“I haven’t heard anything from the order yet,” Seimal finally said, his voice heavy. “Some people are claiming desertion, but they don’t know for certain yet.”
“She’d never desert!” Emmara protested, looking up as tears shimmered in her eyes. “She was so proud to be chosen to join the order, she’d never just… just abandon it like that! Even if she was given a post that was considered bad.”
“We know, Mother. I just… I wondered if they’d found her, since I worry about her,” Anpiel said, sighing softly. “I can’t imagine her just running away. It doesn’t sound like my little sister at all.”
“No, it doesn’t. Still, I’m sure we’ll find out what happened to Isalla eventually, so don’t let it get you down,” Seimal said, forcing a smile onto his face as he straightened. “Maybe you can even surprise her with a niece or nephew when she comes back!”
“Hey, I don’t even have a girlfriend yet!” Anpiel protested, flushing a little.
“Not for a lack of trying,” Emmara said, her smile slightly real this time.
Anpiel blushed more and shook his head, not seeing the faint mist that seeped under the front door.
The house was quiet, and Haral closed her eyes, trying to imagine what it was like for the people within. It was impossible for her to truly imagine, since midnight shadow didn’t really have an effect on those who were awake. The poison lulled the victims into a deeper and deeper sleep, until they finally stopped breathing. She hoped that it was a peaceful way to go, but Haral couldn’t be certain of that.
“You didn’t deserve this. None of you were the ones that got in our way… you were just simple farmers living your own lives,” Haral said at last, looking at the house as she took a deep breath, then let it out, shaking her head as she did so. “I… apologize. If I were able to take another path, I would, but when it’s for the future, I will pay any price required of me. You have my apologies… and hopefully I can send Isalla to you relatively soon.”
No one replied, but Haral hadn’t expected them to. They should all be dead by this point, or well on their way there, which meant it was time for her to deal with the evidence. Haral tried to avoid thinking about the men and women in the house as she reached into her pocket, blinking back tears. She pulled out a small glass orb, one which flickered with faint orange light within. Haral examined it for a long moment, then murmured. “Mir’s flame, I call to you. Heed my voice and obey.”
The orb grew brighter and brighter, then dissolved as heat and light bloomed in front of Haral. A figure formed of pure flame took form in front of her, shaped like a small dragon that looked at her curiously. Mir’s flame was a type of elemental that the Society of Golden Dawn used, just intelligent enough to follow orders, which was appropriate in this instance.
“Go down the chimney and reignite the fire. Cause the fire to escape the stove or fireplace so it can burn down the building, then return from whence you came,” Haral told the elemental, cringing as she spoke the words aloud.
The elemental nodded silently, then winged its way up and over, then down the chimney. A skilled investigator would likely be able to figure out that something was odd about the fire, Haral knew, but the chances of someone like that being in the area were vanishingly small. Instead, she waited regretfully, watching the house for the first signs of flames.
It started as a soft glow, one which slowly grew stronger. Haral watched and listened, waiting for any cry of alarm, but didn’t hear one go up. No, the house was quiet as the crackling sound of a fire grew. The first fingers of flame crept into Haral’s sight, and at last she sighed, turning away. Soon enough a neighbor might notice the fire, and she didn’t want to be in the area when that happened. Instead she spread her wings and took flight, winging her way away from the place where Isalla had grown up.
“I’m sorry,” Haral murmured, blinking back tears as she did so.
Mortals were one thing, but murdering innocent angels who weren’t directly in her way was… hard.
Nonetheless, she continued on her way, even as flames engulfed the house behind her.
Chapter 6
“I’m going to miss you, Kitania,” Niadra said, hugging the demoness tight, her voice trembling ever so slightly, so slightly that most of the people present probably wouldn’t hear it, Kitania imagined. Kitania thought the princess was almost on the verge of tears, and it probably wasn’t helped by how she’d been looking for a new handmaiden. She’d probably settle for the innocent Breanne, since the young woman wasn’t as prone to intrigue as many others would be.
“And I’ll miss you,” Kitania said, hugging Niadra gently as she looked around, smiling helplessly at Vinara’s arched eyebrow, while Isalla and Rose were studiously ignoring them as they adjusted their clothing. It was strange seeing her friends without their wings, but even stranger in its own way was that Rose had hidden Ember and replaced it with a different sword.
Alserah was standing nearby, her arms folded as she watched them, and Kitania could feel her gaze even when she wasn’t looking at the goddess. Kitania suspected she was in for a grilling from the others when they weren’t around the goddess anymore. She wasn’t happy about it but was resigned to it. In the meantime, she was just doing what she could to prepare.
“They do need to get going, Niadra,” Alserah said at last, her voice patient as could be, but sounding slightly like a chiding parent. “I may be helping take them to the port, but that doesn’t mean we have limitless time.”
“Of course, Your Grace. I just… I worry,” Niadra said, turning pink as she quickly let go of Kitania and stepped away, studying the floor in obvious embarrassment.
“I think that’s reasonable enough,” Rose said, smiling thinly. “We’re all worried about what might be coming, and there’s no way to know what it’ll be, yet.”
“Perhaps we’ll learn soon,” Eziel said, the woman’s facial features subtly different than they had been, and the angel looked worried as she adjusted her leathers and bow. “I just hope we’re moving quickly enough.”
“You will or won’t, that’s the simple truth of the way the world works,” Alserah said, taking a step forward as she looked around the room, studying each of them, then continued. “Now, a few of my guards are going to escort you to Uthren’s Throne, but I dare not send many. That would put our opponents on their guard, so there are only going to be two of them. To keep rumors from flying too much, I’ve arranged for a different ship and crew to give you passage, Dryad’s Gift. Her captain is skilled and loyal, but I cannot guarantee that her crew won’t speak of things they overhear, so be wary.”
“Thank you, Your Grace. Your assistance means an immense amount to me,” Isalla said, relief flickering across her face, which Kitania certainly agreed with.
“You’re most welcome. After all, if you hadn’t informed me of the threat, I shudder to think on the consequences,” Alserah said, then looked around as she asked. “Is everyone ready to depart?”
“I know I am,” Kitania said, taking a deep breath as she adjusted her backpack. The weight of the tail armor was obnoxious, but she had to admit that the illusion Vinara had crafted was exquisite. With brighter violet eyes, pale skin, and the seemingly scaled tail, she’d have thought she was descended of dragons as well.
A soft chorus of agreement came from the others, and Kitania smiled at Niadra again. Alserah cleared her throat and spoke calmly. “Please step back, Niadra. I’m not taking you with us.”
“Of course, Your Grace, right away,” Niadra said, hastily taking a step back. As she did so, Alserah raised a hand and her mana spilled into the teleportation circle rapidly, the glow lighting up the room. Kitania waved as the glow grew brighter, and Niadra opened her mouth to say something.
Kitania never heard what she said, though. With a flash and a lurching sensation, like the floor had rocked beneath her feet, Kitania found herself in another room far from where they’d started. This room was wider and had heavily reinforced walls and arrow sl
its all around them, along with heavy iron doors blocking the way out. Kitania recognized the teleportation chamber of Mist from their previous visit, but Alserah didn’t pause, her hand still raised as she charged the new circle as well. Kitania’s stomach wasn’t happy, but she braced herself for the second teleport just in time.
“Ugh. That was… urgh…” Isalla said, and when Kitania glanced at her, the angel was looking a little green. Kitania winced sympathetically, as she didn’t blame Isalla for her discomfort.
They were in a room that was almost identical to the one in Mist, which didn’t surprise Kitania much, even if her stomach was churning slowly. While the second teleportation had made her uncomfortable, it hadn’t been nearly as bad as the one which had brought her to the Forest of Sighs to begin with.
“Ah, you haven’t experienced consecutive teleportations before? My apologies, I simply didn’t want to waste time,” Alserah said, looking at Isalla in concern as she lowered her hand.
“It’s… alright. I just feel a little seasick,” Isalla said, breathing hard as she leaned over, placing her hands on her knees. “I’m sure I’ll be fine soon, but it’ll take a bit.”
“Fortunately, it is about an hour from here to the port,” Rose said, patting Isalla on the back, shaking her head as she smiled wryly. “That’ll give you plenty of time to recover.”
“Indeed,” Alserah said, her smile fading as she looked at them seriously. “I can’t go further with you, not without risking revealing your identities even more. I can’t guarantee that agents from Uthren haven’t already taken note of you, but we shouldn’t make it obvious by appearing in public together.”
“Very true. Thank you for everything, Your Grace,” Vinara said, gracefully curtseying in a way that made Kitania think she’d been practicing it. In all likelihood she had, which prompted a soft sigh from Kitania.
“Agreed. I wish we could have stayed for longer, but… needs must,” Kitania said, smiling as she added, “Thank you for being so reasonable.”
“Thank you for saving my life,” Alserah replied simply, then took a step toward Kitania.
The demoness only had a moment to blink in confusion before the goddess swept her off her feet and kissed her. Kitania stiffened in momentary shock, then felt her muscles relax as she returned the kiss, her mind grappling with what had just happened. Alserah was warm and her lips were slightly sweet, like the taste of apples. Then the goddess broke the kiss and straightened, setting Kitania back on her feet as she blinked in confusion.
“If you aren’t going to take initiative, I will. Have a safe trip, all of you,” Alserah said, stepping away as she smiled more broadly.
Kitania stared at her, blinking as her mouth opened and shut several times, utterly flummoxed by what had just happened. Rose was the one who shook off her surprise first, and she laughed, nodding respectfully as she said. “As you say, Your Grace. I hope that your realm remains peaceful. Come along, Kitania.”
“I… okay…” Kitania said, shaking her head as she was led from the room, one hand held Rose.
The doors weren’t locked, somewhat to Kitania’s surprise, and Rose calmly walked past still more fortifications to exit the building. Kitania found it interesting that the teleportation circles had separate exits from the rest of the fortress they were inside, rather than going through the building like the ones in Estalia’s domain did, but she supposed different groups would have different approaches to defending teleportation circles.
The smell of sea air greeted Kitania, though the scent was relatively faint. Outside the building were numerous soldiers milling about, as well as a large group of workers by the wall, which had shattered stone around it, some of which looked like it’d been melted, which prompted a wince from Kitania. She hadn’t realized that this fort had been among those attacked by the hellfire worms, but it looked like the workers had reconstruction well in hand.
A pair of soldiers approached them a moment later, each in unusually common armor, and it took a moment before Kitania blinked, snapping out of her shock as she recognized them. One was a vague memory at best, but the other she knew relatively well.
“Maura? What are you doing here?” Kitania asked, looking at the brown-eyed elf whose straw-blonde hair was pulled back in a ponytail.
“Yain and I were assigned to escort you to Uthren, since I knew you reasonably well, and Yain’s been to Uthren’s Throne before,” Maura said wryly, staring at Kitania for a moment, then shook her head. “Sheesh, just a different coloration changes you a lot.”
“Thanks to Vinara, mostly,” Kitania said, glancing at her friend in amusement. “I didn’t expect to have the two of you along with us.”
“It doesn’t help that neither of us have families, which makes it easier for us to go off on this dangerous lark,” Yain said, the brunette’s tone slightly harsher, but her eyes glittered as she glanced around, then asked, “Is it true we might be able to find the people behind the attack? I lost a cousin in Mist and would dearly like to make them pay for it.”
“That’s right,” Rose agreed, glancing at Kitania as she asked, “Kitania, care to introduce us?”
“Certainly. Maura, Yain, I’d like to introduce you to Isalla, Rose, Vinara, and Eziel. I’d like the rest of you to meet Maura and Yain, two of the guards who kept watch on me after my unannounced arrival here,” Kitania said, nodding to the elves and the rest of her companions.
“A pleasure, but we’d best stop using those names immediately, if you’re trying to keep from being noticed,” Yain said, folding her arms and glaring at them. “At this point I have to assume the people who’re after you know your names and appearances, and even if you’ve hidden your wings, they’ll be looking for you. We need to come up with a proper story for why you’re going to Uthren.”
“Ah, that’s a rather good point. And one I hadn’t thought of,” Isalla said, looking a bit taken aback.
“I had. I’m going to go by Violet Carter and will be keeping this shape,” Vinara said, gesturing down at herself in her guise as a brown-haired, shapely human woman. “As for why we’re going there, I’m afraid that is more of a question. I don’t know enough about Uthren.”
“To be honest, most of the time we can get away without saying your names, but it’s best to have them and the story figured out before we need them,” Yain said, hesitating before she added, “Fortunately, neither of us is important enough to need to change our names.”
“True… and you have a very good point about figuring out new names now. I was particularly bad about that when Isalla and I went to find Rose,” Kitania said, hesitating for a long moment, then shrugged and said, “Kim, I suppose. I like names that start with a k, so that works. Kim Flametongue.”
“As you like. For a story, I’d suggest that you’re on a pilgrimage to Uthren’s Throne, particularly to visit the high temple of their gods, as well as to seek the blessings of the archangels. It’ll help you get close to those in power,” Yain said, glancing at Maura as she continued. “We’ve discussed this a bit.”
“Precisely. The two of us can be guards, but I’m not sure what sort of roles each of you will have,” Maura said, nodding in satisfaction, then quirked an eyebrow at them.
“I think the simplest answer is mostly the truth,” Isalla said, sighing as she hesitated, then said, “I’ll go by… Isabel, I suppose. Rose and I can be old friends, both daughters of knights. Kit—Kim, would you mind pretending to be our healer, as well as a prospective knight?”
“I can do that. I’m guessing that Eziel can be a servant…” Kitania said, growing a little amused at the story they were weaving, her gaze settling on Eziel.
“Emma, and yes, most certainly,” Eziel said, straightening slightly, a smile on her face. “Some noble families have servants who’re also intended to defend their heirs, so I can play the role.”
“Which means I’ll be a mage who’s hoping to ride your coattails to glory,” Vinara said, smiling widely now.
“I
suppose I’ll go by Lynn. I’ll come up with a surname later, but I hope that will suffice? We can pretend to be from a neighboring nation… Phenal, is it?” Rose asked, tapping her lip thoughtfully.
“That should be fine. I just want the basics in place before we reach Naer. No one gossips like sailors, and by the time we reach our destination they’ll be ready to get drunk,” Yain said, sighing heavily.
“I don’t know about that; nobility gossip a lot…” Maura teased, grinning and dodging as Yain tried to hit her in the shoulder.
“Still, you have a point,” Kitania agreed, letting out a soft sigh as she shook her head, a bit chagrined. “I probably wouldn’t have thought of it until we were nearly to Uthren’s border.”
“Everyone has blind spots. You just have different ones than most people… which is amusing, since you spent a millennium hiding from your mother,” Vinara said, grinning broadly. “Now, shall we go? Or we could discuss what happened in the teleportation room, if you’d prefer.”
“Ah, no, I think I’d rather not,” Kitania said, heat rising in her cheeks as she hastily looked away, asking, “How are we getting to the port?”
“A pair of carriages are waiting over there,” Maura said, gesturing toward a corner of the courtyard, and it took Kitania a moment to spot the carriages past some carts of material for the wall. The elf asked curiously, “What happened in the teleportation chamber?”
Kitania ignored the question, quickly walking toward the carriages. Rose chuckled as she followed, embarrassing Kitania still further.
“I think it’s best not to talk about that, Violet,” Isalla said, her amusement obvious as she spoke. “While it’s amusing to tease her, we are in the domain of a goddess.”
“True enough,” Vinara admitted, obviously following.
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