by Kyle Olson
Sophia noticed the particular way he smiled since the first few words, and how he’d never stopped. Rather, as his tale played out his smile changed, like how the sun began the day in brilliant golds and ended its journey in shades of purple.
It was enough to make her look back fondly upon her own childhood, despite the fact she was ambivalent about how it’d all turned out. Scrabbling around in the dust and dirt and dusting off bones and pottery shards had been entertaining in its own right, but at the same time she felt she missed out on so much everyone else took for granted.
Though there were moments of joy in there, intermingled amongst the warm and fuzzy feelings, neatly packed up and on the shelves. A meal here and there, an exciting discovery, new sights… Even if it did mean forgoing the usual milestones of life.
“It’s been fun to reminisce,” he said, relaxing into the creaking wood of the chair, “If you’d like, I could go on for hours.”
“Sure, it’s pretty neat to hear about this side of Sejit,” Sophia said, but in the back of her mind, there was still something out of place in the story of how she’d come to visit him during the war.
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
Sejit picked her way through the still-smoldering rubble of what had once been the town of Hathstead. It had been a bustling little place just inside the borders of Topia. Through its long history, the market town had been razed and rebuilt multiple times, and would surely be a battlefield again in the future. Perched upon a hill, the town commanded wide views of the countryside about it, but its true value lay in its location at the crossroads of not one, but two other nations.
After breaking out from the encirclement in the forest, Tarkit’s unit joined up with the main army and from there they continued their march east to the city of Hathstead. Sejit shadowed them, and when they came to the city, lent her hand in the battle. The Topian defenders were bewildered, thinking themselves caught in the pincer of two armies as their flank, supported by tanks, collapsed from unseen fire. Without the aid of armored calvary, the infantry were unable to halt the Tulmenian advance.
The army marched through with ease and carried on, and at the moment, were engaged in pursuing the remnants of the enemy forces. This gave Sejit a much-needed opportunity to stock up on supplies in a stretch of the town that had been left unoccupied. Unfortunately, what shops and homes remained intact enough to search had been scrounged and looted by the retreating forces.
In one sundries shop, she kicked at a ruptured can of spoiled beans on the tile floor, her steel-toed boot connecting with a satisfying ‘thuk.’
A neat, can-shaped hole appeared in the wall and after their short flight, the beans found themselves coming to rest alongside a bullet-pierced helmet in the road.
Well, only one choice left, then.
With a weary sigh she made her way to the nearest corpse—A young man, as most of them were. Didn’t matter if they wore the greens of Tulmenia or grays of Topia, they were all the same in the end. They lived, for a brief while, fought, also for a brief while, and died, with any luck, over a brief while. For a goddess of war, the specter of death was as close a friend as she could ever have. She understood the dead had no need of material belongings, yet…
Look at me, reduced to banditry. Teach me not to bring more provisions. Then again, I had not intended to remain for long.
After a few bodies from both sides, Sejit spotted a bloodied hand sticking out from underneath a concrete slab amid a ruined building. What would’ve taken a platoon of soldiers to hoist was shoved aside to reveal the prize within.
A bloody prize, to be sure, but a prize nonetheless. A young man with a rucksack. By a stroke of luck, that is for Sejit, not the man, his body had taken the brunt of the weight, leaving the bag intact. She pried his cold, death-stiffened fingers off the strap and examined its contents: Jackpot! Sort of.
Military rations were not quite the sort of food the goddess had spent most of her life enjoying, but she’d make do. Donning the sack, ensuring it was snug and comfortable on her back, she wandered near the southern edge of town and paused.
Now then, Tarkit’s battalion should regroup here within a day or two, but his unit will likely be put on reserve due to combat losses and shipped back. I’ll have to find him and discover where—
A bullet through the skull derailed Sejit’s train of thought.
She collapsed in a heap, albeit a thought-out heap to ensure some measure of comfort.
For a short time her head had an extra hole in it, but within seconds the bullet had been pushed out and the wound sealed up like it’d never happened. Still had the effect of making it hard to think for a minute or two and the lingering headache was not unlike a hangover crossed with a migraine.
Fuck that hurts! Why the fuck did they leave a sniper here?
…Why did they shoot a woman out of uniform?
Perhaps it was because they’d seen her looting the corpses of their comrades, or any number of reasons. Well, no matter what it was, she was stuck on the ground for a while until the shooter left. That was something any decent sniper did—shoot once or twice, then relocate. When they realized she was alone, they’d scuttle off in a few minutes.
The ground was cold and there was a rock jutting into her ass. Couldn’t even take a nap.
Maybe—
A second shot whizzed through bone and brain and embedded itself a short distance into the ground, blanking out reality for another moment before flesh mended and thought returned.
What in the fuck is wrong with them, firing on a corpse. They have to be to the west somewhere. But where? I should have fallen the other way. What I would give to sink my claws into him…
The sun was falling towards the horizon faster now, casting the sky in shades of reds. Soon she’d be able to move under the cover of darkness if the sniper would not budge.
Then, a third shot joined its kin. This time, from a different angle. Sejit became a little dumber yet again and her migraine had built to more than just an annoyance.
Yet, through the murk she dredged up a singular, important concept: They know.
She bolted to her feet, shrugging off the backpack in one fluid motion. The last shot came from further to the south.
In the distance, perhaps half a mile, was a group of skeletal buildings.
Instincts tingled, pushing up from underneath reason and she dove into a roll, just in time to dodge the fourth shot. They were definitely in those buildings.
What she would give to dash on all fours, but she didn’t have the time to take off her clothes and she only had the single set. True, while she could probably salvage something her size from the corpses, she preferred clothing not soaked in mortal blood and sweat and grime.
Thus, human feet would have to suffice.
Intuition guided her sprint, urging her to zig there and zag here, but even with her speed and centuries of experience against firearms, she was peppered by large-caliber rifle rounds.
A grazed shoulder. A perforated thigh. Several to the chest.
Nothing fatal, but each hit slowed her down a tiny bit, each was an insult, incensing the lioness within.
Kill them! How dare they disrespect us!
…How did you get out? Be silent.
Kill him kill him kill him!
Who are they?
Doesn’t matter! They’re dead!
Where are they?!
There!
Eight rounds had found their mark by the time she reached the multi-story building from where the shots had originated. She burst through a crumbling wall at full speed, sending brick and wood splintering and pinwheeling. The stairs were long gone, but no matter. She leapt to the second floor and then to the third, bursting through an interior wall in a spray of debris. Sejit slid, dropping to all fours to maintain what little poise she possessed.
Through the settling dust, a matte-finished gun barrel emerged. Despite having an easy shot to her temple, it never fired.
Behind the gun, a w
oman draped in the camouflaged grays of a hooded winter greatcoat peered out at her. She was seated against a wall with her knees splayed up and out, rifle nestled between them. The woman was wearing something that could, if one made a passing glance, be called an expression of joy, a smile. A smile that had, at best, a troubled relationship with sanity, accentuated by her ruby eyes.
Rage urged Sejit’s feet onward and claws outward but recognition seized the reins from the awoken lioness, leaving her dumbstruck while thoughts struggled to catch up.
“Gakakaka!” Laughed the woman, a long, wolf-like tongue hanging from her open lips. “Fancy meeting you here!”
“You,” Sejit breathed, rising to two legs. It’d been a short eternity since the last time they met face-to-face. The woman wasn’t quite as she remembered, but she was unmistakable all the same. Memories marched to the forefront of consideration, bringing with them reason and logic to cage the lioness, but not enough to return her to slumber.
Again, I let myself get carried away. All from a few hits. Stupid, stupid…
“What are you doing here?” Sejit asked, attempting to comport herself with some dignity by straightening herself and her attire out.
“Come now, we don’t see each other in years and that’s the first thing you ask me? Not even a ‘How are you?’” Tess said with false hurt, “And here I thought we were close.”
Sejit noted the gun had not wavered.
“You shot me. Several times.”
“Yes, well, I had to get your attention somehow. Couldn’t ring up an operator and have them put me through to you.”
“So you shot me in the head. And then, while I was on the ground, you shot me again. Twice,” Sejit said, fighting to keep her voice even. Just saying it got her blood simmering. “If you had wanted my attention, you could have aimed at the ground. Not only that, you continued firing as I approached.”
“What’s wrong with having a bit of fun? Do you know how hard it is to find targets who can move like you?”
“A bit of fun?” Sejit said, words pouring from her like sour wine, “Are you saying you joined this mortal war for fun?”
“Perhaps,” Tess said, resting her head against the wall, keeping one eye on Sejit, “What about you, hm? You’re the sort who wouldn’t know what fun was if it crawled up your ass, so that can’t be the reason you’re here.”
Any other god. Any other god and…
Sejit’s jaw was clenched so hard she could’ve bit through leather. Calm thoughts, serene thoughts, logical thoughts. Muscles relaxed. Good.
“That is because we have different notions of entertainment. Unlike you, I am not here for amusement.”
“Then why?” Quipped Tess, cocking a brow.
Three times she has asked. Why does she want to know?
Any other god… She thought again, albeit for a different reason.
“Because my son asked me,” she said, plainly.
Tess considered what she’d said. Or rather, tasted and chewed on the words, digested them.
She lowered the gun.
“Gotta say,” Tess said, resting her weapon upon the floor and returning her hands to her knees, “Wasn’t expecting that one at all. I mean, how’d you manage to get a guy to blow a load in your cunt? Did you rape him?”
Sejit, at that moment, developed selective hearing, “You do not believe I am lying?”
“You’re many things, Sejit, but a liar? Nah. Gotta say though, never figured you were the type to have kids.”
“Neither did I.”
Tess fished a cigarette from a pocket inside her greatcoat, placing it between her lips. The tip lit in a smolder, and with a deep breath a sizable length turned to ash and fell away. “You’ve changed. And here I was, all fired up for a good scrap, then you had to go and ruin the mood.”
Sejit, growing weary of standing, took a seat next to Tess, sharing the wall as a backrest. The jackal goddess never flinched or reached for her weapon.
“It did not take much for you to reconsider your opinion of me. If I have changed, then you have… become someone else.”
More ashes tumbled away to the frozen wood, where the winds blowing through the smashed windows and newly remodeled wall carried them away.
“You’re the one who gave me a taste for blood,” Tess said with a weak, self-deprecating laugh, “But they’re the ones who… Well, we all change. If we didn’t, what fun would life be?”
So she does not blame me for that?
Without her twisted grin, that subtle glint, the question of Tess’ grasp on sanity was no longer so unsure. Although, she was more mercurial than she was then. Much more willing to use force.
“So. Tell me about your boy. I doubt you’re fighting a war for him just because he asked,” Tess continued.
“Not much to say. I had been seeking him for some time and happened upon him as he and his unit were encircled, not far from here. I aided his escape.”
“Ah, so that’s how they broke through,” Tess said, nodding in revelation, “Gotta say, that really fucked with command. The Impossible Breakthrough, so it’s been called already. If that’s his unit, then…” She tipped her head one way in thought, finger to a cheek, “…Your boy joined the military willingly, and if he’s your kid, then it’s gotta be idealism. A big, tough warrior like dear old mom. No doubt you tried to dissuade him from joining.”
“Yes,” Sejit admitted, begrudgingly, “I wished he would not, he joined anyways, and when I learned of his units’ predicament, I sought to spirit him to safety because I…” Realizing where her mouth was going, she forced it to close and swallowed the words. In so doing, she found herself on the receiving end of a piercing ruby gaze.
“Is that so? You went to bring him home by his ear. And then you wind up joining the war after disappearing for so many years. What did he say to you, I wonder? So many interesting questions! Yet…”
In the span of quiet seconds, Tess’ piercing gaze shifted to one of… pity.
“Actually, you don’t need to tell me. In fact, forget I asked, but,” Tess went on, rolling what remained of her smoke from one corner of her mouth to the other, “Maybe now you understand a little, what it’s like.”
Sharp. She’s sharper than I remember her being.
“What about you, then?” Sejit shot back, “Why are you a common soldier with the Topians?”
“Like I said, a bit of fun. Plus, they’re so eager for volunteers they don’t scrutinize citizenship papers too carefully.”
“Your companies do not question where their owner has gone?”
“That’s what managers are for.”
The last of her cigarette having burned away to the filter, Tess spat out the butt and plucked a fresh roll of paper and tobacco from its pouch. A light snow had begun falling, along with the dark of evening. Tiny, gentle flakes danced through a new, unfinished skylight. Tess’ breath sent out tendrils of steam, back-lit by a dim, cherry glow that flashed whenever she inhaled.
Sejit rubbed her arms to warm them against the dropping temperatures, though she knew it was a futile thing.
Should have taken a jacket with me. Well, it will be night soon.
She stood and undid her uniform, folding each piece neatly and placing it upon the ground. Tess tossed her a glance.
“Chilly?”
The lion goddess answered with a relaxed exhale that saw her body shoot upwards like a spring. Muscle and bone filled up and out and hick fur sprouted across what had been bare skin. Properly insulted against the cold, Sejit stretched out muscles that had been cramped and confined. What had been a dim and cold world brightened and warmed, though most of the color had gone. Smoke burned in her nostrils, eliciting a sneeze.
“Was,” she said, “Also, you did not answer my question. You were never someone who did something purely for fun.”
“Oh fine,” Tess groused, “You did spill your guts to me… But hey, first let me get comfortable too.”
Tess flipped the hood of her co
at up, and then, just as the lion had done, changed. Though unlike the lion, the jackal did not require so much room to grow. Only thing she had to remove were her boots to make way for padded, elongated feet. The uniform snugged some, mostly around the chest, and the waistband of her pants was pushed down by her twinned bushy tails. Last was the hood, which tented up under two tall, pointed ears. Her cig shifted in her muzzle as teeth held in it place, rather than lips.
“That’s better,” she said, stretching out on the floor, with her large, digitigrade legs and feet splaying out, “I haven’t been able to have a conversation like this in… Well, a long time. So, after all that lead-up, it’s like this: I’m curious.”
“You joined because you are curious?” Sejit said, gruff tone indicating her brows would be furrowed as much as they could be, could they furrow at all, “You, who abhorred death and violence, now assassinate the very mortals you once cherished to satisfy curiosity?”
“We’re all different these days. But yes. I mean, aren’t you? Six years now they’ve been slaughtering one another ‘round the world. Always some battle going on somewhere. Little wonder they’ve started calling it The Endless War. Body count bigger than anything else in history, even counting your little tantrums. Include all the people dying because they happened to be there when a bomb landed, or the masses dying from famine, and we discover an appreciable percentage of the entire population has died. So, I thought to myself: Why not pop in and see what it’s like from their vantage. Fuck, I’m amazed you haven’t been ravaging the front lines since day one.”
“Like you said, we are no longer who we once were,” Sejit said, leaning against a windowsill, though without any actual windows or shutters it may as well have just been a narrow ledge.
In the distance, to the southeast, flashes of light arced, punctuated by dull rumbles on the wind. Another night-time bombing raid.
“The tools have changed, but they have not.”
Tess laughed softly, “They have, just not a whole lot. They’re a smidge smarter about finance and politics nowadays, but they’re still little more than children running amok. They still form up their little gangs and have at each other like they did back then. Biggest difference, really, is they’ve become quite adept at killing each other and churning out impressive body counts.”