Demonthorn

"Is there nothing to be done?"

"Everything that can be done, has been."

"Will everything be lost?"

"My sight fades. I do not know."

"This is the first time that you have not known."

"It is also the first time I have felt fear. Our fate is in those we created."

"Then I will say my goodbyes."

"That is best."

"You should be in prison, all three of you." The elder Ophelia scowled at them.

Lora, Samantha and Kelli were silent.

"Explain yourselves." the elder Erin said thoughtfully.

"We needed the Fire Fury at full strength." Samantha shrugged. "As the leader of the Fury Corp, I made an executive decision to get her to that point as quickly as possible."

"You mean you made an executive decision to kill your traitorous sister." Ophelia growled.

Samantha blushed, but stood firm.

"That was a beneficial side effect of her transformation." Samantha said.

"This is all pointless." Kelli said. "Jolie is the real problem and we all know it."

The room was silent for a good moment as they all pondered the question.

"You are sure?" Erin asked.

The three women nodded.

The council murmured and Erin sighed.

"This is unprecedented." Ophelia said. "We have no way to deal with a rogue Fury."

"Yes we do." Lora said brashly.

"Silence, girl!" Ophelia roared. "You are in enough trouble as it is, do not compound your sins!"

"I am no girl!" Simmered Lora. "I am the Fury of Fire! Chosen by the God and Goddess to protect your worthless carcasses from the terrors that stalk the world, pervert our people and stain our land while you cower in your fortress of stone."

The council sat back, silent and stunned. Ophelia had her mouth open and Erin looked amused.

"Close your mouth Ophelia, or you may find some flies attracted to the shit that comes out." Kelli smirked.

"You at least I can punish! Imprison her!" Ophelia stammered.

"We will do no such thing Ophelia, you useless old bag." Erin retorted. "These women gave us the first real look Below in thousands of years. The intelligence and firepower we gained was worth the risk. We know about Jolie, the dragons and the organization Below. Would you prefer Jolie drop out of the sky into the middle of our formations and decimate them?"

Ophelia glared at Erin, but said nothing.

"You three did something that no living person has done in thousands of years. You took the fight to the demons and their Master. For that, we commend you." Erin said calmly.

The three warriors smiled.

"However, you did countermand the decision of this wise council in confronting the demons Below before our final Fury was ready. You discovered much about the enemy, but also revealed that our Last has been found. This is unforgivable." Erin said with a deadpan expression.

"Punish me!" Shouted Kelli and Samantha at the same time.

Erin was silent, but it was Ophelia that spoke.

"We must punish Lora." Ophelia said quietly.

"Why?" Cried Kelli.

"Because I was the one that revealed myself, goaded you two on and thumbed my nose at the council." Said Lora. "I have earned it and that is that, as much as it irritates me."

Kelli looked like she was going to speak, but Samantha put a hand on her shoulder. Kelli glared at the Fury, but closed her mouth and glowered at the council.

"What is my punishment?" Lora asked.

Erin rose and took a breath and smiled, as if she were delivering glad news.

"You will spend two days cleaning the mausoleums on the Mesa. That will give you the proper respect for the hundreds that died so you could gain this blessing." Erin said, with her own fire in her eyes. "You will not take this power for granted!"

Lora lowered her head and nodded.

"Well, get to it!" Ophelia snapped. She glared at Erin.

"I take my leave." Lora murmured and turned and left the chamber, Kelli and Samantha left with her.

After they had gone, the council members turned to one another.

"That one already has a following." Ophelia said.

"That is what the Fire does, Ophelia. It burns away our doubts. It is a light to lead by" Erin said simply, collapsing into her seat.

"Will it be enough?" Ophelia wondered.

"If we had Jolie, maybe." Erin said grimly. "As it is, I feel the God and Goddess have given up on us. The last time She visited us was when Samantha was confirmed, not even for Jolie did she come."

"I hope it is not so." Murmured Willa, a council member to Erin's left.

"We all do." Erin whispered.

Outside, Lora fumed as she stalked the hallways to the Mess Hall.

"Make me a cleaning maid will they? Let's see how they like it when I reduced their city to ash!" Lora growled.

"As much as I disagree with the council on this and many things, I do see their wisdom." Kelli said gently. "If every Valkyrie went off and did what they wanted, there would be no Order to speak of, just chaos."

"Kelli is right." Samantha said coldly. "And it is not so bad."

"I know all that, it doesn't mean I have to like it!" Lora shouted.

The glowstones inset in the walls grew brighter and sparks flew off of her hair.

"Calm yourself Lora." Kelli said gently.

Lora took a deep breath and the sparks vanished as the glowstones went back to their natural brilliance.

"Kelli and I will help you." Samantha said. "We can finish in one day and then we can have a day off for the second day."

"Is that legal?" Wondered Lora.

"They can tell us not to, but they didn't." Kelli said mischievously. "We can spend the second day in bed."

"Or with me." Samantha said.

"Or with both?" Lora said hopefully.

All three women laughed uproariously as Samantha led them to the steps that would take them to the top of the Mesa.

Lora still scowled as they climbed the steps. Her thoughts were on the Council and how they could think that killing the demon abominations could possibly be a bad thing.

"Coin for your thoughts?" Kelli whispered.

"Just stewing over the punishment." Lora answered.

"Don't. Think of it as more of a rite of passage. We all had to be sent up here at one point. It keeps us humble to imagine those that did not make the journey and those who passe don so we could live." Samantha said quietly. "Also it is wonderful."

"That is true." Kelli said.

"How is a mausoleum wonderful?" Lora asked.

"Not the Mausoleum, but the Grove." Samantha said.

"And what is that?" Asked Lora impatiently.

"That, we will leave for you to see." Kelli said mysteriously.

Lora was silent the rest of the climb, but it was more of a contemplative silence. The other two women stewed in their own thoughts with more than one pointed thought flying at the other. Fire can be divisive as well as inspiring.

When they finally burst back into sunlight, Lora gasped.

The top of the Mesa was a beautiful garden fortress called the Grove. There were fortifications everywhere and stores of arrows, bows and lances under gazebos that also doubled as defensive positions. Everything was planted and planned so that the defenses seemed natural parts of the Grove. There were gorgeous plants everywhere and flowers that attracted honey and bumble bees.

Lora could see hidden behind the greenery were trap doors where defenders could spring up and surprise an enemy. She could also see the nooses and lassos also hidden in the trees as well as several Valkyries in the same trees that wore camouflaged armor and paint. The arboreal women were silent, watching the three of them as they stepped into the Grove.

"This is the place for our last stand." Samantha said. "The warriors up here are the Grovewatch. They maintain the Grove and Mausoleum."

"Are they being punished as well?" Lora asked. "If the enemy makes it here, we have pretty much lost anyway."

Kelli laughed and Samantha chuckled as well.

"This is the most secured place in the entire world. You may have seen three or four of he Grovewatch. There are thousands up here!" Kelli said.

Lora was stunned.

"Why defend some place like this so vigorously? I can imagine these warriors are needed elsewhere." Lora stammered.

"This is where the God and Goddess live here when they come to the mortal plane." Samantha said, her voice a hushed whisper.

"I find that hard to believe." Lora said, still taking in the scenery.

"So do I, but the Council believes it. The sisterhood believes it. It is part of our mandate to defend this place with everything we have. Even the mausoleum is supposed to revive dead sisters to defend the Grove." Said Kelli, rolling her eyes.

Lora let everything sink in.

"I am sure that the next secret I learn is going to shatter my mind like a dropped glass." Lora said, shaking her head.

"Some say it is all superstition and legend. The last time she came, I saw her. She came for me. But the Valkyrie Order who haven't seen her take it seriously, just in case." Samantha said, gesturing toward the Mausoleum situated on a rise a quarter-mile away.

"You never told me this!" Kelli exclaimed.

"You were not authorized to know." Samantha said. "Plus it was before you were born."

Kelli glared at the Fury.

"So what is this plant?" Lora asked to break the two up

The women chatted about the plants, the history of the Grove and Lora asked more questions than she ever thought she could.

"I love it here." Lora whispered as they passed through a small orchard of apple trees.

"Everyone does." Kelli smiled. "That is why coming up here is never a punishment, but a blessing. It invigorates you, makes you want to live life to the best."

"The magic of the God and Goddess is strong here." Samantha said. "You can visit any time you want as a Fury to refill your soul."

"I may never leave."

"Be careful what you wish for." Came a dry voice from above.

A woman in green and brown paint dropped silently in front of them from the tree above. The three women were startled and dropped into fighting stances. Lora's eyes blazed with fire and Samantha's frosted over as they readied their powers.

"Peace." Said the new woman calmly. "I am Josefa of the Grovewatch."

"Don't surprise us like that." Exclaimed Kelli.

The two Furies calmed down, their powers receding.

"Sorry I scared you." Josefa said with a small smile.

"You didn't scare us." Lora said indignantly. "We just weren't ready."

"The demons will never show up when you are ready." Said Josefa. "Just like the God and Goddess and speaking of..."

"They are here?" Snapped Samantha. "Why did we not know?"

"Just her." Josefa said. "She is waiting."

"Off we go." Kelli said, ushering the Furies along as they followed Josefa. "Best not to keep a Goddess waiting."

"Why didn't we know?" Samantha asked again.

"She just showed up." Josefa said. "She asked for you three and then walked out of the mausoleum and sat down."

"Then why didn't the prophets tell us?" Asked Samantha irritably.

"My guess is she didn't want them to know." Josefa said. "She rarely gives us reasons for what she does. She does what she pleases."

The Mausoleum loomed in front of them before long. It was made of white blocks of stone that was reinforced with a steel frame, making it glimmer in the sunlight. The gardens did not come up to it as if out of respect. Or fear.

In front of it was seated a plain-face woman in white robes. There were no other people. Samantha took a deep breath. Lora looked at her questioningly.

"It has been so long since I saw her." Samantha said. "I forgot how wonderful she is."

"Hey Josefa, what are we supposed to do now?" Lora asked.

The Grovewatch woman had disappeared.

Then there was the sweetest sound any of them had ever heard. The Goddess spoke.

"Come here my children." She said.