Whereas everyone in the White Pantheon is important, there are only three that would be described as irrepceable. I am not on that list, as my job could be done by any number of powerful designs that survived the war, the only credit I will give myself is that there is ter in keeping Order than I.

  Leona, of course, for the tai of the beast that is Olephia. Her omnipotent luck singlehandedly guarantees our survival against Olephia’s rampage. Essa has proposed a theory I’m not particurly fond of, which is that Leona’s luck also has started to bind us together. Her request to spare Anassa is dismissed by Fortia and Alsaria, but I will push it through. It will utterly colpse whatever goodwill and prestige Essa has built up during the war and make evei request seem unreasohe dominanagis within society will finally be brought to an end.

  Alsaria is the sed. Of course. The most powerful, the Pantheon’s ao Irinika. I already know that the uping vote will result iher Alsaria or Fortia bee heads of the Pantheon. I have little to say about Alsaria, she simply speaks for herself.

  And the third is a surprising one, Fortia disagrees with me but I give credit where credit is due: Helenna of Love. Every decree we institute has her fingerprints over the paper, if not in the pnning then in the verbiage and phrasing of it. The saying ‘Love is Blind’, that is proven by Helenna’s ridiculous love for the ugly swihat is mundane legalisms. Whereas Fortia and Alsaria disagree on a great deal, there is ohing that is certain. Ohing all of us see, even Kavaa and Atis.

  The end of War cil anisatioy years ago did not free up the Pao the exge of ideas, nor has this Divine democratic experiment worked. It has handed Helenna the Pantheon on a silver pte, all of us see it, know it and are aware of it, a we still dao Helenna’s tune. She does not lie like Mam or Kassandora, she says nothing wrong in fact. That is the danger, her stringing of lovely words ot be argued against or disagreed with, but the proactive stance of Helenna in national politics is something that sits wrong with all of us, we did not win the war forty years ago only to bee what we were fighting against. The anisation will most likely take another decade.

  The White Pantheon keeps Order in the world, someone o keep Order in the Pantheon.

  - Excerpt from ‘The World on our Shoulders’, Written by Goddess Maisara, of Order. Kept within Maisara’s own hidden library.

  Kavaa looked back at the bear as it slowly trotted behind them, huge and shaggy, with thick fur and thicker paws and small rounded ears on its head. Fer had told it something, and then Fer had said she would see them ter. Kavaa wasn’t really afraid, it was only a bear at the end of the day. Iliyal should be the one who was nervous, but the elf was c the forest’s ground as if there was nothing to worry about. They stepped over roots, the walked around bushes, they leaned underh leaves. The bear merely ambled through it all. Fer had taken a longer route around, guided by her own nose. Kavaa and Iliyal only had that thin plume of smoke in the air. Fer said if they got lost, they had a friend to lead the way.

  Birds sung above them as they woke up with the dawn. Foxes and badgers and ras scampered away. Every so often, an eagle would cry from the mountains, a wolf would bark in the distance, a deer would casually stop, look at them, see the bear, then turn and flee. Erdely had been like this as far back as Kavaa could remember, it was Iniri’s favourite part of Epa. The untamed forests, the few people who lived here all subsistence hunters, the mountains quered by vegetation, the iful in its brutality, with ravines and ridges everywhere.

  For Kavaa though, it was the part of Epa she got nightmares about. Back then, every bird had been an eye in the sky for Fer, every woodnd mouse and every furry squirrel a spy. The wolves anised into disciplined packs as if Kassandora was leading them, the boars and bears made for shock troops. Even without the rger animals, men would be picked off by swarms of badgers leaping out of the undergrowth, swiping and biting as they went straight for the neck. Then the animals started to carry Baalka’s pgues, specifically desigo hunt man. A wild dog would walk into camp and beg for food. Soldiers would feed it. It would sleep by the campfire. M came, the dog would walk off, the men would never wake.

  Naturally, any battalion of Seekers would st a week in Erdely. Guardians or Seekers fared er. Naturally, there was only o of orders that could even hope to traverse these woods. Naturally, it was Kavaa’s Cleriaturally, her Clerics had e, and naturally, they died. Kavaa took a deep breath as she looked at the bear again, it was zily swinging its head around, looking around at the pnts by either side. “Do you remember back then?” Kavaa asked Iliyal as she turned back.

  “I was never assigo this region.” Iliyal said ftly. “I had northern Epa and Karaina.”

  “Really?” Kavaa asked. “Not once?”

  “Eight years in the initial push, they straight in Karaina. Not once did I step foot in Erdely. This area had Relio.” Another name Kavaa would never fet, Tibor Relio, another elf. He had died two years before the war ended, when Paraideisius’ flying armies finally mao scour Erdely of Kassandora’s Legions.

  “I remember.”

  “Relio knew what he was doing.” Iliyal said fondly. “The pgue animals were his idea inally before the rest of us adopted them.”

  “I thought they were Baalka’s.”

  “Baalka is more into theory than practical applications.” Iliyal maintaihat fondness as Kavaa walked around another bush. The bear behind them walked through it. “You were this area, weren’t you?” Iliyal asked.

  “I was.”

  “It wasn’t a fair fight from the start.” Iliyal said. “I have nothing to say, but I have respect that you stepped up to take the job.” Kavaa smiled to herself as she circled around. It wasn’t a fair fight, that was true. She had been assighis area because no one else would take it.

  “What would you have done?”

  “In your case?” Iliyal asked. “Or in Fortia’s?”

  “Both.”

  “In Fortia’s case, I would have not tried to push through Erdely in the first pce.” He said it ftly. “In your case though, I would have done my job.” Kavaa smiled to herself as she scaled a fallehat, she could respect. Sometimes, she wished the marshals had been sed. That she had Kassandora and they had Fortia. “I’ve seen how you train your men.” Iliyal said. “These will be Divihough…” He took a deep breath. “I’d rather you follow what I say rather than go with your method.”

  “I’ve not trained Divines.”

  “I assumed.” Iliyal said. “But these girls, they have enough love already. You want to push them.”

  “I do push my men.”

  “Not like I do.”

  “I don’t do needless exercises.”

  “You don’t o.” Iliyal said. “Needless exercises build camaraderie, soldiers grow to miss the routine. We didn’t run needless exercises back theher, the battles repced them.” They both scampered around a series of thick bckberry bushes, looked around. There was no sky here, only faint glimmers of blue ing through a b of pine needles and leaves. Iliyal came to a stop, he turo the bear. Kavaa blinked, if this old elf now revealed he was able to speak to animals… and the elf did speak. “Which way?” The bear stopped, he looked left, he took a sniff, he looked right, he took another sniff. And then he pointed his head and rocked his entire body bad forth as if trying to point.

  “When did you learn that?” Kavaa asked.

  “Learn what?”

  “Speaking to them.”

  “I ’t.” Iliyal said and Kavaa turo look at the bear.

  “I just saw you ask him.”

  “Fer taught him just now.” Iliyal replied ftly. “I don’t know how she does it, ask her about it if you’re that curious.”

  “So he speak?” Iliyal shouted behind himself.

  “ you speak?” The bear looked up at them a walking forwards, past them. Iliyal shook his head. “I don’t think he .”

  “But you…” Kavaa poio the bear, then started following him. “I… he uood you.” Iliyal shrugged.

  “They learn a few words and phrases, I don’t know what she exactly teaches them.” He ughed. “It’s Fer though so… Sit!” The bear stopped, looked at Iliyal. Kavaa looked into those beady animalistic eyes, she couldn’t pce whether there was intelligehere or whether it was simply looking at them. It obviously knew what the words meant. And then the bear shook its head. Kavaa burst out in ughter. The bear turs head bad kept on walking.

  So they kept on walking. Iliyal wasn’t smooth in versation, but he didn’t shut it dowher. There wasn’t a question he shied away from, not even when Kavaa tried pressing him. “What do you think of Kassandora?”

  “She’s the Goddess of War.” Iliyal answered.

  “That’s it?”

  “That’s it.” Iliyal replied. “Useless question, everyone knows what I think of Goddess Kassandora.” The only Divio actually hold the title in the elf’s mind, Kavaa had noticed it before. It wasn’t annoying that she didn’t get it, it was simply odd that he made su exception.

  “Is there anything you don’t like about her?” Kavaa asked. Iliyal actually had to think about it for a moment.

  “No.” He said. These questions were meant to prod him, and they were annoying her!

  “Why?” The elf shook his head.

  “What do you mean why?” He asked.

  “Well why?”

  “There is no why. There is nothing I do not like about her.” Iliyal said.

  “So she’s perfect?” Kavaa asked.

  “No one is perfect.”

  “So then there must be something you don’t like about her then.” Kavaa said.

  “This is a game of semantics Kavaa.” He said ftly. “You trick the words but you ’t trick me, she’s not perfect, but there’s nothing I don’t like.”

  “What about if she had elf ears?” Kavaa asked.

  “I’m not petty enough to care about trite like that.” Iliyal said. Heavens above the man was stern, Heavens above the man was annoying. “Divines don’t hem anyway, you have better hearing than we do.”

  “I’m not sure about that.”

  “You do.” Iliyal said. “Fer does too. Iions don’t t.”

  “That we agree on.” Kavaa agreed. And finally, the bear stopped. He looked behind himself as if to che the elf and the Goddess. They were there, the bear turned bad walked through the push. Kavaa and Iliyal quickly followed. Both through the gap the bear had made. The elf took the lead. There was a clearing here, a few tents scattered about. A few tents, rge, obviously not for mortals. Logs and firewood were cut, there was a campfire. A campfire with a series of Divines sitting around it.

  Olonia was there, in her scale-mail, a traditional Lubskan sabre on her side. on her head though. Snowy-white hair cascaded down her back. She was sat on a fallen log, Saksma o her. That woman wore a chest pte, and colourful clothes underh. A massive greatsword, easily as long as Kassandora’s Joyeuse but much thinner, was leanio her. Paida oher side of Olonia. A sword o her and in full pte. Agrita was oher side of the campfire, in a bronze cuirass and a skirt with a spear. Aliana sat in uniform, a longbow o her. Along with a quiver of arrows, she wore simple clothes, a skirt, tights, a shirt. It was camping gear, not armour.

  Iliyal looked them over and sighed. Kavaa wao sigh too. She remembered when the man told her she’d know what he meant when she saw them. Well she did see them, and she knew what he mealy. It was obvious in the movements, the eyes dang around Kavaa. The way they bouimidly off the bear. Only Olonia had any sort of resistan her, and even Olonia focused on the sword on Kavaa’s hip for too long.

  “I am Iliyal Tremali.” Iliyal spoke up first. “This is Kavaa, of Health.” Kavaa smiled from besides Iliyal, the bear sat dowo them. Why were these national Goddesses looking at it as if it was going to kill them? It was only a bear at the end of the day.

  Olonia stood up immediately. Arms by her side, face half shining with excitement, half trying to look stern and ready. Kavaa let her smile stay on her face. That was cute. Saksma stood up too, o Olonia. Aliana, Paida and Agrita remained sitting as Iliyal looked through them. He walked iween as the y down, Paida was still focused on the animal. “Is that Fer?” She asked. “We heard she’d be ing.”

  “Have a fight and found out.” Iliyal said. None of them moved towards the bear. Iliyal cpped his hands. “Right dies. I’m here to teach you bat, leadership and survival in battle. I am sure Olonia has gossiped about me, that is exactly how I am. I am not your friend right now, I am your instructor. But! I will not keep you here, anyone is free to leave when they want to, I am only a mortal after all.” He extended his arm out. “This is Kavaa. She may disappear if she’s needed elsewhere. I don’t when.” Kavaa had only been pnning to stay for a few days holy. She was already pushing her luck by ing here. “Kavaa, what are your bat powers?”

  Kavaa blinked. What sort of answer did he want? She shrugged. “Nothing unique, I bless troops.”

  Iliyal cpped his hands again. “You are national Divines, Kavaa is a White Pantheon member, but she’s not the stro of fighters, as you just heard, she won’t fly off into the sky or bst you with an explosion. I expect the five of you to be able to defeat her.” He took a step bad turned around to Kavaa. The smile dropped. “Kavaa, you’re wele to start whenever you want to.”

  Aliana stood up. “Excuse me.” She spoke in that posh Allian at. Kavaa had always found it funny. “Is that it?” Iliyal looked to Kavaa, rolled those green eyes, and turned around.

  “What is it?”

  “Just this?”

  “Isn’t there supposed to be more?” Aliana asked.

  “More of what?” Iliyal asked.

  “Expnation?” Aliana asked. Iliyal shrugged.

  “I trust Kavaa is skilled enough to not die to you and I know she won’t kill you.” He said. “Pretend this is a battle. Are you going to have an introdu to everyone you meet otlefield?” Kavaa smiled, mortals didn’t do it, but in the past Divines usually did introduce each other in the past. Then Kassandora had e along. The first year of the Great War was brutal, when her forces would break all traditions and go for the kill whilst the oppo was still talking.

  “And if we get cut?” Aliana asked. Iliyal extended an arm to Kavaa. She stood there proudly, it was rare for ao aowledge the fact she did actually fight. And whilst Iliyal had been a pain to talk to, he did talk to her. The way he talked to these Goddesses was anything but a versation.

  “Kavaa, what is your demesne again?” She didn’t o a. Aliana’s face dropped and the Goddess scowled at the sheer mockery of the reply. Kavaa stepped forwards before Iliyal ahem so much the Goddesses decided to kill him.

  Iliyal stepped back as Kavaa stepped forwards. “If you want to leave, leave after this lesson. Like I said, Kavaa is not a frontline Goddess. She is not Fer. She is not Maisara nor Fortia. Not Kassandora. If she defeats you, then you assume that you are not cut out for battle, because she will go easy on you.” Kavaa didn’t know about, but these girls didn’t o know that. “I will watch you fight, I will be able to ent and give improvements when I see what I’m w with.”

  Olonia stepped forwards first as Iliyal took aep back. “Kavaa, I would prefer if you gave them a ce to strike first.”

  “I will.” Kavaa said. Saksma took the greatsword in both hands. Aliana raised the bow. Agrita hefted the spear. Paida pulled uhed her sword. Kavaa weighed them all herself. Aliana would be annoying, archers always were and Kavaa hadn’t brought the shield. Saksma was slow with the greatsword, it was obvious from the heavy steps. Olonia with her cavalry sabre wasn’t a threat, nor was Agrita. She held the spear as if it ike, spears weren’t to be used like that.

  Olonia quickly stepped forwards. Kavaa stepped to the side. That was the issue with sabres, they swung hard and first, but they didn’t have the agility of a straight sword. She caught Olonia’s arm and pulled her forwards. The Goddess of Lubska yelped, fell, and Kavaa’s k her stomach.

  And after a winding blow like that, one was out. An arrow came from Aliana. Accurate but predictable, it wasn’t an opening, it was simply a shot for the sake of a shot. Against Diviactics like that didn’t work. Kavaa ducked uhe arrow, then rolled to the side as Agrita came in from one side, Saksma from the other.

  Agrita’s spear should have had a shield with it. The woman lunged forwards, Kavaa took a step back. The spear grazed her steel pte. Kavaa’s elbow nded on the woman’s bad Agrita was down. Saksma, spinning with her blonde hair, swung her bde. Kavaa took a step back, then another one when she heard the whistle of an arrow string. An arrow shot past her. Annoying.

  She unclipped her sword sheath and zily avoided another blow of Saksma’s. Slow, even Fer’s beastmen were more dangerous than that. She saw Aliana load another arrow and almost stopped in shock. The woman was looking down at her feet, putting an arrow into her bow. Kavaa had to take step away from Saksma’s bde, threw her sheath in a spin and caught its end. She put all her forto the throw.

  Aliana looked up and caught the sheath on her forehead. And anoddess was sent tumbling back. Only Paida and Saksma left. One greatsword, one bde and armour. Kavaa took a step back as Saksma made another amateurish swing, the sword swung far to her and Kavaa closed the gap. Her chest smmed into Saksma’s, she khe Goddess of Doschia over with just her bulk. A ki the side ensured Saksma would stay down.

  Paida lifted her sword, her eyes blinking to her friends at Kavaa’s feet. She opened her mouth and took a step back. “I-“, Kavaa wasted no time. Her sword smmed against Paida’s. She pushed her hilt to the bde, khe woman’s arm away. Her foot swiped at Paida’s. And the st Goddess fell.

  And Kavaa stood there as Iliyal came close, arms behind his back, he was watg the five Goddesses on the ground. Olonia was on her krying to stand up, Saksma on her side, breathing heavily, Agrita and Paida both stirred and moaned. Aliana rubbed her forehead as Kavaa went to get her sheath. Her sword ut ba, and she clipped it bato her belt.

  She had no words. That was terrible. There were mortals who could provide a harder challehat was nothing to say of the sorcerers she had fought against back then. She saw Iliyal looking at her. “I see it now.” Kavaa said. The man sighed and nodded.

  “We have a long way to go.”