Chapter Twelve

Cierra froze. She tried to assess her options; she could run, but there was nowhere to run to. Running had never helped them much in the past anyway; running from the imps before had simply made her and Cid tired.

They could hide, but everything around them was sand except for the statue, and there was no way she was going to try to hide behind a lion woman who looked like she was taking a nap.

What if she woke up hungry and they looked like a snack?

The only other choice was to try and face whatever this was head on.

"It's okay Cid," Cierra tried to keep her voice steady as she said it, leaning over to pat him on the side. Nothing had ever hurt them before, so what could possibly hurt them now?

The shape was faster than she had expected, and it gained on them in a matter of moments. She was happy she chose to wait instead of wasting energy running away, it didn't seem like they would have gotten very far.

Something about his movements looked jerky, almost as though his joints strained with each movement. There would be a pause, then a lift of the leg, and then the other, and yet somehow, he was much quicker than Cierra had believed such stop-go movements could be.

When he was about a yard away, Cierra raised her hand in what was supposed to be a wave but looked more like a stop gesture and summoned all her courage to speak instead of taking off in the opposite direction.

"Hello," She wasn't sure what else to say, and it came out more question than greeting. "Can I…help you?" She finished, already mentally kicking herself. What did she mean 'How can I help you?,' this creature most likely had lived here for its whole life, while she had just arrived. If anything, she was the one who needed help.

The lion-man stayed silent, coming closer, his movements almost sickening to watch. Cierra tried to keep her growing sense of unease on the inside. The last thing she wanted to do was look weak or nervous, she'd heard in movies that when an animal knows you're afraid, they're more likely to attack. In fact, she remembered learning before to never run from a tiger, as it triggers the 'must chase prey' response.

What if strange lion-men were the same?

Suddenly Cierra's mouth felt dry, like she hadn't had water in weeks. She licked her lips, then stopped, self-conscious. Was that also a sign of anxiety?

Cierra hoped this was another one of those dream creatures who wouldn't interact with her at all. Perheps it had already been en route to the statue before Cierra and Cid had arrived.

When it looked as though the creature was going to pass them, he stopped.

The being in front of them was squat and wide, a male dwarf version of the statue behind them. He had a lion's head like that of the unknown statue, but with a larger jaw, jowls drooping slightly into his neck, and his barrel chest was shirtless, displaying a thick line of hair that came down from his mane and gathered on the top half of his chest. His feet were bare, and his eyes pointed slightly too far left and right, as though trying to see more to the side than ahead, giving the illusion that he was not so much looking at Cierra and Cid, but around them.

"You shouldn't be here," his voice was not what Cierra expected. What she had imagined would be a deep growl, was soft though authoritative.

"Do you know where we are exactly?" Cierra asked, hoping for something that sounded Nordic despite their surroundings being the exact opposite image of what the word 'Nordic' brought to mind.

"We stand in what was once the Breath of Sekhmet," at the mention of Sekhmet, he gestured to the statue behind them. "Goddess of love and war, her very breath brought either life or destruction."

Cierra's skin crawled as the lion-man stared lovingly at the figure of Sekhmet. She moved to position herself where she could see both lion-head creatures more easily.

"And," she asked tentatively, "Where is Sekhmet now?"

"This," He nodded towards the statue, "is the last existing body of Sekhmet. When she returns to us, this will be her vessel."

"I don't understand, where is she if she isn't here?" Cierra cocked her head to the side, eyebrows knitting together. Who was this goddess, and why was Cierra here instead of wherever Freya was?

"No one knows," he turned back towards her. "All of the major deities disappeared too long ago to remember."

"All of them?" Cierra's heart fell. "Have you heard of a goddess named Freya? Do you happen to know where I could find her?" Cierra asked, grasping at straws, "Or maybe her vessel? I think I've gotten a bit lost."

"Freya?" It was the man's turn to look confused. "I haven't heard that name in years…"

"I don't think I've introduced myself," He extended a hand to Cierra, "I am Baaqir, one of the few remaining worshippers of Sekhmet."

Cierra took his hand, "I'm Cierra, and this is Cid." She motioned to Cid, who sat in front her legs, eying Baaqir.

"What a very curious…" Baaqir paused, looking Cid over, "cat."

He turned back to Cierra. "You say you're looking for Freya. May I ask why?"

"I need a divine object, one of Freya's tears." Baaqir waited for her to elaborate further, but she did not. She wasn't sure she trusted Baaqir, and she would hate for word to somehow get back to the people she was trying to meet that she had so easily spoken about them to a stranger. It wasn't likely to help her ingratiate herself.

She changed topics. "I followed Freya here, but haven't seen her." Technically it was the truth, she had wound up here in her quest to find Freya. There was no need to talk about how she had followed Freya here or that she had never physically seen her before.

Baaqir glanced from Cierra to Cid, and back, as if deciding on something.

"There was a rumor, many years back, that was popular among the dwarven people of all races and pantheons," His eyes held a hint of what Cierra thought was humor in them now, "regarding Freya."

Cierra tried to remember the information she had gathered on Freya while she was awake. When had she interacted with dwarves? Cierra had been much more focused on what Freya looked like and whether she had generally positive or negative attributes.

"Freya was a beautiful goddess, and many wanted her, even if just for a night, though Freya was Odin's at the time. But one day she wanted something," Baaqir continued, "The story goes that she saw four expert craftsmen, all dwarves, creating a beautiful necklace that would come to be known as Brísingamen."

Brísingamen, that did sound familiar to Cierra. So did the story of those lusting after her, Cierra recalled how some websites had gone so far as to call her a goddess of sexuality.

"Was that the necklace she was known to wear?" Cierra asked, eager to try and get to the point of Baaqir's story.

"Correct," Baaqir flashed a smile at her, showing rows of sharp teeth. "To get Brísingamen, Freya spent one night with each of the craftsmen." Baaqir puffed his chest out proudly, "It was a crowning achievement that dwarves talked about for decades."

Cierra wasn't sure how she felt about any of this information, but she nodded along to his story.

"Have you ever seen Freya yourself?," She asked, hoping to get find where Freya might be now, or at least get a more definitive idea of what she looked like.

"Well, I haven't seen Freya," Baaqir started, "But I have seen what could be Brísingamen."

Cierra's heart skipped a beat, "Where?" Already she was wondering if Brísingamen itself could count as a divine object. It was something that Freya wore every day, so there was a chance she might be able to get her hands on a divine object without having to do much of anything.

"There is a mountain to the west where many…beings pass through." Baaqir paused, "It is dangerous, but I can take you to the foot of the mountain."

Cierra hesitated. She had Cid, but she wasn't sure she liked the sound of 'beings,' or the ominous pause when Baaqir said it.

"What exactly do you mean by 'beings'?" Cierra asked, "Are they simply creatures of this world or are there nightmares as well?"

"I do not know. I only know that many odd things pass through the mountain. Some come back, and others do not."

Cierra glanced at Cid, nervous. This sounded more dangerous than she had expected. She had chosen to find Freya in hopes of avoiding danger, not to find potentially even more.