It turned out the journey to Torzoa would not be as quick as I had thought. When Chad and Dorian first met me, they both mentioned racing to Bronzemead overnight to investigate the falling star. I had assumed that meant both of their homes, including the capital Torzoa, were within a day’s travel from Bronzemead.

I was very wrong.

Chad estimated that it could take as long as a week or so to get there on horseback, depending on the time we made. He implied the biggest hurdle in our efficiency was how quickly I adapted to riding a horse.

As he had predicted, travel was slow going in the first day or so. I had never ridden a horse before, so that took plenty of time to get used to and I needed frequent breaks. Fortunately, I benefitted from my blessed body, and didn’t have nearly as much trouble riding had I been the “five foot nothing” height of my normal Earth body. Ash had the toughest time, but he at least had some riding experience and took to it pretty quickly.

The first day of our journey toward the capital, Chad and Dorian filled me in a bit more on the layout of Monera. Chad explained that he had been dispatched on a mission from his father to the northern fort city, Brakkash, a mission that he completely abandoned. When he saw my falling star, he immediately snuck away from his escorts in the night to rush to my location.

Dorian, meanwhile, had already been on his way towards Bronzemead from his home, Occo. As I recalled him saying the first day I had met him, he had been walking, not because Bronzemead and Occo were close, but because he had abandoned his horse after a failed attempt to court a pretty farm girl. Her father had caught wind of his efforts and he had been forced to cut bait and run. To quote his romantic spin on his loss, his horse was “an unfortunate sacrifice in the gamble of love!”

Dorian filled me in more on Occo. It was less a city and more a large agricultural farm. It was the size of a city but did not have many of the amenities or entertainment. Everyone who worked there also was a live-in resident. To provide the farm protection, Occo was located near the eastern fort city, Zlestin. It was the largest of the fort boundary cities, as it not only protected the kingdom’s largest food source, but also was the first line of defense against humanity’s longest and greatest enemy: Elves. Due to this, it was affectionally known as “Elves’ Bane.”

As I already knew, Dorian’s family were the stewards of Occo for the past several generations. When Dorian hit eighteen, his father moved to Torzoa, to be closer to the King. Dorian was put in charge of Occo, with the idea it would teach him responsibility. Instead, it had the undesired effect of making Dorian extremely bored. Thus, he abandoned his duties and made frequent trips to the local towns and villages to entertain himself.

Translation: to charm any willing and available ladies out of their dresses.

Bronzemead was always his first choice if he could spare the time. He had grown attached to Noelle at an early age but was equally infamous throughout the northeastern outskirts. I now understood his drive to protect these villages. He was attached to these people, and he knew they couldn’t defend themselves. A lech and shameless skirt chaser he might be, but there was a heart somewhere inside that manly broad chest.

Dorian made use of our time on the road to put my survival training to the test. When we set up camp, I was delegated to find some firewood and hunt for game. After that was completed, Ash and I went through more weapons training, as they wanted to make sure we were familiar with our new equipment. Dorian had experience with polearms, so he worked with Ash. This left me with Chad to make sure I understood Minerva.

She was a dangerous weapon, and Chad didn’t have much experience with axes, so most of our work was spent teaching me how to stand and hold her properly and didn’t grow more complicated after the first couple of afternoons.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The first couple of days were filled with chatter to pass the time, but that soon dwindled into silence. After the second day of it, I was going to go crazy if it continued, so I settled on a conversation starter.

“So, all three of you are decedents from a line directly borne from the Gods and the Goddess? Are there other family lines, or are Obarith and Ptarkin the only other ones?”

Dorian twisted around in his saddle excitedly as he slowed the pace of his horse to be side by side with mine.

“I wondered how long until that question came up!” he laughed. “Now is as good a time as any to educate you. There are twelve Gods. Thirteen, if you count the Goddess, but very few do. There are six of Light and six of Dark and are opposing forces to each other. Obarith, the God of light and life, has his twin, Oryx. And Ptarkin, the God of harvest, has Pteropus, the God of Famine and disease.”

“Each of the Gods was supposed to counterbalance each other,” he continued, “And the Goddess was supposed to be a neutral voice for the whole Pantheon. When the God’s started their war with each other thousands of years ago, she stayed completely neutral.”

He shook his head, “All anyone has is speculation, but no one truly knows why she didn’t intervene. They fought for thousands of years, with endless death and destruction before it ended, and not once did she lift a finger.” He looked at me with a cautious eye, “She’s Obarith’s wife, you know…”

I could almost smell the smoke from the fuse that burnt out in my brain with that new tidbit.

Well, She conveniently forgot to mention that!

It took the gears a moment to start turning again before I was able to ask, “So why did she stay neutral if she is married to the God of Light?”

Dorian shrugged, “That’s what many scholars and people much smarter than you or I have debated for many, many years.”

Chad, who hadn’t really shown an interest till now, called back venomously from the head of our group, “Why debate what we already know? The Goddess is a traitor!”

The comment caught me off guard, and I studied Chad. He hadn’t turned to address us for that statement. His body language also didn’t betray any emotion or feelings towards what he had just hatefully spewed.

Before I could respond, Dorian piped up, “Now now, Chadwick! Everyone knows the Crown’s thoughts on the Goddess’ perceived betrayal of Obarith, but at least try to have an original thought of your own, for once?”

Chad finally spun back to look at Dorian, his face twisted and angry. But he said nothing, only leveled his gaze at him for a few moments before turning back to face the road.

Dorian continued our conversation, but in a hushed tone so as not to aggravate Chad further, “For at least a few generations, the Crown has upheld the belief that the Goddess abandoned Obarith and the other Gods of light in their time of need. By abandoning them, She also, by extension, abandoned Man. The Crown has viewed Her actions as a slight for as long as I can remember. Several generations at least. Worship and admiration of the Goddess isn’t banned per say. Even the Crown doesn’t have the clout to outright pass such a decree, but very few practice it openly.”

We both looked back at Ash, trailing behind us. I wasn’t sure if he had been listening, but if he had, the spaced-out gaze on his face hid it well.

“Bronzemead is the only place in the kingdom I know of that openly worships the Goddess. It’s the only location in Monera that still has a temple dedicated to her.” He then nodded at Ash, “If it weren’t for the Magos clan, both with Edward’s connections and Catherine’s line, it would have fallen into disrepair ages ago.” He playfully winked at me, “Even before you leveled it yourself.”

I flushed a bit and was glad the town had been so quick to rebuild it after it’s destruction. Just then, a thought occurred to me, and I asked, “Is Ash the last male in his line? Are there other male descendants?”

Dorian shrugged, “Who can say? While a male is rare, Goddess descendants like Catherine are pretty commonplace. Despite being a poor source for an heir, you’ve seen what they look like. Men can’t keep their hands to themselves.”

“Why does that sound familiar?” I cocked an eyebrow at him as he laughed.

“Well can you blame me? Until you arrived, Noelle was easily the most beautiful woman in town, rivaled only by her mother. Her sisters are going to be just as bad!” Then he groaned, “Anya is going to be a little heartbreaker! She already had strong role models in her mother and Noelle, and now she’s attempting to emulate you?”

He sighed, a sad little thing filled with a bit of remorse. “Another reason it never would have worked out between Noelle and me. It would be a crime against humanity to have 19 adorable little daughters of mine running about!”

I laughed so hard I started choking, and it took me a moment to recover. “19?! Quite presumptuous of you to believe Noelle would give you 19 children!”

He got a grin as large as I had seen Edward wear many a time when thinking of his wife.

“If you think I’m doing anything with her but enjoying our wedded bliss for the rest of our days, you don’t know me as well as I’d hoped! I have no idea how Edward and Catherine stopped at 9.” He paused for a moment and got whisper quiet, “Though I have a theory…”

Ash finally let it be known he had been listening all along as he rode between us, proclaiming loudly, “That’s enough on that topic, please? Can we move on?” Dorian and I noticed how flushed his face was as he rode by, and it sent us into peels of laughter.

Wiping tears from his eyes, Dorian got back on track, “Anyway, I wouldn’t worry about our Ash. I’m sure he’ll be able to find himself a lady friend before too long.” He waggled his eyebrows very suggestively at me while jerking his head Ash’s direction, “You know, males in his line are just as fertile as the women.”

I gave him an unamused look. He was trying to be cute, but instead, he was just being annoying. He ignored my stare down and switched back to our earlier topic, his voice now back to its normal volume.

“So, where were we before we were so rudely interrupted by our fair princeling. Ah yes! The pantheon!” He shifted his weight a bit in his saddle to give himself the appearance of importance.

“Alright, you know about Obarith and Ptarkin. The remaining four Gods of light are Zannister, Matthius, Sapphis and Alustan. Sapphis is our God of water. His descendants are the merfolk, whom we have an uneasy alliance with. They guard the vast ocean that lies at our western borders vigorously and, if the Crown is to be believed,” he glanced at Chad, “they are the major reason why we haven’t made progress in further exploration west, as they have hindered us at every turn.”

“You know, considering your father’s position on the King’s council, one would think you’d be less vocal regarding Our decrees, Dorian.” Chad again piped in without turning to address us.

Dorian called out a challenge, “Explain pirates then!”

The sound of pirates got me a little excited, and I looked to Dorian expectantly. Dorian misunderstood the look on my face for fear and added, “Don’t worry, my lady. They’re only called “pirates” because their sea faring actions aren’t sanctioned by the Crown. They’re really nothing more than merchants. But whatever they are, the mers largely leave them alone and they sail the sea as they please.”

I nodded. “They report anything interesting further out West?”

Dorian scratched his chin in thought, “Nothing the Crown will officially admit to, but there’s got to be something out there.”

Dorian decided it was time to change topics, as Chad was fidgeting in his saddle again.

“Matthius is the God of crafting and his descendants are the Dwarves.”

“Dwarves live here too?!” I exclaimed.

Elves, Merfolk, Dwarves. Eitania was getting more interesting by the minute.

“We haven’t seen much of them in a long time. They’ve largely kept to themselves shortly after our last big war with the elves a few hundred years ago. The Elves War persisted after the God’s war had ended, and dwarves allied with mankind during that time. The dwarves and elves have their own reasons for fighting, to the point that elves may hate them more than they hate us. Even after the Elves War was over, the elves continued aggressively hunting them, and they’ve been hiding underground for ages.”

I mused on this a while, wondering what encounters with either race would be like. I was also very curious about the animosity from the Elves towards mankind and the dwarves. Dorian didn’t give me long to ponder however, as he continued his lesson.

“Zannister is probably viewed as the second most revered God of Light by the Crown, as he stands for justice, law and discipline. His family line are the heads of our military, as you would expect.” He coughed a bit before adding, “You may meet their disaster of an eldest son once we get to Torzoa, if you are unfortunate enough.”

This sparked my interest. “He’s a disaster?” I grinned and decided to have some fun at their expense, “He can’t be as bad as the two of you.”

Chad spun back again, but rather than one of anger, his face took on a serious nature. “This is one of the few things Dorian and I agree on, so take our advice! If you meet Kit, keep your wits about you.” He turned back to the road but offered another warning. “If he touches you, check your pockets.” I saw him shiver for a split second as he added, “And don’t be surprised if that ‘touch’ has you longing for a hot bath.”

My eyes widened. Who was this guy that had Chad and Dorian keeping him at arm’s length?

Dorian also shuddered beside me. He’s not kidding about Kit. He appreciates the ladies possibly more than I do. Dare I say it, but he might have felt right at home at Roscoe’s ‘Wish’.”

With that, he moved on from the topic of Kit, “Alustan is the last God of Light with a direct line with mankind. He is the God of knowledge, and His influence is centralized heavily at our college city, Prirart, which is overseen by his descendants.”

Sensing a theme, I asked “And their son?”

Dorian exhaled heavily, and I could almost hear Chad’s eyes roll back in his head.

“Julius.”

I was almost afraid to ask, “And who, or what, is Julius?”

Dorian blew out his cheeks, “How to explain him? He’s abrasive and rude.”

“Like Chad,” I added.

Dorian smiled a bit, “He’s arrogant.”

“Like Chad?”

“And he’s super focused on his work and the betterment of himself.”

“… still feels like Chad.”

Dorian’s grin grew larger, but he came to Chad’s defense.

“And yet, would you believe it, he’s still worse? He’s the oldest of the four of us and, if it doesn’t involve his studies or work, he wants next to no part of it. He’s so dedicated to his studies that he takes no pleasure in the finer things in life. It’s a major reason why he’s 25 and still single!” He shook his head, incredulously, “I couldn’t imagine being his age and still not knowing the touch of a woman! And on purpose!”

He then gave me a warning look, “I’ll also be surprised if he’s not been forced to visit the Capital, anticipating our arrival.”

I spun my head between the two of them, “Wait, what? Why would Julius, or Kit, for that matter be expecting us?

Then something clicked. “Or me.”

A worried expression on my face, I asked Chad, “What did you do?”

Chad brought his horse to a halt, and we all stopped to hear him out. This was serious.

“I sent a missive ahead to Father, announcing our impending arrival.”

I was not amused and gave him a disappointed look. I knew things were going to get hectic once we hit Torzoa, I just thought I’d have more time to mentally prepare.

Chad immediately defended himself. “I had to give him something! An important reason for why I abandoned my mission to Blackwall! Meeting the shooting star and having her sent by the Goddess herself was one of the few things that could satisfy him!”

“You sold me out!”

I crossed my arms and pouted angrily. Dorian was unsurprised. He obviously had been in on it and I decided to log it away for later that he also neglected to tell me.

“Look, the purpose of our visit was going to be revealed once we made it home anyway. I don’t understand. Why are you so upset about this?” he asked.

“Because you kept it a secret! You didn’t think to tell me what was going on!” I yelled back.

Chad urged his horse on and concluded with, “And why should I have to include you in anything? Blessing of the Goddess or not, you are still just a woman after all.”

I lifted my hands in a clawed, grasping motion and started to vigorously shake them at his retreating back. Next time the Goddess talked to me, I was going to want to know if I could learn to telepathically make his head explode.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

We arrived at Torzoa after nearly eight days of travel, but I was able to see it off in the distance well before then. It was a massively walled city. Mankind had spent hundreds of years, perhaps more, expanding its borders before ceasing their outward expansion and moving on to build more cities and territories in the surrounding country that had become Monera.

Torzoa was built around a single small mountain. At its peak was an enormous temple that Chad quickly identified as the home of Obarith. When I asked for clarification on “home” rather than His place of worship, Dorian added that the Crown held the superstitious belief that Obarith, Himself, actually resided at the temple. Chad was livid with the accusation that the Crown could ever be mistaken regarding their own God, but Dorian just shrugged off his mounting anger.

Chad’s mood had been darkening day by day since our discussion of the Gods, Julius, and Kit, and he had been a moody, brooding thundercloud. Nearly any topic discussed since then just further riled him up, and Dorian, Ash, and I had taken to ignoring him completely.

Which preceded to further piss him off.

You can’t win sometimes.

A little way down from the smaller mountain’s peak were the impenetrable walls of Chaddington Castle. They were completely wrapped around the peak so that it, and Obarith’s temple, were only accessible once inside the castle grounds. The walls looked constructed of sheer white rock that appeared to jut up from the mountain itself and were further carved to function as standard fortress walls. Great banners hung from them, trimmed in gold with fields of white and a roaring, richly colored red lion’s head profiled on them. From our great distance, I couldn’t make out more of the castle, but Chad assured me I would be impressed.

The capital city also wrapped around the mountain, descending further from the outlandish temple and castle at its peak. I had seen this type of design before and would have been shocked if the quality of life and social status of the citizens didn’t decrease the further away you got from the castle. If the imposing wall that encircled the capital was any indication, the city extended pretty far out from the base of the mountain. From our position a few hours ride away, everything I could see was a pristine white. If my experience with books and fantasy tales was anything to fall back on, I doubted the purity of the surface properly reflected what laid within.