Perceval might have been her loyal dog, but he was too intertwined with the kingdom. He would put up a fight before giving any information. She glared at the soldiers' shadows being cast in front of the tent. 

It was smart of Veles to use her as a bargaining chip. It was smart he convinced the kingdom to get rid of her. It was smart that he had been anticipating the kingdom's thought.  

She clenched her jaw. 

Who am I kidding? Isadora thought. It's fucking brilliant.

The only other way Veles could have predicted any of this would have had to be a spy. But Perceval would have figured out there was a spy and only a select few knights would know the plan. 

Isadora thought back to when she saw the table with the figurines. The elven army had surrounded the kingdom's army. 

Perceval. 

He was the only one who knew how the kingdom army moved. Veles could only predict. Perceval could know down to the person in each position. This would mean betraying the people he had trained with since childhood.

She let out a sigh. "What am I going to do?" 

"You've always tended to overthink things my little deer." 

Isadora blinked and she was no longer in the tent. She was nowhere and everywhere. Brilliant balls of light surrounded her, cutting through the darkness in the plane. 

"Astraos." She bowed. "Thank you for looking out for me." 

Standing before her was the god of the wandering stars. He had often appeared to her in this empty place when she was younger. Isadora would be bored learning her duties from her grandmother, so he would appear and take her to this place to teach her himself. 

Her grandmother was always quiet on the matter. When Isadora asked if her patron goddess had done anything similar, her grandmother would ignore it.  

"So formal my little deer." Bright silver tattoos covered his dark arms. The tattoos were intricate weaving around his arms like vines. On his palms were two halves of the moon. 

His golden eyes glowed in the darkness like stars in the night sky. "You must prove that you can be an asset to their ranks." He pulled the hood of his dark blue cloak to reveal his brown hair, each long strand braided down his back. 

'And if I don't? Wait until they kill me?" 

 He shook his head. "Present their goddess with a gift from me. She will you give you a choice to make, make the right choice." 

"A gift?" 

Astraos nodded. "When you leave for the west camp, a stag will be following you. You will be the only one to see it." 

He waved behind him. A brilliantly colored, large, white stag came forward shaking his head. Huge pale antlers protruded from its head so when it bowed to Isadora, she had to take a step back to avoid being impaled. 

"The goddess will be waiting at the west camp to greet Veles. This will be the first time she has left her forest. You must present the stag to her when the moon is full." 

"Why?"

"The goddess loves gifts. She will know the stag is from me and in turn protect you in her court from the others." 

Astraos took a step closer toward her. "I may not be able to come to your aid when you are in danger. The gods in this land are not like me, they are wild, untamed like the nature they rule. You must tread carefully little deer."

Isadora took in a breath, opening her eyes to be staring up at the green fabric of the tent. 

The shadows in front of her tent parted as a soldier made his way in. 

"It's time to go." 

She said nothing as she stood following him outside. 

Horses were gathered together, the few soldiers left were packing their equipment. Out of the corner of her eye she could see the stag at a distance watching behind some trees. 

"What are you looking at?" Apollo asked putting cuffs around her wrist. 

"Nothing." She grumbled looking down at her chained wrists. "I thought I said no chains." 

"And I thought I said prisoners don't make requests." Veles walked toward them. "You'll be riding with Apollo. If we leave now, we'll make it by midday. 

Apollo nodded. "Yes, general." 

Isadora looked away from him. 

"Come on." 

She followed Apollo to his horse at the front of the line. "Why did Perceval speak with you?"

Apollo helped her onto the horse. "He was weak. We needed information to use on you. When we threatened your life, he told us some of what we wanted." 

"Smart." She watched the stag slowly emerge from the forest and begin to follow the group. "Was that Veles' idea?" 

"No." Apollo said. 

Isadora ran her hand through the horse's mane. "Was it your idea then?"

He was silent. 

Isadora watched as the sky began to turn light, a mixture of oranges and reds breaking through the clouds. Astraos had helped her, but she was no longer a priestess. She could rationalize that maybe his other followers needed him more than she did, but it irked her. She had been deemed his favored priestess, was she not now? And what choice would she have to make? 

Veles was ahead of them. She hadn't noticed until the sun shining off his shield hit her in the eye. He had changed to armor. It wasn't the leather outfit he had worn yesterday, but a dull black leather with the emblem of a snake on the back, an image that matched the one on the shield. A silver snake coiled around itself, almost like it was eating its own tail. She realized he was the only one with such armor. 

His red hair was loose, two braids on either side to keep it out of his eyes. Those eyes. Such haunting, cold red eyes. She had been shocked by how ordinary and young he looked, not an old grizzly beast of a man she had imagined generals with years of training to be. 

He had seen things. Every person who has gone to war has seen one thing or another. Horrible, terrible things. It comes with the job. 

Isadora watched as he spoke to a soldier riding next to him. She had forgotten how ethereal elves looked, their magic pulsating off of them in waves. 

Since humans weren't born with magic, they would just look at her like she was normal. Many high priestesses were born with the ability to speak with the gods. When Isadora was old enough she had the ability to speak with the gods, but also the ability to see the magic potential pulsating off people. Her grandmother had weak waves and she could never see her own. 

Many humans had weak or nonexistent waves, this was the first time she had seen magic pulsating off of an elf. Yesterday was too hectic that she wasn't paying attention, but now that she was it was amazing. 

Veles' magic was insanely powerful, with strong pulses she could feel like tremors. It was a red aura that surrounded him as hot as fire. 

How would she get someone like him to trust her? Right now, Veles only saw her as a pawn to overcome to be one step closer to victory. 

But she was no pawn. She didn't want to be one. She'd have to prove she wasn't one. 

Right now, she had given him the information he wanted playing into his hands for survival. She was a prisoner. But she was also a priestess. 

He may be smart, but she'd play the game better. 

What is a king to a queen in a game of chess. 

Isadora had watched the stag keep its distance. The group had come to a narrow mountain pass. Just on the other side was the west camp where the earth goddess would be waiting. Unfortunately, a rockslide had occurred blocking the entrance. 

She sat on a rock as Veles spoke with the others. A circle meant to keep her out. 

"It'll cause the canyon to become unstable." She heard Veles say. Someone must have suggested breaking the rocks with magic. 

"Maybe I can help?" She called to the group. 

"You have an idea?" Veles turned toward her. 

She stood brushing off the dirt from her dress. "We go around, follow a water source." 

"There is no water source." Veles crossed his arms. 

"Maybe not on land." She said grabbing a twig from a bush. 

"So what? You're going to contact a water god?"

Isadora began to draw a symbol with what little movement she had thanks to the cuffs. With a flick of her wrist, she had finished drawing the symbol. An urn with water surrounding it within a circle. 

She knelt down, closed her eyes, and began to ask for assistance. 

"What a strange request little deer." The goddess Arunar's voice echoed. "To answer your question there is no way around the mountain." 

Isadora opened her eyes to see fog surrounding her. The goddess of seas and rivers stood before her, obscured by the fog. Her face was hidden behind a blue veil. A crown of shells held the thin fabric in place. Not one priestess knew what the goddess looked like, not even her followers knew. Always hidden behind the fog and veil. 

"What about underground?"  

Arunar chuckled, her voice cutting through the fog as smooth as a river. "Little deer, an underground cavern runs beneath you. My water will guide you as it always had." 

"May I ask another question?" 

"Of course." 

"Why did you not help when I was held against my will at the kingdom?" 

The goddess was silent for a moment. 

"The wheel of fate has already begun turning." The fog began to thicken. "Some things a god cannot stop. Fate is a fickle thing little deer, but we are always here." 

Isadora opened her eyes looking up into the sharp eyes of General Veles.  

"There's an underground cavern. We need to follow the water." 

"How do you suppose we do that?" 

The sound of thunder shook the mountain as drops of water began to fall. Droplets converged on the ground creating a small path. 

"Like that." She said with a smirk. "Follow the path Serpent." 

He looked taken aback but didn't complain as he led the way. This was good, she felt her chest swell with excitement. She was proving herself useful beyond getting Perceval to talk. 

By the time they made it to the cavern entrance, their clothes and equipment were drenched. 

The water spilled into a small river within the cavern. Vegetation growing on either side and vines hanging from the ceiling. 

"Good work." Veles said. 

Isadora watched Veles lead his horse to the water. A compliment was a good start. "Would this be good enough to get these cuffs off?" She asked as he pat his horse. 

The general looked at her. "If you escape I will kill you." 

"With skilled Myrkwood elves around me? I don't believe that could ever happen." She raised an eyebrow. 

Veles grunted reaching into the pouch hanging from his horse. He pulled out a ring of keys unlocking her cuffs. 

She rubbed her wrists. They were rubbed raw from how tight the cuffs were. "Thank you."

 

"Nothing is in this cavern right?" He asked. 

Isadora nodded. "We should be safe. Safer then in the mountain pass." 

The General sighed. "This is the first time in a long time I've ever put my trust in a god." He glared at her. "You better be good on your word." 

He led his horse away from her following the water. Apollo and the others passed her. She looked back and the stag entered the cavern drinking from the water. 

Isadora ran to catch up not wanting to be left alone in the darkness.