"Dummy thick, and nothing more" Is my new favorite line.
Norah
Norah walked through the cabin halls. Vaella was mercifully nowhere to be seen and Norah was in no mood for a lecture.
She ventured into the living room, scanning past the sofa and tables to the TV. With the cabin's magical electricity, connecting their technology was a puzzle Norah left Milo to figure out. They didn't quite have Wi-Fi, but Milo was able to set up a hotspot which allowed them subscription shows and movies. They still couldn't contact the outside world, though. It was like a bubble and Norah wondered if Vaella's barrier encasing the cabin helped with that.
There was a sharp hiss of pain, followed by a curse from the hallway.
Norah walked toward it, following down the line of rooms. She met a door and knocked with a single knuckle.
"Come in."
Norah entered, glancing around the lavish room. Everything was crisp and neat lines. Modern but not overly expensive looking. There were shelves with pictures of people Norah didn't know. A closet full of clothes and a white dresser across from the giant bed stacked with blankets and too many pillows.
She followed the light into the bathroom, finding Nev braced against the shower wall. Blood streaked down her leg, even as Milo poured cleaning solution down the wound. The cut was clean, running from the top of her thigh and down diagonally. It was deep; if Riveta were here she would be recommending stitches.
Nevaeha had her hands pressed against the wall, all her weight on her good leg while the other was stuck out behind her, bleeding.
The pair froze, eyeing her like they got caught stealing priceless jewelry.
"How are you feeling?" Milo asked slowly.
"Slept like the dead," Norah replied.
Neither of them smiled.
Dagen would have.
"I can take over," Norah said.
Milo wet his lips, sharing a worried look with Nevaeha. But it was Norah, so he stood, making sure Nevaeha was secured before doing so. "She's just trying to help," she murmured as he passed.
Norah stared at Nevaeha, standing in the doorway as Milo left.
Like the rest of Nevaeha's room, the shower was straight out of a home magazine. With dark tiles and shiny marble walls and black shower fixtures, the bathroom was beautiful.
She could guess what Nevaeha was thinking by the words Milo left her.
"I'm here to heal your leg," Norah said, closing the glass door behind her. "Are you alright with that?"
Nevaeha weighed the options, but found none of them would do her any good. She nodded once.
Norah dropped into a crouch, examining the wound up close. There were pieces of dirt wedged between the skin, not something Norah could heal away or destroy without causing unnecessary pain.
She took the brown bottle of cleaning solution, shifting into a better position. "It's going to hurt."
Nevaeha braced herself, burying her face into her elbow. Her breathing shook.
Norah tugged at the wound, pulling it apart and pouring the solution down Nevaeha's leg before she could so much as gasp.
She groaned, clenching her hands into ghostly white fists. Her entire body went rigid, veins bulging along her neck and temple.
Norah set down the solution, examining the wound as Nevaeha panted, deep and hard. Beads of sweat collected on her skin.
There was still more dirt, stuck deep. Norah poured again, squeezing the bottle harder so the stream pushed it out.
Nevaeha grit her teeth, exhaling sharply.
Norah made it quick and hard. She set down the bottle again, careful to keep her touch light and soft as she studied the wound again. All sharp and clean lines.
She let Nevaeha breathe for a moment.
"Do you want me to leave the group?" Nevaeha murmured, her voice as shrunken and meek as she looked curled into the wall.
Norah's expression didn't change. "Why would you do that?"
She paused. "Because I got you killed."
"It's not the first time I've died," Norah replied. Nevaeha gave her a pondering look, like she wasn't sure if Norah was messing with her or not. Norah sighed, saying, "Dagen brought me back."
"I guess he has his uses."
Norah stopped, staring into the bloodied wound. She didn't smile, but her expression lost its harshness. "Maybe one or two."
"You're not mad?"
"Did you see that thing?" Norah said. "Those Echos were created by a god, they're not easy to kill." She inhaled, shoulders raising. "If I wasn't so awesome, I wouldn't have stood a chance either."
Nevaeha stared at her, long and hard. Her lips thinned into a fine line, her voice deadpanned. "Thanks."
"You're welcome," Norah replied. "I'm here all week—unless you get me killed again."
Nevaeha watched her like she wasn't sure what to make of her. And Norah understood that while she crouched here, she was letting Nevaeha see a side of her that very few people got to. And maybe it was Etin or the joke about Dagen, but Norah found herself thawing.
Gently, Norah ran her hand over the wound, starting from the calf up. Gold puddled in her palm, leaving a trail of a pale scar behind.
She stood. "Your leg's all fixed. Get dressed and come downstairs."
-------------------------------
"I am not surprised to hear Etin is aware of my presence," Vaella told them. "Though more so in knowing he does nothing."
Norah sat in her chair, legs crossed as she considered the goddess towering in her room. "He says destroying the world destroys everything—there's no point. But I did mention the other gods coming here and he didn't like that."
She gazed out across the table, finding her team splayed around the room. Dagen lounged in a chair, one leg thrown lazily over the armrest. He studied the map his brother sat on top of, his eyes a thousand miles away as he flipped a long dagger in his hand.
Eoin sat on the table, legs folded. He ran his tiny, pale fingers up the coast, tracing the black lines Dagen had scribbled to represent Etin.
"And the weapon he mentioned." Norah turned to Vaella who was already watching her. "Do you know what it is? Do you think it'll kill a lesser god?"
"Weapons are only as powerful as the God who created them."
"So, Etin," Norah mused darkly, but there was no amusement within her. "The Great Deceiver thought I wouldn't ask you about this? He thinks I'm either incredibly devious or a complete moron."
"Madness and logic are not commonly seen intertwined," Vaella said, her spear in hand. "Use it to your advantage."
Rage unfurled like a flower blooming in her chest, wanting to tear the goddess apart. Black pain followed.
Norah wasn't stupid, but apparently, Vaella was if she didn't think Norah didn't already use that to her advantage.
Nevaeha stared at the corner of the room, her eyes a thousand miles away. They flicked to her. "And Etin said the weapon was in the castle he used to rule in?"
"Yeah, that doesn't sound like a trap..." Dagen drawled.
"Maybe Vaella can come with us," Milo suggested.
"Etin will no doubt be watching," Vaella told them. "Seeing me might provoke him."
"Or we could be handing Norah to him on a silver platter," Dagen said.
Norah studied the map. She'd circled where Etin has told her his castle was in black marker. The city lay in the center of the common territory, hugging a riverbank and mountain range. It had been lost to his army weeks ago.
Norah stared, her mind lost in thought as her team debated. She replayed Etin's words, weighed his mood and desire for her to prove her loyalty. Etin was a cunning liar and most importantly he knew exactly how to get to her.
It would be a trap. But if what Etin was saying was true, she needed this weapon. She could kill more than just the god hunting her.
Of course, Vaella knew this. If Norah retrieved the bow, the goddess would instill rules. Protections against herself.
"I just..." Milo winced, lips twisting. "Can't you just kill him?" he asked Vaella.
"It is within my realm of power." Her eyes were as cool as stone, her expression neutral. "Though every opportunity to stop Etin needs to be considered and be within our disposal."
"So we do it?" Nevaeha perked up, her hazel eyes shining.
Norah felt her expression darken on the girl.
Milo patted Fin's snout, exhaling. "We have to try."
"Not we," Norah said. "Me."
Even Eoin groaned, sagging against the chair his brother sat in.
Dagen rolled his eyes, sighing with exasperation. "You want to walk into Etin's trap alone?" He caught his dagger's hilt between his fingers, grey eyes boring into her. "You know what Etin will do if he catches you."
Milo nodded, eyes dark with understanding. As if he understood the kinds of torture the fallen god could create. "He's right.".
Nevaeha's eyes darted between them all. She crossed her arms, shifting from foot to foot. "If something happens to you, we won't know. And then we'll have to make Fin the next world saver."
"You will because I won't come back," Norah said matter-of-factly.
Dagen's lazy posture didn't change, but his eyes sharpened into knife points, his jaw set. "I'll go with you."
The words were off her tongue before she could think them. "Nevaeha will come with me."
Nevaeha blinked, eyes widening. "Me?"
"Yes," Norah ran her nail along the armrest, feeling the tiny grooves in the wood.
Grey eyes burned into her, long and intense. "I'm the necromancer. Etin's magic goes hand in hand with mine."
Norah turned her gaze onto him, stern and unyielding. "And if something happens we have no way of getting out. At least with Nevaeha and Scylla we'll have a means of escape."
And even with that, chances were still slim to nothing.
Dagen's face hardened, his eyes closing like shuddered windows.
She wanted to explain that Etin would kill whoever was with her, and if something happened to Dagen...
Norah told herself that it was because she didn't have time to grieve. That out of everyone here, Nevaeha was the least significant. But Norah knew she cared too much about Dagen to let him die.
"Milo would be the better option," Vaella told her. "His commoner abilities would give you a significant advantage."
She exhaled slowly, icy rage cooling her thoughts. "Fine."
Norah could see the relief play out in Milo's dark eyes. No doubt, he thought she was taking Nevaeha with her to feed the girl to Etin after getting her killed.
"Everyone agree?" Norah asked, even as Dagen glared.
They did.
Norah relaxed in her seat, happy to be done with this conversation. "With that decided, we need to talk about the front." She tapped the armrest, imagining the gore that would be drenching her soon. "I think we need to start pushing Etin's armies back."
"Really?" Milo wondered, eyes flicking to Vaella.
The goddess nodded once, regripping her spear. "Etin's armies have caused too much havoc."
"How do we do that?" Dagen questioned, glaring at the dagger he spun.
"First, I want to know how the soldiers are," Norah said. "How they're feeling determines everything."
"I know the ghosties are mad," Eoin chimed, still tracing the lines on the map.
Nevaeha gasped, suddenly coming alive. She grabbed Milo's shoulder, fingers digging into flesh.
"Here we go." Milo groaned, shoulders drooping. Perhaps this had happened once or twice before.
"I heard that the soldiers aren't happy—"
"Imagine that," Dagen drawled, tossing his knife and catching it. "They're being used as sacrifices—"
"Let her speak," Vaella commanded.
Nevaeha inhaled sharply. "I know that when I was still a scout, we had sucky living conditions, sucky hours, horrible food. And we didn't know anything besides that we were fighting what the dark mages made. But that was it. And people kept dying. I heard from other soldiers who had been on the front that it felt like they were just put there and forgotten.
"And as for the council... They haven't done anything," she continued. "They haven't pushed back. The soldiers say they're building those trenches to die in. And the only people they've sent to 'boost morale' are low-class councilmen who don't tell them shit, and have probably never even held a sword in their lives."
Maybe she did have some uses.
"Then it's time we start making ourselves known," Vaella said.
"I do love to put on a show." Norah's voice was as cool as an autumn breeze. "What I propose is we take on a few more cities to gain some more experience working with each other, and then start to push Etin back."
"How many cities?" Milo asked.
"What do you feel most comfortable with?" Norah countered. "Me personally..." she winced. "Maybe three or four cities."
"Me too," Nevaeha murmured.
"I'm comfortable with what everyone else is," Milo said.
They all turned to Dagen, still quiet in his seat. He shrugged, his knife spinning slowing. "I can do it now, but Norah needs to train with us more using that darkness Etin involuntarily gave you."
Norah didn't miss the jab, intentional or not. We're waiting on you.
"If we're training, I want Vaella there."
The goddess blinked at her, the most surprised she'd ever show. "You wish for me to be there?"
"You could teleport them out," Norah explained.
There was a moment of silence, fueling Norah's anger.
"She does care," Nevaeha whispered. As if Norah couldn't see her leaning into Milo's ear.
Norah imagined slitting the girl's throat, but kept her attention firmly on the map. Trying to figure out what she failed to see.
Distantly, she heard them agree on the cities they wanted to fight at. Heard Vaella giving them directions and plans.
Milo left first. Then Dagen and Eoin.
Nevaeha lingered.
Norah didn't want to deal with it, so she kept her attention down.
"Vaella," Nev began. "May I ask something of you?"
"You already have," the goddess replied. "But I see your meaning. You may."
She spoke about the wall, about the death and the screaming soldiers being carried into the medic tents. Norah tuned it out. She already knew Nevaeha's vulnerability, but even then, she occasionally tuned in to hear about Nevaeha's conflicts and Vaella's answers.
"—how could someone do this? God or not—"
"Anger leads people down many paths," Vaella replied.
"I have to set it right," she said fiercely. "Etin has wronged these people."
Norah wished they'd had this conversation elsewhere.
"Who are you to decide such fates?" Vaella said. "You are one person. The biggest impact you can create is with this team." She paused. "If you go down this current path, you will spend the rest of your life trying to right the scales. It is a worthy cause, but you may lose yourself to it."
Nevaeha scrubbed her face, frustrated. "What do you know?"
"I am the Goddess of Justice," she said firmly. There was no pride or ego in the goddess, only the fact of a soldier fulfilling their duty. "My entire purpose is to maintain the scales. My work never ends. You will fight for something you will never get to appreciate. It is one conflict after another."
Anger turned to hopelessness. Her shoulders slumped. "What's the point, then?"
"The universe cannot afford for the scales to be imbalanced," she said. "It leads to gods like Etin."
"Why can't you have friends?"
"My judgments do not often please others and creates many enemies," Vaella answered and then paused, considering her. "Nevaeha."
She met the goddess' gaze.
"I understand this is overwhelming," Vaella said. "With experience, these battles will come easier. You will become more focused and you will see more death. War is not as glorious as some make it to be, but it is unavoidable. Do not let your rage twist the good within you."
There was a long silence as Nevaeha soaked in the goddess' words. It gave Norah time to contemplate the map in peace.
She followed the coastline again. Up. Etin was heading North of the continent.
What was in the North? Norah thought.
Her fingers traced the coastline on the armchair, feather-light against the smooth wood. When Etin's trail ended, Norah followed the coastline until the very end—
Her heart dropped. Fear dousing her like slushy ice. Then she felt the nothing drown it all.
"Thank you," Nevaeha murmured, her steps soft as she turned to leave.
Norah's head shot up as she called her name.
The girl turned. Norah ignored the emotion on her face, the glossiness in her eyes, the hatred the conversation had raised in her.
"When's the next time all the councilmen are going to be in one place? Do you know?"
She frowned. "No. Why?"
"Find out for me."