Skye's POV
"Soo, what do you think?" Jasper had sidled on over to me and was resting his arm over my shoulder once again.
"About what?" I knew he was talking about Jacqueline. My heart was still racing from seeing the face of Death itself.
"About Jacqui, of course!" He winked at me. "Pretty hot, huh?"
I pushed him off of me, "You think that about your sister?"
"Good rebuttal!" He laughed. "Seriously, though, you think she's pretty?"
"I found her quite beautiful, yes." I admitted.
"Up until she mentioned her name and title." He solemnly said and folded his arms across his chest.
"Yes that would be it." I sighed. "Who knew Death was a woman?"
"She also gives life you know." Jasper defended. My mind recalled her face. That woman creates life and causes death. She has collected the souls of my family and my friends.
"She must be very busy, killing everyone."
"She's not!"
"Then who is?!"
"We don't know."
I scoffed, "Sorry excuse for gods, not knowing."
"Hey, if we were allowed to come down and investigate we would!" Jasper whipped out.
"Allowed? Gods need permission now?" It was my turn to fold my arms across my chest and lean against the altar.
"From me, yes." A deep voice boomed around the ruins. I looked towards the pews where the voice came from and apprehension gnawed at my stomach. The man was broad and tall. He easily towered over me even at a distance. His dark brown hair was peppered with gray and the universe was in his eyes. Before I could be pulled in, I saw the mans mouth twitch and I shook my head. Again I looked him in the eyes. They were now a dark brown. Weird. I couldn't help but notice that his attire was very fine. Dark blue silk served as his tunic and black silk adorned his legs. No finger was left bare as he wore many golden rings. Around his neck shined silver and gold chains with squares of different gems hanging at regular intervals. Upon his head stood a tall crown made out of crystal with a tiny red ruby at the topmost point. The man continued to speak.
"I am Nero, God of All Matter and Father to all other deities." My mood darkened. If this vain personage was the 'ultimate god' it's no wonder they haven't intervened on behalf of Comwen. "You have obviously already met Jasper, my fourth child, and Jacqueline my fifth." He sat on a throne that I swear hadn't been there before. "In answer to your question, yes all my children abide by my rules and require my permission to break any one of them. If that were not the case then they would cease being my children and your deity." I liked this god less and less.
"So one rule is to not help Comwen even if it is being destroyed." I didn't ask, but he answered anyway, "Yes." I wanted to run him through, but that wouldn't help anything and he wouldn't die anyway.
"Then why are you here?" And not in heaven watching our world fall for entertainment?
"An idea has been brought forth. An idea that may save this world of yours."
I waited patiently for an explanation but none came as Nero suddenly called Josephine to his side.
"I am Josephine, Goddess of Love and Power." She introduced herself and came toward me. Wearing a gown of orange silk, her raspberry red hair fell in spirals to her butt. Yellow and white flowers crowned her head causing her dark chocolate eyes to stand out. Her smooth skin was the perfect shade of pale peach. I hadn't realized that she was taller than me by a few inches until she was standing before me. To say I wasn't attracted would have been a lie. She held a crown in one hand and a sword in the other. Raising them towards me she continued.
"I can give you kingdoms and riches beyond your imagination."
She lifted the crown and allowed it to hover in the air. Suddenly, I was sitting on a throne within a castle made of glass. The ruins nor the gods were anywhere in sight. Trimmed plush grass surrounded the area and an entrance to a garden could be seen from where I sat. Inside, I found myself surrounded by happy rich nobles and peasants alike. Confused, I stared at the crowd.
"Your Majesty." A delicate voice sounded from my right. I turned to see a gorgeous woman curtsying at me. Still confused, I nodded my head and she stood. "I am sent by my father to thank you for your generosity towards our people. The gold you sent us has improved our homes and farms. We now thrive under your rule."
Well that sounded good.
"That's great." I said as I noticed that she was waiting for a reply. Smiling, she curtsied and then left.
"Your Majesty." A dark skinned man approached me. A blue striped tattoo covered his left eye and traveled down his neck. This man was of the Khaet Tribe. Barbaric and cruel, Khaets' often war with their brother tribes for no reason at all but to kill. Taught in the druid ways, they often change their appearance to that of some animal and terrorize and kill whoever enters their land uninvited.
Remembering the time I had to battle with them, I reached for my sword. These men had no laws and no morals. The man stopped in his tracks noticing where my arm was going. "Your Majesty, if you have a quarrel with me I suggest you mention it before attempting to lob my head off." One of these Khaets' attempting civility? No, it couldn't be true. Fighting against my instinct to harm him, I stood from my throne.
"I seem to have forgotten who you are and why you are here." I stated. The Khaet laughed.
"You've had to much to drink then, my friend. I am Ramkr. I sit at your council as the Tribal Ambassador."
"Tribal Ambassador?" I'm sure I sounded like a dumb girl, but I had no idea what he was talking about.
"Yes, I speak for all the Tribes within your kingdom." My kingdom? I looked out the glass walls and at the merry company within. It seems peaceful. Happy. "With you as King," came a voice in my head, "all this shall be brought to pass."
The image before disappeared as suddenly as it had appeared. Josephine still stood before me and she raised the sword which I now noticed had a ruby rose within the hilt.
"Or I can give you power to protect the ones you love."
I was transported to a dark alley and screams could be heard everywhere. I ran to the street and realized it was only dark because of the smoke and ash from burning buildings. People were running chaotically and everyone was screaming. Feeling more at ease in my usual environment, I ran to the left knowing that the brunt of the battle was going to be near the gates.
Realizing then that the town was my childhood home, I ran to the center of it. I haven't seen any demons. This is weird. Once I reached my destination, I heard a scream I dreaded hearing. My mother was beside the broken fountain and an earthen demon was about to tear her to shreds. I roared in rage and the demon looked at me. Not knowing what I was doing, I raised my arm and a blue blast shot towards the demon destroying it instantly. Demon after demon came and each victim was someone I loved. However, I was able to protect them with a simple gesture and get them out of the town. It continued to burn but I didn't care. The people I loved were safe and that was all that mattered. "Is this pleasing to you?" I heard the voice in my head once more. Staring at the people beside me and then gazing at the destruction of my village, I knew my answer.
"Stop playing games with my head, woman." I wiped sweat off my brow as reality came to me again. Standing in the midst of deities within Jacqueline's ruined Temple, Josephine laughed heartily.
"Is that not what all men say?"
"Shut up." I don't care how unwise it was, but she crossed the line. "I want nothing from you, you wench!" I batted the crown away and the sword as I stomped toward her. "Do you usually cause people to relive their worst memories? And what's worse, provoke them with power to help themselves and the ones they love? Fully knowing that they cannot possibly save their lost ones because their loved ones are already dead?! Do you get off on dangling power and love in front of mortals and watching them lose their minds?!" I watched as her face morphed into one of mirth to utter astonishment and then to anger. I wasn't done yet. "Out of all the gods and goddesses of Comwen, you are the worst. I would rather go to hell then spend one more minute in your company!" I barreled past her and continued to walk towards the door. Nero's throne was in the way and I didn't miss the thoughtful expression on his face as I left.
Leaving the ruins of the Eternal Temple in Celeste's City, I felt lighter as if I had just emerged from a sea I had been drowning in. Gathering my things (which consisted of my sword's sheath and buckler which denoted my rank, bow and empty quiver, and multiple daggers) I remembered why I had come this way in the first place. I needed arrows and the marketplace was this direction. I followed the broken alleyway to a much nicer road.
Humans cluttered the street, going back and forth from vendor to street vendor. Each one yelling out his or her wares and gathering the coin they received under a cloth awning. Each one a different color than the last. All in all, it gave me a headache. Pushing past several bystanders, I located the weapons merchant near the back end of the street. I was disappointed to see that he had no arrows.
"Looking for something, Captain?" The vendor in question was a short bald man with long thick eyebrows and a long braided red beard. Man was not appropriate, this one was a dwarf.
"Are all these from the mountain then?" I gestured to the swords, daggers, battleaxes, and rods.
"Carved from her this very week!" He proudly proclaimed. I looked over at the rods. Only a dwarf would carve magic rods from stone. I laughed lightly to myself. "See something you like?"
"Oh no, I'm not a magic user." I explained. He raised his eyebrows at me.
"Oh? Then what's that?" He pointed to my sheath which was emitting a soft orange glow. What the devil? I pulled my sword out. Jasper's blood stained the steel and that is what was glowing.
"In all my life, I have never seen something so exotic!" He reached for the blade but I quickly put it away. "What kind of power does it have and where did you get it?"
"It has no power," that I know of, "and a friend of mine forged it."
"Talented friend." the dwarf's eye twitched. "I'd like to meet this friend someday. Where does he set up shop?"
Unsure if this merchant was going to be okay, I responded. "Wildgate."
"An army outpost. Good meaning civilian merchants can't get in there." A devilish glint highlighted his features and he winked at me.
"I'll remind you, dwarf, that I am a Captain in General Griffin's company and you will stay your post here in Celeste's City, merchant." I spit.
"And besides, good meaning civilian merchants don't come out alive from that place." A deep voice broke through the hum of the crowd. The dwarf and I turned to see a tall man striding towards us. His short brown hair and matching beard was groomed nicely and his clothes reminded me of a wealthy civilian. Something about him seemed off, however. The dwarf seemed unperturbed.
"Eh." He shrugged and returned to selling his wares. The stranger approached me.
"You might want to keep that hidden." He nodded toward my weapon. Hurriedly, I followed his advice. Motioning for me to follow him, he led me towards another merchant selling arrows.
"Thank you." I said as I bought my arrows from a bored human child of thirteen.
"Yeah, yeah." He barely mentioned as he sat back down. Turning towards the stranger I asked, "Who are you?"
"Nikolai, Jacqui and Jasper's brother." He motioned for me to follow him down a deserted alleyway. Another god? I rolled my eyes but followed him anyway. Once we were out of earshot of anybody, he turned to me. "What's your name? I missed it in all the commotion."
"Skye Firebird, Captain in General Griffin's company." I automatically replied. Nikolai smiled. "So, what should I call you, oh great deity of wind and wisdom?"
"No need to be sarcastic, Captain. You can call me Nikolai."
"Alright, what do you want from me Nick?" I leaned against the wall.
"I came to congratulate you on pissing Josie off." Josie? I laughed out loud.
"You call her Josie?!"
"You're missing the point."
"I know, I've made a Goddess angry." I rolled my eyes. "I've never believed in great deities creating the world and everything in it. Now that I know they are real, I'm supposed to be happy and accepting? I'm supposed to blindly follow your every command? You created this world and now you sit back and watch it burn."
"We had--"
"No choice, Nero's command and all that, I get it." I angrily retorted. "No, you had a choice! To obey that rule or to fall and help. You all chose to abandon this world. The way I see it, you have no business here. So run along to heaven or wherever it is you go, and I'll enjoy my time in hell." I began to stalk off when I heard his voice behind me.
"We can't directly help this world, but there is a chance we can help it."
I abruptly turned toward him. "Why now?! You've had fifty years to clean up this mess and you've let us fight for ourselves. What is so different now?!"
"You."