Alsaria dashed back across the o. How? Why? It was impossible? She had done everything there was to do. She should have won! How did… Alsaria came to a stop across the r o and took a deep breath. There was no reason to be emotional right now. Uriamel may have lost Ktulu, but it did good damage on Kirinyaa. Without a nation to serve as a main base, Arascus and his daughters would eventually be worn down through attrition.

  And besides, when it came to overwhelming power, she still had the ace of aces in her hand.

  Kavaa opened her eyes and looked around a dark room. Stohat’s the one she would describe it. She was inside a stone box with a heavy steel door on one side. The only slivers of warm e light were through a series of bars in the door. And that was it. There was no bed, no chair, no table, not even a bucket. The walls were simply dark stohere wasn’t a hook, a delier, there was nothing. It was a box that had been carved out into the world. Kavaa shivered from the cold and realised she had been stripped.

  The Goddess of Health felt her breath catch as she slid into the er and pulled her knees up to her chest. She tugged a few locks of grey-silver hair and stared at that cra the door as she thought on what to do. Was there anything to do? Should she call out? She shivered and stood up, then walked on the bare stoo the little window in the door. A quick look through it revealed a corridor. Torches on one side of the corridor. A pair of dwarves standing in full armour opposite her doorway.

  Kavaa stared at the dwarves. They were short and rotund, made almost regur by their spears and shields. Eae had a sword on his belt, and their armour was so thick, the slits for eyes so small, that Kavaa could not even make out the slightest hint of life within them. Kavaa sighed, well, they had obviously seen her now. There was no reason to hide.

  And there was no reason to paher. Nht now at least, it was like aion on someone on the surgery table, the panic always came ter ohe patient was safe. Here, the ughter would e once she and Iniri got out. Kavaa cleared her throat and spoke to the two dwarves. “Hello?” She made her tone cold and anding, the same sort of tone she would use as when issuing ands to her Clerics. “I am Kavaa, Goddess of Health.”

  The dwarves did not react. They did not eveend to not hear her, they stood there as unmoving as statues. “Hello?” Kavaa said again. “Hello!” She shouted this time. “Anyone?! Hello?!” Nothing. Not even movement from the corridor. Kavaa sighed and looked at the dwarves. “ you speak?”

  ion. “Are you alive?” Still ion. Kavaa thought about what would get a dwarf moving, insulting familial honour no doubt, but then, she didn’t want to make her situation worse. “ you move?” Kavaa stared at the two unmoving suits of armour. Where they even alive? Actually… were they? Kavaa looked into the cold slits where eyes should have been, at first, she thought it was merely the a now, she realised that ihe slits obscured nothing but darkness within them. Kavaa sighed and gave up.

  “Whatever then.” Kavaa scowled as she retreated to her er once again, the stone was cold and unfortable to sit on, but she had enough pride as a Divio not beg to a pair of Dwarves. So Kavaa sat there. Did the temperature drop? Even if it didn’t, Kavaa felt like it did. The stones were terribly cold and her body did little to warm them up. How long did she sit there for?

  An hour?

  Two?

  A day?

  Mortals had it so easy. They’d be able to track the hours by sleeping schedule aimes. Divines required her for survival, open stomachs were annoying and unfortable, and sometimes a bed was o rex in. But both were optional; Divines sustaihemselves off humanity’s sheer fiden their demesne. So Kavaa sat in that darkness, the only light was the flickering e of the torches in the corridor that would sometimes mao aself and bouo the cell.

  Kavaa sat there until Kavaa heard a door slide open. Then clig. A terribly nostalgic clig, although for no one in particur. A clig of heels on the ground, and from the amount of time between each click, it was the footsteps of a Divine. A Divihat was taking their time as well.

  Locks oher side of the cell door suddenly started to slide open. Owo. Three. Kavaa smiled in satisfa. It was only right that a Goddess of her status should have seven different locks to be kept behind. Kavaa stood up straight, maybe Essa would care, Leona probably would, but Leona had been a different breed of power. Frankly, Kavaa doubted anyone in the White Pantheon, or any of Arascus’ family, even the God himself, would cower in a er just because they had been stripped. It was merely standard procedure.

  The door slid open as Kavaa waited for what sort of Divihe Dwarves had jured up for themselves. She could talk her way out of it yet, whether they were seeking rehabilitation with the Pantheon or still loyal to Arascus, both sides could be pyed.

  White hair. Dark dress. Very dark dress, tight and hugging too, the sort that… Kavaa felt her breath catch. It was the sort of dress that Mam, so high and mighty and pretentious and full of herself always, would wear. A style not seen on the surface for a thousand years, but it only made sense because within that dress, with its deep nee, was of Hatred herself. Daughter-Goddess of Arascus and Goddess of Hatred. Helenna’s nemesis, although the two had far more in on with each other than Helenna would ever like to admit. Mam stood there, her hair white like pristine snow. It sparkled iorchlight as the Goddess looked over Kavaa with bright eyes. “Long time no see Kavaa.” Mam said cheerfully as she extended an arm, her voice was a scarf of velvet, soft and cold. She was holding a thin cloth, enough for Kavaa to cover herself up with, but not much more.

  Kavaa met Mam’s gaze. Of everyone she had expected… Well, it certainly was not Mam. Was it good luck? Or was it misfortune? Mam... Kavaa sighed. Mam was petent, Mam knew what she was doing, she was hooo. And if there was one person who could out-deal Kassandora, it was Mam. “Likewise.” Kavaa said carefully.

  Mam lifted an eyebrow and bounced her arm t attention to the cloth. “Have you bee a nudist?” If the hrased it in any different way, Kavaa would have simply and slowly reached for the cloth. She stood straight to show she wasn’t intimidated, not to be humiliated like that! How could the woman even say something like that? Of course she had NOT! Kavaa’s cheeks went red and she ripped the cloth off Mam’s hand. “Sticks and bohen, sticks and bones now Kavaa.”

  “What a…” Kavaa shut up. She was about to ask what the woman just meant and then she realised. Teeth were grit and the Goddess of Health covered herself up.

  “You’re the one who stripped me.” Kavaa said slowly. “So I think that says more about you.”

  Mam’s smile revealed perfect white teeth. “That was just simple procedure. You never know where someone like us could keep a dagger.” Mam hiked her dress up to reveal her thigh. Five dagger on a belt around it, more oher leg. Why the woman hat many, Kavaa had no clue. “And with you.” Mam made a terrible chuckle. “Well, if I could heal my wounds like this.” The Goddess of Hatred snapped her fingers. “I’d be walking around with an armoury in me.”

  Kavaa’s cheeks we the thought. “You are disgusting Mam.”

  Mam chuckled and turned. “To each their own. I’m disgusting, you’re b. Who’s more memorable though?” Kavaa didn’t take the bait this time. Every siime she so much as opened her mouth, Mam would have some stupid infuriating ent. Already Kavaa could feel her blood pressure spiking. “e, follow Kavaa.” Mam said.

  Kavaa remained where she was and Mam stopped, she leaned bato the cell. “e, e Kavaa. Here. Here.” Kavaa realised what she was being treated like.

  “I’m not a dog.” Mam sighed and ged tactics.

  “Pss pss pss pss.”

  “What are you doing?”

  Mam sounded abashed that she actually had to expin herself. “Isn’t that what you say to cats to get them to follow?” She shrugged. “It’s been a long time sialked to Fer.”

  “I’m not a fug pet.” Kavaa said, harsher this time and Mam smiled in glee.

  “I was thinking how long it’d be before the doctor’s tongue came out.” Mam raised an eyebrow and that stupid smile said everything that Kavaa o know about the ining ent. “Although personally, I’d prefer if you-“

  “You don’t have to finish that.” Kavaa interrupted her.

  “Well are you staying here or I move you to a better cell?” Mam asked. “Because personally, I’d prefer a chair.” Kavaa sighed and took a step forwards. Then another. She followed Mam out of the corridor. Those two dwarves weren’t statues, they did in fact move to follow Kavaa and Mam as they moved. Two more marched silently ahead.

  “They were statues for me.” Kavaa said in displeasure.

  “They don’t talk.” Mam said. Kavaa absolutely hated the walk Mam ulling, there was o swing like that when it was just the two of them.

  “Oh.” Kavaa said as Mam leaned doulled a helmet off one of the dwarves. It revealed a skull, carved with and illuminated by glowing ruhey pulsed blue and e and red and the skeleton in the suit of armour did not eveo take notice as Mam slid his helmet ba.

  “Most of them are like this. This entire hold only has eight hundred and thirty one living dwarves.” Mam said.

  “That little?”

  “Let’s not py around Kavaa. The Pantheon unched a war of extermination here. The fact we’ve sted so long is impressive in itself. We have another tury in us, maybe two.” Kavaa watched as they turned down another corridor. All smoothed stone once again, without a single decoration, and all lit up by torches. The silent dwarves, the animated skeletons ahead and behind them kept quiet as they walked with spears.

  “Where is Iniri?” Kavaa asked.

  “She was in the cell o you. I’m just not going to wake Mother Nature up, am I?” Kavaa sighed. It really was Mam, not some illusion. But Kavaa realised the issue. This was a Mam who was still fighting the Great War, even though it had ended a thousand ago for those on the surface. This Mam legitimately still thought that Kavaa and Iniri were of the White Pantheon. They walked through a series of twisting corridors, up, then down, aually Mam came to stop at a door. Of steel, like all the doors here. “This is going to be your room.” Mam said as she opehe door and motioned for Kavaa to step in.

  Kavaa took the first step in a tentative manner as she looked around. There was a simple bed, a chair, a table, a wardrobe and a mirror. Another door, open and leading to what looked to be a bathroom. It was all stone and steel, apart from the bedsheets and two pillows. Those were some thick wool. And there was a bottle oable, two gsses o it. Kavaa did not eveo ask whether that was water or drink, Divines would stop drinking the moment humanity did - never. Mam gave Kavaa a little push to hurry her through the doorframe. “How polite.” Kavaa said dryly.

  “I aim to please.” Mam said, it made Kavaa’s blood boil that even su innocuous statement like that ing from that creature’s mouth sounded disgusting. “Sit.” Mam said. “Or stand, I don’t really care. There’s clothes for you in the wardrobe. I made them myself.”

  Kavaa blinked and stared at the snow-haired woman. “Excuse me?”

  “You’re the odd o that you’ve lived for how many thousands of years and still don’t know how to sew.” Mam said smugly. That wasn’t even true!

  “I sew.” Kavaa said dryly as she went to ihe wardrobe. “It’s not really…” She opehe doorframe and the artisanship within shut her up. She touched a sleeve, it was some thick ram’s wool, but to be able to work wool like this? She looked at Mam. The woman was sitting smugly at the table, p herself something that smelled like alcohol from that clear bottle.

  “ you sew?” Mam asked ily.

  “Not like you.” There was no point to even try and pare. It would be like doctors or healers pitting themselves against Kavaa herself.

  “e, sit.” Kavaa shut the wardrobe and got over to the table before the woman started treating her like an animal again. “See? That wasn’t hard, was it?” Kavaa sighed.

  “You’re enjoying this, aren’t you?” The Goddess of Health.

  And the Goddess of Hatred’s smile was so wide that Kavaa didn’t even know how to describe the emotion. Euphoria maybe? “Am I Kavaa?” Mam asked. “I apologize profusely for the indulgence, but you do have to see it from my side. I’ve been down here for a thousand years and suddenly, two White Pantheon members just happen to drop themselves at my feet.”

  The smile became even wider. “So am I enjoying myself? Yes, I am Kavaa. In fact, you should be grateful, you should be on your knees and thanking me for not doing the things I’ve promised myself I would do when I got my hands on one of you.” Kavaa caught the implicit threat. Some people would just threaten, but then there were those like Mam. Alsaria had this skill too, and Kass did, but her as well as Mam. The way she made it sound promised not just pain but also humiliation.

  “Things have ged up above.” Mam crossed her arms and smiles. Kavaa once again got ahat the woman was showing off what she had been blessed with, Kavaa ed the cloak tighter around herself.

  “Well?” Mam asked. “Are you going to expin how?”

  “Leona and Atis are dead.” Kavaa said ftly. “Arascus is out. Me, Iniri and Helenna freed Kassandora from her prison in Olympiada. Fer, Neneria, Anassa and Olephia are also with Arascus. And Baalka has been found but she’s unscious and no one knows what has happeo her. I’ve tried to heal her. Anassa has tried too. The main base is in Arika.” Kavaa pointed upwards. “That’s the ti we’re under now.”

  “I know where Arika is.” Mam said as she tilted her head. “That’s it?”

  “That’s the short of it.” Kavaa said and Mam sighed. She moved her head from side to side, eyes on Kavaa.

  “Do you want an expnation of why I don’t believe you, or do you not need one?” Mam asked.

  “You’re scared of Leona.” Kavaa said. Mam closed her eyes and gave one slow nod.

  “The term we use is Luck-Paranoia.” Mam said. “But I am indeed scared of Leona.”

  Kavaa sighed. “You ask Iniri.”

  “Leona is lucky enough to tell you that when you dive here, to prepare a story between you and Iniri that will suit me.”

  “Leona is lucky enough that we wouldn’t have gotten captured in the first pce.”

  “Leona’s luck is powerful but not omnipotent. There may be multiple ways this ends, and you may have o e here to learn something.” Mam said as she poured some of that alcohol into the Kavaa’s gss. “The dwarves brew it, drink.”

  “And if it’s poison?” Kavaa asked, she didn’t think it was holy. If Mam wanted her dead, she would be already.

  “Woman I want someoo drink with that’s not Irinika. Now drink or I’ll force it into you.” Kavaa’s eyes wide the name.

  “Irinika?” Kavaa asked. Mam raised an eyebrow in a farcical manner.

  “Don’t tell me you’ve fotten the best of us.”

  “Irinika? That one?”

  “There’s only one Irinika, isn’t there?” Mam said, she tapped her finger oable and nodded. “That’s a good ho rea there Kavaa. You’re cute.” Kavaa blinked, her cheeks went red again. Did… No. Did Mam just call her cute? Excuse me?

  “What?”

  “You’re cute Kavaa. What, did Alsaria not tell you where Irinika went?” Kavaa’s jaw dropped.

  “Alsaria knew?!” Kavaa screamed and stood up. Mam smiled at the rea.

  “My my…” She cooed. “The White Pantheon looks to be just as tightly knit as all the Pantheons of the past. Yes. Alsaria knew. She chased Irinika down here and then we chased her out. Would you fight Irinika here?” Kavaa shook her head. Fighting Irinika in the darkness of the underground would be like trying to out-madden Anassa, or to out-track Fer. If anywhere was Irinika’s natural habitat, it was here. Mam o Kavaa’s gss. “Drink Kavaa, I didn’t pour for it to sit.”

  Kavaa finally acquiesced. It wasn’t pleasant, the taste of mushroom ah was obviously in the drink, and it was strong. Strohan human drink, that was easy, but it was still drinkable. Mam smiled in satisfa. “I once heard you could drink everything.”

  “I’ve had worse.” Kavaa said, ign the woman’s terrible tohat hi a double meaning.

  “Oh I’m sure you have.” Kavaa failed at taining the red in her cheeks.

  “You’re fug terrible. You know that?” Kavaa finally gave up. Her tone dropped to a simple ft monotone. “You are the worst Mam. You’re as bad as Anassa.”

  Mam shrugged and smiled as she poured twsses. “Yet somehow, people keep ing bae.” Mam said. “But why am I as bad as Anassa?”

  Kavaa opened her mouth. Her cheeks went red, her throat caught. She simply could not say. “Ana… she…” Kavaa felt her hands get dirty and she wiped them on the cloth again. “You are both disgusting. That is all I have to say.”

  Mam burst out in ughter as she drank and immediately poured herself yet anss. “You are the sweetest little Goddess Kavaa.” She pushed Kavaa’s forward too. “e, e.”

  “Don’t treat me like that.” Kavaa said coldly. She did drink though. And Mam immediately refilled it. “I’m not here to get shattered with you.” Kavaa said.

  “I don’t like seeiy gsses and full bottles.” Mam replied ily. Kavaa looked at the bottle. Full? It was half empty already. “But you said you freed Kassandora.” Kavaa nodded quickly. She hated her own quick rea. Why did Mam deserve such haste? For what reasoly? “Prove it?”

  “Prove it?” Kavaa asked in disbelief. “What?”

  “Tell me something only Kassandora would know.” Mam said with a smile. Kavaa stared bnkly at Mam upon hearing that.

  “Kass told me…” Kavaa trailed off as she realised the impossibility of the task. Not because the woman had asked something nonsensical, but because was there any real ao a question like that? Did Kassandora even share any personal information like that? Mam sat there and motioned with one hand for Kavaa to keep going. What did Kavaa even know though? Facts? There were none! “Kassandora told me she formed in Sythia with Alsaria. How they fell apart, Alsaria settled down, Kass never did.” Kavaa cracked a smile she knew was stupid. “And that’s it basically. She said that Arascus gave her a ce. He told her ‘Give War a ce.’ She smiled when she said that.” Kavaa tried pining for aail about Kassandora that only Kassandora would know. “She loves all of you, she told me I have an inferiority plex.” Mam interrupted at that.

  “You do. tinue.”

  “She…” Kavaa looked into the gss of dwarven spirit and ed the cloth tighter around herself. “I don’t know Mam. I genuinely do not know. I tell you what I like about Kassandora, but I ’t…” Kavaa shrugged. “She doesn’t share information.”

  “You mentioned Anassa. What about her?”

  “Anassa is despicable.” Kavaa said ftly. “She is disgusting, she’s pleasured when I heal her. I feel dirty when I think about her.” Mam raised an eyebrow.

  “That’s it?”

  “What do you wao say about Anassa? I know you are sisters, I’m not going to badmouth her in front of you.” Mam smiled and nodded.

  “Good choice Kavaa. Then Arascus, what about father?”

  “He…” Kavaa did not kher. There were times when she wao be rid of the God. There were times when she didn’t doubt a single decision that led up to this moment. “He pulls people together. Once he told me he was a man with a shovel and that others simply get caught up in the river he’s digging. It’s a bit like that.”

  “Do you like him?” Mam asked quickly.

  Kavaa had to think about the question for a few moments. How long had it been since she stopped killing that spark withihat wanted aowledgement from Arascus? Quite a while at this point. “I suppose I do.”

  “And he’s alive?”

  “I swear on my life Mam, he is.” Kavaa said. Was she having an effect? Mam didn’t have even the slightest of tells. She was the opposite of Kassandora, where that woman could be a brick wall that hid everything, Mam’s face was stantly ging, from smiles to shock to surprise, ahere was nothing to take out of it. Of course the woman would smile at mentions of her sister, of course she would be surprised at the fact Arascus is alive. There an oic trenotion in there, and Kavaa could not even dip her toe into the water to scout it out.

  “How do you like him?” Mam asked yet another one of her terrible, just dht rancid, questions, ierrible, just dht rancid, tone.

  “What?” Kavaa asked ftly.

  “Well? Romantically? Ptonically? Friend-ily? Rival-ily? How?”

  “I simply have grown to respect him.” Kavaa said and Mam made a knowing smiling.

  “You’ve got the hots for dad. I’ll tell him that.”

  Kavaa hated Mam’s tone, she hated the smugness, she hated that this Goddess thought she knew everything, and she hated the fact her cheeks were going crimson. “I fug hate you.”

  “Mmh.” Mam said. “Love and hate, two sides of the same . Fer then?”

  “Fer is lovely.” Kavaa said. “She helped pull Iniri out of the Jungle.” Mam raised a doubtful eyebrow.

  “Iniri could not get out of a Jungle?” Mam asked, her voice thick with doubt, yet even that doubt did not seem real.

  “Would I actually make something that stupid up?” The Goddess of Nature stu a Ju had to be seen to be believed.

  “I don’t know.” Mam asked the air. “Would you?” Kavaa said nothing as Mam didn’t give her a ce to answer. “What else about Fer? What do only we know?”

  “Fer gets scared easily and she stalls herself.” Kavaa said. “She’s very loyal, she loves all of you immensely. When she gives gifts, it’s always something really thoughtful rather than expensive.” Kavaa still had the leopard skin that Fer had given her for the cold Arikan nights. “She and Anassa made the beastmen. She drinks blood, my blood heals her. Kassie’s makes her strohan mine. Anassa’s doesn’t have much of an effect.”

  “Mmh.” Mam said. “You know a lot about Fer.”

  “I like her.” Kavaa defended herself. She holy did like Fer, in the same way that she liked Helenna and Iniri, it was simply that the tter two she had known longer. “I actually do. We’re friends.”

  “You and her were both assigo Erdely.” Mam said. “So it makes sense.”

  “Mam, please…”

  “Olephia.” Mam said.

  Kavaa remembered when she had met Olephia at the party in CR. Back then, she was merely curious. She could not believe her luck she had decided to talk to Olephia then. “Olephia paints beautifully. She’s also really chatty, even though she stays silent. She makes disgusting cos of drinks to py pranks on people but she actually just drinks vodka. She’s really sweet. I holy feel sort of bad for her because she ’t speak.” Kavaa finished as Mam sat there and watched. Was that everything? Did the woman want anything else? Please.

  Kavaa realised she had tears in her eyes. And she realised she wao spill everything and anything to Mam. Whatever the Goddess of Hatred would ask for, she was ready to say. She just wahe ce to prove herself. And as she realised that want, she saw the Mam before her again. Cold calg and dark eyes, pletely devoid of emotion. A face that revealed nothing in that sweet smile. And the beautiful white hair, at first, Kavaa had thought it was like fallen snow, but it was actually a cold tundra, stretg on forever. And as Kavaa sat there, she almost choked on her spit. Kassandora had pyed her ba Olympiada, but Kassandora had been hoo the extreme. Mam was another beast entirely.

  Alsaria and Olephia were awe-inspiring in their power. Kassandora was brilliant irategy. Anassa was despicable and Fer was lovely. Iniri was sweet. Helenna was the most supportive woman Kavaa knew. And Mam was the most terrifying person Kavaa had ever met. Never once had she sat across someone who had just imprisoned her and somehow been vio want to spill every secret in her head. A, Mam had do. One versation was all it took.

  Mam finally stood up and cpped her hands. “You are wonderful Kavaa. You are just the best.” Kavaa hated that she couldn’t get a siell oher Mam believed her or not. It was worse than talking to Kassandora, at least that woman would say ft out whether she believed you or not. “I’ll go now. I’ll think on what you said, and I’ll e to a decisiarding you.”

  “Do you believe me?” Kavaa asked. “Just answer like Kassandora? Please?” She couldn’t believe how pathetic her voice was.

  Mam made a terrible Ohohoho of a ugh. “Well Kavaa, I’m not Kassandora, I’m Mam. Do you believe you?” She raised her hands. “Do you wao believe you?” Kavaa never got the ao that question. Mam simply left, the door falling shut behind her.

  The woman had not even said anything terrible, she wasn’t even rude. She had said nothing horrible but mog pliments and childish innuendos. A Kavaa wao cry.

  What a terrible Goddess.