Ania waited until the villagers offered their prayers and vacated the temple before showing a soft smile to Bjorn. The latter returned it in kind before making his way towards her. He stopped but a few steps in front of her and performed a polite bow. Ania's face turned a bright shade of scarlet at Bjorn's behaviour. But she kept her mouth shut so as not to appear rude.
"Lady Eraldsen, Oracle to our Divine Lord, it's a pleasure to see you again so soon." Bjorn kept his head bowed a moment longer before raising his gaze to meet hers.
"Ehm, thank you?" Ania stammered, as her mind was still spinning from the elder, showing her the deepest of respect that was usually saved for a king.
"You're welcome... May I ask? Has Exile communicated with you recently? I wish to know if our sacrifices appeased any anger that he may have had for us not dealing with the problem sooner." Bjorn frowned with concern as he searched her eyes for the answer he so desperately craved.
"I'm afraid not..." Ania sighed dejectedly, making Bjorn's heart skip a beat. "However, I was just about to try contacting him. Would you like to wait for his response?"
"You're too kind, Lady Eraldsen... Since you have offered it would honour me to accept." Bjorn performed another deep bow as he waited for Ania to approach the altar.
Bjorn's eyes flashed with excitement as he watched Ania clasp her hands and place her forehead on the stone structure. This was the traditional Skardian pose for asking for anything from the gods. He nodded in approval as he waited for the slight golden glow that had shimmered from her body the last time.
'Exile, hear my prayer...' Ania waited. It had taken several minutes the last time for Exile to respond.
However, time passed and there was no answer. A frown appeared on Ania's face as she began to wonder if something had happened. 'He is a God... I can't expect him to answer every time, right?' She let out a soft sigh and was about to give up when she suddenly heard the familiar static in her mind. A slight smile appeared on her face before disappearing!
[I'm going to kill you Donna!]
A confused expression flickered across Ania's face as she heard the hostility in Exile's tone. 'Lord Exile?' Ania questioned while wondering about the affairs of the Gods.
[Hm? Ah? Ania? What's the matter? Is Eraldsfen under attack?]
'No, everything is fine here...' Ania's face darkened as she heard the urgency in Exile's voice. It was clear she had caught him at a bad time, but his early words and then his question of Eraldsfen's wellbeing put her on edge. 'Is there something we should be preparing for?'
[Hm? Oh... No, no... I'll take care of it here... You don't have to worry... You're sure everything is fi... Clay! Damn you, Aeri!]
Ania's mind began to spin as she heard the names of what she assumed to be more Gods casually being thrown around. From the sounds of it, Exile was caught up in a godly battle. His concern for the one called Clay told her that at the very least it was a two on two fight. With Exile and Clay on one side. Donna and Aeri on the other. But from what she heard, Exile may be all alone now and outnumbered! Ania tried to think of a way to help.
However, she was only a human and unable to influence the affairs of the Gods. Bjorn stood to the side with a concerned expression. 'I hope that doesn't mean he did not like our offerings...' Bjorn shook his head sadly. Since he was out of the loop with their conversation, he assumed that they were talking about the sacrifices.
[Ania, I've got to go...]
With those last words, the connection was interrupted, and Ania could no longer hear Exile's voice. A grim expression appeared on her face as she digested what she had heard. 'Lord Exile is being cornered by Donna... What can we do?' She did not like being stuck here, unable to help.
"What's the matter?" Bjorn asked with a frown upon his face. He was concerned that their sacrifice had displeased their God. If that were true, then he would have created a serious problem for Ania. Most likely he could expect for Exile to smite him at any time.
"It seems that the Goddess of Korden is targeting Lord Exile... From what I heard, he was caught in a battle that involved at least four Gods including himself." Ania shook her head as a tear appeared from the corner of her eye.
Bjorn's eyes went wide as he stared at Ania. Apparently, he had been worrying for nothing! But this brought a fresh set of problems. 'We can't let those cowards from Korden get away with this!' Bjorn's knuckles turned white as he clenched his fists. 'There aren't many warriors left in Eraldsfen... But there should be enough for us to hit back if we're careful.'
"Ania! You take care of Eraldsfen. I'm going to gather some people and go over to Korden. I'll definitely do something about this!" Bjorn's face turned scarlet as he marched out of the temple, leaving a bewildered Ania behind.
"How's he going to talk them out of attacking Lord Exile? Besides, can he even make it in time?" Ania felt a wave of loneliness wash over her as she stood before the altar.
Although Bjorn clearly cared for Exile, she doubted that he felt the same way that she did. Losing the God who had given some meaning to her life other than to become a simple wife... Well, she did not want to think about what would become of her.
Meanwhile...
Exile dove into a roll as he scooped up Clay's orb, while avoiding the spell that had been fired at him from between the trees. As he came back to his feet, he glared over his shoulder at Donna, who was chasing after him...