Words of a goddess

The clearing was dead silent as everyone stared slack jawed at the dragon above them. She moved her head slightly, eyes scanning over them. John felt as she was peering right through them, looking past their physical makeup and into their souls.

‘Quick on the uptake, aren’t you?’ the voice from before, the voice of the dragon, echoed in John’s mind, a sensation similar to his mental communication with Senka. But where he could feel Senka’s emotions and intent, here was just the sound of her voice.

‘Who are you?’ John managed to ask. Speaking to her was harder, like he had to shout his message for her to hear. And evidently, it wasn’t enough.

‘Seems our connection isn’t strong enough for that yet, only rough impressions, no words,’ the dragon said. ‘And the others’ even less so. So much to do.’

In the few seconds that John’s one-sided conversation with the dragon above them took, Moira had regained her composure, and with steel in her voice and the faintest shine of gold around her, shouted, “And who are you to make such demands, oh dragon?”

She spoke with authority, any fear she may have been feeling masked perfectly. The dragon shifted her gaze to the redhead, and after a moment, let out a laugh. It shook the landscape like thunder and a number of the assembled flinched or clapped their hands over their ears to dampen the sound.

“I see the Highest Star has someone special growing under their light,” the dragon rumbled before looking up slightly. She snorted a moment later, “But that’s a conversation for later. As for your question, I am Verida, goddess of the bloom of spring, protector of this domain.”

The words were said without any gravitas, no pause to give them more weight, or change of inflection to indicate importance. They just were a simple statement of fact. That didn’t make them have less of an impact on the collection of mortals below her. The Order knights, already tense due to the dragon’s appearance, grew even more rigid, nearly to the point of being able to pass as mannequins. Even Moira’s glow seemed to dim slightly as she realized the scope of the being above them.

John’s group weren’t fairing any better, and without armor, their fear was easier to see. John could almost hear what was going through their minds, a collective, ‘what the hell are we supposed to do about this?’ But, despite seeing the most fantastical thing he’d seen in his short time in the Abyss, and it being at the top in terms of power level, John felt a sense of ease settle over him. Like there wasn’t anything to be afraid of.

Moira managed to regain her composure and lowered her head slightly in deference. “My apologies. I hope…”

“Lift your head, Warden,” Verida commanded. “I am not one to demand such shows of subservience or submission. Especially when there are things that need to be addressed. Now, I believe you were attempting to organize a summit to air grievances and discuss the goings on, correct?”

“That is correct,” Moira answered.

“If my Word was given, would the Order be amenable to having the summit here? There are topics I wish to discuss myself, but I cannot leave as of yet,” Verida said. “Things are still settling, you understand.”

‘She’s doing something like Gaia did with Mom,’ John realized. ‘She’ll give them safe passage out and back in as long as they abide by whatever terms she sets up, all backed up by super powerful magic.’

“I would have to discuss things with my father before agreeing to this,” Moira answered after a few moments of thought. “Not that he or I doubt your word, just that he would like to be made aware of the situation. And to do that, we would have to exit the Kingdom. Our phones can’t reach Earth without a relay set up.”

That tracked with how Lynn’s phone was the only one that could call out of Detreye, and could receive calls from Abyssal phones like Beth’s, John recalled. Verida seemed to weigh the suggestion, her eyes flickering from the Warden to him.

‘I can’t just let her go out unsupervised, no matter how trustworthy her soul seems,’ the goddess projected into John’s mind. ‘I’m going to need to send you out with her to make sure she doesn’t try anything. This will only feel weird for a second.’

Before John could give any sort of response, one sided and pointless as it would have been, his left eye grew hot. Uncomfortably so, like a fire had been thrust into his face. The sensation abated a second later, leaving the area only slightly warmer than normal. He still flinched back in that brief moment, drawing a few pairs of eyes away from the dragon goddess above them.

Verida’s Endowment temporarily upgraded. Now grants her the ability to perceive through you.
Duration: 20 Mins

“I have no issue with you, Warden, leaving to inform the Order. However, I have two conditions. The first, you only step back to Earth and call from the threshold, and the second, one of my chosen will accompany you. It would be a waste of energy to enact a binding vow for something as simple as a phone call, after all.”

Maybe it was his altered connection to the goddess but John had the distinct feeling Verida wasn’t saying he would be transmitting what he at least saw on purpose. She was putting faith in Moira to not betray a show of trust, all while making sure to have some way of seeing any possible duplicity.

The redhead chewed her lip in thought before she turned her gaze to them.

“And who is to accompany me?” she asked, but her eyes locked onto John, as if she knew he was the choice.

“I believe you already know,” Verida answered. “John, any objections?”

‘If I had any, would you even consider them?’ John ruefully thought. Aloud he said, “No, I’m good. Senka will have to come with. Pretty sure differing dimensions is more than our connection can handle.”

Senka chose that moment to vanish back into John, prompting Moira to mutter, “An elemental. That will be no issue.”

‘I don’t think I like the tone of that,’ Senka hotly remarked. ‘I hope she only means it would be pointless to worry about me knowing whatever is about to transpire due to our bond. I’d hate for someone as highly regarded as her to be bigoted against what amounts to my cousins.’

‘We really need to look into how elementals work,’ John idly thought back. ‘Just so we can figure out how you differ from them. Could give us an edge if people keep mistaking you for one.’

John sighed and took a step closer to Moira. “Okay, how do we step out?”

Moira looked at him incredulously. “You don’t know how to leave?”

“We’ve only been here an hour and were preoccupied with things before you showed up,” John replied in a flat tone. “Exactly marking where the exit was wasn’t the most pressing issue.”

“I can show you the Pathway,” Verida said, a clawed hand pointing down to a spot not far from them. A green sphere of light appeared, bobbing in mid air like a buoy.

“Thank you, goddess,” Moira said with a bow before she turned and said something quietly to the bald knight. He nodded and Moira marched over to the exit.

“Well, off to playing babysitter,” John muttered under his breath, drawing a snort from Aeolia.

“We’ll hold down the fort,” the winged woman said, flexing her wings before takeoff.

“Just don’t antagonize them too much,” John said. “Really don’t want to anger them more than we already have.”

“We’ll keep things civil,” Aeolia remarked. “Would offer them tea and snacks if we had any.”

John cracked a smile. “Food does seem to make things better. Hopefully this is quick and painless. I think I’ve got a million popups to go through. Probably at least one level up. And the loot.”

Aeolia patted his hair comfortingly, pecked his cheek then flew off. With one last sigh, John made his way to the exit point.

‘Let’s get this part over with,’ he thought.

---

Exiting the Kingdom was a simple affair, no different than leaving a barrier. John blinked when he stepped into the mundane forest and stopped short as the eyes of a number of Order members bore into him. Of the six figures, two were fully armored, steel glinting in the early morning light, and weapons at the ready. The other four were dressed in green camo and tactical vests, looking every bit like modern military members.

Only Moira’s presence next to him kept them from trying to detain him, or worse.

“Stand down,” she calmly commanded, her voice steady as she raised her free hand up.

‘Wasn’t she just holding her warhammer?’ John thought.

“Anything to report, Franks?” Moira asked one of her men, unaware of John’s query.

“No, Warden,” one of the armored men quickly responded.

Moira nodded to the man, then said, “I have to contact the Lord Protector. The situation requires his direct involvement.”

The unspoken order of, ‘I will be doing this alone,’ was picked up on and the knight saluted and began to direct attention away from them.

“Right,” Moira sighed before turning towards John. “We have some things to discuss.”

“Um, shouldn’t we get that phone call out of the way?” John asked. He felt Senka’s reassuring presence in the back of his mind and steadied his nerves. He could stand against horrible monsters, leap right into dangerous spiritual surgery to help people he barely knew, he could hold his ground next to his very dangerous, and very attractive, schoolmate.

“In a moment,” Moira replied, a bit of tension dropped out of her shoulders as she turned to look at him, her eyes breaking him down. “I’m still trying to figure out just how to explain everything and I have a question I wish answered.”

The intensity of her glare strengthened and John gulped. “And that is?”

“Were you the one who left that note in my locker?” the stern redhead asked.

“Yeah,” John admitted, not really having any reason not to be truthful. The reasoning behind why leave a note and not approach the Order was a more complex topic, one John hoped he wouldn’t…

“Why not just come directly to us?” Moira pressed.

‘Damn it,’ John cursed.

‘It was only a matter of time before this occurred,’ Senka remarked. ‘You could deflect since the truthful reason involves your powers. Not sure how they’ll react to the whole ‘Gaia talks to me’ thing, given their paladin aesthetic.’

‘Really wish I asked someone who might know more about them than Aeolia and Vivian. Mason or Lynn probably know more than the basics,’ John complained.

“That’s complicated and would probably spawn a whole discussion,” John finally answered. “I’m not saying I can’t or won’t explain, just that right here and now isn’t the best time for it.”

Moira studied his face, and John made the effort to not appear nervous under her scrutiny.

“I suppose that will have to be added to the list of things to be discussed at our later meeting,” Moira finally said. She lifted her shield up and reached her free hand into it. John blinked as she pulled her hand back, now holding a phone.

‘Guess she has something like a pocket dimension in there,’ John dimly noted. ‘Answers where her hammer went.’

‘Suppose we were a bit preoccupied with the number of people watching us step out of the Kingdom to notice,’ Senka added as the redhead lifted the phone to her ear.

John felt a warmth blossom around his left eye and knew that Verida was now watching. ‘I feel like I’m a piece of spyware,’ he thought. ‘I wonder how this works. She’s just using my eye, but can she hear? Magic is bullshit and a god level being probably has super bullshit. Getting sound from just sight probably wouldn’t be impossible. Wait, no, Verida first spoke to me when I assumed she was seeing into us. That’s probably what she’s using my eye for, seeing the makeup of Moira’s soul to see if she’s trying to set us up.’

‘Be sure to listen to her word, my Guardian.’ Verida’s words nearly caused John to flinch.

‘Got it,’ John thought, even if his affirmation of her order went unheard.

“Father,” Moira said, drawing John back to reality. She remained silent for a moment, likely as her father was asking about the situation. “There have been some developments.”

Another pause, then Moira said, “When we entered the Kingdom, several people were already there. Our entry triggered some kind of backlash of magic and created three chimeric monsters. We were successful in dealing with the issue, no casualties. However, while we were trying to engage in a dialog with the initial occupants to establish just what was happening, a goddess appeared.”

‘At least she hasn’t tried to paint us in a bad light,’ John mused.

‘True, she’s getting right to the facts, none of the back and forth stuff,’ Senka remarked.

‘Guess the whole goddess thing blows that stuff out of the water,’ John thought back as he focused back on Moira’s conversation.

“Yes, Father, a goddess. In the form of a dragon. She referred to the Lady as the Highest Star, if that helps to discover where she may hail from. She has claimed the people we encountered as under her aegis and wishes to invite the Order to hold a conference here to discuss things. From the way she said it, I believe she has knowledge relating to our ongoing investigations. At the very least she wants to be on good terms with the Order.”

Moira’s father responded to her for a time, with the redheaded paladin giving short answers of ‘yes’ or ‘no’ to his inquiries. After a long period of silence from Moira, she nodded. “Understood, Father. I will relay your concerns. Hopefully, they aren’t too much and she will agree to them. If not, I will call back with her counterarguments.”

A short silence followed, then Moira said, “Yes, Father. You too.” She ended the call and slipped the phone back into the shield before looking back to John. “My father has a few reservations but is open to having the meeting here.”

“Great,” John said, his nerves abating. “Guess we head back and hash out the details, yeah?”

“In a moment,” Moira responded seriously. “I think we can spare a few minutes. I have another question I would like you to answer. One hopefully less complex than the one I asked before.”

‘Still have Verida’s buff going, so she’s seeing this,’ John thought, considering that a sort of lifeline. ‘Maybe whatever she’s going to ask will reveal something Verida can use later? Plus, trying to be more open will probably help in keeping our relationship with the Order in the positives. Don’t want them coming in swords blazing.’

“Ask away,” John said. “Just, um, no offense if I can’t give an answer. I’ve had kind of a crazy week. It’s not that I want to hide anything, just…”

“I think I understand,” Moira interrupted with a raised hand. “Too much to go into detail, correct?”

“Yeah,” John replied.

“Then I will keep the scope of my inquiry narrow,” Moira said. “How exactly did you get wrapped up in all this?”

“Short answer? I got tagged by someone working with the guys I mentioned in the letter and they trapped me in a barrier around lunchtime on Monday,” John answered. “Right in the academy.”

That caused Moira’s eyes to widen in surprise. “That’s,” she began before stopping herself, her eyes affixed on John. “You aren’t lying. How did they manage that?”

“If it’s any consolation, I think the guy they sent was something of a barrier expert,” John said. “He’s the one that made the barrier we sent you to.”

“That could pose a problem,” Moira muttered, her free hand coming up to rest on her chin. “If they can trap someone with me no more than a few hundred meters away.”

“He’s not a problem anymore,” John slowly admitted, his voice quiet. “He attacked us Sunday and died.”

Moira’s eyes widened again. “The shopping center attack. So my assumption was correct. They went after you because you were a loose end who could give them away. But why wait as long as they did?”

“It was less them as a group and more just the one guy not liking that we got away,” John said. “Which raises some scary questions, doesn’t it?”

“It does,” Moira replied, a note of apprehension in her voice. “To leave you free for a whole week, a week where you could have joined us, or any other organization and made them aware of the situation.”

“Almost like they don’t care,” John muttered. “But that doesn’t make sense.”

‘If they were unconcerned with the more powerful groups operating in the area, they wouldn’t have placed Kiera in a position to keep an eye on her,’ Senka noted, and John could feel the frown she wore in her voice.

‘Something might have changed with their MO,’ John thought, a sick sensation settling in his stomach. ‘Something that means they didn’t need to be as careful.’

“We can compare notes on them at the conference,” Moira cut through John’s thoughts. “I believe we’ve stretched the amount of time to its maximum. There are a few stipulations my father has. Nothing major in my opinion, but still something that will need some discussion.”

“Let’s head back then,” John said. “Probably not wise to keep a goddess waiting, right?”

That managed to cause a small smile to form on Moira’s lips before she **** it back into a neutral expression.

“Best not to,” she agreed.

---

“My father wishes to convey his sincerest apologies regarding the less than optimal nature of our meeting,” Moira started as she stared up at Verida.

“There is nothing to apologize about,” Verida said, her eyes seeing the honesty in her soul. At the very least, she felt she had overstepped her bounds. “You came to investigate something and had no way of knowing it would disturb a delicate piece of magic. The consequence of that act, you helped deal with. You treated those I claim under my aegis as fairly as you could given the circumstances. Now, shall we get to the negotiating?”

“Of course,” Moira replied. “My father has no issue in holding things here, but has some stipulations, mainly regarding the time and number that may attend.”

“I figured as much,” Verida murmured, though at her size, it rumbled like thunder. “Does he have specific numbers and time in mind?”

“Indeed he does,” Moira answered. “He would like the meeting to take place tomorrow, at dawn. Earth dawn, that is. And that he and I are to be accompanied by the proper number of knights and other personnel.”

“Dawn is fine. How many seats does he wish to have?” Verida asked. “I will say, I do not want an out of balance meeting.”

“Beyond himself and I, he wishes for five others to join,” Moira explained. “Do you wish for me to explain or…”

“No,” Verida interrupted. “Seven for you is acceptable, if there is no objection to our number being in balance with yours.”

“Seven for seven,” Moira muttered. Verida could see the paladin’s soul shift, and inferred from the slight quivering that she was weighing whatever orders her father gave her against her own reasoning. The distortions settled and Moira gave her answer, “That will be fine.”

“Any other conditions?” Verida asked, if only to be polite. She knew from the way Moira’s soul was at peace, or at least, at peace with the current issue regarding their summit, that there weren’t any. Still, it was polite to ask.

Moira, predictably, shook her head. “No, everything seems to be in order. However, I think we should exchange contact information in case something comes up.”

“That is something you should be discussing with them,” Verida said, holding back a laugh as she pointed down at where her Guardians and their allies stood. “I’m afraid I know little of your conveniences. Not that this form is suited for such tiny things. Although, before that, I believe it is only prudent for them to discuss whether the terms are agreeable and see if they have any they wish to introduce.”

Moira’s face flushed. “O-of course. It wouldn’t be proper to enter into a contract without all parties in agreement. Although, I thought you were speaking for them.”

“At the moment, I act more as a mediator,” Verida explained. “They had no idea I was a factor.”

Verida’s eyes drifted over to her Guardians as they convened with the ones that weren’t connected to her, all of them huddled close. The only other human male, Harker if she recalled correctly, seemed to be the one taking charge, much as he had before her emergence. His soul remained steady with only a few small ripples in the red surface of it showing his slight unease.

“We don’t really have much of a choice but to follow the dragon’s lead,” Harker said quietly, but not enough to hide his words from her. “We have no resources and few allies. Even with a goddess on our side, we are outgunned.”

“Can’t we at least ask for them to come unarmed?” Lynn offered. “I’d feel better if they weren’t ready to throw down.”

“I doubt they’d agree to that, even with Verida’s assurance that we’d conduct ourselves peacefully,” Harker stated. “They know about Phantom Reach’s activity and disarming themselves with them hiding in the shadows isn’t something I can see them doing. At the very least, we will have our weapons too and we have a day to prepare. Hopefully that’s enough.”

No one offered any other opinions, and they broke apart, Harker looking to Moira first then up at Verida.

“We have no objections to the Order’s conditions,” he said in an even tone. “Nor do we have any additional conditions, just the hope that this summit addresses all of our concerns. Now, I believe a contact exchange was suggested.”

Moira nodded and strode over to John and began the exchange. Verida watched as John shakily inputted her phone number and managed to relay his with only a slight stutter. With that done, Verida spoke once more, “Now, I shall invoke my Word.”

Her power and the power of the Kingdom around her began to quiver, like a drawn string, tension high.

“By my Word, I declare that the Order of the Golden Rose shall have safe passage to and from this realm, unless they act in a manner unbecoming and unworthy of such hospitality.”

The magic around her sang with her power and flew outwards, flowing through every being within her domain, both present and future. To the Order members it did little but cement her assurance of safe passage. To her Guardians and their allies, it was a warning to play nice, or suffer the consequences. Not that she thought they would. But the point had to be made.

“The working is done,” Verida announced, her voice low and soft. “Now, I hate to be a rude host, but I have some things to discuss about the Kingdom with my first guests.”

“We understand,” Moira said, though her soul twitched a bit in annoyance. It was clear to Verida that the young Warden had questions she wished answered and having to wait even a day longer was bothering her. A quick glance to the other Order members showed similar grumblings. Their discipline still held their displeasure in check and they filed into place behind their leader.

Moira bowed to her, an act followed by her men a beat later. “We will take our leave then.”

“Until tomorrow.” Verida bowed her head as they left. Once they were gone, she shifted her head to look at her chosen and their allies. “Now, with that out of the way, I can relax. I am going to assume a less cumbersome form. This is not one for more casual conversations.”

Her body began to glow with pale yellow light before fading away into nothingness, motes of light peeling off like leaves in the fall. These specks of light floated down to a spot about ten meters from the others and began to condense into a new shape, one close in shape to Verida’s guests and champions.

The dragon above vanished and Verida stood before them on the ground, her black tail swishing behind her excitedly. She tapped into the lingering power she invested in John to gauge her appearance. Through his eye, she saw her fit form, curves hugged by the mostly black bodysuit she wore, long legs encased in white stockings, arms snug in dark gray gloves that ran up to her shoulders, red ribbons tied around her wrists.

She ran a hand through her white hair, and smiled.

“Now, I think we have work to do.”

Thanks again for reading this little story. If you liked the chapter, please hit that thumbs up, and if you want to support my writing, check out my Patreon at https://www.patreon.com/ScrapCrow. Get access to my chapters before they’re published here and join my private Discord.