Edmonton got phone call from an unknown hat was standard procedure when Iliyal messaged him, the man ged numbers as often as the Sun rose. “Edmonton speaking.” He answered as Fleur looked up.

  It was Ilwin this time. “Magic has left. Operation Sn has the green light.”

  Edmonton flicked the phone off. It was time to begin.

  Kassandora sat in her hotel room in Nanbasa. She had takehe eop-floor and the hotel had been more than happy to acquiesce hosting the Goddess leading the Recmation War. It acious, it was rge, and it was one of the few pces that had been riough to order furniture specially made for the size of Divines. Outside was a wonderful day, with the Sun reag its zenith in the brilliant blue sky above Nanbasa.

  She poured over her papers. Diagrams upon diagrams. Flowcharts, lines, boxes and circles, some crossed out, some in bck pen, then marked over in red. A new system for military anization, made up of teams, then ptoons. Those posed individual pahat would be assigiments, which themselves would fall under brigades, then to divisions. Auxiliaries could be attached and moved around as the situation required. Quiunicatioroyed the utter relian self-g armies and generals with far too gracious amounts of autonomy.

  There would be o pcate the leadership with expensive gifts and dreams of paces. Disloyal generals could simply have the divisions and brigades uheir aransferred to other s of and. It was a tralized system, with her at the top. Kassandora leaned bad made another note. Arascus talked about something called a mae gun, too heavy to be wielded standing, it had to be set to be used, but it could apparently put out firepower that dwarfed even the AAM1. The question was whether individual squads of infantry would support that, or whether that would support squads.

  Her buzzing phone broke the pnning. It was Iliyal. Kassandora answered. “What is it?” She asked.

  “The Atny branch has firmed Essa has left the Pantheon with mage and Divine support. She’s bringing a full cohort.”

  “So it’s started?”

  “I’ve already given orders for the so set up.” Iliyal said. “But yes, it’s started. Neneria will arrive in Nanbasa in thirty, Kavaa will take two hours more to arrive with her Clerics.”

  “Do we have time?”

  “It’s a tight fit but they’ll make it as long as there’s no jams oorways. Arascus is going too. And Olephia.”

  “Uood.” Kassandora said. “I’ll get to the Parliament in thirty mihen.”

  “I’ve told Ilwin that today’s the day for Operation Sn. He’s been given the green light.”

  “Good.” Kassandora replied. “Is that all?”

  “That is.” Iliyal replied promptly. Kassandora shut the phone off and leaned back. She extended her arm and Joyeuse materialized intrip. If only she better aim ba Olympiada, this trouble would have all been avoided. The Goddess of War smiled to herself as the bde disappeared. Holy, she did think that the attack would have killed Essa back then, Essa had never been especially tough body-wise. Strohan a mortal of course, but among the Divines? Well, she was dht delicate.

  Kassandora re-anized her papers and shut them in a safe. She stood up put her earpie. There was chatter on it from snipers who were setting up. Kassandora let them talk among themselves. A quiet tuarted to py in her head. It always did when she enjoyed herself.

  Neneria made her way to a random attic. She herself would have chosen the parliament building, or maybe one of Nanbasa’s clocktower but Iliyal said that the best location was one which blended in. Kassandora had then backed him up and Neneria wasn’t in any mood tue with her sister about battlefield tactics. Her own revolved rgely around deploying as many ghosts and overwhelming forces in a flood of ethereal bodies.

  It was a simple building, not abandoned, but not well maintaiher. Supposedly it was an old building marked for demolishing, to be repced with a new school of Engineering. A kilometre away from Nanbasa’s Parliament. Far away on one hand, but then Atis was the God of the Hunt, he would be able to down a fly at thrice that distance, and they were aiming for a full-on Divine.

  She tugged at her HAUPT uniform. The greatcoat hung to her calves, the boots were tight, the white shirt she didn’t like, she would have much preferred a dress. Especially when going into bat, dresses provided mobility. Two of Iliyal’s elves had been assigned with her. They y down on the ground, found openings in the walls and pulled out their rge rifles.

  Neneria put her earpie and listeo the random chatter. “I have arrived.” Neneria said and the chatter went away. Someone ughed and Neneria narrowed her eyebrows.

  “Neneria, they don’t know you by voice.” Kassandora said. “Also, I, Kassandora, am also here. Have a pleasant day gentlemen.” Neneria shook her head.

  “I am here.” She said again. “Should I set Atis up now?”

  Kassandave a reply quickly. “How long you hold him for?”

  “Him alone is not tiring.”

  “Then have it at it.” Neneria did not reply, she raised her hands and the ghost of a Diviepped into air behind her. Atis took a step. Ghastly, his baarked with the holes that had once sin him. His shoulder with tooth marked, Neneria had questioned him about. Apparently from a boy-sorcerer cursed with lythropy. He stood lightly opaque in clothes ued by the gentle draft in the old building. His bow in his hands, a quiver ever full of ethereal arrows on his hip. His longbow, once golden and noale green, in his hand.

  “Your orders?” His voice was ft, his eyes clear as he spoke.

  “When I give the signal. Kill Essa.”

  Kassandora felt the fire in her eyes as she stood. She heard the drums in her head. They were r now, eae impacted like a hammer crushing steel pte underh her. Mwai walked past her to the Parliament. He o the Goddess and smiled. “Pleasant day, are you here for anything?”

  “We’ve received news someone is ing.” Kassandora replied. Mwai raised an eyebrow.

  “Should I do anything about it?”

  “Don’t worry about it.” Kassandora said as another chorus started to bre in her mind. A war-horn of a trumpet, an army of a choir, a sword drawing was a violin. Kassandora kept that orchestra pying as she looked to the skies. She hated waiting usually. She had always sidered herself a woman of a. Waiting was simply letting time pass by, as others acted, you stood still and stagnant, rotting in whatever situation you were currently in.

  But sometimes, the wait was a tantalizing domino. Sometimes, the wait was the enjoyment all in itself. Never did a pn go fully to pn, there would always be hiccups to e across. A car always needed a driver because there was no such thing as a perfect road. But sometimes, the road was straight and damn smooth. Mwai looked up at her as blood wao flow into her cheeks, she kept the blush down. “How’s the situation with Army Implementation?”

  “We’re looking for a location to build your and quarters.” Mwai said and Kassandora nodded.

  “Good, go on then.” Kassandora replied. For once, she did not care how she looked. Essa was ing, and Essa was going to die today. A tless years, before even the iion of the dar, Essa had existed. A hundred years they fought against each other in the Great War. A thousand years after when Kassandora was imprisohe Goddess of Magic was one of the immortal pilrs of this world. And today, a series of dominos had been crafted rge enough to finally topple that pilr. Kassandoddess of War, licked her lips as all the instruments of battle cresdoed into an orchestra in her mind.

  Sometimes, the wait as tantalizing as a precious finger sliding up her thigh.

  Kavaa put her earpie as she jumped off the back of a truck. Two thousand Clerics had been brought with her. A thousand for bat, a thousand for support. Fifty trucks had voyed a long snake all day and all night to reaanbasa from the frontline.

  She saw her men step disembark and start donning her armour as she clicked her earpiece. “Goddess Kavaa rep, Kassandora are you here?”

  Kassandora replied promptly, her voice was warm today. “I am.”

  “The Clerics have arrived.”

  “As phehem up in the designated spots he parliament. Block off streets when you o, keep the public away.”

  “Uood, Kavaa out.” Kavaa replied as she turo her men and started to bark orders.

  Kassandora looked up at that geous blue sky. The Sun was starting to ree from its zenith. She licked her lips again as Arascus spoke into her earpiece. “I am here, with Iniri and Olephia.” Arascus said.

  “Hello!” Iniri’s pleasant voice came over the headset.

  “Olephia writes hello too.” Arascus said. “Eyes to the sky, from our reports, Essa has crossed the northern border.”

  “Uood.” Kassandora said. She heard walls topple in her mind, a castle fall, the popution cry as they were cut down. She blihe thoughts away. They were pleasant, but they were too pleasant if she wao and. “Iliyal, are you in position?”

  “I am.” Iliyal replied.

  Kassandora raised her voice. Arascus, Olephia and Neneria knew Iliyal from the War, but the other Divines? She doubted they had ever received orders from mortals. “Kavaa, Iniri and all other troops.” She made sure to pick the two Divines out by name. “Orders e from Iliyal, he is in charge of this operation until the end. Don’t argue with him. An order from him is as good as an order from me.”

  “Uood.” Kavaa replied promptly in her cool voice.

  “Got it.” Iniri said. Kassandora smiled to herself as she kept on waiting. She didn’t know what it was, but today, the wait ure bliss.

  Essa slowed her soar through the air as she allowed her cohort to catch up. One hundred and twenty of Arcadia’s top mages. Ones she had picked out herself and expio what it meant when a try broke a Pantheon Directive.

  In two days, she had traihese men from casting the puppet-shows used in Arcadian bat to proper battlefield mages. It wasn’t difficult, once you had the magical power, all you needed was a ge in perspective. They all wore white and gold robes. Symbols of the Pantheon adorned onto them.

  She had brought Zerus, Sceo and Alkom. Just in case, whatever Arascus would throw at them, they would take. The only issue was Olephia, but even he would not be mad enough to allow Olephia to run rampage in a city. Frankly, it wouldn’t be a bad call. She would gdly goad Olephia to destroy Nanbasa and leave. That may not kill Arascus, but it would destroy any image of the so-called humanitarianism he presented. You simply could not wield the Goddess of Chaos allowed like a heavy club. Olephia should have been put down millennia ago before she was allowed to grow into the monster she was nowadays.

  “Today, we end this charade of Kassandora and Arascus. Ond for all!” Essa shouted to her cohort. There was no need for speeches, they had received one ba Olympiada. Now was the time for a.

  Kassandora looked up at the specs of darkness in the sky. Tiny bck specs that grew close. The percussion in her head tore down a fortress. The strings culled a try. The strings stormed across the world. The brass tore it apart. Essa had arrived. Waltzed right in to take tre stage at Kassandora’s theatre.

  Today, War ying a tuh an orchestra behind her.

  The music would not stop until heads rolled.