The God's Game

Rescue

"I have an idea."

River pointed at the fluttering decorative tapestries hanging from the ceiling. The dark blue fabrics, painted in gold, depicted various figures from the Legend of Vorine. Even in the shadows of the chamber, River could see the drawings of the four great warriors, the divine emissary, and the Final Hourglass.

"Can you set those on fire?" He asked Wolfram.

Wolfram gulped thickly and nodded solemnly. "God will be after my head next."

Defacing a Vorine Shrine was an offense punishable by death. River tried not to think of the consequences Wolfram and Einar would have to face for disrupting a ritual of sacrifice.

"If I were in your position, I'd gladly take the option of war over displeasing God."

River scrutinized the man's face for a hint of dishonesty, but there was none. He was as scared as he was. But why would he disobey the gods? To save his pathetic life?

Now was not the time for that discussion.

Wolfram's palms were illuminated in a soft light, a telltale sign of his putting divine essence to use. River gazed at the tapestries expectantly, but nothing happened. There was no sign of smoke or flames emerging.

Wolfram clicked his tongue, annoyed.

"Apologies, this is not my forte."

"Take your sweet time."

Wolfram's brow twitched at the heavy sarcasm. However, he kept his focus on the task at hand. Within seconds, the edge of the fabric successfully burst into flames.

Fire quickly licked up the tapestry next to the first one. The decorative fabric was thin, decades old, and flammable. In a blink of an eye, every single drapery around the shrine was burning, filling the chamber with thick clouds of black smoke.

The retriever unleashed an earsplitting screech, prompting River to cover his ears. The bellicose monstrosity thrashed around, obviously bothered by the heat and the billowing smoke.

"Let's go," River stammered.

Wolfram grasped River by his bicep and dragged him out of their hiding place behind the pillar. They dashed out of the entrance, not sparing a glance over to see if the monster was pursuing them.

Once they had made it safely outside, River stared up at the imposing building. Columns of fumes bellowed from its windows and dissipated in the sea wind. The agonized thundering of the beast continued from inside. There was no sign of the High Priestress.

River drank in large gulps of fresh,salty air as he sprinted. It somewhat cleared his muddled mind. Wolfram nudged him in the direction of the stone steps on the side of the hill, urging him to run down. Time was of the essence. The smoke wasn't going to distract it—a heavenly beast for that long.

But where could he hide? Where could he run to?

"River! Watch out! !" Wolfram cried out, alarmed .

River didn't see what hit him.

A monstrous force slammed into his chest, violently propelling him backwards on impact. Air was forcibly expelled from his lungs, leaving him knocked out of breath as he tumbled across the ground.

The sheer power of the blow left him completely disoriented. He was hearing white noise, seeing bright spots in his blurry vision, and then the pain registered.

Struggling to regain his bearings, River looked down and felt faint.

Blood soaked his front—his blood.