Wed to the Wild God (Aspect and Anchor)

This must be where Riekki is.

I twist, looking for Margo's griffin, and it's a short distance behind us, heading in the same direction. I can't see her face, but I suspect her expression is the same as mine. Life in a modern city on Earth hasn't prepared us for this devastation. I'm horrified that it's come to this, and even more horrified that I've had a part in it. How could Kassam possibly want this? How could Riekki?

"Carly!"

A voice calls my name, clear and loud above the chaos. The griffin swoops lower, toward that platform, and I see a lone figure with tall horns and bronzed skin. One of the horns is broken down to a stump, and soot and blood streak his body. He holds a staff in one hand, covered with the biggest thorns I've ever seen, and waits at the edge of the platform for me, one of the conmac at his side. I've never been so glad to see him. Sobbing, I clutch at the griffin, wishing I could get it to move faster as it carefully picks its way down into the madness.

When it finally alights on the platform, I tumble to the ground and stagger to my feet. My legs are stiff and my body feels that curious light-heavy that tells me things are Wrong Inside but I ignore it. All I care about is Kassam. I stumble my way toward him, even as Seth's army surges onto the platform, flooding forward from one of the bridges.

Kassam rushes toward me, and when I fling my arms around him, he tosses aside his weapon and grips me tight. His head rests atop mine and he holds me so, so close as I weep and weep in his arms. "You're safe?" I manage. "You're all right?"

He holds me closer, as if he wants to somehow squeeze me into his chest and never let me go. "My body is well, but my spirit hurts at what we have done this day," he tells me. "Most did not fight. The goddess lied to them and told them they would be safe, that she had seen it. And she is Knowledge, so they believed her."

I moan in horror. "So many dead—"

"Seth's army is out of control," Kassam says harshly, stroking my hair. I don't know if he's comforting me or himself. "Once they burst into the city, they went on a killing spree and he will not contain them. They are the ones responsible for this chaos. I realized what he was doing and scattered mine. The wild are leading those that flee to safety and returning to the woods. I will not have them be part of this." He holds me fiercely. "This is not what I wanted."

"I know," I say, gulping back my tears. I gaze up at him, at the devastation on his face. "I know."

Kassam loves life in all its forms. He wants the natural process, not this…disaster. He will not flinch at wolves taking down a deer, but as we watch Seth's men surge onto the platform with captives and loot stolen from the people here, laughing and shouting with glee, it's hard not to feel responsible. We needed Seth to win, but I'm not sure all of this is worth it. I cling to Kassam, fighting the horror I feel, and look around for his army. There are a few scattered animals, but like he said, most are fleeing. The griffins remain, and a limping striped cat hurries away as Seth's troops swarm forward. Now that I look around, most of the dead aren't the wild army, and as I watch, birds flutter away into the trees. The griffin remains near us, fluffing its feathers and glaring balefully at anyone that approaches, and the conmac are near, but that's all.

As I hold tight to Kassam, Margo's griffin lands and she slides off its back, landing amidst Seth's men with a dazed expression. They grab her, cheering, and pull her toward the front of the army. She looks a little confused by their excitement, but it becomes clear what they're doing when a tall figure strides through the crowd.

Seth.

His white robes are spotless despite the smoke and the chaos. He lowers an equally spotless white hood down from his head and assumes a pious expression as he gazes at his army. "Inside this last domicile," he says in a lofty voice, gesturing at the hollowed-out tree, "is our enemy. Let us find her anchor quickly and bring him to me."

The men cheer and head for the treehouse, their weapons raised. As they do, Seth continues to give them that munificent smile, as if they're his children on a playground and he's the doting father watching over them. Never mind that they're carrying swords and are covered in blood.