[b]Alexa![/b]

"Whatever else you were made to be, Alexa," said Zeus. "You were made to be powerful. A goddess' hand guided the chisel that struck your marble. My breath filled your lungs. No power was withheld. You were not made to be stolen. Were not made to be broken. So the question you should ask, then, is: What is a Command Seal?"

The Thunderer flexed her hands as the entire ship jolted and staggered. Massive pulses of ELF lightning ran through the entire structure of the Anemoi, battling formations coming apart as warriors stopped and grounded themselves and rode out the coruscating power of the incoming energy. Zeus let the river of power pass through her fingers like water.

"Do not get me wrong, Alexa, you are bound. But how large is your prison? What are the walls made of? How alert are the guards? Did Athena gift Molech with a chain tight enough to bind her daughter? You may hurt yourself, may hurt others, by throwing yourself against the bars of your cage. You might suffer in the process, might break yourself... but as you said, that might leave Molech with one less soldier."

Zeus patted you on the shoulder as she stepped again into the waiting skies. "How can you lead them where you have not gone? Go there, of course."

And then there came the thunder, and two ships groaned in shared pain.

[b]Vasilia![/b]

It is days later. The battle has passed, one way or another. You do not know what has come to pass, who has lived and who has died. And you remain the guest of the Furnace Knight.

And beyond his walls is the ocean.

You are on an island. Your assets are a knowledge of the cardinal directions and, if you gave your battered body a week of directed evolution, the ability to grow gills and swim for long distances. You'd reach land eventually, but Salib is 72% water by surface area, so it might take a while. So, for all practical purposes, if you ever want to see the Plousios, Dolce, or anyone else ever again you must have the Furnace Knight's blessing.

He is an excellent host, for what it is worth. He has given you medicine, metanutrient dense food, even the offer of a sailing ship should you desire to leave, all of which are sufficient to clear him in Zeus' good graces. But his castle tragically lacks any sort of map he might offer you, and hospitality cannot be extended to traveling with you.

Quite aside from the specifics of your situation, the island is beautiful. Cascading flows of enormous succulents erupt from every possible services, their long coiling tendrils wafting in the ocean breezes. A small village of red roofed houses lies abandoned and overgrown but for the spectacular painted woodwork kept fresh by an Azura artist lost to her Path and the small family that tends to her. Yellow stone and slashed white cloth stained with faint catches of red speak of an ancient wealth, trade that crosses Sky and Empire. And the blues, naturally, are out in force and radiance. Here, this far from the capitol and this long from noble guests, sumptuary laws can be set aside and everyone might shine their brightest.

You meet the Furnace Knight on the circular rooftop of his stone tower, table groaning beneath a bounty of pears, pomegranates and cherries, contemplating the ruined pier that extends briefly from the cliffs of his island. He is gone from his courtly regalia; his clothes are loose and breezy against the mediterranean climate; his hands are heavy with many deaths. 

Not for the first time since you came here, you wonder if you died and arose in Elysium. Hades' brooding presence, sitting atop the battlements and staring out at the waves, does nothing to reduce that suspicion.

[b]Dolce![/b]

"Oh, shit, is that is the sheep?" said Beljani. "He's on the list. Kill him."

And the knife is in your chest. Artemis did not hesitate. Her eyes are cold as she grips Jil's hand and punches the blade through your coat, through your wool. It pulls free with a blossom of scarlet and the Huntress slams it in again. Again. Again. You stagger back, pots spilling and clashing to the floor, still again. Again. No gods defend you; this moment was bought and paid for in accordance with every ritual and years of anticipation. Stab. Stab. Stab, from a frenzied and half weeping mouse, stab, stab, stab. 

You fall. Stare up at the shoulder-slumped girl above you as she breathes heavily. The knife drops from trembling fingers to clatter down besides your head. All around you is your final meal, lying in bloody wreckage.

[i]"What did you do to me!?"[/i] said Jil through an anguished throat. [i]Slap![/i] Beljani hits her across the face.

"Listen up you little idiot," she hisses. "We are closer to death than even that dying servitor. We are [i]bait[/i] to lure out an Azura assassin so that the Master can murder Redana herself. This isn't our last chance, we are [i]already[/i] out of chances."

"Murder... the princess?" said Jil blankly.

"And bring down the Empire itself upon our treasonous heads," said Beljani. And even on the brink of death you think that she's right. This is convincing, in an alien way, a wrong way. Your fingers reflexively scratch for the knife, as though they wanted to finish the job and save her the trouble. "We are [i]standing in our graves[/i] and the only way we get out is atop a pile of corpses. [i]So we finish. The. Plan[/i]."

"But -"

"Give," said Beljani, and her voice was not cold. It was desperate. Feral. And it wasn't speaking to Jil, it was speaking to Jil's blood. "Me. The. Ring."

And then, just like that, the Azura ring was in Beljani's hand - and Jil had slumped down to the floor, face in her hands, gritting her teeth through tears.

Beljani stands there for a moment, holding the ring, looking down at the devastation she has wrought. She hesitates for a moment. "Just... get through this," she said, a shadow of guilt passing across her face. "Just stay here and get through this. I'll keep Bella alive, keep my family alive. I promise."

And then she glances nervously through the door and goes out the way she came.

[Damage your Blood]