The Second Archon War: Carmen Dei 30 (Patreon)

Carmen Dei 30: Song of Rabbit and Spider

Unfortunately for Amber, her exhaustion and subsequent wreck ended up with her on bedrest for three days before she was in a fit state to do much of anything aside from nap and eat vegetable soup. Fortunately, the vegetable soup was quite tasty, though the bed wasn’t terribly comfortable.

“Thanks,” Amber croaked to Arlan when her host brought her the warm broth that was all she could keep down the first day. She struggled to feed herself with a spoon, but her hands were shaking so badly she could barely manage it. 

“Here,” Arlan said, and held the bowl to her lips, letting Amber gratefully sip from it. 

“Thanks,” Amber repeated, though it did feel a bit odd. Whatever Ziz had done to her, she knew she wasn’t speaking German, or any other language she actually knew. What she said was ‘raxmet’, though she knew it was the right word. “Um, if you don’t mind…” Arlan suddenly stiffened, odd eyes smoldering with flames. “...um, i-it’s ok, never mind…”

“No.  You were going to ask me why I told you to call me sir,” Arlan said stiffly. 

“Uh, no, actually, I was going to ask what language I was speaking,” Amber admitted. She vaguely recalled the part about Arlan telling her to call them sir, but not why, and her host hadn’t said much besides “eat this” so far. 

“Oh,” Arlan relaxed. “I thought you’d know. We’re speaking Kazakh. I can speak Russian as well, though I would prefer not to.”

“Oh, that’s OK. I know a little Russian, but, um, well…a friend sort of…did something to me. So, I guess I can speak Kazakh now?” Amber said, the whole thing coming out in words she probably shouldn’t know how to say, but did. 

“Ah. I see. Well, you could see the Aranara, the children call him Arabalika. I wonder, is it your Vision that lets you do that?” Arlan asked, sounding somewhat curious.

“Er, maybe?” Amber looked at the Vision, but it just glowed the same aquamarine as always. She frowned up at Arlan. “So, um…on a less weird note…you…prefer masculine pronouns?”

“As I am a man, yes, I do,” Arlan said, eyes flashing with flames again. “Do you have a problem with this?”

“No, just making sure,” Amber sighed, closing her eyes now that she had the broth in her. “Thanks, Mr. Arlan. Sorry…I’m so…useless…”

Amber passed out, but Arlan sat there, watching her for several minutes more. At last, he stood stiffly, collected the bowl, and left Amber. 

That was much of the next two days for Amber. She did manage to get up with help from one of the older girls to use the bathroom, then bath with some of the children’s help. It made her feel especially useless again, but she was pretty sure her problem was over using Elemental Energy. That wasn’t good for mortal bodies, and as Amber had very little desire to become an angel like Lord Barbados or a Dragon like Ziz, she’d have to be more careful in the future. 

Finally, Amber felt well enough to get out of bed, and go sit in the garden. It was lush and vibrant, and the children eagerly led her out. There were about thirty children in all, ranging in age from infants still on the bottle to the gangly teenaged Nadya Petrova. Unlike most of the other children, Nadya looked distinctly Slavic in her features. 

“Father, he saved me,” Nadya told Amber as she helped the knight sit on a stool amidst ripening squashes and Teyvan Sweet Flower. “Even that young, I was being sold, as a prostitute. I don’t remember it well, only the pain and fear. Father, he found me, and killed all the slavers. Then, he brought me here. I was one of the first. I’ve been here since.”

“How old are you?” Amber asked, feeling sick, but knowing the story was all too common. 

Nadya looked down and shrugged. “Don’t know. Maybe 14? Maybe more, maybe less. It’s been almost 10 years.”

“Well, then I’m glad Arlan killed them,” Amber growled, making a fist. Why couldn’t she be that kind of crusading knight?! Lauren surely was. 

“Me too,” Nadya agreed fervently. “Some people, they say he is bad, or crazy, or a murderer. I think he is good.”

“Arabalika knows that Father-Nara is good nara. He watches after small-nara and Saśakā-Nara. This is why Arabalika was sent to make sure Father-Nara and small-nara are not being sick or hungry.”

Amber jumped slightly, turning to face Arabalika, who had appeared silently behind her and Nadya. She hastily bowed to the fairy, trying to remember what to say to one of the Fair Folk. 

“Um, hello, Mr. Arabalika,” she stammered as she struggled to find words.

Nadya looked around curiously, but her gaze swept right over Arabalika. “He is here? I guess I can’t see him today. Some of us older kids, we can only see him sometimes. He says it is because we don’t dream right.”

“Huh. How come I can see you then?” Amber asked Arabalika. 

Arabalika used his small wooden staff to poke Amber in the chest, which made her gasp as energy rushed into her limbs. “Saśakā-Nara is wise nara. She is having many dreams. She has not lost her connection to the svapna. So long as Saśakā-Nara is having dreams, she is seeing Arabalika.”

“So…Nadya lost her dreams?” Amber asked, and tears filled her eyes again. She hugged Nadya tightly, which made the other girl gasp in surprise. “You’re just a kid! You should still have dreams! Don’t you want to, I don’t know, be an astronaut, or a knight, or something?”

“I want to be like Father, and make sure scared children are safe, and not hungry,” Nadya said, gently pushing Amber away. “I don’t have time to daydream.”

Arabalika shook his head sadly, making a slight tinkling sound. “Her head is full of big nara thoughts. She is trapped in the jagaranam. In the waking. She thinks this, what she sees, is all that is real. Such is the way of Big Nara.”

“I’ll pray for you, for all of you,” Amber told Nadya. 

The teen gave her an odd look, but shrugged. “Seven months ago, I would not have believed prayers worked. But we prayed to Lord Buer for food. And now we have it. So, I suppose they do now.”

Nadya left to go tend to other chores, leaving Amber sitting with Arabalika. A few of the younger children ran over to bow to the fairy and ask for his help, but he shook his head. “Arabalika has words for Saśakā-Nara and Father-Nara. Send Father-Nara, that he might listen.”

Two little barefoot boys ran off, and Amber’s heart panged for them. “I should make you all shoes,” she muttered.

“You can make shoes?” a little girl asked, curious. A few of them had raggedy old sneakers or worn sandals, but most were barefoot. 

“I’m a Tinker, so I can make just about anything. Shoes aren’t my speciality, but if you’ve got…hmm. Canvas, rubber, or maybe…Arabalika, do you have hemp, linen, or cotton, do you? I could make shoes with all of those, and show you all how to do it, too. Or, well, I guess rubber plants?”

“Arabalika will teach small-nara songs for growing these things, but later. There is Father-nara. Small-nara, you must go and work now. Arabalika has sad songs to sing that are not for small-nara to hear.”

Arlan strode over, wearing his boots and worn jeans with a pair of work gloves on, his scythe resting on his shoulder. Amber felt her heart pitter-patter slightly. She didn’t exactly find Arlan handsome; he was, well, too feminine looking for her tastes which ran more towards beards and hairy arms, but he was tall and strong. And very kind, which was major points in her book. 

“Is the aranara here?” Arlan said, looking around.

The fairy in question picked up a bit of wet earth, rolled it into two balls, and beckoned to Amber. “Have Father-Nara kneel. Arabalika will open his eyes, for a short time.”

“Like Jesus healing the blind man!” Amber said eagerly and got the somewhat skeptical Arlan to kneel down. 

Arabalika hovered up, then placed the mud on Arlan’s eyelids. Then the fairy tapped three times on Arlan’s forehead with his staff. “Open your eyes, Father-nara. Arabalika has words you must hear.”

Producing a canteen, Arlan rinsed the mud from his eyes, and blinked in surprise at Arabalika. “You…you are real.”

“Of course he’s real! That’s very rude!” Amber huffed, then blushed. “Um, sorry. I-I shouldn’t be lecturing my host.”

“No, you are quite right,” Arlan said, and bowed his head. “Apologies, Arabalika. Thank you for opening my eyes.”

“It is not your eyes that concern Arabalika, but your ears,” the fairy harumphed, setting back down. “Now, listen and attend to Arabalika’s song. Arabalika has long planned to come here. Since the day Sarva-Nara heard the songs of your heart, and the songs of your children.”

“Sarva-Nara?” Arlan asked, frowning and furrowing his brow. 

“I think that’s what they call the Hopebringer, right?” Amber asked, and Arabalika nodded. 

“Yes, that is nara word for Sarva-Nara. Sarva-Nara was sending Arabalika here, not just to feed hungry nara, but to save small nara from Śokanara-Nara and Karuna-Nara.”

Amber glanced at Arlan, but he simply shrugged his own ignorance. “Um, can you tell us the Nara names for those, Mr. Arabalika?”

“You would call them Tsaritsa-nara, and Kollei-nara,” Arabalika said solemnly. 

Arlan paled, and stood abruptly, clutching his scythe. “My children! We must get them to safety!” 

“They are safe, here. That is why Saśakā-Nara has been sent here. It is why Arabalika is here. If they leave, small-nara will be in danger. Arabalika will not allow this.”

“You, little fairy, can stop a harbinger? The Princess herself?” Arlan asked, then laughed bitterly. 

“I wouldn’t underestimate the Aranara. I’ve heard stories of people who tried to kidnap or hurt children in Iraq. When criminals are found…if they’re found…they’re not, well, they’re not all there anymore,” Amber said with a slight shudder. Ugly cute and benevolent the Aranara might be, but they were still the Fair Folk of legend and myth. 

“If Wicked-nara or the other servants of Śokanara-Nara come, then Arabalika will protect nara here. But, if Karuna-Nara comes, then Saśakā-Nara will be the one to save Father-nara and small-nara.”

“Me?!” Amber gasped, horrified. “But I can’t- even if I was completely fine, I couldn’t fight a Harbinger! Wait, you…you mean Kollei? I…I can’t…I didn’t come…” She swallowed, and glanced at Arlan, who was studying her with renewed interest. 

Feeling weaker than ever, Amber hugged herself and admitted, “I…I came here to surrender to Kollei. To…to beg her to stop this. I can’t see more people suffer and die! I can’t see Kollei continue to become a monster like her mother! Even if it costs me my life, my freedom…it’s my duty to do whatever I can to stop this!” 

There was the crunch of earth, and Amber started as Arlan crouched next to her. He put a gentle hand on her shoulder and squeezed softly. “And what makes you think you can do anything to stop the Princess and her Fatui, little rabbit?”

“Well, um…she… maybe captured me once before?” Amber explained. “And, er…we were sort of…friends. At least, for a little while…”

Arlan studied Amber for a long moment, then looked at Arabalika. “You swear no harm will come to my children?”

“Small-nara may be harmed by many things. But they will not be harmed by Foolish Nara, nor by Karuna-Nara. And if Wicked Nara comes…well. She does not know sense. Arabalika will teach Wicked-Nara sense.”

“Do you trust him?” Arlan asked Amber quietly.

“He’s a servant of Lord Buer. Even if he is a fae…he’s a good kind. After all, didn’t he grow all this garden?” Amber asked, nodding to the lush life all around them. 

“Hmm. I do not trust myself against a Harbinger…but to evacuate the children…we have nowhere to go, and here, at least, I can feed them.” Arlan looked pained, then nodded. “We will stay. You can make shoes?”

“Oh! Um, well, yes! I just need materials. I’d be happy to make shoes for all the children!” Amber agreed. 

“More importantly, you can teach the children to make shoes?” Arlan urged. 

“Well, I can try! I never really taught anyone anything before,” Amber admitted. 

“Try. A useful skill would mean that we could have income, as well as a trade they could take up when they leave here,” Arlan said, taking Amber’s hands in his and clasping them firmly. Amber found herself fighting off a blush, which she tried to chalk up to her lingering exhaustion. 

After going back to the house to rest, Amber took a short nap. When she woke up, she found a pile of flax, some hemp, and a bucket of sap from a rubber plant, along with Nadya and two younger children. 

“Hmmm, let me take a look,” Amber told them, and began to examine the materials as ways of turning them into shoes began to flash through her mind. Before long, she’d entered a Tinker fuge, which easily incorporated her new Anemo Vision somehow. Unlike before she’d been Blessed by Lord Barbatos, Amber had much more control of herself, and could more easily understand and comprehend what she was doing. She tried to explain it to Nadya and the other children, but they mostly looked mystified as Amber created a machine out of wood and scrap metal that could refine the sap into rubber, then another one that could turn the rubber into soles. 

After that she created a machine that turned the flax and hemp from rough fibers into usable thread, making sure that it was something a child could operate safely. She also made both her machines solar-powered, as there was ample sunlight around. It was a bit hard to explain how she created the solar panels since it was so far outside of her realm of typical expertise, but she persisted until she got it right. 

With those machines completed, it was simple enough to create a loom, then show the kids how to use the loom to sew the hemp and flax onto the rubber soles and with that, create shoes that were similar to trainers: breathable, comfortable, with rubber soles and laces. 

When she finally came out of her fugue, Amber realized to her mortification that four more days had passed in a flurry of activity. She did, however, present each of the children with their own pair of shoes (her machines could easily adjust size and color with a few simple inputs), which delighted all of them. 

Grinning, Amber watched as all the kids ran around in glee, even Nadya, their feet finally clad in proper footwear. 

“Thank you,” Arlan said, raw emotion in his voice. To Amber’s shock, he actually picked her up and hugged her tightly, tears streaming down his face. “Thank you, little rabbit. Do you know, you are the first person to ever come and help without me needing to threaten someone first? Well, aside from Arablika, I suppose.”

“I-I’m happy to,” Amber stammered when Arlan gently set her back down. She fussed at her short hair for a moment, then glanced north. She started, then shrank down and shivered. That was it, the Storm Wall. The Tsaritsa’s Storm. It was coming for them. 

“Yes. It has been visible since yesterday. You just now noticed, didn’t you?” Arlan asked gently, putting a hand on Amber’s shoulder. 

She forced herself to straighten, but put one hand over Arlan’s and gripped it tightly. Swallowing, she nodded. “I…I was so busy…I just…the kids needed shoes, you know?”

“And you made them with nothing but rusted pieces of old fishing boats, old planks and nails, and what Arabalika and the children could grow. You are an incredible woman, Sir Amber.”

“Well, um…I guess it’s time for me to prove I’m a Knight…and go face that storm coming towards us, huh?” she smiled up at Arlan, resting a hand on her knapsack with all her vlogs in it. “Thanks for everything! I…I hope I see you again-”

“No,” Arlan said, and put his other hand on Amber’s shoulder, making her blush even more. “You will stay.”

“But, I can’t! If I stay, then the kids could be in danger!” Amber protested, even though she really, really didn’t want to go. She liked it here. She felt…useful. Safe. She was solving real problems, finally using her Tinker abilities to do something other than make weapons. As much as she loved flying, she hated that all of her gliders and Baron Bunnies always ended up being used as weapons! 

Arlan shook his head. “Arabalika said that you needed to be here so that the children would be safe. That, and I cannot keep you safe if you leave, Amber. So stay. We will face this together. Children! Go inside, and do not open the doors until I call for you, no matter what,” Arlan called.

The children quickly scampered inside the building, though what protection it would be against the Tsaritsa’s storm?

“How will they keep warm?” Amber whispered, shivering at her remembrance of the freezing temperatures in the Ukraine. 

“It gets quite chilly in winter,” Arlan said, sounding amused. “They will put on their jackets and wrap themselves in blankets as they light the stove. There is a little fuel.”

“What?! Then what happened to their feet in winter?” Amber demanded, looking around for anything she could use as a weapon. She didn’t have so much as a knife with her. Then again, did she want a weapon? She was going to surrender to Kollei, right?

“We wrapped their feet in rags. Or they got frostbite. Count the number of Nadya’s toes. She has only nine,” Arlan said grimly. “I did all I could for my children. And  yet…it was not enough.”

“It was more than enough. They’re safe, and happy. And…and we won’t let them get hurt!” Amber declared. She ended up picking up a spade, just to have something to hold, though she didn’t know what good it would do her. She’d never been all that useful in a fight. 

Arabalika hovered over to land beside them, leaning on his staff as he examined the oncoming storm. “Hmm. Himavrushtih. Arabalika has seen such before, but not for many years. In the old Silapna, it did not make tushar, and in the place Sarva-nara now dwells, it is more like the old lands of Valuka-nara.”

“I guess that’s your word for snow?” Amber asked quietly, and Arlan started. “Oh, sorry, I was talking to Mr. Arabalika. I think he’s talking about Teyvat. That’s where the Aranara are from, right?”

“Aranara are bija of Sarva. The Sarva makes the Mahavanaranapna. Ah, Aarabalika will explain, as Saśakā-Nara does not understand. Sarva, it is the world tree, the tree from which all life is bija. But Aranara are more bija of Sarva than nara. Sarva-nara is nara of Sarva. She is the branch which grows anew. Where Sarva-nara grows, so do the aranara. When Sarva-nara came to this Varuna, this…what is nara word? World? Yes, world, so came the aranara.”

“I think…I think he’s saying the Aranara are seeds from the Tree of Life? You know, from the Garden of Eden?” Amber said slowly. “Um, are you…muslim? Do you know about the tree of life?”

“I am whatever religion bothered to send charity to my family. The Muslims and Christians that did not curse me and scorn me all my life ignored me,” Arlan said with real venom, eyes smoldering with dark flames. Amber flinched, knowing perfectly well how cruel certain religious people could be. They had told her it was her own fault her father beat her, after all. 

“So, what religion do you follow, little rabbit?” Arlan asked, even as the storm grew ever closer. 

“I am a servant of Lord Barbados, one of his knights,” Amber said, clutching at the crucifix with the anemo sigil she wore around her neck. “I believe in God the Father, maker of Heaven and Ruler of Earth. And in Jesus Christ, His only begotten Son. I believe in the Holy Spirit, and in the Seven Holy Archons, sent by God to Shepherd Mankind in our Hour of Need. I believe in the Freedom of Barbados, the Anemo Archon,” Amber said, reciting part of the Knights’ Creed she’d learned upon her elevation. 

Dorothy Schmidt had written the Creed, and despite Venti’s protests, most of the Knights recited it as a part of their initiation into the Knights of Favonius. Though Venti himself eschewed organized religion, the Knights were a religious order in most regards. After all, they served under a Holy Archon, and the idea of a religious order of knights was no stranger in Germany.

“And what of the Hopebringer?” Arlan asked, sounding actually interested. 

Amber flushed and nodded quickly. “Of course! Lord Buer is one of the Seven Holy Archons, the Archon of Dendro, sent to bring Hope and Wisdom to Mankind.”

“And food to starving children. It is not such a bad religion, I suppose,” Arlan agreed amicably. 

“So…you’re a Christian?” Amber asked hopefully. She’d always promised her mother she’d marry a Christian. Not that it was relevant!

“If that is what you call it,” Arlan agreed. “What does Arabalika think of the Nazarene?” 

“Sarva-nara has spoken of this nara. He is a Prophet, very wise. Arabalika thinks this nara was ardhadevah.”

“Uh, and that means?” Amber probed. 

Arabalika pondered this for a moment, then said, “You would say, god, Arabalika thinks.”

“He’s a Christian too!” Amber proclaimed eagerly. Unfortunately for her, it was something of a failure of communication, but Arabalika didn’t correct her. 

The storm raged closer, and Amber swallowed, unconsciously stepping closer to Arlan and reaching for his hand. She wished desperately that Lauren was there, or better yet, Grandmaster Cookie and the entire Knights of Favonius. But Arlan took her hand and squeezed, both of them holding farm implements in their off hands as they faced the onrushing storm. 

When it was half a kilometer away, Amber saw shapes moving within the stormfront. Soon, they stepped forth, and she very nearly felt her knees give way, having to lean on her spade and Arlan for support: It was an entire division of Fatui. More than 10,000 men and women of infantry, all bearing delusions and elemental guns, hammers, swords, and staffs. They were not ordinary Fatui, their arms and armor more ornate and fine than the rank and file.

These were the Queen’s Players. The Royal Guard. 

And there, at their center, stood a giant of a man with madness in his eyes, and perfect features. Beside him stood a slender girl, no, a woman. She had a silver tiara upon her brow, pale green hair, and wore a shimmering gown of pale blue. In her hands, was a scepter, tipped with a glowing blue chesspiece. A carpet of icy thorns trailed in her wake, and her inhumanly beautiful features were fixed in an expression of serene indifference. 

But Amber still recognized her. 

“KOLLEI!” Amber screamed, and her spade fell from her hands as she broke into a sprint, vision obscured by tears, knapsack trailing behind her. 

“AMBER!” Arlan roared behind her, and she heard the pounding of his boots as he raced after her, but he was a spider. She was the rabbit. And nothing would catch her now that she ran.  

Amber heard shouted commands, but she ignored them, running forward as fast as she could. She was a mere 10 meters from Kollei, when a dark form sprang out of the shadow of the Prince, and launched itself at Amber. 

Amber didn’t even flinch, trying to dive under the attacker, but before she could, a giant web of burning silk enveloped the predator, who yowled in pain and rage. 

“FIRE!” an officer roared, and Amber skidded to a stop, whirling as she saw the fiery spider that had to be Arlan be pelted with elemental rounds that exploded in half a dozen different reactions. The spider curled up, blackening and going to ash, but dozens of burning little spiders crawled out of the corpse. 

“Extinguish them all, or the bitch will come back!” a Fatui captain shouted in Russian. 

“He’s a man you Arschloch!” Amber screamed, then spread her arms wide. “Please! Don’t shoot! He, he was just trying to protect me!” 

“Take her!” the Prince bellowed, and a dozen Fatui with giant thunder hammers stepped forward.

Amber thought she was dead along with Arlan, but then, a quiet, calm voice said, Halt. 

The Fatui instantly froze, and Amber held her breath. Kollei calmly stepped forward, the Prince bowing to her and moving out of the way. 

Amber’s arms drooped, and she took half a step forward. “K-Kollei?” 

Kollei closed the distance until she was less than a meter away. She looked Amber up and down imperiously, her expression still neutral. “So. The escaped prisoner is recaptured.”

“That’s all you have to say to me?!” Amber gasped, horrified. “I, I never meant to escape! I’m sorry! Kollei, please!” 

“You may call me the Princess,” Kollei said, her words ice. 

Amber sagged, feeling helpless. “Y-yes, Princess. But! Kollei, please, I’m surrendering! Leave Arlan and his children alone!” 

“Arlan. You mean this…creature?” Kollei snapped her fingers, and Amber whirled to see the spiders compressed into a single blaze, which reformed into a naked Arlan, who looked as though he were being crucified on brambles. Amber blushed, feeling ashamed and horrified to see her friend stripped so, and especially as some of the Fatui chuckled.

Hastily, Amber took off her vest and threw it over Arlan, though it didn’t do much to preserve his modesty.

“There is no need,” Kollei said, and flicked a finger. More brambles covered Arlan, who gasped in pain, only for them to vanish a moment later, leaving Arlan dressed in a loose shirt and pants. 

“Amber has done nothing to you,” Arlan rasped. “Leave her, and my children. If you do, I will serve you. I’m more powerful than Amber, the most powerful cape in Kazakhstan.”

“Arlan, no!” Amber wailed, and tried to step forward, but brambles barred her path, and she stepped back. 

The fatui laughed at Arlan’s words, and the Prince smirked. “Most powerful cape in Kazkhstan? I have a dozen men and women stronger than you in this unit alone, woman.”

Arlan snarled and began to writhe against the brambles, but Kollei’s face moved for the first time into a slight frown. 

“Ivan. Manners. He calls himself Arlan.”

“But…she is a woman. Did you not see?” the Prince said stupidly, sounding confused. 

“Cheri. Slap Ivan,” Kollei ordered calmly. 

The cat girl, whom Amber hadn’t seen being freed, walked over and slapped the Prince, who recoiled, but did not respond, though his cheeks were marked by bloody claw tracks for a few moments before his wounds faded away. 

Kollei stepped forward, looking up at Arlan. “My Mother knows you, Knave.”

“I am no Knave. Just a Father to his children,” Arlan said gruffly. He hesitated, then added, “Thank you. For…recognizing what I am.”

“You are trapped in your current form, aren’t you?” Kollei asked. “Serve me, and I will have Pater grant you a new body. A male one.”

Arlan bristled at that. “And what’s wrong with my current body? I said I would serve you, but I will not be your toy. Leave Amber here, to take care of my children.”

“The children will be given to the House of the Hearth, that they might be cared for, and learn to love the Tsaritsa,” Kollei said. “Hostages against your good behavior.”

“LEAVE MY CHILDREN ALONE!” Arlan raged, and tried to turn back into a spider, flames shooting up his arms and burning his clothes. But it was to no avail: the brambles had locked him in place, and he could not shift. 

“Kollei! Please, don’t hurt him!” Amber begged, and reached out to touch Kollei. A claw struck her face, and she was thrown to the ground. 

“Do not touch the Lady,” Cheri hissed, fangs bared at Kollei. 

“Cheri. Be gentle with the prisoner,” Kollei sniffed. She raised a finger. “Take the children. Put them with the rest.”

Two squads of Fatui stormed forward, only for blasts of green energy to flash out. Their elemental weapons were turned to rust and dust, and bright green vines wrapped about their feet. 

“Murkhah-nara will not touch small nara,” Arabalika’s voice said firmly, and Amber saw the little fairy hadn’t moved from where he’d first stood. Hadn’t he said she could stop Kollei, could keep them all safe? How could she do that! She tried to struggle to her feet, but Cheri put her foot on Amber’s back and pressed hard, knocking Amber back down. 

“An aranara. As we thought,” Kollei murmured. She raised her gnosis. “Do you challenge me, little fairy? You will find that my mastery of dendro far exceeds your own.”

“Arabalika is here to sing words to Karuna-Nara. He has svarjalam of his own.”

And to Amber’s utter astonishment, Arabalika pulled out a glowing green chess piece.

“The Dendro Gnosis!?” Kollei gasped. “SEIZE IT! SEIZE IT AT ONCE!” 

Now hundreds of Fatui rushed forward, roaring battle cries and making the earth shudder at their steps. Amber tried desperately to rise, to do anything, but Cheri put sharp claws to her throat, and all she could do was sob. 

This might hurt a little. 

The vines that appeared this time crawled out of a dream, and gently wrapped themselves about each of the Fatui, cradling them in a verdant embrace, but rendering them completely helpless. Out of a green portal, stepped Nahida Saeed, to stand beside Arabalika, who gave his mistress her gnosis. 

“Hello, Kollei,” Nahida said with a sad smile. “I see you’ve learned to use Dendro again. Tell me: Does what you do grant life? Does it give you the wisdom you long for?”

 Kollei trembled slightly, but a deep breath calmed her. She raised her Gnosis. “My Prince. Seize that gnosis.”

“At once, my Lady!” the Prince declared, drawing his sword and swaggering forward. He’d crossed less than a dozen meters when a black shadow fell over him. Everyone looked up, and Amber at first thought it was a cloud from the storm just behind them. 

Then a five-meter-tall angel slammed into the Prince so hard that earth flew in in a spray and a ten-meter-wide crater formed. The Prince, of course, was not killed by this, writing in the angel's black talons.

“Villain! Unhand me! I will end you!” the Prince raged.

Surprise! It’s me again! The Simurgh, wait, no, Ziz, said in Amber’s mind, sounding downright gleeful. And I want a rematch, numbnuts.  And this time, I brought my REAL body. 

“There is no need for violence,” Nahida said, her voice pleading. 

Sure, the Ziz agreed, glancing over her shoulder at the being who was supposed to be her greatest nemesis, and that she’d very obviously just saved. As long as these jerks agree to go home. 

I WILL DESTROY YOU BOTH AND CLAIM THE GNOSIS! The Prince raged, suddenly turning into a shimmering vortex of chaos that seemed to attempt to engulf the Simurgh. 

OH, I WAS HOPING YOU’D SAY THAT! I AM GOING TO FUCKING END YOU, JACKASS!  Ziz screamed, as she and the Prince lifted up into the air, a howling gale blowing them out over the dry seabed. 

“Cheri, let Amber up. Go, take the troops. Hold the children hostage if you must,” Kollei ordered. She turned to Nahida, who still stood by Arabalika quietly. “You made an error, Buer. Your dragons might have held me off. But I can take you in a fight.”

“That is true,” Nahida agreed, shocking Amber to her core as she struggled to her hands and knees, Cheri prowling towards the shut-up house and ranks of Fatui struggling forward. “You can defeat me in battle. But at what cost?”

“Whatever is necessary,” Kollei snarled, and raised her own gnosis. 

“K-Kollei,” Amber gasped, her hand reaching for the hem of Kollei’s dress. “P-Please. This…this isn’t you! You said you wanted to save children! Using them as hostages!? That’s not YOU, Kollei!” 

Kollei looked down at Amber, real fury on her face. “Shut up!  You ABANDONED me, Amber! You left me alone! Like everyone else! Everyone but my mother! Well, now see what I have become! What YOU MADE ME!” 

Amber felt sick, seeing tears and snot trickling down Kollei’s perfect face. The face of an angry demon. Not her friend. She reached into her knapsack, and pulled out an SD card. “Just…just watch one, please, Kollei, it-”

Kollei slapped the card out of Amber’s hand. It went flying through the air, then slipped into a green construct that had formed in midair. Nahida had conjured up a television and card reader, which Kollei turned to, forming a fist of ice to smash the illusion to pieces. 

Hey, Best Buddy! It’s, um, well, I think it’s like…day 24 of us being separated! They let me out of solitary! Hooray! Um, th-they also caught me…three times…so…I’m sort of under house arrest now. But it’s OK! I’m cooking up a scheme to split from this joint and see you again real soon!

Kollei froze, her eyes going wide, as she watched the amber of half a year ago grin and wave at the camera.

Well, I don’t have much else to say, so…see you soon! I’ll send you this card, just in case I don’t make it out. Write back, or better yet, send me a vlog of your own! Outrider Amber, out! 

Another SD card floated out of Amber’s backpack, and replaced the original.

Um, h-hey, B-Best Buddy, Amber’s tremulous voice said. She had dark circles under her eyes, and was slumped in a seat. She had red marks on her cheeks and had obviously been crying. W-well, um, escape attempt number six was…was a bust. They caught me. Didn’t even make it over the wall this time. They didn’t hurt me, just…they took it all. I…I have to start over. I’m sorry. I…I know I promised I’d see you soon, but… Amber obviously composed herself, hiccuping. D-Day 87…is…is gonna be here. B-but it’s OK! I…I haven’t given up yet. K-Kollei…please forgive me…I…I’m still trying. I’ll find a way…I promise…

More scenes played out. Time after time. Kollei slowly lowered her arm, transfixed by the videos. Amber got shakily to her feet, going over to stand by Kollei.

“I’m sorry it took so long. I tried, every day, to come back to you,” Amber whispered. “I…I would never have left you willingly. I know you’ve been alone, but…but we’re still friends…right, Best Buddy?”

Kollei let out a strangled sob, and flung herself into Amber’s arms, wracked by grief and guilt as she blubbered. The Fatui shifted, and Cheri glared at Amber, but none of them moved to do anything.

“Shh. It’s OK. Your Best Buddy is here,” Amber said softly, hugging Kollei tightly. 

“A-after all I d-did, to you. T-to everyone. T-to Finland. T-to Kazakhstan. You…you still love me?” Kollei whispered, still clinging to Amber. 

“I said Friends Forever, right? I never break a promise,” Amber said, and meant every word of it. 

Shivering, Kollei stepped back, dashing tears from her eyes. “Stand down,” Kollei rasped. “All of you. Stand…Stand down. I…I will no longer…”

Kollei tossed down the scepter with the gnosis so hard, the chess piece broke off from its golden mounting. “I will not be…be a monster anymore! This isn’t love! Kidnapping children!? Torturing people!? Crushing nations under our heels! That’s not Love! That’s…that’s tyranny! YOU CANNOT HAVE LOVE…WITHOUT COMPASSION. AND I AM…I AM COMPASSION!

A burst of silver light so bright burst from Kollei, causing Amber to cry out in pain and shield her eyes. A sense of awe overwhelmed her, and she knew she was standing on Holy Ground. Desperately, she flung herself on her face, bowing before the divine being that stood before her. 

OH, AMBER. PLEASE. NOT YOU. NEVER BOW TO ME. WE ARE FRIENDS, ARE WE NOT? 

Hesitantly, Amber looked up…and saw the face of God. Kollei was smiling at her, and extending a hand. She looked…genterly. Her hair was a mixture of icy blue and mint green, but the freckles were back on her cheeks. She looked…so kind. So inviting. So…Compassionate. 

“What…what happened?” Amber gasped as Kollei gently pulled her up to her feet. She looked down at her hands, which had been cut and bleeding from her scuffle with Cheri. But they were whole and mended. 

I…I DON’T KNOW. I THINK…I THINK I ASCENDED, Kollei said, her voice echoing in Amber’s very soul. 

“You have become the God of Compassion,” Nahida said, appearing next to Kollei in a single step. She extended a hand. “Welcome, little sister. May you show the world the kindness that Amber has shown you.”

I…THANK YOU, LORD BUER, Kollei said, gently shaking Nahida’s hand. UM, HOW…HOW DO I TURN THIS OFF? YOU KNOW, THE…WELL, THE GODLINESS?

“Here, let me show you,” Nahida said, and gently squeezed Kollei’s hand. A moment later, Kollei reverted to…well, Kollei. Not the imperious and icy Princess, but the freckled girl with short green hair that Amber had met in Ukraine all those months ago.

“Kollei?” Amber asked, uncertain.

“It’s me,” Kollei laughed, and hugged Amber tightly. “It’s really me!”

The two girls laughed until they cried, until Amber suddenly started. “Arlan!” 

She whirled, only to find her friend looking somewhat abashed. He was dressed in his old clothes again, somehow, his wounds gone. “I am well, Amber. I think…I think you saved us.”

“She saved me, that’s for certain,” Kollei said with a chuckle. Then she frowned. “But this isn’t over.”

“What do you mean? You can end the war, right?!” Amber begged. “The Fatui serve you!”

“No. They serve my mother, Amber,” Kollei said, and turned to face the storm. 

Out of the ice and snow, a shadowy shape appeared. A moment later, a regal woman with an icy crown upon her head and a mask of cold fury on her face stepped forward.

“Tsaritsa!” the fatui gasped, and instantly fell on their knees, even as they had barely risen. “HAIL, TSARITSA!” 

“Daughter,” the Tsaritsa snarled. “What have you done?”

“Become who I am, mother,” Kollei said firmly. 

Bronya’s eyes narrowed, and she turned to Buer. “I will not forgive this insult.”

“None was meant. I merely came to see that my own children were not harmed,” Nahida said, nodding to Arlan, then pointing to the still standing house. “Surely, as a mother, you can understand this.”

“They should have been MINE!” The Tsaritsa raged, and whirled on Arlan. “Peruere! Don’t you know me?! We, we shared so many tea parties, so many hours together! You were my Knave! My Father! You must know me!”

“I have never met you, woman,” Arlan spat. He stepped towards Nahida. “And I know which god I serve. It isn’t you. The Hopebringer succored my children, and never threatened them. You would have seen them all suffer for your so-called Love.”

Rage so palpable Amber cried out and flinched back filled the air. She stumbled away from the Tsaritsa, and into Arlan’s chest, so that he held her firmly. 

FOR THIS TREACHERY YOU WILL-

“STOP!” a new voice cried, and Amber gasped in shock as Eidolon slammed into the ground beside the Tsaritsa. 

“MY LADY!” a Fatui captain cried, but the Tsaritsa flicked her fingers at him and glared at Eidolon. 

“My Hero, now is not the time to-”

Eidolon ripped off his mask, dropping it to the ground and grabbing the Tsaritsa’s shoulders. “The Abyss! How dangerous is the Abyss?!”

“I, what?” the Tsarista said, blinking. “My Hero, you speak of something so foul, so vile, that I forbid you to speak of it again.”

“It is Forbidden Knowledge. Even to say its name brings evil,” Nahida agreed. 

Eidolon whirled on Nahida, his eyes frantic. “And what if I told you that, right now, it was running rampant on Kunashir isalnd and four other places?!”

The Tsaritsa gasped in horror, and her gnosis flew into her hands. She clutched at Eidolon’s arm. “What?! Impossible, this world is free of that taint, how-” 

She spun, and then shrieked in pain in horror. “NO! M-my children! My people! I can feel it now!” 

“I’m sorry. I told them not to. I tried to stop it, but I couldn’t,” Eidolon said with a shake of his head. “But it’s out of control. We have to stop it, NOW!”

“I, yes. Buer! We are at peace. My men withdraw to our lines before the start of this war, and will pay whatever reparations you demand!” the Tsaritsa babbled, turning to Nahida, desperate. “Please, only-”

“All is forgiven,” Nahida said breathlessly, coming to stand beside the Tsarista. “Ziz! I need you!” 

“My Prince, cease at once! That creature is not our true enemy!” the Tsaritsa called. 

A moment later, a rather bruised Ziz flew back over in her humanoid form, dragging an insensate Prince by a limp arm. “Ha! Five more minutes, and I would have killed this sucker! I still can, if you don’t-”

“The war is over. We are allies with the Fatui now,” Buer said, her voice frantic. “I’m talking to Tessa and my mother now. The Protectorate isn’t listening, and refuses to disengage. We’ll have to fight them off. But my mother is weak, she won’t be able to save all those threatened…”

“It is enough that we put those souls to rest and prevent the Abyss from claiming them. Each moment is a waste,” the Tsaritsa panted, and Amber could feel the fear in her voice. 

“They’re in Volograd, the Kuril Islands, the Crimea, Helsinki, and New Moscow,” Eidolon said, waving a hand to project a map that marked purple Xs at five points in Russia.

“So many,” Nahida hissed, her eyes wide with horror. “Dantilion, we cannot stop this alone.

“Call Beezelbul, call Barbatos, call even Focalors, if you can! Tell them, I will give whatever I can, if only they aid my people!” the Tsaritsa pleaded. “I am weak, barely roused from slumber. I…I cannot..” she sobbed, and Kollei hastened to help her mother stand. 

“I have alerted Beezelbul. She will cleanse the Kuril Islands,” Nahida said gently. “Barbatos wakes himself from slumber. He will see to Crimea.”

“I must go to Finland, to Helsinki. They…they are my people,” Kollei said breathlessly. 

“Go, through the Dream. It is the fastest,” Nahida said. “I will take care of Volograd. That leaves New Moscow to you, Dantilion.”

“I…I cannot,” the Tsaristsa whispered. 

Nahida cocked her head to one side, then nodded. “Focalors will attend to it then. You must aid her, however. She is not well-versed in combat.”

“Of course! At once!” The Tsarista stepped back into her storm and vanished. Kollei kissed Amber, and squeezed her hand. “I have to go.”

“Not without me”! Amber said firmly. “I might not be good at fighting, but I am good at getting people out of tight spaces!” 

“This will be unlike any horror you’ve witnessed. I don’t even know what I’m going to be facing, but I have to save as many as I can,” Kollei said grimly.

“I will come. So long as you promise my children will be cared for,” Arlan said, stepping forward. “This threat, it would harm my children?”

“It would consume this entire world, and every soul within it, damning all for eternity,” Nahida said with a shudder.

“Then I will come,” Arlan said, picking up his scythe from the dirt. 

“The children will be safe. Arabalika will see to it,” Nahida vowed. “Ziz! Take me to Volograd at once!” 

“Uh, on it,” Ziz agreed, picking up Nahida and shifting back to her angelic form, her many wings beating furiously as they sped away.

Amber felt her heart racing, and tried to stay calm. What had every single Archon in such a panic? She’d never seen Barbados scared. Not even during the Concert of Munich. But now, Buer and the Tsaritsa were panicking. Was Lord Barbados? 

A hand slipped into hers, and Arlan nodded to her. “Together, little rabbit.”

Amber forced a smile on her face and nodded. “Together!”

Then, they stepped into the dream with Kollei.

Next, they arrived in hell itself.