If there was anything that Fortia had to give Alice, it was that the girl was so used to Divinity she was almost unflappable. Maybe it was just the amount of stories she had heard from Leona, maybe it was the fact she had been raised on the Divine Mountain since Leona found the girl as a babe. No matter the case, Alice entered into Fortia’s and Maisara’s tent without so much as asking the guards for entry. The two Guardians looking in were obviously embarrassed as they made apologetic bows to Fortia.

  Maisara scowled but Fortia just waved them back as Alice came to a stop before them with a click of her heels. She held out a piece of paper. “Goddesses! I have written down every location I can think of and remember.” The fact she was actually smiling about it was unsettling but it must have been that Leona had simply never prepared her for life to this extent. Fortia extended her hand, Alice brought it forward, Maisara straightened her back at the sheer lack of procedure.

  Maisara took a deep sigh. Fortia just stared at the list.

  It was so predictable. Why wouldn’t it be true? Why would Leona, who almost never left the Mountain, have homes all across the world? And hadn’t this been the same issue that happened to Fortia and Maisara? When they lost their main recruitment grounds and fortresses during Epan Separation?

  They were all in Epa.

  Imperial Territory.

  Anassa felt a weight shift close by her side. She lay on something soft. Under something soft too. The Goddess of Sorcery murmured to herself and let out a deep breath. The air was warm here. There was a scent to it. Meat, a faint hint of mint. And… Dog? Washed dog, but dog nonetheless. Anassa felt the weight shift again as her mind kicked into gear. The defence of the Core Holds had become a clear blur. Each memory was perfect, she could recall that entire time in perfect detail, but she could not place them in order. A scene began in her head, a scene ended, and then that was that. She tried to think back to the end. There was a human cleric there, she hadn’t even asked the name of the man. Without him though, she wouldn’t have made it to the end of the battle. There had been vomiting. She had taken those cursed MisseM pills again. She collapsed onto the ground. He had told her it was over.

  That was it.

  The moment her eyes had closed then, they had not opened. They still had not opened even now. The scent of dog. Mint. Meat. Anassa groaned at the sheer comfort and the nostalgia of it. Had she died? Was this the next world? Something shifted and there was a tapping on her legs as if someone was trying to make the duvet she lay under into a piano. No. She knew what felt like. Anassa opened her eyes and stared up at the ceiling. Wood. A window. A blue sky through it. The surface then. She had been brought out. Her eyes went around the room. There was a bearskin right above her. Above that was a deer’s head. It had a magnificent pair of antlers that winded and twisted.

  The tapping on her leg stopped. The room had fallen silent. Anassa felt eyes on her face. Someone was looking at her. She released a deep breath. Those eyes could belong to only one person right now. Her groan finally released some of the lethargy that sleep had built up. That gave her the willpower to turn her head.

  A pair of huge golden eyes, with slits for an iris, were staring right at her. Below them was a smile so wide it almost stretched from ear to ear. Anassa’s eyes went to the messy bundle of golden locks from which two ears popped out. Fer’s terrible grin got even wider. “I was wondering when you’d wake up.”

  “Is it over?” Anassa rolled her head back. It had to be over at this point, she just wanted the confirmation.

  “Olephia turned the World-Core back on. We held.” Fer answered. She was sitting on the floor by the bed, her chin resting on the side of the mattress, her hands outstretched. They began to tap on Anassa’s legs again. Anassa took a deep breath and closed her eyes. “Are you still tired?”

  “I’m still waking up.”

  “Makes sense.” Fer said. “You’ve been asleep ten days.” Anassa took a deep breath. She had expected a week at the most. Then she must have pushed herself to the brink of exhaustion.

  “Mmh.” Anassa replied. “Has anything happened?”

  “Nothing you need to keep track of.” Fer replied. “Or what? Do you want the war report?”

  “Not really.”

  “Thought so.” Fer said. Anassa remembered she had vomited. She turned her head to her right side and sniffed. Mint. Someone had washed her. She turned back to Fer who was smiling. “What have I done wrong now?”

  “Did you wash me?”

  “Thrice.”

  “Thrice!?” Anassa barked.

  “Once on the first day when I got to you and brought you back. Then again five days ago and again yesterday.” Anassa just released a deep breath and closed her eyes. Those MisseM pills had been a bad idea indeed. They had pushed her over the edge. It was undeniable that they gave energy. And it was undeniable she was paying a price now. How did humans take them so often?

  “Did I vomit in the bed?”

  Fer’s ears bounced. Her eyes widened. Her mouth formed an O. And then a devious little smile. “My my Ana.” She sounded downright delighted with herself. “Who knew you had such a conscious side to you?” Anassa rolled her eyes and opened them again. This creature, her supposed sister, was already starting to be annoying. That tone always got on her nerves and both of them knew it.

  “I’m just asking.” Anassa said as she sat up. The bedsheets fell and exposed her bare chest. Fer’s eyes made their way down and Anassa blushed. It wasn’t the fact she was embarrassed, she knew she was the envy of every woman out there and her beauty put even statues to shame, but… Why did Fer draw attention to it!? Immediately, Anassa drew the sheets up over herself.

  Fer chuckled to herself, unmoving from the side of the bed. Her chin still rested on the mattress, her entire head bounced with each word she took. “My my Ana. Who knew you were such a prude?”

  You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.

  “I’m not!” Anassa yelled out as she held the sheets tighter across herself. “Idiot! I just asked how many times I was vomiting! It’s to know for the future.”

  “You were fine by the time I got to you.” Fer replied. “Dad wanted to take care of you himself but I wanted to as well and he can’t say no to me.” Her ears bounced from side to side and she made a cute face, her lips sucking in to become smaller and bring more attention to her large eyes. “Who could say no to that?”

  “I could!” Anassa said as she checked her body under the covers. Nothing had changed. Fer had not made any modifications thankfully. No tattoos. Nothing.

  “Are you actually checking if you’re still whole?” Fer asked and Anassa stopped. She hated how sharp this creature was. It was so annoying. Kassie wouldn’t have caught. And if she did catch it, she wouldn’t have commented on it.

  “I am!” Anassa shouted. From her neck down to her toes and everything in between. Nothing had been changed bar the fact the minty smell was actually coming from her. “What did you do then?”

  “Nothing. I just washed you.”

  “Why?”

  Fer chuckled. “You don’t want to know.”

  “Tell me.”

  “I’m warning you.” Fer said.

  “I’m not going to beg!” Anassa shouted.

  Fer chuckled again. She made her voice coy. “Well we had a little oopsie…” Anassa stared at Fer in pure confusion. What did she just here. “A little oopsie-daisy.” Fer continued with far too much satisfaction. “A little guga-gaga oopsie Ana.” Anassa’s face contorted as she tried to work the meaning of what meaning there was behind this verbal assault on her ears.

  “What are you even talking about?”

  Fer’s tone dropped. “You pissed my bed twice.” The blood drained from Anassa’s cheeks. Her crimson eyes went large, her mouth dropped in sheer horror at what she just heard. Immediately, she ducked under the covers and inspected everything. Clean. Clean and dry. “I’ve changed the bedsheets you cretin.” Fer said. “I’m not going to lay you back down in your own…” Anassa paused as Fer searched for a word. “…Discharge, am I?”

  “I hate you Fer. You are the absolute worst.”

  “Classic.” Fer said, although she obviously wasn’t offended. “I feed you, change you, wash you, change the sheets and here you are.” She finally moved, drawing a hand to her forehead and making a terribly pained expression. “Ah! Ana! Your words tear my heart to shreds.” And she fell backwards with a great thud against the floor. Anassa just stared at the empty for a moment and then slid to the side of the bed. The rest of the room was well-furnished and functional, if sparse. There was no bookshelves but there was a huge armchair next to a fire. A small table. On it there was a plate with some half-eaten cuts of meat. No cutlery of course. No fruit bowl either. Anassa’s eyes travelled down.

  Fer was sprawled out on the ground, dressed in just a white t-shirt that looked as if it was too large even for Arascus. It fell down past her thighs. Anassa had to do a double-take at it. Did… Did she actually order shirts too large for herself to wear? “Are you alright?”

  “No Ana!” Fer exclaimed. “How could I be alright. Here I am nursing you back to health and this is how you reward me.”

  Anassa did not feel a pang of sadness or pity for her sister. She knew already that everyone would know that she had soiled herself. That was just how Fer acted. Malam would hold it as leverage. Fer would just tell because she found it funny. “Why did you even feed me? I’m a Divine. I don’t need to eat.”

  “What do you do to nurse cubs back to health?” Fer asked flatly. Suddenly her heart did not seem all that much in pain. She just stared up at Anassa as she lay sprawled out on the ground.

  “I’m not a dog.” Anassa said.

  “Dogs have pups.” To think that Fer actually corrected her. “Cats have kittens. Bears have cubs. I’m a bear thus you’re a cub.” Anassa just blinked.

  “Aren’t you a lion?”

  “Lions also have cubs.”

  “That’s not true.”

  “It is.” Fer said. “Are you going to argue with me on the matter of animals?” She raised her ears, her ears bounced to bring attention to them. The tail crept under from under her shirt and patted the wooden panels on the floor. “Do you know who I am?”

  “Shut up.” Anassa collapsed back on the bed. “You didn’t have to feed me.”

  “I wanted to.” Fer said flatly. Her head dropped back down but those golden eyes were still fixed on Anassa.

  “Whatever.” Anassa said. “How is the war going?”

  “The sieges on the Core Holds have stopped. That means Kassie has cut them off. She’s going to be back…” Fer shrugged. “Week from now? Month from now maybe? Her and Kavaa held Levhen. There’s an army there. Up above, Tartarus is expanding over the Eparika but they’re still about a week from making landfall. Iliyal and Dad are drafting up plans. Elassa has been tasked to deal with Ashen Skies. Baalka has been given her own department.”

  “What?!”

  “Of Bioengineering, Baalka’s Department.” Fer said flatly.

  “How do you even know all that?” Fer rolled over onto the ground. Her hand reached for her own phone on the bedside table. It clapped around against the wood until her fingers finally caught the black rectangle.

  “There’s this mystical technology we have called The News.” Fer said as she unlocked it. “Amazing stuff really. It tells you everything and anything you need to know. I don’t even have to ask about anymore.” The Goddess of Beasthood lifted her legs into the air and kicked. The momentum carried her up, her tail beat into the ground and Fer spun head to toe before landing in the same position but reversed. It happened in less than a second. Anassa just stared at the woman for a moment as she silently pinched herself that she wasn’t that agile. And then she saw her own surprised face in the phone. Below it was Fer’s smiling one with two fingers held up in the peace sign.

  Anassa blinked as she realised what was happening. And still Fer’s finger was faster as it tapped the white circle that took a photo. Anassa’s eyes widened as Fer giggled to herself and brought up the gallery. “Look at that!” She cooed. “Cute!”

  Anassa just shook her head and pulled the covers over herself. “Don’t you have anything better to do?”

  “I can’t do any organisation, nor planning, nor thinking. Very difficult and very tiring stuff left for better minds than mine.” Anassa stared at Fer for a moment.

  “Shut up.” She said. “You’re not stupid.”

  “My my Ana.” Fer said. “Please do praise me more. Scratch my ears too.”

  Anassa rolled her eyes. “Do you have clothes?”

  “Don’t your just magic them up over yourself?” Fer asked. “Or is the word sorcery? Don’t you just sorcery them up over yourself?” Anassa sighed at this idiot. The worst part was that she couldn’t even argue. The simple fact of the matter was that she didn’t want to get out bed whilst Fer was here. It wasn’t a case of prudishness, being naked around any of the other sisters was fine… But around Fer? It wasn’t that the woman judged, it was just…

  “I do.” Anassa admitted.

  “That’s good because nothing I have fits you.” Fer replied as she stared up at Anassa.

  “Do you have food?”

  “No.” Fer replied flatly. Anassa’s eyes went to the table, to those chunks of meat and then back to Fer.

  “I can see food over there.”

  “That’s my food.” Anassa just looked down at her sister. Sometimes, she had moments of great intelligence, sometimes, it was like trying to argue with a brick wall.

  “What did you feed me then?”

  “I fed you mouth to mouth.” Fer replied dryly. Her expression unchanged, her eyes large. Anassa’s hand went to her mouth as she felt blood flow into her cheeks and embarrass crawl in again. Her legs kicked even kicked against the bed as she tried to control herself.

  “That is revolting.” Fer burst out in laughter, clutching her stomach as she doubled over on the floor. “You did not!” Anassa exclaimed. That made it even worse. Fer kicked her legs against the ground in a spasm of joy. It took her a full minute to calm down.

  Fer spoke as she was chuckling. “True, you got me. I actually had you suckle from my teat.” Anassa’s eyes went wide.

  “THAT’S EVEN WORSE!” It was as if a freight train of joy had slammed into Fer. This time, the laughter lasted for twice as long. Anassa just lay there as she tried to even process the image in her mind. Her hand brushed her lips again and shook her head. That did NOT happen! She would not allow it! “How did you feed me then!?” Anassa asked. No answer, just shrieking laughter.

  “I guess…” Fer tried to fit the words in between fits of laughter. “I guess you’ll never know.”