As she stood in front of the massive, wall spanning window at the back of her office, Pryvani couldn’t help but marvel at the view. The mountains in the distance were washed deep purple by the gathering darkness of night. It was a view she had seen hundreds of times before, but it felt like this was the first time she had actually noticed it. 

Those mountains stood in silent watch over the landscape. Resolute. Unwavering. They had stood there long before Pryvani had been born, and they would still be there long after she’d passed on. 

Part of her wished she could borrow some of that steadfastness. Her own mind was in turmoil, and the weight of her family’s legacy seemed as heavy on her shoulders as all of those mountains combined. 

Despite her best efforts, her gaze drifted to the top of her desk where a framed photograph of a younger version of herself standing with a tall barrel chested man with bright green eyes a full head of blonde hair and a matching beard. Her father. They were smiling together on the banks of a river, as the shade from overhead trees cast jagged shadows on their faces. 

It had been taken during some camping trip or another on one of the wilder colonies of the Empire. She didn’t recall which one, but that hardly mattered. On those trips, she had had his undivided attention for once. All the business meetings, conference calls and earnings reports were left behind, and she was the only thing that mattered to him. 

She sighed and turned away from the image again. A part of her wished desperately that she could ask her father for his advice. The rest of her knew that no amount of wishing could bring him back, and that she alone would have to decide what course of action to take from here out.

But what course of action did she want to take? Was her family’s legacy worth all of this? Did the fact that her ancestors had the best of intentions in mind when they embarked on this fool’s errand matter if the end result was a massive chaotic screaming mess? 

Pryvani buried her face in her arms and wished the entire universe would go away for five minutes. She needed a drink. 

As if to mock her, Pryvani heard an alarm klaxon sounding from the security center down the hall where Rixie, Taron and Zara were busy monitoring the city and their two spies. She shot to her feet and dashed out of her office, making every effort to keep the panic and alarm off of her face, even as it roiled in her stomach. 

“What’s going on?” She snapped as she barreled through the door, barely giving it a chance to open wide enough to admit her. 

“Fire alarm at the Temple. Someone threw an incendiary inside of it.” Taron reported, his eyes never leaving the screen in front of him. 

“Looks like several, actually.” Zara muttered as she looked over his shoulder at a projected layout of the temple on his screen. “There’s fire here, here and there.”

“They’ve started a full scale riot in the streets!” Rixie yelled from across the room. “I’ve lost contact with Alex and Sophia, but their last location was within the temple.” Only the barest crack in her voice betrayed her emotions through the solid professional exterior. 

“Pryvani, I think…” The rest of the sentence died in Rixie’s throat as she felt her eyes widen in surprise. She had turned to address Pryvani and had seen something she never thought she’d ever see. 

Pryvani’s mouth was set in a thin line, her eyes narrowed as she stared at the screen Taron had been looking at. And those eyes… In those ice blue eyes burned an emotion Rixie hadn’t realized the normally calm and collected heiress was capable of. 

Rage. 

Pryvani stood, her fists clenched so hard her knuckles had turned white, and immediately turned to leave the room. 

“Pryvani wait!” 

The heiress stopped in her tracks and spun back around to face her security chief. “Rixie, darling,” It was obvious that Pryvani was trying very hard to keep the annoyance out of her voice. It was equally obvious that she was failing. “Each second I waste here jabbering with you is another second those Trell worshipping idiots are free to tear my city apart!” She took a deep breath and continued in a much calmer tone. 

“If you’re so concerned with my next course of action, by all means feel free to come along and watch, but in either case, kindly let me get on with it!” 

She whirled around in a flash of blue, green and purple, and stormed out of the room. 

Rixie stood a moment, gaping at the door her employer had just exited through. Finally she turned to look at Zara and Taron, who both just shrugged. After a few seconds of silence, and as if by common consensus, all three rushed towards the door to follow in Pryvani’s wake.

*.*.*.*.*.*

Sophia felt the heat from the explosion wash over her body. Fortunately Alex’s bulk kept her out of harm’s way, at least until he landed on her and knocked the wind out of her lungs. Before she could regain her bearings, his hands had gripped her shoulder and hauled her back to her feet. 

Dazed, she looked around as chunks of the ceiling and walls fell around them, spraying stone, wood and glass like shrapnel from a grenade. Sophia winced as a flying shard of glass left a shallow inch long gash in her side. 

As massive holes became punched into the walls around them, they could see glimpses of the street outside, overrun by a seething mass of rioters and people trying to find safety. 

“Come on! We got to get out of here!” Concussive force rattled her teeth as another makeshift bomb exploded in the sanctuary of the temple. Acrid black smoke and noxious fumes clouded her vision as she, Alex and the High Priest pro tem attempted to push their way through the devastated structure.

“Rixie? Everything’s gone to hell here. We need help!” Alex screamed into the microphone concealed around his neck, no longer caring who saw him. Unfortunately a static pop and silence were the only response he got. He had no idea if the Titans could hear them anymore, or if they were even aware something was wrong.

“I think we’re on our own, kid.” Alex muttered. There was another shudder as the structural integrity of the temple took another hit. It sounded like a battering ram was being used on the main gate of the temple. 

“This way!” Dahntnee pulled on Alex’s shoulder. “There’s a side door.” The three of them dashed out of the burning sanctuary and down a dimly lit side tunnel. Outside they could hear the chaos that reigned in the streets.

Eventually they managed to push through the heat smoke and broken pieces of glass and stone that littered the floor and out into the evening air. 

It wasn’t much of an improvement. 

Terrified screams and angry shouts rang out from all over the city streets as brown robed Trell worshippers clashed with the white cloaked City Watch, with the helpless citizens of the city trapped in the middle. 

Chaos reigned as rioters broke down doors and looted the treasures from within. After taking everything of value, the now empty buildings were put to the torch. Clouds of black smoke smothered the city, blocking out much of what little light remained in the day. 

As they watched, a group of about a dozen Trell worshippers overwhelmed one of the mounted Watchmen and pulled him from his horse. The man disappeared into the crowd and didn’t resurface. The remaining watchmen became like islands in a sea of violence, blows from their sturdy truncheons raining down on anything that remained still for long enough. 

“We… we must do something.” Dahntnee muttered eyes wide as he beheld the carnage in front of him. 

“What can we possibly do to stop… This?!” Sophia reached into the belt around her waist and drew out a pair of short daggers, brandishing them protectively in front of her. 

Alex winced at the unmistakable sound of breaking bone as one of the City Watch knocked a cultist away with his truncheon. 

A group of six Trell worshippers were moving in on their position, brandishing weapons in their hands and hungry grins on their faces. Instinctively, Alex moved in front of Sophia and the high priest, his blade clenched tightly in his fist. 

As the first of the mob reached them, Alex lashed out with his clenched fist. Muscles hardened by months of having to climb everywhere in Rixie’s apartment rippled as his knuckles connected with the man’s jaw. The brown clad cultist was thrown back into his fellows who were all knocked down the steps leading into the temple, landing in a heap of tangled limbs at the bottom.

“Weren’t expecting that were you, freaks?” He muttered. He glanced over his shoulder. “Come on. We have to move before this entire place goes up in flames.” Already the tangle of thugs and cultists were sorting themselves out for another, more cautious, charge up the stairs. 

“Absolutely not!” Dahntnee’s jaw was set in a grim line. “I will not abandon this temple to the likes of… of them!” 

Alex sighed. “Well then, padre, I hope you never took a vow of non-violence.” He cracked his neck and squared his shoulders, watching as the cultists mounted the steps once more. He locked eyes with the man he’d decked earlier, who had moved to lead the charge again. 

The man’s dirty blonde hair was plastered to his forehead with sweat, and a trickle of blood leaked from the corner of his mouth; realistically mimicking the grisly markings on his chin. Without taking his eyes from Alex, he reached up, wiped the blood from his chin, and licked it from the back of his hand.

Alex felt his lip curl in disgust and his grip tighten on the hilt of his dagger. He could feel his stomach roil, but tried to remain as calm on the outside. It wouldn’t do him or Sophia any good to panic now. 

With a feral roar the cultists rushed up the stairs again, splitting into two groups to keep Alex from knocking them back again. The blonde nutjob came straight at him, however, raising a gleaming sharp blade above his head.

Alex instinctively ducked to the side, although he felt the sharp metal nick the side of his face and blood run down his cheek. The force of the blonde man’s swing threw him off balance and Alex was able to capitalize on his mistake, bringing one fist up into the thug’s stomach and then swinging the other across his face. With a groan his opponent collapsed to the stone steps and didn’t get back up. 

Alex heard a roar of exertion behind him. He turned just in time to see the High Priest Dahntnee lift another of the cultists bodily over his head and hurl the man back down the steps, knocking three of his compatriots over with him. 

The Priest turned and locked eyes with Alex. There was a half-crazed look in the normally placid preacher’s eyes. “For the record, no, I have never taken a vow of non-violence.” 

Alex realized he’d lost track of where Sophia had ended up. He whirled around, frantically trying to find her. There was a yell behind him and he turned to see Sophia being held with her arms behind her back by one thug, while a second one advanced on her with a malicious smile on his scarred face. There were splashes on red blood on the front of Sophia’s clothes, but based on the multiple cuts on the men’s bodies and the bloodstained blades on the ground at her feet, he wasn’t sure it was all hers. 

He charged towards where she was being held, but before he got even halfway there, Sophia managed to bite the hand of the man that was holding her hard enough that Alex could hear his fingers snap. Once his grip had loosened, she swung her now free fist down into the man’s crotch as hard as she could, and then brought her elbow up to his nose when he doubled over in pain. The man fell over backwards, a red fountain of blood spraying from his face. 

Now freed from his grip, Sophia knelt and retrieved her weapons and then rose back to her feet, facing the last cultist with a burning fury in her eyes. The cultist hesitated, and then stopped. This was not the easy victim he’d been counting on. He turned and tried to flee, only to be met with Alex’s fist between his eyes. The thug fell to the stone floor with a sickening thud. 

“Where the heck did you learn to fight like that?” Alex wondered. 

Sophia shrugged. “I grew up in kind of a rough neighborhood. You?”

Alex grinned, his chest heaving from exertion. “From several years’ worth of bar brawls.” 

There was a shrill whistle that rang out across the courtyard. In front of their eyes, the mounted watchmen pressed through the mob to converge and form a line. Sophia and Alex’s former escort, Lysis, was in the middle of the line urging her palomino forward, driving the cultists back.

Just when it looked like the rabble might finally be contained, another explosion detonated in front of the line of horses. Many of the animals reared violently, throwing their riders. The directionless animals ran straight into the crowd, knocking over and trampling whoever was in their path in their dash to safety. 

Alex watched as Lysis barely managed to keep her seat. She yelled to the other watchmen under command to reform the line, but there didn’t appear to be enough of them still mounted to form an effective barrier. 

With a triumphant roar, the cultists pushed the remaining watchmen back, slowly gaining ground towards their goal at the temple steps. The defenders became bunched up in a small knot near the entrance to the temple. 

There weren’t that many cultists remaining, maybe fifty in all. Unfortunately, there were even less who stood ready to defend the temple. Everyone else had either fled to safety, or they were left lying in the streets. 

Eventually, the watchmen began to retreat up the temple steps, as the cultists pressed forward. Before long Alex found himself standing shoulder-to-shoulder with Lysis as she defiantly loosed arrow after arrow into the throng that besieged them. 

“Nice to see you again.” Alex greeted her mildly, even as he shoved a rather eager attacker back down the steps, where he was trampled by his compatriots. 

“Likewise.” Lysis spoke calmly. “Glad to see you are safe.”

“For the moment.” Alex muttered. 

Alex noticed that many of the Trell worshippers were soaked with drying blood. He fervently hoped that the blood was their own, but he had a sick feeling he was wrong. 

They were getting backed against the temple wall. The side door they had exited through was looming closer and closer. Alex was just about to suggest they fall back inside the temple and find somewhere defensible, when he felt the unmistakable sensation of a knifepoint in his back. 

At which point he remembered the battering ram being used on the temple’s main gates. 

They’d been caught in a pincer.

“Drop your weapons.” A gruff voice commanded them. There was a brief moment of hesitation, and then Lysis dropped her bow. One by one, the rest of the defenders did the same, the clattering of knives, swords, quivers and bows rang out across the courtyard. 

They were led back into the temple. The entire place had been trashed. The entire back wall no longer existed, so that it looked like a giant open amphitheater. Debris littered the ground. Alex and Sophia were grateful for the boots they’d been given, as they felt the shards of glass crunch underneath their feet. 

Every stained glass window had been shattered. The walls that were still standing nevertheless had massive holes punched into them. The statue of the Goddess in the center of the room, while still standing, now had streaks of black ash marring its surface.

Most of the fire had extinguished itself, but occasionally a pile of wreckage could be seen smoldering along the side of the room.

The prisoners were led towards the altar, where another group of brown clad men were prostrating themselves. Standing triumphantly atop the altar in front of the crowd was a man. His robed was stained almost black, and red streaks covered his face. His hair was slicked back, and Alex couldn’t be sure if it was naturally dark or had been stained that color by the dried blood caked on every strand. 

The man’s eyes were ice blue, and he had a strange unhinged look. The serial-killer grin on his face didn’t help that impression much either. Nor did the fact he was soaked in blood. 

As they drew near, Alex was able to make out a long jagged scar that circled over his brow, around his right eye and then down the side of his face to his chin. It completed the “sinister psychopath” look rather nicely. 

“At last!” The man crowed as he climbed down from the altar and walked towards them. “The end of the old regime is upon us.” 

The man who held Alex immobilized shoved him roughly to the ground, where glass and stone debris dug into his hands and knees. 

“Khalin?” Lysis spat blood on the floor at his feet. “You’re the one who’s behind this insanity?” 

“Hello Cappy.”Khalin smirked as he stepped up to the soldier and knelt down to look her in the eye. “I suppose I don’t really need to turn in my resignation from the Watch anymore, do I?” 

He stood up and smirked down at his former commanding officer. There was pregnant pause, as if he were considering what to do about her, before he lashed out with his booted foot and kicked her in the abdomen. 

Lysis let out a muffled gasp of pain, and collapsed. The men restraining her caught her just in time to prevent her from falling to the floor. 

Instinctively, Alex thrashed against those restraining him, his vision gone red. “You son of a-!” His expletive was cut off by a leather gauntlet across his jaw, courtesy of the goon standing beside him. 

Khalin ignored the other man’s outburst, focusing instead on the woman in the Watch uniform gasping for air in front of him.

“You’ve no idea how long I’ve wanted to do that.” He smirked before turning back to the altar. 

“Now then, with the exception of my dear former commanding officer; I offer you all a choice.” He leaned casually against the Goddess statue, crossing his arms over his chest. 

“You may either serve the Devourer.” He gestured towards the brown-clad and prostrated figures. “Or you will feed her.” He used his other hand to indicate a rather gruesome patch of spilt blood on the floor.

“I will not forsake the Goddess, and you are a fool to think she will allow this… horrible act of desecration and cruelty to go unpunished.” Dahntnee spat. 

Khalin arched his eyebrow, as if amused. “So that’s one for the ‘feed’ column. Anybody else?” 

Khalin’s words were interrupted a cacophonous booming sound erupted over the city. He turned and, along with every other person in the sanctuary (and likely the rest of the surrounding area) looked towards the closed city gates which were the sound of the noise. There was a brief pause, and then a second bang echoed across the courtyard. They could see the gates buckle under the hidden onslaught. 

Khalin’s eyes widened with glee, which did nothing to lessen his manic appearance. “She comes!” he breathed. “The Dark Lady comes again!”

Alex pushed back against the hands that were restraining him. “I don’t think so. Your ‘Dark Lady’ has been imprisoned!” 

“LIES!” Khalin screamed, even as another blow boomed over the city. “She will reward our faithfulness!” 

Alex smirked. “She’d sooner punt you across the city.” 

The cult leader leaned towards Alex, a dark smile on his face. “She already has.” 

Before he could elaborate on that statement, there was a crash and the sound of splintering wood. In front of their eyes, the gates that protected the city exploded into a pile of splinters and rubble. 

After the dust settled Alex and Sophia were elated to see four familiar Titans step away from the wreckage. 

Rixie was the first to enter, her clothes stained by dirt and her massive boots scuffed from kicking the gates in. She had a furious look on her face and Alex was extremely glad that her anger was not going to be directed at him. 

At least he hoped not. 

Next through the gate were Taron and Zara. They both looked horrified at the damage around them. They slowly entered the city, and then bent down to see if any of the people lying in the streets still lived. Alex felt Lysis stiffen next to him as she saw her goddess enter the city. 

Pryvani followed closely in their wake, a look of cold fury drawn on her normally cheerful features. That look, more than anything, made Alex nervous. He hadn’t known Pryvani was even capable of such an emotion. 

“The Goddess walks among us.” Dahntnee whispered reverently, as Pryvani strode purposefully towards her ruined temple, with Rixie right on her heels.

Sophia couldn’t help but grin as she felt the burly hands that held her arms immobile begin to tremble with fear. “You might want to run, while you still have the option.” She spat contemptuously over her shoulder. She couldn’t help but grin a little when she heard a number of the cultists taking her advice

Not the man who held her down, unfortunately for him. 

“No!” Khalin gasped, backing away from the approaching Titanesses. “This isn’t possible. The Devourer drove you away!” He pointed accusingly at Pryvani, who continued to advance towards the temple, heedless of the little man’s impotent rage. 

With a growl, Rixie pushed her way towards the temple. She knelt down and glared into the massive hole that had been torn into the side of the building. Fortunately, she had just enough presence of mind to watch for wounded and innocents as she lowered herself down, but that was all. 

Her glare sent a chill up his spine and froze the blood in his veins. Alex had to remind himself, again, that he was not the target of her rage. Only then did his heart begin beating once more.

Khalin, on the other hand, seemed to lose his nerve entirely, although that might have had something to do with the fact that Rixie’s mouth, with teeth each as long as his forearm bared in a vicious snarl, was mere inches from his face. 

“Let. Them. Go. NOW!” The wind of her breath blew his hair back, despite it being caked solid with dried blood. 

Oddly enough, Alex and Sophia quickly found their arms released. Their newfound freedom lasted approximately two seconds, however, and then they found themselves swept up in Rixie’s hand and raised high into the air as she stood. 

“You should have run when you had the chance!” Sophia called down to her former captors. 

Dahntnee stood and gazed rapturously at the elegant Titaness in front of him. The one he had worshipped as a goddess for his entire life. 

“My lady… I can’t express how happy I am to see you…” He fell to his knees again in front of her. 

Pryvani smiled gently down at the man kneeling in front of her. “Please. Don’t kneel.” She coughed and tears began running down her cheeks. “I… regret that I couldn’t stop this before so many lives were lost.” 

“But here you are, to serve these monsters with justice!” Dahntnee cried as he rose to his feet, his face upturned to beseech his goddess. 

Pryvani shook her head. “No.”

Dahntnee gapped. “But… I… What…?” 

“It’s not me who will determine what a just punishment for their crimes will be. It will be you. All of you. You, the people of this city, will decide what punishment these people will serve for their crimes. I will abide by your decision.” She turned now to address the citizens of the city, who were slowly and cautiously coming out of their places of safety. 

“People of the city of Atlantis: Hear me and let my words be carried to every fishing village and farming community. To every mining town and woodcutter’s mill. To every citizen of Avalon, young and old.” 

She fell silent. Sophia could see her throat working furiously, as if the words were trying to force themselves out of her throat. Finally she took a deep breath and continued. 

“You have been lied to. For generations, your people have been kept in ignorance of your origins. I’m ashamed to say that while this lie didn’t originate with me, I perpetuated it.” 

The citizens at her feet stared up at her perplexed. They didn’t understand what she was trying to tell them. 

Pryvani swallowed again, and paused to wipe the tears from her eyes. After a deep breath she continued. 

“But that ends today. This tragedy could have been avoided entirely if it weren’t for my own foolishness, and that of my… my ancestors. The truth, citizens of Avalon, is that my name is Pryvani Tarsuss, and I am not a goddess.”