The Wicked & Divine

Chapter 18• The Witch/ Signs of Ethereal War

It was most comparable to the feeling of breaking through water. You know, when you're just running out of air, and your clawing and pushing up waiting for the surface to arrive, and just as the lungs let out their last exasperated sigh, you finally feel your wet fingertips hit by the cool air.

That's what it felt like waking up in a cave overlooking the Amazon. Freeing, and just in time.

"Thank Gaia you're alive, I was beginning to think you might've gotten lost in the void" Eros's sweet voice is like wind chimes above me, fresh and sweet. "H-huh?" I manage to ask, my eyes feel crusted shut as a dim light welcomes vision back to my senses.

"I told you he was too much of a pussy to handle it, we should've left him like this, now we've wasted time" and suddenly just like that, Greed had spoiled the temporary calmness. I shoot up from the ground, "YOU" I say, shooting him a death glare. He smiles and looks around arrogantly, batting his eyelashes, "Me" he says proudly.

I leap to stand, "I'll kill you! What the fuck happened!" I yell. He smiles, the corner of his lips turn up in a devilish manner, and for a slight moment, I saw Lucifer.

"Oh do look around dear, we're exactly where we're supposed to be" I hear Eros smile. I turn to find him standing rather comfortably against the cave wall, and I'm surprised. Typically he'd be the angry one in this scenario, but he looked like he was quite content with whatever had just occurred.

I turn from him and examine our location. We're in a cave, a rather spacious one. It almost looked like a small home from the way it was decorated, small couches and shelves, a wooden table and chairs that looked hand carved. In the far right corner, there was a small cot with a few knitted blankets. The side is completely blown out though, overlooking a thick, emerald jungle from a high point. If I had to guess, this cave was built into a mountain.

"Ah so he's finally awake, I'm glad he didn't lose his mind, now that would've been a problem" the sound of an older woman's voice echoes from behind. I turn to find a small old lady, salt and pepper hair, wrinkled caramel skin, and round brown eyes. Her back was in a hunch, and she walked with a large stick as a cane. Old as she might've been, her face was full of youth, of promise, and wisdom.

"I presume you are this morons friend? My name is-"

"I know who you are, though I'm surprised...you don't remember me at all?" She inquired, her tender brown hands had been stretched around a clay bowl. She mutters a word in a language I almost didn't detect. But I recognized it...instantly.

Kuural, the language of the Lajakni women.

They were created 17,000 years previous to the first War of the Ethereals, foretold by the Tree of Eye, or the Seeing Tree. Most people instantly think of the Amazonian warrior women, but they're not similar in any way.

The Lajakni women resided in the space between the Ethereal realms and Earth. They responded to neither the Light or Dark supreme gods, nor any of the gods in between. Instead their ruler, Koalja, had been apart of the Divine council, and when she was called into war, she acted upon what was neither good nor bad, only what was necessary to keep the balance, therefor proving as a vital community to our realm.

They were like the muscle that was called for backup when shit got out of hand or unbalanced in any way that would threaten life itself, and under their ruler, the 5 great generals.

She had been one of them.

"Sazda? Holy shit it's you?!" I exclaim in shock, "The last time I saw you was well...here, in the jungle, during our first occupation in 892" I murmur, slowly putting the pieces together as I regained my train of thought.