Chapter 70 – The Dead Legion

“Seer-Central, Seer-Central. This is Pelican. Cargo has been dropped. I repeat. Cargo has been dropped.”

Fer fell through the air with Neneria behind her. It wasn’t a long fall, and there wasn’t a beast out there that did not enjoy jumping snow. Fer held out arms wide, legs spread, and screamed and she fell through the air. The plane pulled up, its jet blasted up a cloud of snow around them and Fer disappeared under surface of the white ocean that covered Artica.

The Goddess of Beasthood clambered out of her hole as she watched her sister float down. Ghosts of fairies held the edges of her thick coat, they made beds for her wintry boots and floated beat the fog of snow away from her. Neneria always liked to make entrances like that. Fer shook the snow off her own coat and patted it down. If Arascus had not ordered her to, she would have just worn beastskin again. Now though, with her breath misting as soon as it left her nose, she was glad she had listened to him. The coat and heavy boots was all he had managed to force on her, gloves weren’t needed, scarves were for puny humans, hats likewise. Her mane of golden her served as a replacement for the latter two anyway.

Neneria of course to everything he had. Thick woollen gloves, an either thicker scarf, her coat was buttoned down, the only thing she had not taken was the hat and goggles. The fairies dropped her down, disappeared and she took a light step on the snow. “You were right it would be faster.” Fer started to button up her own coat. The eastern tundra was cold, but it was not Artica. Things at least lived in the tundra, here, birds even migrating birds would avoid. “Don’t tell me you’re cold.” Neneria cooed as she looked around.

“I’m not.” Fer buttoned her coat up to her neck and put her hands into the large pockets. Maybe the gloves had been a good idea.

“I’m sure.” Neneria replied as she started to survey the snowy dunes around them. Gentle rolling hills that slowly crawled to giant heights, recurved every year as the winter storms came in. “Should I find them or you?” Fer lifted her and smelled the air. It was fresh here, lifeless, she could pick out specific spells in forests and jungles, here? The smell of burning fuel two miles west of them was a lighthouse calling out in all directions.

“That way.” Fer pointed straight at the planes that had just been shot down. “Over that hill, not far.”

“You are fast.” Neneria said as Pegaz appeared underneath her. The ghostly horse, wings followed, clambered out of the snow and started to trot in the air. Fer guided her sister, making sure to weight every two dozen stops for the lazy animal to keep up.

“You are slow.”

“We’re not in a hurry, are we?”

“LEAVE ALLASARIA! LEAVE! NOW! GO! RUN!” Leona screamed on the ground as she curled into a ball, clutching at her head. “LEAVE ALLA! PLEASE!”

“I am not leaving you here.” Allasaria replied coldly. The seven surviving Gods from her plane where being joined by nineteen from the other planes. There was something in her that made her furious at that. A Divine killed in a plane crash? What sort of ignoble death was that? Each would glance at Lady Luck on the ground, then at Allasaria and pretend they saw nothing. Leona vomited, wiped her mouth, and got up on shaky feet. She took a step forwards and would have collapsed if Allasaria did not serve as a pillar for her to lean on.

“Allasaria.” She said quietly, eyes closed, blonde hair out place, cheeks flushed and breathing heavy. “I have seen every way this works out just now.”

“Have you?” Allasaria asked.

“I will be dead in twenty minutes. If you stay here, you will die with me.”

“That’s not going to happen.”

“But it is. It is.” Leona collapsed on Allasaria. Of Light turned to the small crowd. Morale had not dived off the cliff yet, but it was being held on by nothing but a blade of grass. They needed something to do to take their mind off the situation at hand.

“Secure the area!” Allasaria shouted. “Call Artica for pickup! Call Olympiada for reinforcements! We will NOT die here. I will NOT allow it!” They got to work.

“Can you see them?” Fer asked as her and Neneria lay just before the massive snow-dune’s summit. They were two black snakes that had crawled their way for the while fifty feet.

“Brilliantly.” Neneria whispered back angrily as she squinted her eyes.

“Really?!” Fer exclaimed.

“Of course I can’t! Who do you think I am?” Neneria shouted back. Fer rolled her golden eyes and tutted. “Don’t tut at me! Who’s who?”

“You really can’t see?” Fer asked again.

“All I see is people moving about!” Fer pointed forwards at the moving Divines. They had conglomerated around one still-flaming plane carcass, fifteen secured an outer ring, seven more made up a second line. In the centre stood Allasaria in a pristine dress of white and gold. She was obviously very angry today. Leona lay next to her, wrapped in a large coat as Of Light furiously trotted about, leaving trails in the snow. Fer explained about as much. “Was that so hard to explain?” Neneria replied when she finished.

“I thought you were a Divine sister, you don’t like it when I undershoot your abilities.” Fer tried to accommodate of Death’s mood.

“Don’t speak to me like I’m a child Fer.”

“I would never.” Fer buried her face in the snow to hide her smile.

“So let’s get to work then?” Neneria said.

“Let’s get to work.”

Allasaria stopped mid-strike as she turned her head. She felt her hands drop, saw several of the Gods take a step back and finally understood what Leona meant. Two figures in black coats blemished the white snow and the clear blue sky above them and behind them, ghastly green, was a banner.

A banner that did not move in the wind, with a headless horseman proudly raising a sword over his torso. A banner Allasaria knew all too well.

The Banner of Neneria’s Dead Legion.

Fer turned as the Ghost of Atis stepped forwards. His chest was pincushioned with bullet holes, just as had happened when he died. Bow in his hands, arrow already notched. Behind them, Neneria’s Legion assembled. Her dead chevaliers, as they served a thousand years prior, so they served now.

One by one they flooded down the hill, each man appearing in the space of a blink. Neneria took a heavy breath as she grabbed Fer’s shoulder, tried to at least. Fer caught her sister by the arm before she fell. Of Beasthood did not comment, there was no need to say anything, this power she could not match if she lived for another ten millennia more. The legion grew from a hundred to a thousand, to ten thousand, it doubled and doubled again as Neneria called upon her favoured soldiers.

Each man in ancient plate and on a ghastly horse. They carried the wounds that had felled them, some without heads, some without heads, others pierced, a few diseases and ailing. A battalion of knights in black armour stood closest, all with a wound almost identical. A stab through the chest, they had offered their own lives to serve as Neneria’s guards during the Great War. Neneria pushed off Fer when the hill was flooded entirely. Giant and elf, dwarf and man. From peasants to lords, knights to serfs, naked or armoured, with or without weaponry, Death claimed all; and when Death called for service, service was given.

“Legion!” Neneria called out. “Kill Leona!” And the Legion moved.

“Do you see that?” One of the inventions asked Allasaria. The Goddess of Light did not respond, of course she see it. A mass of sickly pale green cresting the summit. Cavalry and giant and man and elf, every warrior that had ever been unlucky enough to not pass on through to the next world before Neneria caught them.

Fer watched the Legion pour over the summit. They passed by her and Neneria without a word as ancient cavalry started a charge. Half-way down, they lowered their lances as they rode in utter silence. Beams of light burst from Allasaria, hundreds of ghosts disappeared and passed on into the next world. Steam rose from where her light touched snow and the snow melted as hot water tumbled into the depths of Artica below them.

Allasaria stayed close to Leona as she slew a hundred with a swing of her arms. Then another hundred, again and again. The Gods circled close around her as they tried to work their own magics. Metal from the plane disfigured and screamed as it was launched forwards, burning fuel was catapulted into the air, cracks formed around the ground. Any living army would have long turned and fled as self-preservation kicked in. But these men were not living beings, they existed as nothing but puppets on Neneria’s strings.

Slowly, the Legion enveloped the crash-site. Allasaria was a lion; pour an ocean of ants onto a lion and they would leave nothing but bones. Atis’ ghost silently drew his bow next to Neneria, he took aim and fired. One of the living Gods fell, an arrow golden even among its etherealness stuck out of his. Allasaria stopped. She turned to Leona.

In the silent battle, Fer heard it all. She heard Leona scream. She heard Allasaria haul her up, she heard the push as Leona forced herself out of Allasaria’s arms, she heard Lady Luck’s final words. “If you escape now, you will survive. If you stay or take me, you will die.” Fer heard Allasaria’s tears, she smelled her sadness. “Go Allasaria, go. I have two minutes left. GO!” Atis readied another arrow. “GO! ATIS WILL SHOOT YOU DOWN IF YOU’RE WITH ME!”

“I cannot…”

“They are after me! Not you!”

“Leona…” Fer saw Leona pushed Allasaria away.

“THEY ARE AFTER ME!” Fer’s ears quivered and she grabbed Neneria again.

“Tell your forces to kill them all. Not just Leona.”

“What’s the difference?” Neneria asked. Always so argumentative. Fer doused the spike of rage and tightened her fists.

“NOW! ALLASARIA! NOW! GO! GO!” Allasaria rose into the air as Atis drew his bow. “YOU’RE RUNNING OUT OF TIME! LISTEN TO ME AND GO! DO NOT DIE HERE! IT WILL BE FOR-“

“TELL THEM TO KILL ALLASARIA TOO!” Fer grabbed Neneria. “YOU SAID IT WRONG! KILL ALLASARIA! NOW! SHE WILL ESCAPE!” Neneria let out a heavy breath and shook her head. She rolled those dark eyes of eyes for what felt like eternity.

“And after Leona, kill Allasaria.” She had to force the words out. Fer glared at her.

“NO!” Of Beasthood shouted. Atis loosed arrow. Fer turned, watched it fly. The mile flight took less than a second, it was too slow. Allasaria rose into the air like a hummingbird. Leona coughed, bent over, and the arrow flew over her head. Fer saw Allasaria turn pale as her golden eyes widened at Atis’ arrow burying itself into the hull of the airplane behind and then disappear. “ALLASARIA FIRST NENERIA! ALLASARIA FIRST! SHE’S MORE DANGEROUS! FIRST!”

“Kill Allasaria first then.” Neneria said, she stretched the words out. Fer saw the Leona looking straight at them. Of Luck stood up straight, spittle hanging from her mouth, she smiled and locked eyes with Fer. Leona slowly shook her head and Allasaria howled from above as she turned to make her escape. A shield appeared around her as Atis drew his bow, then he let his aim fall.

“Too far.” He said slowly.

“Just Leona then.” Neneria replied, then blinked. “Why? It’s like…” She looked down at herself and then and moved her fingers before looking at Fer “Did you just get tired?” Fer angrily roared at Leona as ghosts swallowed Lady Luck.

And so, Lady Luck’s luck finally ran out.

End of Arc 2 – Lady Luck’s Final Draw