Henna’s Perspective

  When I awoke I could still taste her on my tongue. Gods what is wrong with me? It was bad enough that I’d made that mistake once, but to keep making it? To make it with Jaina as well orain? I wasn’t even this bad as a teenager. But hey, if I was going to fall for someone, a Saint was at least a worthy goal.

  Getting ready for my day was surreal. I kept expeg to wake up, like this was all still a crazy dream. The thought was holy terrifying, if that happe would mean it wasn’t real. They were dead. So I drove on and attacked my day with a vigor I hadn’t felt in weeks.

  An hour ter I stepped into my headquarters and cleared my throat. The seven people w at desks all stopped and looked up. “Dekarru, oracle of the Green Mother. What do we know?”

  Dennis spoke first. “Three hundred and nine years old, nearing level two huhe only living member of her line. She’s gay so not much ce of her oracle line tinuing. One of the leaders of Willow Creek due to her religious importao their god.”

  Katty nodded and spoke . “She took part in the war against the Empire a couple of turies ago, not that I feel great calling it a war si was a sitle that was overwhelmingly in Willow Creek’s favor.”

  El squeaked aated, everyoopped a quiet to let the small eak. “She uh, she is one of the few people that has the ear of the Fae Lord in that regios suggest they are something close to friends.” She swallowed and tinued after a moment. “She’s the de fatco leader of the um, the Green Mother’s Path. A naturalist subculture that has wildly varyiations throughout Willow Creek. But b-basically they are nudists that have a lot of sex and frequently practice a kind of, group retionship? Like, having multiple partners but everyone knows about each other and sents to the whole deal.”

  Katty snorted. “Gods, I barely stay sah one husband. I’d lose it entirely with two.”

  I chuckled. “Maybe if he had another wife it would take some of the load off of you though.”

  Dennis raised a brow. “Why are you asking about her, Boss?”

  “Because I o call her ter today. I have information she’s currently in Beaver Valley and I have some questions for her.” I paused. If it was just a dream it would be a waste to pn for more but… “Also, see about getting me an appoi with the High Marshal this evening. High priority. Assuming she’s still in town?”

  “She is, not scheduled to head back to the capital for four more days.” Katty informed me.

  A round of nods and they all got back tood people, personally picked to be my hands. I trusted them all with my life. I went into my offid sat. A few hours she said. It made sense, Beaver Valley was a few hours behind us to the west so they were all still asleep most likely.

  Gods, a Saint. I fucked a Saint? Wait, she hadn’t ged yet, did that t? Was she a Saint when we had sex? Damn. That’s a weird question to ask. Time to distract myself until lunch with mods damned paperwork.

  A few hours ter and El brought me a pte of food. A nice pasta dish with grilled fish and roasted vegetables. The pce dowreet is one of my favorites and my staff knows it. “Lunch already?” I asked as I set my work aside.

  El smiled. “You always fet to eat unless one of us reminds you.” She turo leave aated, then turned back. “Are you feelier? You’re… more animated today, m-ma’am.”

  I nodded softly. “Hopefully it stays that way.” Was all I was willing to give just yet.

  Once my food was finished I took a deep breath. I stood, locked my office door, poured mana into a silence field geor on my desk, and stared at the bulky le unications deviy desk. It was teically just an aricraft radio, but boosted and reinforced against interception. I used this thing maybe twice a week and always on important business. If I used it for this and it was nothing? I’d feel extremely stupid at best. But I had to know it was real.

  I dialed the official diplomatic frequency for Beaver Valley and eled mana into the device. There ainful wait for several moments while the device ected and the other line rang. It felt like ages but was holy faster than I expected.

  “This is the Willow Creek Elder’s Hall, who may I ask is calling?” A very professional voice spoke oher end.

  “General Henius of Uvtrayl, calling to request to speak with Oracle Dekarru of the Green Mother.”

  “Ah, General. Dekarru was expeg your call, one moment please and I’ll put her through.” That owerfully good to hear, also a bit scary to be ho. I barely had time to think before there was a hit the line and soon a different voice spoke.

  “General! Stareyes has many good things to say about you, as does our healer.”

  “Oracle Dekarru I presume?”

  “Dekarru is fine, I don’t much care for standing on de among friends, and if half of what irls say about you is true, you are indeed a friend.”

  “Es-, Stareyes. She was… that was real? It was true?” I couldn’t stop the waver in my voice.

  “She’s never lied. Held bae details once or twice, usually to self detriment, but lied? Never.”

  I choked back a sob. “Thank you, gods, thank you. I was so… how do I even put it to words?”

  “You don’t. You put it to a. I’m going to request you as our liaison going forward and imply that we’ll be unhappy about other options. To be direct, we’re w entirely on Stareye’s reendation here and she says you’re someone we trust. I expect to see you here within a fht.”

  “I’ll try and expedite that as much as I .” I think I mao keep the nervous excitement out of my voice. I felt like a kid again going on a date with a crush and was worried about what to wear.

  The rest off the call was short aremely official. We needed certain words said iain ways to make things ‘state approved’ as it were. The exact same thing said in different words make too damned much differen politid we both had enough experiehat when the call ended, I had a hell of a lot of power behind me. I just o use it right.

  I khe evening was going to be a headache at best, so I spent my afternoon rexing. I had tea at a parlor downtown, fed ducks at the park, and had to deal with El thinking I was dying. Girl is the most perceptive woman I have ever met but jumps to the worst possible clusions immediately. So when she saw my mood shift so suddenly and then I skipped work to have a rexing day? She assumed the most horrible thing possible. It was cute if I’m being pletely ho. I’ve always looked at her like the gy little sister my parents refused to have no matter how much I begged for it.

  Crisis averted just in time, I made my way to the military base just to the east of town. An old but solid empt put in by the Hegemony, it had seen more celebrations than training until the war with Pitrak broke out. A huge ter area that normally held massed troops for iion erfeassive boo burn anything with Hegemony markings. Hell, we still had yearly celebrations of independence by burning a straw lion, the symbol of our former rulers.

  That day however, there was far more activity than normal. Which was expected sidering the leader of our military was there. Even I had to stop at two checkpoints despite my rank and the fact that I came here twice a week on average. An annoyance I normally would have been bothered by, but today I was in too good of a mood.

  Half an hour ter I walked into the base ander’s offid ordered everyone below my rank out. High Marshal Olivia Turanade gave me a look of supreme annoya didn’t termand the order. O was just the two of us I pced my hand on the wall and eled mana into the privacy field. I stepped over to her and nodded my head slightly. “Thank you for not starting a fight right away, Ma’am.”

  She sighed and nodded, her messy bun of graying bck hair boung softly at the motion. “Despite what you think, I sider you one of the best people in this nation. Both professionally and personally You were wrong about the girl, but I uand why you don’t agree. But you still have my trust, so I’ll give you my ear when you ask for it.”

  I took a breath and stepped forward, and punched her in the mouth. “Good, because you o hear what I have to say.”

  “Devatius! What in the hells has e over you!?” she barked out at me, gripping the desk she had stumbled against from my blow. “Assaulting a superior officer? Pung the gods damned High Marshal!? Have you pletely taken leave of your senses?! I could have you court-marshaled for this!”

  “Yeah well, you won’t. Instead you’ll thank me and start kissing my ass because I’m pulling Uvtrayl out of the fire.”

  “What are you talking-”

  “I got us an in with Willow Creek. A BIG ohat shut her up fast, she rubbed her lip and checked for blood. I’d pulled the blow so she was fine.

  A few moments of silence passed between us. “Our diplomatic corps says we’re doing fine iiations. We don’t need an in.” There was hesitan her voice, she aranoid person so didn’t trust good news from people unless she khem personally. And she didn’t know any diplomats outside of official funs.

  “Our diplomats are being pyed. The Elders had no iion of f an alliah us, they just made us think so to get better trade deals.”

  Her shoulders slumped, sock to the lip aside, she did trust me. “But you have a e there somehow? You get in touch with one of their generals?”

  “Dekarru, Elder of Willow Creek and the only living oracle of the Green Mother. I spent the afternoon oalk-box with her.” The High Marshal’s eyes widened a bit. “Turns out the two of us have a mutual friend and said friend suggested me as a tact to start actual talks for a formal military alliance.”

  She sched up her fa fusion. “What ged?” Good, one of the things I liked about Olivia was she was smart enough to cut to the most important things first.

  “Our intel is wrong. The Emperor isn’t sick, he’s dead. His daughter is taking the throne and her saber rattling has even the Elders worried.”

  “Fuck.” She swore and paced in the office. “This will make the war so much worse, won’t it? Even if Willow Creek joins us, if the Empire directly supports Pitrak things will get dark, fast.”

  “I have news on that front as well actually. Pitrak’s Prime Minister is eager to talk peace. In fact, he’s ready to ask for our help in breaking away from the Empire entirely.”

  “How you possibly know all this?”

  “Because, to be blunt, Willow Creek’s intel is leaps and bounds ahead of ours. Also, it seems that the Fae-Lord in their nation has been doing some kind of manipution to push the Prime Miowards jumping sides. Apparently demons have been feeding on our battlegrounds, heading south, and causing them no end of problems. So they have been w to end the war their own way. I don’t know more than that, I’m just telling you what I’ve been informed.”

  She paused and leaned back against the desk. “How certain are you of the validity of this information?”

  “More than I should be, to be ho. I’m trusting my friend on this pletely, but I’m also having things looked into because I’m not stupid. In the meantime, my presence has been requested in Beaver Valley by the Elder’s cil. I’m getting my ducks in a row and I’ll be heading out via airship by the end of the week.” I paused and took a breath. “This… may be a perma position, Olivia.”

  “You don’t think you’re jumping the gun on this?”

  “Don’t you dare. You flew off the damn handle and got good people killed over your paranoia. I at least am w to STOP more death.” I mao keep the anger out of my tone, but only just.

  “Paranoia? Are you kidding me? You saw the report, you know what our oracle said! ‘The enemy, shattered and tained will e to end our ways and pnt flowers to our memories.’ How could you hear that as anything but a threat?”

  I sighed. “And they will mend the broken, build upon ruins, and spread their joy to all.” I fihe procmation for her.

  “Yeah, fantastic, they e and kill Uvtrayl and build something on raves, wonderful for whoever survives. Does ‘end our ways’ mean nothing to you? We just got our freedom and you think-”

  “ods are dead Olivia! We all know it! We pretend it isn’t true because we need something to hold on to but prayers are hollow, blessings ended before even I was born, and the oracle line has barely any power left!” I huffed out a breath and rubbed my face. “Csses specific tods vanished in my grandmother’s time, the holy artifacts that have been recovered no longer fun… Olivia, the old ways are going to turn into a weight around our necks and the water is rising.”

  She gred at me, I knew she would. She was devout, turies ago her family were padins with the Uvtrayl churd she wanted her children randchildren to step into that role herself one day. “You don’t know that for certain.”

  I stepped over to a chair and lowered myself into it slowly. I took a moment to breathe and just think.

  She didn’t wait for me, we’d known each other long enough to read into my silence. “Henna… you don’t know that for certain. Tell me you don’t know that for certain.”

  “I’m sorry Liv, Dekarru firmed it herself with me earlier today. The Green Mother told her directly that the Thundering Pantheon killed Uvtrayl’s gods nearly a tury ago. It’s why the Hegemony was so strid severe in rooting out worship. Sods would be weakened enough for theirs to wipe them out.”

  “No, no she’s lying.”

  “Liv.”

  “Don’t you ‘Liv’ me! This is all just some cruel prank right? To get back at me for the train?” Her voice betrayed none of the panic I could see in her eyes, but even for her she was slipping.

  “Liv.”

  Silence filled the room, Olivia walked slowly to the ander’s desk and lowered herself into the chair behind it. “Anna. What do we do without ods?”

  “I don’t know. But Esme was not going to destroy Uvtrayl, only help us say goodbye to a part of our past we ever recover.”

  “If that’s true, you should have hit me harder. Or maybe shot me.” She leaned ba the seat and stared at the ceiling for a bit. Then I noticed something, the bags under her eyes were not nearly so bad as normal.

  “Finally getting enough sleep?”

  She snorted. “Dreams have been… weird, but better. So yeah, more sleep. Not enough though, never enough.”

  “Do you believe me?”

  “I wish I didn’t. I would even be willing to give up the alliah Willow Creek if it meant ods were back.”

  “I don’t know what she meant. But Dekarru told me there might be a different hope for us. I asked, and no she didn’t mean trying t us their gods. But she wouldn’t say more.”

  “Hope is something in desperately short supply for us. I don’t know if you heard, but there are only two of the Hegemony shits left, Prince Ran and Princess Viranatta. Ran has almost three times as much territory and power as his sister and things are not looking good for her. That war might be over by the end of the year. Then whichever of the shits is ohrone will want to start reg territory, including ours.”

  I grunted, I hadn’t heard this yet. Not surprising however. “Well then we’ll o secure the alliances with Willow Creek and Pitrak as quickly as we .”

  Olivia nodded and searched the desk for a few moments before pulling out a bottle of northern cherry brandy. A bit sweet for my tastes, but we both needed a drink. In two gsses we would start discussiails and pnning. But for the moment, we would raise a gss to our dead gods. Saying goodbye to one more bit of hope.

  I really needed Esme and that vague prophetisense our oracle mao get out to be what I hoped it would be. A new way forward for our people. I suppose I would find out soon enough.