The Gods are Bastards
It was a world of sword and sorcery, but that was a thousand years ago.
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Tag Archives: Andros Varanus
October 18, 2019 UncategorizedAndros Varanus, Archpope Justinian, Basra Syrinx, Bishop Darling, Branwen Snowe, Captain Ravoud, Fross, Gabriel, Juniper, Professor Tellwyrn, Ruda, Shaeine, Teal, Toby, TrissinyD. D. Webb
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"And you know what the really surprising thing is? I'm not even angry."
Tellwyrn had swiveled her desk chair sideways and leaned it back as far as it would go, practically lounging in it with herself in profile relative to the students crowding her office. The fingers of her left hand drummed a slow and steady beat against the desk; with her right she held up the Mask of the Adventurer, slowly turning the innocuous-looking artifact this way and that and watching how the afternoon sunlight from her broad window gleamed along its understated silver decorations.
"Barely surprised, even stranger," she mused, studying the mask. "Oh, a little bit, sure. A person doesn't have something like this dropped on their desk and not spend a few moments pondering what, in general, the fuck. But it's really striking how quickly that faded into this vague yet all-consuming sense of 'yeah, that sounds about right.'"
"I can't decide if we're being insulted or let off the hook," Gabriel muttered.
"I'll take the one if it comes with the other," Juniper muttered back.
"Hell, there's a nice compliment in there if ya squint," Ruda added, grinning.
"It has to be said that I'm not without responsibility in this," Tellwyrn continued, turning the mask over to examine its inner face. "You certainly went and did exactly what I instructed, didn't you? I think I can be forgiven for failing to anticipate this outcome, but really. The combination of you lot, that location, and vague instructions to have a spiritually meaningful experience? Yeah, I'll own it, on a certain level I was sort of asking for this. Not sending a proper University guardian with you, even. I swear I thought that was a good idea but now I'm sort of grasping for the reason why."
"Locke performed…adequately in that role," Trissiny reported. She had changed out of her armor, but was standing at parade rest with only her sword buckled over her leather coat to identify her rank. "She's jumpier than I would have expected under certain kinds of pressure, but I can't fault her intent, or results. It all worked out."
"Yes," Shaeine agreed, "upon balance I believe your experiment can be considered a success, Professor. Though you may, in the future, want to personally escort groups which present a similar set of risk factors as ourselves."
"Honestly," Tellwyrn said with a scowl, still not looking at them, "I find I'm less annoyed about this thing than by the lot of you fucking off two provinces away to throw yourselves into a battle. Surprised? No. But by the same token, I know this is a conversation we have had before. More than once."
"It was necessary," Toby said in perfect calm. "I am sorry we broke your rules, Professor. In a case like that, however… We always will."
"Mm." She lifted her other hand to grasp the Mask by both its edges and brought it down toward her face.
All of them inhaled sharply, going wide-eyed and rigid.
Tellwyrn stopped moving, then half-turned her head to smirk at them.
The whole group let out their suspended breaths in unison, followed by Ruda emitting a slightly strained chuckle.
"You're a bad lady," Gabriel accused.
"I'll tell you what." Tellwyrn gently laid the Mask down on her desk and swiveled the chair forward to face them directly, straightening up in the process. "This is a one-time offer, don't expect it to become general policy. But on this one occasion, if you can satisfy me that this was a successful educational experience, I will consider the lesson imparted and we can proceed without any further punishment. So?" Planting her elbows on the desk bracketing the Mask, she interlaced her fingers and stared at the group over them. "What did we learn?"
There came a pause, while several of them turned to peer uncertainly at one another.
"Consider it a group effort," Tellwyrn prompted dryly. "I don't care which of you comes up with an answer, so long as I'm satisfied that it's one you've all absorbed."
"We should be more respectful of the unpredictable things in this world," Shaeine said softly. "Of magic, in particular, but generally. There can be severe consequences for assuming that the rules will always apply."
"Yeah…that's a really good way to put it," Toby agreed, nodding. "From everything we know about the rules of magic, there was no reason to think this exact thing would happen, but it was reckless to think nothing of this nature could."
"It's not so much we didn't think it could as it wouldn't have occurred to us, or any sane person," said Ruda. "But…damn. No more fucking around with mixed magic in sacred sites. It coulda been a shit ton worse."
"It is sort of ironic," Tellwyrn said thoughtfully. "For most of my lifetime, it would have been the baseline assumption of everyone, magic user or not, that much about magic was unknowable and not to be trifled with. Then along come I, to drive away the cobwebs of ignorance and instill you all with methodical thinking. Lo and behold, it worked, and here you are lacking fear of the unknown, when that is the exact quality that would have kept you out of this mess. It's enough to make a person reconsider their whole life."
"Logic is the beginning of wisdom, not the end," Fross chimed.
Tellwyrn raised an eyebrow. "That's Nemitite doctrine. Have you been reading the theology textbooks now, Fross?"
"Yes, Professor, they make for really great light reading when I want a change of pace from magical theory. Also super helpful! A lot of stuff people do makes more sense when I understand the underlying philosophies that inform their behavior. But anyway, what I mean is, I don't think your ultimate project here is wrong, not at all. Knowledge is never not better than ignorance. I guess we just hit a point where we got a little too full of our fancy University education and failed to respect the amount of ignorance we still had."
"Well said," Trissiny agreed.
"All right," Tellwyrn said, finally cracking a faint smile. "That's a good lesson indeed, and I am satisfied that you've absorbed it. All things considered, it worked out well. Whatever else happened, this thing enabled you to do a lot of good. Needless to say, if you ever again demonstrate a failure to consider the ramifications of tampering with unknown powers I will descend upon the lot of you like the personified wrath of Avei with a caffeine habit and a toothache. Understood?"
"Yes, ma'am," they chorused.
"Which leaves us with…this." She leaned back again, picking up the Mask. "The thing itself."
"Really sorry to dump this on you, Professor," Teal said earnestly. "But, well, Mr. Weaver said you might be the best person to look after it, and I can really see the sense in that."
"Oh, yes," Tellwyrn said, now staring expressionlessly at the Mask. "I can take it, sure. Chuck it in the vault with the rest of the collection, can do. Ever since I started making it my business to get the really dangerous crap permanently out of everyone's hands, nobody's come close to even finding where I stored it all, much less cracking my defenses. Course, I never had a god make a stab at it before."
"You…" Trissiny hesitated, glancing at the others. "Is a god after that, in particular?"
"Well, you tell me, Avelea," Tellwyrn replied. "Since it seems like Vesk was at least ankle-deep in the creation of this thing and then up to his balls in everything that happened afterward. You three should know what he's like, after this summer." She pointed at Trissiny, Toby and Gabriel in turn. "Imagine you're in a story. In a story, if there's a big fancy magical sword that gets its own entire chapter of exposition, that thing is getting stuck in somebody before the third act climax. Probably after being the object of its very own epic quest."
"But it…sort of was stuck in somebody," said Juniper. "Uh, metaphorically, I mean. The mask was used in the battle; it gave Jacaranda her power back and that pretty much decided the whole thing."
"Ah, yes," Tellwyrn said, scowling. "When you put it that way, the fact that there are pixies spread across half of N'Jendo now is indirectly your fault, as well."
"What, you got a problem with pixies now?" Ruda asked, grinning. "Are you gonna take that, Fross?"
"She's right," Fross said quietly. "That is going to cause some real big problems."
"So, yes, the Mask was used," Tellwyrn said, "and it was a deciding factor in what can be understood as the big story arc running at the time. Hopefully… Hopefully that will be enough. The problem is the scale of it. What you've got here is the kind of thing that alters the destinies of nations for centuries to come, not a single event. At least, that's how it would be in fiction. I'll hide it away as best I can, because what else am I going to do? But I can't help wondering exactly what's going to happen to bring it back out again."
"Okay, that's already giving me a headache," Ruda complained. "You sound like a fuckin' bard. The world doesn't run on fucking story logic!"
"Anything Vesk has his hand on this heavily is going to run at least somewhat on story logic," Trissiny said, frowning deeply. "It would be a good idea to try to think in those terms, if you find him in your proximity. Which is annoying beyond belief because I am not good at it."
"I'll try to give you some pointers," Teal promised.
"Yes, that's a good idea," Tellwyrn agreed. "In fact, in lieu of proper punishment, I have extra homework for you lot after this. I want you to go to the library, ask Crystal for copies of The Myth Eternal by Ravinelle d'Ormont, and write a three-page essay predicting possible next events resulting from your field trip, which you will justify citing the text's description of tropes and narrative structure. This is a group project; I want you to compare notes and each turn in an individual essay describing a different outcome. On my desk by Friday."
"I thought you said you weren't going to punish us if we answered your question!" Gabriel protested.
"Yes, Mr. Arquin, and as I said, this is not a punishment," Tellwyrn said sweetly. "Would you like one of those instead?"
"Irrelevant, because this is what you're doing. All right, all of you out. Go rest, be in class as usual tomorrow. And see if you can try not to kick any more colossal metaphysical hornet's nests for at least a week or so, hmm?"
Several of them sighed, but they turned and began filing out.
"Has anybody else noticed that something terrible happens to every city we go to?" Fross chimed as she drifted through the open door.
"Yeah, that's a good point," Ruda agreed. "You fuckers are never visiting me at home again."
"Correlation is not causation, Ruda," Shaeine reminded her.
"I dunno," said Gabriel as he shut the door behind them. "I feel like 'Causation' could be the title of our biography…"
Tellwyrn stared at the closed office door for a few moments with a bemused little frown, then leaned back in her chair, folded her arms, and glared down at the Mask.
It stared innocently back.
He was apparently the last to arrive.
"So I see this isn't to be a private meeting," Bishop Darling said pleasantly, gliding forward toward the base of the stairs in the Archpope's personal prayer chapel. For once, Justinian was already standing at the base of the steps instead of waiting dramatically at the altar up a story-tall flight of steps, framed by the towering stained glass windows, one of which concealed the door to his secret chamber of oracles.
Bishops Snowe and Varanus were present, of course; that was almost a given. This was where the Archpope had most often assembled his inner circle of four—now three—Bishops. What was unusual was the presence of guards, two Holy Legionaries standing at attention to either side of the stairs, and Colonel Ravoud himself waiting behind the Archpope at parade rest.
"Antonio," Justinian said gravely, inclining his head. "Thank you for coming. I'm sure you have much to tell me."
"Mmm… No, I really can't think of anything," Darling answered, standing before him still with that serene Bishoply smile in place. Branwen gave him a wide-eyed look, Andros remaining inscrutable as ever behind his bushy beard.
"I confess that surprises me," said Justinian, not sounding surprised in the least. "Especially after Branwen brought such an exhaustive report."
"Why, precisely," Darling agreed. "I'm sure she handled it just fine. And now, I believe there are some things you want to tell me."
"You believe so?" Justinian asked in just as mild and pleasant a tone.
Darling smiled beatifically at him. "There had damn well better be."
All three soldiers shifted their heads to stare right at him, Ravoud stiffening slightly.
Justinian's eyes shifted past him to the door he had just come through, which now opened again. "Ah, good. The final necessary party to this conversation. Thank you for joining us, Basra."
Keeping his pleasant smile firmly in place, Darling turned slowly to face her. In neither Church nor Avenist attire, she wore severe black garments which, he realized on a second glance, were a color-reversed version of Ravoud's white Holy Legion dress uniform. The only insignia was a golden ankh pinned over the left breast. The dark color incidentally served to emphasize the white bandages peeking out from her left sleeve. An ornate gold-hilted short sword hung at her belt; well, that style of weapon only required one hand, after all.
Branwen drew in a sharp breath through her nose; Andros folded his arms, grunting once. Basra pulled the door shut behind her, then paced carefully toward them across the ornate carpet, her dark eyes fixed on Darling.
"Bas!" he exclaimed in a tone of jovial delight, spreading his arms wide. "How perfectly lovely to see you again! We have so much to catch up on!"
A practiced flick of his wrist brought the wand up his sleeve shooting out into his palm. She was still most of the way across the room; even with her trained swordswoman's instincts Basra had time only to widen her eyes and stop moving before he'd brought it up and fired.
The crack of lightning was deafening in the acoustically designed chapel. A blue sphere of light ignited around her, the shielding charm of a sufficient grade to absorb the close ranged wandshot without flickering.
Basra bared her teeth in a snarl and dashed right for him, clawing her sword loose as she came. Darling shot her twice more before the pound of heavy boots on the carpet made him shift position to face the nearer of the Legionaries, who was bringing his ornate halberd down with the clear intent of barring them from reaching each other.
Darling grabbed the haft of the weapon with his free hand and spun, using his weight and the man's own momentum to send him staggering right into Basra's shield. It was disgustingly easy. Honestly, why had Justinian campaigned so hard to have his own private military if this was all he did with them? Not only was a halberd a hilariously dated weapon, the clod was using it indoors and obviously had no idea how, to judge by how easily it was taken from him.
It was heavy and unwieldy, and he had no chance of doing anything effective with it one-handed, but fortunately the quality of the Holy Legion remained constant; Darling was easily able to sweep it into the second soldier's feet, sending the man stumbling to the ground. He hadn't even tried to jump. It was an open question whether he physically could have in that ridiculous lacquered armor, but he'd done nothing except try ineptly to change course as the slow and heavy polearm came arcing at him. Never mind halberd technique, these guys hadn't been trained in the very basics of hand-to-hand combat. What the hell was the point of them?
"Antonio," Justinian protested in a tone of patrician disappointment.
"Be with you in a moment, your Holiness," he said cheerfully, dropping the halberd.
Basra had just shoved the stumbling Legionary off her, and now received three more swift shots. Still the shield held; that thing was military grade. She was closer now, though, and lunged at him again with a feral snarl.
The shield was even phased to allow her to attack through it, which was cutting edge and really sophisticated charm work. Unfortunately for Basra, his more old-fashioned tricks were just as good. Her sword didn't even draw sparks as it raked across the divine shield that flashed into being around him.
"Should've stayed down," he informed her, winking. "It suited you."
She made a noise like a feral cat and stabbed at him again, ineffectually. He fired back, the impact of the wand creating a burst of static and the sharp stink of ozone at that range. Basra stumbled backward, blinking the effects of the flash away from her eyes.
A thump and clatter sounded from behind him, and he re-angled himself to check the scene without letting Basra out of his field of view. The tableau told a story at a glance; Justinian looking exasperated, Branwen openly amused, Ravoud flat on his back on the stairs and Andros just lowering the arm with which he'd clotheslined the Colonel when he had tried to join the fray.
"Really?" Justinian said disapprovingly. "I would have hoped you two would try to reason with him, at least."
"We are completely behind you, your Holiness," Branwen assured him. "Rest assured, the moment Antonio begins doing something inappropriate, we will restrain him."
"Eventually," Andros rumbled.
Darling grinned and shot Basra again.
A wall of pure golden light slammed into place across the entire width of the chapel. It was a solid construction at least a foot thick, easily the most impressive Lightworking Darling had ever seen.
As rarely as they were called upon to exercise it, one could easily forget that a sitting Archpope was at least one of the most powerful divine casters in the world. Once in a while, one had found cause to demonstrate it, such as Archpope Sairelle's famous binding of Philamorn the Gold.
Darling shot it, just to be sure. No effect.
"Enough," Justinian stated, hand outstretched and glowing. "Antonio, I understand your frustration—"
"I am well aware that you do," Darling stated, turning to stare at him with the pretense of conviviality gone from his features. "And I'm aware that you are aware that 'frustration' is in no way the word."
"This of all moments is no time for you to succumb to impatience," the Archpope said soothingly. "It is no secret that we have all acted upon complex agendas, Antonio. For this long, at least, we have all been able to relate to one another like—"
"Ah, yes, that's really the thing, isn't it?" Darling said with a bitter grin. "Because as we all know, I'm Sweet of the thousand agendas. Whose side is he on? The Guild, the Church, the Empire? I'm the guy who can smile nicely at everybody and play every side against the middle, committing to none. And I, I, am now officially done with this. That fact alone should warn you just what kind of line you've crossed, Justinian."
Ravoud had bounded back to his feet, stepping away from Andros, and now strode forward, pointing accusingly at him. "You will address his Holiness as—"
"Pipe down, Nassir," Darling ordered. "When I need someone to get humiliated by the Last Rock Glee Club I'll tag you into this."
"Please, Colonel," Justinian said gently, making a peaceful gesture with his free hand. Ravoud clamped his mouth shut, looking anything but happy, but stepped back and folded his arms, glaring at Darling. "We have been through a great deal together, Antonio. I will not downplay the severity of recent events, but surely you do not think that now of all times it behooves you to throw everything away."
"Do you know how many people died in Ninkabi?" Darling demanded. "Don't answer that, it was a rhetorical question. Nobody knows, because they are still finding bodies. And oh, what a perfect storm of factors had to align to make that catastrophe happen! Basra here, Khadizroth and his crew, the Tide. Every one of them your pawns, Justinian."
"And yet," the Archpope said softly, "not even the first time I have been complicit in the mass summoning of demons into a major city under siege. Though as I recall, it was someone else's plan, the last time."
So he was willing to admit to that in front of Ravoud and these incompetent non-soldiers of his? Interesting.
"Oh, don't even try it," Darling retorted with open scorn. "Tiraas was a series of small controlled summonings by professionals, with the full oversight of the Imperial government. In Ninkabi twenty hellgates were indiscriminately opened after your pet assassin went on a murderous rampage to cull the local police. The fact you'd even bother making that comparison shows you have no argument to make, here."
Justinian lowered his hand, and the wall of light vanished. On its other side, Basra still clutched her sword and glared at him, but didn't move forward again.
"So this, finally, is the price of your conscience?" the Archpope asked in utter calm. "It is steep indeed, Antonio."
"Oh, is that what you think is happening here? My moral outrage compelling me to make a brave stand? I would have thought you knew me better by now, Justinian. I'm more than sleazy enough to stick right to all manner of perfidy just to keep a close eye on it. I'd have walked out on you long ago if I was going to do it out of anger or disgust. But you have burned way too many bridges with a single torch this time. You cannot keep a lid on the details of what happened in Ninkabi, not now that most of your own enforcers have run off to who knows where with all their knowledge. This rat is leaving this ship, Justinian, unless you can give me a compelling and immediate reason to think you can survive the backlash coming your way and guarantee that nothing like this ever happens again."
"And what would satisfy you?" Justinian inquired.
"For starters?" Darling pointed at Basra without looking in her direction, keeping his gaze locked on the Archpope's. "Kill her."
"That is a trap," Justinian replied before Basra could react. "A rhetorical snare, Antonio. You seek to manufacture an excuse to do what you wish and blame my unreasonable refusal, knowing very well that I cannot give any such cruel order."
"There is absolutely no reason not to," Branwen stated.
The Archpope shifted to look at her, his eyebrows lifting incrementally. "Branwen…"
"I know you believe you can control that creature, your Holiness," she said, giving Basra an openly contemptuous glance. "Or at least, want to believe you can. I cannot imagine how you could still think so after the last week."
"I have been saying it for years," Andros grunted. "A rabid animal should be put down, not put on a leash. Events continue to prove me ever more correct."
"The events in motion are greater than any of you can yet realize," Justinian said softly. "Basra still has a role to play. As do you all."
"One thing hasn't changed, Antonio," Basra herself sneered, stalking forward. "Anything you believe you can do, I can still do better."
He turned slowly to face her. Then, suddenly grinning, Darling held up both his hands and began to applaud.
Andros let out a hearty boom of laughter, and Basra lunged at him with her sword again.
"Basra."
The Archpope's voice brought her to an immediate halt. She glared at Darling with her face a mask of truly psychotic hatred, literally quivering with the desire to attack, but she did not move.
"Of this I assure you," Justinian stated. "Every bitter price I have levied, every sin with which I have stained my soul, is in service to a greater good which will be worth the cost when it has done. Too much has been paid, now more than ever, for us to stop. This must be seen through to its end, or all of this suffering has been for nothing."
Darling turned back to him. "Boss Tricks demands all the assurances I just asked of you, Archpope Justinian. Until they are produced, the cult of Eserion will choose to manage its relationships with the rest of the Pantheon directly, forgoing the mediation of the Universal Church. So, bye."
He turned and walked right past Basra toward the door.
"You know, it wasn't Eserion who saved you."
Darling slowed to a stop, but did not turn around, and Justinian continued.
"I had a similar experience, Antonio. I witnessed something the Pantheon prefers to keep far from mortal knowledge. I survived only by the intervention of another god, one who questioned the injustice of keeping their secrets at the expense of so many lives. That is what happened to you, is it not? And so much of the course of your life has proceeded to its current point because you believed it was Eserion the defiant who shielded you. Eserion allowed you to think so, but it was not he."
Still, Darling didn't turn, subtly rolling the wand between his fingers.
"Will you really throw away all those years of searching," Justinian asked softly, "when you are so near to the end? The time is fast approaching for all questions to be answered. You have labored with such industry and cleverness to obtain these secrets, Antonio. I would hate for you to come so close only to miss them."
"Okay." Darling turned halfway, just enough for the Archpope to see his face. "Let's hear it, then. Spill the big secret, tell me what the gods are hiding and what really happened at the end of the Elder War. I'm on tenterhooks, here."
"You of all people," Justinian said, spreading his hands slightly at waist height to indicate those gathered near him, "understand that this is no place or time for such revelations. But soon, Antonio."
"Yeah, well, see, that's the thing," Darling said, smiling again. "I don't need you for that, either. Not anymore. Oh, and Baaaasra," he added in a saccharine singsong, widening his smile to a wolfish grin as he turned it on her. "You can't hide in here forever. You know it as well as I; you'll go gibbering mad if you even try to keep yourself so confined. I will be seeing you again. Real soon."
He turned his back on the silent assemblage and strode out, kicking the chapel door open, then kicking it again to close.
It shut behind him with a boom of echoing finality.
October 4, 2019 UncategorizedAndros Varanus, Aspen, Dimbi, Elilial, Hesthri, Ingvar, Jonathan Arquin, Kheshiri, Melaxyna, Natchua, November Stark, Rainwood, Sherwin Leduc, Taka Mbino, Tholi, Xyraadi, ZapD. D. Webb
Many of his companions were deeply uncertain about the prospect of Ingvar going off into the woods alone with the Bishop of the Huntsmen, he could see it plainly on their faces. They trusted him enough not to protest overtly, though, when he gave last-minute instructions for them to finish setting up camp and hold steady until his return. For his part, Ingvar was not concerned about his safety. He trusted Andros, and it was more than just an emotional attachment. Even if the day came when the two of them were declared enemies—which was, he was forced to admit, a possibility—Andros Varanus would never do something so dishonorable as try to ambush him in the dark under cover of friendship.
Besides, they really couldn't stroll far enough that Rainwood wouldn't hear everything happening, and he more than suspected that at least one or two of the highly capable wilderness trackers accompanying him were going to shadow their footsteps in the darkness. If the same thought occurred to Andros, he made no outward sign.
"Huntsmen and Shadow Hunters," Andros said suddenly after they had walked in silence till the flickering of nascent campfires was no longer visible through the trees. The darkness was nearly absolute but this was a settled and well-traveled land, a proverbial stone's throw from a major city; in this forest, it was comfortable to walk in the dark simply by taking slow, small steps to avoid landing in rabbit holes or tripping on roots. At least for experienced woodsmen such as they. "Men and women alike. A dryad, an elf of the line of the Crow. A couple of others to whom I could put no easy label. It is… Quite an assemblage. A thing straight out of the Age of Adventures. And all these people follow you, Ingvar?"
"They follow Shaath," he replied quietly.
Andros kept his eyes ahead in the darkness; his face, barely glimpsed by occasional beams of moonlight through the leaves, revealed nothing. "And yet, you have not brought them back to any lodge of the Huntsmen, to answer to the Grandmaster."
Ingvar inhaled silently before answering. "Because those two things would be mutually exclusive."
He knew even saying it that way was throwing down the gauntlet, but they were both Huntsmen; dissembling did not become them.
Yet, despite his expectations, Andos did not react as if challenged. "What makes you think so?"
"The word of Shaath himself," Ingvar answered. "We bought him a few moments of clarity today. There were…unintended side effects."
"I should say so," Andros rumbled. "The world reels from your side effects, Brother."
"The howling should be silent now, but…"
"What's done is done. Do you know there are still riots in Shaathvar?"
"It does not surprise me," Ingvar said softly. "There will be more, Brother. By Shaath's will."
The Bishop half-turned his head to look sidelong at him through the dark.
"The howling will be silent, but not the dreams. By our god's own power, all who pray to him or invoke his name will know the truth of the wolf pack whenever they sleep."
Andros's burly shoulders shifted in a heavy sigh. "You should have let the old wolf sleep, Brother. It would have been kinder."
"Kinder?" Ingvar came to a stop, turning to face him directly. Andros did likewise, his deep-set eyes glinting in the dark. "He was chained. The very god of the wild, chained like a goat for slaughter! He suffered every moment of it, and all because of us. Of all of us, his loyal Huntsmen! Brother, we have been lied to."
"Do you remember what I said to you, years ago in Tiraas?" Andros asked, his voice uncharacteristically soft. "It was the first time I took you with me to the Vidian temple. You were frustrated by all their circuitous doublespeak, as any reasonable man would be. But you understood all their underhanded implications, and were savvy enough to hold your own tongue until we were out of their earshot. I said that showed you had a knack for politics, and you took offense."
Ingvar recalled that day well. From another man he might have called this apparent change of subject a deflection, but such was not in Andros's nature. He did not speak unless his words were going somewhere to the point.
"You said," he replied slowly, "that it was a sacrifice. A thing that must be done, on behalf of those who would never thank or respect those of us who saw to the Huntsmen's political affairs. That it was only for those who could pursue what was right, in defiance of every other desire, for no better reason than because it was right. Because it was necessary, even if at times it seemed…"
He trailed to a halt in the middle of reconstructing that long-ago speech, as another layer of meaning clicked into place given the context of this conversation.
"You knew," he breathed. "You already know. Who else? The Grandmaster?"
"What have you learned?" Andros asked.
"I believe I asked you first, Brother," Ingvar retorted, holding onto his own poise by a thread. All this time…
"I know a number of things that you did not, when you set out on your quest," said Andros. "Looking at you now, knowing even just hints of what you have been up to over the last year, I suspect you've learned many things that are unknown to me still. I am only curious how much, if anything, I still need to explain."
"Did you know that gods can be imprisoned by belief?" Ingvar snapped. "Not just Shaath, all of them wear the chains of their own cults. But they have means of countering this effect; what is unique about Shaath is that these were turned deliberately against him. Did you know that Angthinor the Wise was a liar?"
"Ah." Andros nodded once. "That I knew, yes. Do you know why Angthinor did what he did?"
That brought Ingvar up short, for it was the one crucial piece of the puzzle he had never been able to learn, and the one that troubled him the most. Angthinor had been a true Huntsman, in fact the very last. He had walked with Shaath, known him not only as a distant figure of reverence, but as a brother. How could he have betrayed him so?
Andros interpreted his silence as the invitation it was.
"Unique among the Huntsmen of his day, Angthinor had a broader field of vision than a simple hunter," the Bishop said, turning and beginning to walk very slowly back the way they had come, in the general direction of the hill and the camp. Ingvar kept pace alongside, listening. "He was a healer and a scholar as well as a warden of the wild, not unlike the Shadow Hunters of today. You've learned much of their ways, I expect. He understood a great deal about what was happening in the world beyond his beloved forests. And most importantly, he was a man such as all Shaathist politicians have had to be ever since: one who recognized right, and necessity, and did not shirk from duties he found painful."
"Duties," Ingvar repeated incredulously.
"The struggle between right and wrong is easy," Andros said evenly. "Only the most craven and pathetic fail to make that choice. A man is tested when he must choose between right and right, when the only option before him is what manner of evil must be accepted. Angthinor made his choice. I have made mine; you have made your own. Only the gods can say if we chose rightly… And, given what you say, perhaps not even them."
"What greater evil was Angthinor avoiding by doing this?"
"As with the worst evils, one whose victims were blameless. Shaath had no part or responsibility in the travails that wracked the world in those days. Angthinor acted to correct a great imbalance kicked up by Avei, Sorash, and Arachne Tellwyrn."
In spite of himself, Ingvar froze in surprise. Tellwyrn? He'd found her rather personable and willing to be helpful, if a bit brusque. One could well forget, meeting the woman in person, that she was a contentious figure who stood astride a wide swath of history.
"There were two gods of war in the days before Angthinor's time," Andros continued, drifting a bit to the south. He was either heading for the road or taking a roundabout path back to the camp. "Avei was goddess of strategy, Sorash of conquest and violence. They had other philosophical differences, of course: one the protector and champion of women, and one of men. Combined with their other aspects, they set between them the relationship between men and women that has lingered to this day. The one, seeking dominance through craft and cunning, the other through force and sheer strength of will and character. It was certainly not ideal, as it still isn't…but it was a balance. And then Tellwyrn came along and killed Sorash."
Andros heaved a heavy sigh, powerful enough to make his beard flutter.
"This is not well-remembered by historians. The Huntsmen have worked carefully to erase it over the centuries, leaning on the Universal Church to lean on the Nemitites, hounding the Shadow Hunters to relinquish certain accounts in their libraries. It doesn't surprise me that you have not yet heard this account, Brother. Knowledge is not so easily wiped away; you would have found it eventually, but not within a year of looking. The remaining accounts are well buried."
"Accounts of what?"
"Of what happens to a world when the goddess of womankind is abruptly without a rival," Andros said bitterly. "Despite their protestations, the Avenists are not champions of gender equality. The Izarites and Vidians both embrace that principle, and you know the contempt the Sisterhood has toward them for it. You know better than most the hypocrisy of Avei's followers. How hard they work to ease the transitions of twinsouled women, while they cast people like you out into the wild to fend for themselves."
"I have added knowledge to my training as a Huntsman, Brother, not over-written it. I hardly need a lecture on what is wrong within the Sisterhood of Avei."
"Then perhaps you can imagine what goes wrong with a world in which there is no check upon Avei's excesses," Andros rumbled. "Within a century, it was a world ruled by queens. In more nations than otherwise, a man without a wife had little to no place in society, and one with a wife needed her to make any decision governing his own household. The inciting event for Angthinor himself was being told by the circle of wise women who looked after his own village that herb lore, healing, and the chronicling of the seasons was their work, unsuited for a man. That he, a chosen champion of the wild god himself, should mind his place."
He fell silent, teeth glinting in the moonlight as he bared them, the two of them emerging from the treeline into a clearing. Off to their right, Ingvar could see the hill with the two campfires atop, casting irregular shadows as people moved about them.
"It sounds," he said, heading in that direction, "much like what we tell women within our faith, now."
"And so," Andros said, weariness weighing heavily on his voice, "there is balance again. Angthinor restored what was lost, at the expense of the god he loved most. Because objectively, his was the weakest and least significant god of the Pantheon, save only Naphthene. Because Shaath had never played a role in guiding the shape of civilizations, and thus, he could still be made to. It has not been a perfect solution, Brother. It was a choice that still deserves to be mourned. But it was made, and for good reason. And those of us who know this secret have upheld it, by the same logic. Even though we grieve the same injustice you do. We accept the chains upon our god, for those chains ensure the freedom of all mankind."
"Do you not see, Brother?" Ingvar asked, his voice rough with emotion. "Regardless of his intentions, it was not the right choice. An injustice is not corrected by an opposite injustice!"
"And whose is the purview of justice?" Andros asked pointedly. "Even the Avenists will not let one person be both judge and prosecutor. To whom can you appeal for justice when the source of justice itself is the source of your oppression? All that could be done was to push back against her."
"Perhaps that was true, then," Ingvar breathed. "But today, Brother, the world has changed."
"Indeed, you might well have made all this thoroughly moot."
"I don't mean that. Hours ago I stood with a host of warriors from all across this Empire and beyond while Elilial formally surrendered to the Pantheon. And, as a last parting shot, revealed to all of us exactly how to kill a god."
Andros stopped walking, turning to face him, his bushy eyebrows rising in a mute question.
"A god can be destroyed when they are severed from their aspect," Ingvar said, meeting his stare intently. "Do you understand what this means, Andros? Angthinor did not thwart Avei; he squandered the only chance to punish her tyranny for good. If her aspects are called into conflict with one another, she can finally be hurt. If she devotes herself to injustice and will not recant, even Avei can be made to pay the price."
Andros was silent, his eyes now narrowed in thought. Ingvar watched him consider it quietly for long moments, until finally the Bishop turned and mutely resumed walking, this time heading straight for the camp.
"Veisroi intends to call a Wild Hunt against you," he said abruptly after a dozen steps. "I convinced him to hold off until I could try to persuade you. I gather, Brother, that you have no intention of turning away from the path you've chosen."
"I am not Angthinor," Ingvar stated, "and this is not Angthinor's world. My choice is simply between right and wrong. I stand with Shaath and with the truth. I will not be swayed by threats."
"If you were," Andros said, nodding, "that would be the first thing in all of this that would make me think less of you, Brother."
They passed through the last of the trees ringing the hill and began climbing its bare sides back to the campsite, curious faces already gathering to watch them come.
"You must know—even the Grandmaster must—that getting rid of me would not make this end," Ingvar said as they ascended the last few yards. "The dreams will not stop. The truth can no longer be suppressed, Brother. Veisroi can try to scapegoat us if he wants, but it will only add to his problems."
"Perhaps," Andros mused, coming to a halt at the edge of the firelight. "But remember, Ingvar, that Veisroi is both hunter and politician. He too clever to destroy you outright. So long as he has you to point at and call enemy, he believes he can maintain his grip on the Huntsmen."
"And on you?" Ingvar asked quietly.
There was silence, as Andros met his gaze for several seconds, then turned his head to look around at Ingvar's assembled followers. Finally, he turned back to Ingvar directly and inclined his head, once.
"I wish you good fortune, Ingvar. Whatever else must come between us in the future, you have nothing but my highest respect. To me, you shall always be a Brother. And truly, I hope that you succeed."
"But," Ingvar said softly, "you will not join us?"
Slowly, Andros shook his head. "The world you seek to make is a better one, a world I would very much like to live in. But even with all you have gathered to your cause, I do not believe you can succeed. You are not the first, and will not be the last. There are many things I have seen in the hidden archives which convince me your cause is doomed. I will mourn you, Ingvar, when you fall, as I would any brother of mine. But I must remain behind to ensure the world does not fall with you."
Ingvar let out a soft sigh. "The world has already changed, Brother. Truth can no longer be fought as it has been in the past. Veisroi does not understand this, and that is why he will fail."
"Warn your friends, the Shadow Hunters," Andros advised. "If the Grandmaster cannot rally enough support against you to suit him, they make a very convenient target."
"They are called the Rangers," said Ingvar, "and it is time for the Huntsmen to address them as such. I know it is convenient for the Grandmaster to have a mocking epithet to throw at them, and so that is the first of his weapons I shall take away. From now on, we are the Shadow Hunters, and it's a name he and his followers will come to fear."
Andros nodded once, then held out his hand. One last time, Ingvar clasped it in his own.
"My fortune smile on your hunts, Brother," Andros said.
"Walk in peace with the wild, Brother," Ingvar replied.
Then Andros released him, and with no more ado, turned and strode back down the hill, heading for the road.
"So…we're the Shadow Hunters now?" Taka asked skeptically once the Bishop had disappeared into the trees. "I've gotta say, it sounds a little… What's the word? Contrived? Melodramatic?"
"Pompous," November suggested.
"I'd just have gone with 'silly,'" Tholi grunted.
"I was hoping we'd be the Wardens," Dimbi added. "That's got a ring to it!"
"Oh, I kinda like that one," Aspen agreed.
"Well, the Rangers have carried both names for centuries and it doesn't seem to have done them any harm," Ingvar said with a thin smile, still watching the point where Andros had disappeared into the darkness. "Labels can be weapons, as I just said. Just because we're confiscating one of Veisroi's doesn't mean we have to take it to heart."
"Don't listen to the naysayers, Ingvar, I thought you handled that very well."
There was a general yelling and scattering as everyone whirled to face the person in the middle of their camp who had definitely not been there a moment ago. Even the wolves fled, whining and circling around behind their two-legged companions.
The reaction of spirit wolves was the only indication of anything fundamentally wrong, aside from the fact that they all recognized her. Unlike her previous performance in Ninkabi, she had no towering presence or metaphysical weight, no aura pressing down on their consciousness. She was just a lone woman, albeit one with dusky crimson skin, horns, and hooves.
Tholi nocked an arrow and drew it back, taking aim straight at her heart.
"I'm curious, Tholi," Elilial said in a pleasant tone, "and this is a serious question, no fooling. Suppose you shot me with an arrow. What do you think would happen next?"
Tholi's expression took on a sickly cast as he found himself in the classic dilemma of either losing face by backing down or starting a fight he had no prayer of winning. Generally, Ingvar preferred to let young men get themselves out of that crevice and learn the hard way not to get back in it, but this was no time to take risks.
"Don't waste your arrows, Tholi," he said, stepping in front of the young man and directing his gaze at the queen of demons. "What do you want?"
"Why, the same thing I always want," she said lightly. "To use you in my schemes. Pay attention, everybody, I'm going to teach you a trick."
"No, thank you," Ingvar said firmly. "We want nothing to do with infernal craft."
"Oh, good heavens, no," Elilial replied, grimacing. "Can you even imagine? The last thing this poor beleaguered world needs is more unprepared fools playing around in Scyllith's toolbox. No, if you lot take to dabbling in infernomancy—and seriously, don't—you won't learn about it from me. On the contrary, I think you'll find this rather wholesome. Why don't you come over here, little friend?"
This last was not directed to him, but off to the side. Ingvar followed her gaze to behold a bobbing ball of cyan light drifting closer at her urging.
"Me?" the pixie chimed uncertainly.
"No need to be shy," Elilial said, beckoning him and smiling. "I wanna show you something. Are you up for a little game?"
"Ooh! I like games!" All his hesitation abruptly gone, the pixie shot forward, swirling eagerly around her.
"That's the spirit!" she said cheerfully. "Now, I'm pretty sure this is a game you've already played, but personally, I never get bored with it. Everybody stand back, we're gonna have another round of Destroy the Demon!"
She held out one hand, palm up, and clenched it into a fist, and just like that, a sulfur-reeking rift opened on the ground for a split second, just long enough to discharge a snarling khankredahg demon.
Again, everyone except Ingvar and Aspen retreated, most shouting in alarm, but Elilial just pointed at the snapping brute even as it whirled on her. "Go get 'im!"
"Yay!" the pixie cried happily and zipped forward, stunning the khankredahg with a miniature arc of lightning.
In the next moment, he was swirling eagerly around the demon, siphoning away magic and making the increasingly frantic creature shrivel right before their eyes.
"Surprising little creatures, pixies," Elilial said to Ingvar and the others while watching this macabre spectacle. "Some of the most vicious predators in existence. They mostly eat each other, but… I don't know what that screwloose firecracker Jacaranda did differently this time, but the pixies she made today aren't culling one another like her previous batches did. In fact, though I haven't yet looked closely enough to ascertain how, I'm pretty sure there are more of them than there were this afternoon. Even so, an awful lot of those out there already have a taste for demon, and their instincts compel them to go straight for the kill."
"What exactly are you suggesting to us?" Ingvar asked, beginning to suspect he already knew.
"They didn't get every demon," Elilial said, sourly twisting her mouth. "Mostly just mine. The ones that fled Ninkabi were the others, the invaders I was trying to mop up. Hundreds made it out and are spreading in all directions. Most won't last long; the Empire and the Pantheon cults are actively hunting them, and there are also lots of wild pixies hereabouts. But quite a few are good at keeping themselves hidden. Something has to be done about that.
"My Black Wreath have always served the purpose of cleaning up stray demons and warlocks on the mortal plane, but as of today, the Black Wreath functionally does not exist. Someone has to pick up the slack. So the question is, Ingvar: is your struggle with the Huntsmen going to be a purely political one, and purely for the sake of putting yourself in power instead of Veisroi? Because I certainly won't judge you if so; it goes without saying I have no respect for that guy. But on the other hand, if you want your little reform movement to stand for something more…" She gestured languidly. "There's work to be done. There are demons to slay, there are perfect shiny attack dogs fluttering around all over just waiting to be tamed and put to work, and now you know how easy that is. If you wanna get a head start on making a name for yourself, you know what to do."
"I don't trust you," he said flatly.
"Well, obviously," she replied, grinning. "I wouldn't be bothering with you if you were an idiot. All I can promise you here is that I'm not asking you for anything and you won't be hearing from me again. If you want to take up the charge against the demons, that'll suit my purposes splendidly. If not, I'll find somebody else. Think it over, Shadow Hunters. Hm." She screwed her face up pensively. "You know, now that you pointed it out, that name does seem a little overwrought. Ah, well, that's your business, not mine. I have another urgent appointment tonight, so I won't keep you any longer. Good hunting!"
She snapped her fingers and vanished in an entirely unnecessary shower of crimson sparks.
"It's a trap," Tholi said immediately.
"How?" Taka demanded.
"Aw, is she gone?" the pixie chimed, drifting over toward them. Behind him was nothing but a patch of charcoal where the demon had apparently been drained of every spark of its life essence. "Shoot, now how'll I know if I won?"
"It sure looks to me like you did," Ingvar said with a smile. "What's your name, little friend?"
"Name?" The pixie zipped about in a tight circle as if momentarily agitated. "I dunno, I've never thought about it. I don't think pixies have names."
"I know one who does," Ingvar said gravely. "Everyone deserves a name."
"You think so? Well, that sounds pretty neat! What should my name be?"
"Names are serious business," said Ingvar. "We should talk for a bit, and think about it. Your name is important and we don't want to rush it. Would you like to stay here with us tonight?"
"Well sure!" the little fairy chimed. "I like you people! And your wolves are fluffy and shiny, my two favorite things!"
"Um," Rainwood cleared his throat. "That appears to be a lightning pixie. Just saying…"
"Yes, please refrain from zapping anybody," Ingvar requested.
"Well, sure, I wouldn't do that. It seems to hurt people. You guys are my friends!"
"Yay," Aspen deadpanned.
"Let's get some rest while we can," Ingvar said, turning to the others. "I will take the first watch, along with our new friend here. We'll try to talk quietly. Everyone sleep fast and hard, for dawn comes early. And with it, we hunt."
The eldritch shadows departed and it wasn't a whole lot brighter in their absence, except behind and far below them where the lights of Veilgrad extended out into the prairie from the foot of the mountains.
"Zut alors," Xyraadi groaned, gazing up the path at the dim shape of Leduc Manor. "Look how much more uphill there is! Natchua, we really must rebuild the ward network so we can shadow-jump directly in."
"It's on the to-do list," Natchua assured her, patting Hesthri's back. The hethelax leaned against her for a moment, but said nothing. She had been quiet since her and Jonathan's conversation with Gabriel, and Natchua was torn between wanting to know exactly what had happened and not wanting to rip open any more scars tonight. "Well, standing here groaning isn't getting us to bed any faster."
She set off up the path, and everyone followed. Neither succubus took flight, though they could have made it to the house in seconds; Natchua suspected they just weren't emotionally capable of passing up any crowd that might be a source of juicy gossip.
"Natchua," Xyraadi said suddenly, her voice more serious, "now that we are… Well, now that it's over, I am thinking very seriously of taking Lieutenant Locke up on her offer. I do not know how to not be fighting. And it would be good to work with the Sisterhood again. That Trissiny Avelea impresses me greatly; she is already a much wiser paladin than Trouchelle ever was."
"I think that sounds like a good use for your abilities," Natchua said with a smile. "You certainly don't need my permission to do anything, you know. I appreciate you letting me know, though."
"Of course, I would not abandon a friend and ally without a word."
"I think that was a shot at you, Mel," Kheshiri said sweetly.
"Cheap, tiresome, low-hanging fruit," Melaxyna replied in a bored tone. "Bring your A-game or don't talk to me at all."
Xyraadi glanced back at the succubi momentarily. "I mention it also because I thought you might consider the offer yourself, Natchua. You, and any of us here."
"I…" Natchua hesitated, looking at Jonathan. "I never thought about…"
"The idea has its good and bad points," he mused. "It would be something to do. I have to say, I'm startled to find this whole campaign of ours over. I thought for sure that'd only happen over everybody's dead body."
"Hence why I mention it," Xyraadi agreed. "A sudden lack of purpose is bad for the spirit, take it from one who knows. I am not saying you have to do what I do, but it is a possibility to consider."
"Hard pass," said Kheshiri. "I've done all the work under priests I care to, and the last Avenist I met was gibbering batshit insane."
"You'll do as you're told," Natchua said automatically. "And I…will consider it. But just to reiterate: not one of you—except Kheshiri, whose ass I own—is beholden to me. I brought you all out here to do something, and… Well, to my surprise as much as anyone's, it's done now."
"I will go where you go, pretty one," Hesthri said, slipping and arm around her waist.
"Same goes," Jonathan chuckled and pressed against the hethelax's other side. He was sufficiently larger than them that he managed to drape his own arm around both her shoulders and Natchua's.
"Yes, there's also that," Melaxyna said lightly. "It's been good to put on my dusty old Izarite hat after all these centuries. I have a lot of work still to do, making a functioning person out of Sherwin. And I confess, I might not have encouraged the three of you to have a go at it if I'd known you weren't all going to die within a few days."
"Excuse me?!" Natchua exclaimed.
"You took relationship advice from the succubus?" Jonathan added incredulously.
Hesthri gently poked a chitin-armored elbow into his ribs. "You weren't complaining when she had her mouth—"
"Public!" he interrupted, jostling her.
"From the good succubus," Natchua clarified.
"Do you mean good as in morally, or as in superior?" Kheshiri demanded. "Because you're wrong either way, but I do like things to be clear."
"Oh, not to worry," Melaxyna chirped, waving her tail happily. "You three are a surprisingly stable unit, for a tripod. A bit more guidance and there's no reason you shouldn't be able to make this work as long as you like with no further help. Trust me, I'm a professional."
"And yet," Xyraadi murmured, "not even the weirdest group of friends I have ever had."
They topped the last rise in the path and slowed to a stop, finding Lord Sherwin himself sitting on the front steps of the manor amid all the construction materials despite the late hour.
"Sherwin?" Natchua asked as he jumped to his feet. "What are you still doing up?"
"Natch, everybody," he said urgently. "The hobs are already hiding—you'd better get out of here before she—"
The manor's doors burst open, and framed within them, backlit but a halo of seething orange flame, stood Elilial.
"There you are, you little beast," she said, pointing one clawed finger at Natchua. "I want a word with you."
September 30, 2019 UncategorizedAndros Varanus, Aspen, Dimbi, Gabriel, Ingvar, Natchua, Rainwood, Taka Mbino, Tholi, TobyD. D. Webb
A hand came to rest on Toby's shoulder and gave him a gentle shake.
"Yep, I had a feeling a whole city full of people in need would bring this out. Do we need to go have The Talk, Toby, or are you gonna go eat something and rest without having to be carried?"
"Hi, Gabe," Toby said without looking up. "Your concern for my well-being is noted. And it'd carry more weight if you hadn't just ambushed me from behind while I'm working with a knife."
"I'll admit it, I'm willing to play a little rougher with you than with people who can't twist me into a sailor knot one-handed. The heck kind of potato is this?" Gabriel added, stepping up alongside Toby and picking up one of the tubers he was slicing.
"They're taro," he said, pushing the slices he'd just made into the pot next to his cutting board and taking the root from Gabriel's hand to begin cutting it up. "They grow in the northern Tidestrider isles and Onkawa. Apparently they're a delicacy this far south, and a whole bunch were just donated, so in the stew they go."
"Seriously, man," Gabriel said, leaning forward over the table to catch Toby's eye. "If you're already back here doing this instead of out there laying hands on the injured, I know you must be feeling the burnout. For the umpteenth time, you can help fewer people if you exhaust yourself trying."
"You're a good friend, Gabe," Toby said, smiling and continuing to chop. "But no, I'm… This is something different. The priestess in the trauma camp said things were under control and gave us that exact speech, sent all the light-wielders away to rest up for tomorrow. I do like to be helpful, but right now I have some stuff on my mind and doing repetitive tasks in relative quiet helps me think."
Relative was the key word; Toby had set himself up in an improvised pantry attached to an equally improvised kitchen, where vegetable stew and flatbread were being prepared on portable arcane ranges and hastily-built brick ovens for the overnight shift of relief workers who'd just arrived fresh from Viridill and Jennidira. Being in a large canvas tent, there wasn't much in the way of sound protection, just chest-high barriers of crates walling off this corner. They could see and hear everything outside, but it was a little island of semi-solitude amid the bustle of the aid workers' camp.
"Oh, yeah." Gabriel started to lean against the table, then immediately backed away when it shifted under his weight. "I have been asked to relay a loud complaint to Omnu via you about messing in valkyrie business. Personally, I'm quite happy how all that went down, but, y'know. I did promise to pass it along. I don't suppose this is related to…?"
"Yeah," Toby said quietly, eyes on his work. "That wasn't Omnu. It was me."
The soft, rhythmic swish and thunk of the knife going through taro into the cutting board filled the few seconds of silence.
"You can raise the dead now?" Gabriel finally asked in a very careful tone.
"Of course not. But Omnu can. He's a god, why wouldn't he be able to? He just won't. Ordinarily."
"There are…a lot of really good reasons for that, Toby. Death is one of those things that can't play favorites."
"You don't need to explain to me why death is important to life. Everything lives because something else dies. You think these taro plants wanted to be yanked out of the ground and chopped up for stew? The balance has to be respected or it will break. No death, no life. I get it." He swept the slices into the pot and picked up another root. "And there's a lot else that was wrong with that, too. It turns out that with the combination of Omnu stepping in to handle a crisis with a holy nova, some basic meditative techniques of mindful awareness, and the knowledge of how gods and their consciousness actually works… I can pretty much take over. Make him do whatever I want him to do."
He sliced up two more taro roots before Gabriel spoke again.
"Maybe you really shouldn't be doing that."
"You don't have to tell me," Toby said with a sigh. "Good gods, do I not want that kind of power, or the responsibility that goes with it. It's easy enough to just say I won't do it again, but… Omnu only steps in that way when the need is extreme, and in a crisis, with me already knowing how… I honestly can't swear I'd never think it was necessary again. But you know what?"
He brought down the knife harder than before, almost like a cleaver, taking off a large chunk from the top of the next root. Gabriel glanced down at it, then back up at Toby's face.
"I am not sorry," Toby said, quietly but with fierce emphasis. "People were dead, and now they aren't. My friends were gone, and now they're back. Even knowing that was a bad idea and a wrong thing to do, even being scared of what it means, I have zero regrets. If anything… My entire spiritual journey over the last few years has been learning what it actually means to be peaceful, but not passive. How it's necessary to act, how the way of peace means finding gentle means to impose your will, not being free from the responsibility to do something. And Omnu? He doesn't even talk to me. We go on an absurd quest and meet half the Pantheon, and never a peep from him. I ritually invoke him to seek his advice and all I get are warm fuzzy feelings. If I don't get to sit around meditating and growing vegetables like I was raised to want, why should he? Who should be taking more responsibility and more action than a god?"
Toby finally set down the knife entirely and planted his palms on the cutting board, bracketing it and the half-chopped root. He stared down at them, seeing something far away.
"When it all comes down to it, I find I resent Omnu. Never mind regret, I feel vindicated. And that… That's pretty alarming, Gabe. I feel like I'm at the beginning of a road that goes places I know I don't want to go, but I'm not sure if I can actually turn around anymore."
Gabriel rested a hand on his shoulder again, silently.
"Thanks for listening," Toby said, finally looking up at him with a wan smile. "Look… I wanna work and chew on my thoughts for a while to sort this out. Would you mind being an ear again, later, when I have more of a handle on it?"
"Absolutely," Gabriel said immediately. "I mean, not at all. I mean, you know what I mean. I get it, this has been a day of heavy stuff and as much as I kind of hate myself for the selfishness of it, it's pretty helpful having all this work to run around doing while it processes. Just had a chat with my parents that was even more revelatory than the fact of them being here, and…" He hesitated, looking past Toby at something just outside the tent. "And what timing, looks like the next item on my agenda just showed up."
"Wait, did you say parents?" Toby looked up at him, blinking. "Plural?"
"Yeah, that's gonna be another of those conversations." Gabriel patted his shoulder. "You gonna be okay here for now, then?"
"Yeah, I've got food to prepare and a space to think, that's all I need. You?"
"This is gonna get more awkward before it gets less so," Gabriel said with a sigh, finally tearing his gaze from what had been holding it outside the kitchen tent to give Toby a wry grimace. "We can both have that long talk once everything's a bit more settled."
"It's a date," Toby said, smiling. "Don't forget to get some rest tonight."
"Goes double for you."
He went back to chopping roots in peace while Gabriel navigated his way around the stacks of boxes, skirting the edge of the open tent so as not to interfere with the people cooking, and stepped out of the glow of its fairy lamps into the relative dimness of Ninkabi's front square. Most of the streetlamps had been destroyed what with one thing and another, but various temporary sources of light both magical and burning were set up around the centers of activity, and the towering willow Khadizroth had planted in the very stones glowed in the darkness with a soothing blue-green radiance.
"Natchua," he said, striding up to where she was hovering outside the kitchen tent, "I want a word with you."
The drow actually winced. In stark contrast to her usual demeanor, she looked fidgety and nervous, and now seemingly afraid to meet his gaze, despite having clearly come here specifically to seek him out.
"Gabe," she said, pausing to swallow heavily. "So, uh, Jonathan tells me you've had…a…conversation."
"It was barely an introduction," he said tersely, strolling off into the dimness between two tents and leaving her to follow. "There is a shit ton of stuff that urgently needs doing in this city and no time for the in-depth conversation that's gonna need to be. So, I know the basics, and then we all went to help out where we could."
"Right." She followed him to a quieter and dimmer space behind the row of service tents, up against one side of the old trading hall, and there he stopped. Natchua drew in a deep breath and deliberately straightened her back. "Well. Look, all this is—"
"You know what, I really don't think I'm ready to talk about 'all this' just yet," he interrupted. "I wanted to ask you about something else."
"I…yeah, sure," she said, lowering her eyes. "Fair. I know you don't like me, so…"
Gabriel sighed quietly. "I always liked you, Natch."
She looked up again, blinking rapidly. "Wait. Really?"
"I dunno how subtle you thought you were being with that 'edgy angry deep drow' act but in all honesty it was amazingly obvious to everyone on campus that you were grappling with serious issues of your own. Issues of upbringing and heritage that caused you to act like an ass to everyone you met. Believe me, I can relate to that. I always figured, you and I could have some great conversations once you'd figured out some of your stuff and were ready to. But then you were gone, so…" He shrugged.
Natchua was staring at him with her mouth slightly open. "You…never said anything."
"You know, most people aren't Chase Masterson," he replied acerbically. "If you lash out at everybody who approaches you, they will very quickly learn not to bother. Even I figured that out immediately, and let's face it, I've never been the most socially astute person."
She dropped her gaze again. "Well, ouch. And fair. I just… Look, I never meant for any of this to happen, I just—"
"Omnu's breath, I just said I don't wanna talk about it," he exclaimed. "I just said that! Okay, you know what, fuck it, fine, let's rip off that scab. I get it, okay? Every sexual relationship I've ever had took me by surprise. Life is complicated, and shit just happens. It pretty much hurts just to exist most of the time and you have to grab whatever happiness you can find because the gods only know when there'll be any more. You may be a sketchy weirdo, but I trust my dad to know what he's doing, probably more than anyone else in the world. And even if he doesn't, a girlfriend half his age is the kind of mistake the guy's more than earned. Eighteen years of being solely responsible for me can't have been easy. I understand, Natchua. I'm not mad at you, or him; if anything I'm a lot more concerned about that demon than I am about you. But it's weird, all right? This is fucking weird, and I have had zero time to process it, and I am not ready for this conversation. Okay?"
Natchua's mouth had fallen open again, but she finally shut it with an audible snap before saying in a much more level tone, "That demon is your own—"
"She's nothing to me," he said curtly. "My dad obviously sees something in her and his opinion counts for a lot, so… I will give that a chance. But whatever there is between Hester and me is in the future. All I know right now is what it's like in Hell and what kind of person survives there."
"Hesthri," Natchua corrected, "and she's something to me right now. I don't need you to like her but you need to refrain from insulting her in front of me."
Gabriel hesitated, then let out a surprised little bark of laughter. "Well, fair enough, you're right. My apologies. But anyway, if we can finally refrain from having this conversation I keep telling you I'm not up for, I wanted to talk to you about something else in particular."
"Well, sure," she said more hesitantly. "What do you need?"
"As I understand it, your whole deal is you have basically all the knowledge of applied infernomancy, right?"
"All of the Elilinist tradition," she said warily. "The Scyllithenes have other methods, and there are demon-only spells I know but can't actually use without blowing myself up. None of it was my idea, either, and I can't recommend strongly enough that you stay out of infernal magic. I can attest that it brings nothing but trouble."
"I was recently informed," he said, "by a source I would consider extremely knowledgeable but dubiously trustworthy, that there's a method by which I could channel my own hethelax blood to form a kind of mental screen against telepathy."
Natchua narrowed her eyes in thought. "Blocking telepathy? Well… Yes, actually, and it would barely constitute infernomancy. Hethelaxi already passively channel the magic in their blood into an intermittent berserk state; the trick is using mental discipline to control that, create a sort of wall of pure rage and aggression that surrounds your mind and blocks any efforts to peer into it without affecting your thoughts. Actually, that should be a lot easier for you than for any other full or half-hethelax, what with the divine magic you're also carrying. And whatever knowledge of Vidian mental techniques you've picked up, even I know the higher practices of that are all about cultivating two different mental states at once."
"Not…exactly," he murmured, also frowning pensively, "but close enough. Although… I don't think that would work. I'm talking about a powerful telepath, someone capable of penetrating any mental defense."
"Telepathy, actual telepathy, is usually divine magic," she said warily. "Exactly what or who are you worried about trying to read your mind?"
"This is paladin stuff, Natchua. Trust me, the less you know, the better."
"I'm serious, it's not something you need to be involved with. If that means you can't help me, then… Well, okay, I'll look somewhere else."
"No," she said quickly, "no, I think I'd rather you ask me. At least I won't try to trick you into something dangerous, and most people who know infernal magic would. All right, so you can't just block telepathy; there actually is another way, using a variant of the same method. It's considerably more difficult, though."
"I'm all ears."
"You'd still be using the firewall defense, sort of. Except instead of a blank surface of pure emotion forcibly keeping people out, you're cultivating a superficial layer of false thought. The idea is that anyone peering into your mind will see what looks like you reacting predictably to whatever's going on around you, and so they don't bother to look any deeper. So your real thoughts remain hidden by subtlety rather than brute force."
"I see what you mean," he murmured. "That sounds like it'd be a lot of work to set up. But…it might just work."
"It's a tricky habit to cultivate," she agreed, nodding. "Like I said, you're probably in a better position to do this than basically anyone, but you're still looking at some major mental discipline. Expect a lot of time spent in meditation and thought exercises. I can show you the initial method, but after that point, you'll probably get better help from Toby and Shaeine when it comes to disciplining your mind to do this without you having to constantly focus on it. Um… How soon are you expecting to need to use it?"
"No idea," he admitted. "But when it comes to preparedness, getting started sooner is always better than later."
"And when it comes to getting the drop on somebody with greater knowledge than you, all you need is one moment of surprise," she said, nodding. "All right… Let's go find a place to sit down and I'll walk you through it."
"Perfect, I know a cleared-out alley just over here. C'mon." He turned and headed off, skirting the side of the trading hall, and Natchua followed.
"Whatever you're into, just be careful," she said primly after a moment. "You know how your father and I worry."
Gabriel slammed to a halt and turned, fixing her with a flat stare.
Natchua tried for a grin, which gradually melted into a pained grimace under his silent gaze.
"Right," she said eventually. "We're not there yet."
Very slowly, he raised his eyebrows.
"…we're not going to get there, are we."
"Just shut up and walk, Natchua."
Naturally, when it came time to rest, they had retreated from the city. Ninkabi remained such a buzzing hive of activity even after full dark that it had taken nearly an hour of walking to reach a site the pack felt was sufficiently wild to let them relax. Ingvar selected a bare hilltop, as they were not trying to conceal their presence, since it afforded a good view both of the city and the nearby highway leading to its gates. It would not do to be snuck up on by any new turn of events, given the many surprises that had come over the last few days.
Elder Shiraki had remained inside the walls, stating that he could put off fatigue for several days more and would not fail to lend his aid when so many needed help. Rainwood remained with them, though.
"What do you make of that," Ingvar asked the shaman while others behind them wearily but efficiently set up two campfires for the whole group to huddle around. He had helped gather wood, and watched long enough to satisfy himself that the groups were not separating again. To his satisfaction, Huntsmen and Rangers continued to mingle, along with the more disparate members of his own party. Even the wolves showed no hesitation and were now all flopped down and snoring amid their human pack. It had been a long day for them, as well.
Now, he and Rainwood were watching tiny colored lights dancing in the darkness all around. As they looked on, a trio of them—pale blue, green, and orange—buzzed close and then began circumnavigating the base of their hill, chiming happily all the while.
"This is going to shake some things up," Rainwood mused, studying the pixies. "It's probably for the best that they all left the city, but… Look at them, spreading out in every direction. They'll be all over the West in weeks, and gods only know what'll happen when they get into Athan'Khar. I suspect they'll be welcomed in the east; lots of witches in Viridill, descended from refugees who settled there after the Enchanter Wars."
"My impression today has been that they are generally not like Fross from Last Rock. They seem… Childlike. Almost dangerously so."
"No almost about it," the elf said gravely. "They are notoriously simple-minded and playful, and for beings that spew pure elemental energy, that could be dangerous. Fortunately they'll probably avoid human civilization, since enchantments have become so prevalent and they won't like to be near arcane magic. That's probably why they left Ninkabi once the demons were all taken care of. No, I think the biggest impact this is going to have is on the practice of fae magic. There are Viridi witches and elvish groves to the east, and Tidestrider wavespeakers to the west. Pixies have always been among the most sought-after familiars a shaman could have; the sheer power they supply is infinite, the most direct line to Naiya that's available to mortals. It's bottlenecked a bit by how much they can channel at any one time, but… It used to be if you wanted a pixie familiar you had to go through the Deep Wild, which was very likely to kill you, and into the Pixie Queen's grove, which was almost certain to kill you, befriend one, and then get back out through more Deep Wild with a loud fairy in tow guaranteed to attract everything that even might want to kill you. It was only the rare and already powerful who pulled that off. Now, suddenly, there'll be dozens, hundreds of practitioners with pixie familiars. I can't even begin to guess how this will change things."
"Change is constant," Ingvar murmured. "We don't have to like it, we just have to embrace it, or be crushed beneath its feet."
"Cheerful," Rainwood said dryly. "Hm… I wasn't sure before, but I think the person coming toward us from the highway is heading for us deliberately."
"Person?" Ingvar asked. Behind him, several heads were raised at that, and Aspen and Tholi came forward to join them. "Well, we are setting up camp on a hilltop. I can imagine people would be curious."
"Not many people are out being curious in the middle of the night, near a recently-attacked city," said Tholi. "Not people with good intentions, anyway."
"I mention it because I'm pretty sure he was tracking us specifically," said Rainwood. "And that's suggestive. This group leaves a very distinctive trail."
"So it does," Ingvar murmured. "Well, then. If we are to have a guest, let's be hospitable. Dimbi, November, would you please set aside a portion of that flatbread for a visitor?"
"Oh, I see how it is," Dimbi snorted. "Set the women to do the homemaking. Gonna revert to tradition after all, Ingvar?"
He turned to give her a wry look. "I made a request of the two people who are carrying the food. But if you're going to make an issue of it, I can have Tholi take over."
Dimbi laughed at him, already obligingly laying out another portion of dried meat and fruit on a spare piece of flatbread.
"Thank you," Ingvar said politely.
It was a wait of only a few more minutes before the single traveler came into view of human eyes, lit by the firelight. Ingvar began to have an odd certainty who was coming, even before he drew close enough to reveal his bearded visage, or the traditional Huntsman's regalia he wore.
"Brother Andros," Tholi exclaimed in surprise.
"Tholi," the Bishop of Shaath rumbled, pausing to study him up and down. "So this is where you ran off to. Well, I am glad to see you in good company."
"Welcome, Brother," Ingvar said, stepping forward and offering a hand.
Andros Varanus came the rest of the way, holding his gaze, and clasped his offered wrist in the traditional manner. "Ingvar. It is good to see you, as well. I had begun to fear that I never would, again."
"Another Huntsman?" Taka asked, peering critically at the new arrival. "You missed all the fun."
"Taka, don't be rude," Aspen admonished, earning an incredulous stare in response.
"Indeed," Andros agreed, releasing Ingvar's hand and turning to frown in the direction of Ninkabi. "She speaks an awkward truth. While the whole world reacted to dire threats and met a foe against whom my skills as a Huntsman would have been sorely needed, I was stuck in Tiraas, dealing with magical and political affairs, and only arrived here after it is long settled. It is a sobering moment, when a man is forced to recognize exactly the kind of useless old man he will one day become."
"That's needlessly grim, Brother," said Ingvar with a small smile. "I've learned, somewhat against my will, that one is never too old to change when the need for change becomes severe enough."
"Yes," Andros said evenly, turning back to him. "Yes, I understand you have learned a great deal since you set out on your vision quest. We have begun to hear word in Tiraas, already, of the changes you bring."
"Awkward truths," Ingvar agreed softly.
Andros held his eyes again, studying him closely, then nodded once. "Walk with me in the forest, Brother. There are things we must discuss."
May 27, 2019 UncategorizedAndros Varanus, Aresk, Arkhosh, Aspen, Bishop Darling, Branwen Snowe, Dantu, Dimbi, Fauna, Flora, Grandmaster Veisroi, Gravestone Weaver, Hamelin Hargrave, Hesthri, Ingvar, Intima, Jonathan Arquin, Joseph P. Jenkins, Kanatu, Khadizroth the Green, Longshot McGraw, Maru, Mary the Crow, Natchua, November Stark, Professor Rafe, Professor Tellwyrn, Professor Yornhaldt, Raghann, Rainwood, Roth, Sabrina Price, Samaan, Sha, Taka Mbino, Taowi Sunrunner, Tholi, Thumper, Tinker Billie, VannaeD. D. Webb
The Shaathists were the last to arrive.
Ingvar had known in advance there would be three; the awareness was a constant tingle in the back of his mind, something to which he was not accustomed. There were six in his own party, and three Rangers had showed up. His learned sense of social and political rhythms combined with instinctive understanding of the balance inherent in nature, and a growing intuition he didn't quite comprehend yet, to forewarn him of the shape of the thing forming before his eyes. Six of his own followers, six skeptical seekers, and the final party Rainwood had quietly told him was coming—also, he expected, six.
They were in the realm of the spirits, now. These things didn't just happen. Ingvar was no shaman, could not speak directly to any invisible fae, but there was definitely something guiding him along.
Dimbi had brought two fellow Rangers, both older than she. So far, both Sha and Intima, as they had been introduced, had opted to remain silent and watch, leaving their more garrulous junior to do the speaking. Sha had kept the hood of the Ranger cloak up and clutched her longbow in front of herself as if for comfort, while Intima simply regarded everyone impassively, his broad features schooled into almost meditative stillness. Huge man that he was, a head taller than Ingvar and correspondingly broad, even that was vaguely menacing, but none of them had offered the slightest hostility. They were, after all, here. Had Dimbi or anyone she spoke to wished harm upon this endeavor, they could have just taken the story directly to their leader. Ingvar had to trust that they had come out of sincere curiosity, if only because suspiciously grilling them would just undercut what he was trying to accomplish.
Their location was not difficult to find for anyone remotely skilled in tracking; of the six of them, only Rainwood might have been hard to follow. Specifically wanting to be found, Ingvar had not troubled to walk with care once their daily hunting for necessary food was done, and they had left a veritable highway to this clearing. Now, in the center, there glowed a most unusual bonfire, created by the shaman's craft from living branches piled with their still-green leaves emerging. The flame was white and put off no heat, but a steady glow not unlike the moon. Rather than the flickering glow of fire, it was as intense and even as a fairy lamp. The quiet blaze produced numerous little dancing lights, which one moment resembled nothing more than the sparks put off by any campfire except in clean white, and the next looked more like glowing butterflied fluttering under their own impetus, but fading from existence before they could be observed closely.
Shortly after full dusk, a lull had fallen, the Rangers exhibiting patience even as their expressions remained cynical; Ingvar had asked them to wait for the last arrivals before commencing the true purpose of this gathering. There was quiet, then, when the Shaathists emerged from the shadows of the trees.
Two of them Ingvar recognized as the youths who had accompanied three full Huntsmen previously, the Tiraan boy Samaan and another whose name he hadn't heard. It was no surprise that it would be the young who were most curious and adventurous. Unexpectedly, though, they followed a man who was genuinely old, his hair fully white and his posture slightly stooped. He was a full Huntsman, though, carrying a blessed longbow and wearing both a bearskin cape and a bronze wolf's head pin. Lean, wiry and still tall despite his aged hunch, he stepped fully into the clearing, sweeping a quick stare around all those assembled.
"Well, well," the old man said aloud, his voice creaking slightly with age but still strong and clear. "It seems we're expected!"
"Welcome," Ingvar replied, nodding to him. "You are, indeed. All of us are some degree of surprised to find ourselves here; I simply have the benefit of a little more time to being ushered along by forces I cannot see."
"And that would make you the famous Brother Ingvar," the elder Huntsman said, eyeing him critically up and down.
"I suppose I'll have to get used to being the famous Brother Ingvar," he replied with a sigh.
"I imagined someone taller," the old man grunted, then grinned. "But then, that's exactly what I say every time I pass a mirror."
"What are you of all people doing sniffing around this apostate, Dantu?" Sha demanded in a growl. "Going to switch sides yet again?"
"Brother Dantu has a bit of a history," the second Shaathist apprentice, the local boy whose name Ingvar didn't know, interjected with a wry smile, stepping closer to the eerie firelight and placing a hand on the old man's shoulder. "He left the lodge in his youth to join the Shadow Hunters, and years later returned to the true path."
"True path," Dimbi repeated, her tone precariously heavy with sarcasm.
"That must be a long and remarkable story," said Ingvar in a deliberately calm tone before more hostility could emerge.
"Right and wrong are usually not as simple as true and false," Dantu said with a more sober expression. "Sometimes they aren't even as simple as right and wrong, and that's when you really have to watch your step. We tend to paint ourselves into intractable moral dilemmas by trying to make things simpler than they are. The Huntsmen say one thing, the Rangers another, and leave nuance to the fairies. Something tells me, Famous Brother Ingvar, you've come to make all our lives good and complicated again. I've come to see whether the upset you bright might be a solution, or just more problems. The boys, here, tell me you put on quite a show."
"Oh, he does at that," Taka agreed. "I'm still not sure how into all this mystic hunter business I am, but I've gotta say Ingvar's never boring."
"Glad to see you two again," Ingvar said, making eye contact with each of the lads. "Samaan, and…?"
"How'd you know that?" Samaan demanded, one hand falling to the tomahawk hanging at his waist.
"Easy, there, Sam," the other urged, smiling faintly. "Last time, you made Djinti call you down by name, remember? I'm Kanatu," he added, nodding deeply to Ingvar, "the one who remembers details."
"Oh, shut up," Samaan grunted. "Very well, you expected us to come looking for you, we're all impressed. Obviously you've gone to some trouble to set all this up. Let's hear what you have to say, then."
Ingvar looked over at Rainwood, who nodded to him.
"I have little enough to say," Ingvar answered. "If it were that simple, all of this would be unnecessary. I've warned both of your groups, respectively, that I bring you painful, disruptive truths, and that I'm only a messenger; this business won't leave you in peace if you drive me off. I wouldn't have listened to the truth when it was first shown to me. That's why it had to be shown."
"Well, we've come all this way," Kanatu said with a shrug, glancing warily over at the three quiet Rangers in their gray-green cloaks. "Say, show, whatever it is, whip it out."
"Several of you are already well acquainted with this," Ingvar said, now looking at the Rangers himself. Sha nodded and Dimbi quirked an ironic little smile, though Intima remained impassive as a tree. He made eye contact with Dantu, whose previously animated features had gone inscrutable. Ingvar had known several men like this one during his time with the Huntsmen, free thinkers who skirted the boundaries of tradition, never quite transgressing enough to be called down by the lodgemaster but subtly thumbing their noses at everyone. They were always the most willing to entertain unconventional ideas. Now, he had to wonder how many of those men had learned shocking truths and yet chosen the comfort of faith and community over harsh reality, as Dantu evidently had. "In fact, this is a pivotal moment for those following me, as well. Tholi in particular has been more than patient with my vague hints up till now."
He paused, feeling the weight of everyone's expectant stares, and turning his eyes to the mysterious white flame.
"For some of you, this will be a repetition of an old revelation. For others, merely…trivia. But for some, it will be a shock that may strip away everything you understand about the world. I have known tribulation in my time, as you can only imagine. Not every lodge is equally welcoming of a man in my position, and my career with the Huntsmen has been an often painful balance between the path to which I was called and a community that sometimes despised me. Yet I will warn you now that what you are about to see was the thing that hurt me the most. There is no pain quite like having your beliefs carved away. If any of you choose to walk away rather than face this, I will not name them coward."
The Rangers didn't react at all; Dantu's thin shoulders shifted in a soft sigh. Kanatu just folded his arms.
"I'm not afraid of anything you have to show me," Samaan snorted. "Let's see you impress, Ingvar."
Ingvar was positioned near the middle of the row of his own party, lined up along one side of the fire; he now glanced to both sides, taking in their expressions. Rainwood and Aspen both smiled encouragingly, while Tholi looked downright eager. Taka was going out of her way to appear as skeptical as the Rangers, and November just looked reserved. He suspected she was grappling with her own questions about why Avei had sent her into the middle of this business.
"Then I'll ask you to please be respectful and hold your peace while the last members of this gathering arrive."
"Who the hell else is coming to this?" Samaan muttered.
"Lad, when you'll find out just the same whether or not you ask, it's always better to keep quiet," Dantu advised.
Ingvar was watching Rainwood sidelong. The elf had closed his eyes, breathing slowly and deeply. He could not feel shamanism at work, at least not explicitly or directly, but that sense was there. Of pressure, of potential, something vast in motion and not related to him but certain to determine the course of his next actions. It was, he reflected, very much like the sense of a thunderstorm rolling forward.
Then they arrived, and he swept all of that from his mind.
Where before only the single female had answered the call, now Rainwood's entreaties via the spirits had successfully summoned the whole pack. The whole family.
There were six of them, rounding out the formation. Six of Ingvar's party to start, the three Rangers and three Shaathists making six more, even more obviously now as they shifted away from the new arrivals with gasps and muffled exclamations, forgetting the tension between them to make way for the pack of wild wolves who stepped out of the darkness and up to the firelight.
"The Rangers have a rite for this purpose," Ingvar said while the assembled group stared in mingled awe and fear at the predators joining them in the firelight. "I lack access to their secrets, and so this is not that. Rainwood has lent us his talents and the aid of his spirit guides to ask these guests for their guidance. In the faith of Shaath, there is no creature more sacred than the wolf. It is their ways which are held up as the ideal of living. The crux of the problem with the Huntsmen today is that they believe things about wolves which are purely untrue. Now, tonight, these honored guests, with the aid of the fae spirits all around us, will show us the truth of their lives. Please, sit."
He folded himself smoothly to the ground, sitting cross-legged. One by one, the rest followed suit, several obviously reluctant to adopt a less defensible stance in the presence of so many of nature's perfect hunters. It helped that the wolves appeared to hear his request and themselves sat down in a loose arc around their edge of the fire, all six gazing impassively at the humans with their ears up and alert. One by one, the rest of the party sank to the earth.
"This may be disorienting in its first moments," Ingvar said quietly, accompanied by an intensifying glow from the white fire. "Rest assured that you are safe here. We meet under a pact of peace; these are friends and companions. What now unfolds is the craft of a master shaman. Still your unease, and trust the process as it comes to completion."
The fire continued to glow while he spoke, its light beginning to waver almost like a natural fire's, and mist poured out from its base to wash gently across the clearing in a luminous white carpet. The wolves showed no reaction to this, though several of the two-legged participants in the ritual shifted uncertainly, eyes darting.
Ingvar breathed in and out, deliberately following his own advice. He had checked again with Rainwood before beginning this; the shaman said that the spirits in the world were still agitated, but it was nothing to do with them and should have no impact.
The "should" was worrying. But they were here at the behest of those same spirits, as well as the gods themselves. At a certain point, a person simply had to have faith, and keep going.
In unison, the six seated wolves raised their noses skyward and cried aloud, their mournful howling echoing across the forest. It was a stunning music, and a truly astonishing thing to experience so close. Also, at that proximity, incredibly loud.
This time, none of those gathered made any noises in response, but Ingvar could tell just by glancing across them that they felt what he felt. The howl of a wolf was a call to family, a summons. It stirred, tugged at something inside himself placed there by the magic in which they had all partaken.
The mist rose around each of them, drifting upward in twelve little banks to wash smoothly over them, and then each began to take shape. Around every person, the shadow of a wolf cast in white moonlight formed, raising its head to cry mutely in answer to the call.
Of their own volition, he felt his eyes closing. By the time they had fully shut, the spirits and the wolves had supplanted his vision.
They were a large pack, and an uncertain one, still growing used to one another. They trusted him, though, and he honored that trust, devoting himself to leading them as best he could. He looked after is family, and they did after him. It was not a matter of asserting his will, but simply of the love between them, the same force that bound all living things. If it ever came to be that one of the younger ones would become stronger and a better leader, he would encourage that one to take the role. For now, they lived in an uncertain world, and he was the one with the knowledge and the confidence to guide them through it.
He missed his brothers, at times. The wise, canny older brother with the golden pelt, and the younger, darker one with his piercingly analytical mind. Not only because they were brothers and he wished to be alongside family, as was only natural, but because both were smart, and there were many strange smells in the air. He could have used their support. But what was, was. He was leader, now, and had his own family to look after.
They lived, were conscious, at a fixed point within a spectrum of memory, with the awareness of their lives in this forest stretching away both behind and ahead. It was a strange thing…and yet, not. This was just the world and what it was like to be alive within it, and yet he had the sense, sometimes, that there was something else. That things were supposed to be different. But he put that aside and dealt with the now. It was a good land, and a good life. They hunted in the darkness, and never went hungry. They played together in the shadowy times between day and night, curling up to share warmth and closeness during the sleepy sunlight hours. Games of chasing and scuffling were ways for him to teach the younger ones about the struggles of living.
And yet, there was that scent again. One of those troubling smells, wafting down from the mountains. He paused, raising his head. What was it? It was not food, or friend. Was his family in danger? The smell was new, impossible to place. It was…uneasy. Something about the world that was not what it should be.
No, Ingvar, that's not the lesson.
He growled softly. Words were just noise, and the more troubling because he could not tell where they were coming from.
Don't follow that scent. Listen to me, Ingvar. Trust the spirit of the wolf, not the other spirits.
Responding as always to his uncertainty, she stepped up beside him, leaning her bulk against his own in affection and support. His longtime partner, the one most special of all his beloved family, with her wild green eyes and the golden pattern like leaves dappling her pale coat. Her scent always reminded him as much of trees as of family. She raised her head to smell it as well. Beautiful and proud, and no less precious because she was rather unpredictable.
She bared her teeth in displeasure, echoing his soft growl.
Aspen, no! Don't get involved in that, you're too—
He snapped his jaws in anger. That was worse. Whatever that smell was, it was pushing at them. Pushing at her. At his family.
As one, they wheeled and gathered up the pack. Something menacing lurked in the wilds, and it was time for them to go. He raised his voice to howl, calling the rest together.
Please, Ingvar, remember peace. Don't…
She howled alongside him, and her voice echoed through the forests, across the mountains, across the world beyond.
Aspen, NO!
The scent swirled violently, a storm gathering where there was no storm. Suddenly frantic, the whole family howled to one another, gathering together, turning to flee from the tumult. He led them away. He did not know where safety was, or what kind of threat encroached, but they trusted and followed him. They were his responsibility. He would let nothing harm his family.
The pack dashed away from the mountains, seeking safer ground. As they went they called out to one another, making sure no one was lost. The strange scent in the wind followed them, and called back.
And in the distance, on all sides, other wolves answered.
"Twenty-three," Branwen said with a sigh, making a notation on her map. "I thought he said twenty hellgates?"
"If these people have even the most basic sense, they will have built themselves the most generous margin of error possible," Khadizroth said absently, his attention focused on the diorama he had built on her dining room table. Assembled from dust he had called seemingly from the air itself, it formed a monochrome scale model of Ninkabi, with swirls of colored light dashing this way and that through its streets and canyons like errant gusts of wind. "Not all of these sites will produce viable hellgates, and they must be planning on at least some being discovered beforehand. It is a good strategy, but it means we must be unfailingly diligent."
"Yes, the one we miss will be the worst," she agreed wryly. "Isn't that always the way… Any sign from your spirit guides of how many of these ritual sites are left to find?"
"As with much fae craft, it unfolds like relentless nature herself," the dragon replied, giving her a sidelong smile. "It will be done when it is done. For now—"
"My lord!" Vannae said suddenly, shooting upright out of his seat.
"I sense it too," Khadizroth replied, frowning now in alarm. "What on earth is…"
The entire model of the city shattered into a cloud, swirling chaotically until it formed a new shape.
Now, suddenly, it had made a moving statue of a wolf. The creature raised its head toward the ceiling, and emitted a howl as vivid and loud as if the living animal were right there in the room.
The door burst open and Shook staggered in, disheveled with sleep but brandishing a wand. "The fuck is that?! Everybody okay?"
Khadizroth was staring at the wolf in an unaccustomed expression of shock and disbelief.
"Ingvar," he whispered. "What have you done?"
It seemed he'd barely had time to drift off to sleep, despite his intention to get an early night in preparation for tomorrow's plans, but Darling shot bolt upright in bed to find both his apprentices at his sides, clutching his arms.
"Wha," he burbled, "whazzat, I thought…"
The bedroom door burst open and Price appeared, her eyes sweeping the room.
"It's okay!" Fauna said quickly. "He snapped out of it."
"What happened?" the Butler demanded. "I have never heard such a sound. So help me, if you two are keeping a pet coyote…"
"That wasn't us," Flora objected. "It was him."
"I had this dream…" Darling scrubbed a hand across his face. "I swear it was somewhere I've been before."
"There was some serious fairy fuckery clustering around you out of nowhere," said Fauna. "Seems to have dissipated, though."
"We got here just before you started howling," Flora added. "Are you okay, Sweet?"
He blinked twice. "Excuse me, I started what?"
The darkness of unconsciousness faded from his vision, replaced by Mary's face, her eyes wide with uncharacteristic worry. He was breathing heavily as if he'd just run a mile, he realized, and almost toppled over, spared only by the grip of her slender hands on his cheeks. She was surprisingly strong, for an elf.
"Joseph, it's all right," she said soothingly. "You're safe. Are you back with us?"
"I…" He squeezed his eyes shut for a moment, shaking his head. "What happened? I feel like I was just…somewhere else."
"Damn, son, you scared the life outta me," said McGraw, looming over him.
"Aye, that was a right wake up an' no mistake," Billie agreed, popping up at his side. "I never heard a human throat make a sound like that."
"A sound like…what?" he asked weakly.
All around their little campsite, the Golden Sea stretched in every direction, seemingly infinite. Out of the darkness, suddenly from every direction there rose distant howls. They reminded him of the familiar voices of coyotes he'd often heard growing up in Sarasio. But…not. Their cries were longer, deeper…
Even more familiar.
"Like that," said Weaver, standing a few yards distant with his back to the group, gazing at the dark horizon.
He was awakened by Hesthri climbing across him to the other side of the bed. The room was cool, its one window open to admit the evening breeze.
That, and sudden, surprising music from the hills all around Veilgrad.
Natchua already stood at the window, moonlight forming a gleaming corona on the darkness of her skin. Jonathan swung his legs over the side of the bed and followed Hesthri to join her.
"Aren't there supposed to be werewolves in this area?" he asked, setting one arm across the drow's slender shoulders while Hesthri laid a hand against her upper back.
"That," Natchua said quietly, "and the normal kind of wolves. But not so many."
It was true, he realized. Those howls were seemingly coming from every direction, repetitive and so unrelenting that he could hardly discern where one ended and the next began.
"It's so beautiful," Hesthri whispered. "What kinds of creatures are these?"
"Dangerous ones," Jonathan said, stepping closer and taking advantage of the long reach of his arm to tug both of them against his side, gently squishing Natchua between them. "Though normal wolves hardly ever bother people unless starving or severely provoked. Werewolves are another matter."
"This is another matter," Natchua whispered. "I can't tell what magic is at work here, but…it's something big. Something in the world just changed."
Andros Varanus took the risk of barging into the Grandmaster's quarters without knocking.
Fortunately, the whole household was assembled, and awake, though still in sleeping clothes. Both of Veisroi's wives turned on him with scowls at this sudden intrusion into their domain, but the Grandmaster himself raised a hand in a mute order for silence before either could upbraid him.
"You too, then, Brother Andros?" he asked, turning away from the fireplace into which he had been gazing.
"And not just me," Andros rumbled. "Every man in this lodge is awake, due to the same dream. Every man but one. Hrathvin is in a trance from which his apprentice cannot stir him."
Veisroi's chest expanded with a long, deep breath. "Give him time. I named him shaman of this lodge for a reason; the man knows what he's about. If he has not roused by dawn, we will send to the Emerald College for help."
Andros nodded. "And the dream? You know this can only mean one thing, Grandmaster."
"In the context of the telescroll I just received from N'Jendo…yes, I do," the old man said, turning back to the flames. "Damn it all, Andros. I had such high hopes for Ingvar. When he set out on his quest from Shaath himself, I dared to think…"
"Ingvar also knows what he is about. He has more than earned our trust, Veisroi."
"And how long has it been since we've had word from him? And now, just on the heels of warning that he is preaching apostasy in the West…this." The Grandmaster clenched his jaw. "I hate to do it, Andros, you know I do. But a man does what he must, even when he does not wish to. Right now, do what you can to calm the men, make sure they're seeing to their wives. It's always the women who are most upset by things like this. In the immediate turn we will make sure Hrathvin is well. And when that is dealt with, for good or ill…"
"I protest, Grandmaster," Andros said, as insistently as he could without making it a direct challenge.
"And that is your prerogative, Brother," Veisroi replied without looking up from the fire. "But protest or not, tomorrow I will summon a Wild Hunt."
Atop his watchtower on the ancient walls of Shaathvar, Roth stood with his back to the brazier's warmth, staring out at the cold darkness. All around rose the pine-clad peaks encircling the valley directly below the city itself. And from all sides came the relentless howling.
"How can there be so many?" one of the two younglings assigned to join his watch asked, eyes wide. "Surely there can't be that many wolves in the valley!"
"There aren't that many wolves in the whole of the Stalrange," Roth replied, his voice flat. A man did not flinch even in the face of…whatever this was. "I will keep the watch here; go rouse the captain. And you," he added to the other, "fetch the barracks shaman. Keep your minds on the task before you, lads. This is a dire omen of something, but omens are a shaman's work. Don't borrow trouble for yourself until this has been interpreted by men who know the craft."
"Yes, Brother," they chorused, and both dashed off down opposite staircases toward the walls.
Roth just gazed out over the frigid, howling wilderness, wondering what had just happened to the world.
"This is not our business," Arkhosh insisted, glaring at Mother Raghann. He had to raise his voice to be heard above the ceaseless howling of wolves which split the night all around. "People are agitated enough by this without you riling them up worse. Let the kitsune handle Sifan's affairs and calm your own people, shaman."
"This is not the kitsune's business, either," the old woman retorted, implacable as always. "These are ripples from a mountain dropped in the ocean, not a pebble in a pool. It began far from Sifan and extends farther still. The agitation of the spirits sings of a world in the grip of tumult, Arkhosh. And that makes it their business, and ours, and everyone's."
The other orc blew out a snort of irritation. "We are in no position to worry about the world, woman, or even Sifan as a whole. And we certainly owe the world no favors. It is the kitsune who are our hosts, and Tsurikura which is our business. If action is needed on our part, they'll ask us for it. For now, we should tend to the walls. I can't speak for spirits, but I know agitated wolves when I hear them."
"Have you ever heard this many wolves?" she asked dryly. "What do you think our village walls would do if they took a notion to come here?"
"What say you, Aresk?" Arkhosh demanded, turning to his son, the only other orc gathered with them outside the gate. "Do they howl to us?"
The last and first priest of Khar stared out into the darkness, listening to the cries of wolves. The faintest glow of golden-white light limned him as he attuned to the faded power of their distant god. "Nothing in this tells me it pertains to us directly. But Mother Raghann is still right," he added, turning to meet his father's eyes. "We exist in the world, father. I agree that we should not meddle in what is not our business, or exert ourselves to aid those who would not do the same in turn. But waiting around to be told what to do by the kitsune is weakness. And just ignoring the world in the hope that nothing bad will happen is madness."
Both of them bared tusks at him. Very recently, Aresk would have instinctively yielded to the displeasure of either of his elders, let alone both. But things changed, and he changed with them. It was that, or die.
"I suggest a middle ground. I won't agree to our shamans rushing out to try to placate…whatever this is. But they should at least do what they can to learn what is happening. Whatever the spirits will tell us. With more information, we can better decide what to do. We should protect and support them in whatever rituals will best accomplish this."
Raghann grunted. "Well. I can't say the boy doesn't talk sense. Very well, it's at least a start."
"A good compromise," Arkhosh agreed, reaching out to squeeze his son's shoulder. "Very well, Aresk, I concur with your council. We will start there. And then…" He looked sourly at Mother Raghann, and then out into the howling darkness. "…we shall see."
"Elder?" the young woman asked, creeping up to the mouth of the cave just behind him. "What does it mean?"
The old lizardfolk shaman glanced back at her, and then at the rest of the tribe taking shelter, their eyes glowing in the dimness as they watched the cave mouth for danger.
He turned back around, facing outward and listening to the howls of the wolves, far too many wolves to actually live in this desolate land.
"It's as I told you: a great doom is coming. This is only the beginning."
Hamelin Hargrave stood in the open door of his cottage, gazing out at the normally peaceful hills of Viridill, listening to them. The spirits were so agitated he could glean nothing through the Craft; whatever was happening was clearly way over his head.
Tomorrow, he decided, he would make the trip to Vrin Shai and seek help. But not tonight. Magical or not, no matter how civilized an era it was, you didn't set out on the roads after dark when the wolves were in a frenzy.
"Urusai," Maru whined, curled up in the fetal position and clutching his head. "Urusai, urusai, urusai!"
"What's that he's chanting?" Professor Yornhaldt asked, craning his neck forward to peer as closely as he could without getting in Taowi's way. She had a sharp tongue for people who interfered while she was tending to a patient.
"It means 'loud,'" said Tellwyrn, herself standing on the other side of her currently crowded office, but watching closely as the campus healer tended to her prone secretary.
"Really?" asked Rafe. "I thought it meant 'shut up.' Kaisa used to say that to me all the time."
"Language reflects culture," Tellwyrn said absently. "To the Sifanese mindset, commenting that something is noisy suffices to demand that it stop. Taowi, please tell me that's not what it smells like."
"It's exactly what it smells like, Arachne," she said impatiently, still coaxing Maru to put the shriveled object she held in his mouth. "It's worked on the others affected thus far."
Tellwyrn took an aggressive step forward. "Do you mean to tell me you've been feeding glittershrooms to my students?!"
"To your students and to Stew," Taowi Sunrunner replied, undaunted by the archmage's ire. "There you go, Maru, don't forget to chew. It's affecting everyone fae-attuned, Arachne. What in the hell did you get me dried glittershrooms for if you didn't think I was going to use them medicinally?"
Tellwyrn snorted. "I figured you've been an exemplary healer and as long as it didn't interfere with your work I wasn't going to begrudge you whatever you needed to relax."
Maru was weakly chewing the wedge of dried glittershroom; Taowi took her eyes off him for a moment to give Tellwyrn a blistering look. "The principle harm done by this is simply stress. For most things I would simply apply a sedative, but this is clearly fae in nature and affecting people through the dreamscape somehow. Putting someone to sleep would just trap them in it. You'll notice I asked you to procure a supply of shrooms right after that clever little fool Madouri did exactly that to herself by combining Nightmare's Dream potion with the Sleeper curse. Glittershrooms induce euphoria without causing sleepiness; it's the best spot treatment. Once everyone is stabilized I mean to switch them to sevenleaf oil, but considering how bad some of the reactions are, I advise the potency of shrooms to take the edge off."
"How is everyone faring?" Tellwyrn asked more quietly.
"It hits fairies worse than witches," Taowi said absently, her focus again on Maru as she soothingly stroked his fur while waiting for the glittershroom to take effect. "Stew was nearly this bad. Oak says she's getting the same visions, but they don't bother her, which makes me feel less worried about Juniper and Fross. Dryads are generally under different rules. With the students…it varies. Most of them welcomed a bit of shroom, but Iris declined. She wants to stay lucid to help keep watch over the others, and frankly I'm grateful for the assistance. She seems to be suffering the least from the effect."
"And it's the same for all of them?"
"They report the same visions." Taowi looked up to meet her eyes. "Wolves howling. More than just the noise, this is hitting them right in the emotional center, as fae magic does. They've all said they feel they're being called to something, but they can't understand what, much less answer it, and that's what's causing the acute stress. This is some kind of compulsion which can't be fulfilled. There are few things more psychologically excruciating."
"We unfortunately lack a fae specialist," Rafe said, turning to Professor Tellwyrn, "since Liari retired and Kaisa buggered off mid-semester."
"And isn't that the long and the short of it," Tellwyrn said, shoving both fists under her spectacles to rub at her eyes. "It's the area of magic I'm least equipped to analyze, but the geas on this mountain would at least warn me if the effect were targeted here. If it's a general effect over a wide area, then wherever it's coming from, we're not the only ones feeling it. All right. Alaric, keep order here as best you can. Admestus, help Taowi with the afflicted."
"You have an idea?" Yornhaldt asked.
She grimaced readjusting her glasses. "The only idea I have is begging for help. I'm going to Sarasio to see if Sheyann and Chucky know anything about this. Hold the fort, everyone."
Rainwood stumbled backward with nothing like an elf's usual grace, staring at the wolves in the clearing around his snuffed-out faefire.
They were beautiful, but nothing about them appeared natural. Patterns were set in their fur that looked dyed, geometric and clearly designed, and most strikingly, they glowed. Each a different pattern in a subtly different color. Their eyes were glowing wells of power without pupils; even their fur seemed to put off a gentle aura of moonlight.
In the spot where Ingvar had sat, the largest wolf turned to bare fangs at Rainwood, his pure white fur marked with sigils in luminous green and blue on the shoulders and forehead. He raised his head and howled once, and loud as the sound was, it was nothing compared to the metaphysical shockwave it sent out.
Rainwood actually fell backward, landing on his rump and gaping.
The pack gathered themselves and loped off into the trees, heading west toward the sea—though they would reach Ninkabi long before they got to the coast. Seventeen enormous, glowing, unprecedented creatures departed from the wilderness on a collision course with civilization, leaving behind a magical storm that roared outward in every direction, dwarfing the disturbance which had rocked the fae up in the Wyrnrange the previous day.
This one would be felt across every inch of the planet.
"Kuriwa's going to kill me," he said aloud, staring after the departed pack. "Literally, this time."
August 6, 2018 UncategorizedAndros Varanus, Archpope Justinian, Basra Syrinx, Bishop Darling, Bishop Raskin, Branwen Snowe, Casey Elwick, Duster, Ephanie Avelea, Gabriel, Grip, Jenell Covrin, Nandi Shahai, Ninetails, Principia, Sally Tavaar, Schwartz, Sebastian Throale, Toby, TrissinyD. D. Webb
On a typically overcast, slightly muggy summer day in Tiraas, Basra Syrinx returned to her office to find it gone.
She came to a stop in what appeared to be an empty stretch of hallway in the Temple of Avei, revealing confusion only by looking deliberately up and down. No one was visible nearby; the only noises were from the other end of the hall, where it terminated at a balcony overlooking a sizable atrium not far from the main sanctuary. Most significantly, the door to her office was not where it always was. Nothing but plain wall.
Her expression finally shifted from its usual placid mask to vague annoyance.
Syrinx reached up to run her hand along the wall, then grunted deep in her throat and nodded, finding the frame of the door with her fingers. Slowly she ran her hand along the invisible shape to the latch, which she turned. It was not locked or tampered with and shifted as smoothly in her hand as always, but she did not push it open or step in yet. Instead the Bishop resumed her tactile exploration, dragging her fingertips up the doorframe and along the top.
She disturbed some kind of crunchy dust sprinkled along the top of the door frame. No—not dust. Crushed dried leaves.
"Mm hm," Syrinx muttered aloud, gripping the golden hilt of her sword with her other hand and continuing to sweep the dust away. Then suddenly, with a soft gasp, she jerked her fingers back, shaking her hand. There was no mark of any kind on her forefinger, but that had sure felt like—
She retreated one step and ignited her aura, flooding the hallway with radiant divine magic.
Immediately the illusion collapsed, the crumbled leaves atop the door frame evaporating into oily smoke, and the tiny elemental perched on the center chattered angrily at her in protest.
"I thought this was an extraordinary effort for a novice prank," Syrinx said wryly. "Mousie, isn't it? You're not the only one who's bitten off more than they can chew today. Your little buddy Herschel is going to be up way past his bedtime if he means to start trouble with me."
Meesie hissed at her, puffing up her fur.
Not for nothing was Basra Syrinx an admired blademaster; her sword cleared its sheath faster than most human beings could have visually followed, much less countered, and she swept the blade in a precise arc that would have struck down even that tiny target—had Meesie not been other than human.
Meesie vanished in a puff of sparks as the sword's tip slashed expertly through her space. Those sparks, instead of dissipating in the air, streamed away down the hall, where they coalesced again into the ratlike shape of the elemental, now perched on the shoulder of Herschel Schwartz, who had been standing there the whole time—not invisible, but simply not catching anyone's notice until his familiar drew attention to his presence.
"I had honestly given up, boy," Syrinx said mildly, sheathing her sword. "It's been, what? A year? And you're only now getting shirty with me. Please tell me you've spent all this time making actual preparations and not simply screwing up your courage. Unless your whole plan is to disappoint me one last time."
"You know, Basra, that's your problem in a nutshell. You always go right for the throat. Maybe you should relax, learn to play around a bit. Have some fun with life." Schwartz's tone was light, deliberately so. It contrasted with the rest of him—stiff as a flagstaff, shoulders gathered in tension, fists clenched and eyes glaring. Meesie hissed again, tiny flickers of fire racing along her fur.
"This isn't a chapbook and you're not a hero," she said flatly. "You don't stand there and banter at me. If the next thing out of your mouth is a suitably groveling apology, I will give real thought to not taking a complaint directly to Bishop Throale and having you reassigned to a two-man research temple in Upper Stalwar."
In answer, he grabbed Meesie and tossed her forward. The elemental landed on the floor halfway between them and suddenly took up much of the hall space, in a leonine form almost the size of a pony. She had, at least, enough restraint not to roar and bring every Legionnaire in the temple running, but bared her teeth at Syrinx and growled. Loudly.
Unfazed by this display, Basra narrowed her eyes, then flicked a glance at the recently-disguised door of her office before returning her focus to Schwartz, ignoring the hulking fire elemental entirely.
"No," she murmured. "You wouldn't dare attack me openly—and especially not here. You have far too much intelligence and not nearly enough balls. What are you trying to distract me from, clever boy?"
He'd been prepped for this, but Schwartz was no schemer or politician. He hesitated for a moment, betraying uncertainty, before jutting out his chin and forcing a facsimile of a cocky grin. "Oh, is that what I'm doing? Interesting theory. How willing are you to test it?"
The dramatic effect, such as it was, suffered greatly from Meesie's sudden reversal to her normal form. It had been much less than a minute; the divine magic saturating the temple put her at a serious disadvantage. Which, of course, underscored the Bishop's point.
Syrinx quirked one eyebrow infinitesimally, then turned and strode away toward the stairs down to the atrium.
"Hey!" Schwartz shouted at her. "Are you that willing to bet I won't just shoot you in the back?"
She didn't bother to inform him that people who actually did things like that rarely gave warning, but she did activate a divine shield. It was a low-energy glow hugging her skin, well below the power of a typical combat shield, but it would conserve her magic and almost certainly suffice for any fae spells done at her, especially in the temple.
Syrinx arrived on the balcony just in time to spot her own aide being escorted through a door on the ground floor below. This wing of the temple, just behind the sanctuary, was mostly offices; that one was behind thick walls with just the one door positioned to provide space for guards to defend it, and used primarily for debriefings and interrogations of a relatively polite nature. Flight or fight risks would be detained in the cells in one of the basement levels. Those loyal to the Sisterhood who had something sensitive to reveal were handled here, where there was ready access to the temple's main entrance and the medical wing.
"Covrin!" the Bishop snapped, her voice echoing through the columned atrium. All those present, which consisted of the Legionnaires escorting Jenell Covrin and a couple of passing priestesses, turned and craned their necks up at her.
Covrin met Syrinx's eyes across the distance.
Then, she smiled. A cold, cruel smile, befitting Basra Syrinx herself—and the girl Jenell Covrin used to be before her "mentor" had (as she thought) beaten her into submission. Not acknowledging the Bishop further, she turned and strode through the door, which the nearest Legionnaire shut firmly behind her.
It was at that moment Syrinx registered that she was looking at Squad 391. Principia Locke turned from closing the door to give her the blandest, most placid smile she had ever seen.
The Bishop turned and stalked for the stairs, immediately finding her way blocked.
"Good afternoon, your Grace," the dark-skinned young man before her said politely. "I wonder if I could have a moment of your time."
She held onto her professional poise by a thread. "I'm sorry, I don't have time at the moment. Excuse me."
Syrinx moved to step around him, and he smoothly flowed aside to block her. Grunting in annoyance, she reached to shove him aside, and her hand impacted a hard surface which rippled with golden light, the shield dissipating immediately in a display of very fine control for a caster so young.
"I'm afraid I must insist," he said, still in a courteous tone.
"Boy," she grated, "do you have any idea—"
"I have many ideas," he interrupted. "I'm Tobias Caine, and I require your attention for a moment, Bishop Syrinx."
Basra went stock still, staring into his eyes. He gazed placidly back, awaiting her response, but she wasn't really looking at him. Variables in this equation began to slot into place in her mind.
"I don't have time for this," Syrinx said curtly, and barreled right into him, flashing her own shield into place.
Toby was a martial artist and too deft on his feet to be so easily bowled down the stairs, retreating with far more grace than most would have managed in that situation, but the bubble of hard light surrounding her prevented him from making the best use of his skills, most of which relied on having something to grip in order to redirect her movements. He wasn't without his own brute force methods, however, and before she'd made it two steps he conjured a staff of pure light.
Just like that, her divine shield wasn't doing her much good, as Toby used his staff skillfully to poke, bat, and shove her backward, as if he were blocking a rolling boulder. This stalemate did not favor Basra; he was physically stronger than she and had vastly greater mana reserves; both staff and shield flickered whenever they impacted, but hers would break long before his.
"I realize you are impatient with this," he said with infuriating calm while thwarting her efforts to descend as if this were all some sort of game. "But you need to think of your own spiritual health, Bishop Syrinx. Whatever happens next, the manner in which you face it will do a great deal to determine the outcome. Redemption is always—"
Basra abruptly dropped her shield and whipped her sword out, lunging at him.
As anticipated, instinct made him abandon his improvised jabbing and fall into a Sun Style defensive stance, which should have put her at a considerable disadvantage; his staff had much greater range than her short sword and her position on the stairs made it all but impossible to duck under it. That, however, was not her intent. Basra had trained against Sun Style grandmasters, which Toby Caine, for all his skill, was not yet. It took her three moves to position him, feint him into committing to a block for an attack from the right which never came, and then turn the other way and vault over the rail.
She had only been a few feet down the stairs; it was a drop of nearly a full story. Basra had done worse, and rolled deftly on landing with her sword arm held out to the side, coming to her feet barely two yards from Squad 391.
All six women were standing at attention, unimpressed by this. Locke, Shahai, and Avelea had composed features as usual, but the other three looked far too gleeful. Elwick, in particular, Syrinx knew to be more than capable of hiding her emotions. The fierce expression on her face boded ill.
"Step aside, soldiers. That is an order."
"Mmmm," Lieutenant Locke drawled. "Nnno, I don't believe I will. Why? You think you're gonna do something about it, Basra?"
"Lieutenant!" one of the two priestesses who had paused to watch the drama burst out, clearly aghast. "You are addressing the Bishop!"
"Am I?" Locke said pleasantly. "Well, if she still is in an hour, I guess I'll owe her an apology. You just hold your horses, Bas. Private Covrin has a lot to go over." She deliberately allowed a predatory, distinctly Eserite grin to begin blossoming on her features. "With the High Commander."
Toby had reached the base of the stairs. Above, Schwartz arrived at the balcony rail and hopped up onto it, his robes beginning to rustle as he summoned some air-based magic. A subtle glow rose around Corporal Shahai.
Then another such glow, weaker but unmistakable, ignited around Locke. The elf's grin broadened unpleasantly.
"Your Grace?" asked the second priestess uncertainly, glancing about at all this.
Basra Syrinx turned and fled.
Toby moved to intercept her, but Syrinx grabbed the shorter priestess by the collar of her robes in passing and hurled the squawking woman straight into him. Schwartz didn't make it to the ground that quickly and Locke's squad made no move to pursue, simply holding position in front of the office door. She made it to the atrium's main entrance with no further opposition, bursting past two surprised Legionnaires standing guard on the other side.
Behind her, the office door opened, and it wasn't Covrin or Rouvad who emerged to pursue her.
The main sanctuary of the Temple of Avei was crowded at that time of early afternoon, which meant there was an unfortunately large audience of petitioners from all over the Empire and beyond present to see their Bishop come streaking out of a rear door at a near run. This escalated into an actual run when she heard the pounding of booted feet behind her.
"You!" Basra barked at another pair of startled soldiers as she passed, flinging a hand out behind her. "Detain them!"
"Your Grace?" one said uncertainly, and had Basra been in less of a hurry she would have stopped to take the woman's head off. Figuratively. Probably.
"BASRA SYRINX."
At that voice, in spite of herself, Basra turned, skidding to a graceful halt.
Trissiny Avelea wasn't running, but stalked toward her past Legionnaires who made no move to intercept her as ordered—unsurprisingly. The paladin and Bishop weren't in the same chain of command, but the rank-and-file of the Legions would have an obvious preference if their orders contradicted each other. Trissiny was in full armor, fully aglow, and golden wings spread from behind her to practically fill the temple space. Gasps and exclamations of awe rose from all around, but the paladin gave them no acknowledgment, eyes fixed on Basra.
The Bishop inwardly cursed the learned political instincts which had overwhelmed innate survival instincts; she should not have stopped. As tended to happen when she was confronted with an overwhelming problem, her entire focus narrowed till the world seemed to fall away, and she perceived nothing but the oncoming paladin.
"Trissiny," she said aloud. "You've clearly been listening—"
Those wings of light pumped once, and Trissiny lunged at her with astonishing speed, sword first.
Basra reflexively brought up her own weapon to parry, a divine shield snapping into place around her, and then two very surprising things happened.
First, Trissiny beat her wings again—how were those things functional? They weren't supposed to be solid!—and came to a halt.
Second, Basra's shield was snuffed out, untouched. Frantically, she reached inward for the magic, and it simply wasn't there anymore.
Tiraas was no stranger to storms, but the clap of thunder which resounded right overhead was far greater in power than the light drizzle outside made believable.
"I actually thought you were too clever to fall for that," Trissiny said, and despite the continuing presence of her wings, it was as if the avenging paladin had melted away to leave a smirking Guild enforcer in silver armor. "You just tried to call on the goddess's magic right in front of a Hand of Avei who knows what you did. Congratulations, Basra, you've excommunicated yourself."
Amid the crowd, more figures were emerging from that door at the back of the sanctuary. The Hand of Omnu, Schwartz… And all of Squad 391. With Covrin.
Of course. Obviously, Commander Rouvad wouldn't go to a debriefing room for such an interview, not when she had a highly secure office to which she summoned people regularly. This entire thing… Syrinx realized, belatedly, how she had been baited and conned.
She filed away the surge of livid rage to be expressed later, when she had the opportunity to actually hurt someone. For now, once again she turned and bolted toward the front doors of the temple, past the countless witnesses to her disgrace.
The lack of any sounds of pursuit behind her began to make sense when she burst out onto the portico of the temple and had to stop again.
Another crowd was gathered in Imperial Square; while the figure waiting for her at the base of the steps necessarily commanded widespread attention, he also discouraged people from approaching too closely. At least the onlookers were keeping a respectful few yards back. Including a handful of Imperial military police who had probably arrived to try to disperse the crowd but also got caught up gawking at the Hand of Death.
Gabriel Arquin sat astride his fiery-eyed horse, who pawed at the paving stones with one invisible hoof and snorted a cloud of steam. His scythe dangled almost carelessly from his hand, its wicked blade's tip resting against the ground. Hairline cracks spread through the stone from the point where it touched.
"There is a progression," Arquin said aloud, his voice ringing above the murmurs of the crowd, "which people need to learn to respect. When you are asked by the Hand of Omnu to repent, you had better do it. Refuse, and you will be ordered by the Hand of Avei to stand down. That was your last chance, Basra Syrinx. Beyond the sword of Avei, there is only death."
The crowd muttered more loudly, beginning to roil backward away from the temple. Nervous Silver Legionnaires covering its entrance clutched their weapons, bracing for whatever was about to unfold.
Behind Basra, Trissiny and Toby emerged from the doors.
Syrinx lunged forward, making it to the base of the stairs in a single leap. Immediately, Arquin wheeled his horse around to block her way, lifting his murderous-looking scythe to a ready position. Even disregarding the reach of that thing, it was painfully obvious she was not about to outrun or outmaneuver that horse. Any horse, but this one in particular looked unnaturally nimble.
She pivoted in a helpless circle, looking for a way out. The crowd was practically a wall; behind was the Temple, once a sanctuary and now a place she didn't dare turn. Trissiny and Toby had spread to descend the steps with a few yards between them. One pace at a time, the noose closed in on Syrinx, the space between the paladins narrowing as the Hands of Avei and Omnu herded her toward the Hand of Vidius, and inexorable death.
Basra had spent too long as a cleric and politician to miss the deliberate symbolism. She could choose which to face: justice, death, or life. Tobias Caine was even gazing at her with a face so full of compassion she wanted to punch it.
She didn't, though. Instead, Basra turned toward him, schooling her own features into what she hoped was a defeated expression—based on the way people's faces looked in her presence from time to time, as it was one she'd never had occasion to wear herself. She let the dangling sword drop from her fingers, feeling but suppressing a spike of fury at the loss when the expensive golden eagle-wrought hilt impacted the pavement. Just one more expense to add to the tally of what the world owed her. Ah, well. After today, carrying around a piece of Avenist symbolism probably wouldn't have worked, anyway.
Syrinx let Toby get within a few feet before bursting into motion.
His own instincts were well-trained, and though he still wasn't a grandmaster, Basra's martial skill heavily emphasized the sword. In a prolonged hand-to-hand fight, she might not have proved a match for Toby's skill—and definitely not now that only one of them had magic to call on.
That dilemma was resolved, as so many were, by not fighting fair.
It took her a span of two seconds to exchange a flurry of blows, carefully not committing to a close enough attack to let him grab her as Sun Style warriors always did, all to position herself just outside the circle the three paladins had formed and push Toby into a reflexive pattern she could anticipate and exploit. Arquin was momentarily confused, unable to swing his great clumsy weapon into the fray with his friends that close or exploit the speed of his mount, but Trissiny—also a highly trained fighter—was already moving around Toby to flank Basra from the other side.
So she finally made the "mistake" that brought her within range of Toby's grab, and allowed him to seize her by the shoulder and upper arm. And with his hands thus occupied, Basra flicked the stiletto from her sleeve into her palm and raked it across his belly.
Almost disappointing, she thought, how fragile a paladin was. Hurling him bodily into Trissiny was pathetically easy at that point, and in the ensuing confusion of shouts which followed, she dove into the crowd, instantly putting herself beyond the reach of Arquin, unless he wanted to trample a whole lot of bystanders, to say nothing of what that scythe would do to them. He probably didn't. Even as the helpless sheep failed to do anything to stop her in their witless panic, paladins always had to take the high road.
Basra shoved through the throng in seconds, pelting right toward the only possible sanctuary that still awaited her: the Grand Cathedral of the Universal Church.
"Toby!" Trissiny lowered him gently to the pavement; he was bent over, clutching his midsection, from which blood had already spread through his shirt and was dripping to the ground at an alarming rate.
"No light!" Toby managed to gasp as Gabriel hurled himself to the ground beside him. "Not even an aura!"
"He's right, stomach wounds are amazingly delicate," Trissiny said helplessly, finishing easing Toby down so he could sit upright. "It may need a surgeon, if you accidentally heal something in the wrong place… We need healers here!" she bellowed.
"Keep to the plan," Toby grunted around the pain, managing to nod to her.
"You do your job, soldier," he rasped, managing a weak grin. "After her! Triss, we're surrounded by temples and gut wounds take a long time to do anything. I'll be fine. Get moving."
She hesitated a moment, squeezing his shoulder.
"He's right," Gabriel agreed, taking up her position to hold Toby upright. "Go, Trissiny!"
"I'll be back," she said, and released him, rising and plunging into the crowd after Syrinx.
Help really did come quickly. Barely had Trissiny gone before the Imperial police were enforcing a perimeter around the paladins, and a priestess of Avei had dashed up to them. She knelt and gently but insistently lowered Toby to lie on his back, whipping out a belt knife to cut away his shirt so she could see the wound.
"Seems so excessive," Toby grunted to Gabriel, who knelt there clutching his hand. "Coulda spared a lot of trouble if we'd just told her the plan was to let her get into the Cathedral…"
"Well, yeah," Gabe said reasonably, his light tone at odds with his white-knuckled grip on Toby's hand, "but then she wouldn'ta done it."
"Oh, right. Inconvenient."
"You need to hush," the priestess said in exasperation, her hands beginning to glow as she lowered them to the wound. "And try to hold still, this will hurt."
Trissiny managed to moderate her pace to an aggressive stride as she crossed the threshold into holy ground. The two Holy Legionaries flanking the door turned to her, but she surged past them without even so much as a sneer for their preposterously ornate armor.
The timing of all this had been very deliberate. A prayer service was in session—not a major one, so the great sanctuary was not crowded, but people were present. Most significantly, the Archpope himself stood at the pulpit, presiding. Justinian liked to stay in touch with the common people, more so than did many of his predecessors, and thus could often be found holding public appearances such as these rather than delegating them to priests. A mid-week afternoon service just didn't command much draw, however, and the room was filled to barely a tenth of its capacity.
At the moment, nobody was getting any praying done, by the looks of things. Basra Syrinx was no longer in evidence, but her recent passage was obvious, thanks to all the confused muttering and peering around. At the head of the sanctuary, the Archpope himself was half-turned, regarding one of the rear doors into the Cathedral complex with a puzzled frown.
The ambient noise increased considerably when the Hand of Avei strode down the central aisle, sword in hand, the side of her silver armor splashed with blood.
"General Avelea," Justinian said, turning to face her with a deep, respectful nod. "I gather you can shed some light on these events?"
"Where is Basra Syrinx?" she demanded, coming to a stop even with the front row of pews. It was downright crowded up here, most of the parishoners present desiring to be as near the Archpope as possible. The first two rows were entirely filled, with people who came from the world over, to judge by their varied styles of attire. Just to Trissiny's left were three Omnist nuns wearing the heavy cowled habits of the Order of the Hedge, a tiny sect which had no presence in the Empire.
"You just missed her," Justinian replied. For whatever reason, he continued projecting in exactly the tone he used for conducting worship. As did she, making their conversation clearly audible to the room. "She passed through here in apparent panic, demanded sanctuary, and retreated within. Toward her office, I presume. What has happened?"
"Syrinx will be removed from her office as Bishop the moment the formalities can be observed," Trissiny replied, her voice ringing over the astonished murmurs all around. "She has been cast out of the faith by Avei herself as a betrayer, abuser of the trust of her position, and rapist. Moments ago she compounded her crimes by mortally assaulting the Hand of Omnu. I demand that she be handed over to face justice!"
The muttering rose almost to the level of outcry before Justinian raised both his hands in a placating gesture. Slowly, the crowd began to subside.
"I dearly hope Mr. Caine is being tended to?" the Archpope said with a worried frown.
Trissiny nodded once. "He isn't so fragile, and healers were at hand."
"That is a great relief."
"Yes," she said impatiently, "and so will be his attacker's prosecution. Will you have your Legionaries produce her, your Holiness, or shall I retrieve her myself?"
"Justice," he intoned, "as you know better than most, is not a thing which yields to demands. These are serious allegations, Trissiny. Gravely serious. This situation must be addressed calmly, rationally, and with full observance of all necessary formalities. Frustrating as these things are, they exist for excellent reasons. We cannot claim to dispense true justice unless it is done properly."
"Please do not lecture me about the core of Avei's faith, your Holiness," Trissiny retorted in an openly biting tone, prompting another rash of muttering. "Justice is Avei's province. Not yours."
"And yet," he said calmly, "Basra Syrinx has claimed the sanctuary of this church. I cannot in conscience fail to respect that, on the strength of mere allegation. Even from a person of your own prestige, General Avelea."
"Am I to understand," she said, raising her voice further, "that you are refusing to turn over a criminal to Avei's justice, your Holiness?"
"You are to understand the law of sanctuary," he replied. "It is observed by all faiths within the Universal Church."
"Excuse me, your Holiness." From the front pew near the Omnist nuns, another figure stood, wearing white robes with a golden ankh tabard. Bishop Darling inclined his head diffidently to the Archpope, but also spoke at a volume which was clearly audible through the sanctuary. "I have, personally, defended and protected Basra Syrinx from the consequences of her actions in the past, in pursuit of what I believed to be the higher good. I know you are aware of at least some of this. To that extent, I may be inadvertently complicit in anything she has done now. But a line has been crossed, your Holiness. If she has so violently erred that her own paladin has come after her in this way, I strongly advise against involving the Church in this matter."
"You know the value I place on your council, Antonio," replied the Archpope. "But I question whether this setting is the appropriate venue in which to discuss matters of this severity and complexity. General Avelea, would you kindly agree to join me in private to continue this conversation?"
"Some matters do deserve to be discussed in public, your Holiness," Darling said before she could respond. "I speak in my capacity as Bishop. The Thieves' Guild stands fully behind Trissiny Avelea in this matter."
The murmuring swelled again, and once more Justinian raised his hands for quiet. As soon as he had achieved it, however, and before he could take advantage, another voice intruded.
"I concur." Bishop Varanus rose from the pew next to Darling, towering half a head over the Eserite and turning his fierce, bearded visage on Trissiny. "Basra Syrinx is a rabid animal, and always have been. We all know this, and as Antonio has said, we all share guilt for whatever she has done. We have all failed to do our duty in getting rid of her, and now we see the consequences. Honor demands that this be addressed—now, and not later. In this one matter," he nodded to the paladin, "the Huntsmen of Shaath stand behind Trissiny Avelea."
"The Brethren of Izara stand behind Trissiny Avelea," said yet another voice before the noise could gather too much, and despite her own diminutive appearance, Branwen Snowe could project her voice easily through the hubbub. "Basra is a deeply troubled person. I would prefer that she be offered some manner of help, if any is indeed possible—but if she has offended so severely that her own cult demands justice, this is clearly a matter of the safety of all around her."
Beside Snowe, an old man with white hair rose slowly from his own seat. Though he looked frail, Sebastian Throale spoke clearly and as powerfully as anyone. "I am only passingly acquainted with Bishop Syrinx and have no personal opinion on this matter. But Trissiny Avelea has personally earned the trust and respect of my own cult—not a small thing, nor easy to do, given the relations we have historically had. If she deems this the right course of action, the Salyrite Collegium stands behind her."
"I'm not gonna lie, I am astonished that this is even a question," piped yet another individual, practically hopping to her feet in the pew behind Throale. Bishop Sally Tavaar, all of twenty-six years old, was widely considered a joke by everyone except her fellow Bishops, all of whom were too theologically educated to be less than wary around a bard who acted the fool. "That woman is a detestable cunt and always has been, and you all know it. It's about damn time somebody did something about it! Only reason nobody has is everyone's afraid of her, and you all know that, too. It's just plain embarrassing that an avenging paladin is what it takes to deal with this. The Bardic College stands the hell behind Trissiny Avelea!"
"If I may?" Bishop Raskin was actually new to his post and not a widely known face yet, but he made a point of fully bowing to Trissiny. "These events are not a total surprise. The Hand of Avei has worked closely with those of the other Trinity cults, and I had some forewarning that events such as these might transpire. I have the assurance of Lady Gwenfaer herself that we have nothing but the greatest respect for our fellow paladin, and the Order of Vidius stands firmly behind her."
Beside him, a slim woman with graying hair rose and inclined her head solemnly. "My colleague speaks truthfully. Omnu's faith stands behind Trissiny Avelea."
By that time, stunned silence had descended upon the Cathedral. It was allowed to hang in the air for a moment longer before Justinian spoke.
"Anyone else?" he inquired, slowly panning his serene gaze around the room. Trissiny and the assembled Bishops just regarded him in turn, as did the astonished crowd. It was not every cult of the Pantheon, but it was most of the biggest and most influential. More importantly, it included several which agreed about nothing, ever. This show of unity without the active encouragement of a sitting Archpope—in fact, in defiance of one—was all but unheard of. It might actually have been the first time a Shaathist Bishop ever publicly endorsed a Hand of Avei. Justinian simply continued after a short pause, though. "Very well. I hear and thank you for your counsel, brothers and sisters. Rest assured, your opinions I hold in the utmost regard, and this will weigh heavily on my deliberations on this matter. Those deliberations must occur, however; it is no less than conscience and justice demand. For the moment, sanctuary will be observed."
"Are you actually serious?" Trissiny burst out. "You would really—"
"Did you believe," Justinian interrupted, staring evenly down at her from his pulpit, "that aggressive demands and political maneuvering would be enough to eviscerate due process? Is that Avei's justice, Trissiny?"
It was probably for the best that she had no opportunity to answer.
"BASRA!"
The entire room full of worshipers turned to stare at Jenell Covrin, who came striding down the central aisle in full Legion armor, trailed by Squad 391.
"Come out and face consequences, Basra!" Covrin roared, stomping right up to stand next to Trissiny. "It's me, Jenell—your little pet. The one you thought a victim!"
"Young lady," Justinian began.
"I did this, Basra!" Covrin screamed. "I've been gathering every secret you tried to bury. I brought them to the High Commander! I BROUGHT YOU DOWN! You can hide from the paladin, but you can't hide from the truth."
"Private," the Archpope said more loudly, "this is not—"
"I DID THIS TO YOU!" Covrin roared, her voice all but rattling the stained glass. "For everything you did to me, I WON! And if you want to try settling it one more time, you're gonna have to come out and face me. You'll know how to find me, you bitch! Until then, I. FUCKING. WIN."
"That is enough," Justinian said flatly. "Sergeant at arms, please escort this young woman from the Cathedral."
"Squad, form up!" Trissiny snapped. Instantly, the six members of Locke's squad pivoted and snapped into a wedge, blocking off the aisle from the Holy Legionaires who had started toward them from the doors. They very wisely slowed as the Silver Legionnaires formed a menacing phalanx bristling with lances.
Four more Legionaries were approaching from the front of the Cathedral, but also did not get far.
"Grip! Duster! Ninetails!" Darling barked.
Instantly, the three Omnist nuns on the front row surged upright, hurling away their voluminous robes to reveal armed women in scuffed leather. All three Guild enforcers flowed into place in a triangle around Jenell and Trissiny, staring down the heavily armored Legionaries, who also came to a nervous halt.
"Come on, Covrin," Trissiny said quietly. "Nothing else we can do here…for now. We will have to finish this later."
She half-turned to meet Justinian's eyes.
The Archpope nodded to her once, and smiled.
March 14, 2016 UncategorizedAdimel, Andros Varanus, Auri, Basra Syrinx, Bishop Darling, Grandmaster Veisroi, Ingvar, Jenell Covrin, Joseph P. Jenkins, Professor Ekoi, Professor Tellwyrn, SchwartzD. D. Webb
"It is inconvenient timing, of course," said Andros, frowning into the distance ahead of them. "I have found you a dependable assistant in my dealings with the Church and the other cults. Restraint and careful social judgment are necessary traits in my work, and I'm afraid Shaath's way does not encourage their development. Whatever aid I find is the result of either happenstance or the god's blessing."
"I am sorry to leave you alone like this, and so abruptly," Ingvar replied. "I will try not to prolong the journey, of course, but this is not going to be an easy hunt. I can't say even where it will lead me…"
Andros stopped, turning to face him. They stood near the front of the lodge's main hall, for the most part alone; the few other Huntsmen passing through did not pause to pay untoward attention to a private conversation. The Bishop placed a hand on the younger Huntsman's shoulder, smiling.
"Forgive me, that was poorly spoken. I didn't mean to lay any guilt upon you, brother. Remember, we are an order dedicated to the wild and to its god; you have been given a clearly sacred task, and it must take precedence. Being stuck in this city, handling its intrigues, I sometimes worry that I begin to lose sight of the prey for focusing on the hunt. The sacred is always of greater import than the practical."
Ingvar smiled back, hiking his travel rucksack up onto his shoulder. "Don't worry, brother, your point was clear. Regardless, I don't wish to prolong this any more than absolutely necessary."
Andros frowned slightly. "Be very wary of the Crow, Ingvar. Yes, I know, you obviously would be. She lays plans built of smaller plans, and is no friend to mankind, except perhaps in certain individual cases."
"That is just one of the things about this matter that trouble me," Ingvar replied. "There is no way for me to proceed that doesn't involve becoming a playing piece in her agenda. I shall do my best not to bring any harm upon Shaath's interests, of course, but I don't think myself a match for her cunning."
"That is well," Andros said firmly, nodding. "Nothing kills faster than arrogance out in the wild. Trust your skills and your instincts, and they'll serve you well."
Ingvar nodded in reply. "I'd best move out. Putting this off longer would be a show of weak-heartedness. And besides, I have a caravan to catch."
"Hunt well, brother," Andros said, bowing. Ingvar bowed as well, then turned with no more talk and strode out through the lodge's front doors. So it should be, between men. Too many words were a waste of air.
Andros strode back through the lodge, following its corridors to the residence of the Grandmaster near the rear. He rapped once and waited.
It was only a brief span of moments before the door opened a crack, revealing the face of a pretty young woman peeking up at him curiously. Recognizing him, she immediately bowed and pulled the door wide, stepping aside to let him in. Andros entered, nodding politely at her.
"Sir, the Bishop is here," Auri said deferentially to her husband, who sat at a desk near the hearth not far away. A very well-mannered young woman, and a fine acquisition for the Grandmaster; Veisroi had been notably less grim in the months since marrying her. Given his position, he could have been swimming in wives, but Veisroi had only the two. He had never had more than two, and for several years since the passing of his first wife, he'd had only his Jula.
Andros heartily approved of this restraint. A woman was a significant responsibility, not a plaything; he worried, sometimes, that the younger generation of Huntsmen did not properly appreciate their women—among their other failings. But then, every generation saw those who came after them as somewhat degenerate, or so he seemed to recall from conversations with his own father. Still, such attitudes caused problems. Had that strutting young cockerel Feldren paid more attention to his Ephanie, she probably wouldn't be back in the Legions now, finding new ways to be an embarrassment to Shaath.
"Andros," the Grandmaster said with a hint of annoyance, slapping a sheet of parchment down atop a whole stack of them on his desk. "If you've brought me more paperwork, I may have you excommunicated."
Andros raised an eyebrow at this empty grousing. "Veisroi, when was the last time you took a day to yourself to go hunting?"
"Bah! When was the last time I had time to breathe? Church business, Imperial business, that's all just the wind in my hair. It's these wretched lodges, Andros. What a pack of sniveling pups. Can none of these alleged men handle their own affairs? This idiot!" He picked up the letter again, shaking it. "He's still after me to, and I quote, 'do something' about Arachne Tellwyrn. Do something! About Tellwyrn! All because his fool son wanted a drow wife and fell for that Masterson boy's cruel streak. How many times must I explain this man's stupidity to him before I have to have him removed as Lodgemaster? I've half a mind to call a Wild Hunt on the fool."
"Wasn't that Hranfoldt, from the Wyrnrange?" Andros asked. "That one's politically minded, Veisroi. He might be jockeying to make you look bad—he hasn't the seniority to try for your position, but I could see him planning ahead."
"Don't lecture me, young pup," Veisroi grunted. "I know what he's about. I suffer his schemes because the way the world is shaping up, I can't afford to waste a schemer. Even one with eyes bigger than his belly. Anyway, you haven't come here an your before lunch to listen to an old man's griping. What do you need?"
"Merely to bring you an update," Andros replied, folding his hands. "Ingvar just departed on his quest."
The Grandmaster turned in his chair to face, him, twisting his thin mouth. "Another promising schemer, now out of reach. And that one is both loyal and sensible. I very much hope the boy's not getting in over his head. Hrathvin is concerned about him."
"As do I," Andros replied, "but I trust Ingvar's judgment. If he has one flaw it's that he is too cautious and contained. He won't be easily goaded into misstepping."
"Well, it's out of our hands until he comes home," Veisroi said. "I'll burn an offering for him; nothing else to be done from here. Surely that wasn't all you came to tell me."
"No, I wouldn't interrupt your paperwork for that," Andros replied. "I know how you enjoy it so."
"I am this close, Andros, by Shaath's paws!"
The Bishop grinned. "In seriousness, I just received an update by courier from the Archpope. If there's to be a major move against him in the city, it will likely come soon, and may come here. As of this morning, of his core of trustworthy Bishops, I am the only one left in the city."
Veisroi narrowed his eyes. "What happened to the Eserite?"
"He has just departed for points unknown. The notice he left said it was on personal business.
The Grandmaster snorted. "That's what you and the others all said when Justinian sent you to Hamlet."
"Indeed, and I never assume that what Antonio says has any bearing on what he's up to. Words are just another layer of his camouflage. I don't believe this is on the Archpope's orders, however."
"Another weapon, out of pocket," Veisroi murmured, staring into the low fire and absently rubbing his forefinger and thumb together. "At least Snowe is actively working on Justinian's orders."
Andros curled his lip disdainfully. "That little bundle of fluff is in his Holiness's inner circle purely on the weight of her loyalty. I'm glad she's found some use as a propaganda tool; if not for that, she'd be wasting her calling by not warming someone's bed."
"I've come to expect a bit more perceptiveness from you, Andros," Veisroi retorted, staring piercingly at him. "You know what kind of dangerous people Justinian keeps nearest himself. You, that mad dog Syrinx. Even the Eserite—we've seen that his foppish act is a smokescreen for something truly vicious. If Branwen Snowe appears useless to you, I suggest you start paying closer attention to her."
Tellwyrn opened the classroom door, stepped in, shut it behind her, and paused inside, studying the room with hands on her hips. The cherry trees and ornamental screens softened up the stark angularity of the room nicely, but she hadn't come here to admire the décor.
She descended to the dais in the front, stepping up to one of the folding screens. It was beautifully preserved, but clearly old, or at least a masterful reproduction of an old original. This style of ink-painting was no longer popular in Sifan, and newer pieces of such exquisite quality were unlikely to be produced.
"Hmm," she mused. "Not bad, but could use a splash of color." A brush tipped in red paint appeared in her hand, and she raised it toward the delicately inked silk. "Maybe right around—"
"All right, all right!" Professor Ekoi snatched the brush away from her from behind. "You can make your point less destructively, you absolute savage!"
"Well, I'm never quite sure with you, Kaisa," Tellwyrn turned just in time to see the arcane-conjured paintbrush disintegrate into sparks and ashes, swept away by fae magic. The kitsune pulled a silken kerchief out of thin air and carefully wiped off her fingers, grimacing in disdain. "Now that you are here, there's something I'd like to discuss with you."
"Bah. Schedules, command performances, discussions whenever it's convenient. You used to be fun, Arachne."
"I have no memory of that," Tellwyrn said, folding her arms. "The students from the morning exercise group brought me an interesting story right before my class. Apparently as they were wrapping up, Trissiny and Scorn sensed the presence of a demon. Scorn insisted it was a child of Vanislaas. Gabriel, Toby, and November were all there and felt nothing; Gabriel's valkyrie friend did not sense anything, either."
"Hmm." Kaisa tucked her hands behind her back, tilting her head and twitching her ears. Her tail began to wave, a sure sign that her interest was caught. "When is an incubus not an incubus?"
"I questioned them closely on that point," said Tellwyrn. "Trissiny didn't feel anything quite so distinct; it was only Scorn was thought it was a Vanislaad. And while Scorn may not be the most reliable of witnesses, since I've no idea what kind of training she's had, she is clearly a highborn Rhaazke. They are powerful and perceptive creatures."
"Perhaps it would be wise to find out what kind of training she's had, yes?" Ekoi said with a mischievous smile. "And you trust the accounts of the others? Students do love their little pranks."
"Not this group," Tellwyrn said, shaking her head. "Half of them haven't the imagination, and the others at least know better than to mess around with something like this. What gets me, Kaisa, is the differences in opinion. The paladins, at least, should have a fairly uniform perception of demonic activ—"
She abruptly whirled, a gold-hilted saber appearing in her hand, and stared around at the empty room.
"Oh, don't worry," Ekoi said airily, "there's not actually a rawhead here. You see, Arachne, senses can be fooled, if you know the method. That holds true for magical senses as well as mundane ones. I wouldn't expect you to know, given your disdain for subtler tactics, but there are ways of creating the impression that highly magical creatures are present when they are not. At least, to those attuned to them."
"Who was it who was just talking about destructive means of getting attention?" Tellwyrn muttered, vanishing her sword and turning back to the kitsune.
Kaisa tittered gleefully. "You're right, though. It's very interesting that little Trissiny and big old Scorn would react, when the others didn't. Almost as if something had been…aimed at them."
"It remains an open question who would do that, and why."
"Well, the why is at least partially obvious," the kitsune said. "If you wanted to rile up those paladins…honestly, which of the three is the most easily riled?"
"That's all well and good, as far as it goes," Tellwyrn began. "But—"
"Yes, yes." Kaisa languidly waved a folding fan which had just appeared in her hand. "There's a finite list of those who can employ such subtle methods. One must have power—considerable power. Not to mention mastery of the given magical art. This is not a small matter, if it is what it seems."
"You're suggesting that a warlock or demon of seriously high rank is playing games with my students," Tellwyrn said, a dangerous scowl falling across her features.
Kaisa grinned broadly, displaying her elongated canines. "Oh, indeed. And do me the courtesy of not pretending this isn't exactly why you brought this to me, Arachne. You may consider me interested. If someone wishes to play that kind of game… Well, a lady does need hobbies, no?"
While he didn't generally enjoy pushing through crowds, Ingvar had learned to appreciate the lack of attention people paid him in the busy streets of Tiraas. If anyone so much as glanced his way, it was generally due to his Huntsman gear; nobody stopped and stared, and rarely did anyone seem to note any disparity in his appearance unless he actually talked to them. City living was unnatural and stressful in many ways, but the jaded disinterest of urbanites was a blessing for those who didn't enjoy attention.
Still, the Rail station was something else again. People were crammed in here like canned sardines, somehow managing to push through one another without acknowledging each other. He kept his bow tucked against his body and his other hand on his backpack, mindful of pickpockets. Allegedly the only such in the city would be operatives of the Guild, who didn't prey on just anyone (again, allegedly), but Ingvar had been warned that Huntsmen, in their eyes, were not just anyone. He had never personally been targeted, but Andros had had to send requests to the Thieves' Guild several times for the return of personal objects of spiritual significance, which were often the only things of value a Huntsman carried.
He made his way through the heaving throng to Platform 6A, where Mary had directed him to meet the companions she was sending along on his journey. She had said they would be individuals who would benefit personally from being along on his quest, and not simply hired muscle, which was fine as far as it went. Ingvar did not have a good feeling about this, however. He had excellent reason to be mindful of his privacy, and wasn't enthused about the prospect of going on a long journey with complete strangers. If he had to have anyone along for this, he'd have much preferred known and trusted Huntsmen from the lodge.
Mary, clearly, had no interest in what he preferred. And he had no option but to cater to her plans. She hadn't even told him where he would be going, only where to meet his new companions. It was a very neat way to get him out of the city without letting him catch his balance, which didn't bode well for this whole enterprise.
The platforms were clearly labeled, at least, and 6A was in a quieter end of the station. According to the sign he passed, that was because these tracks were for specifically chartered caravans, not the regularly scheduled ones. Well, the Crow probably didn't lack for funds after however many thousands of years she had been operating. Then again, Ingvar wouldn't put it past her to have made one of the others pay for the trip.
Hopefully she wasn't expecting him to. He had a little money, but not the kind of money that would charter a Rail caravan. He hadn't even been given a ticket before coming her.
The platform was positioned behind wooden privacy screens—apparently the people who chartered private caravans could not be expected to mix with the common public any longer than they absolutely must. Ingvar paused to make sure he had the right one. Yes, 6A, this was it. He stepped into the space and froze.
There were two other men present—well, a man and a boy. The youth looked to be in his mid-teens, and was wearing a hat and duster of clearly expensive make over a dark suit, with a bolo tie inset with a large piece of tigerseye. Two wands were holstered at his waist on a leather belt bulging with pockets. He was lounging against the wall with his arms folded, and looked up upon Ingvar's arrival. The Huntsman took in the boy at a glance before fixing his startled attention on the other man present.
Dressed in a slightly scruffy suit over a loud red shirt and scuffed snakeskin boots, occupying himself by doing tricks with a doubloon, there stood Antonio Darling. He looked up, grinned broadly and exclaimed as though delighted, "Ingvar!"
Ingvar stared at him, then very carefully backed up and looked again at the sign outside the platform. Yes, 6A.
Darling laughed. "Yes, yes, not what you were expecting, I take it?"
"That…is putting it mildly," Ingvar said very carefully. Somehow, and he had no idea how, he was going to make the Crow pay for this.
"Well, c'mon in, don't be shy," Darling said cheerfully. "Let me introduce everyone around. Ingvar, this is Joseph Jenkins, who you may know as the Sarasio Kid."
"Pleasure," said Jenkins, tipping his hat. Ingvar nodded back, mind whirling. The Sarasio Kid? Legends of frontier wandfighters were popular among Shaath's followers; frontier folk in general were well thought of in the cult. He was definitely familiar with the name.
"Joe," Darling went on, "this is Brother Ingvar, Huntsman of Shaath and the reason for this little outing of ours."
Ingvar managed not to grind his teeth. Little outing. "Why would you want to come along on this journey, your Grace?" he asked somewhat curtly. "I thought you were principally a creature of the city."
"Oh, that much is definitely true," Darling said lightly. "Everybody needs a change of scenery once in a while, though, don't you think?"
"If you can manage to get a straight answer out of him about anything," said Jenkins in a distinctly dry done, "I will be immensely impressed."
So. There was already some mistrust here. Ingvar's opinion of Jenkins rose further.
"Now, no need to be like that, Joe," Darling said cheerfully. "In seriousness, Ingvar, I took some convincing when Mary asked me to come along, but honestly, even aside from the case she made, I do have an interest in this. It's past time I got out and got my own hands dirty again—too much politics is turning me soft. Besides, Joe and I both have some recent business to follow up on in our first destination. Ah, speak of the Dark Lady!"
Ingvar's hair tried to stand up as the Rail itself began to glow a fierce arcane blue. The caravan arrived, barreling into the station at terrifying speed and decelerating similarly swiftly. In mere seconds it had hissed to a stop alongside the platform, one compartment lining up neatly with the short ramp extending from beside them. A moment later, the door hissed open with a soft sound like escaping steam.
"It just…goes?" Ingvar said doubtfully. "It doesn't need to stop for…fuel, or maintenance, or something?"
"Nah, they fix 'em up overnight," Darling said brightly, bending to pick up the suitcase sitting by his feet. "We can chat more on the way—no sense in wasting time! All aboard for Veilgrad!"
They had to leave the carriage at a farm at the end of the road. The Old Road ran out of Viridill all the way to the dwarven kingdoms in the mountains at the northernmost end of the continent, but that road quite deliberately passed between patches of forest rather than through them; going into the Green Belt meant taking a smaller road which did not go all the way there. The elves would never have tolerated that.
"Are you sure it'll be okay?" Schwartz huffed, not for the first time. "I mean…they were nice enough, but they're just folks. It's not as if we were parking it in an actual garage…"
"Where, in this country, would you expect to find a garage?" Basra asked. She led the group, plowing through the fields toward the forest up ahead. The road and the farm were lost to the distance behind them; they had already passed out of cultivated fields of barley and corn and were hiking through a patch of prairie. Rather than the clean tallgrass of the Great Plans, this was a scrubby kind of prairie, filled with rocks, thorns, and hefty bushes that sometimes neared the status of trees. It wasn't easy going, but Basra did not slow her pace despite Schwartz's discomfort. "You saw how taken they were with the vehicle. I'm sure it'll be fine."
"Well, that's sort of it," he panted. "I mean… Who knows what they'd…"
"They will not damage it," she said curtly. "We made it clear it was Legion property. They wouldn't dare."
"Also, they're not animals," Covrin added. "Not a sophisticated class of people, to be sure, but even the peasants in this province are a respectful lot."
"If you say so," Schwartz said, then fell silent, having to concentrate on walking and breathing. Meesie had clambered up to perch atop his head, where she peered about, whiskers twitching. Now that it was clearly visible, Basra could tell the creature wasn't quite a rat—in shape she was a bit more like a weasel, but with overlarge ears and dextrous little hands, not to mention a long, tufted tail. Actually, it was rather cute, in a garish way.
"All right there, Covrin?" she asked. "I know you weren't planning a hike in that armor."
"Perfectly, ma'am," Covrin said crisply. Basra had guided her cadet experience toward more political than military training, but they didn't graduate someone to the rank of Legionnaire unless she was in good shape. "We may want to stop, though. Mr. Schwartz is clearly not used to this kind of exercise."
"Oh, no, don't worry 'bout me," Schwartz wheezed. "Onward and upward!"
Basra did come to a stop, turning to study him critically. The man was half-staggering now, clearly tired and out of breath. Useless boy… So far he'd contributed nothing to the mission. The last thing she wanted was delay, but if he collapsed out here it would slow them down a great deal further.
"It's not quite noon, yet," she said, carefully moderating her tone and expression. "We shouldn't need to push ourselves to make good time. And I suppose it's wise to give the elves time to prepare for our approach; they likely appreciate abrupt visits even less than visits in general."
"Well, when you put it that way, I suppose," Schwartz said gratefully, sinking down to sit on the ground right where he stood. Whether by accident or design, he ended up perched on a large rock rather than sprawled in the dirt. He slumped there, head hanging and struggling to catch his breath. Meesie hopped down to his shoulder and reared up, sniffing at his head in concern.
Basra sighed, shaking her head in disgust, and began pacing slowly in a wide circle around him. More by reflex than because she expected any kind of attack, she studied their surroundings. The scrubby plain stretched out in all directions, leading to the forest up ahead and Viridill farmland behind, with the mountains themselves rising not far to the west; insects and birds sang, but there was no sign of any large animals, much less other people. They might have been an island in the utter wilderness, rather than a few hours' walk from civilization.
Completing a circuit, she paused next to Covrin, who was standing still and gazing at the distant forest.
"Do you think they've spotted us yet?" she asked quietly.
"Almost certainly," Basra replied. "Elves are prickly about their borders. They know we're here and that we're headed right toward them. For all we know there are a dozen crouched in the grass all around us."
Covrin's eyes darted back and forth. "That's…surely not."
"It's a possibility," Basra said mildly, watching the increasing unease on the girl's face with satisfaction. "The stories about elves are not exaggerated; they don't need to be. If anything, popular fiction undersells them, because some of the facts simply aren't believable."
The Legionnaire unconsciously lowered a hand to the hilt of her sword, and Basra had to repress a grin. "Don't worry," she said, patting Covrin on the back of her breastplate. "Elves are persnickety, but the woodkin aren't violent unless provoked. Whatever they're doing or thinking, they are very unlikely to attack us." She paused, stepping up close from behind, and leaned in, near enough that Covrin would feel her warm breath on her ear, to whisper. "You're safe with me, Jenell."
From that angle, she just barely caught the twitch at the corner of the girl's eye, and she stepped back, marshaling her expression against the thrill of amusement it brought her. That had yet to get old.
Basra turned and stepped back to Schwartz, who was sitting there playing with his fire-rat and looking generally more at ease. "Feeling better?"
"Much, thanks!" he said immediately. "Just a quick spell to lighten the fatigue—uh, oh, not that I was doing particularly poorly, of course," he added hastily. "It's just…general principles, you know. When out on a hike. Um, if you like I could…?"
"No thanks," she said wryly. "I believe I'm doing fine. Come on, we had better keep moving."
"Of course, of course," he said, groaning very faintly as he stood up. Meesie clambered back up to the top of his head, ears twitching.
They set off again, Schwartz quickly falling behind again to lag in the rear. Basra, after a quick mental debate, slowed her pace, despite her annoyance. There would be no end of trouble if she let actual harm come to him.
Glancing over her shoulder, she started to speak, but suddenly figures materialized out of the grass around them.
The five elves were arranged in a neat semi-circle between her group and the forest ahead. Those on the flank were even with Basra; they had been about to blunder right into their formation. Clearly this had been arranged ahead of time. Despite her reassurance to Covrin, all of them were armed with a mix of bows and tomahawks, and three had arrows nocked and aimed at them.
The one in the center carried a staff in one hand and two tomahawks hanging from his belt; he was the only one without a bow. He stared flatly at Basra.
"You can go no further."
She inhaled softly, gathering her composure, and bowed. "Good day. My name is Basra Syrinx; I am Bishop of the Sisterhood of Avei."
"Well met," the elf said, nodding. "You can still go no further." His companions made no move to lower their weapons.
"I'm here on a matter of importance," she said, still speaking calmly. "Believe me, the Sisterhood respects the privacy of the elves, and we would not trouble you were it less than urgent. It was my understanding that the people of Viridill and those of the groves were on good terms. Have we offended you?"
"I know why you've come, Bishop Syrinx," said the elf. "And you are welcome in our forest. What you bring with you is not."
Slowly, Basra and Covrin turned to stare at Schwartz, whose eyes widened.
"Oh, I say," he squeaked. "Surely you don't mean—"
Abruptly Meesie let out a shrill squeal, puffing up her fur, and scampered down his face to dart into the collar of his shirt and hide.
Behind him, darkness itself rose up from the grass.
November 9, 2015 UncategorizedAndros Varanus, Basra Syrinx, Captain Dijanerad, Casey Elwick, Ephanie Avelea, Farah Szaravid, Ingvar, Jenell Covrin, Merry Lang, Principia, TholiD. D. Webb
Everything slowed down at night, but Tiraas never truly slept, nor slackened its pace to any great degree. Different kinds of business were done after dark in the Imperial city, but not much less business. Obviously, the more rural areas surrounding the city were a great deal sleepier once the sun was down, removed as they were from the capital's omnipresent modern lights, but even there, human activity continued at all hours.
Consequently, while there wasn't a great deal of traffic through the city gates at the late hour at which the mixed party of Huntsmen and Legionnaires finally reached them, the gates themselves were opened and manned. That, in fact, caused them a very minor delay.
The soldier standing on the right side of the road at the huge outer gate stepped forward, lowering his staff casually to extend in front of him—not blocking their way, but tacitly signaling for a stop. "Everything all right, ladies?" he inquired politely, pointedly ignoring the ring of Huntsmen and directing himself to Ephanie, who was the nearest Legionnaire to him.
"Everything is fine, soldier," Andros rumbled, pausing and folding his arms. The uniformed man glanced at him momentarily, then returned his gaze to Ephanie. It was indeed a peculiar mix of people to the eyes of anyone who knew anything about either cult, but there was also the unmistakable fact that the Huntsmen had arranged themselves in an escort formation around the Legionnaires. In the absence of other cues, that could be taken as a sign of honor, or one of hostility. Altogether they made a strange enough sight to invite comment.
"Couldn't be better!" Principia chirped. "These gentlemen were just guiding us back from a field exercise. You can't ask for a better escort in the woods than a Huntsman, after all."
The soldier eased back, slight but noticeable tension fading from him. "All right, then, Blessings, ladies, gentlemen."
They passed through the gates into the wide square beyond, several nodding to the guards as they went.
"Arrogant pup," Tholi grumbled. "You should've just told him who you were, Brother Andros."
"Throwing force around is seldom the smart solution to a problem, Tholi," the Bishop replied. "That is true socially as well as physically."
The little towns at the foot of each bridge to the city were clustered around a fortification protecting the road itself. Inside the walls was a broad square, lined with shops and offices (now closed), and beyond that, the foot of the bridge itself.
Their mixed party had to reorganize itself somewhat upon reaching the bridge; most of its width was marked off for vehicles, and though there was comparatively little traffic at this hour, spilling out of the pedestrian lanes would have been grounds for a citation even if nobody was run over. In any case, there were stone barriers between the two, and the foot lanes were raised a good three feet higher, looking over the edges of the bridge itself. The view this afforded of the huge canyon with its churning river far below was both stunning and terrifying. They were protected from the drop by low stone walls surmounted by much taller iron fencing; people did still fall off, occasionally, but not by accident, and indeed it took some doing. The soldiers who regularly patrolled the bridges were on the lookout for would-be jumpers more than any criminals or threat to the city itself. Somehow, after reshuffling themselves into a space where no more than five could walk abreast, Principia wound up in the front rank with Andros and Ingvar, with Tholi and the rest of Squad Thirteen right behind, the remainder of the Huntsmen bringing up the rear.
Tiraas, approached this way, was a sight worthy to compete with the view over the chasm. Its walls were lit deliberately, powerful directed lights illuminating every inch of their exterior, their towers blazing from every window. Beyond that, structures rose into the distance, many also alight, with the crackling of factory antennae and pulsing of scrolltower orbs topping off the ambient glow of the city itself. As the group proceeded, a Rail caravan flashed past them down the fenced-off center lane of the bridge with a roar and a wash of blue radiance. It vanished into a tunnel leading below the main level of the bridge above, where the Rail line would come out in the terminal a few streets removed from the main gate.
The bridges themselves arched over a hundred yards of empty space, supported by nothing. Modern architecture and enchantment could reproduce such a feat, but when they had first been built, the bridges of Tiraas had been a wonder of the world. Their modification to accommodate present-day traffic had been a major project.
"What exactly is the plan, your Grace, if I might ask?" Principia inquired as they set out on the long bridge.
"I intend to speak with High Commander Rouvad about this day's events immediately upon reaching the Temple of Avei," Andros rumbled.
"Think she'll see you?" Ingvar asked mildly.
"In the old days, clerics of Shaath and Avei might have refused to speak to one another. Not so long ago, they might conceivably have insisted any such contact go through the Church. It is too political an age now, however. The High Commander will not snub a Bishop. This one will not, at least; she is more intelligent than some of her predecessors. Insisting upon an audience with her will not gain the Huntsmen any sympathy with the Sisterhood, but I cannot imagine she would refuse outright."
"Hard to imagine the Huntsmen gaining any sympathy with the Sisterhood anyway," Tholi muttered. "Or caring."
"You think Rouvad will call down Syrinx based on your say-so alone?" Ingvar asked. "With respect to our guests, here, we have only their assertion that Syrinx is even responsible for this."
"First of all," Andros said, turning his head to glance over his shoulder at the group and raising his voice, "that is not to be repeated in front of the Avenists or anyone else. Brother Ingvar is correct; it is an unproven claim, the repetition of which could be taken as slander. Do not add any arrows to Syrinx's quiver. With that said, the point is not to have her punished for this on the spot, but to register our complaint immediately and personally, as far over her head as can be reached."
"Seems the Archpope is even higher," said Tholi, "not to mention more accessible to you."
"I will be speaking to him as well," Andros rumbled. "Consider, Tholi, the fact that I am taking these girls at their word, despite not knowing them, nor having any reason to trust them. When I am told that a snake has been hissing and slithering, I feel no need to be skeptical. Apart from the fact that Basra Syrinx is vicious, underhanded termagant who is more than capable of such as this, there are the facts of the situation. The forests around Tiraas are used by multiple cults for a variety of purposes, and one of the tasks of the Universal Church is to prevent embarrassing and possibly dangerous encounters such as occurred today. Such outings are arranged through the Church, as was your rite, Tholi."
"I should've thought of that," Principia said, grimacing. "Of course a Bishop would know where we could be sent to stumble across Huntsmen."
"Apart from that," Andros added, scowling darkly, "a Bishop would know what the Huntsmen were doing in that region. Even assuming these 'reports' of wife-stealing actually occurred, a quick check with the Church, via your cult's Bishop, would have been the Sisterhood's first action. It would have ruled out the specific area you were sent to search."
"Finally," Merry growled. "Got her dead to rights."
"I doubt it'll be that simple, somehow," Principia murmured.
"It will not," Andros agreed. "The Syrinx woman is clever enough to have prepared counters to the obvious means by which she would be caught, which is why I am proceeding directly to Rouvad. Those means relate to the Church bureaucracy; I will be very surprised if Syrinx has managed to arrange for interference to be run with her own High Commander. Also, my presence and Ingvar's will have been a surprise to her. No one outside our lodge was informed of our hunt."
"How did you happen across us, Brother Andros?" Tholi asked.
"It did not just happen," Andros rumbled, glancing aside at Principia. "It seems you have an ally against Syrinx, girl. A little black bird led us to your rescue."
"You have got to be shitting me," Principia growled.
"What?" Farah asked. "Black bird? What's he talking about?"
"It is the nature of family to look out for one another," Andros intoned, looking down his nose at Prin. "Do not spit upon necessary help, whatever tension there is between you."
"And why does he only talk to Locke?" Farah muttered.
"According to Shaathist dogma," Ephanie said quietly, "the fae races are of different stock and the laws of the Wild not as applicable to them. We are borderline unholy, being women soldiers, but Locke can do whatever she likes."
"Story of her life," Merry said fatalistically.
More soldiers were on duty at the inner gate, of course, but while they gave the peculiar party odd looks (as did everyone they passed), they did not move to impede them. The group crossed into the city proper at a brisk walk; the broad street rose ahead, climbing gently toward the city center, where stood their destination, the Temple of Avei. It was a reminder to all of how tired they were. Legionnaires and Huntsmen alike were in excellent shape, but all of them had been out all day. Of course, none were willing to display the slightest weakness in front of the other group. There were no sighs or complaints, but it was hardly a jovial party.
They also didn't get far before being ambushed.
Barely were they out of sight of the gate guards when half a dozen armed people in nondescript dark clothing materialized around the group. Their appearance was swift and professional—they stepped smoothly out of alleys before and behind the party, two hopping out of a carriage parked alongside the curb and one even jumping down from a second-story window.
Immediately, Huntsmen and Legionnaires alike dropped into ready stances, hefting weapons. The street around them was hardly deserted, even at this hour; at the obvious signs of an armed clash about to break out, people yelped and bolted, while some less intelligent others stopped to watch avidly.
"Whoah, whoah, keep 'em in your pants," said a hatchet-faced blonde woman, holding up her hands in a peaceable gesture, but grinning fiendishly. She was the one who'd bounded down from above, and now swaggered forward to plant herself right in front of Andros and Principia. "We're all friends here, aye? Let's have a quick chat. You can call me Grip."
"Speak your piece, woman," Andros growled.
"You're Grip?" Principia asked, raising her eyebrows. "Damn. By your rep, I'd picture someone twice the size, with a lot more scars."
"And by yours I'd picture someone less armored and more smug, Keys," Grip replied, lowering her hands and adopting a cocky posture. "Anyhow, we're not here to interfere with you."
"Then you've chosen a strange way to introduce yourselves," Andros snorted.
"Well, you know how it is. We each have our little dramas to keep up." Grip produced a shiny new doubloon from inside her sleeve and began rolling it across the backs of her fingers. "In fact, you might say we've come to join your hunt."
"No way," Principia breathed. "That fast? It's barely been a day."
"That fast," Grip replied, raising an eyebrow. "Apparently Tricks places a high value upon rescuing your perky little butt. Hell if I know why; last I heard, the orders were to haul you back to explain the shit you've been up to, posthaste. But what do I know? I'm just a grunt; I go where I'm kicked."
"We can relate," Merry remarked.
"You speak in riddles and nonsense," Andros barked. "Explain yourself!"
Grip eyed him up and down, then pointedly turned to Principia. "Are we explaining ourselves to this guy?"
"This is Bishop Varanus of the Universal Church," Prin replied. "He is helping us out; kindly be nice."
"Ah. Good to meet you, your Grace," the enforcer said, turning back to Andros with just the faintest whiff of respect now in her expression. "I'll give you the short version, then: when Bishop Darling learned what Bishop Syinx has been doing to this little squad, here, he passed the word along to the Boss, who then demanded to know which followers of Eserion had been helping her do it. One guy came forward immediately; Link is an information man, a professional fixer-upper and greaser of wheels. He identified the back-alley mage Syrinx had employed to scry on this group. We only just got our hands on him, as he'd been out of the city until this afternoon, but that worked out as what he was out doing was setting up the trap you fell into today."
"A mage decided to accommodate a bunch of ruffians?" Tholi asked scornfully.
"A mage, like anyone sensible, does not want to be the object of the Thieves' Guild's ire," said Ingvar. "Nor should you. Hush."
"So," Grip continued with an unpleasant grin, "we've got that guy, and subsequently we have a certain Ami Talaari, a Vesker apprentice who was under the impression she'd been hired to participate in a Silver Legion training exercise. She was quite alarmed to learn she had instead been used to goad your squad into a trap."
A burly man standing silently behind Grip's shoulder held out a thick leather folder, which she accepted, and produced a sheet of parchment from within, extending it forward. Andros moved to take it; Grip pointedly jerked it out of his reach, handing it to Principia. Prin, with a sigh, accepted and glanced over the letter before handing it off to the Bishop.
"That looks authentic enough as far as I can see," she said. "Forgery's not really my thing, but I bet it is. I don't recognize this officer's signature, though. I wouldn't necessarily know whoever would hire a bard, but…"
"Syrinx is not daft enough to place her own seal upon any such document," Andros growled, handing the letter back to Grip.
"And by the way," Principia added sharply, "I trust you're not being too rough with Miss Talaari."
"Ms," Casey murmured. Everyone ignored her.
"Oh, she's being treated like a princess, I assure you," Grip said dryly. "Annoying one bard is good fun; annoying all the bards leads to unending nightmares. We're not about to get rough with a Vesker apprentice. No, once we explained to Miss Talaari why it's in her best interests to cooperate, she's been an absolute dream to work with. We've got signed testimonials from her and the mage, receipts for work done, and," she added with relish, hefting the folder, "a strongly-worded letter from Boss Tricks to High Commander Rouvad concerning this mess. Our boy in robes already had your scent, Keys…or whatever the magical equivalent is…so we've been watching for you to re-enter the city. Scrying doesn't provide sound on the level he does it, so we weren't sure what was going on, with all this." She raised an eyebrow, looking pointedly around at the Huntsmen.
"Had my Huntsmen been the ones to catch that girl desecrating a wilderbag, she might not have fared so well," Tholi said, scowling.
"Indeed," Andros nodded. "Syrinx's actions placed an apprentice of Vesk in immediate danger. That makes three cults she has abused her position within the Church to mortally offend in the space of one day."
"Holy hell," Merry breathed. "If we can actually stick this to her, her ass is grass."
"Don't count your chickens before they hatch," Casey advised.
"She's a slimy one," Principia mused, "but she lacks foresight. Bishop Varanus and the Guild are two factors I doubt she expected to intervene, here. His Grace is right; if we take all of this to Rouvad now, Syrinx won't have much time to weasel out of it."
"Then time is of the essence," Andros declared. "Onward we go."
The Guild enforcers fell into step alongside them as they set off again for the Temple, making the party even odder yet. The Guild had no uniform as such, but six heavily-armed, expensively-dressed thugs prowling along with the leonine grace of professional knuckledusters made a distinctive sight that most in the city would recognize. Their inclusion in a mixed group of Huntsmen and Silver Legionnaires made possibly the oddest religious procession that had ever passed through the streets of Tiraas.
Odd, but apparently not overtly suspicious; at least, they weren't directly challenged by any of the city patrol soldiers they passed, even the two who arrived at the tail end of their conversation, no doubt in response to reports from some of the civilians who had fled the enforcers' initial arrival.
It was a mostly silent walk the rest of the way to the temple. They were less than a block from the rear annex of the Silver Legion complex attached to the temple itself when Grip spoke again.
"By the way," she said lightly, once again playing with a doubloon, "we had Syrinx's pet mage carry on reporting as usual—with a few provisos. Expect to be greeted when we get there."
"What does she know?" Andros growled.
Grip grinned unpleasantly. "That Squad Thirteen will be returning in the company of Huntsmen. The presence of Enforcers and Bishops will be news to her."
"Oh, I am almost looking forward to this," Merry said. Ephanie just shook her head.
The towering battlements of the fortress hove into view above them. For the third time that evening, they approached an armed checkpoint, this one staffed by Silver Legionnaires. The armored women guarding the rearmost gate into the compound's parade grounds straightened up at their approach, their expressions mostly hidden behind their helmets. That was probably fortunate.
Principia stepped into the lead as the group reached the gates, saluting. "Squad Thirteen of the Ninth Cohort returning from maneuvers, with guests."
"Guests," said the guard, her helmet moving slowly as she studied the assembled group. "Right. And what business do they have here?"
"This is Bishop Varanus of the Universal Church," Principia reported impassively, "and an emissary from Boss Tricks of the Thieves' Guild, with their respective entourages. Both have urgent messages for High Commander Rouvad."
"Well," the gate guard said slowly, "you'd better go on through, then."
Principia saluted again, then led the way through.
It was nearing midnight; there were Legionnaires patrolling the walls, but the parade ground of the Camp itself was all but deserted, illuminated only by a few fairy lights attached to the cabins. True to Grip's predictions, a familiar dark-haired figure was cutting across the courtyard toward them even as the disparate group reached the middle of the parade ground, the armored form of Private Covrin right on her heels.
"I trust there is an incredible explanation for this," Bishop Syrinx stated, stomping to a halt in front of the party. Her gaze panned across the assembled Legionnaires, Huntsmen and enforcers; if she was at all surprised by the group's composition, no sign of it showed on her face.
Andros folded his brawny arms across his chest. "I will speak with High Commander Rouvad, Basra. Now."
"About what, Andros?" she demanded.
"That I will discuss with her."
"You're a Bishop; you can make arrangements through the Church," she retorted. "If you intend to bypass the bureaucracy, that can probably be arranged, but I'm going to need more than your say-so first."
He stepped forward once, glaring down at her; she met his gaze coolly.
"I will speak to the High Commander," he growled, "about the squad of Silver Legionnaires that was sent bumbling into a holy rite of the Huntsmen of Shaath today."
Basra pursed her lips, turning after a moment to fix the fives Legionnaires with a flat stare. "And what, exactly, were you girls supposed to be doing?"
"Investigating reports of Shaathist activity, ma'am," Ephanie said crisply.
Basra scowled. "And you couldn't do that without interfering with their religious practices? If I'm not mistaken, this cohort is supposed to be training to handle relations with other faiths. Would anyone care to explain this staggering failure?"
"I have little patience for your internal quibbles," Andros growled. "Are you going to take me to Rouvad, or am I going to wait right here with my Huntsmen until someone more competent comes to address us?"
"We know very well this was all your doing!" Tholi added with a sneer.
Ingvar sighed and shook his head.
"Tholi!" Andros barked. "Silence."
"Oh, really," Basra said, her voice deadly quiet. Slowly, she panned her gaze over Squad Thirteen again, this time fixing it upon Ephanie. "And so, having caused an interfaith embarrassment, you decided to weasel out of trouble by pinning the blame on your Bishop? That's very interesting." She took a step forward, her eyes boring into Ephanie's. "And I don't have to ask which of you little twerps would have the bright idea of siding with the Huntsmen against your own Legion, now do I. Not when there's someone present with a history of that."
"That is not what happened, your Grace," Ephanie said evenly.
"You can explain yourself fully at your court martial, Private Avelea," Basra shot back.
"Leave her alone," Principia said quietly.
"Shut up, Locke," the Bishop spat. "For once, your nonsense is not the center of attention. Avelea, you are to hand over your gear and report to the stockade—"
"You will look me in the eye when I am speaking to you!" Principia roared, stalking forward until Basra had to physically step back from her to avoid being stepped on.
"Shut the hell up, you pathetic little bully," the elf snarled, ripping off her helmet and tossing it aside. "I have had exactly as much of your bullshit as I intend to tolerate, Syrinx. This is over. You are done, is that clear?"
"I'll have you—"
"Button it!" Principia stepped forward again, physically bumping into Basra and jostling her backward. "You have absolutely no comprehension what you are messing with, Basra. Do you think I let you push me around and talk down to me because there's something forcing my hand? I tolerate you, y'little punk, because I choose to. Because you are so far from being a threat that your pretensions in that direction are a constant source of amusement to me. I was playing this game when your grandparents were in swaddling, and I'll be playing when everyone who remembered you is dust. I am so far out of your league your only hope of anything resembling success in the long run is if you manage to annoy me enough to warrant a footnote in my memoirs, and I have to tell you, Bas, you're not there yet. The fact that you are inconveniencing me yet again is a cosmic insult.
"And let me spell this situation out for you," she went on in a hiss, pressing forward again; Syrinx gave ground, staring at her with wide, expressionless eyes. "You have utterly failed to understand the long-term consequences of your horseshit, Basra. Nothing you have the capacity to dish out is a serious threat to my well-being. To get rid of me, you'd have to kill me, and you're simply too weak, too slow, and too stupid to make that happen. You best-case scenario is to get me booted out of the Legions, and believe me, you don't want that. Because the moment I no longer have to play nicely, the hourglass begins running out for you. Is that perfectly clear? Now pipe down, grow up and start picking on someone your own size, you insignificant little bitch."
Dead silence fell. The other four members of Squad Thirteen gaped with identical expressions of shock. By contrast, the Huntsmen and Guild enforcers all wore huge grins.
Then, after a long moment, a slow smile crept across Basra's face.
"I dearly hope you enjoyed that, private," she whispered.
"Bishop Syrinx."
Everyone turned at Captain Dijanerad's voice. She stood off to one side; Grip was next to her, and the folder of Guild papers was in the captain's hands. She kept her expressionless gaze fixed on Basra.
"You and Squad Thirteen are to report to the High Commander's office immediately. She wants a word with all of you."
"I require a few minutes of her time, as well," Andros rumbled.
Dijanerad looked up at him, her expression not altering. "This may take some time, your Grace. I'm sure she would be glad to set up an appointment for you first thing tomorrow."
"I will speak with her as soon as she is finished with these," he declared. "I can wait."
"Very well," the captain said noncommittally. "Private Covrin, see that some accommodations are found for our guests, along with whatever they require. Within reason."
"Yes, ma'am," Covrin said crisply.
"I believe you can count us out," Grip said lazily, already strolling back toward the gate. "Just get that stuff into her hands, and our job here is done. The Boss will be eagerly awaiting the Commander's response. Toodleoo, boys and girls."
The rest of the enforcers fell into step behind her, making their way languidly out of the courtyard.
"As for the rest of you," Dijanerad said grimly, dragging her stare across Squad Thirteen to fix it on Basra, "forward march."
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Netherstar
Characters by Appearance
Addiwyn
Adimel
Afritia Morvana
Agatha Svanwen
Akhatrya
Alan Vandro
Amanika
Ami Talaari
Ampophrenon the Gold
Andros Varanus
Anjal
Aradeus
Archpope Justinian
Aresk
Arjuni
Ashaele
Avatar 01
Avrith
Ayuvesh
Azradeh
Basra Syrinx
Bird Savaraad
Bishop Darling
Bishop Shahai
Bishop Syrinx
Branwen Snowe
Brother Arlund
Brother Ermon
Brother Ingvar
Captain Cross
Captain Dijanerad
Captain Fedhaar
Captain Ravoud
Carter Long
Casethin Mournais
Casey Elwick
Colonel Adjavegh
Colonel Azhai
Colonel Nintaumbi
Corporal Hayes
Corporal Timms
CT-7
Cyria Aradidjad
Daksh
Dantu
Delilah Raine
Dimbi
Djinti
Elder Linsheh
Elilial
Elin Ralstrind
Embras Mogul
Emperor Sharidan
Empress Eleanora
Empress Theasia
Ephanie Avelea
Eric Ahlstrom
Eserion
Ezekiel Jenkins
Farah Szaravid
Farzida Rouvad
Father Laws
Fred Carson
Frind
Fross
Gairan
General Panissar
General Ralavideh
General Vaumann
Geoffrey Falconer
Gilbert Mosk
Grandmaster Veisroi
Gravestone Weaver
Hamelin Hargrave
Haunui
Helgryn
Hesthri
Heywood Paxton
Hiram Taft
Hrazthax
Ildrin Falaridjad
Imbani Akinda
Inspector Fedora
Inspector Jaahri
Invazradi
Ironeye
Isolde Fraunsteldt
Izara
Jane Roscoe
Janis van Richter
Jebediah Jenkins
Jenell Covrin
Jonas Crete
Jonathan Arquin
Joseph P. Jenkins
Kaolu
Kelvreth of the Eyes
Khadizroth the Green
Kheshiri
Kyomi
Lanaera
Lance Antevid
Laran Macraigh
Lars Grusser
Layla Sakhavenid
Lieutenant Laghari
Longshot McGraw
Lorelin Reich
Mabel Cratchley
Maehe Agasti
Maiyenn
Major Luger
Major Razsha
Malivette
Mandip
Marguerite Falconer
Marshal Ross
Mary the Crow
Mayor Cleese
Melaxyna
Merry Lang
Milanda
Milanda Darnassy
Mortimer Agasti
Nahil
Nandi Shahai
Narnasia Darnassy
Natchua
Nora Avelea
November Stark
Omnu
Princess Yasmeen
Private Ulster
Professor Ahlstrom
Professor Ekoi
Professor Ezzaniel
Professor Harklund
Professor Rafe
Professor Tellwyrn
Professor Yornhaldt
Queen Arkasia
Quentin Vex
Radivass
Raghann
Raichlin
Rainwood
Rajakhan
Raolo
Raul Dhisrain
Ravaan Madouri
Ravana
Razzavinax the Red
Rhadid Daraspian
Rizlith
Rogrind
Sabrina Price
Saduko
Salyrene
Sarriki
Sassafrass
Scyllith
Sekandar
Selim Darousi
Sergeant Raathi
Shaath
Shaeine
Shaiene
Shamlin
Sheriff Decker
Sheriff Sanders
Sherwin Leduc
Sheyann
Shiraki
Sister Astarian
Sister Leraine
Sister Takli
Sister Tianne
Svarveld
Szaiviss
Szith
Taka Mbino
Tallie
Talvers
Tamsin Tamshinaar
Tanq
Taowi Sunrunner
Tariq Shavayad
Tazun
Tholi
Tinker Billie
Trissiny
Vadrieny
Val Tarvadegh
Vannae
Varsinostro the Green
Veilwin
Verniselle
Vesk
Vestrel
Vidius
Vlesni
Vynlian
Willard Tanenbaum
Woodsworth
Wrynst
Xsythri
Xyraadi
Yalda
Yancey
Yngrid
Yrril
Zanzayed the Blue