Chapter Twenty-four
Angelus

She stood in the middle of the sanctuary, almost radiating power.  Robert wondered briefly if it was because she was actually summoned, and not because she was pissed enough to just appear.  Granted, her brother’s methods were a little off for actual summoning, but considering he was a god, he could certainly get away with it far better than any mortal could.  He was surprised that actually worked.  He would have been surprised even if they had no idea where she was, thinking her kidnapped or worse.  So that was a bit of a double surprise, seeing that she actually came when Ignatius called and that she came at all.  Everyone around him stared in absolutely shock, especially the priests, who stared at her in more awe than the priestesses gave Ignatius. But then again, Ignatius hadn’t disappeared on them, such that they didn’t think they’d see him in a very, very long time like the Angelus Dei priests thought.

He wasn’t sure what he was expected, but whatever it was, it certainly wasn’t what was standing before him.  She was petite like Buttercup was, although she seemed to be much taller than the orange haired girl.  She also seemed a little chubbier, which surprised Robert.  He supposed that was just traits of the gods, having something that surprised them. He hadn’t expected Ignatius to be shorter than him, and he didn’t expect Aria to be a little fatter than Buttercup.  She had blond hair that was just as wavy as Buttercup’s that seemed to move despite the fact that they were in a building that tamed the winds a little, such that none blew where they stood.  She indeed wore her hair similar in fashion to the way she was depicted in images an d statues of her, although her front braids hung from behind her ears rather than framing her face. 

She was pale, although not quite as pale as Buttercup.  But it was still surprising, considering how dark Ignatius was.  They hardly looked like siblings at all, since he was so dark and she was so light.  Even her eyes were light, a grayish color that actually lacked a pupil.  He could see why they would say she was the all-seeing goddess of light and purity, considering she arrived in a flash of brilliant light, and with her pale colors, she just looked like the essence of purity.  And then her eyes were so unusual.  Ignatius’ looked like a dragon’s eye, but Aria looked almost like she was blind, especially considering how light her eyes were.

She wore a dress that hung only to her knees, and reflected the cosmos very similarly to the way Ignatius’ tunic did, although his seemed to shine with a purple light, and hers with a blue light.  She wore nothing of her feet, but she didn’t really have to.  She hovered about half a foot off the ground, her toes brushing against the marble every so often as she bobbed a little.  She stood there with her arms crossed in an almost defensive stance, like she was annoyed that her brother would call her like he did.

But the feature that stood out the most on her was the pair of pure white wings on her back.  There was no being in existence that looked like her, since there was no humanoid with feathered wings on its back.  The fairies had gossamer wings, similar to that of an insect.  Usually they appeared to look like a butterfly or a dragonfly’s wings, something fancy and beautiful.  It was her signature, the reason she decided not to bestow the wings on her fairies, unlike the others who added their own traits to the species they created.  Except the dwarves, since Tara based them off her husband, but they were more human-like than most of the races.  He wouldn’t dare tell them that in person, but about the only difference between them was the fact that dwarves were so short compared to the other humanoid races.   Even the fairies, despite being so small, had similar proportions to the other races.  It was more that the dwarves were disproportionate than anything else.

He was a little surprised how annoyed she did look.  He half expected her to look aleethral, serene and calm and beautiful, and she looked…normal.  Like any sister annoyed at her brother for interrupting her while she was doing something important.  Caroline had that same look on her face quite a few times, and he was sure he mimicked the look himself from time to time.  Now that she was actually standing there, he could see why the Alterians opted to consider her actual form rather than anything else, since she didn’t really look light and pure.  She looked like any other person in the world, actually.  It was quite obvious she radiated power, and that she had power over the winds, but that was about it.

By contrast, Ignatius really did seem like something of a demon, with his dark features, his horns and his dragon’s tail, and his slitted red eyes.  It was easy to see why he was considered a devil god, even if the title pissed him off beyond reason. 

Robert wondered briefly how Aria felt about being called the Angelus Dei.  Granted, it was certainly a kinder title, but it wasn’t her name.  Maybe it frustrated her as much as Ignatius’ title did.  He wondered how she felt about being summoned with the title rather than her name, before he remembered that none of the gods responded to being summoned by their title.  From the way Ignatius described it, it wasn’t because she disliked it like he did, but rather that she needed to hear her actually name in order to respond.  So it really wasn’t a matter of if she liked it or not; it was just that she wasn’t really paying attention to anything anymore.

Well, accept her brother, although he certainly seemed just as surprised as everyone else that it worked.  Robert wondered, though, if he was surprised because he thought she was gone, or because she came at all.  Having a little sister himself, he felt he could almost understand their relationship, although he knew it was dangerous to compare himself to immortals.  And he could tell almost immediately that the relationship was far different than the one he shared with Caroline.

There was, for starters, the way she greeted him.  “What the hell do you want?” she demanded, her voice nothing like he expected the goddess of light and purity to sound.  It wasn’t light or pure, but something in between, although she really sounded more annoyed than anything else at the moment.

Ignatius was really too surprise to respond immediately, although he seemed to be used to her using that tone with him.  “Where the hell have you been?  I’ve been looking for you for three months, and you outright disappear.  And then, oh, I call you in your temple, which technically isn’t allowed, and voila!  You appear!  Like you were never even gone!  What the hell, Aria?”

She snorted.  “You’re not my mother, Ignatius.  You don’t have to look out for me all the freaking time.  And I certainly don’t have to answer to you.  What I do with myself is my own business.  Don’t you have some more crying to do?  ‘Oh, boo hoo, the people hate me, and call me the devil god and don’t worship me anymore.  Boo hoo.’”

Everyone glanced at Ignatius to see how he’d respond to that.  But it seems that he had heard that taught before as well.  “Well, at least I’m paying attention to what’s going on down here.  You’re in your own little world, lost in your thoughts, and they could utterly slaughter each other, and you’d be none the wiser.”

“So what?  Let them kill themselves.  It’s really no concern of mine.  Why should I care what they do with their lives?  We gave them free will for a reason, Ignatius.  Let them live how they chose!”

He blinked at her.  “But you helped create them.  They’re your problem just as much as mine.  They look to us for guidance, and you’re the one who said that hope was the most powerful emotion they could have.  We give them hope, Aria!  Without us, they would start despairing their life.”

“No, I said love was the most powerful emotion they could have, and their squandering that gift.  They don’t love one another, they hate each other.  War is proof enough of that.  They conquer and invade each other, shifting and displacing their kindred for no reason at all!  I mean, just look at the Alterians and the Lumentians!  They believe the exact same thing, but one’s slightly different than other, and thus, that most mean they are completely different, and thus evil.  It was foolish to make the humans so…so…”

“So much like us?” Ignatius demanded, annoyed.  “Is that why you dislike them so much?  You see so much of yourself in them that it pisses you off, because you’re the great Aria, and you have no flaws!  News flash – you’re the worst out of all of us, the spoiled little brat who was given everything she ever wanted merely because she was the daughter.”

She didn’t say anything for a good long moment.  “I am a goddess.  You can’t speak to me that way!”

“I’m a god, not to mention your older brother.  I out of everyone in this plane of existence can talk to you however the hell I want.  What makes you do Goddamn special that you get to be the bitch, and I can’t talk to you that way?”

She growled at him, and started pacing a little.  “I have always been far superior than you ever will be.  I created perfect races!  All you ever did was create troublemakers.”

“You’re saying that your tiny little fairies are actually superior to dragons?  Dragons are feared and revered throughout the Five Kingdoms.  Your fairies are laughed at, because they’re too tiny to cause any trouble.  And need I remind you of the Dark Elves?  Don’t act like you didn’t create them.  They may blame me for your mistake, but we both know the true.”

“What are you talking about?” she sniffed.  “I never had anything to do with them.  I don’t even know what you’re talking about.”

“Oh, shut up, Aria,” he snapped.  “You can act like you’re all perfect and what not, and sweep them to the side, but even Mama and Papa acknowledge that they’re yours.  They keep telling you to take responsibility for them, but the great Aria doesn’t make mistakes!  But you see what happens?  You ignore them and they rampage.  And the same thing’ll happen between the humans and the elves if you keep this up.  And whatever happens to the humans and elves would affect the entire world.”

“Good.  Be done with it,” she said, waving off the idea.  “We don’t need their blight anymore.  I saw good riddance.”

He was about to argue, but he paused.  “What?” he demanded.  “You created them.  Take pride in them!”

“Why should I take pride in creatures so foolish?” she demanded as well.  “They mean nothing to me, so they can destroy themselves all they want.  I’ve had enough of this world.  Let it be razed and reborn for all I care.”

“Mama and Papa would be very pissed that you’ve said such a thing.  They’ve taken so much time to create it, to perfect it, and they happen to like it.  As do I.  Seriously, what makes you so special that everything that you want has to come to pass?  Are you that spoiled that you actually think the world revolves around you?”

“But doesn’t it?  Your precious humans seem to think so.  They’ve forsaken you all together and adopted me as their Creator.  They worship me and demonize you.  Surely there’s a reason behind it all.  They’ve been fighting since they found each other to prove which god is the greatest, and I’m afraid that I’m winning that war.  Soon, they’ll all bow to my feet, and I shall kill all that do.  I shall create a better and brighter world, with better races who can live peacefully amongst themselves.”

“I doubt you can,” Ignatius hissed.  “Little Miss Perfect isn’t all that perfect, remember?  You never create what you want to the first go around.  Those pixies you created are wild and uncontrollable, such that you actually had to send them to another part of the world just to contain them and not have to deal with them anymore.  And I’m sure those people thank you for that.  And seriously, don’t forget the Dark Elves.  As it is, the elves are just as flawed as the humans; the difference is that you’re arrogance allows them to believe that they are perfect.”

“They are perfect.  Look at the one standing right there.  Tall, poised, peaceful.  Long living and far more knowledgeable then any human in existence.”

Clover looked surprised to being used as an example, but she was still in too much of a such at what she was seeing to respond.  “That elf?  That elf is a Nature Elf who was raised by Warrior Elves.  She’s a walking contradiction, and yet you chose to use her as an example?  Good job there, Aria.”

She seemed miffed.  “Well, what about dragons?  They’re fair more arrogant than elves ever could be.”

“Yes, but I never claimed them to be perfect.  I wasn’t seeking perfection, I was giving them wisdom.  And with that wisdom, they became arrogant, and I realized my mistake.  And I accept that about them, and embrace it.  I like the fact that they’re flawed, because it makes life so much more interesting.  I can watch what’s going on down here and be entertained rather than having to seek my own mind to do the very same thing!”

“The world is boring,” Aria declared.  “Humanity is full of morons and idiots who all deserve painful deaths.”

Robert glanced at Buttercup, curious to see how she was taking all of this.  Her brow was furrowed, like she couldn’t believe what she was hearing anymore than he could.  Odessa just seemed plain annoyed, which was fairly understandable.  She was insulting pretty much everything left and right, and she was supposed to be their good god.  But he was beginning to realize that maybe they had it all wrong.  Ignatius was no devil god; his sister was.

“Seriously?” he demanded to know.  “What’s how you feel?  I always was under the impression that you  enjoyed all of our creations, including humans.  Especially humans.”

“Why would I love anything I didn’t have a hand in?” she asked, whirling to glare at him.  “Look at them!  They are a crude race, less graceful and well mannered than any of the others.  I mean, look at him!  I’m not even sure how the hell he’s able to keep himself upright!”

Robert glanced down at himself, a little unsure what she was talking about, especially since she was gesturing at him specifically.  He knew he was tall, and that he wasn’t all graceful, but still.  That was no reason to insult him like that.

Ignatius placed her head in his palm.  “Seriously?  You’re going to actually resort to insulting the humans that are standing right here?  Do you even know what they’ve gone through for your sake?  You disappear, and they went on a quest to find out where the hell you’ve gotten to, planning on trying to rescue you if need be.  To protect their world.  Are you saying all their hard work was in vain?”

“It’s not really my fault,” she sniffed.  “I never told them to go on such a foolish quest.  They did that on their own, and I can’t help it if was all in vain.  They should have just sat back and let it happen like every other human out there.  They’re fools, and you shouldn’t defend them, Ignatius.”

Ignatius seemed rather pissed off at her, for a lack of a better word.  “Aria!” he snapped.  “What’s gotten into you?  You’ve never been this bad before.  You used to love it when the humans would summon you for advise or to help with their little rituals.  What’s changed?  What’s made you so mad at them?”

“I opened my eyes, Ignatius.  I realized just how stupid and selfish the people are.  They need to be wiped out.  The effect all the races, and not for the better.  There was a time when dragons, dwarves, and fairies roamed these lands freely, having no need to hide themselves.  But the humans took over, taking claim to everything that wasn’t theirs.  Even the mermaids don’t dare show their faces anymore, because the humans exploit them as well, the oldest of the races.”

“The dwarves hid from no one,” Ignatius said, rolling his eyes.  “They’d always hid in the mountains, mining them, because they are a mountain dwelling people.  Mama made them that way, so they could stay underground, in her domain.  The mermaids aren’t hiding, because they’re aquatic, and don’t really stay out of the water all that long.”

“The freshwater mermaids are all but extinct now thanks to humanity.  They pushed them back to the ocean!”

“There’s no freshwater mermaids,” Ignatius sighed.  “They were a myth.  Mermaids once tried to swim into Lumentis so they had something more to interact with than the humans and elves at the coast, but they can’t survive outside the ocean, so they had to come back.  Papa’s working on evolving them so they can occupy the lakes in Lumentis, and in Tara Nora and Alterian, but nothing has really settled yet.  And your fairies…well, that’s your problem that you didn’t make them easy to adapt outside of their forests.”

“It’s the human’s fault!” she insisted.  “They raze the forests there my fairies have lived for generations, and then claim the land as their own!”

“Actually,” Robert said slowly, not too sure if he should even be addressing her, “we try to keep clear of the fairy forests.  Sometimes, we can’t even tell the forest belonged to the fairies because they hid rather than inform us that the place it occupied already, and then get mad at us after we tore down half their homes.”

“You’re supposed to assume every forest is a fairy forest!” she snapped.  “They need places to expand as well, you know.  What makes you so special that you just assume everything is yours?”

“Aria, the fairies don’t need nearly as much room to expand as humans do,” Ignatius stated.  “They have entire forests the humans won’t touch to do so, far more room than they actually need, and you made them so they don’t reproduce all that quickly, anyway.  They don’t actually expand at the same rate the humans, or any of the other races, actually, do.  What makes them so special that apparently, they have claim to every tree in the Five Kingdoms.”

She sniffed.  “Of course they are.  I created them solely, and thus, that makes them the most superior race on the planet.”

“It sounds like it’s less about us trying to determine which god is the best, and more about the gods trying to decide which race is best,” Robert mused.

“Fairies, obviously,” Aria stated.  “Everyone ought to know that.”

“And Mama would saw dwarves, and Papa would say mermaids.  Or maybe it’s the other way around.  Either way, none of us would agree on it.  Personally, I say all the races are equally entertaining, its just that humans, as well as elves, are still trying to find their place in this world.”

“They are immature and annoying.”

“Of course we’re immature,” Odessa said, finally finding her voice.  “We’re the newest race.  We’re just children compared to the other races.  Are you saying that you would slaughter any children you have just because its not exactly like you?  Because it still needs to learn and make mistakes?”

Aria whipped around to glare at her.  “I wouldn’t talk if I were you.  You are an abomination, Bonding with another race like you have.  The races weren’t meant to be reliant on another.  Dragons and humans are meant to be separate.”

“Um, excuse me, but no,” Ignatius stated.  “You can keep your races separate, but you have no control over what mine do.  And I happen to love the fact that they can Bond and work together like they do.  In fact, Odessa’s my favorite human at the moment, because she’s the only Dragon Tamer in existence.”

“So you gather all your freaks in one place to challenge me, is that it?  A Dragon Tamer, a Fire Mage, an Alitura Nature Elf, and…a human prince.” 

Robert’s shoulders dropped as he realized he was the most useless one among them.  He had nothing special about him, and he couldn’t hold his own in a fight.  He couldn’t blame her for not seeing him as a threat, actually.  Everyone around him were awesome somehow…and then there was him, a burden on pretty much everyone, apparently.

Buttercup seemed to realize what Aria’s words meant to him, and reached out to take his hand and give it a slight squeeze to make him feel a little better.  “Ha, this boy?” Ignatius asked, and Robert was waiting for feel even more insulted.  “This boy probably possesses more knowledge than any of your elves combined.  Don’t say that humans aren’t smart, because he would prove you otherwise a thousand times over.  Don’t insult something you don’t understand, Aria.”

She snorted.  “It’s highly unlikely.  Humans are a moronic race, after all.  None possess any sort of useful knowledge.”

Now Robert really felt insulted.  “We may be a moronic race, but that is as a whole.  Individuals can possess great knowledge, after all.  You shouldn’t judge one based on the whole, you know.”

“Aria,” Buttercup said, finally finding the courage to speak to her goddess.  “You are the goddess of light and purity to these people.  What has caused you to view humanity so poorly?  You are the most beloved goddess.  I can understand Ignatius’ annoyance with humans, because they declared him evil when he is clearly not, but we do not perceive you as something you are not.”

Ignatius snorted.  “You perceive her as a descent goddess when clearly she is a bitch.  But I wonder that as well.  You really did use to love humans as much as you do elves and fairies.  What’s changed?”

“Humanity,” she sneered.  “They’ve warped themselves over the past three hundred years.  How can you still support them?  We all agreed not to come when called by our titles because you were so insulted by yours, and yet, you still defend them.  I’m surprised, Ignatius.  I was expecting an ally in the matter.”

“An ally?” he asked, clearly confused.  “What matter?”

“The whole reason I disconnected myself from this world, obviously.  Haven’t you noticed?  I’ve come to the conclusion that humanity must be wiped from the face of this planet, except they seem to be deeply rooted in.  If I must destroy the world and the races already living here, so be it.  We can just recreate them, and make them better.”

Ignatius seemed appalled at this idea.  “Aria, we used so much of our power to create the races that live here now.  Mama and Papa weren’t able to create any more because they had spent most of their power creating the creatures that roam the kingdoms, and when we decided to create something else, we had to combine our powers.  I doubt we’d be able to start completely over again.  And certainly not ‘perfect’ them, as you say.  They’d all turn out like the Dark Elves, or worse.”

She snorted at him.  “Lies,” she said.  “Lies Mama and Papa told us to keep us in check!  They don’t want us to fill the world with perfect creatures when their creations are so flawed!  They don’t want us to surpass them!”

“Are you even listening to yourself?” he asked, clearly surprised at what she was saying.  “Mama and Papa aren’t the sort of parents who want to remain better than their children.  They are happy with us and their creations.  Besides, they created their races as gifts.  Don’t you think they might be a little bit miffed if you destroyed the gifts they gave one another?”

“They’ll get over it.  They can make better gifts to each other.  And you can make dragons who are better and less arrogant.”

Ignatius glanced at Metallica.  “I don’t mind that they are arrogant, Aria.  I made them that way, and I accept their fault.  Just like I accept the faults of humans.  In fact, I embrace them, because I know they are my faults as well.  And very clearly, yours.”

“I have no faults, brother.  I am a goddess.”

“A spoiled, bitchy goddess, yes,” he agreed.  “We weren’t created perfect.  Do you know how boring that would be?  I was glad when your elves turned out to be as flawed as my humans, because having a perfect race wouldn’t be entertaining at all, and you know it.  They need to fight and bicker, and grow as a race, and having them start out perfect…well, that’s just dumb.  Even Mama and Papa knew this when they created their races.  You think mermaids and dwarves are perfect?  Of course you don’t, but they didn’t want them perfect.  If they did, they would have made them such.”

“Mama and Papa are fools,” she stated.  Ignatius glanced at the ceiling as though he were waiting for his father to come down and smite her, or something, which Robert wouldn’t be surprised about.  He knew his father wouldn’t take too kindly to either of his children calling him a fool.

You are a fool, Aria!” Ignatius shouted at her.  “You’re spewing nonsense, and insulting the very people who stand before you.  You think they’ll stand for that?  They looked up to you, you know.  Especially your priests.”

Aria paused and glanced around the chamber, where all the priests were literally staring at her with their mouths open a little.  Robert couldn’t tell if they were processing what she was saying at all.  But he got that idea as they slowly closed their mouths upon realizing they were gawking a little, and set their expressions to ones of anger.  She wasn’t just insulting Robert, Buttercup, Clover, and Odessa.  She was really insulting her priests, who devoted their entire lives to her worship.  And apparently, she hated them all.

She glanced back at her brother quickly.  “I don’t believe you,” she snapped.  “I thought you of all people would be sympathetic, but I find you just as useless as everyone else on this God forsaken planet.  Fine, if you’re not going to help me, I’ll have to do it on my own.  You’d probably just have gotten in my way, anyway.  I’ll just have to destroy you as well as your precious humans.  You love them so much, you can die with them.”

She vanished just as suddenly as she appeared, her great light nearly blinding them, once again.  Robert found himself staring at the spot she had occupied, unsure what he had just witnessed.  “Wait, can gods even die?” he asked, glancing at Ignatius.

“Hell if I know,” he said, shrugging.  “It’s not like it’s ever been attempted before.  I mean. We certainly can’t be killed by you mortals, since you lack the power and the knowhow to do it, if there was actually a way.  But a god killing another god?  I suppose it’s possible.  We’re all family, and Mama and Papa love each other too much to actually try it.  I suppose she could, but I don’t really know off hand.  I hope not, but even if she can’t, and she succeeds with her plan, I doubt my life will be all that pleasant.”

“So…what exactly just happened?” Odessa asked.  “Was that really your sister?’

He chuckled darkly.  “That was really her.  I didn’t want to dash your image of her, but yeah, she’s not all light and pure as you humans make her out to be.  I mean, granted, she’s never been a bitch before, but she has her flaws.  And she was accepting of them just like any of us.  I really don’t know what changed about her.  It’s so strange.  I’ve never seen her like this.”

“You didn’t notice her transformation?” Robert asked.

“Well, to be honest, time runs differently for us.  I didn’t have much contact with her in those three hundred years that we ignored the world, allowing her to just be lost in her own imagination for a while.  I don’t know if you noticed, but Aria’s the least summoned goddess, because she’ll take hundreds of years to realize that she’s daydreaming.  As far as I can tell, Mama, Papa, and myself have pretty much been keeping the idea that we exist fresh in your heads.  I’m surprised there aren’t more nonbelievers amongst you, actually, since it’s been so long since any of us have come down here.  But you humans continue to surprise me.”

“If you haven’t talked to her in three hundred years, how did you know she was missing?” Buttercup asked, confused.

He rolled his eyes.  “We’re just as connected to each other as we are to the world.  When she disconnected herself from this plane of existence, she must have also disconnected herself from us as well, maybe to make sure our parents didn’t know what she was planning.  They would most certainly put a stop to it.”

“So should we summon your parents, then?” Clover asked, clearly shaken.  “Maybe they can put her in her place.”

He shook his head. “It wouldn’t do us any good at this point.  Aria would never listen to them, calling them weak and as useless as I am.  Besides which, they’d say that this was a matter that we needed to work out amongst ourselves.”

“This isn’t a sibling spat!” Robert pointed out.  “They would sit idly by while their own creations were destroyed?”

“Well, the most they would do was safeguard their own races, I suppose,” he considered.  “Still, I don’t want to get them involved in this just yet.  I need to prove to Aria that she’s completely wrong in this matter.”

“It’s so strange that she’d suddenly start acting like this,” Buttercup mused.  “I wish we knew what happened to cause her to act this way.”

“That’s something we can worry about later,” Clover stated.  “Because clearly, she’s going to try to destroy all of humanity, and whatever race stands in her way.”

“Yes, but what can we do about it?  We’re merely human,” Buttercup said.  “We wouldn’t be able to stand up against a goddess.”

“Not to worry; I’ll take care of Aria when the time comes,” Ignatius insisted.  “For now, all you can really do is prepare for whatever she’s planning.”

“We’d have to prepare all of humanity for that, and I can’t get my father to listen to me about doing something about her disappearing.  I’m sure I’d be laughed at for even mentioning that she’s the evil on and she’s planning on destroying us,” Robert sighed.

“So?  Don’t get the support of your father.  Get the support of your people.  They’re the ones you need to protect, Robert, and they’ll listen to you.  You’ve seen it.  They know your father’s just sitting around, waiting for all this to correct itself.  They want to be spurred into action.  And they support you,” Clover said. 

“And Alter would be more than willing to help, so long as it involved the destruction of their race.  They would believe that Aria’s evil while her brother is not, because we don’t view her as our main goddess.  She can be just as chaotic, random, and destructive as Ignatius, so she can be just as evil if she wants.”

“Thanks,” Ignatius said dryly.

“How long do you think we’ll have?  It took us three months to get to Alter last time.  Do we really have half a year to gather up a force to confront her?” Clover asked.

Odessa snorted.  “Half a year?  You forget; we’ve got a dragon.  We can cut that time to a fraction of that easily.”

“We have to try anyway.  Ignatius said that time ran differently for them.  Maybe half a year will be plenty of time,” Buttercup mused.

“One can hope,” Ignatius muttered.  “One can only hope.”

Angelus Dei
Chapter Twenty-four