“Let me treat those wounds on your body, ch’úupal,” Tul said as she applied a cream to the scars on Epona’s face and arms, the ones she had made while under the influence of that grotesque creature.
“Thank you... rabbit girl?” Epona asked as she watched Tul gently spread the white cream across her skin.
“My name is Tu’ul-Uj, but everybody calls me Tul,” the rabbit goddess said with a smile. “From now on, I’ll be traveling with all you too.”
“She’s Tania’s daughter, so be careful if you criticize her,” Anpiel said with a sarcastic smile, while everyone present began to laugh—except Tania, who was annoyed every time Anpiel said that.
They were all gathered outside the kiva, which had been left half-destroyed by the encounter with the creature from beyond. The esplanade’s streets were cracked, and several houses nearby had split open. The great cliffs had caused landslides, and some homes had been destroyed. Fortunately, the Talking God and his brothers had evacuated the town during the night, knowing what was about to happen.
Grandmother Spider, who had come out behind Epona, had already gone off with a group of soldiers to inspect the city’s damage. So the members of Orniskem were all gathered around Epona, and beside them, the Talking God and his brothers were resting as well after the fierce battle in which they had exhausted all their manna.
“You’ve got a larger scar on your face, but it looks much older. Do you want me to remove that one too?” Tul asked when she noticed the scar on the left cheek of the Celtic goddess.
“No... that one is fine,” Epona said with a nostalgic expression, remembering when her brothers attacked her. In some way, that scar reminded her that she had to stay strong and never give up in her crusade.
Tul then remembered that Tania had not wanted the scar on her abdomen or the one on her face removed either. I admire how brave they are, she thought to herself.
After Tul applied the cream, the equine goddess’s scars finally began to fade.
Menrva held up her totema, which was also a mirror, and Epona saw her lovely face reflected in it, as clean and radiant as before. Tears of joy sprang to her eyes, and she turned to look at her companions.
“Thank you, everybody! Thank you for worrying about a simple igigi like me!” she said.
Then Epona turned to Ana and hugged her.
“If it weren’t for your help, I never would’ve made it this far. Thank you, crow friend!” Epona said, crying with happiness.
“Keep your composure, Epona,” Ana replied. “You’re never like this.”
Epona let go of her and laughed.
“Better enjoy it now, ’cause I’m gonna act different again in a sec,” she said.
“And... are you really all right now?” Tania asked curiously, stepping closer to the equine goddess.
“Yes. That pressure, that fear, and those voices... I can’t hear them anymore,” Epona said.
“Still, my memory is a little scrambled about what happened when Anat attacked me,” the Celtic goddess confessed.
“That’s exactly what we wanted to ask you about,” Tania continued. “Loki told us that after you’d been dead for several minutes, you suddenly started coughing.”
“So... how did you come back to life? Do you remember?” Ana asked, intrigued as well.
“Girls, please. Epona just came out of a treatment that must’ve left her completely exhausted. Why don’t you ask her once she’s rested?” Menrva interrupted.
“No, Menrva, it’s okay. I don’t mind talking about it,” Epona replied. Then she turned toward Rodrigo and smiled at him. After that, she looked back up at the sky.
“When Anat attacked me,” Epona began, “I woke up in a white world where there were no limits and no anything... that’s when I understood that I had died, and that my soul was about to be erased.”
Ana and Tania listened to their friend’s story with growing unease. Rodrigo was also straining to hear every word from the woman he loved.
“In that moment, I felt a peace and calm I’d never felt before. I felt like I could finally rest and leave everything behind,” the equine goddess continued. Then her face twisted with dread.
“But there was something in that world... I can’t really remember what it looked like anymore. I just remember that it was gigantic and monstrous, and I was moving toward it so it could devour me, and I couldn’t stop myself,” Epona continued.
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It’s exactly what Eshmun told me, Tania thought. That dweller from the afterlife.
“But just as I felt it was about to devour me, I saw the children in Horsens that we helped, the women we rescued in Toulouse, and some other people I’d helped recently. I could feel them praying for me to help them. They believed I was some kind of Christian guardian angel,” Epona continued.
Ana and Tania were left speechless. Their faces went pale, and neither of them knew what to say.
“Is something wrong?” Menrva asked in confusion.
“Epona... you regained consciousness after that?” Ana asked, startled.
“Yes. After that, I heard a voice, though I can’t remember what it said, and then suddenly I was beside Loki, coughing,” Epona continued.
“I... went through something kind of similar too,” Ana said nervously.
“You too, Ana?” Tania asked curiously.
“I didn’t hear that voice, but... when I was fighting that stupid bastard sitting over there, and he impaled me with his ice spears, I could feel the prayers of the people in Horsens and the women in Toulouse. Because of that, I regained consciousness and could keep fighting,” Ana explained.
“In Adlivun... when all of us froze, I could see and hear the prayers of the people in Ibiza that I always helped,” the Punic goddess began.
“It happened at a moment when I had already lost consciousness, and that gave me enough energy to awaken my manticore transformation, something I hadn’t been able to do inside that cavern until then,” Tania finished.
The three goddesses fell silent, staring at one another in bewilderment, until Menrva interrupted.
“Wait... did you perform a miracle with the faith of the people you helped?” she asked.
“I didn’t think that at the time. I just assumed it was adrenaline in a desperate moment,” Tania said.
“But now, hearing what happened to Epona... it’s possible that... I would have died that day too,” Ana added.
“I don’t think I actually died, but the power I experienced in that desperate moment wasn’t natural either,” Tania said as well.
Then Epona took a deep breath and looked at the three goddesses intently.
“Maybe... we should help more and more people in this world, so we can work miracles,” the equine goddess said.
All the goddesses looked at one another and nodded. It sounded obvious, but for them it was a great discovery, something none of them had truly considered before.
The problem was that gods had always seen humans as farms of faith. But it was very rare for gods to live among humans and interact with them as equals. On top of that, there were many ideas of divine supremacy over the human race in the world of the gods. Living among humans was seen more as a punishment than as a way of life. That was why a god genuinely helping a human, without seeking power or dependence for worship, was something so strange.
“I think I understand now why Master Athena wanted me to cope with you,” Menrva said excitedly. “I had never imagined faith could work in that way.”
“It isn’t faith. I’m sure of that,” Ana said.
“But doesn’t it work the same way our totemas do?” Menrva asked, puzzled.
“I don’t think so. I think it’s something different. I just still don’t know exactly what,” Epona added.
“But if it was something that could even help me escape that creature, then it must be very powerful,” Epona said.
“Well then, Menrva, let’s promise to help humanity however we can. Not as goddesses, but as part of society too,” Tania said to the Etruscan goddess, who was watching all this with wonder and admiration.
The four goddesses stretched out their hands and touched one another with the tips of their index fingers.
“It’s a promise,” all four said.
Rodrigo listened to the conversation with fascination and thought for a moment about what that power could mean, and whether he too might someday achieve it by helping humanity—as a human being, not as a god.
The gods could easily create farmland in deserts, create new expanses of earth over seas and lakes, even cure human diseases, especially those blessed with the powers of Earth, Moon, and Venus. But did that require effort? Did that require sacrifice?
Tania did not help the people of Ibiza with magic. She bought medical manuals and learned how to treat human illnesses in order to help the people among whom she lived. She did not make a show of her Moon powers; she did it with the knowledge of ancient physicians and doctors from the Greek world. She had learned to heal people through effort.
Was that the secret behind the power they were talking about? the boy wondered.
Epona turned to Rodrigo and smiled as she rose to her feet and approached the young tannin.
“What do you think about me letting my hair grow long, Rodrigo?” Epona asked with a smile.
“You look really beautiful both ways,” Rodrigo answered, a bit embarrassed.
“You’re sooo boring, Rodrigo! Pick one!” the equine goddess said with a pout.
“Well... I think I’d like to see you with long hair, just to see how it looks on you,” the boy finally answered.
“All right, then! I’ll let it grow!” the goddess said happily.
Then the young man pulled from his pocket the little necklace he had bought for Epona in the markets of Chaco.
“Is that for me?” the equine goddess asked excitedly.
“Yes. I thought it would be a nice little gift for when you got better,” Rodrigo said as he fastened it around her neck.
Epona looked at the necklace and saw that it carried the image of a silver sun. A huge smile spread across her face.
“You’re so sweet, Rodrigo. Thank you!” the goddess said brightly, and kissed Rodrigo on the lips.
“And about that... I’m sorry I wasn’t there with you to protect you when that Anat hurt you,” Rodrigo said shamefacedly.
“Oh, shut up, Rodrigo,” Epona replied irritably. “Nobody knew that bitch was gonna show up in Haida territory, and besides, I was the one who decided to go there.”
“Well, I swear this time I’ll protect you... I’ve gotten stronger,” the young tannin said with determination.
“Really? I already wanna see it!” Epona said excitedly.
Ana watched the young man talking with Epona with curious eyes, but Tania tugged her ear.
“Not now, idiot,” she said.
“I know,” the Irish goddess replied reluctantly.
“Then stop being so obvious,” Tania said, shaking her head.
They all kept talking for a while in front of the now-ruined kiva, and afterward they returned to the guest house, which fortunately had suffered only minor damage.