The fire in the hearth flickered softly, the light dancing across Ramona's violet dress as she leaned against the window. Outside, the wind whispered through the trees of the forest, peaceful, quiet, but tense in the way calmness always is before a storm.
I sat by the table, one hand propping my cheek, the other tracing circles in the wood. The reports from Enoch and Alfonso were troubling indeed. And between us sketchy maps, half-legible notes from the scouts Enoch had sent, and too many "unknowns" to make anyone comfortable.
Ramona finally turned, her eyes calm but sharp. "You've been staring at that same piece of parchment for half an hour," she said, voice soft but carrying that unmistakable authority she always had.
"Just thinking," I replied. "About how we're supposed to fight an army of beastmen when we don't even know what god they pray to. It's like walking into a boxing ring blindfolded, and your opponent is probably a rhino."
She smiled faintly, coming over to sit across from me. "Then what do you suggest, oh wise one?"
I rubbed the back of my neck, pretending to think. "Information. We need to know who they worship, how they fight, how many soldiers they have… You know, the boring part before the chaos starts."
Her eyes narrowed. "And how exactly do you plan to get that information? Send a pigeon?"
I grinned, leaning forward. "Better. I'll make the whole kingdom fall asleep then we, as in me and you infiltrate."
Ramona blinked. "…You what?"
I raised a finger. "Hear me out. The new authority I absorbed is dreams and sleep, it's not just for prettier visions. I can use it to put every living thing in that city into deep slumber. Once they're down, we move in, observe, and gather intel. They'll never know we were there."
She folded her arms, brow arched. "You're insane."
"I know," I said with a smirk. "But I'm also right."
Ramona sighed, but there was a softness in her eyes. "And what if one of their gods senses you?"
"Then we pray," I said simply, meeting her gaze. "Pray they're busy doing whatever bored gods do when mortals are sleeping, or hope they don't have a religion"
That actually earned a laugh out of her, quiet and genuine. It lit the cabin like sunlight.
We spent the rest of the evening planning, guessing where their temples might be, and talking about what we'd do if something went wrong. But under it all, there was something new between us, a quiet comfort. A closeness that didn't need words. Every time her hand brushed mine, it stayed there a little longer. Every glance lingered a little too much.
Oh, thank god I slept like that.
When night finally came, we stood at the edge of the clearing. The stars shimmered faintly above the treetops. Ramona's violet aura shimmered like moonlight as her black wings unfurled. I spread mine, silver and bright, humming with power.
"Ready?" I asked.
She smiled. "You first, troublemaker."
We rose into the night sky together, cutting through clouds as the wind howled past. Soon, the city came into view, sprawling stone buildings beneath us, torchlights flickering along its walls.
"Alright," I murmured, closing my eyes. "Let's see if this works."
I stretched out my hand, letting my divine essence seep across the city like a golden mist. My power spread far, brushing against thousands of flickering souls. One by one, they dimmed, torches falling dark, voices fading. Within moments, silence. Every mortal and beast in the city had fallen into deep, dreamless sleep.
I opened my eyes and spoke directly into Ramona's mind. "They're out. All of them. Stay up here, I'll take a little stroll, I just discovered a little something"
"Be careful," she replied, her mental voice laced with concern.
"I always am."
I descended slowly, sandals touching the soft earth of the sleeping city. The streets were ghostly quiet. I walked between motionless guards, the only sound the faint whisper of wind through banners.
My target, the wells. The city had five, lined neatly through the centre districts. I knelt beside the first one, drew a few dead rats I picked up while coming here from the pouch at my belt, a grim necessity, and dropped them into the water. They splashed softly, sinking into the darkness. Ramona had thought me a fool, but poisoning them could alleviate the burden on our army.
"Nothing personal," I muttered. "Just a little pest problem."
By the third well, I felt it, an unmistakable prickling at the back of my neck. Like eyes boring into me from every direction. I froze, scanning the shadows.
Then the air split open behind me. A figure shot out of the darkness, landing hard enough to crack the ground. The glow around him wasn't mortal, it pulsed with divinity.
"Who are you?" the figure demanded, voice deep and booming.
I straightened then slowly rose into the air, eyes narrowing. "You first."
No answer, just a surge of divine energy that made the air vibrate.
Fine. So much for diplomacy.
I sent a telepathic blast straight at him, a concentrated pulse meant to knock him off balance.
He roared, the sound shattering the very air. The shockwave blew my mental strike away like dust.
"Okay," I muttered. "So we're doing it the hard way."
Before I could move, three more bursts of divine energy flared up from the city below, three more figures rising into the sky toward Ramona.
"Damn it," I hissed, launching upward.
"Four of them?" she shouted, drawing her twin swords, the storm already swirling around her.
"Guess they didn't get the memo about bedtime."
I conjured golden armour around us, the plates snapping into place with a metallic hum. A spear of pure light formed in my hand.
The first of the three lunged at me, wings blazing red, I met him midair and slammed the spear into his chest, sending him spiralling into the city below.
"And stay down," I said dryly.
Two more charged Ramona. She met them head-on, her swords trailing lightning. The sky flashed violet as she cut through the first, then twisted midair and sliced through the other in a storm of wind and thunder.
"Show-off!" I shouted.
She smirked mid-swing. "You love it."
The last figure, the one who first attacked me in the city, came at me again, faster this time. I met him halfway. Sparks and divine energy exploded with every strike. Our weapons clashed, our wings shredded clouds, our power cracked the very air.
He was strong, too strong for a low-class god or a possessed mortal of one. But I was angry, and I'd been human once. So I fought dirty. I baited him, feinted, slipped through openings. And when I finally drove my knee into his chest, I sent him plummeting down in a trail of red fire.
The city below was awake now, people spilling into the streets, eyes wide as they watched me and Ramona suspended in the heavens.
Their gasps reached even up here.
"The gods! The gods are fighting!"
"Heavens!"
I hovered beside Ramona, my golden light blazing around us. I met her eyes, both of us breathing hard but grinning despite it. The sky was dark and lightning was rolling across the clouds and the wind was picking up. Flashes of lightning made our shadows appear gigantic on the city's surface.
"Remind me," I said, "next time we plan something quietly, let's not invade a divine-guarded city."
She rolled her eyes. "You started it."
"Details," I said with a smirk.
I raised my hand, and the triangular golden halo flared behind me. A flash of light swallowed the sky, and when it faded, we were gone.
The city below was left silent once more, save for the wind and the whispers of frightened mortals.
We reappeared in the forest cabin, the night still young but our hearts pounding like thunder. Ramona looked at me, exasperated, and yet… relieved.
"Next time, Adam," she said, "we come up with a normal plan."
I leaned back against the wall, breathing out a laugh. "Define normal."
She glared, then, to my surprise, smiled. "You're impossible."
"Yeah," I said, closing my eyes. "But you still keep me around."