Acropolis

Cooling of Battle

For weeks, priests and priestesses were martyred unwillingly on Janus's front in place of unicorn sacrifices. Not only had priests and priestesses been previously accused with the Council of Elders of stealing from the treasuries and sacrificing to Mother, but Jason needed to remind the elders and citizens of past suspicions. Sacrifices of caught wild unicorn were increasing as soon as Janus's influence spread. Likewise, priests and priestesses, including Ara, were set to be burned at the stake for suspicion of killing unicorns. Martyrdom not only spread on the battleground but from village to village.

With the fire raging, burn sentencing was much easier. Acacia tried to release Ara first so she could help rescue the other priestesses and priests. The unicorn hair armor made it easier to go into the flames but everyone had to be quick (thus Kazimir escaped and Janus was left until the flaming circle died). Marko, Daphne, Kazimir, and Andelko were busying themselves rescuing the other priests and priestesses and putting them into hiding.

Marsian red fire and smoke engulfed the battlefield exactly as in Acacia's first vision on the seven-day journey but she believed so much in the mirage that it wasn't even a nightmare. She was wise enough to keep the caution.

With the help of Daphne, the ropes finally fell off Ara as she collapsed onto Acacia's shoulders but something about her appearance could never be regained—her skin was blistered and parts were burnt and blackened. She might have already been dead. Acacia suddenly resented the firebird's help with every fire and fiber in her being. Yet she remembered Jan also had help in spreading the flames with his tear-gas bombshells and sulfur shells which left the ancient people unprepared.

The best resistance and medicine would have been Ara's but she was unconscious or dead. Marko's party and the rest of the army were still rescuing martyrs. This didn't keep lives away from the stake but it left the battle arrangements dismantled and Jan had trouble locating his attackers if there were any left.

This is what ended the battle after Acacia sharpened her knitting needles to various points, stabbing those who tried to kidnap her and tear into her sweater armor and flesh.

The flames made her skin itch and sweat worse than the sweaters and when the land had lost its patience, a great wave rose out of the sea like the wave in Borjio's tale. Eyes that further made Acacia's skin itch and crawl could be seen staring out of the suspended waves. The waves had eyes and they were large, piercing, and dull green. Acacia was about to dip Ara in the tide but she ran them the other direction, past the screams and spits of flames and blackened stakes and toward the greater wild of the Kirin—but the wave grew larger. The eyes could no longer be seen but Acacia, with the weight of Ara slowing her down, ran harder through the forest, not caring what would find her there. She came to a dip or small valley. She still heard the wave growing distantly and relief came when the watery noise stopped. She had been panting in the same spot for a while.

She looked to Ara who could have used a stream or gulley to soak the blisters in...

But beware the waters either cursed or enchanted...you will know when it refracts and disappears...Acacia could hear strong clips and paraphrases of Circinus echoing through her.

I have to find a priest or priestess, one that is still alive! I need to go back! I need to find Kazimir! Everyone!

Crash! Was it an explosive or something never heard outside battle?

Whatever it meant, it was time to get out of the gulley and she did just in time to see through the trees and over slopes the carnage of the angry sea. The smokes of flames had been wiped out. It looked like the wreckage of Marko's ship in Siljeca—army, cutlery, and metals were taken in as the sea galloped, retreated, and washed it away.