Mortal Gods (Mantles of Power Book 2)

by Benjamin Medrano

  “Insulting? I wasn’t insulting you, Lady Azalea. I was speaking the truth,” Rose replied calmly, looking at the woman steadily, the way she had new recruits in the Order of the Phoenix. “I’m an angel, and I was standing in the room with my wings on full display when you entered. Despite having had plenty of time to notice me, you didn’t realize I was an angel until well after you left Estalia’s presence, and that means that you were utterly captivated by her. As I said, you were hit hard, though I can’t blame you for that. She has that effect on people.”

  “That…” Azalea began, then hesitated, frowning heavily. The guards were also shaking themselves, but they seemed to be recovering more quickly than Azalea had. After a minute, the elf took a breath and nodded slowly, almost as if she was gathering herself. “No, you appear to be correct. It’s like my mind is filled with cobwebs, and it’s hard to concentrate. I should have noticed that you were there, yet I didn’t. My apologies.”

  “It’s alright, though I’d suggest avoiding jumping to conclusions. The variety of people inside the palace is astounding,” Rose replied, then gestured in the direction of the guest wing. “The guest quarters are this way. I’m sure that the staff has already prepared rooms for you.”

  “Ah, I should have said, I’m Lady Azalea Ikara. May I ask who you are?” Azalea asked, quickly following Rose as she started down the hall.

  “I’m Roselynn Emberborn, but I now go by Rose,” the angel replied, ignoring the inhalation of one of the guards. He must recognize her name, but Rose continued steadily, carefully tamping down her emotions. “Her Majesty saved my life recently, and I’ve been in residence for the past few weeks. Ever since Kitania was taken away, in fact.”

  “You… know her, then?” Azalea asked, slightly incredulous. “Why would you know her? Well, if she’s Estalia’s daughter, I suppose that would make sense…”

  “Kitania saved the life of my best friend and partner. She saved me from what she thought was a terrible fate, even if it turned out that she didn’t need to,” Rose replied, glancing back at the elves as she smiled thinly. “I very much hope she’s been treated well, as she’s one of the few people I’ve come to admire.”

  “Oh,” Azalea replied, blinking in surprise. After a moment, she spoke cautiously. “I… believe that she was moved from a prison cell to a servant’s room, then became a guest, so I think she’s being well-treated.”

  “I’m glad to hear that,” Rose said, the tension inside her easing slightly at the information. “I’m sure that Isalla will be happy as well.”

  Azalea didn’t reply, but Rose could feel the weight of her gaze, and continued through the palace. She wanted to get the elves settled as soon as possible, so she could go tell Isalla about what they’d learned.

  On the other hand, Rose did feel a little sorry for Veldoran, considering how much work he’d put into preparing a scrying spell to find Kitania. In any case, she was sure he’d get over it.

  “What did you say?” Isalla asked, her fingers trembling as she held onto the table.

  “Kitania is in the Forest of Sighs,” Rose repeated carefully, stepping closer as she continued. “I’m not sure of her exact circumstances, but she’s alive and well, and the elves are fairly sure that she hasn’t been mistreated. They said something about her being a guest.”

  “I… that’s wonderful! I was starting to wonder… wonder if it was possible that Estalia was wrong, about her being immortal,” Isalla stammered, barely sparing a glance for Vinara as she swallowed hard, trying to blink back her tears. Her emotions were in knots, but she was relieved to hear that Kitania was alive, as well as more than a little incredulous that they’d found out because the elves had come to visit. “I just… how did they teleport her there? That’s so far away from here that it’s…”

  “I don’t know,” Rose said, her smile fading a little as she took a few steps closer, then pulled Isalla into a hug. Isalla hugged Rose tight, taking several deep breaths, trying to control herself.

  Vinara’s interruption was soft, and her voice almost made Isalla jump. “The amount of mana it would take to pierce the barrier between worlds, then to skip all the nodes between Hellmount and the Forest of Sighs is immense. More than any normal enchanted item could contain, in fact. Whoever created it had a master artificer working for them, someone as skilled in the art of enchanting as Veldoran is with divination magic.”

  “I… is it really that difficult?” Isalla asked incredulously, turning to look at Vinara, one arm still wrapped around Rose, and one of Rose’s arms around her waist. “We used a teleportation ring to get us to the palace, after all.”

  “Yes, you did. However, that alone would take only a quarter of the mana it would take to teleport from the mortal world to the hells, in approximately the same spot. We’re talking about something that would require five times as much mana at a minimum, and that was just for a willing target, and with an item that takes a few minutes to activate,” Vinara replied, frowning deeply as she leaned against the wall, drumming her fingers on her thigh. “For it to have pierced her shields and teleported her against her will… I don’t even know how much mana that would take, Isalla. While I don’t believe it would take as much power as forging your armor, I think that it would come frighteningly close, and we’re talking about an item that can only be used once.”

  “Oh,” Isalla said, her eyes widening slightly. After her practice with mana, she’d quickly realized just how little she had, and how much even basic spells took to cast. She knew enough to know that more powerful spells took immensely more than that, and enchanting was even harder. The idea that someone had spent a mind-boggling amount of mana on something to only be used once, and it’d been used on Kitania… that chilled her blood.

  “Another thing we’ll need to investigate, once we have Kitania back,” Rose murmured, then frowned. “I’m just wondering why Alserah insisted that someone come retrieve Kitania?”

  “I wish I knew. It’ll take a while, won’t it?” Isalla said, her nerves now on edge.

  “Unless you’re the ones who go retrieve her,” Vinara said, startling them again as she pushed away from the wall and smiled. “I think I want to speak with Her Majesty. You need to investigate this conspiracy, and all you’ve been waiting on is Kitania, so… it would be best for you to go to her, I think.”

  Rose stiffened, looking at Isalla for a moment. Isalla looked back, hope surging within her, and she smiled.

  “Do you really think she might allow that?” Isalla asked, keeping her voice as steady as she could, but unable to suppress her excitement.

  “Why not? You’re going to have to leave if you’re going to investigate things, so if it’s on the way…” Vinara said, shrugging as she smiled back at them. “Would you like me to ask her?”

  “Rose?” Isalla asked, looking at her friend, trying to keep from pleading. She thought that Rose felt the same, but she didn’t want to make the decision for her.

  “Please ask Her Majesty for permission,” Rose said, smiling as she looked down at Isalla.

  “Then I’ll do so. I’ll let you know as soon as I have an answer for you,” Vinara replied and headed for the door with her tail swishing behind her.

  Once the succubus had left, Rose murmured softly, “We’re going to find her, Isalla.”

  “Yes,” Isalla agreed, hugging Rose again as she added, “And then we can tell her how we feel at last.”

  After all, Isalla was pretty sure that Rose felt about the same as she did at this point, even if her beloved was more reserved than she was.

  Chapter 24

  Kitania spotted the woman approaching in the middle of her practice, but she didn’t stop immediately. While she was skilled enough that she could stop the glaive instantly, it was far easier to finish the combat routine first. Instead, she focused on the feeling of the glaive in her hands, and on controlling it the way she’d been taught. It was good to focus on, since Kitania was slowly growing closer to her old level of ski
ll with every passing day. Besides, it was a distraction, and Kitania needed those, ever since Alserah had weakened her armor of indifference.

  Shoving the thought firmly out of her head, Kitania whipped the glaive through the final series of movements and brought it to a halt, breathing hard as she did so. Then she planted the butt of the glaive in the dirt of the training yard and looked at her visitor carefully.

  The elven woman had short auburn hair, a pretty face, and piercing blue eyes, as well as a no-nonsense expression. She was also wearing brown robes that Kitania could feel magic radiating off of, as well as additional magic from the woman herself, which indicated she was a spellcaster, most likely. The strength of the sensation also made Kitania think the woman was fairly powerful, almost certainly more skilled than Kitania was.

  “Hello, Lady Mage. I don’t believe we’ve met before this,” Kitania said after a moment, smiling thinly as she added calmly, “If you’re somehow unaware of it, I’m Kitania Darkshade.”

  “Is that so? I thought that your name might be Kitania Estalia,” the woman replied, looking slightly skeptical as she looked Kitania over closely, then continued. “I’m Ethris of Danfield, Court Mage to Her Grace. We have met after a fashion, but you weren’t… whole at the time.”

  “Ah, I see. My apologies, Ethris, but I wasn’t aware of that,” Kitania replied, bowing her head respectfully, though her mood dimmed slightly at the woman’s explanation. “As to my name, my family doesn’t have a surname, so I chose one for myself. However, I assume that you have a particular reason for seeking me out, since we haven’t met in the time since I regained consciousness.”

  “You’re correct about that,” Ethris said, a flicker of curiosity crossing her face as she looked at Kitania, continuing to speak calmly. “I’ve been placed in charge of communicating with the ambassador sent to Estalia’s court, and yesterday she met with Estalia, who confirmed that you are her daughter.”

  “That’s good, then. I suppose it’s for the best that we reconciled a few days before I was teleported into the courtyard… otherwise she might have decided to deny it, just to spite me,” Kitania murmured, then paused and shook her head, sighing heavily as she corrected herself, hating her temperamental mood. “No, she wouldn’t do that. I’m being unfair to her.”

  Ethris looked at Kitania oddly, frowning slightly, then replied slowly. “According to Lady Azalea, Estalia intends to determine how best to retrieve you, but there isn’t further information to be sent at this time. She also reported that an angel named Rose seemed interested in your current situation.”

  “Rose? She’s alive, then? Oh, that’s a relief,” Kitania said, tension she hadn’t quite realized was there easing somewhat. “If she’s alive, that means Isalla is, too. The guards must have reached them in time.”

  “Guards?” Ethris asked, her frown deepening. “What do you mean?”

  “When I was shot, Isalla and Rose had just begun fighting the angels that ambushed me. I knew my mother had left behind guards with orders to protect them, and had hoped that they’d managed to save them,” Kitania explained, shrugging uncomfortably as she looked at the ground, studying her feet. “I wasn’t there to help anymore. They really should have stayed in the house; it would’ve held off any attack long enough for the guards to get there.”

  “I really don’t understand. If Estalia left guards behind, why would they protect a pair of angels, and not you?” Ethris asked, looking rather confused. “I mean, you’re her daughter, not them.”

  “Ah, but I’m immortal. Nothing known can kill me, so of course she chose to protect the people who might die instead,” Kitania said, shrugging helplessly. A hint of grief tried to well up inside her, but she stepped on the impulse. At least the control that Anna and Estalia had taught her was good for something, though it was hard to keep from revealing her anxiety. After a moment of hesitation, she asked, “Did any of them send me a message?”

  “I’m afraid that they didn’t. However, what you’re saying makes no sense to me. Even if you’re immortal, you can feel pain, I know that much,” Ethris said, looking at Kitania closely, her gaze piercing. “I’ve heard about some of your accidents, and even if you pretend that dislocating an arm isn’t that unusual, I know it hurts.”

  Kitania looked back at the elf for a moment, then shrugged helplessly as she replied softly. “It is what it is. I choose not to examine her motives too deeply, because the two of us are so different.”

  “Hm. I’ll have to take your word for it,” Ethris said, nodding slightly as she looked around the training yard. “I’ll leave you to your practice, assuming you intend to continue. Once I have word that agents are being sent to escort you back to Estalia, I will let you know.”

  “Thank you, Court Mage,” Kitania said, bowing her head to the woman politely. “I appreciate you coming out to tell me in person.”

  “You are welcome. I thought it best to meet you in person at least once, however. Especially after your actions to assist Her Grace,” Ethris said, looking Kitania over a last time before nodding. “Good day.”

  The elf turned to leave, and Kitania stood there for a long moment, watching her go, then looked upward at the cloud-studded sky. The soldiers had told her that the color of the clouds meant that rain was coming, but she had a hard time believing it. The world here was so different than the hells that she couldn’t judge for herself. That seemed to be a common theme of late, with how unsteady she’d been.

  “Rose was interested in my situation?” Kitania murmured, and a tiny bit of her hopes that had remained slowly died. Taking a deep breath, Kitania wondered why none of the others, whether her mother, Isalla, or Rose, hadn’t sent a message to her. The reaction seemed so cold.

  “I can understand it for Mother. She rarely sends personal messages via others, but Isalla… I thought she would,” Kitania said, still talking to herself as self-pity tried to well up inside her. Then she shook her head sharply, forcing herself to straighten as she chided herself. “No, Kitania. Just… practice. What comes, comes.”

  Unlimbering her glaive, Kitania focused deeply, taking a deep breath, then tried to lose herself in the glaive dance she’d been taught so many years before.

  Alserah frowned as she watched the distant figure in the training ground, the practice glaive in her hands moving even more swiftly and surely than it had during the battle with the dream spider. Then she looked at Ethris and asked, making certain to hide her concern, “What did you tell her?”

  “Just what Lady Azalea wrote, aside from her comments on Estalia’s presence and beauty,” the mage replied, shrugging. “It isn’t as though there was much to tell her, after all.”

  “I see. She doesn’t appear to be pleased about the news,” Alserah said, glancing at Kitania again, then turning away. She might just be seeing things, but to her it felt like Kitania’s movements were frantic.

  “She didn’t seem quite as happy as I anticipated, no. The additional information about how she ended up here… that surprised me. She was defending angels, as were guards of Estalia? That strikes me as odd,” Ethris said, tapping her arm thoughtfully.

  “That’s because it is. Normally, kidnapped angels wouldn’t have fought by a demon’s side, but you said that they came out of her home to help her,” Alserah said, frowning even more as her thoughts churned, trying to make sense of what she’d been told. “That means that there’s more to what’s going on than we know. Kitania claimed that she rescued them, which this supports, but…”

  “Should we ask someone to investigate? I’ve heard that Princess Niadra has started growing close to Kitania,” Ethris suggested, tilting her head curiously.

  “No, there’s no need for that. If anything, I’ll just ask her myself,” Alserah said quickly, shaking her head firmly. “Based on what I’ve seen of Kitania, I believe that she wouldn’t lie to me or endanger us. It’s not something that’s in her nature.”

  “If you say so, Your Grace,” Ethris replied, bowing her he
ad respectfully.

  Alserah paused, considering the mage for a moment before smiling and deciding to elaborate on her reasons. “It’s not just that, Ethris. I don’t wish to damage Niadra’s possible relationship with Kitania, not when I believe the information is something that Kitania might be willing to share with us. When I consider that possibility, I believe it best to take a little more time than to potentially alienate her.”

  “Ah, that makes a great deal of sense, Your Grace,” Ethris said, looking a little happier at the explanation. She hesitated a moment, then asked, “However, what of other kingdoms of the north, or the Heavenly Orders? I believe that they may be somewhat less pleased with us if we treat with even a single realm of the hells.”

  “Their opinions don’t matter. Most of the other deities have grown wary of trusting the heavens too much over the years, and only a handful are direct servants of the heavens at this point,” Alserah replied, shaking her head wearily. “For millennia, the heavens have waged war by proxy through the mortal world against the hells, and while they participate in the battles, their lands have rarely been under threat. Treaties and exchanges have happened countless times over the years, and this is simply another one of those. The Holy Council of the heavens will ignore something as minor as this, as they don’t wish to lose an ally so far to the north.”

  “I see, Your Grace,” Ethris said, looking like she’d relaxed slightly, but was still worried. “What if they don’t act as you expect, though?”

  “Then they’ll learn that I’m not going to bow to their whims. I have alliances of my own, and I will not allow myself, my kingdom, or my people to be used as tools,” Alserah replied, her eyes narrowing slightly at the thought, and she looked into the sky, remembering some of the archangels who she’d met.