Louise watched the door to Corrine’s cabin close and turned to look at the runners. “Okay, while Robin is gone, we will need to focus on getting Kraag’s bleeding to stop.”

  “Louise,” Yanni said with a nod. “He’s back.”

  The old woman, her visage wrought with frustration and surprise, turned to see Robin and two strangers emerge from the same cabin door. She grumbled at her short-lived leadership and walked to greet them.

  “I don’t think I enjoy walking through that door very much,” Robin observed, feeling nauseous now that he was back on the physical plane.

  “It is an acquired taste,” Cayd muttered.

  “How was your time with the Hag?” Louise asked them. “And why do you have strangers?”

  “It was a delight. Except this guy was very difficult to deal with,” Robin said, nodding in Cayd’s direction.

  “If you have seen Corrine in the contexts I have, you would be just as apprehensive to accept an invitation from her, Robin.”

  “Now, what was that you were saying about someone wanting to meet me?” Zora asked as she looked around. Her heart skipped when she found herself looking into the twinkling eyes of Kraag.

  “That’s a big turtle.”

  “He is,” Robin laughed, turning to open his emotions and perform his duties as speaker. “Have you met him before? He seems like he knows you.”

  “Never,” Zora said. “Grew up on a Water Nomad cargo boat. Never set foot on Talnor till I was twelve or thirteen?”

  “Ah, yeah,” Robin said. He went quiet for a moment, nodding with understanding as he watched the god’s eyes. “He knew of you. Never met you, though. But he always wanted to.”

  “He knows of me? What do you mean?”

  “When he looks at you, it’s like you are…” Robin paused to think for a moment. “Like an adopted daughter.”

  “Moving a little fast there, Kraag.”

  Robin laughed out loud compulsively. “He feels sorry. Apologetic, I mean. If he offended you. Sorry, I’m still figuring his tone out.”

  “I’m only teasing him,” Zora grinned at the twinkling eyes. Something in them was beautifully welcoming. They looked like cool mountain springs, but teemed with the life of a god. The contrast to the harsh blue eye that haunted her every action was not lost on her.

  “He does not like when you worry, Captain Dimitova,” Robin said, his tone shifting to one more cautious and caring. “He wants you to know that you are not alone. When the time comes, he wants you to know he will be there for you.”

  “What does that mean?”

  Robin went silent for a long time, his face twisting and slackening as he engaged in silent conversation with the massive creature. “Well, he ain’t telling me,” he said finally. “He wants you to stay observant. He thinks you are doing great so far.”

  “He knows about the eye,” she declared. Zora turned to Cayd. “Cayd, he knows about it.” Her panic was cut short by Kraag letting out a loud, undulating coo.

  “He doesn’t want you to worry, Zora,” Robin repeated.

  “This is astounding,” Louise said, her sunken eyes wide. “Just who are you?” she asked Zora.

  “To him? I have no idea.”

  “I think we’ve had enough interacting with gods for one day,” Cayd grumbled. “I’m going to start walking back to Crossroads.”

  Zora struggled to tear her eyes away from the god. She could feel his ocean of emotions just near her own inconsequential pool. Her pool that was stagnant with constant, inexplicable fear of that ghost that chased her. She wanted to open her walls and let Kraag’s support wash her away.

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  “Kraag is okay with you going with Cayd,” Robin said to Zora, shaking her from the daze.

  “Sorry?”

  “He will not be upset if you follow Cayd back.” Robin looked over his shoulder at Kraag, who moved identically to peer back at the shamans working to seal his wound. “In fact, he thinks you should go and help them.”

  “I don’t really want to,” Zora heard herself say.

  “Kraag takes promises seriously, you know, and he thinks you need to honor your word and keep those promises you made.” Robin replied, then looked suddenly surprised, as though he just heard his own words. “Damn, you do, big guy? I’m really stuck with you, aren’t I?”

  “He’s talking about Tidus and Solanna?” Zora asked.

  “Cayd, too.”

  Zora looked at Cayd walking toward the city on the horizon and sighed. The deliverance from that leviathan would be wonderful, Zora would never deny that. But she thought about Cayd's tone and words during the dinner with the Alliance.

  How he snagged his place marker coin and jammed it into his pocket right away, too.

  And all of this was to hunt down a former pupil of his. There was something in Cayd. And Zora was rarely compelled to care about someone, but there was something that had a hold of her. She took one last look at Kraag and Robin.

  “Hey!” she shouted up to the god. Kraag slowly turned his head to acknowledge her. “Get better, okay? Heal up. If you’re going to be saving me at some point, I need you at your best.”

  “He wishes you luck, Zora,” Robin said with a wide smile.

  Louise, still stunned at Kraag’s familiarity with this woman, bowed slightly to her. Zora returned the favor and jogged to catch up to Cayd.

  “So the meeting was successful?” Louise asked Robin.

  “We will find out soon. Chief Maplegrove of Talnorel’s Glade will be arriving here soon with the best druids she has. We’re going to fight Kaitlyn Carpenter.”

  “Robin, why?” Yanni asked. “Why druids, I mean? The shamaness is one of ours. Our problem to solve.”

  “She is ascending,” Robin said, to Yanni as much as to Kraag. The god looked down with sad, knowing eyes. “And we want her to.”

  “But not based on murder?” Louise asked.

  “Right.” Robin took a deep breath. “This is gonna be tricky. Louise, Yanni, we need to find the best of the Host.”

  In the fields of grass still in view of the elder god, Zora was catching up to her ally. “Cayd, wait a second.”

  “Done talking to gods?”

  “What is your problem, man?” Zora asked him, her handing falling on his shoulder. “You are cheerful at best, aloof at worst. But today? You were just cruel?”

  The growing storm in Cayd swelled and he hunched slightly, like a cat poised to lunge. “Zora, they stole everything from me.”

  “Who?”

  “The Jade Lion. Thizarr. Asmodious. The King’s Shade. Scilla. Corrine. Gods who can not figure out how to fight in the celestial realms so they bring their rivalries and power plays down here. So they raise their champions and hamstring their rivals and leave bodies stacked on pyres the world over.

  “And you know what happens when their wars end? They dissolve their avatars and they flit away. They have no remorse. They have no apology. The sacrifices that you make, as a mortal on their behalf empowers them, and once they get their fill, they leave you. And you can not even blame them because staying here destroys them. Unravels their very being.”

  “What did they take from you?” Zora asked.

  Cayd went silent.

  “Cayd, please,” Zora urged, moving her hand to his chest. “Talk to me?”

  “You and I aren’t very different, Zora.” Cayd brought his hand to her, gently turning it to look at Solanna’s brand. “We get pulled in by them. Seduced by them. Then branded and discarded.”

  Zora grimaced. “You bastard.”

  “You know, I thought it was an attraction. Or Friendship. Or something that brought us together. That made me want to save you. But it’s our position in this world. Our penchant for being used.”

  “You saved me?” Zora asked. “You saved no one, Cayd. In fact, you ruined my very well-executed plan to get myself out of there. And a penchant for being used? Speak for yourself, you washed up prick. I am my own woman. Captain of the most dangerous damned ship on this hemisphere.”

  “Zora,” Cayd try to interject.

  “Enough, Minister,” Zora snapped, injecting the title with as much venom as possible. “I am here for you. I just saw a goddess try to be there for you. And all we get are these lash-out sessions. One day, Cayd, all of your shitty secrets? They’re going to get pulled out. And I’m going to love it.”

  Cayd went silent and stopped walking toward the dark smudge of the city ahead of them. He looked, eyes out of focus, beyond the city at something Zora could not see. “So,” he finally said, soft and humbled. “You’re going to stick around just for that?”

  Zora ran her hands through her hair and groaned. “Cayd. We need to get back to work.” She looked back to Kraag’s shell and the pillar of glowing smoke to the north. “Do you think the Chief and Robin will be able to beat her?”

  “For our sake? I hope. Zora, I’m sorry about my attitude.”

  Zora patted his shoulder again. “We’ve all had bad days, Minister. Just know I’m not going to let you get away with yours.”