Book 2 Chapter 52

“You look amazing…” Selene whispered as she helped Tirr straighten his tunic, made from fine silks she had bought from the southern lands. He frowned back at her, pulling at his collar as he tried to stretch against the tight clothing forced on him.

“I can barely move in this….” Tirr complained. “Do I have to wear these ridiculous things?”

“Of course my lord, it's your coronation! You couldn’t be allowed to run around in your normal clothing.”

“I like my normal clothing…” Tirr muttered.

Selene giggled tousling his hair, “I like them too, but there's a reason so much pomp and circumstance goes into things like this. The show is just as important as the content. For the first time, you are going to appear in front of our people the way you were meant to be… As our God… They want to be dazzled and impressed. More than that they want to believe they are backing the right horse…”

“Hmph” Tirr grunted.

“The other countries are watching as well,” Selene continued continuing to fix his clothing, “and this is our chance to show that we stand on the same ground, that we are no small power to be ignored or controlled. And part of that is looking the part. They don’t know you so they must go by what their eyes tell them. And their eyes are going to tell them that you are great and powerful…”

Tirr nodded, though he still tugged at his collar… “_____ Says this is too early, that we need to prepare more…”

Selene rolled her eyes, “_____ always says that…. She loves you but she underestimates you too much. If she had her way she’d have you living under a rock forever…”

“And you?” Tirr asked looking up at the beautiful blonde woman.

She smiled down at him tenderly before bending down rubbing her forehead against his. “I love you too, and I’ve felt your power…” She raised a hand and ice started to condense out of thin air. forming a large if fragile-looking snowflake before disappearing with a wave of her hand. “You are our God, and I want the world to understand that as deeply as I do…”

Tirr smiled up at her as a voice called from behind the door. “It’s time, come on then,” Selene said, grabbing his hand to hold in hers as she guided him to the waiting crowd…

The scene jumped again, this time to one he recognized, He sat on a throne as several figures around him argued. Now though, two of the faces were clear. Bren and Selene stood amongst the group as they argued…

“Of course we fight,” Selen countered angrily, “Their demands are ridiculous…”

“I agree…” Bren started, “we may not want a wa…”

The arguing went on and on until eventually a decision was made… And as the figures filed out Selene approached Tirr’s Throne, bowing obediently to him.

“I’m worried …” Tirr heard himself say...

“Don’t, My Lord, We’ll handle this just as we always have done…” Selene assured him

“This is... He is different…”

“Either way we will handle it,” Selen said her eyes sparkling, “ I’ll protect you, My lord, even if I have to throw away everything to do it…”

The scene shifted again…But as Tirr looked around he noticed that he could not find himself anywhere, Instead, he seemed attached to Selene, followers of the Water Blessing stood around her chanting as the channeled their gifts. They were in a tall tower, reaching over a mile into the sky as it looked over a sprawling city.

As Tirr looked down he gasped in shock… There at the edge of the city in front of them. Clear even from this distance, were frighteningly familiar figures. As he watched, hundreds… thousands… tens of thousands of them marched ceaselessly toward the City.

Their lumbering steps sent the city shaking and there at the center of all of them, was the Titan Tirr had found beneath the cave. It walked along with the smaller giants around it. Ignoring their presence completely. Tirr even saw one of the smaller golems crushed beneath its feet as it walked.

Despite the massive force Selene still smiled pleasantly, watching as her own forces took to the field, leaving the city to block the Titan’s path.

“They won’t be able to hold on long Priestess…” a nearby follower, Selene’s second Tirr guessed, observed.

“It doesn’t matter, it’ll be here soon. God is safe in the North for now, but if this army isn’t stopped then they’ll simply go after him next…”

“I understand but…” The follower continued looking out at the battlefield. Selene’s army had clashed against the golems and shards of ice and streams of water struck out violently yet did little against their stone opponents. Meanwhile, the golems crashed through the water priests easily, crushing them without care as they stomped and smashed their way through while barely slowing down.

“Could we not have evacuated the people?” another of her attendants asked, looking down at the unknowing city below.

“If they broke off some of their forces to go after the refugees this whole thing would be a waste. This army must be stopped here,” She sighed.. I’ll have to leave master to _____ and Bren from now on…” She sighed again, showing for the first time any sense of sadness.

Tirr watched the conversation, confused when a dull roar came from the distance. It grew louder and louder and Tirr watched Selene turn as the smile returned to her. Behind the city, a giant wave, reaching as high as the tower itself appeared on the horizon, the dull roar soon became thunder in his ears as he watched it sweep towards the city.

“May you all rest in peace in God’s light…” Selene prayed for her companions as they concentrated on guiding the ruinous wave. She turned again, this time stepping over the tower’s railing, her feet stepping lightly on sheets of ice that appeared beneath her. She lifted her hand spreading them widely as the sigil on her chest burned like a small sun.

The wave washed over the outer edges of the city, the homes and buildings disappearing unceremoniously like ants caught in the rain. It reached the tower a moment later, swallowing it and the priests within.

It struck Selene next, yet as she disappeared into the blue and white catastrophe Tirr felt pulled along and soon found Selene riding along the crest of the wave as it surged forward. It swept over the city and towards the battlegrounds as Selene seemed to dance amidst the water, her figure growing…

The wave seemed to mix with her becoming her legs as her body rose out even higher. Soon they reached the battlefield and the tsunami swept over ally and foe alike, obliterating everything in its path.

As the wave approached the Titan its height almost on par with the wave itself. Selene lifted an enormous watery arm, collecting the swirling streams and freezing them into the shape of a grand spear.

As the wave came crashing at the Titan, so too did the spear… It pierced into the Titan’s chest and drove it down, the ground crumbling beneath it as the water churned and rushed over them both.

As the Titan was driven further and further down, both figures soon disappeared beneath the water. The wave continued forward and Tirr looked on sadly at the endless water that had once been a beautiful city on the plains…