"Yes, but it took me a year," Nadia chimed in.
"And she was focused solely on finding you. I have an entire temple to run and I couldn't spare many resources to locate you. I knew you would turn up eventually," Xerith explained with a faint smirk.
"A lovely surprise I get when I finally do," Kaidia muttered with a huff.
"Such is life, my dear goddess," the blonde woman said with a shrug and chuckle.
"What am I even supposed to be the god of?" the warrior asked after a moment's thought.
"Why, dragons, of course," Xerith replied, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.
"Dragons?" Kai asked, perplexed. She knew what dragons were, of course. But being the human god of dragons didn't seem to make sense in the warrior's mind.
"In a sense. As you well know, dragons died out centuries ago. The legend goes that there would one day be a being born into the world that would be the embodiment of the essence of all dragons. That being is you, Kaidia Valengaard," Xerith clarified with a faint smile.
"How does that make me anything more than exceptional?" Kaidia inquired.
"It makes you more than exceptional because the dragons were beings of great and terrible power. Strength beyond that of anything currently living. They were worshiped as gods and thus, you, as the personification of their kind, will be worshiped as a god as well," Xerith explained.
"I am human. I can't be the personification of the dragons," the mercenary protested.
"You, quite simply, are wrong. You have the strength of will, the intelligence, the tenacity, the fierceness of any dragon. You have also surely noticed the enormity of your power. You have power that mages work for decades to achieve. You are, indeed, the very expression of dragonic nature," the priestess said, laying it all out for Kaidia.
"But what about Nadia? She's amazingly powerful for her age," Kai said with a gesture to her younger sister.
"She is like you... but not the same. There is something more inside you, Kaidia. Nadia is powerful beyond all expectation but you are stronger than she ever will be. But perhaps with further observation in the coming years, she will be granted the status of a demi-god," Xerith answered with a gesture to Nadia. Nadia, meanwhile, was trying to decide whether she should feel insulted or pleased by the comments Xerith had made.
"Now, I have business to attend to. So if there is nothing else, enjoy your apotheosis, Kaidia," Xerith smiled as she spoke.
"There is something we actually came here for before this little distraction grabbed my attention for a moment," Kai said, gesturing to the painting of herself and her whole appointment to godhood.
"What is that, my friend?" Xerith questioned.
"I want to know where the temple for Adathir is located. Or the main temple if there are more than one. You are the only person I trust to tell me," Kaidia responded.
"Adathir has only one temple," the priestess stated plainly.
"Where is it?" the warrior asked, a little impatient.
"I cannot tell you," was Xerith's rather simple answer. Kai stared for a moment.
"Why not?" she asked.
"We here at the temple observe and record, we do not interfere with situations between the gods themselves. However, I am sure your answer will come to you before you leave this place," Xerith said with a smile.
"I don't like it when you get cryptic, Xerith," Kai said warily.
"You won't mind when you find your answer," the priestess replied.
"I hope you're correct," the newly declared god muttered.
"I know I am. Now please, there is a suite waiting for you three. Fit for a god, I assure you. Your packs and saddle bags have already been taken to it and this young man will take you there," Xerith said pleasantly as she gestured to an acolyte approaching the group with a smile. The companions turned to look at the acolyte; then looked back to Xerith, except the priestess had vanished, just as she had appeared in the waiting room awhile ago.
"Please, everyone, this way," the acolyte requested with a gesture and a pleasant smile before starting off. Nadia followed him, as did Kaidia. Rykar fell into step beside Kaidia and though he had stopped laughing some time ago, he was still grinning broadly as he looked to Kai, who glared back at him.
"Shut up."
* * *
The companions were now back on the ground level of the temple, following their acolyte guide through rather vast courtyards that contained both stone-paved open areas and gardens full of various vegetation and flowering plants.
"These spaces are used for prayer and meditation," the acolyte informed them. Several acolytes, priests, and priestesses were using the spaces for just that purpose.
The pointing and gawking at Kaidia had lessened considerably inside the temple. Most of the people within the temple were respectful of every god even if they didn't worship them. Though there were a few citizens there to pay respects to the gods that didn't quite get that pointing and openly staring were often considered to be rude. It didn't bother Kai quite as much now that she knew the cause of it all, though.
The companions were following their appointed acolyte through one of the many open areas, their booted feet softly thudding on the stone beneath them when a cry rang out that brought their attention to a woman with deep red hair, clad in similarly tinted armor, who was striding toward them, and shoving people out of her way. She was accompanied by several armed men clad in grey armor and they were all heading straight for Kaidia's small group. Aside from the acolyte, Kaidia's small group was aware, but they were walking on, ignoring the approaching group of what appeared to be soldiers.
"Kaidia Valengaard, God of Dragons. Nice of you to finally show yourself, coward," a woman's voice called out. That got Kai's attention.
"Oh, that wasn't smart," Rykar muttered. Nadia nodded her head in agreement as she looked on, wondering how her sister would react to the verbal jab. Sometimes, it was hard to tell.
"Coward? Says the one with a full guard detail," Kai retorted.
"Just flexing a little muscle," the red garbed woman replied.
"You need soldiers for that?" Kaidia asked with a sneer.
"Peasants seem to understand soldiers better than anything else," the redhead stated.
"Right. Who are you?" Kai questioned.
"Let me guess! Your name is Scarlett!" Rykar offered with a smirk. Nadia covered her smile with a hand and looked away for a moment. The crimson clad woman glared at the lord with bright green eyes that were immediately filled with contempt.
"Claire. Claire Moxen," the redhead corrected in an icy tone.
"Ah, damn. Here I was, ready to start calling you 'Scar'. Now I'm just hungry," the man stated. Nadia looked at Rykar strangely.
"Hungry?" she asked.
"For pastries, no less," Rykar nodded.
"Those are éclairs," Nadia stated.
"Close enough." the long-haired man said with a dismissive wave of his hand.
"This is a serious situation and all you can think of is elven pastries?" Nadia sighed and shook her head with a roll of her eyes before turning her attention back to her sister and Claire.
"What do you want with me?" Kai inquired with only faint interest.
"I am the champion of the god Adathir and I have come to challenge you to a duel," Claire answered.
"Is that so?" Kaidia asked; her interest suddenly much greater, if the arched brow and feral grin that had curved her lips were any indication.
"It is," the fiery-haired woman confirmed.
"Is it wise to challenge a god to a fight when you're a mere mortal?" Kai queried, half sarcastic.
"It would be unwise if you were a god, Kaidia. However, you aren't a god," Claire said with a supreme confidence that grated on Kai's nerves.
"There is no such thing as a god, you idiot. It's a title, nothing more," Kaidia responded caustically.
"Adathir is a true god," Claire stated, as if her saying such made it true.
"Adathir is dead. I killed him f
our years ago," the mercenary countered with a cold tone.
"Only his body died. He will be back," the redhead asserted in a disturbingly genuine fashion, her eyes glazing over a moment, as if imagining the glorious moment before clearing again to focus on Kaidia.
"Alright, we're getting a little crazy here," Kai muttered.
"Actually, resurrection is possible with necromancy. It'd take a lot for him to be more than a shambling corpse though," Nadia chimed in, helpful as always.
"Thank you, sis. Shut up, please," Kaidia said with a quick glare to her sister. Nadia huffed and Rykar smirked.
"Ah, sisterly affection," the man chuckled and spread his arms, as if basking in the warmth of the sisterly love that was on display. Kai rolled her eyes, and then looked back to Claire.
"Are we done talking or do you have some other insanity to spew?" the mercenary asked. Claire, apparently, took exception.
The woman's crimson armor flashed in the sun as she bolted forward with a growl, pulling her bladed mace from the leather loop on her belt that held it. With a war cry and a large, arcing swing, Claire brought her mace down toward Kaidia in a powerful swing. Kai raised her left arm, a shield formed entirely by sorcerous energy materialized on her forearm. Mace and shield collided with such force that dust kicked up around the two women and the ground underfoot trembled.
In a long moment, the women stood locked, one in red armor, the other in black, and Rykar thought to himself that this would make a much better painting than the one hanging in the temple. He was wise enough to keep it to himself though, lest he be beset upon by two angry, armored, and arguably mildly insane women.
The moment passed; Kaidia forced Claire back a step, then twisted, shield fading away as she threw a straight punch at Claire's face with her right hand. The redhead jerked to the side, narrowly avoiding the punch. She danced backward and smirked.
"You missed. For a god, you aren't too skilled in battle," Claire taunted.
"Miss? Did I?" was Kai's rhetoric response.
The crimson clad warrior stared for a moment, not comprehending Kaidia's words. It then dawned on her that there was a warm trickle slipping down over her lips, originating from her nose. She wiped a gloved hand across her mouth and glanced down to it. Blood, the same color of her armor, was smeared across her glove.
"H... how?" Claire managed to ask, a cold twinge of fear shot through her body as her brilliant green eyes met Kai's stormy blues. The smirk on Kaidia's lips could have almost been considered evil.
"Maybe I am a god, after all," the warrior chuckled. Rykar and Nadia exchanged looks of astonishment. They had known Kai long enough to know the woman was powerful, but drawing blood without touching someone was almost beyond belief despite the fact that they had witnessed exactly that just a few moments prior.
Kaidia took advantage of Claire's shock and bolted forward, leaving her sword in its sheathe at her hip. She doubled up her fist and swung it upward, hitting the stunned redhead in the jaw. Everyone watching winced at the jarring crack of teeth gnashing together. Claire grunted and fell over backward, but was quick to regain her feet and stand, only to be attacked again. Kai aimed a kick for the redhead's gut that connected the moment Claire had stood. She stumbled backward and caught herself, then lunged straight at Kaidia, angered.
Kaidia dropped back to defend herself. The champion of Adathir swung her mace at Kai's skull. Kai ducked the swipe and side stepped. Claire pivoted on her heel and took another swing. The black clad mercenary backpedaled, avoiding the swing. Kai planted her feet and drew her sword as Claire prepared to make another charge. The sword, like Kaidia's armor, was black and seemed to swallow the light around it.
Kai held her blade down and to her side, and by the time Claire saw the impending strike, she was too late. The newly crowned god swung her blade in a mighty, upward stroke. Claire turned her mace to block the blow as she saw it coming.
The ebon blade cleaved through armor, severed the head of the mace from the shaft, and cut Claire deeply, from near the waist, clear up through her shoulder. Blood splattered the ground, spilled out of the gash in Claire's armor. The quiet after the strike was deafening and seemed to go on forever.
Time resumed its usual pace as the shaft of the mace fell from Claire's weakened grip. The woman still had the wherewithal to focus on Kaidia as the darkly armored god pressed the tip of her sword into Claire's open chest wound.
"You fought bravely, champion of Adathir. As a show of respect, I will give you an honorable warrior's death, Claire Moxen," Kai stated calmly. Claire managed to give the slightest of nods before closing her eyes. Her body started to lean toward her victorious opponent and at the same moment, Kaidia drove her sword forward, impaling the fiery haired woman, piercing her heart, and ending her time in the world.
Kai pulled her blade free and let Claire's body drop to the blood splattered flagstones. She glanced to her sister and Rykar, who were drawing their own swords and not even looking to her. The mercenary turned her attention to Claire's soldiers, who looked outraged and stricken. Instead of coming forward to bear their leader's body away, they drew swords and axes, the ranking officer screamed a battle cry, and they all charged forward.
Thinking quickly, Kai saw the severed head of the mace lying on the ground near her feet and an idea came to mind. She hauled off and kicked the bladed mace head, sending it straight toward the oncoming soldiers. The ranking officer dropped to the ground like a sack of dirt when the head of the mace cracked him in the skull. The remaining soldiers ran around him and maintained their charge. Rykar and Nadia started forward to meet the oncoming soldiers, Kai falling into step with her friend and her sister as they did.
Kaidia counted nine opposing soldiers who seemed to be in groups of three as they charged forward. She had faced worse odds in the days near the end of the war when she had served as the Mercenary General for the King. As the two small groups clashed, Kaidia ducked the slash of an opposing sword and retaliated with slash of her own, slicing through the man's armor and into his gut. He dropped with a short scream of pain. The next two were women, Kai was quick to dispose of the first with an armored elbow to the skull that knocked the woman to the ground where she clutched her bleeding forehead. The second woman swung her sword at the mercenary, only to have her strike deflected by Kaidia's blade, leaving the woman vulnerable. Kai took the opening and kicked the woman in the side of the knee, causing the woman to crumple to the ground in pain.
Rykar was eager to test his new sinthite blade, hefted the blue tinted sword and brought it down, with all his strength, on the first opponent within range. The blade cleaved through armor, flesh, muscle, and bone, dropping the nearly halved man to the ground in a bloody mess. The display of force brought the man's two comrades, a man and a woman, to a standstill. Rykar's face was a mask of shock that quickly turned into a look of maniacal glee before his eyes focused on the staggered soldiers. As Rykar advanced forward, his deep blue sword stained red, the soldiers started backing up.
Meanwhile, Nadia was wielding both her axe and her sword, blocking and attacking with one in each hand. She clubbed one soldier in the head with the flat of her short sword, knocking him to the ground. She buried her axe in the leg of another soldier, and then jerked it out. The woman fell to the flagstones and rolled away. The third soldier, another man, started retreating. The retreating soldiers, their numbers cut by two-thirds, grouped together as they faced down their obviously more skilled opponents. One of the men raised his arms, a burning mass of fire coming to life in his hands, a last ditch effort to win, one of the most basic of offensive magics.
Kaidia and Rykar raised their hands in response, pure magical energy burned in Kai's palm, while lightning crackled between Rykar's fingers. Nadia hurriedly slipped her axe back into its holster on her belt, then raised her hand to join her sister and Rykar, fire blazing in her own hand. The air was tense, the moments long, breath held to the barest, softest whisper between lips as everyone waited to see
who would release their sorcerous assault first.
"That will be enough!" a voice boomed out in the courtyard, magnified with magic.
Everyone turned to the source, magic dying in their hands. Striding onto the stone floor of the courtyard was Xerith, looking rather annoyed. Rykar had the sudden thought to look around for the acolyte that had been leading them. The lord spotted the poor man hiding in the edge of the garden behind the three companions and he chuckled before turning his attention back to the angry priestess.
"Put your weapons away, please," Xerith requested in a tone that made it seem like much less of a request. The soldiers and the companions sheathed their swords and relaxed a little as Xerith glared around at the wounded and dead soldiers, as well as everyone still standing.
"Sorry about the mess," Nadia spoke up, trying to assuage Xerith's obvious irritation. All it earned her was a baleful glare from the priestess.
"I should think so, young lady. Look at this!" Xerith growled and gestured to the scene before her.
"They fucking started it!" Nadia growled in return, affronted by the woman's tone.
"I do not care who triggered the battle, young one. I just don't wish it to continue. My temple is not a battleground," the holy woman stated with a forced calm.
"Well, Xerith, you kind of killed the mood," Kaidia muttered. Xerith shot the newly ordained god a nasty glare. Kai's response was a grin and a wink. The priestess rolled her eyes and turned to the three remaining soldiers.
"If you would help your less-severely wounded fellows to the healer's chambers, your more grievously wounded comrades will be helped along shortly," she said calmly, gently. A group of acolytes was already swarming the wounded and the dead. Xerith turned to the companions and crooked a finger.
"You three come with me. We'll see if we can't get you to your accommodations without another incident." she said with the barest hint of a smile.
"Hold on, I need to ask one of these guys where to find Adathir's temple," Kaidia said, walking toward the remaining three, stepping over wounded soldiers as she did. Xerith raised an arm to cut the mercenary off.
Realms of Valen - Dragon in the Dark (War of the Gods Book 1) Page 7
