Age of Bronze, Year 322

  ***

  Miori fell to her knees, breathing heavily in front of Juno. She came to her temple this morning, demanding a sparring match with her ‘daughter’, so Miori complied. She was a bit gentler than she was during their training in Tokyo, knowing that Miori was currently not borrowing Bellona’s form as a magical armor, but fused with her, and thus any damage done to her was done to her for real, with no way back if she were to die.

  “You have improved,” Juno concluded and reached out a hand to pull Miori back on her feet. Miori grimaced and held her aching side, where a gnarly cut was in the process of mending itself, before she managed to give Juno an awkward smile in return.

  “Have I?”

  “Yes. That new move of yours is a good first step towards true combat prowess,” Juno said with a nod, crossing her arms in front of her chest.

  “However, this isn’t everything you should be able to do. Tell me, why do you limit yourself?”

  Miori could only blink in confusion, tilting her head.

  “You think I’m limiting myself?”

  “Obviously so. Take the range of weapons you can summon, for instance. They are all from your world, and your world only, and they’re only drawn up to a certain point in the past. Why is that?”

  Miori blinked and looked down at her hands.

  “I… don’t know. I never questioned it,” she managed to answer.

  “I looked into it, Miori. Your choice of weapons reaches all the way into the past, up to the point in time when your ‘Roman Empire’, apparently an Empire guided by us Deogemma some time in our future and your past, majorly shaped the course of human history for the last time, during the ‘Renaissance’ when the kingdoms of old imitated it. Is that correct?”

  “I don’t know history that much… you’d have to ask Seika, or maybe Momo,” Miori answered sheepishly, and Juno let out a deep sigh before she walked over and gently ruffled the hair of her ‘daughter’.

  “What I want you to take away from today’s lesson is the following: You can do so much more! Look to the future! Release yourself from your mental prison that limits your available weapons and unleash your true potential! You are the personification of war, not a personification of the wars of the past, limited to one world!”

  Miori looked at Juno with some lingering doubt in her heart, but finally nodded in agreement.

  “Right. I need to get stronger, so I can overcome Maria, even if her victory last time was because she tricked us. I’ll keep working on it.”

  “Good! And now I see that there’s something else weighing on your mind. What keeps you up at night, hm?”

  Miori blushed and looked to the side, then she cleared her throat.

  “Mars mentioned something… that he was your son and Flora’s. I was curious…”

  “Oh, that…” Juno smiled, and Miori thought she could spot some mischief twinkling in her eyes.

  “It’s a strange story. I am the personification of marriage and faithfulness, but after I saw Jove giving birth like a woman would, I… well, I couldn’t sit still. I wanted to get back at him.”

  “Getting back at him?” Miori raised a brow.

  “By having a child without involving a man,” Juno said with a little grin.

  “I went to Flora, and… she demonstrated a strange magic, with which I was able to conceive Mars with her.”

  Miori nodded and leaned a little closer. “What kind of strange magic?”

  Juno let out a laugh and reached out to ruffle her hair again.

  “My, you’re curious, aren’t you? You will know in due time, Miori. Trust me.”

  Later that day, Miori received another request to keep one of the nearby towns safe. This time, a pack of crocotta was sighted stalking the mountains, and Miori descended it once again with Nerio in tow. Naturally, she had no clue what a crocotta even was, so Nerio got to explain it to her.

  “It has the body of a stag, a lion’s neck and mane, as well as cloven hooves! Its maw is filled with jagged bones instead of teeth! If you ever hear strange voices calling your name in the night, it’s them, trying to lure you in and devour you!” Nerio explained with the voice of someone telling a scary story at a campfire.

  “So, be on your guard, mistress Bellona! We might not be in for a straightforward fight, but for a game of cat and mouse!”

  Miori nodded and looked down the mountain, towards the town they were supposed to help. There were claw marks on the walls, as well as some blood splatters. Men in armor looked around nervously, using the road running through the rows of houses as a natural choke point while pointing their spears towards the wilderness outside. One man, who was obviously commanding them, turned his head and waved towards the two goddesses who were approaching.

  “Hail, mistress Bellona! Mistress Nerio! Thank you for responding to our request so fast!” the man declared. The guards parted to let the two of them inside, and the man who greeted them met them in the town square, next to the well. He was a man with a strong build, though he didn’t give the impression of a warrior. A farmer leading the local militia, worn thin by doubtlessly horrifying events.

  “I am Fabius, the one who sent the request,” the man introduced himself, wiping some sweat off his brow. Nerio immediately assumed the role of Bellona’s attendant, standing tall next to her mistress and addressing the man in Miori’s place.

  “What’s the situation, captain?”

  “Some days ago people started to speak of voices coming from the cliffs below. Voices of people who went missing before. Three people followed these voices to investigate and haven’t been seen since.”

  Nerio nodded and looked around. “I assume the crocotta didn’t stop there.”

  “No, mistress Nerio. Yesterday, people heard the voices of the three people who went missing right outside of their doors. These creatures usually don’t get that close, so the wife of a missing farmer went outside, and…” he looked at the blood splatters and grimaced, gritting his teeth to the point that they creaked.

  “Their young daughter saw it all. If only we had acted faster…!” he looked like he was at his limit. Miori didn’t hesitate long and approached him, gently touching his shoulder. He almost recoiled and looked at her with awestruck eyes, while his barely contained tears now ran down his cheeks freely.

  “We’re here now. We will make sure that you won’t lose any more people.”

  “Mistress Bellona, you really shouldn’t be talking to or touching people…!” Nerio spoke in a hushed voice, but she relented with a sigh as Miori stopped her by raising her hand.

  She kept her hand on Fabius’ shoulder as he buried his face in his hands and wept for the lives lost.

  ***

  “Please… forgive that unsightly display earlier,” Fabius spoke quietly as he opened the door to his own house. Miori entered and saw the huddled form of a young girl, hugging her knees close to her body, sitting on top of the bed in the corner. She didn’t even seem to register the entering guests as she just blankly stared ahead.

  “It’s all right. There’s no shame in caring,” Miori assured the man before she looked at the girl. She was a frail-looking thing, her strawberry-colored hair sticking to her forehead which was still covered in dirt and sweat, while her face was wet with tears.

  “Lucia hasn’t spoken since it happened. I fear she may have witnessed everything when her mother was devoured,” Fabius spoke quietly to his guests, and the two nodded. He walked over to the girl, lowering himself down to one knee to be on eye level with her.

  “They haven’t come back, Lucia. You’re safe. Here, I brought you some grapes.”

  He opened a little sack he carried by his side and pulled out a bunch of grapes which he handed to the girl. Her stare never left the spot on the wall ahead of her, but at least she reacted by grabbing the offered fruits, guiding them to her mouth one by one.

  He got back up and rejoined his guests.

  “We’ve been guarding the town all day but so far there has been no sign of the creature again. We think it will come back at night, using the darkness as cover to lure in more victims with its mimicking voice.”

  “All the villagers know not to follow the voices?” Miori asked, and Fabius nodded.

  “Everyone knows the danger posed by the crocotta now, so they are on alert. No one responds to a voice spoken at night unless accompanied by a pass phrase.”

  Miori nodded. “What is the pass phrase?”

  “It is: ‘By Janus’ dominion over doors, open this one!’” Fabius replied without hesitation. “The beasts may imitate voices, but a complex phrase like that won’t easily come to them.”

  “You’re sure about that?” Miori asked him, and he raised a brow.

  “Of course. They’re cunning beasts, but beasts nonetheless.”

  The sun sank behind the faraway mountains, plunging the village into twilight. Most of the village was gathered in one of the larger houses, belonging to the owner of the local vineyard. The guards were offered some rest before nightfall, but Miori could see in their eyes that they were anything but relaxed. Some managed to sleep on the ground, others nervously stared out of the windows for as long as they didn’t have to close the shutters.

  Some even came to Miori or Nerio, kneeling in front of them to offer prayers to the war goddesses before the inevitable battle. Their eyes were closed in contemplation, and Miori looked towards Nerio, unsure what to do. The other war goddess gestured for Miori to simply watch over them, so she did, quiet and stoic and still as always.

  “I don’t like that we’re hiding in here with the others,” Miori said with a sigh. “Let us wait out there and face them.”

  “No. You heard the man, mistress,” Nerio reminded her. “The crocotta may be nothing but beasts, but even they will retreat at the sight of a Deogemma. We need to lure them in, let them think that the town is easy pickings. Then we go out there and slaughter them, as befits those terrible beasts.”

  Miori nodded and looked around the hall. Lucia sat in a corner, hugging a stuffed animal to her chest. Miori watched her for a little while, before she excused herself from the praying soldiers and approached the young girl. She went down on one knee in front of her and gave the young girl a smile before she looked at the stuffed animal. It was an eagle, probably a very popular motif among Jove’s citizens, given that it was the animal he was associated with, or so Miori learned recently during her time here.

  “That’s a pretty eagle,” she started the conversation. The girl looked up at her with wide eyes and appeared frozen in awe, so Miori quickly followed up.

  “Does it have a name?”

  The girl hesitated, before she raised the eagle in front of her so Miori could see it. It had exaggerated big eyes to make it look a bit friendlier than its real counterpart.

  “Tiberius,” she spoke in a quiet voice.

  “That’s a mighty name for him. I’m sure he kept you safe so far.”

  The girl nodded, but bit her lower lip before she spoke again, quietly.

  “My mother gave him to me on my last birthday. It’s the last thing she gave me before…” tears accumulated in her eyes, and Miori gently pulled the girl into a hug.

  “If she gave Tiberius to you to watch over you, that must mean she loved you a lot. And now I’m here to keep you safe, too. Regarding that, I have a task for you, Lucia.”

  The girl nodded and looked up at her with teary eyes, awaiting the task from her goddess.

  “I need you to keep Tiberius safe tonight, alright? Hold him close and let me protect you in his place. He’s a gift from your mother, so he’s precious and I can’t have you lose him.”

  The girl looked at her a little confused, but she finally nodded after seeing Miori giving her a wink. Miori reached out and stroked the girl’s hair before she stood up, just in time for Nerio to approach her.

  “Movement outside. It’s time.”

  ***

  They could hear the clopping of the creatures’ hooves on the paved roads outside of town, getting closer. The guards pushed their backs against the wall, peeking out into the darkness behind the shutters from time to time, but to no avail. Miori couldn’t tell how many creatures were outside as the clopping swelled, with too many sources of noise to count. She could see sweat forming on Fabius’ forehead, his hand shaky as he grabbed his spear harder, swallowing heavily.

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  They could hear a scratching sound coming from the wall; soldiers stepped back from it and turned pale when it passed them, immediately pointing their shields towards the wall as if they feared that the creatures could break through the wall and start a slaughter.

  Miori and Nerio exchanged a look and nodded towards each other, approaching the door. But before they could reach it, a cacophony of voices erupted all around them.

  “Lucia, dear! It’s mommy! I managed to escape, but they’re right behind me! Please open the door!” a woman’s voice shouted, accompanying terribly frantic knocking on the door and Lucia covered her ears, audibly sobbing.

  “Fabius, darling, it’s been so long. I’m sorry for leaving. Won’t you let me inside? It’s dangerous out here, with these creatures…” another woman’s voice spoke, and Fabius’ face lost all color.

  “Augustus, it’s me. I’m sorry for everything I’ve done to you and your brothers. Won’t you let me inside so we can reconcile?”

  “Nerio. I can’t stop thinking about the nights we spent on the farm under the stars. I’ve come to embrace you in passion yet again! Let me in!” Miori immediately recognized this voice as that of Mars, and her attendant’s face turned the shade of a tomato as her affair with the god of war was laid bare for everyone to hear.

  “Miori, there’s more trouble back in Capitolium. I need your help!” Seika’s voice spoke, and Miori was thankful that it was drowned out by at least a dozen other voices trying to lure the people present outside, leaving little room for people to grow suspicious about it.

  “They know that we’re aware of their tricks!” Fabius shouted. “They’re mocking us! Please go and put an end to them!”

  Miori nodded, but just as she opened the door, she heard the loud clopping of the creatures’ hooves, running away from the village at high speed.

  “Damn it!” Nerio shouted. “After them! I won’t let them get away with embarrassing me like this!”

  The two ran outside, their glowing hair illuminating the immediate area as they looked around. Indeed, nothing was there, and they could hear hysterical, hyena-like laughter coming from the hills around them.

  “They’re gone,” Nerio spat, turning back towards the house. “I wanted to tear them apart! The insult! The audacity to reveal Mars’ love for me in such a… such a crude way!” Miori sighed and gently patted Nerio’s shoulder, guiding her to the well in the center of the town square.

  “Come, let’s drink some water and calm down,” she spoke to her with a little smile. Still, her mind was troubled by something that she couldn’t quite put her finger on. Behind them, the villagers were still alert, but it appeared like someone was going around and giving the ‘all clear’ to the others. Miori didn’t pay them much mind as she pulled a bucket from the well and drank from a ladle before handing it to Nerio.

  “No remaining beasts, Captain Fabius,” she heard an unfamiliar voice report behind her.

  “Hm, good. Ideally, we’d have killed them all tonight, but I’ll gladly take a night of no casualties,” Fabius responded.

  “I agree, captain. I’m with Marcus, he brought some wine for our men’s nerves.”

  Miori half-heartedly listened to the conversation held at the door of the vineyard owner’s mansion while she looked at Nerio who still quietly cussed the creatures out.

  “It’s strange, though,” Miori remarked, and Nerio looked at her.

  “Hm? What is?”

  “How do they know those details? You probably didn’t hear it, but it said something only I should know.”

  Nerio blinked and rubbed her chin while furrowing her brow.

  “Wait, you’re right… how in the world do they…?”

  “You know the rules, Titus, no entry without the password, even if the creatures ran away,” Fabius spoke to his underling behind them.

  “Of course, captain. By Janus’ dominion over doors, open this one!”

  “Are they maybe reading minds?” Nerio suggested, then her eyes widened in realization. Miori looked at her with some confusion, but then it dawned on her, and she immediately turned around.

  “Captain Fabius, don’t open the door!”

  What she saw froze the blood in her veins: Fabius let out a loud scream and struggled inside the bony maw of a crocotta. It was huge, two meters from its cloven hooves to its head. Burning red eyes stared mockingly at the two Deogemma in front of it; its head looked like that of a dog, at least the profile did, but unnervingly enough, once it looked at Miori directly, its head looked like a grotesque caricature of a man’s face. Smaller, dog-shaped shadows passed behind the large creature into the mansion. Men and women shouted, and children screamed as the sounds of a struggle came from inside.

  Miori burned with rage and rushed the creature, which tossed Fabius her way. Miori stopped in her tracks to catch the gravely wounded man and was knocked down. He let out a scream and Miori could see that he was missing a leg. Nerio shouted and unleashed arrows on the creature, which howled in pain as multiple of them struck its flank. Still, it didn’t seem too impaired by its wounds as is rushed Nerio, opening its maw to bite her.

  The ember-colored Deogemma cursed and dodged to the side as the strong jaws of the creature snapped close in the spot where she used to be, then she drew her short sword, stabbing the creature’s flank. Again, it yelped like a struck dog, but that was about the only effect the attack had.

  “Save them!” Fabius let out a pained groan, slowly crawling away from Miori, towards the mansion.

  “Please, mistress Bellona! Save my people! At least the children…!”

  Miori looked around between the light of the doorway and Nerio’s fight with the creature.

  “It’s alright, mistress!” Nerio shouted, summoning a spear to her side which she used to intercept another bite. It snapped between the bony teeth before Nerio sent the creature back a step by punching it right into its soft nose.

  “Leave this one to me and save the people inside!”

  Miori entered through the door. There were four smaller crocotta, the size of lions maybe, all engaged in a struggle with the guards. They managed surprisingly well, but not without losses. They formed a shield wall with sturdy tower shields, but one by one the creatures swiped over the edges with their cloven hooves or bit the men, leaving gaping, bleeding gashes on cheeks, shoulders and upper arms of the defenders. Some men of the militia were already dead on the ground while the remaining men attempted to penetrate the thick hides of the creatures with their spears. The civilians were huddled behind the militia, and the children screamed in terror. Miori could spot Lucia on the far side of the room, tightly clutching Tiberius to her chest while she watched the events unfold with fear written across her face.

  Miori gritted her teeth and sprang into action, summoning her halberd to her side to slash at the first crocotta. She had trouble penetrating its skin with the first strike, so she put a lot more force into the next swing of her halberd’s axe head as the immature beast turned towards her, promptly decapitating it.

  “Our goddess is by our side! Put your backs into it, men!” Someone shouted and the formation let out a war cry, focusing their attention and their attacks on one crocotta. Spears were thrust its way, and it yelped; it was apparent that the men were wounding it, despite its supernaturally hard hide, by simply overwhelming it with the volume of their attacks. It snarled, then it spoke in a human voice; that of a young woman to be precise.

  “Please! Please don’t hurt me! You don’t know this, but the missing villagers aren’t dead! We were turned into these beasts!”

  The men hesitated, and that hesitation was enough for the creature to leap over the formation. A man screamed as it tore into his throat with its bony teeth, enjoying its feast for the last few seconds of its life as it was skewered in retaliation by the survivors.

  Miori was busy with the two remaining creatures. She summoned her long guns and unloaded in one beast that tried to flank her, while facing the other with a large Zweih?nder. Just as she cleaved the creature in half she was jumped from behind and the remaining crocotta took a bite out of her shoulder. Miori grunted, suppressing the urge to scream as she grabbed the creature by the scruff of its neck and smashed it into the ground in front of her. There were multiple small holes in its body and one of its eyes was destroyed, but it was lively as ever. It kicked Miori away with its hind legs and she landed with her back against a nearby wall, grimacing as the creature got up and already tried to jump her again.

  Miori didn’t hesitate to face it with all her might; she summoned a katana to her side and put her hand on its handle, assuming a stance, all while the creature was still mid-air. A split second later the crocotta smashed into the wall behind her in two halves, after Miori’s blue-glowing blade beam sliced right through it.

  Good. This attack can cut through their hide.

  She quickly looked around the inside of the mansion. Five men of the militia were dead on the ground, while the civilians in the back huddled together, looking at the carnage with shaky eyes and lips. Lucia was in the back, holding her stuffed eagle as close to her chest as she could, but as Miori made eye contact with her, she could see gratitude in her eyes, no fear of the goddess who kept her safe.

  “Tend to the wounded! I will go outside and assist Nerio!” she commanded the people and hurried through the door.

  ***

  As she stepped outside, she was greeted by Nerio herself, though not the way she would have expected or preferred. The Deogemma was tossed through the air by a powerful strike of the crocotta standing in the middle of the town square, crashing right into Miori and bringing her down with her. The two goddesses groaned as they attempted to get back up.

  “Mistress…! Sorry for this shameful display, but the situation is more dire than initially assumed.”

  Miori furrowed her brow and looked around. Dozens of eyes glowed like embers in the darkness around them, and the large crocotta, the leader of the pack looked at the pair with a gaping and salivating maw. Miori immediately moved to close the door behind her, then she summoned both her halberd into her hand and long guns all around her. With some focus she managed as many as twenty, but she could feel a small pounding at the back of her head as she did so.

  “This is more than just a small pack…” she said, gritting her teeth.

  “This is not the issue, mistress Bellona,” Nerio added, grabbing her shoulder. She had to gather herself, wincing in pain before she could continue speaking.

  “Fabius has been killed… but not by a beast…” she grimaced. “What I mean to say is, we’ve been tricked.”

  “What?” Miori turned around towards Nerio, and in that moment cruel and shrill laughter filled the air around them. Miori turned around and saw a fellow Deogemma on the mansion’s roof. She had dark green hair like poison, which glowed in the dark, illuminating her figure. Her face was beautiful, but marred by abject cruelty, and the only thing keeping her exposed chest relatively modest was her hair falling over it. Below her navel her body turned into that of a snake, its fat length curled up under her. The end of the tail, however, ended in a scorpion stinger, which currently entered Fabius’ chest from behind and exited it through the front. His face was twisted in horror as the strange goddess lifted his dead body for her adversaries to see.

  “Fraus…” Nerio whispered, and her face contorted in rage. “The embodiment of deception and betrayal. I wouldn’t be surprised if she started adopting these treacherous creatures due to their similarities.”

  “Oh, well observed, my little, inconsequential Nerio!” Fraus declared.

  “Since I don’t have to introduce myself, I will simply get to business.”

  The woman narrowed her eyes as she looked directly in Miori’s eyes.

  “I need you to die, host of Bellona. And Bellona with you. And how fortuitous that this thing called Lethe kept you so weak for the past decade! You may kill one crocotta with some effort, but a whole horde will be more than enough to claim your life.”

  “Why are you doing this?!” Miori shouted Fraus’ way, but the woman simply laughed. She swung her tail to fling Fabius’ corpse Miori’s way, and she caught him with some difficulty.

  “Telling a dead woman why she’s going to die would be a waste of time.”

  Fraus slithered away, into the darkness. The eyes all around them, however, approached the pair of war goddesses.

  Miori had given up on counting them. The creatures swarmed them from the dark and both her and Nerio had to give their all just to keep them at a reasonable distance. Maws full of jagged bones snapped at them, cloven hooves attempted to gut them, but Miori employed her magic shields to their fullest effect, dooming the creatures to ineffectively scratch against the barriers – for now, at least. She had no idea how long she could keep this up. The large leader of the pack simply stared them down while the other creatures screeched and tried to get to the two goddesses inside.

  “What are we going to do? Do we fly to evade them?” Nerio suggested.

  “Never! They’d be all over the people inside the manor. I promised Lucia that I’d protect her!” Miori shouted over the noise of the creatures. Some of them spoke human words again.

  “Miori, why won’t you let me get close? I want to kiss you,” she heard Ayame’s voice.

  “You’re thinking about having a child with me? I’m flattered, but how would that work?” she heard Seika speak. Tears gathered in Miori’s eyes as the creatures not only tried to kill her but mocked her with the loves of her life on top of it all.

  Nerio looked at Miori with some pain in her eyes, before she had a sudden, determined expression on her face.

  “I’ll draw them away, mistress.”

  “You what?!” Miori shouted, but Nerio grinned and soared into the sky, flying away and landing some distance away from the creatures.

  “It’s an attendant’s duty to ensure her mistresses’ safety! And if I can give my life to protect you, then it was a life well lived!” she shouted before she nocked an arrow and shot at the nearest crocotta. Many heads turned away and the creatures snarled, and the majority ran towards Nerio. She ran while she kept shooting her arrows. One struck an approaching creature right in the eye and destroyed its brain, making it collapse on the ground; its packmates simply ran past its corpse, gaining purchase on Nerio who was cursing. Miori watched her helplessly, and time moved incredibly slow as her racing mind’s thoughts were confronted with a familiar presence.

  “You want… to be someone who can save everyone, don’t you?”

  Bellona’s voice was weak, like she could fade out of consciousness again at any moment.

  Yes! Damn it, yes! I don’t want to sacrifice Nerio or anyone else!

  Bellona chuckled weakly in her mind.

  “Unleash our power. Stop shackling yourself to history.”

  Miori collapsed her barrier and summoned her halberd. She put her all into a swift strike which decapitated the three crocotta which remained behind, but she could tell that she would be too late to save Nerio, even with her power of flight.

  I need something stronger!

  I need something faster!

  I need something with range!

  Her mind raced. Images flashed through her brain; possibilities, she realized. News videos of military ‘mechanized suits’ in Annette’s world. Singing Magical Girls powering exoskeleton weapon platforms with their voices from one of Seika’s favorite series. Spaceships, laser guns, jet fighters, rocket launchers, her mind was filled with strange possibilities.

  Miori let out a scream and broke her limit.

  ***

  The crocotta were on top of Nerio. She impaled one with a sword but was knocked to the ground by a creature attacking her from the back, biting deep into her shoulder, even through the bronze pauldrons she wore.

  She let out a strained scream, swinging her sword to decapitate the beast, but it got stuck a few centimeters inside its hide and was lost to its mistress.

  “For the one I serve!” Nerio shouted defiantly and clenched her eyes shut, awaiting the end. Instead of said end, she felt her surroundings being rocked by explosions; the teeth that were biting into her shoulder ripped her flesh as they pulled away with some force and she let out a scream before she opened her eyes and looked around. Craters marked the area around her, and a few of the beasts attacking her had been turned into nothing but piles of gore. The herd gathered and snarled at the sky, so Nerio followed their gazes with her eyes. She stared in silent awe as she witnessed the silhouette of her mistress in the dark. A metallic shine covered Bellona’s arms and legs, and four strange devices floated by her sides, looking like gladii. They quickly swarmed out and took aim at the creatures below. Beams of pure light cut through the darkness and hit the crocotta. Wherever the beams passed through, burn marks were all that was left. If a beast was hit by the wandering light, it cleanly separated the body into two halves with blackened edges. The lights were fast, too: the crocotta attempted to run, and some of them headed for Nerio, as if they would trample her underfoot during their retreat, but the wandering lights wouldn’t let them. Two of them swiftly changed course and positioned them in front of Nerio, and she instinctively crawled away from them; the beasts which ran through them to attempt and trample the downed Deogemma were cut cleanly in half, and the bisected bodies fell to the ground next to her. The wandering lights continued their bloody work, and the night was filled with the screams of dying beasts, some of which bone-chillingly convincing human ones. It was then that Nerio lost consciousness.

  Daylight brought relief from the terrible night. The villagers collected the remains of the crocotta and burned them in a pile outside of town, then they built a funerary pyre. Fabius and the men who died defending the mansion that night were laid out on a bed of straw sitting atop thick logs forming the base of the pyre. Miori watched solemnly, holding Lucia’s hand. The little girl was crying again, this time for the kind man who took her in and cared for her after her mother died.

  She experienced far too much loss for a girl her age.

  Miori pulled her close and kneeled down to hug her from behind as they watched the pyre ferry the dead to the afterlife; Nerio stood by her side, looking at Miori with a slightly annoyed expression. Miori had the slight suspicion that her attendant was both grateful that her mistress saved her and utterly embarrassed by the fact that it even happened.

  Miori herself barely remembered anything that transpired. One moment she was desperately trying to reach Nerio to save her, the next she carried her in her arms, while the ground around them was scorched and cratered. Given Bellona’s current silence, Miori concluded that her partner spent the last of what little strength she could muster to take charge of the situation.

  After the funeral the villagers thanked Miori and Nerio, bidding them farewell with a bow. Lucia was by their side; she lost everyone in this village, and she was to be sent to relatives in Capitolium.

  Maybe her life will become a little brighter in the capital, away from the beasts. Away from the wilderness.

  Miori dwelled on her thoughts as they ascended the mountain again and she carried Lucia on her back. While the little girl played with Tiberius, her trusty stuffed eagle, Miori though back to the snake woman, Fraus.

  All those people died because she set a trap for me.

  She narrowed her eyes and was glad that Lucia couldn’t see her darkening facial expression.

  The next time I see Fraus, I will kill her.