What Fortia and Maisara warn of is simply true and correct. The points they make, whilst blunt, are not stupid. It is obvious that Kassandora sees some militaristic use in this else we would have internal strife between Arascus’ Daughter Goddesses. But this is where Fortia and Maisara simply lose sense of things. This policy is not one of military procedure, it is simply that Arascus has outplayed us. In the same way that Kassandora’s armies seized a dozen fortresses on the onset of the war, Arascus has seized the limelight of the world and forced us into a position where we can either play along or be forced even further back.

Let us go ahead with Fortia and Maisara. We still be forced to engage Arascus’ armies, that won’t change. Kassandora will still teach her soldiers how to kill. Most engagements will still be encirclements. Simply agreeing to the terms won’t suddenly make us better at warfare than Kassandora. Likewise disagreeing to them will not change the fact that Arascus’ armies are currently advancing. But let us go ahead nevertheless.

How would it look?

Helenna already has a hard enough time countering Malam’s incitements. Fortia talks that we are extending the war, the war will already be like nothing Arda has ever seen. This is a war that will be won by the party that will bring more recruits to the table. Arascus has purposefully read the letter he sent to us publicly so that we would be forced to respond and accept. If we do as Fortia and Maisara say, then we give up on the propaganda war. The most generous interpretation of events would be “White Pantheon rejects Mutual Healing Proposition.” The interpretation I assume Malam will run with is “White Pantheon wants people to die.”

This is the true terror of Arascus. This is why in the decade leading up the Great War, the Imperial Legionnaires were bridgebuilders and roadlayers. This is why in this first year of war against the Pantheon, the combat have been swift yet restrained and why cities have not been sacked. Why even Fer and her beastmen have been kept in reserve. Why the worst of Divines Arascus has, that being Anassa, Neneria, Olephia, Baalka and Irinika have not been seen on the fields of battle once. Arascus fundamentally plays the game in a far different manner to anyone else.

To us, it seemed nonsensical, did it not? This first year has not followed any of Kassandora’s Modern War theories and instead seen a return to the Noble Wars of the Past. Why would the man handicap himself like that?

Well now the Mutual Healing Proposition is proclaimed loud to the whole world. The God that has managed to set a new standard in how clean a war can be now wants to make it even cleaner. I ask again.

How would it look?

The White Pantheon will agree to the Mutual Healing Proposition because we are fundamentally not allowed to reject it.

– Excerpt from Allasaria’s Diary.

Kavaa released another deep breath as she controlled her emotions. Kassie was closed off and cold but sometimes, Kavaa she had it that easy. Kassie would never let her emotions start spiralling like this. The Goddess of Health stared at the Goddess of Hatred. Malam had invited Kavaa over to her office. A large building in the mountain of southern Lubska. Supposedly Helenna was stationed somewhere close by in another palace. Olonia was building another dozen of these to serve as homes for the various Divines of the Empire. Even Kavaa had received a letter with a number of scenic locations to pick from and designs of buildings. That had simply not happened in the past. It was a huge room here, although without humans for comparison, there was no tell that everything, from the door to the window to the table to the two occupants, was super-sized. Outside, the view was onto snow-capped mountains.

“Divines can’t do everything themselves you know.” Kavaa rolled her eyes to Malam’s talk. Was she a child? Why exactly did she need to be told this? Did Malam really think she was espousing revolutionary talk by declaring that soldiers were needed. It was about as intellectually stimulating as saying that grass did not grow in rock. Just obvious. Just a waste of breath.

“All I asked is whether you have any other choice or not.” Kavaa replied dryly. She had gotten ruder. She knew she did. Her relationship with Kass had simply de-mystified the aura of Arascus’ Daughter Goddesses. At first, she had thought that the White Pantheon was unique. That as power went up, sense went down. But now?

All Divines had something loose in some way. Kavaa stared flatly at Malam and rubbed her hand over the hilt of the sword by her side. She wouldn’t do it of course, but what exactly was stopping her from cutting Malam down? Or maybe just cutting her and healing her right after? Kavaa sighed, she slowly closed her grey eyes and let out a deep breath. “Come now, I know you’d love to help me.” Malam asked again. Kavaa heard the woman’s heels click on the ground as the Goddess of Hatred jumped excitedly from foot to foot.

“Can you answer the fucking question or not!?!” Kavaa raised her tone, Malam made a theatrical jump away. Her black uniform a shadow that only served to exacerbate that snowstorm of pristine white hair. Annoying. Those pitch black eyes stared Kavaa from a face as clear as porcelain. Even more annoying. Malam was just slightly taller. Downright infuriating.

“Could I find men?” Malam asked mischievously. “Could I? I don’t know, what do you think?” She put her hands behind her back, bent down to look up at Kavaa as if there was something to inspect in the Goddess of Health’s nose. Kavaa stayed as still as a statue.

“Of course you can find men.” Kavaa said. “You run the SIS.” Malam’s own little Empire within the Empire, the Special Imperial Service. Kavaa knew it existed, she had heard Arascus mention it every now and then. And that was as it went. Good. Kavaa didn’t want to know more.

“Exactly.” Malam sounded like a teacher that was pretentiously answering an annoying question. “Exactly Kavaa, you got it correct. I run the SIS. Of course I ask men. And I still asked for you.” Kavaa sighed heavily, her eyes wandered through Malam’s office. There was one shelf stacked with empty bottles, all from strong drinks, and another that still about half the bottles remaining: all vodkas. The woman’s desk was clean though, Kavaa had to give her that.

“What do you want then?” Kavaa realised it was herself who was being difficult at this point. If anyone else had asked, she wouldn’t have been so… Once again, her grey eyes met Malam’s black ones. She saw Of Hatred’s stupidly annoying smile that looked as if it was ever on the verge of telling some stupid joke, and all will to be play along with this creature left Kavaa.

Malam smiled widely. She made a flourish with her hands and a spin on one leg. The fact the woman was so dexterous even in heels was also annoying. Kavaa was dexterous too, but not like that. That was snakish behaviour. Just damn snakish. “What do I want?” Malam asked, a hopeful smile on her face as she turned around again. Somehow, she had managed to pick up a glass of vodka, hot a shot glass or one for drinking but the sort one would fill with water or juice. “What do you think?”

Kavaa took a deep breath and didn’t engage. Malam was annoying but it was the same when dealing with Anassa. Some people tried to make others their entertainment, Kavaa would simply not play along. The Goddess of Health stared at the Goddess of Hatred as the latter pretended to hide the fact she was downing the cup by taking long continuous sips that made a disgusting sound. Animal. Malam was just an animal. Couldn’t she drink like a normal person? “Oops!” Malam said after finishing her glass. It took maybe half a minute. “Sorry sorry, do you want a drink?”

“What do you want Malam?”

“I’ll pour you one then.” Kavaa sighed and rolled her eyes.

“Are you like this to everyone?”

“Like what?”

“Like…” Kavaa made an exasperated sigh and threw her hands in the general direction of the other Goddess. “Like this.”

“I think I’m pleasant.” Malam replied in a mock-defensive tone. She obviously wasn’t hurt by the accusation.

“Well great Malam. That’s fantastic. Brilliant. What do you want?” Kavaa asked again. She had been healing on the Doschian front before this and Malam had considered it so important to pull her away? She saw the Goddess of Hatred make that stupid, condescending smile again and interrupted her before she could speak. “I’m not here to play word games, just tell me what you want.”

Malam leaned back and poured another two glasses of vodka. She drank one immediately and started making those horrendously loud slurps on the other. “I have a job.”

“I don’t need to know the damn job, just what do you want me to do!”

Malam smiled and tapped her nose. “My my, you have been spending too much time with Kassie.” She did not say her sister’s name, she savoured it. And that was what finally got Kavaa to crack. She felt her cheeks go red and her hand grip the blade. Malam obviously knew she had struck a nerve, her smile got wider. She leaned back on the desk. Her hair was brighter than the snow-capped mountains which reflected the sunlight through the window.

“I can spend time with I want to.” Kavaa said coldly.

“My my.” Malam made a show of licking her lips. “Who knew my little sister was this lovely?” Kavaa had nothing to say. She wasn’t going to defend herself in front of Malam. “Well?” Malam said. “Do you have nothing to say?”

“What do you want me to say?” Kavaa asked coldly.

“I want to see what you think about my little sister.”

“Is that why you called me over here?” Kavaa asked.

“I don’t know.” Malam mused. She made a show of inspecting the ceiling with those bright orange lights. “I don’t know Kavaa. What do you think is pettier? Me calling you over to discuss a job or me calling you over because I want to look after my sister?”

Kavaa stood there for a moment. She felt as if her clothes had suddenly disappeared. As if Malam had stripped her just like that. As if everything before this was just Malam toying with her and as if she was a greedy little mouse that had wandered into the trap even though she knew what it was. “I like Kassandora.” Kavaa said.

Malam smiled, those black eyes practically shone. “Kassie is wonderful, isn’t she?”

Kavaa struggled on how to find a reply. Wonderful? She wouldn’t describe Kass that way. It was more… Well. Wonderful was the word to use. Just not in the way Malam used it. “I like Kass. What am I supposed to say Malam?”

“Kassie is my favourite sister.” Malam said. Her tone managed to sound genuinely abashed, Kavaa didn’t know if that was real or just another provocation. “So apologies Kavaa for looking out for her. I’m curious about why you, of all people, have managed to worm her way into Kassie’s good graces.”

“I did not worm my way into anything.” Kavaa said.

Malam smiled. “I like the defiance.” She finished her vodka and set the glass down, leaning back in a terrible way that men would enjoy and that managed to throw Kavaa off balance. The woman should have some damn modesty whether she was the embodiment of hatred or not! It was the same as Anassa! “And you’re a prude.”

“Excuse me for having some modesty.” Kavaa replied bitterly.

“Oh don’t worry, Kassie is a prude too, she just pretends she’s not.” Malam smiled. “Why do you like gin?”

“Can’t I?” Kavaa didn’t even know why she took it personally or why her tone was so defensive but what sort of question was that?! Why did she like gin? Why did Malam like vodka? Who even cared? Malam raised an eyebrow in amusement.

“Inferiority complex.” That was the sort of tone a doctor would use to prescribe medicine. “Makes sense.”

“I do not!”

“I know you do.” Malam said. “Because I’m fond of gin too, it’s got a peculiar taste compared to this.” She tapped the vodka bottle. “Why answer the question as if its accusation if you don’t have an inferiority complex?”

Kavaa remembered when Kassandora had diagnosed her in the same way. Back then, she had been stunned that Kassandora had worked her out. She had been stunned in fact. Malam had done it in two conversations. “So what?” Kavaa asked, her tone glum and sorrow. Malam tilted her head and smiled.

“I’m just stating things.” Malam said. Kavaa had to grip her sword to stop her hand shaking. It wasn’t about the fact Malam had prescribed her correctly. It was about the fact she had done it so easily. Kassandora was one of the few people before this who had been so blunt with her, and she had to risk her life with Kassandora before the Goddess of War made the accusation. It wasn’t an insult to Kavaa, it hurt because it made the fact Kassie was right no longer unique. “Why are you sad?”

Kavaa honestly had no damn clue how this monster in front of her managed to keep such a fine pulse on emotions. “I’m not.”

“What a horribly Kassie thing to say.” Malam said lightly. To think that actually cheered Kavaa up. Malam’s lips twisted upwards again. “Wow you are an open book.” Frankly, Kavaa did not even care. She just shrugged. “That explains why Kassie likes you so much though, she’s an open book too.”

“Excuse me?” Kavaa asked. Kassandora was not open book by any means!

“Kassie is an open book, you are too. The two of you are practically made for each other.” Malam twisted her head from side to side, crossed her arms and pushed her bosom up. And once again Kavaa looked away only to hear Malam snicker. “I’ve read some of your writings, did you know?”

Kavaa felt herself go red. “And?” She supposed it was better talking about herself than about Kassie.

“Your complex is not about your power. You know you’re inherently valuable. You simply lack confidence as a woman.” Malam slightly changed her stance. Kavaa did not even look at her, instead her grey eyes focused on the blue sky and the snow-capped mountains outside. Malam leaned to the side to force her way into Kavaa’s vision with a wicked smile. “Why else would you have such an issue with me behaving this way?”

“I don’t.” Kavaa knew it was a lie, and she knew that Malam was smart enough to work out it too.

“Then why do you not have an issue with Fer even though she has no problem with exposing herself?”

“Because she’s Fer! She’s…” Kavaa’s shout immediately collapsed into a whimper. “She’s not you! Is she?!”

“Because Fer is the sort of charm you don’t really care for. I know you have it with Anassa and you’ve just demonstrated you have it with me too. This…” Malam smiled and let the silence drag on for a second. “Intimidation.” Kavaa simply had nothing to say. Malam had won. The Goddess of Hatred must have realised it too. “Do not worry! Kassie does not care either way. I simply thought you needed to hear it.”

“Am I that easy to read?” Kavaa asked, her tone defeated.

“I’m the Goddess of Hatred Kavaa.” Malam said. “I am more adept at the heart than Helenna is. Do you compete with Kassie in the realm of strategy?”

“No.”

“Then why do you think that you can compete with me in the realm of emotions?” Malam mused proudly. Kavaa didn’t even have a counterargument. Malam was simply correct. It was the same thing as when Kavaa had met Malam underground at first, before Malam realised Kavaa had switched sides. “Your complex is nothing to do with your power, it’s to do with your character, like I said. You should work on it although I suppose this is why you get along with Kassie.”

“Why?” Kavaa asked.

“Because like you, once you get past the Goddess, the person is not much.” Malam leaned back and sighed. “Here is my advice for you. I know Neneria gave you advice already but Neneria is not much to work with either.”

“You’re going to give me advice?” Kavaa asked. She finally let go of her sword. Honestly, she didn’t know if her knees were starting to shake or not.

“Like I said, my sister is wonderful.” Malam said and smiled in a terribly suggestive way at Kavaa. “And you are a cute little grey mouse as well so I don’t mind giving advice.”

Kavaa didn’t know if she wanted to run away in embarrassment or cry or collapse on the ground or just draw her sword and stab it through Malam’s chest right this instant. Cute little grey mouse? What sort of language was that? It was terrible! It was just the worst! No! Never! And yet… And yet was it bad that Kavaa liked it? It wasn’t anything nice, but she… Well, it wasn’t the worst of labels she would give to herself. “About Kassie?”

And saying Kassie instead of Kass or Kassandora sobered Kavaa up immediately. She felt her cheeks go red. She realised she shouldn’t have used such a name with Malam about. That it… It wasn’t her place to use it anyway. She wasn’t part of the sisterhood. But Malam only smiled in satisfaction. “You are adorable.” Malam said. “Yes, about Kassie.” She stopped for a moment. “Do you know the magic word?”

Malam was terrible. Kavaa knew she shouldn’t play along. She did though. “Please.”

Malam shrugged and started to pour herself another glass of vodka. “You know I have a drinking problem? Right?”

“I can’t heal that.” Kavaa replied quickly. Her demesne covered Health of the body, not Health of the mind or Health of the soul.

“You are the cutest.” Malam poured as she finished pouring her glass. “No Kavaa, I am Divine and I have a tolerance. I don’t think I can get drunk anymore if I’m going to be honest. I drink for the sake of it and I don’t particularly care for your opinion on what you make of the drinking. I say it so that you know I’m addicted to something because I know it when I see it. Kassandora is the same thing.”

“Kass doesn’t drink that much.”

“No. Kass has another addiction.” Malam replied dryly as she made a show of sipping her drink. “Kass is a workaholic. We all know this. I’m sure you do too but Kass is in denial as to why she is this way. Kass does not work to get away from life or monotony or anything like that. Kass is addicted to the feeling of getting things done. That’s her one satisfaction in life. She’s not in it to run away, she’s in it to chase towards.”

“Oh.” Kavaa said.

“A normal person would have asked why I am saying this but you are as stunted as she is so I will just tell you.” Kavaa did not even find the comment particularly offensive. She didn’t think herself stunted in comparison to other Divines, it was just that Malam was in another league entirely. “Kass is not honest with herself and she will not admit that she pushes others away not to get rid of them but because others ultimately don’t provide her with the same high that winning a battle or a war do. She’ll give you plenty of reasons. She’ll talk of how she can’t open up and so on but she is lying. It’s not that she can’t, it’s that she does not want to. And she does not want to because she’s addicted to the chase.”

Malam finished, those pitch black eyes framed by a face so pale it may as well have been porcelain stared at Kavaa. And Kavaa stood there. And she… She didn’t even know what to say. “Thank you.” It was all she could say. She had never… Well, a dialogue like that was so… She had never expected Malam to… Wow…

That was all Kavaa could say. Wow.

“Don’t thank me.” Malam said. “I called you in here to see what you were made of and whether I should step in to protect my sister. You are fine, there is nothing particularly egregious or offensive about you and Kassie likes you, so that is enough for me.” The Goddess of Hatred sighed. “I am the way I am and I talk the way I do, but in this, I am completely serious. I wish the best for my sister and I love her. If she likes you, even if it just for a moment, then I am all for it.”

“Thank you.” Kavaa said again.

“I say this so that you understand the situation you’re in. At the end of the day, both of you are ancient. I wish the best for my sister but I understand she is thousands of years old. I’m here to give advice as the smarter sibling, not to change nappies. The same to you. I say this because you need to hear this, so that neither of you are in a lie. There will come a time when Kassandora starts distancing herself from you and you have to realise that it is not that she hates you or that she even starts to like you less. It is that she has a vice.” Malam looked down into her glass and finished it. “If we were mortal, her vice would be noble and make her into a superhero and my would kill me. But we are Divine, so it is her vice that makes her terrible and eternally lonely and my vice is possibly the best there is because no matter how much I damage my liver, I regenerate. I think only Irinika has chosen a better one.”

“Kass told me.” Kavaa remembered Kassandora once asking her the question too of whether she was like the Goddess of Darkness.

“Iri smokes.” Malam said confirmed. “But I want Kassandora to be happy, and know already that I have had this conversation with her many times and that she is as stubborn as a mule. This is why I come to you, because if I can’t change her, I can at least prepare you for her.”

“I…” Kavaa had to say something. She couldn’t just stand here thanking this woman. “I honestly did not expect it from you.”

“Don’t worry sweetheart.” Malam’s terrible tone returned. “Unlike most of us, I have no issue with being terrible. Some things need to be said. It may as well be Hatred’s role to say them.”

“That is better than most of us already.”

“It’s more honest.” Malam said. “Better? That’s debatable.”

“It is.” Kavaa declared.

And Malam smiled. And for the first time, it wasn’t that terrible mocking smile Kavaa was so used to. It was small, barely curving at the top. And rather gentle. And so was Malam’s tone. “Thank you.”

“You’re not too bad yourself.” Kavaa said carefully. Malam shook her head, she didn’t blush, she didn’t even break the gaze. Of all the things Kavaa had said so far, it was this unaffected reaction that was the most infuriating. And Kavaa knew it was infuriating because if Malam said those words, then Kavaa would stumble.

“For the record.” Malam said. “I hope you can make it. I don’t think you’re doomed. And whereas both of you are stunted, I do not mean that badly. It is a factual analysis. Both of you are brooding girls. You are perfect for each other.”

“Are we?” Kavaa honestly could not believe the words.

“If you weren’t incompetent and my sister opened up to you, you would dominate her. It is simply that my sister is aware of this too so she won’t open up to many people in the first place.” Malam smiled. “And do you know what would happen if I thought you threatened my sister?”

“What?”

“I would step in and I would ruin you. And there is none like me.” Malam finished yet another glass. Kavaa did not even see the woman pour. “And I have some advice for you too.”

“What is that?”

“Enjoy it.” Malam said. “Enjoy it like nothing else matters in the world and enjoy it like you’ve not heard this conversation. You needed to hear it though because if it’s my words that push you away, then you weren’t cut out to be good enough for Kassandora in the first place. And if Kassandora chose you, then I trust you’re tenacious enough not to be put off by me.” Malam smiled and drank a quarter of the glass. “And remember that whereas in the White Pantheon no one liked each other, here it is different, if you need help, then the door to my palace is always open. Let yourself in.”

Kavaa did not know what to think. If it was anyone else to say it… Even when Kavaa repeated the words in her own head, she struggled to make them sound convincing. And yet when they had just come out of Malam’s mouth in that caressing tone of hers, it was… Well, Kavaa honestly believed Malam. How could she not? The way Malam could play her own emotions like a rollercoaster was all the display of skill that was needed. It was like Fer showing off how strong she was by lifting something heavy or Anassa conjuring up sorcery. As uncomfortable as it was, how else could Malam demonstrate her talent? “I’ll consider it if I ever need help.”

“Some more advice is this.” Malam said. “Take advice from my father, from me and from Fer and in that order. The rest are incompetent. Do not even bother. I don’t mean this badly because it’s a fact. Have you ever asked Kassandora how to deal with fear?”

Immediately Kavaa smiled. It was cathartic that someone else had picked up on it too. “She told me to ignore it.” Simply saying the words was like throwing a mountain off her back. Because Kassandora had said it, Kavaa had always taken them to heart.

“Exactly.” Malam said. “I think that alone demonstrates how wide Kassandora’s emotional dictionary is.” Kavaa burst out in laughter. Finally someone said it. Finally! And Malam continued. “She is intelligent, I have no doubt about that but like I said, she gets high off success and spends her life chasing that high.” Kavaa’s laughter stopped and she nodded. Everything Malam said finally started to click together in her mind, it was the same thing as when Kavaa would work on fixing a body and she would start piecing together all the details as she healed them.

“Honestly Malam, thank you. If…” Kavaa trailed off. It was silly, because Malam had prescribed her with the inferiority that Kavaa knew she had. And Malam had even pinpointed it down to the specifics. And Malam had been correct. And Kavaa knew that she could not ask. Not yet. “When I can, I’ll ask.”

Malam smiled in return. “Don’t worry, I can teach you all about how to have feminine charms.” And once again, Kavaa’s cheeks went red. Disgusting! This woman was disgusting! Despicable! Rancid! Just the worst! Get her out of here! Disgusting! “Also, there is one more thing.”

“What?” Kavaa asked.

“I actually have a job.”

Kavaa blinked in surprise. “Wait? Really?”

“We’re hunting down what remains of Anarchia’s followers. I’m getting their addresses. I don’t want to send mages because mages level city blocks. I know you made men immortal during the Underground Expedition. Can you do that again for this or not? Could we load them up with immortality for a month for example? Or does it not work that way? It would give them something to do too.”

Kavaa stood there for a moment in Malam’s office. The Goddess of Hatred gave her time to think, only sipping her vodka. This time, it was in silence. Kavaa thought for a while. Could she fill men with that much life? It would be a challenge. She had never tried it before, she had never even attempt that before. “I don’t know. I can try though.” And as always, Malam had words that made Kavaa wish she was smarter. Not even because she felt bad, but because the woman someone managed to give her hope and optimism without expectation or responsibility. It was the perfect thing to say and Malam said it instantly.

“Trying is all I can ask for.”

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep