At that precise moment, both Ana and Loki felt a colossal presence racing through the air toward them at tremendous speed. In fact, it was not one presence, but two. For a moment, both of them were alarmed, but they quickly recognized the familiar energy.
It was Rodrigo and Tania.
However, throughout all of Chaco, bonfires were lit, and a great mobilization of the Hisatsinom troops began at once, while the sound of drums echoed through the entire place.
“Are you feeling the same thing I am?” Ana asked.
“Yes. It seems two of your friends are returning, and apparently, they are flying,” Loki replied.
“That’s what’s weird. How can they fly inside this anti-divinity barrier?” Ana asked.
At that, Ana remembered that when Anat had fought them, she would have sworn that the goddess moved through the sky at tremendous speed, as though she were flying. She also remembered that when they saw the King of Tula, he too had apparently arrived through the air. Still, she preferred to push those thoughts aside.
“I do not know, but I can feel a tremendous increase in both of their powers,” Loki said.
At that moment, everyone was startled to see the Talking God floating above the highest part of the city of Chaco. His arms were crossed, and his posture was stern, though his face could not be seen beneath his mask.
“Wait a sec, these people don’t even know Rodrigo or Tania. They probably think they’re enemies!” Ana shouted, leaping to her feet. Then she ran toward where she saw the Talking God, but he was far away, and she could not fly.
“Please wait, Talking God!” Ana shouted at the top of her lungs. “They’re our friends!”
But the deity did not hear her, and with both hands raised, ears of corn began to appear along the walls of the city of Chaco. From them poured a powder that formed a gigantic barrier around the entire city.
“Forget it, Ana. That fellow, whose name is impossible to pronounce, has already raised a barrier around the city,” Loki said. “I am certain they will attack your friends as soon as they draw near enough.”
“We have to stop them!” Ana cried.
Then the goddess began leaping across the rooftops of the houses of Chaco. Since they were already in one of the higher sections of the city, built into the slope of the canyon, it was easy enough for her to drop down onto the roofs and start running toward where the Talking God was.
But the chain of rooftops ended, and beyond it there was only another immense wall of the canyon. Ana did not have the ability to make such a high leap, and the Talking God was floating directly above her.
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From there, Ana tried shouting to the god again, but he still did not hear her.
At that moment, Loki appeared behind Ana and teleported her in front of the Diné deity.
“Why do you always take the initiative? Do you forget that I can teleport?” the Norse god asked, his arm around Ana’s waist. The goddess blushed and quickly pulled herself free.
“So, you are the foreign goddesses. Why have you come?” the Diné god asked.
“The ones coming this way are our friends,” Ana said to the Talking God. He turned and looked at her in surprise.
“Two individuals of immense power are approaching, and apparently, they do not come alone,” said the Talking God. “Are you certain you know them?”
“Yes, they’re my friends. No doubt at all,” the Irish goddess replied.
“Very well. Then when they arrive here, I will question them to make certain they have no ill intentions toward the Hisatsinom people,” the god replied.
Ana was about to try explaining again, but Loki stopped her.
“Imagine that two exceedingly powerful people were heading toward your home, and only strangers told you they meant no harm. Would you trust them?” the Norse god asked.
“I guess you’re right,” Ana replied.
At that moment, the clouds in the night sky began to drift apart, and two beams of light, one white and the other red, sped toward the city of Chaco. The Talking God did not change his stern stance, while down below, bonfires had been lit atop the watchtowers on the walls, and archers stood ready to fire upon the approaching threat.
If they attack them and my friends fight back, we’re done for. They’ll throw us out of Chaco, Ana thought nervously.
“My name is the Talking God, and these lands belong to Tawa, the Sun God. Identify yourselves and state your intentions in this city of Chaco!” the Talking God declared forcefully, but directly into their minds. Everyone who heard him waited for the lights to stop.
But they did not.
“Second warning. Identify yourselves and state your intentions!” the Talking God continued telepathically, while the men in the watchtowers prepared their bows. Ana grew more and more nervous as she realized that her friends were not answering.
What if they’re being controlled by some evil deity? the Irish goddess wondered to herself.
“Final warning,” said the Diné god. “If you do not respond, we will open fire.”
But there was no answer.
“I am very sorry, but we are going to attack,” said the Talking God. “We gave them a chance, and they did not answer.”
“No, no, please wait. They must have some kind of problem, that’s why they can’t answer,” Ana tried to explain, but the Diné god did not respond to her pleas.
The Talking God raised his arm to signal the attack, and at that moment they could make out Rodrigo, wrapped in a white aura, carrying Anpiel and Susanoo, while Tania came with her manticore wings spread and wrapped in red energy, carrying Menrva, Freyja, and Tul, who was lying across her back.
Then one of the archers shouted to the Talking God in Na-Dene:
“My lord,” he said, “I think they’re coming in asleep.”
Indeed, everyone then began to hear Tania’s powerful snoring, as the goddess flew forward with her eyes shut and drool running from her mouth. Rodrigo, likewise, was approaching completely asleep. And not only them, but the rest of the group as well were entirely asleep.
“They fell asleep... while flying?” the Talking God wondered in confusion.
“What happened?” Ana asked curiously.
While Ana and the Talking God were still speaking, Tania and Rodrigo slammed into the barrier the Diné god had raised. The impact was so strong that all of them bounced off and were hurled toward the great cliffs outside the city, crashing into one of them and blasting a huge hole into the rock wall.
“It seems... they really were asleep,” the Talking God remarked, which left Ana and Loki both completely bewildered.