Not long after the fight, we all were taken to Vei’Ryn’s bubble. Kai was absolutely glowing with cheer the whole time, she hadn’t been kidding about how much she enjoyed that. But Viranatta was shaken still, her nerves not truly starting to calm until she was sat down, given tea, and told that she was now in the protected domain of a goddess and truly safe.
The princess sobbed in relief, leaning against my Goddess, who comforted the woman gently and tenderly. Kai looked at them both with a warm smile and nudged me. “See, this is why I love that idiot. She’s got the warmth of the spring sun and the fury of a hurricane. She took the best parts of her parents and made them her own.”
“She’s damned incredible. I’m gd I get to be her Saint.”
She turned to look at me. “Even after everything?”
I gave a small ugh. Bittersweet, but still enough to make me smile. “You all took two ends and turned them into a new beginning. I don’t know how that… how that holds up against the way death works. I don’t think anyone on this side will ever know. But I am here, in this world, bringing joy and love and receiving it in kind because of what happened.”
“And getting your dick sucked a lot.” She said with a small nod.
“That’s true but not really the focus. Gods you lot really are just a bunch of perverts aren’t you?” I shook my head.
“Says the one who spent half the day-”
“Kai.” Vei’Ryn wandered over and kissed her war god lover softly. “I need my Saint for a few minutes and we need the others here in just a bit to talk about a small change in pns.”
“I’ll get them. You okay on your own?”
“Even if they could find this pce, they would be even weaker against me here.”
“Fair, I love you.” The Warcry gave the Dreamer a kiss before leaving. A heavy purpose in her steps.
Vei’Ryn walked me over to where Viranatta was sipping tea and smiling through her tears. She looked up at me and then bowed her head. “Saint Dreamsinger, I cannot thank you enough.”
I sighed. “How about first we tell the Saint what the fuck just happened?”
My Goddess rubbed my head softly. “Oh that’s easy. We are now at war with the Thundering Pantheon.”
“I got that part already! What the fuck was all of that in her dream!?” I didn’t mean to yell but I was a but overwhelmed.
“Oh, right. Okay so, how do I say this in a way that makes sense?” She tapped her shin, floating up in slow circles as she pondered. “Oh, okay. So the Thundering are directly tied to Hegemony Leadership, right? It’s not just a matter of their church’s spiritual leader also being the head of state, their bloodline is also directly tied to them. Kind of like an oracle line but… uh… fucked up.” She huffed.
“This isn’t helping expin much, my Goddess.”
“Okay, so the first Otevin was a Saint of the Thundering.”
I paused, noticing a ck of a specific detail. “Which one?”
She rubbed her face. “That’s part of the problem. All of them, kind of. They used to be a true pantheon but now they are a sort of semi-gestalt god-thing. Technically both one god and several. It lets them break some rules without actually breaking them. They pumped the entire pantheon’s power into one man. He was like a dozen Saints all rolled into one and he swept across half the continent in a bloody conquest that sted fifty years before he was killed by a lucky hit from an archer. His children… well, imagine an oracle line, but each one is as strong as a Saint.”
“No. I do not want to.” The very idea sent a shiver down my spine.
“Well you don’t have to anyway, it’s real.”
Viranatta spoke up. “I don’t understand. I’ve never had that kind of power, none of my siblings do either.”
“Not yet. One of you had to cim the power. Normally this is done during the previous High Shaman’s life in a series of tests to decide who is the ‘most worthy’ to rule. Which to the Thundering usually means who is the most bloodthirsty asshole. Then when they take the throne, the Thundering grant them the full power and they get to go conquest and murder once more.”
“But, our father died without testing us, without naming an heir.” The princess’s shoulders lowered and a hand rested on her face. “So they are waiting for lone survivor.”
I felt a growing anger. “That’s why they’ve been tormenting her? To make her go back and fight her brother?”
Vei’Ryn nodded. “They knew she would almost certainly die, but it’s the principle of the matter for them. But now? Well, I can cut them off from her forever. If she’s willing.”
The half-mia nearly knocked over her tea as she moved to kneel before my Goddess. “Anything, I will do anything you ask of me.”
“Well, I do need a priesthood.”
Viranatta paused and looked up at Vei’Ryn. “You want… you want me to be a priestess? But, I am an enemy.”
I cleared my throat. “WERE. You were an enemy. Now you have been saved by the kind and powerful Dreamer. She has seen the good in you, the good you can bring, and granted you a chance to help.”
“I… I have never been particurly pious.”
I gave a small, amused snort. “You didn’t have gods worthy of worship before.”
She took a breath and absently ran her fingers down the side of her hood. “I can’t promise I will be the best priestess. I hardly know you. But I am willing to learn. Not simply for myself, but because you have shown at least some small sign that you are, as your Saint has said, worthy of worship.”
Vei’Ryn smiled brightly. “I am eager to show you what and who I am. I promise you that your life is your own. I don’t need you in my priesthood to give you a barrier from them and after tonight they are likely to write you off entirely and simply give your brother the power. But if you are directly tied to me my power to protect you will be stronger just in case they try again.”
“Do I have to… um…” She shrunk down, her hood retracting and her gaze lowering in embarrassment.
“What, fuck my Saint? Not unless you want to. Though if you do I can certainly say none of her lovers thus far seem anything but happy with the choice.” My Goddess ughed as the princess covered her face in her hands.
I sighed. “She is teasing you.”
“Not entirely~”
“She means to say that informed and enthusiastic consent is the basis for all healthy sexual interactions and forced, coerced, or otherwise not fully willing pairings are a sin to her.”
“True. I have no love for those who leave scars on the soul like that.”
Viranatta looked at me and my Goddess and nodded slowly. “Okay. I will learn to be yours, Dreamer.”
I walked over and flopped onto one of the couches and sighed. “How is this war going to affect things? What do I need to worry about now.”
“I can cover that one, Vei. You take your new priestess away for lessons.” I turned to see Kai had returned. I could feel the other members of the pantheon outside of the house in the Dreamer’s bubble, but they stayed out of the sight of one who had already been exposed to two new gods tonight.
Vei’Ryn stepped away, taking the princess turning priestess into another room deeper into the structure. Once they were away, the other gods all came in, looking somber as they sat on the couches. I looked them over. “How bad is this?”
Kai snorted. “In some ways, this is better.”
“For you.” Juriel spoke, curled up on the couch next to Nel and looking scared.
“It means I can fight them! Directly! None of them were true war gods before they turned into that thing and they are more weakened by their civil war than they want us to believe. I could feel it in my skirmish with them. They were afraid.” Kai barked back, but there was no anger in her voice, only a tinge of hurt.. “Do you think, for one second, that I would be happy about those I love being in more danger?”
Una clucked her tongue like a teacher reprimanding a student.. “Kai. Calm. Juriel is just scared.”
Nel spoke up then. “Which is why we need to discuss this. But,” she turned to me, “we are missing two who need to be here.”
I nodded and took a breath, reaching for the threads. Both brimmed with power so much like my own. I grasped them and pulled. Moments ter Olivia and Sellian were standing in the center of the couches, surrounded by gods and blinking away the confusion on their faces. “Hey. Sorry about yanking you from your dreams but something happened.”
Once my fellow Saints recovered from the dream-yank whipsh they took seats with me and I expined what had happened.
The Warcry’s Saint agreed with Kai. “This is good, they were going to come at us indirectly soon enough. This just shifts things into a form that my Goddess and I can face openly, right?”
Sellian huffed. “It also means they’re going to spend more resources on us sooner.”
“Which is also a victory!” Liv rolled her eyes. “They JUST ended a civil war that tore their nation apart and stripped them of nearly three quarters of their territory and far more of their power. Their military is at best, a tenth of it’s previous might. Coming at us now means they are doing so from a weakened state, not in a few years once they’ve had time to recover.”
“They can still send assassins just fine.”
“Maybe, but I’m pretty damned good at seeing those coming. I had lots of practice even before I joined with my Goddess.”
Nel nodded. “That is honestly a very good point. Provoking them before they regained their strength could very well work to our advantage.”
Juriel sighed. “But our Saints are going to be in more danger now.”
I shrugged. “I have a warship, I’m getting shamans and gryphon riders. Olivia is getting wraiths.”
Sellian spoke up. “And what about me? I just got control of my body back, I’d rather not lose that to a knife in the back.”
“Hrefna would certainly be happy to serve you.” I smirked. “And not just her. Pitrak and Uvtral and Willow Creek all have people willing and capable of protecting a Saint. I would suggest you come with us to see the Tombguard, having a wraith on your side would certainly be a big help I think.”
Sellian blushed slightly. “You really think she’d agree to be my guard?”
I rolled my eyes. “Sel, she wants to fuck you so bad. Like so damned bad. You cannot believe how hot she is for you. As far as she’s concerned, you being big just means that there is that much more or you to love. I know you’ve got self image issues but you are beautiful and desirable. Hell, I was inside you earlier today and I certainly intend a repeat of that!”
Una chuckled and smirked at her Saint. “Oh that is true, she was very, very enthusiastic from what I saw.”
Juriel lightly swatted Una with her oar. “War! We’re in one! Focus you dumb sluts!”
Kai sighed. “Juri, love, I would never let you be in danger that I couldn’t handle. You know that, right?”
Juriel curled in on herself. “What, what if it’s worse than you think though?”
“Than I will be worse than you believe me to be.” The words from Kai’s lips were powerful. A ripple from her briefly turned the pink furniture in Vei’Ryn’s home bck. “I love you, all of you, with everything I am. But I am War. You forget this sometimes, I know you need to, but I cannot. If they come for you, I will fall upon them as steel and blood and death. Even if it means you can never look at me the same.”
Juriel simply nodded and Kai moved forward to hold her lover of rivers and roads.
I turned to Sellian and Olivia. “So we need guards, more than we thought.”
Liv nodded and put a hand on Sel’s shoulder. “I’ll make sure Sellian has loyal and powerful guardians. I know what she’ll need more than you.”
“And I’m on my own?” I smirked, knowing that I was in good hands already.
“Redagga and Dekarru are both enough to make sure your guard are worthy. You are also a trained soldier with a very capable combat css. You already know these things.”
“True, but hearing a Saint of War say them is nice.”
Una crossed her arms and sat back, her face scrunched up in vague worry and annoyance. “So, that’s that? Same as before but with more guards?”
Kai slid into the seat next to Juriel and nodded. “Yeah. We’re moving up our general time-frame and I’ll be building a militant force earlier and rger than I’d pnned on at first, but otherwise that’s it.”
I had a thought and let the idea roll around in my head a bit. I must have been making a face as I did so because when I looked at the gods they were all staring at me expectantly. “Uh… okay so this might also be a good thing. The, militant force thing earlier than pnned I mean.” Kai made a motion at me to continue the thought. “What if we used the upcoming joint operation between the nations as a sort of recruitment?”
Olivia gave me a less than pleased look. “That would step on a lot of toes.”
I shook my head. “Just hear me out. We openly state that the Warcry is building a force of sacred defenders. We make it clear that we want our pantheon to spread to all three of the nations in the alliance, and more if and when others join. We teach Kai’s ways of defending her allies and the innocent as well as her faithful while refusing to aid campaigns of aggression or conquest.”
“That… would actually likely appeal to a lot of disillusioned soldiers. Tell them that their csses, their experience, their abilities can be used in a meaningful way. That they would have a god enforcing their use only to protect.” Olivia nodded slowly. “Some of the leadership would be pissed, I know both Pitrak and Uvtrayl have warmongers with too many bars on their shoulders. But I think the civilian governments would be pleased at the idea of an army that won’t ever start another war, only defend them should one arrive on its own.”
Sellian nodded and cpped her hands. “Oh dear gods yes they would. In Pitrak at least, I know they would love that. Most of the civilian leadership has been at least quietly against the war since before it even started. We knew that racing Uvtrayl to gobble up nd was going to start shit somehow, and we knew we wouldn’t even get to keep anything we took. The Empire would have come in after all was said and done and ‘helped us govern the new territories’. Buncha pricks.”
“I think, I think that Uvtrayl would also like it. We were spreading out to make ourselves bigger and stronger so we could defend against the Hegemony after all. A god supported army that exists to defend, who is also already the enemy of the Thundering and their nation? They’d probably be retively happy with that.”
I nodded, happy that they saw my viewpoint. “So we use the Joint Operation as a sort of… I’m drawing a bnk on an appropriate word. But we tell the nations that the cooperative effort to help protect the peoples of all three nations by removing a serious growing danger to them is exactly the kind of thing the Warcry stands for. That the soldiers and warriors coming to fight the demons are the kind of brave and honorable people that Kai Set’Aara gives her blessings to. The kind of people that she wants to help her protect our homes and loved ones. All while Saint Shieldheart and her honor guard fight alongside those soldiers.”
Sellian raised her brows and tapped her chin in thought, Oliva chuckled and smiled at me. “That would both help recruit for my Goddess’s force and greatly help the morale of the soldiers joining the effort. Directing their thoughts into cooperation and defense. Smart.”
Kai grinned. “Vei really does have a good eye for these things. I am gd you were the one she chose, Esme Dreamsinger.”
“As are we all.” Una spoke, bowing her head. The other gods all nodded agreement, though Nel hesitated.
I met the Ritual’s eyes with my own as I spoke. “As am I. I am truly blessed and happy to be a Saint of Vei’Ryn, a Saint of this pantheon. No matter the bumps and bruises I had along the path here.” She gave me a small smile and a bow of her head, understanding that I had come to terms with what happened and now she could as well.
~
My meeting with the gods had wrapped up not long after, and I went to go have a nice rexing zy river ride with Daisy. We both earned some rexation after that fight. I was taking advantage of her new extra fluffiness to y on her as she id on a giant inftable floatie shaped like a log raft. It was a lovely few hours of rexation and closeness with my noble steed/best friend.
When the morning came it took me a few long moments to remember where I was. I spent longer than I want to admit wondering when the yurt’s ceiling turned to wood.
I sat up and yawned, stretching and looking around the sitting room with all the furniture pushed to the walls and the floor covered in cushions and bnkets. Honestly it reminded me a bit of sleepovers. The ones on TV anyway, Dani never got to go to one. But hey, now she/I could check that off the bucket list. Sleepover in a friend’s living room. Then I looked over at the princess and my heart might have melted just a little bit.
She y on her side, a peaceful smile on her face. A face that was half buried in the elf guard’s chest while her dark skinned guard y on her other side. The two were curled around her protectively in their sleep, holding the scaled woman close.
I had noticed it before when seeing how her guards behaved, but it really hit me in that moment that they were loyal. Not to a princess, not to the potential heir to the Hegemony, not to some title or vow. They were loyal to HER, the person named Viranatta. I wasn’t exceptionally shocked, the hints of who she wanted to be bled through her mask enough that anyone assigned to her for an extended period would see her true self peeking through. But it was still a pleasant surprise.
I watched her sleep for a bit, the sight adorable and calming. But once Azuriel, Luv, and Jaina were awake I prodded the scaled beauty lightly and drew her from her slumber. Her guards woke quickly once she began to stir and tried to pull away in shocked embarrassment, but the princess was slow to wake and her arms and tail clung to them as she gradually returned to the waking world.
“Good morning Viranatta.” I spoke with some authority in my voice. “How did your conversation go after you left with my Goddess?”
The half-mia’s eyes shot open, she turned to me stared. After a few moments she noticed she was still clinging to her guards, causing her to immediately release then and hop to her feet to gain a bit of distance. The blushing all around was adorable. Her guards stood and tried to avoid looking directly at anyone, but the nerves and excitement from having woken being cuddled by the person they felt so strongly for was still clear on their features.
Viranatta took several moments to breath and think. The guards looking conflicted as to how to take what was happening. But all things considered, it looked like they were at least happy she slept through the night for once. But eventually the princess seemed to make a decision, she stepped over to me and lowered herself in a deep bow, pressing her head to the floor in a gesture of submission.
“Saint Dreamsinger. I have spoken with the Dreamer and pledged myself to her service. My title, my name, my authority are all cast aside and I am now no more than a priestess of our Goddess.”
Her guards’ eyes widened, as were the eyes of the guard captain who barged in, clearly having been listening in. “Princess! What has this woman done to you!”
Viranatta sat up and looked at the man, a small smile on her face. “She saved me. She and her gods have delivered me from my torment and given me a chance at a life of my own making. I am choosing to live in service to them, and in service to helping others in the name of the Dreamer.”
I bowed softly to her. “Then I welcome you, Viranatta, first priestess of Vei’Ryn Tayalora.” I turned towards her guard captain. “You sir, are you as loyal to this woman as you seem?”
“I would y down my life without hesitation for the princess.” He snapped back, passion in her words.
“But what about the person? Would you do the same for her without royal backing?”
He turned red, anger in his features. “I have protected her since she was too small to walk on her own. I will protect her until I can no longer walk on MY own. I will see the Ferryman before her, I have sworn this. No matter what.”
I had Luv lift me and sit me in one of the chairs where Azuriel took up position behind me, then I beckoned the man to me. With a fsh of fear in his eyes he turned to Viranatta. She nodded and he walked to stand close enough for me to touch him. I reached out slowly and took his hand. “What is your name, sir?”
“I am Captain Indreth Gailun.” He did not let his fear into his voice.
“I bless you, Indreth Gailun. I name you a guardian of the Dream. So long as your heart is loyal you will have the power to protect your charges in this world, and the Dreaming one.” I tapped into my power, drawing upon my spark of divinity and feeling my body changing, my power showing on my skin and hair and eyes. I wasn’t sure how I knew I could give this blessing, but I did.
Once the power washed over the man, he looked down at me, then at his hand where a violet eight pointed star was now visible on his palm. “I… I do not understand.”
“She is a priestess of the Dreamer, goddess of dreams. The Dream, the realm our minds slip into while we sleep, is normally safe. But the Dreamer has enemies, your charge has enemies capable of vioting that pce. Our goddess cannot spend all of her focus protecting her faithful and her priesthood so she will need those loyal and brave and strong to keep them safe. People like you. Now, should she be accosted by enemies in the Dream again, you will be able to face them yourself and ease her rest.”
The depth of what I had given the man, both gift and duty, spread across his face. He turned to his charge, “you are certain of this, then?”
She nodded. “I am. I spent the night speaking with the Goddess I am to serve, I grew to know her. I believe she is worthy of my worship and my service.”
Indreth stood strong, his face a mask of determination. “Then nothing has changed but the breadth of my duty. I will be your…” He turned his eyes to me, a question on his face.
With a bit of panic I made up a name on the spot. “Yume no ken.” I felt Vei’Ryn ughing at me, mocking Dani’s weeb ways, minor though they may have been. But she still approved.
He nodded. “I will be your, yume no ken.”
“Me-, I mean, us too!” The elf guard stepped over to me, her companion right behind her. “All of us, we will all pledge ourselves to this.”
Which they all did, all of them. It was a relief to know that they were a dedicated lot. Which made more sense when over breakfast Indreth told me that her guard was more than fifty strong at one point, but when it became clear that her brother was going to win the war, most of them turned on Viranatta. They’d hoped that bringing her brother her head would grant them some reward. Only sixteen stayed loyal, and most of them fell putting the traitors down and bringing their princess to safety.
They had not had a moment to mourn them properly, and were not sure anymore that they wanted to. Or rather, they didn’t know the ways of any but the Thundering. A ritual involving the heart of a predator raised as an offering for a fallen warrior. Learning this, I told the new priestess that her first duty was to learn the rituals for a ntern ceremony and to see her fallen off properly. Dekarru and I wanted to teach her, but with only a day before we left we had far too much to take care of. But Weren surprised us all by offering to instruct her, and for once she seemed to actually be taking things seriously. Promising to make certain that the priestess learned how to give the dead a proper and sacred farewell.
I trusted her, as did Dekarru. So we left her to the task while we left to deal with logistics, and also to tell the Elder Council about Viranatta being a priestess now. A fact that they all found various levels of amusing, Banda damned near fell out of their chair ughing. Pagar shook his head and muttered that he was gd this was going to be his grand kid’s problem soon, but he still smirked. They were less amused, but not really shocked (or even particurly bothered) by the news of the war between pantheons. Considering, as we had, that this was inevitable.
Most of the day was spent with Olivia on the Thunderbane (Name changing the second she’s unarmed and Uvtrayl considers her fully mine), coordinating with Captain Yntradam to take on supplies and assign quarters. I also met the few members of the crew who’d volunteered to stay on with me and carefully vetted them with Liv’s assistance. All of them checked out which was a huge relief for me.
Mid afternoon, Sellian arrived with one hundred and twenty four people who’d volunteered for the crew and passed aptitude examinations by Sellian herself and some aides. She was right, there was no shortage of people willing to join on and she’d spent two days trimming the numbers down from a bit over seven hundred. One hell of a pace considering she’d also taken time to enjoy herself. But that still left more in depth interviews with all three of us. Something I was exceptionally gd for when I felt danger as one potential came in. Liv was on him before I could even say anything, pulling a holdout pistol from his sleeve as she held him down. Turns out she had Sixth Sense too.
The man was an Imperial spy, likely not there to kill, just to observe and report. But he was Willow Creek’s prisoner after that moment and no longer my problem. Gods knew I had enough of those. We got through the rest of them over several hours, took a break for supper, and then had one st thing to see to once the sun fell.
A small river ran through part of the Temple District, barely more than a stream. But enough that a single small boat could float along its course, and that was all that was needed. Viranatta stood by the river in a flowing white gown, simple and respectful. Her six guardians and four volunteers from the local priesthood all stood with her, each carrying a ntern.
The half-mia never put her mask back on. It had been part of her duty as a princess to appear as one thing, but now she had entirely different duties. Ones that honesty of who and what she was required of her.
She was nervous but determined as she stepped to the first ntern, held by her captain. She spoke the words well, felt the meaning in her heart, and lit the ntern to send her fallen protector across the river. Ten names were spoken. Ten nterns rose into the night sky. Ten souls were sent to meet the Ferryman.
The world slowed and a pale blue light shone from behind me. I didn’t turn, I didn’t need to.
“She did well. As did you. I am proud of you, my dear friend.”
I had no time to respond before the light faded and the world returned to normal. I felt a swelling of pride in my chest and a tear on my face. Things would be okay. I knew it in my heart.
We would all be okay.
