Rodrigo, enraged, leapt forward to confront them, but Ana stopped him with a nervous expression.

  “That man—the one who shot Epona—is a katteres. You can’t… we can’t…” Ana said.

  “I didn’t expect them to arrive this soon,” Tania admitted.

  “By order of our father Esus, and by Lord El’s absolute rule in Lel, we have come to kill all of you,” said the man who had shot Epona.

  He appeared as a blond man with a short beard, amber eyes, a diadem, a white toga, and a red cape. His messy hair gave the impression of a blazing sun.

  “I am Belenus, the Celtic katteres of light, and I will be your executioner,” he declared.

  “And I am Toutatis, the grigori of Gaul. I am here only to report this to Lel and validate your execution,” said the other man.

  This deity had reddish hair, green eyes, and wore a golden helmet with two horns resembling those of a goat. He wore colorful checkered clothing and a red cape.

  “Well, at least now we know why Toutanis was not protecting the Frankish territories,” Athena said.

  Rodrigo struggled to break free from Ana’s grip, furious.

  “What do you mean we can’t win?” he demanded.

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  “That man, Belenus, is of the same rank as Ana, Tania, and even Loki—but there is one crucial difference,” Athena said. “He can use his totema at its full potential.”

  “What does that mean?” Rodrigo asked.

  “Totemas are like receivers of faith that we gods use. But that faith humans offer flows directly into the worlds where our kingdoms exist. Ana, Tania, and Loki are fugitives—their totemas stopped receiving accumulated faith long ago. But these men are still members of the Celtic pantheon. They still receive all the faith collected in their realms,” the Greek goddess explained.

  “That’s right, boy,” Belenus said. “That is the difference between a katteres and a grigori.”

  “Even if we stand no chance, I’m still going to fight the two of you,” Tania said, summoning her fiery claws.

  “And so will I,” Ana added, materializing her legendary sword Dyrnwyn.

  “I advise you not to. We’re out of ambrosia,” Athena warned with a grave look.

  “We need to flee right now.”

  “Flee? No!” Tania protested.

  “Epona is dying!” Athena shouted urgently. “We must leave immediately!”

  “Do you really think we’ll let you escape?” Belenus said with a smile.

  The Celtic god of light raised one hand and began forming a white sphere. It was made from the energy of the grass and trees around them—as their life force was drained, the plants withered and died.

  Belenus threw the sphere at Tania. She took the hit directly and felt her body being destroyed from within. With a terrible scream, she fell to the ground.

  “Tania!” Ana cried.

  Athena then summoned a double-bladed axe and drove it into the ground.

  “This is a labrys, and it is the key to entering my world. But I need time for the invocation. I need you to stop those two for five minutes,” the Greek goddess said.