Marion kept banging on the door, screaming about some monstrosity and begging me to get the hell out of the kitchen right now. Judging from the noise, I figured men were trying to restrain her.

“Leave the lad in peace, please!” a struggling voice was heard saying. I appreciated it very much.

I still held the knife raised in the air, ready to drive into my heart at any moment. To be honest, I was a bit curious. What the heck was Marion going on about? But I kept my eyes shut tight. I was afraid that if I opened my eyes, I would see again Anna’s dead body laid on the table. I had already said goodbye to her. I did not want to go through the experience once more. Then, suddenly, Marion screamed like no ever before. It was that of pure terror and pain. Then she abruptly stopped.

“Mademois-, quick! Hold her!”

I heard men shouting among themselves. There was chaos going on behind the shut door. That was it. ‘The fuck is going on?’ I opened my eyes, saw the divine, and dropped the knife and my jaw.

Anna remained cold and dead on the stone table. Her face blue-gray, her mouth ajar, and the lips curled in fear and pain. But from within, a bubble-like light emanated, like a soap bubble trying to squeeze out of a bottle. It was golden and warm and beautiful. The essence of my Anna, the goddess Firis. I had seen it before when we held the funeral in Bourg, where Eris’ presence granted me the sight. Lives would inflate out of their hosts. Once free and floating, they then would shrink down to tiny speckles, like fireflies. Ready to start the journey to nothingness.

And Eris was pushing it down. Back into Anna’s lifeless body. With gritted teeth, sweating, hair coming loose, the goddess who takes lives was standing on the table bent over her friend’s cold body, desperately refusing to take this particular life. I was so taken aback I froze in place and could only watch. The glossy golden light bubble extended sideways, like a pressed balloon, trying to escape as Eris kept pushing down with her both hands.

“No!”

Eris screamed. She was losing her battle. Anna’s had almost oozed all out, the bubble squirming its way around Eris’ hands like a flood of golden honey spilling over a dike. Eris was in tears. She was sobbing. But she did not give up. She threw me a quick pleading glance, bit her lips, then went down on her knees on top of Anna, pushing down harder.

Men were now banging on the door, shouting for me to open up. I ignored them.

I rushed over to the table. I didn’t know what I was doing, but I joined Eris. It did not even register to my desperate brain that I should be surprised to be able to touch this gooey substance. I pushed and pulled and kneaded Anna’s life back into the body. I was now screaming like mad.

I heard a thunder roll across the sky, and the mad wind howling outside. Whatever the heck it was, something was creaking and puffing dust. I felt hot and cold, wet, and dry. Something invisible was being ripped. This goddess was punching the world in its face: I, her accomplice.

“What the fuck are you doing!”

Iris popped into existence by Eris’ side. Her pretty face went pale when she saw what Eris and I were doing. Iris, the goddess who gives lives, grabbed her friend’s hands.

“Eris, you can’t do this! It’s over!”

“Leave me alone!” Eris shook herself free and resumed pushing the radiant bubble back into Anna. We were almost done. There was this big bulging squish bit left, and if we managed to-

“Yarrrr!”

Iris tackled her divine counterpart, and the two girls tumbled down from the table. The bubble went huge, inflating out of the now freed section where Eris had been pushing down. A bit like Anna’s ego when she was alive. I gritted my teeth and pinned down what little I had under my hands.

The two divine girls were tangled on the floor, struggling as both tried to overpower the other. I saw Eris punching Iris in the nose. That bought enough time and space for Eris to get back up and throw herself onto the table once again. She was indeed a goddess with tremendous power. Within a blink of the eye, she got the soul bubble back in control-,

Iris jumped up behind Eris. Her nose was bleeding, and she was mad. Iris extended her arms, ready to pounce on the busy girl yet again.

“Fuck, no!”

I launched myself over the table and managed to crash into the little woman’s fragile body. Although that sounded a very horrible thing to do to a girl, it actually didn’t cause much damage. After all, Iris, too, was a divine celestial being. We did, however, end up on the floor, all tangled up. I rolled over on top of the goddess who gives birth, spread and locked her legs with mine, grabbed her arms, and pinned her down as she screamed and twisted. Her thin clothing was coming loose-, OK, once again, that sounded a very horrible thing to do to a young lady, but I had to do it.

By now, thunders were rolling so hard the building rumbled, and the wind howled so mad the stones and bricks of this structure wheezed. In the hallway, men were shouting and banging on the kitchen’s heavy door. Iris was wailing, begging Eris to stop. I felt the air in the room shaking, wobbling like seen through a wicked lens. The flame in the kitchen’s fireplace was going crazy, and the pottery hung on the wall were jingling and whining. Eris was at the final stretch of her defiance. Her face red and wild, Eris was screaming.

“Hyaaa!”

With a loud pop, the golden bubble slurped back into Anna. Drained, Eris smiled and flopped face-first onto her friend’s body.

“What have you done!” Iris screamed, pushed me away, and rushed to the table. She turned Eris over and embraced the girl. To my horror, Eris bled from every single orifice. Her veins were turning purple and becoming more and more pronounced. Gradually, cracks began to appear on the flesh.

“What’s happening?” I asked Iris, shocked.

“This bitch has stepped into my realm!” Iris screamed back, sobbing. “She’s refused her core!”

Stunned, I stood there with mouth agape. Eris was disintegrating. And then, with a loud gasp, Anna sat up.

###

Anna fumbled over her non-existent boobs, checking for the wound. It had disappeared, much to her puzzlement. Her face was visibly confused, which was to be expected. Not many mortals woke up from being dead.

“Anna!”

I tried to hug her, but she pushed me away. She had become aware of her two friends, Iris and Eris. The latter in the former’s embrace, now slowly shedding flesh and disintegrating into tiny pieces.

“Augh!”

Anna trembled and turned her face to Iris as if demanding an explanation.

“She’s refused to take you!”

Iris screamed, then swung an arm and slapped me in the face.

“It’s all your fault! It’s all because you let Firis die!”

I was devastated. It was all good that Anna was back. But now, a deity was dying as the price. Anna, by now, realized what had happened. At what cost. She crawled over to her friends and hugged them, sobbing and wailing through gritted teeth.

“Can’t you do something?” desperate, I asked Iris, “you are the one who gives lives! Fix her!”

“Fuck you, you useless herald!” Iris screamed back. “She’s stolen a death from the world, but I can’t fix it because death is not my domain!”

“Let Eris take someone else’s, then!” I yelled, not really thinking. I felt the world was crumbling. By refusing to do her job, Eris had fucked up the universe. For the sake of her friend. And now she was suffering the consequence, and this little kitchen had become the focal point of the celestial earthquake. It had been a long time since I felt the sensation. The last time was years ago when Anna came down on me. And now the world was poring over Eris, here in the kitchen of Fort Soilet. You fucked us up, and now you get fucked, was what the universe was saying.

“Whose?” Iris scoffed, rocking the fading goddess in her arms. “Whose is of equal value to Firis?”

I bit my lips. OK, that made sense. Not many were as precious as my Anna. Hang on. Many? A thought came to my mind.

“How about many… deaths?”

“No,” Iris shook her head weakly. “It does not matter how many. If many are meant to die now, they die now regardless. That won’t be restoring the balance.”

Hearing this, Anna stood up. She and I exchanged glances. She had a determined face.

‘Many deaths that aren’t meant to be,’ she gestured, and I relayed to Iris word by word, although Iris didn’t need me translating a fellow deity’s words. Doing so, I slowly realized what Anna meant. She continued.

‘I shall deliver lives that aren’t meant to end tonight.’

Eris opened her eyes wide, from which blood spurted out like a fountain.

“But whose-” the goddess of death coughed blood and could not finish the sentence.

I knew whose. If Anna wasn’t supposed to be alive, then, logically, whoever she killed wasn’t meant to die tonight. Typical goddess stuff, fucking up mortals’ fate as they please. Re-writing the outcome of the day.

Knowing what to do, Anna La Rose clicked her tongue. For a moment, I thought a swarm of fire ants was devouring her. Tiny things crept over her body, from toe to neck, covering every inch of the maiden’s skin with wine-red. It took about ten seconds, so the sight was rather grotesque. Upon closer inspection, I realized it was maille. What I had thought a fire ant, was indeed a tiny link, one of the thousands that made up the maille armor. I was flabbergasted. I didn’t know she could do this.

Anna took a step, then winced and cringed as if she was getting electrocuted many times.

“Ouch! Aw! Argh!”

Every time she moved, she felt agony.

“I know we are in a hurry,” I knew what was wrong, “but maille on bare skin is not a good idea. Let’s get something underneath first.”

Anna nodded and un-summoned the chain armor. I could already see quite many tiny bits of red spots on her skin, having been pinched by the little chain links. I undid my coat, draped it around Anna’s naked body, and ushered her towards the kitchen door. I waved to the two goddesses as well.

“You two, come. Let’s get Anna geared up.”

Iris shut her mouth in determination. She stood up and tried to lift Eris, but could not handle the weight with her thin arms. I sighed and took over. Eris, still in the process of disintegrating, felt surprisingly light. To be honest, I was also surprised by the fact that I could actually touch the divine body-mass, but then again, I was a herald, a special someone to the goddesses.

I princess-carried Eris in my arms and nodded to Anna, who was un-bolting the door. Anna nodded back, slid the bolt aside, then pushed the heavy wooden door outward. It hadn’t even gone one-tenth of the way, but the door bumped into something on the other side and made a loud thud. I heard a collective gasp of men gathered in the hallway. This didn’t deter Anna. She pushed the door again, this time putting a bit of weight behind the wood. There was again a loud thud, then the kitchen door finally moved, pushing away whatever was blocking the way.

###

I felt terrible for Marion. She had been overwhelmed by the presence of multiple goddesses and had thus passed out. Men had gently laid her down on the floor and were fanning above Marion’s face when the heavy wooden door opened and hit the unconscious woman’s head. They were shocked to see the door move backward a bit, only to sling outward with even more force, bumping into and pushing Marion’s head out of the way in the process. And they were even more shocked when Anna, who was supposed to be dead, walked out and almost stepped on the witch of the land.

“Milady!”

“Lady Anna!”

Our friends from Armas were stunned. The Barkskins went down and fussed over Marion’s head, checking for any sign of damage.

Anna tiptoed around the woman on the floor. Iris was close behind me, but she was invisible to mortal eyes. Eris, too, was invisible, which made my posture of carrying her in my arms a bit weird to the unseeing eyes. No matter. I didn’t have time to worry about that.

“Excusez.”

I stepped over Marion and proceeded down the hallway with the celestial ladies in tow. ‘Turn the corner, up the stairs, then to Vidame de Soilet’s chamber. Get Anna armored up,’ I was listing to-dos in my head.

“Do not worry. Mademoiselle should be alright. Make her comfortable, and she would soon wake up,” I glanced back and shouted. I pressed forward, ignoring the confused murmurs behind me.

I ushered the girls to our borrowed room and laid Eris down on the bed for now. I noticed one of the three windows had become no more. Instead, there was now a big hole in the stonewall, created, obviously, by the sword of Firis rocketing out of the room.

Iris sat on the edge of the bed and held her friend’s hand on which cracks had started to appear. In the meantime, I dressed Anna in a clean shirt and a pair of leather pants. Then I helped to put on the boots that had won her trust over the year. Now no longer bare-skinned, Anna clicked her tongue. Once again, she seemed to be covered by red fire ants, but this time it started from the top. First came the long-sleeve haubergeon, then the chausses on her legs, but Anna stopped here abruptly. She walked towards the bedside table, grabbed a small silk pouch placed there, and then tossed it to me. ‘My God, this girl really needs to have her priorities sorted,’ I thought. I fished out a roll of the long cotton strip and cut it to a sufficient length for the intended purpose. In the meantime, Anna had rolled down her pants to the knees and was waiting in an awkward pose, much to Iris’ disapproving look. Anna positioned and fixed the rag on the crotch and pulled up her pants. Now ready, the maille leggings appeared over the leather.

‘My armor, please,’ Anna said with her hands. I complied, strapping on the silver-gray breastplate, elbow guards, vambraces, and then finishing with the knee plates and the shin guards. I made sure the pieces were secured tight over the maille layer. The gearing up process was completed with putting on the faulds, a metal skirt of three flapping plates, one on the back, and two on the sides, that were secured in place around the hip by a thick leather belt. Throughout our journey, the bright shine of the plates had dulled. The surface, dented and scratched. The contrast between the dulled silver plates and the underlying fiery maille was quite pronounced, but Anna didn’t seem to mind. She was determined to do some serious shit, what with donning an extra layer of protection than the usual plate pieces over linen and leather.

‘Where is my sword?’ Anna asked.

“Erm… I think it’s still outside.”

Anna glared at me for a few seconds, then shook her head. She went to the window, stuck her head out, and whistled. I heard Lilly neighing from somewhere in the Fort.

“Let’s go.”

I told Iris, and lifted Eris from the bed, princess-carrying the goddess yet again in my arms. Anna grabbed her empty scabbard, and the bow and the quiver that I had hung by the fireplace. She then led us through the stony hallway and down the stairs, but she stopped and turned around.

‘I need the Barkskins and their eyes.’

I nodded and headed towards the kitchen. I poked my head out around the corner to the hallway to the kitchen, where the three Treedwellers and some men were fussing over unconscious Marion.

“Tuguem! Doshraque! Zaggech!” I called out, hoping they were indeed the names of the three, “milady needs your eyes that see in the dark.”

“But Marion-,” they protested immediately.

“She will wake up soon. Please. To arms, friends!”

With that, I turned and headed out. Iris was shadowing me from behind, her shoulders slumped, and the face worried. I scanned the girl in my arms. Eris was pale and limp, groaning weakly. Her eyes were closed shut, but droplets of blood kept trickling out. Not only from the eyes, but from the nose and the mouth and the ears. The cracks on her flesh were growing and had become more visible. I gritted my teeth. Come, Anna, look. See what Eris is going through for your sake.

###

Outside, it was mad. A continuous roll of thunders flashed in the sky, and the wind roared across, hurling little things away. Despite this frightening night, the Fort was very active. Men were barricading the door that had been blown away. But as soon as Anna stepped out of the building, men stopped their work and were now gathering in the courtyard, confused and shocked. Shocked because they had thought Anna was dead. Confused because the said girl was getting ready for a battle. They watched and murmured as Anna mounted Lilly. Slinky, my good donkey, had done well and was ready for me by Lilly’s side. I raised and carried Eris over my right shoulder. I was about to get on Slinky when Comte d’Armas ran up to me and spun me around. Victor, the Vicomte, and Sieur Henry joined the Comte, and they formed a ring around me.

“What is this? Where is the Lady going?” the Comte demanded, shouting over the howling wind.

I turned my face towards Anna, who was sitting on Lilly. She nodded and granted me the freedom, in which whatever words that came out of my mouth were hers. An absolute faith in me, which I had always appreciated.

“My Lord, the young Lady is vengeful. Lady Anna shall break Chartoise tonight.”

“How?” the Comte was baffled, “besides, please do excuse my rude and obvious question, but why is she even alive?”

“A miracle, milord!” I shouted and beamed. I looked around, meeting the amazed faces surrounding Anna and me. “Come, witness the impossible! Ride with the La Rose’s damsel!”

My call to arms went unanswered. There were only a few meek cheers. Fine by me, I scoffed. I tried to get on Slinky, but Sieur Henry stopped me.

“Lad, are you and your Lady really going out? To fight Comte de Chartoise?”

“Oui, Sieur.”

“On a donkey?” the good Sieur shook his head and turned around. “Please. Get this Lad a proper horse.”

“He ride Marion’s,” a Treedwelling voice answered from the back of the many men surrounding us. The Barkskins were standing there with their massive elks. One of them went and brought Marion’s elk, which was somewhat smaller than the others but still huge. At this point, Antoine had joined the crowd. Even his son Gaston, Vidame de Soilet, perched on his humble cart, rolled out into the courtyard from wherever the heck he had been dwelling.

“Young Lady Anna, I beg you to reconsider!”

Comte d’Armas was pleading. He had seen her dying, and once was enough. Anna ignored the old man and patiently waited for me to mount up the elk. I sat high on the beast, with invisible Eris slumped in my lap. Iris sat behind me, clutching tight with her arms around my waist, scared. The three Barkskin warriors on their elks positioned themselves next to me in a row. Without saying any more words, Sieur Henry brought his horse and was mounting up.

“Marion said the Reborn is shrouded in unknown power,” one of them commented, “I believe in Marion. Let us too hear the trumpets, and see the blinding light.”

With that, we were ready to head out. I met Anna’s eyes. I nodded. Show me. Show me, Firis.

Lilly turned and waded through the sea of men. They reluctantly made the way, and Anna soon picked up the speed. She clicked her tongue, and Lilly jumped over the barricade blocking the gateway. Sieur Henry was the next, and then the Barkskins and I leaped over the blockade, out into the dark field.

Anna stopped briefly to pick up her sword. Even in this darkness of the night, the divine sword glowed and shimmered with swirls of colorful deaths locked within. It was like a beacon in a thunderstorm, a fixed source of scorching light amidst erratic flashes of heavenly sparks. Anna raised her sword high as if calling. I turned around facing the Fort and the men who had spilled out to see us go riding into the waiting spears of a thousand enemy soldiers.

“To arms, brave men! The maiden born of the roses shall lead us to victory!”

I saw the eyes going wide. There were strange noises behind me. I glanced back and then did a double-take.

Anna was trotting forward. And behind her, from the depth of the timeless darkness, shapes appeared. Soldiers. Ethereal at first, but soon solidified into definite shapes of mortals. Rows and rows of men, from horse-mounted riders to footmen and archers. Men clad in all forms of armors and carrying lances and spears and bows and halberds and maces and shields. The riders each had a unique banner flapping from the pole mounted on the back of the saddle. Those on foot wore colorful tunics depicting emblems. But these soldiers were ancient, and it showed in their attires. As Anna’s herald, I just knew it. Each and every single one of them was a champion and or a hero of the past, who had, at some point in their lives, when faced against overwhelming odds, pleaded for the divine favor, to which Firis had answered and granted victory.

As Anna kept going forward, more and more soldiers appeared. Footmen shuffled into rows and columns and followed the goddess. Those on horses went ahead and formed up alongside Anna, riding in a long single row.

Sieur Henry was frozen in place, his helmeted head turning left and right as the soldiers marched past him like a tide of ghosts. The Treedwellers were also silent, their eyes shaking. I, too, was stunned by this supernatural apparition. Even after all the years, there still remained many things I didn’t know about Anna’s divine power.

It didn’t last too long. Anna sheathed her sparkling blade, and the light it had provided was now hidden. No more soldiers materialized. But as far as I could see by the flashes of thunders, there were about two hundred or so of them now under Anna’s command. I turned once again and faced the Fort with a grinning face.

“Men, ready yourselves for a battle!”

I heard Comte d’Armas shouting. The Fort came out of their stunned trance and went into a frenzy as men ran left and right, grabbing their gears. Good man, that Comte, I thought. He knew a fighting chance when he saw one.

I urged the elk forward and caught up with Anna. Sieur Henry and the Barkskins joined us as well.

“Comte d’Armas is coming,” I informed her.

Anna glanced back, then raised a hand. The flash of the thunder briefly illuminated the scene, and her army saw the signal and came to a stop. We waited for the men of Armas. To my surprise, the God’s Warriors came along, too, led by Commandant Antoine in the front and Gaston’s cart bringing up the rear. Together, we were now in hundreds.

Soon enough, Comte d’Armas and his deputy Viktor joined us with Antoine tagging along.

“Young Lady, pray to tell. What sorcery is this?” they asked, looking left and right at the ranks of ancient soldiers.

“As I have said, a miracle, milord,” I answered in her stead. “I have said numerous times. The Roseborn wins the battle for those who seek her favor.”

“The Roseborn refers to the young Lady Anna,” Sieur Henry added for everyone. “Apparently, the Lady is known to the harpies of the east and the people of the Roseland as such. The Roseborn, the child born of the roses.”

“Indeed,” I nodded as a confirmation.

“Harpies?” Comte d’Armas raised his eyebrows. The others seemed to share the same surprise.

“Yes, my Comte. I have witnessed them kneel before the young Lady,” said Sieur Henry, “but that is a story for another time.”

The Comte and others contemplated for a few seconds.

“Very well, Lady Anna,” Victor broke the silence. “what would be the plan?”

Anna craned her neck and took stock of the men eagerly waiting in the darkness.

“We have three battles, so to say. Combined, a bit shy of four hundred men, setting aside the wounded who cannot fight,” Antoine offered, counting his men and himself in as an ally, “I must add. I am afraid my men aren’t as fierce as the Comte’s.”

“We are still less than half the strength of the enemy,” Victor commented, worried.

Anna scoffed and made a flurry of gestures.

“Milady insists we have more than enough,” I translated. “One, because Her Ladyship is commanding. Two, because Chartoise had little to no rest for the day. They would be exhausted.”

“I will not dare to question the first of the two given reasons,” said Comte d’Armas, “but the latter does indeed make sense.”

He then took a deep breath.

“A miracle, you said, René.”

“Yes, my Lord.”

“Then I gamble this once. I lay my faith in the Roseborn.”

‘Commandant on the left,’ Anna immediately started making signs, which I dutifully translated. ‘My minions in the center. Comte will be my honor-guard and secure my right. I want a Barkskin on each and be the eyes.’

I cringed at how she called the ancient champions, who dutifully answered her summon, as her minions. She went on.

‘I want riders on both wings but a bit rear, and footmen formed in two rows of twenty. Archers in the front for now.’

“Vintenary,” the Comte suggested, noticing the lack of proper terminology in my dictionary.

“Pardonez?” I had to ask.

“Never mind.”

Anna kept going.

‘We move in silence. In the dark.’

It took a bit of time for the men to shuffle around and form up, but eventually, everyone found their place. Anna sat on Lilly and patiently waited, despite the urgency of Eris’ state.

“Are you alright?” a spearman nearby asked me, looking concerned. “You are sitting quite awkwardly.”

There were a half dozen men with us, battle-hardened men of Armas. They were supposed to be Anna’s guards, assigned so on the Comte’s insistence.

“I am fine. Thank you for your concern.” I nodded to the man politely. Yes, to him, Eris in my lap was invisible. Besides, there was another added weight clinging on my back, Iris, who had been silently sobbing this whole time. I wondered if the elk felt the extra weight of the two goddesses riding on it.

Finally, each battle, a new meaning of the word that I hadn’t known until today, sent a messenger to Anna and reported they were ready. Anna let out a sharp whistle, and as one, we stepped forward. The sound of our army marching over the snow-covered ground was smothered by the loud cracks of the thunders that ripped across the night sky, and the mad howl of the wind.

###

To be honest, it wasn’t what I had thought it would be. I had imagined Anna would ride out across the snow-covered field and solo-dive into the enemy’s camp. As crazy as that idea was, I had thought she would somehow make it work. But no. Instead, she was advancing her ad-hoc army, its progress masked by the darkness and the deafening thunders. Not even leading from the very front, but trotting a few yards behind the second row of the marching footmen. I, nevertheless, stuck by her. Whatever she wanted to with her soldiers, it had to go through my voice. With us were the guards, who I suspected would gladly throw their lives away for the pretty Lady. Vidame de Soilet, Gaston, was about a hundred feet left of me, riding along on his cart manned and escorted by ten men. The hunchback with uneven legs sat on the stack of hay and was praying. The riders of the past, whom Anna had called upon and placed under Sieur Henry’s charge, rode a bit behind us. They were to be in reserve, but at the same time ready to pounce on anywhere Anna pointed.

Apart from the flashes of the thunders, it was pitch-black. But on the horizon, about a mile up ahead, there were smudges of yellowish lights as torches and fires in the enemy camp flickered in the wind. We had made halfway across the field when suddenly Comte de Chartoise’s camp came alive. Urgent shouting and banging of pots and pans were heard. Despite the exhaustion from a very long day, they had been vigilant and managed to spot our approach. I heard and saw the entire camp waking up and spring into action. Small shadows were pouring out into the open field, forming up in rows and groups. Torches went up and lined the horizon.

‘We lit ours, too,’ Anna demanded.

“Torches, please!” I shouted as loud as I could. Anna’s order was repeated across the formation, and I heard many flints being struck. Soon enough, flickering lights went up, but there was a black gap in the middle of our sea of light. The ancient soldiers of the past in the center did not lit theirs.

‘It is good so,’ Anna told me with confidence. ‘Chartoise wouldn’t see them until it’s already too late.’

“Could you guys hurry up?” Iris’ voice rang from my back, shouting into my ears over the noise. “Eris doesn’t have much time.”

Anna pulled her sword out of the sheath, revealing the glowing blade. She raised it high and pointed to the wild sky. The thunders abruptly stopped. The wind died down to a cold winter breeze. Firis had just now instantly re-written the fates of many, and the universe was satisfied with the proposed offering. A great number of untimely deaths, in place of that of Anna’s. I quickly studied Eris for any signs of improvement. But, no. To my horror, Eris was still disintegrating.

“What does this mean?”

I half-yelled, to Iris clutching on my back.

“The promise is good!” Iris shouted although she didn’t need to. “But it is yet to be fulfilled.”

Anna sheathed her sword back to free her hands.

‘I shall deliver!’ she said, then turned to me. ‘Send words out. I want a ridged line on each battle.’

I didn’t quite get what she meant but complied nonetheless. Thankfully, both the Commandant and the Comte seemed to understand the directive. Illuminated by the torchlight, I saw men carrying spears, in groups of twenty or so, separating themselves in two rows, leaving each group’s adjacent space vacant. As for the summoned soldiers in the middle, I couldn’t see much thanks to them staying in the dark.

“What about the archers in the front?” I asked, concerned.

‘Don’t worry. The Comte and the Commandant will pull them back in time,’ answered Anna.

Once again, I didn’t quite understand her, but then again, she was the expert in warfare, not I. I shut up and nervously watched the two opposing waves of the torchlights getting closer. It was blatantly evident that Comte de Chartoise had more men than us. If he stretched his army a bit, he could spill over our both flanks and wrap around us. Now, whether it would be wise of him to do so, or whether Anna would even let Comte de Chartoise do that, was yet to be seen.

###

The army of Chartoise formed up rather quickly. I heard bugles and drums, telling men where to go and what to do. Soon I heard the pangs of the bowstrings and the subsequent whistling of the arrows. Within seconds, the banging sound of arrows drumming on shields filled the air.

I saw movement up ahead. Chartoise, with their superior numbers, had seen the large black gap between our two forces on the sides. Not even waiting for us to initiate contact, they came at us first. They sent quite many men numbering in hundreds, moving in groups of two or three dozens, to thrust into our middle and drive a wedge between Comte d’Armas on our right and Antoine on the left.

‘Hold the Commandant,’ Anna ordered, which I vocally relayed to a messenger who immediately rushed into the darkness. Within a few minutes, I saw the torchlights on the left stopping in place, and then the messenger came back to wait for another order. I then turned my attention to my immediate front, our center where the heroes of the olden times had been advancing under the dark veil of the night. It didn’t take too long. Chartoise’s soldiers came close enough to finally see what awaited in the space that they had assumed to be vacant. Anna waved her hand. Her minions picked up the pace, rushing ahead in groups of twenty or so, but keeping the overall front relatively even. I heard battle cries and metals clashing. The ancient warriors gelled and molded onto the foremost elements of the enemy who had ventured forward. The units that had no opposing group in its immediate front went ahead, slipping past the confused enemy, and threatened flanks and rears of the Chartoise men who were now fully engaged.

There was a distinct hesitation on the other side, while Chartoise’s commander was assessing the situation. The bulk of the troops who had advanced down the center backtracked, forming a line to stop the mass of unknown warriors that had seemingly appeared out of nowhere.

‘Wait here,’ Anna told me, then galloped forward. She rode through the sea of her summoned soldiers and dived into a group of the enemy who had been cut off. From afar, I saw the shining blade cutting left and right as Anna severed quite many heads. The blade then pointed to our right, before waving towards the front. As if on cue, I heard a loud yelling of battle cries and bugles and drums on our far right. Comte d’Aarms was pushing forward. His archers who had been slugging out against their Chartoise counterpart made space, through which the foot soldiers of Armas slipped past forward. Up ahead, our enemy was responding. Judging by the shuffling of the units, each was being assigned to that of the Comte’s.

Anna came back, huffing and puffing but satisfied. With squinted eyes, she silently surveyed the event happening on the right. For now, Comte d’Armas was our foremost element, followed by Anna’s minions in the middle and then the God’s Warriors on the left. Comte d’Armas had already gelled onto the enemy’s front units. From both sides, under the stream of arrows flying overhead, men standing in rows thrust spears over their shields. In general, the spears would be blocked by the opposing shields. From time to time, though, one would get through a gap, and an unlucky man would fall, screaming, and the fallen would immediately be replaced by the person behind. Or the tip of the spear would bang hard against a shield that was held by a tired arm, thereby either throwing the bearer off-balance or creating a small gap for others to exploit. Chartoise had the advantage in numbers, but Comte d’Armas swiftly moved his men back and forth and tilted the contact angle left and right. He had so far managed to prevent his units from being flanked.

The horse-mounted knights were playing a game of chess of their own, engaged in a battle for superior positioning and timing. The winner would be rewarded with a free chance to trample helpless footmen. Still, so far, both groups of riders had not been very successful in finding openings. Or rather, one could say, both had successfully discouraged the other from charging in, simply by galloping around left and right and screening their counterpart from a distance.

The army of Chartoise, by now, had had a good look at our forces. They had plenty of men to spare, and realizing our right was manned relatively thin, Chartoise was already maneuvering groups of spearmen to overwhelm Comte d’Armas.

“Our Comte has the fewest men,” I asked Anna, tapping on her elbow to get her attention. “Is it wise to make him our spearhead?”

‘You are right, but I know what they are capable of,’ said Anna confidently, ‘but let us help His Lordship a bit. Send my words. I want the Barkskins returned to me.’

I relayed her words to the messengers. They nodded and dashed towards each battle. In the meantime, Anna waved her hand in the air, and a group of two dozen olden soldiers detached from the back of the formation and rushed back towards us. I wondered how Anna was communicating with them, but then again, these soldiers were a miracle, and a miracle did not need an explanation. I found the time to regard the situation rather funny. Here, we had a group of men who called themselves God’s Warriors. Unbeknownst to them, they were fighting side by side with real, literal, Goddess’ Warriors.

The Treedwellers arrived almost at the same time as the ancient soldiers.

‘You see in the dark and will stay in the dark,’ Anna started. ‘Take these men and swing wide to the right. I will send a signal.’

The Barkskins nodded.

‘When you see the good Sieur, drop everything, and head to the enemy’s camp. Burn everything.’

The Treedwelling warriors studied the summoned soldiers with reserved expressions.

“Fine, but who are these? We sense no humen.”

I stepped up, not forgetting the fact that a big part of my job was to make Anna a myth. A legend. I wanted to add a bit of grandeur to her image.

“It matters not, my bark-skinned friends. The Roseborn wills a victory, and the rest manifests thus as to accommodate her wish. Go forth, and unleash the wrath of the Roseland’s child.”

As the Barkskins took off with the soldiers, Anna coughed and eyed me.

‘What’s with the big talk?’

I switched to our silent language.

‘I am making you look grand.’

‘I have always been so.’

‘Well, they don’t know that, do they?’

‘Good point.’

A scoffing noise came from right behind me. I was surprised I nearly fell off the elk. It was Iris. I had completely forgotten about her.

“Firis has always been so full of herself,” Iris said in a scolding tone, “but you, Herald, you are encouraging her.”

“Oh, you understand our sign language?” I asked.

“C’mon. I am a deity, a goddess.” her voice then changed its tone. She sounded disgusted. “By the way, I didn’t know the promised many deaths were of your friends.”

“What?”

I was shocked. With my mouth open, I faced Anna.

“Is that what you are doing? You are sending our men to die?”

‘No!’ Face red, Anna shot down the accusation. ‘Not us. Them!’

I was relieved. But Iris snorted, not convinced. ‘So, that’s how it is,’ I thought. No wonder Firis was on the brink of losing her divinity. But no. Hell, no. Not on my watch.

###

Comte d’Armas and his men held the ground at the foremost position to our right. The ancient warriors, who had been summoned by Anna, maintained the contact with the bulk of the enemy force in the center of the battlefield and thereby secured the Comte’s left flank by keeping Chartoise’s army occupied. Our left, or Chartoise’s right, was relatively quiet, as Antoine had been ordered to hold the position. Antoine and his God’s Warriors staying in the rear left meant our force in the middle had its left exposed. Our enemy, however, resisted the temptation to swing in that direction. They seemed to believe it was a bait, where Antoine was certain to spring into action and flank the flanking units.

Although I wasn’t a battle tactician, even I could see it. The entire plan relied on the expectation that Comte d’Armas would not falter, and would instead somehow break through. In my unqualified opinion, it was a bit too much to ask of the old nobleman, but, to his credit, the Comte had so far not disappointed Anna. Welp, he wasn’t advancing any further up, but at least he wasn’t being pushed back. For now, our enemy was focused on containing Comte d’Armas. They had committed quite many reserves to that side and had, for a couple of times, attempted to outmaneuver what little groups of men the Comte had. For some reason, they had stopped further doing that in the last hour or so. It felt as if they were reshuffling and reorganizing. But soon, lines pushed and pulled and pulsated, rejecting our advance.

I was growing impatient. Eris was still cracked up everywhere, and I felt we didn’t have much time left before the goddess of death became nothing but a pile of fine dust. We weren’t making much of a progress, let alone killing a whole lot of men.

‘Something feels different,’ Anna observed, scanning the torch-lit battlefield. She took a sharp breath in. ‘They have become more fluid.’

“What do you mean?”

‘Someone else has taken over the command.’

I studied the fights happening before my eyes. I couldn’t really tell what was what, but if Anna’s observation said so, then it must be true. She was Firis, the goddess, after all.

‘No matter. Time to set things into motion.’

With that, Anna waved a nearby soldier carrying a torch over. She took out an arrow from the quiver mounted on the saddle, firmly wrapped a dirty rag of cloth around the head, then lit it by the torch. She then readied her bow with the flame arrow, drawing as far back as she could. With a twang, the orange flame streaked across the field. My… how the heck did she do that? The arrow arced in the air, flying some three hundred yards or so to the right and up ahead, towards somewhere beyond Comte d’Armas’ position.

It was her signal to the Barkskins. There came a distant roar. From the pitch-black darkness, the ancient soldiers of the past glory, led by the Treedweller warriors, charged into the unsuspecting enemy’s waist. Comte d’Armas was quick to react to this opportunity. The drums and bugles intensified, and the army of Armas pushed in against the confused opponents. Chartoise’s left was crumbling.

I glanced at Anna. She was grinning, but it quickly faded. I followed her eyes. A large group of enemies was barreling down on our left. I thought they would swing inward and hit our middle battle’s flank. But no, they stationed just enough units there to wall off and contain our force in the middle, while the rest kept coming down the field. Soon Antoine was being hammered fairly hard. Instead of committing to putting the fire out on their left, Chartoise had opted to set a bigger fire on our own left.

‘Commandant must hold!’ Anna demanded. A messenger rushed to the scene with the order. Lilly paced back and forth as Anna kept her eyes on our left. After a minute or so, she snapped her fingers to get my attention.

‘Send his son.’

“What?”

‘His son will hold the position.’

“But-,”

Anna glared at me, and I shut up. I went to Vidame de Soilet, who had been about a hundred feet left of us. Naturally, he was confused by Anna’s order.

“But I am a crippled man. What use would I be in the fight?” said Gaston.

I shrugged, which made him even more confused. Gaston, Vidame de Soilet, was the man in charge of the army that did the worldly deeds of His Excellency Bishop of Soilet. The God’s Warriors, despite their name, weren’t exactly an army. It was more of guards for the Bishop, and a patrolling militia that kept vagrants and thugs of Soilet diocese in check. Vidame de Soilet himself was a man with many physical defects, a hunchback with uneven legs. Gaston was more of a symbol. A figurehead. It was his father, Commandant Antoine, an ex-traveling merchant, who did the bulk of commanding and ordering. So, when he was told to go and fight to hold the position, Gaston was, naturally, lost.

While he hesitated, trying to make sense of what I had told him, Anna had become impatient. She came to us.

“This is unacceptable!” one of Gaston’s men frothed in his mouth. “Asking Vidame de Soilet to-”

Anna waved her hand to shut the man up. She made a series of gestures.

“Milady is asking,” I translated. “Are you mad because you worry Vidame de Soilet would be hurt?”

“Yes, of course!”

“Then I presume,” I kept relaying Anna’s silent words, “I presume you have no faith in your brethren fighting over there? Would your brothers let harm come his way?”

The men shut up and went quiet. Gaston seemed to have realized what Anna was saying. What was asked of him.

“I see. I am embarrassed the young Lady has placed more faith in my men than I have.” Gaston bowed politely and continued. “I now fully understand what is asked of me. My presence alone should suffice, yes?”

Anna nodded as her reply.

“Very well,” Gaston nodded back. “I shall be on my way.”

With that, he motioned for his men to move the cart. Grumbling, they reluctantly complied.

“Will he hold?”

I asked Anna on our way back.

‘Commandant will fight tooth and nail to protect his son,’ answered Anna and gave me a big smile. ‘As you would for me.’

“You think too highly of me,” I dismissed her remark, trying to appear cool. But in truth, I was blushing, which the darkness of the night thankfully hid. Welp, yes, I would do so much for Anna. However, I did not forget that it was she who had taken an arrow for me and died.

I kept silent and watched the distant fight happening on the left. Gaston must have arrived on the scene. The noise intensified, and the God’s Warriors were loudly chanting and praying. With newfound vigor, they were holding the space, which was an impressive feat.

‘I need to retake the initiative,’ Anna said and pointed her finger ahead before making some more hand signs. ‘The good Sieur will puncture through. Between the Comte and my minions.’

“As you wish.”

I turned around and shouted Anna’s words into the darkness. Soon, I heard many horses galloping. The riders sped past us as Sieur Henry led them into the battle.

“What now?”

I shouted over the noise made by the horses.

‘Come with me.’

###

I galloped right behind Anna. Marion’s elk was good. It had no trouble keeping up with Lilly. The act of riding, though, was a bit hard for me as I still had unconscious Eris in my lap and Iris clinging on my back. One of my arms was always occupied, keeping Eris from falling off. I tried, nevertheless.

Anna and I were riding into the fray in the middle section of the battlefield. Her minions made the way, and we were heading towards the very front, but slightly to the left. While passing, Anna waved her hand. The ancient warriors split their upper elements of the formation, like a two-headed snake. The right head held its position, whereas the left one followed Anna in her wake.

The so-called minions Anna had summoned were taking on the bulk of the Chartoise’s army. Seeing the new shape of our overall formation, the enemy immediately jumped into action and sent a wedge down the gap between our two snakeheads. And this was where Anna turned around. She made a sharp turn and headed straight into the approaching rows and columns of Chartoise’s men. I gritted my teeth and followed her.

When she was sufficiently close to the soldiers of Chartoise, Anna pulled her sword out and raised it high. She didn’t really do much, but just reined Lilly in and let the blade radiate luminescent white light that pushed the darkness away. It was enough. Now, seeing an armored lady with a short ponytail galloping around might not have convinced them. It could easily be some other girl, although a female on a battlefield was a rare sighting. But the sword and its light… that was enough to make them realize this was the same girl that had cremated men alive. Chartoise freaked out. Whatever the heck Anna had unleashed back at the gate of Fort Soilet was still fresh in their memories. Men dropped their spears and shields and ran for their lives.

Anna scoffed, then pointed her sword straight forward. As if on cue, there was an immense noise coming from the other side of the field. I craned my neck and saw Sieur Henry and his riders crashing into the enemy, driving a deep wedge into Chartoise’s left. Comte d’Armas fully exploited this utter chaos. The army of Armas pushed in further and broke through.

I heard lots of shouting coming from up ahead, from the back rows of our opponent. Bugles and drums changed their tunes and beats and relayed new orders, trying to get things back under control. From our left, the rear elements were detaching themselves from the fight against Antoine. They were regrouping. In the back row, I saw a significant number of riders cutting across the field.

‘Go tell the Sieur to expect enemy help,’ Anna told me.

“What about you?”

‘I help Commandant.’

With that, Anna turned. Lilly galloped ahead, diagonally to the left, into the sea of our enemies. But the men were dispersing, getting the fuck out of Anna’s path. The left head of the minion formation followed closely and filled the vacant space. Chartoise had no choice but to helplessly watch Anna freely riding through the thick of their rank as if a knife through butter. Anna went in deep, then swung left, hitting the rear. The force fighting Antoine was now firmly sandwiched.

I mustered up the courage of my own and headed to our right. Unlike Anna, I picked a safer path and stayed within our zone of control. The soldiers of the past made way for me so I could easily cut across the battlefield and reach Sieur Henry. As I rode past them, I couldn’t help but notice many bowing and saluting. To them, I was the herald of the goddess they had sworn to. It felt a bit weird.

Then I saw the huge fire rising in the enemy camp. As had been ordered, the Treedwellers went deep behind the enemy line and set things ablaze. Disheartened gasps and mutterings echoed across the field, as the men of Chartoise turned around and saw their camp in flame. The fire was spreading fast, and soon a wall of flame was erected behind our enemy.

There, far up ahead, against the backdrop of the yellow and orange blaze, a thin horse-mounted shadow paced left and right. And as the dark shape turned sharply in frustration, I saw the long braid dangling from the head swinging like a tail. It was too far from me, but I felt the hatred. Anger. Frustration. Disappointment. For some reason, I was firmly convinced that the person was glaring at Anna in the distance.

Speaking of Anna. She was crushing it on our left. Her minions were hammering down on the enemy against Antoine’s anvil. And the God’s Warriors were already tasting the first drop of victory. They were chanting.

“Valérie falls! Valérie falls! The Roseborn triumphs!”

The mocking sing-song spread across the entire battlefield and the men of Chartoise went pale.

I shook my head and kept going. I located Sieur Henry trampling over disarrayed enemy footmen.

“My Sieur, enemy riders are to arrive soon!”

“I suppose you mean them,” the Sieur pointed with his sword. Alas, I took too long to come. A large group of Chartoise’s riders was arriving, having come all the way from the other side of the battlefield.

Apparently, Comte d’Armas had spotted them, too. His men fell back in from bashing on their counterparts who were on the verge of being routed. Armas hardened up, forming walls of spears to discourage the enemy riders from charging in. That, in turn, led to the Chartoise riders swinging wide to look for a flanking route, which further led to Sieur Henry and his men maneuvering accordingly. In the meantime, with the arrival of the reinforcement that would deal with Sieur Henry’s horse-mounted shock troop, the enemy foot soldiers regrouped.

“That’s Pierre!”

The good Sieur shouted over his shoulder. I squinted my eyes to have a better look. The enemy riders were led by a man in the front. He was all helmeted up and stuff, but there was no doubt. From the look of the armor, it definitely was Sieur Pierre.

And Sieur Pierre must have by now realized that the battle was nearly lost. But there still was a chance to turn the tide. For that, Chartoise needed to push Comte d’Armas back and salvage their force on their right. Here, on this side of the battlefield, Sieur Henry and his riders were the biggest threat that could shock and disperse Chartoise’s foot soldiers. It had to be dealt with, and thus was the reason Sieur Pierre was sent to here. Pierre stopped trying to outmaneuver ours. Instead, he led his horsemen charging straight towards Sieur Henry.

“Charge!”

Our Sieur shouted and led the warriors whom Anna had entrusted in his hands. I, being sensible, stayed behind and watched. The two groups of mounted armored knights crashed into each other like two landslides meeting headfirst at the bottom of a valley. Men were thrown off their horses and tangled on the muddy ground. Spears were thrust, and swords were swung. Each and every one of them had plated front with very little openings. Hence the noise was maddening. Metals were banging and brushing and squeaking against each other, with accompanying sparks. Sometimes, sheer brute force prevailed. One would grab and hold and overpower the opponent and force a sharp object into either the exposed back or through the gap between plate pieces. Some opted for badgering with blunt objects until the armor, and what laid underneath, caved in. That generally led to bloodcurdling screams. Or, as in the case of Sieur Henry, one could also out-skill his opponent. I hadn’t really thought highly of his swordsmanship, what with having seen him get thrashed by Anna in a practice duel. But alas, I had been unfair in my judgment. This man was beautiful. The movement of his long sword was a fine piece of artistic performance. Henry would always find a way to thrust the sharp end of the blade into the most vulnerable gap in his enemy’s defense. If he was this good, I wondered, then how insanely good Sieur Geoffroi was supposed to be? And what kind of a monster was my Anna to beat them so easily?

“You fools!” I heard Sieur Pierre’s screaming voice. “I’ve told you never to fight him on your own!”

Heeding his words, Chartoise’s armored men tried to surround Sieur Henry. But… that turned out to be impossible. Had I mentioned this before? That each and every one of the warriors Anna had summoned was a champion of the olden times? Each with a legend of own? And because not many could afford horses and the associated specialized training, those who rode into the battles tended to be of better warriors? Not only in the current days but also in the olden times. Creme de la creme, so to say? When you went against a force comprised of such warriors, you couldn’t just leave one alone and go gang up on Sieur Henry. The moment you took your eyes off your immediate adversary was when your head detached from the body. I couldn’t quite make my mind up on what was more impressive. That there had been plenty of such monstrous men in the past, enough to form up an army, or the fact that Sieur Henry was on par with them.

I was dragged out from my bemused state by the sight of Sieur Pierre jumping on his friend. Henry parried the sword and kicked his pal’s plated thigh. Both men got tangled up on the ground. They rolled on the mud, wrestling, trying to overpower and get on top of each other. The two Sieur-knights were punching and kneeing each other. But there was an opening, and Henry thrust his gauntlet fingers into Pierre’s eye socket through the slit in the helmet. There was a loud, painful scream, and Sieur Henry managed to get on top of his friend, his finger still in the other’s eye. Then he pulled, most likely with the fingers in the eye socket bent inward against the cheekbone. Like that, my good Sieur banged Pierre’s helmeted head into the ground several times. Then he looked around, found, and reached out for his sword, which was promptly shoved into the gap between the helmet and the high collar of the breastplate. Sieur Pierre twitched then went limp.

###

Once the initial chaos that followed the head-butt clash died down, it was then a one-sided stomp. Our riders were thrashing theirs. Chartoise’s hope of restoring their left crumbled. Once Sieur Henry and his fellows crushed their counterparts, Comte d’Armas was now freed from further distractions. The old nobleman gave a signal, and his men, formed up in groups of two to three rows, shattered what little organized defense that had remained. Those elements that broke through turned left and threatened the rear of Chartoise’s middle. Anna’s summoned warriors nearest to the Comte’s army drove in further. Sieur Henry regrouped his riders and went after the routed footmen for a while, then made a sharp turn and crashed into Chartoise’s exposed right waist.

Even I could sense that it was the beginning of the end. Yet Chartoise still retained a bit of discipline. Enemy soldiers, still organized in formations, backpedaled fast in the last-ditch effort to consolidate the contact line. I thought we needed a bit more of a shove to finally crack this hard nut, which Anna promptly delivered from the other side of the battlefield.

From the left section of the battle, Antoine’s men cheered loudly as they linked up with Anna and her minions. In the distance from my position, standing out in the darkness of the night, Anna’s shining blade waved. The rear section of her minions in the middle each took out a bugle and blew hard. The noise was deafening yet majestic. The scorching white light from Anna’s sword intensified, creating a little low sun that illuminated the entire battlefield. She made a one-eighty turn and cut across the mass of the enemy soldiers, who dropped everything and fled from the monster girl. Anna galloped unopposed, and from the vacant space created in her wake, yet more soldiers materialized, numbering in some hundred or so. It was a freaking marching band! With trumpets and snares and hundreds of flapping banners! The sword of Firis was shimmering and whining, making a constant ‘zzing’ sound as Anna rode, and it could be heard even from this side of the battlefield. Then the blade cracked a thunderous bang that echoed in the winter air. It was shining so bright it was now impossible to look at the sword directly. As if on cue, the trumpets blared at once. A fanfare that announced the triumph. It was so loud my ears hurt. Oh God, I’m sorry, Marion. I had no idea the extent of the suffering my Anna imposed on you. I’m so sorry.

“Go, Firis!”

Eris yelled from my behind. I, too, shook my fist in the air.

“Go, Anna!”

Anna, a raging monstrosity that parted the sea of men, once again made a sharp turn, but this time perpendicular towards the dead center of the enemy’s rear. Anna was charging in, and her minions followed and filled the gap she created. This was the last straw. Chartoise had crumbled, having its army formation churned from inside and torn left and right and center. Rows and columns broke down, and every man was running for himself. Anna let out a bloodcurdling battle cry and sped up even more.

At the end of Anna’s path, a clear lane that had formed by men getting the fuck out her way, was the thin horse-mounted figure, the one with the long braided hair. A black shadow against the wall of flame that burnt Comte de Chartoise’s siege camp. It dawned on me. The sing-song by the God’s Warriors. The passing remark by Antoine. The conversation between Comte de Chartoise and my Anna, and how the Comte sounded as if he was internally comparing Anna to someone. And, finally, the young woman’s voice in the dark. Pieces fell into places. It was Lady Valérie of Chartoise, the Comte’s daughter. Valérie was the one who had killed my Anna. She was the one running the show. At some point during the battle, as Anna had noted, Valérie had taken over the command from her father. She was the one who had caused the brief trouble on our left. She was the one who had maneuvered her father’s troops in response to Anna’s attack and valiantly fought back. And now, unfortunately, but inevitably, Valérie was the defeated. Yes, it was unfair, but then again, it just was how Firis worked.

I thought I saw Lady Valérie pull out her sword, readying herself to duke it out with incoming Anna. But more shapes appeared, dark shadows on horses. They surrounded the frustrated commander of the defeated army. After what seemed to be a heated argument, they grabbed the rein of Valérie’s horse and took off, fleeing from the scene. I thought I heard frustrated screaming of protest. I blinked, and they were gone. Anna stopped, having lost her target. She surveyed the battlefield, and then, satisfied, raised her sword and cheered. True to her words, the Roseborn had won the battle.

###

And the rest was just mindlessly killing routed soldiers. There seemed to be nothing more effortless than cutting and slashing panicked men who had lost all their will to fight. Men who weren’t thinking straight, so panicked and so tunnel-visioned and focused on fleeing that they lost all sense of direction and awareness of their immediate surroundings. Anna and her army were mowing down heads and trimming limbs. It was so gruesome I couldn’t watch anymore. Instead, I counted the ever-growing number of radiating globules suspended low across the battlefield. There were too many to count. They were invisible to others, but to me, the whole battlefield looked like a shopping plaza lit with Christmas lights.

“Look, Eris, look! Open your eyes!”

I shook Eris in my lap, then did a double-take. The beautiful girl was gone. Instead, there was a buckling skeletal figure resting against my body.

“No!”

I screamed. Nearby men looked at me with puzzled faces, but I didn’t care. From behind, Iris wrapped her arms around me and held me tight and buried her face on my back. Her tears soaked through my coat and the shirt underneath.

“Is that it? Eris is done for good?” I shouted over my shoulder.

It took some time for Iris to regain her composure. Her eyes were wet and red. Hiccuping, she wiped the tears with the palm of her hand.

“She is alive,” Iris said, reaching out and tapping on the bones. “Whatever was happening to her has stopped. See?”

I studied the gray-white skeleton in my lap. True, all the flesh might have gone poof, but Eris still remained.

“Wake up, wake up!” I shook the goddess of death, which made the bones clatter. By some God knows-, goddess knows what magic, the pieces were held together even though all the muscles and flesh had gone to dust.

“Eris, wake up! Quick!” reaching around me, Iris, too, was calling for her friend and knocked on the hard skull.

A ghastly groan resonated from the depth of the bare-bone mouth, and two reddish flames appeared inside the vacant eye sockets. Eris was back.

I sensed tingling in the air. The small fireflies of the recently deceased were buzzing. I felt they were facing this way.

“Oh my!” Eris spoke through whatever method that allowed her to speak. Her voice, though, sounded hollow. “Look at them. So many…”

“Yes! Anna made them for you!” I grabbed the bony hand and urged her. “Now, do your thing.”

“Help me. Bring me closer.” Eris sounded weak.

Iris tapped on my shoulder, and when I turned around to face her, she nodded and pointed a finger forward. I understood what she meant. I urged the elk to move and rode towards the nearest swarm of the spiritual globules.

Eris was like a magnet. Or a beacon in the dark. As she got closer, the brightly burning lives buzzed and flew towards the goddess and orbited around madly. Marion’s elk was brave, unfazed by this supernatural phenomenon. It listened to me well. Riding on the elk’s back, the goddesses and I zigzagged over the countless dead bodies sprawled on the battlefield. We harvested the souls of those who had recently been murdered thanks to certain someone’s decision they would die tonight in her place.

When we were about done collecting the last batch of the soul-moths, Anna came back from the ruthless slaughter, drenched in blood. She stopped by my side, and, leaning over from her Lilly's back, Anna hugged Eris and wailed like a child.

###

It took a bit long for all three goddesses to calm down and get a hold of themselves. They got off from the mounts and, surrounded by a thick swarm of the glowing soul globules, huddled up in a three-way hug, which must have looked quite weird to mortal eyes.

Eris seemed to be doing much better. Whatever punishment she had been suffering was gone. Iris was torn between being glad and mad. Anna was grateful, yet sorry for what Eris had gone through for her sake.

Eris looked herself up and down, felt around her skeletal body, examining every nook and cranny.

“So, erm… this is permanent?” I asked.

“Unfortunately, yes,” Eris sighed. “Firis has delivered so many lives, but it was only enough to stop me from going poof.”

“How about Anna goes and kills some more?”

I was aware of how horrible I sounded. Eris shook her head and told me it wouldn’t work. Things were now set in stone and in balance. A very stable state where lives and deaths were accounted for, but which at the same time, unfortunately, included Eris being a skeleton. Fates had been re-written, and the universe had accepted Anna should go on living.

“Besides,” Eris added, “no matter how many, no mortal death is of equal value to that of a goddess. We are priceless, after all.”

I kicked some dust and grumbled. I changed the topic.

“You’d look good in a hooded robe,” I suggested, trying to brighten up the mood. “And a scythe. You need a scythe.”

Anna and Iris glared at me, their eyes shooting daggers. I shrugged.

“Welp, that’s how my previous world pictured Death. We called it the Grim Reaper.”

Eris gave me a smile. Or what I thought was a smile. It was hard to tell what with her face being a skull.

“Thank you. I will try and see if it looks nice,” she then turned to Iris. “I don’t think I will need my skincare bottles anymore. You can have them.”

“Really? I can have the pink one, too?”

“Yes, sure.”

And the girls hugged yet again.

“Eris, let’s go home,” Iris said at last.

“One moment,” Eris held up a finger. She looked around, and I imagined she was smiling at each floating sparkles that had been people. The fireflies buzzed in anticipation. Eris started her ballet, and it was beautiful-

She stopped.

“Urgh, my bones are clattering too much,” Eris lamented. “I gotta come up with new choreography.”

“There’s this dance,” I offered. “It goes with a song. Like this; The foot bone’s connected to the leg bone-” I stopped because Anna punched me in the gut.

Eris bowed before the swarm of soul-globules and apologized.

“I am sorry, but no dance today.”

She then opened her bony arms wide. The fireflies dived into the goddess’s embrace and bunched up into a big writhing ball made of tiny glowing speckles. The goddess of death blew a kiss, and the soul globules emanated intense light for the last time, then faded. To nothingness. Returning to the primordial soup of existence that fed the universe.

It took me a minute or so to recover from the blinding light, but when I came to, Iris and Eris were gone. Anna stood before me, now suddenly all exhausted from having died. She shivered from the cold of the winter night. I smiled and pulled her into me. I hugged her so tight and rubbed the back of her small head with a hand. Please don’t die on me ever again.

And at this point, the victors jumped on us two. Rough, bloodied hands hoisted Anna high and cheered loudly and proudly. Anna shrieked in both delight and the fear of being dropped. Men were chanting her name. Her family’s name. And the name that I had long ago fabricated in the hopes that it would someday go on to become a legend. The Roseborn.