Well, that was something. A talk with Henna and a kiss that melted my brai me just sitting on the bench that remained behind when her dream vanished. A few minutes passed with me staring at the Dream’s stantly ging sky before something tapped my shoulder.

  I turned and saw… uh, how do I put this. A horse sized snake, with dozens of simple i like legs and a pair of squirrel arms? I know that sounds horrifying, but holy it retty cute somehow. It waved at me timidly and poi the bench I was on.

  “Are you another Dream creature?” It nodded. “And you need my bench for something?” It hesitated then nodded again with a shrug. “Well I o get going anyway. So have at it friend.” I stood and stepped away. Then the snake bug squirrel thing opes jaws and swallowed the bench whole.

  I blinked and tilted my head, thinking for a few moments before the ao my unasked question hit me. “Oh! You’re a er!” It turo me and nodded. “Oh gosh, I haven’t been making a bunch of extra work for you, have I?”

  It shook its head and made several small short hisses it took me a moment to realize was ughter. “Well that’s good, I don’t wanna be known as the new litterbug in the neighborhood.” I smiled and held out my hand. “I’m Esme, o meet you. Do you have a name?”

  I spent the few mialking to my new friend Rowan. Which is the name I gave him. Apparently Dream beings don’t usually have names because they have some other means of identifying and addressing each other, but they appreciate being given names if his and Daisy’s excitement over theirs is any indication.

  It seems ers usually don’t get a lot of work so it’s been o pop out and actually do something on a while with me altering dreamscapes. I just had to keep things simple because big jobs are a pain and give them belly aches.

  I was enjoying my versation with my Dream buddies whewo off them suddenly stiffened and bowed towards something behind me. I didn’t o turn to feel my Goddess approag me. “You’ve been busy learning and growing in here my Saint. I’m proud of you.”

  I faced her and bowed my head. “I am pleased to do so my Goddess. As I am pleased to see you getting out and about as it were.”

  She chuckled and kissed my forehead. “Well I have some prote now, and I am still more powerful here than non-dream gods would be and I don’t think any other dream gods survive on your world so I am likely very safe now.” She took a breath and looked around the raw Dream. “But I am not here to speak off that. You have someoo meet.”

  “Just one?” I asked, remembering her promise to introduce me to her pantheon.

  She smirked. “Do you remember what it felt like meeting me aing Muwyn for the first time?”

  I blinked and nodded “Ah, yes. I imagiing several gods at once for the first time would be overwhelming.”

  “Even for a Saint.” She patted my head and took my hand and drifted into the Dream. “I’m starting you off in the deep end. Kai is a wonderful goddess and the truest of us all with her emotions. But she is also very… severe. Severe is accurate.”

  “Should I be worried?”

  “No, she’s not happy that you were picked against some of our other options. So she might be a bit cold, or maybe aggressive, but she won’t actually hurt you no matter what she says or implies.” We reached the wall to her bubble and Vei’Ryn pulled us through. “Kai! I brought her! Get your cute butt off the coud say hi!”

  I stepped into the pink explosion that was my Goddess’s bubble and saarts of it were not so pink, gray had seeped into an area around the couch. A dull metallic gray like unpolished steel. Then the gray moved and I saw a wall of shields and spears step closer.

  She was an armory in motion, a thousand soldiers marg across a field, on fire and gunshots and the screams of the dying. She was a fortress whose walls could not fall and lone officer whose words dictated the fate of thousands. She was the roar of victory and the cheers of those saved, she was the remembrance of the lost and the weeping for those they left behind. She was the hands shaking over a treaty and a promise between powers. She was a shield and a bde and a promise and I was both terrified and forted by her presence.

  Her skin was steel, her hair was smoke, her eyes were dark pits that I could n myself to look into at first, but once I did I found a somber acceptance of the ugliness of war. No color, no light, just pead the death that purchased it.

  I took a shuddering breath and realized I was on my knees again, tears streaming down my face. Vie’Ryn and The Green Mother were overwhelming power and majesty, I will never say otherwise. But this goddess? I knew her too well to not be broken by her presence, even if only for a moment.

  This goddess was War.

  Unlike my Goddess, she was clothed. A bd red sleeveless dress slit up the sides to her hips, the upper portion looking quite a lot like what one might call a ‘sexy military officer’ e. Though it also looked to be made of a durable material and I think I could make out some kind of light arm uhe fabric.

  She gru me. “Well she knows me, so maybe she’s not pletely useless. But soldiers do typically have a more serious rea, so I’m not impressed.”

  A more serious rea? I’m pretty sure my heart stopped for a sed! Though, to be fair, Lietri me did kind of avoid bat even while in active duty. I pulled myself up ohat fought me for a few moments. Oanding I bowed. “I am Esme Dreamsinger, Saint of-”

  “Why the hell wouldn’t I know who you are?” She barked at me.

  I stood up straight. “Introdus are a matter of manners.” I spoke softly.

  “This is a waste of time. I don’t even know why I’m here, she’s your doll, not mine.” Her tone was sharp, angry, but it felt less severe that I would expect of a war god.

  “Because Charon requested it.” I answered her question and watched as she froze. Her body nguage ged quickly to veiled fear as she turo look at Vei’Ryn.

  “Vei? What is she talking about?”

  My Goddess cleared her throat. “She’s… uh, she’s a friend of the Ferryman. Like, actual, literal friend apparently. We were almost too te pulling her back.”

  The look the war goddess gave me was likely not uhe look I’d give first. Awe and worry, though obviously far more subdued. “Oh.” The word was soft and filled with a fearful uanding.

  I cleared my throat. “He’s not angry, he just wanted my Goddess to introduce me to her pantheon.”

  She nodded slowly and then offered a small formal bow. “I am Kai Set’Aara, The Warcry. Goddess of rote. Lover of Vei’Ryn Tayalora and the others of our pantheon.”

  I raised an eyebrow and looked at my Goddess. She shrugged. “How do you think pantheons form? Either friend groups or polycules if they’re healthy ohough, groups of assholes do sometimes get together just to make others suffer.”

  “Thundering Pantheon?” I asked and she nodded. Kai fought back a ugh, mostly successfully. I turain. “It is a pleasure to meet you, Warcry. I uand I was not your first choice, but I will do all I to secure your py world regardless.”

  She stared at more for a few long moments while I fought to remain still and not fidget nervously. Eventually she sighed. “If you’ve mao befriend the Ferryman, you are worthy. Maybe not the mighty warrior I desired, but even I know the importance of things other than bat.”

  Vei’Ryn smiled and put an arm around her divine lover “She’s also mao get into the heart of a general and a true warrior, and their pants in fact.”

  Kai turned and narrowed her eyes at my Goddess. “How would you know what a true warrior is you pacifist half-wit?” The words were harsh but the tone and the look on Vei’Ryn’s fae there was only love between them. Some private joke maybe.

  My Goddess ughed and swatted her lover’s chest lightly. “Listen here you meat headed grunt, I am a dream goddess. I know what a warrior dreams of, better than you do in fact. So if I say someone is a true and mighty warrior, they ARE. Got it?” She poked Kai’s nose and smirked.

  The war goddess smiled turo face Vei’Ryn fully. “And what is it a warrior dreams of?”

  “Peace.” I spoke up before my Goddess could. “A true warrior knows that the sword is not power, but a burden. Ohat is best kept sheathed. A burden whose purpose is to end violenot e.” I blinked and tilted my head. “I think someoold me that once, I ’t remember who.”

  “Okay, so your Saint isn’t an idiot either. Fine, I accept her.” She slowly raised a finger and poi me. “But. You are not MY Saint.”

  “You could make one yourself now you know.” Vei’Ryn spoke.

  I cleared my throat. “My Goddess, perhaps it would be best to establish your chur Reltris and find a worthy one among your future followers rather than…” I let the fact that I had beey much been press-ganged into my position hang in the air.

  Kai gred at me. “We didn’t have a choice, we were trying to survive.”

  “And had you not chosen me I would be dead as well, I am not ungrateful. But anht be. I do not bme you for your desperation, but you are no longer desperate. I ask only that you sider patien this matter, goddess.”

  Vei’Ryn looked far muilty than Kai did, though Kai also had a hint of it in her metallic features. Kai sighed and nodded. “I am uo this. Being a god is more trouble and less fulfilling than I imagined.”

  “Well we’re not there yet, silly.” My Goddess kissed her lover’s lips lightly. “We don’t even have a church yet and our only follower is my Saint.” She then smiled at me. “But don’t you worry about that, I’ve been making pns of my own. As have the others of our Pantheon.”

  “Juriel especially.” Kai nodded.

  “Wait, really?” There was genuine surprise in my Goddess’s voice.

  “You allied us with nature gods, what did you expect?” Kai ughed, her smile made me think of victory celebrations. The overwhelming happiness and relief that its over and you rest now and be safe. “As soon as she got the news she rushed of to meet the two of them.”

  Vei’Ryn giggled at this. “That does sound just like her. I hope she doesn’t get carried away.”

  “Una followed. They’ll be fine.”

  I cleared my throat again and they turo give me looks that had a hint of apology. My Goddess took a breath. “Okay, so. First off, I’m gd you figured out why you need children. Though I hope I don’t o say it…?”

  “My child with Dekarru won’t t because they will be a tinuation of the Green Mother’s oracle line.” I’d had a feeling it would be something like that.

  Vei’Ryn smirked and gave a ‘told you so’ look to Kai. “My smart Saint. That is true, teically I could bestow them my power…” She let the rest hang and I realized she wanted me to show off my brains. I wasn’t certain, but I could guess at the issue.

  “But that would be stepping ooes of your new ally, likely in a very serious and personal way?”

  Kai raised a brow. “Hmm, yes I see what you mean now. She’s quick to uand things.”

  Vei’Ryn sighed. “Most of the time. Though shogly deher times and wly dumb and self-destructive.” I lowered my gaze. “I know, you’re trying. You have a lot more baggage than you realize and it’s weighing you down. You o share the burden with those willing to help you and I know you’re learning this. I’m only thankful that you have found a family t your stupid ass out of your nonsense when you .”

  I looked up and nodded. “They are the best thing I could hope for. I don’t know what I would do without them.”

  Kai let out a huff. “Too much touchy feely hug-it-out bullshit. Tell me about your bat capacity.”

  “Oh, um… I’m a sniper?”

  “That sounded like a question.” She crossed her arms and gred at me.

  “I’m a sniper. I specialize in le high accuracy shots that are inteo disable a target i. I have a bolt a rifle that I am getting damned good with and Briggavel is making me o of a high level celestial’s on that be boosted with aricraft inscription, I look forward to seeing what it do. I also have skills that help me remain hidden and hard to hit, though defense is a sedary for me in battle. The enemy ’t hurt me if they’re incapacitated after all.”

  “Are you the only fighter in yroup?”

  I smiled and shook my head. “Luvetra is a sneaky type, impressive sidering how huge she is. She dashes around with bdes and a bow and is art in motion in a fight. But I think as a goddess of rote, you might want to hear abga more.”

  “Oh?”

  “They call her The Wall.”

  Kai uncrossed her arms and raised her brow, then motioned for the nearby couch. “Tell me of her then. Perhaps if she is worthy I will be more fident—. No, less fearful, in your duty as our only agent on your world.” Holy felt right ing from her. Admitting she was afraid felt natural and made me feel closer to her. She was very different from my Goddess, but I was starting to like her.

  I smiled and took a seat o her, then started to tell her about Red.