she was w alone. She looked at piece of paper Mam had dropped. It was actually a stack of sheets stapled together. There wasn’t a title page, it was straight to the tent page:

  Initial Sabotage.

  tinuous Setback.

  Loss of fidence.

  Casg Failure.

  Failure Spiral.

  Total Demoralization.

  Neneria stared at Fer as she rolled her arm. They were in the back of the of Raptor One, flying over Kirinyaa. Raptor Troviding an escort, as it always did in case of the fact that Raptor One broke down mid-flight. Kassandora would not risk the lives of Goddesses oher maery was faulty on not. The pnes had been parked near Kilifi already waiting for them, so it had only taken two of Fer’s jumps to get there from the city tre where Neneria had previously been. Fer had practically thrown Neneria on the phe in herself, and they had set off. There wasn’t as much time to even go and pack bags.

  “What are we going to do?” Neneria asked her sister. Fer was reing back, her golden mane of hair sched up behind her head to serve as a pillow. Bright golden eyes and a smile beamed at Neneria.

  “I’ll say it how Kassie said it.” Fer said and then adopted a gruff tone. “Millions have died. Millions must be recruited.”

  “Oh.” Neneria said, now that it was said like that, it was obvious why they were moving so quickly and why Kassie had been so mad. Souls would have a few days, then they would get bored and pass onto the world. “With the flood?” Fer nodded.

  “After Essa cracked Arika.” Fer said with a nod. “We’re to pick up Ana too, she’ll meet us in the air, we’re not nding for her.” And Fer shrugged. “Her and me are only there in case we face resistance.”

  Neneria could handle a lot. Being told she was cold, that she was hard to deal with, that she was b were all things that frankly, she didn’t even majorly disagree with. But if there was ohing that people should not ever doubt, it was whether she was capable of proteg herself or not. There was a reason that she was an old breed even amongst the old breed of Divines. “I’ll need prote.” Neneria said ftly and sarcastically. Fer chuckled that horrendous hur-hur-hur of a ugh.

  “Kassie said it, not me.”

  “Who is there evea? Ciria? Halkus?” Neneria asked. “I’ll need a bodyguard of two just for that?”

  “Apparently half the Pantheon is there. Maisara, Fortia and Alsaria are firmed one hundred pert.” Fer’s tone gave little room for disagreement. She didn’t even have a follow up ent, she simply left it at that, eyeing Neneria as the Goddess of Death grumbled and crossed her arms.

  “Alright then.” Neneria said and Fer smiled to herself.

  “I knew you’d be fih it.” Fer said. Raptor One was a fast pne and Neneria only had to listen to Fer for thirty minutes before the pilot’s voice over the speakers interrupted the Goddess of Beasthood. It wasn’t that Neneria disliked her sister, she loved Fer greatly in fact. But…

  Neneria took a deep breath ahe issue go. “Goddesses, I will be opening the side door foddess Anassa to enter.” The voice was Captain Dougs, Neneria reised him from Operation Misfortune. He finished and for a few pleasant moments, there was finally some blessed silence. And suddenly the whine of steel sounded, and Neneria slid, or rather, ulled out by the air, towards the door.

  “Oh no you don’t.” Fer said as her ced around Neneria’s arm, aail curled arouomaeneria grunted as the air pressure started to stabilize itself. Wind whipped her dress and hair, both pitch bck, as it tried to foreneria into the low-pressure air of the sky. Neneria closed her eyes as she grit her teeth against the pain of Fer holding onto her.

  “You close it now.” Anassa’s voice souhroughout the darkness, no doubt that the woman had simply teleported into the bace the door had opened. Neneria didn’t particurly care, her hands ed around Fer’s arm and she held onto her much stronger sister for fort. The screaming wind died down as log meism slid the door bad turself. Neneria opened her eyes and saw her sister. Anassa stood there, embodying that perfect air of nobility she always tried to maintained. In that striking crimson dress, and with bck hair just slightly lighter than Neneria’s utter absence of colour.

  A, Anassa was different. Neneria cracked a stupid smile as she felt Fer rex a her go. She saw Fer, Fer saw her, and they both turo look at their much younger sister.

  Fer stared at Anassa.

  Neneria stared at Anassa.

  Somehow had to say it right? Neneria cracked a nervous smile and looked to Fer. The woman was smiling wide, her fangs exposed. “What?” Anassa hissed an acg question that demanded an answer. “What? Why are you two looking at me like that?”

  “How?” Fer asked, whether it was terror or awe in her voieneria could not tell.

  “How what?”

  “How did you turn brown?” Fer said, the fshlight on her phourned on, where the red light of the cargo bay was barely holding a final defensive line against the darkness of the , Fer’s phone unched a glorious crusade that pushed the darkness baly to the few sparse shadows around the seats.

  “What do you mean?” Anassa looked down at her hands, twisting them forwards and backwards. “I’ve turned brown?”

  “pare to me.” Neneria said and held out her arm.

  “You’re always bone white!” Anassa said as she held out her arm. Now that their arms were pressed together though, it was undeniable. Neneria may have beehly pale for all eternity, but Anassa had alrided herself on having the fair skin of nobility that didn’t have to work outside either. And now, Anassa was as tanned as a farmer’s wife who worked the fields. Fer put her arm forwards. That proved it, Of Sorcery was usually a piece of paper pared to Fer, and now the roles were reversed.

  “No.” Fer said in disappoi. “Why do you get to tan and I don’t?”

  “I’ve just tanned!” Anassa said.

  “Yes but how?”

  “What do you mean how?” Anassa said in exasperation.

  “I think she means what did you do? Did you use some magic or is this a demonstration of the faental faculties are gone, where yoing crazy and your body is ging.” Neneria said. Both Anassa and Fer looked at Of Death as if she was stupid.

  “I’ve just tanned!” Anassa said loudly. “The people on the helicopter didn’t say anything!”

  “Why should they? You’re Anassa.” Fer crossed her arms unhappily, although she kept on shining the light with her phone. “I wouldn’t have said anything if I was them either.”

  “What does that mean?” Anassa shouted.

  “It means you kill people for no reason at all.” Neneria said dryly. She hated when her sisters tried to a. They were all as bad as each other, it simply was a matter of how funny and charismatic eae was. Both Fer and Anassa once again gave Neneria ft looks as if she had said something stupid.

  “If you were Kassie, I’d have been baited.” Anassa replied.

  “Never mind that! How did you tan?” Fer said. “I want to tan too!” She practically cried those words out like a little girl.

  “I did not even notice I tanned when I woke up.”

  “So where did you wake up?” Fer asked excitedly.

  “On the head of a giant snake.” Anassa replied so dryly Neneria had to burst out in ughter.

  “Where though?” Fer asked.

  “I don’t know.” Anassa replied. “It was in the middle of the o. Just after I battled with the Jungle, but I don’t know where, I think I fell asleep.”

  “You think you fell asleep?” Neneria asked doubtfully. How did someo know whether they were asleep or awake? It was one or the other.

  Anassa rolled her eyes as if Neneria had just asked a stupid question. “I was battling in the Jungle’s soul. In the same way I awaken sorcerers, I travelled into it. Essa do it too.” Anassa expined quickly. Neneria had heard of this, she supposed that the endless field her Legioed in was a simir pce. It simply wasn’t impressive to her, maybe to Fer, or to somehow else, but not to her.

  “And?” Fer asked.

  “And I won, obviously.” Anassa answered. “And I won, and I woke up.”

  “You woke up on a giant snake?” Neneria asked and Anassa nodded.

  “In the middle of a sea. About two or three days ago. Two and half. Two nights I spent on it.” Both Neneria and Fer now looked at Anassa as if she was being the stupid ohe Goddess of Sorcery blushed and quickly put her hands up to expin. “WELL I was on a giant snake in the middle of the o! What was I supposed to do?”

  “Fly somewhere?” Neneria asked and Fer nodded vigorously, hair shaking about as she made a hmm-hmm sound.

  “I meant how was I supposed to know what reality I’m in? Whether I’m in the snake’s soul or the Jungle’s or wherever?” Anassa said. “You just don’t feel these things if you fall asleep in there.”

  “Then how do you do it?” Neneria asked.

  “It’s different if you just go in and know you’re in an imaginary nd. If you fall asleep in there, how do you know where you awake?” Neneria shrugged, she didn’t have a reply to that, it just didn’t feel like a good ao her either.

  “So how did you work out you where here eventually?” Fer asked and Anassa slouched.

  “I saw a helicopter. That was six ho maybe.” She replied dryly.

  “You saw a helicopter?” Fer asked, with just as much emotion as Anassa. She clearly wasn’t impressed by such a trivial answer.

  “It picked me up, it was Kassie’s men scouting the new sea in Arika. Essa apparently…” Anassa went quiet, then had to restart. “Well not apparently, she did crack Arika in half.”

  “That she did.” Fer said. “That’s why were going to the UNN now. For o collect souls.” Neneria sighed. She wasn’t particurly excited about it, frankly, she had enjoyed being iy on home turf. That sort of easy bat was something that rexed her.

  “I’m just surprised Essa did it.” Anassa said as she sat down and looked down at her hands. “I thought she was more…” Anassa struggled for a word. “Reserved with power.”

  “I’m not.” Neneria said. “She’s Worldbreaking breed. If anyone , she is the oo do it.” And once again, Anassa was looking at her as if she said something stupid. “What?”

  “You don’t have to say it in a tone like that.”

  Neneria rolled her eyes. She was far too old to be apologizing to girls like this because they happeo kill a few people here and there. “I said it how I said it.” Of Death said. “What’s more iing is that you’ve proven one fual w of Divinity wrong, one I’ve not seen broken more or less ever.”

  “What w?” Anassa asked.

  “You tanned.” Neneria replied. “How, I do not know, but here it is.” She sighed. “As the children say, every day is indeed a school day.”

  “I’ve just tanned!” Anassa shouted. “Why is that so crazy!?”

  “Have you ever seen a Goddess tan?” Fer asked, her wicked smile showed off her teeth. “You may be the most human of us all Ana.”

  Anassa turo Fer in rage. She had to look up to meet those golden eyes head on, but crimso gold and both burned with an intense, trated, rage. “You have a fug tail and ears oop of your head.” Neneria leaned back as Anassa extended her arm to indicate the Goddess of Death. “Neneria speaks for herself, you tell she’s inhuman just by one versation! Of course I’m the oh the most humanity in me!”

  Neneria got slightly annoyed, but frankly Anassa was right. Of Death smiled to herself, maybe su accusation would annoy a human, and maybe she just proved Anassa correct by not responding. Fer did her though, she just ughed. Hur-hur-hur. That ugh sent chill’s down Neneria’s spine, eve wasn’t directed at her. “It seems I’ve hit a nerve.”

  Anassa’s cheeks flushed with crimson and the Goddess actually shouted like a petunt little child. “SHUT UP!” They tinued on like that for a little while. Not too long, because the speaker crag shut both up.

  “Goddesses.” Dougs said over the speakers, rather slowly as well, as if he was being careful. “I would advise you to strap in and hold ohe purned suddenly, swerving to the side. Naturally, Anassa stayed glued to the floor as if gravity did not affect her. Naturally, Fer reacted immediately and grabbed onto the beams that went from the floor to the ceiling with one arm to catch herself.

  And naturally, Neneria fell forwards, she would have smmed her face directly onto the side-wall of the rear if not for the fact Fer caught her by the scruff of her dress’ neck. And Dougs shouted over the speakers again as the jet sharply pulled up. “HOLD ON! WE HAVE TACT!”