The emperor laughed hard, throwing his head back.
“I understand. Don’t worry. The edict will be solely for your protection, to prevent any kind of plugging in,” he said.
“What of Nalyon?” Eira asked. “Where is he?”
“Both he and the former high chancellor are in prison now,” Lumi interjected. “Consider them no longer a threat, and let’s leave it at that. We now have more pressing matters to attend to. Namely, the Hermessi death cults.”
“Yes. Good point,” the emperor replied, then looked at me and the rest of my crew. “So, your illustrious swamp witch here tells me we have a cult problem. To my shame, we knew nothing.”
“You couldn’t have, Your Majesty,” I said. “They’ve only recently surfaced, and they’ve kept a pretty low profile. We weren’t aware of their existence until a few days ago.”
By the time we got to the palace, Lumi had already briefed the emperor on everything that had happened prior to our arrival to Cerix, along with the latest developments—including Inalia’s conversation with her father, and Acquis’s temporary hold on Eira to give us a message. We spent the better part of an hour with Lumi, her unexpected new friend, Skit, and the emperor, discussing the Hermessi problem.
“These are elemental entities,” the emperor said, scratching his silvery sideburns. “They’re part of the reasons why we exist, is that not right?”
“It is,” Amelia replied. “However, they seem to have gone down a more destructive path, as of late, and we have no idea why. We don’t even know what this ritual is about, or what it’s meant to do. It's clear, however, that it involves the deaths of many more creatures across the universe, and that Brann, your planet’s Fire Hermessi, was strong and cunning enough to foil his siblings’ plan.”
“I’m still trying to wrap my head around the concept of one natural element leaving a planet and going to other worlds to try and warn them. It’s something out of Cerixian literary works of fiction,” Skit said.
“There’s a lot we’ve yet to understand about them,” Amelia said. “But Brann did let slip that the Hermessi can also be stopped. Or disabled. Or permanently destroyed. He wouldn’t tell us how, for obvious reasons.”
Lumi groaned, rubbing the back of her neck. “I think our main priority right now is to capture as many cult members as we can. The Hermessi’s ritual is dependent on a specific number of servants doing something. If they lack the numbers, they won’t be able to do it.”
“Sounds logical,” Raphael replied. “So, we try not to kill them, but if there’s no other way, we kill them? I believe that was the conclusion of our big group chat over the comms system earlier.”
Lumi seemed exhausted already. It couldn’t be because of what she’d done so far. Throwing a few soldiers around and casting a few stunning spells was child’s play to this creature. No, it was the entire situation that weighed heavily upon her shoulders. And, if I were to be honest with myself, I felt just as weary.
“Pretty much,” she said. “I don’t know, I’m not a fan of killing people, but, if we have no other choice, it needs to be done. Like Jax said, they’re traitors. They chose to join this cult and serve the Hermessi, knowing that innocents would die. Brann tried to talk some of them out of it, and they rejected him. I think they’ve made their bed already, and now they have to lie in it.”
“I’m afraid I agree,” Varga chimed in. “The stakes are too high to show much mercy. Besides, how do we even sever their connection with the Hermessi, without killing them?”
Eva shrugged. “I think Arwen, Corrine, Kailani, and the other witches will look into it. They have captured cult members on Mount Zur. I imagine they’ll study them, try different methods until something sticks. Or it doesn’t.”
“What do we do until then? Lock ’em up?” Herakles grumbled. “Ask them nicely not to destroy the lives of others?”
“I’ve already told Derek not to make this an essential component of our mission,” Lumi replied. “I said we’d try to get them to denounce the cults, but, if they persist, if they give us no other choice, we’ll terminate them.”
“All right. How do we go about this, then?” the emperor asked. “Shall I have my Armed Forces scour the entire planet for cult members?”
“Yes!” Lumi said. “All cult members carve symbols on their faces. They wear black silk garments and porcelain masks. Look for Cerixians who cover themselves fully while out in public. Some of them must go out for food and water and other supplies, once in a while. Check the markets and the shops across the domains. Maybe have out-of-uniform soldiers posted in every market square and along every commercial street in all your cities.”
“You should also send units out in the underground tunnels and abandoned buildings. The woods. The desert,” Eira suggested. “The cults will want to stay out of sight, but somewhere with relatively easy access to populated areas.”
“Most importantly, they’ll keep trying to come after us,” I said. “The Hermessi have eyes on us, more or less. As omnipresent as they are, they can’t always immediately know where we are. They do try to follow, but, on Cerix, Fire and Water seem to be on our side. Air and Earth are a different matter. Point is, we can elude them, but their cults will be persistently on our tail. So, I suggest keeping a unit or two around us, as well. Have them stay out of sight and intervene when the hostiles appear. We could nab a few like this, if you want.”
The emperor thought about it for a moment. “It’s worth considering. Let’s see what the Armed Forces raids bring out. I’ll order troops to be deployed as of today,” he replied, then made several notes with a red-feather quill on a piece of rough, yellowed paper. That had to be his to-do list for the day, and, from where I stood, it looked ridiculously long.
Would this be me, in a few centuries? It obviously took a lot of hard work to lead a nation, and the emperor didn’t shy away from it, as far as I could tell. But I loved going out in the field. I longed to explore new worlds and meet different creatures. I still had a long way to go before I retired to a desk, a long-ass list of things to do, and a fancy quill.
Glancing around, I did like the setup. This was a ginormous study, with plenty of natural lighting and a dazzling display of shelves covering the massive walls—each loaded with leather-bound books, expensive-looking sculptures, and elegant trinkets. The furniture was sturdy, each surface polished and lacquered to perfection. There was a sense of tasteful simplicity exuding from the entire ensemble. It didn’t look like a bad place to… retire.
“Tae, what are you thinking?” Riza asked me, one eyebrow raised in slight amusement.
I couldn’t exactly tell her how I’d zoned out into a future I wasn’t even sure I’d have until we stopped this Hermessi threat. So, I lied, but with noble purpose. “I’m thinking we should find ourselves a Hermessi to tell us everything we need to know. One who’s compliant and not a friend of the others.”
“One who won’t fry our atoms if we ask for a way to kill one or more of their own, you mean,” Raphael replied dryly.
“That, too. Yes.”
“We could try with Brann again,” Varga suggested.
Inalia shook her head. “I doubt he’ll be of much help right now. He is literally hiding from the others.”
“I could reach out to Acquis. My… dad… Gah, that is such a weird thing to say out loud,” Eira replied. “But maybe he’d be willing to tell us more.”
“Nah, you heard him,” Eva said. “He’s supposed to be with Earth and Air on this one, hunting Fire down. I’m not sure Acquis is the right Hermessi to help us, right now.”
“Fine. Then we’ll tread carefully across worlds until we find one Hermessi that can give us the right answers, without getting our asses fried in the process,” I said, dangerously close to exasperation. My patience had been running thin for days now, and I had no energy left to tickle the egos of different elementals for ways to save my people. Nevertheless, it had to be done.
Raphael was pacing the ro
om, hands behind his back. I caught the occasional glimpse of him, just as he, in turn, stole glances at Amelia. Her tablet didn’t have any answers for us. Her genius brain wasn’t prepared with a solution for this, no matter how hard she tried. We were in over our heads this time, and we knew it.
“This is far more complex and dangerous than we originally anticipated,” Lumi said. “I’ll be honest, I’m a little worried.”
“You sounded pretty confident earlier,” the emperor replied, though he didn’t seem surprised. I figured he’d seen and heard plenty in his lifetime. He’d met his share of warriors and crises that needed a stern leader with a clear head to sort them out.
“I do have hope,” Lumi replied. “Don’t get me wrong. I’m determined to fight my way out of this, no matter what. But I’m also fearful, and it’s not a feeling that I often experience.”
“I’m right with you there, sister.” Raphael finally spoke again. “I’m shaken to the core, and I don’t know what to do next. I’d thought Ta’Zan was the worst thing that could happen to a planet.”
“Ta’Zan?” the emperor asked.
“Oh, long story, trust me,” Raphael replied. “I just never expected the very Hermessi that helped shape these worlds would be the ones so willing and eager to destroy them. And for what? Why? What’s the point?”
“There is definitely a destructive element in this ritual, on that we can agree,” Lumi said. “But until we get more information, all we’re doing right now is speculating. And it’s not taking us anywhere.”
“The library would’ve been a good source of Hermessi intel,” Riza said. “Too bad the crazy bastards burned it down. I would’ve loved another day or two in that place, without the fear of capture or cultists trying to kill us.”
“All we’ve got left is what we came back with,” Herakles replied, then raised a hand to silence the emperor just as he was about to speak—his eyes wide with surprise. “Worry not, Your Majesty, we’ll give them back as soon as we’re done reading and interpreting the texts.” Herakles then looked at Riza and me. “I’m sure that if we keep digging through those papers, we’ll get a bit more insight, at least.”
“I agree. We should also make a list of inhabited planets we know and try to assess what the Hermessi there are like,” Amelia said. “Taeral is right. We may have to do this, one world at a time, until we come across a Hermessi that doesn’t want to be a part of the ritual. According to Brann, there are still some opponents out there.”
At least it was better than nothing. We had a direction, even though it involved the longest road. In the meantime, I knew that GASP and the Cerixian Armed Forces were going to clamp down on the Hermessi cults across the In-Between. We had a target now and we could do something about the ideology spreading.
I was good to work with that. Sooner or later, we’d catch a break, too.
Vesta
I’d been a tad feverish and quite irritable for days. Zeriel had told me that I wasn’t the only one, either. It was a recurring trend among the fae of the In-Between. This whole Hermessi death cult issue was weighing down on us, and the effects were almost palpable. Outrage, frustration, concern, and fear fueled our ill states and gnawed at our nerves.
I’d even snapped at Zeriel the other day, and I felt awful about it. Fortunately, the Tritone king was my soulmate for a reason. I’d landed a most loving and patient partner, one who put up with me, even at my worst. I loved him all the more for it. At the same time, I tried to think of ways of making it up to him.
Lately, I’d been rather static and reclusive. I figured that, if I interrogated Vikkal as a favor to Taeral and the rest of GASP, it would make my Zeriel perk up a little. He, too, was tired. Constantly watching over me and making sure I had no reason to blow a fuse in these trying times had proven to be a downright daunting task. I’d thought of myself as easygoing and lightly appeased, yet the death cults and the not-so-blatant discrimination against fae had turned me into someone I sometimes didn’t recognize.
It varied from world to world, of course. The fae planets were much more controlled, since they were inhabited by—spoiler alert! Fae. Calliope was a different bucket of fish, and it kind of stank. The others didn’t want to just come out and say it, but I could see it on their faces, the Tritones included, that they were wary of me and my kind. The same could be said of the rest of Eritopia. Neraka. Even Strava. Wherever fae were present, curious and fearful glances followed. They couldn’t help it.
Too many of our own had joined a death cult, after all.
But, like Zeriel had said, I couldn’t let them define me. I needed to try a little harder, to look past my emotional and even physical discomfort, and prove that we weren’t all prone to servitude toward the Hermessi—who, until a few days ago, had been the most revered entities of all time. The natural elements, rediscovered!
Knowing what was at stake now, I took Zeriel with me to the Fire Star. My beloved Tritone king was going to watch out for me, no matter what. We came through the portal with our hands linked. The palace hall opened up before us in elegant shades of red and gold.
Nuriya welcomed us with a warm smile and a hug, her Royal Guards flanking us on both sides. “It’s so good to see you two,” she said.
“Likewise, and thank you for facilitating this for us,” Zeriel replied. “That is, thank you for keeping an eye on the Fire Temple.”
She nodded. “My people can confirm that Vikkal has been there all morning.”
“Good. Then we should get going,” I said.
“Wait, where’s Sherus? I thought you two were never apart.” Zeriel chuckled.
Nuriya’s expression faded into a soft sadness. I didn’t like it one bit.
“What’s wrong?” I asked.
“Nothing. He’s just not in the best of moods,” Nuriya replied, her voice faltering slightly. It wasn’t in her nature to throw such easy-to-debunk lies, and I was in no mood to let that slide.
“Come on, Nuriya. There’s more to it than that. You’re not very good at hiding this kind of stuff,” I said.
“I usually am.” Her smile was bitter and strained. “But I’m too tired to keep up the façade all the time. Sherus is in a foul mood. I’m told that Ben, Grace, and other fae in GASP are more or less the same. Words across the kingdom here is that the ones we know to be suffering aren’t the only ones. The fae are in a lot of emotional pain, and it seems like it’s getting physical, too. I’m not sure what to do, in this case. I watch my husband pad around our bedroom with no particular direction, just occasionally cursing under his breath.”
“Do you think the Hermessi are trying to get to him? To the others?” Zeriel asked.
I squeezed his hand, beckoning his attention. “No, babe. I’m just as moody, and I can guarantee it. I’d be able to tell if a Hermessi was trying to mess around in my noggin.”
“Then what is it, Vesta?” Nuriya asked me. “What is it that’s keeping you all so down?”
I shrugged. “I’m not sure. It’s a mood, I think. It’ll pass. But it’s definitely not the Hermessi. Trust me. I’ve been possessed by them, more than once. I’d know.”
“Well, then… I suppose we’ll have to wait and see. Sherus knows I’m there for him, no matter what.” She sighed, her shoulders slumping slightly. “Do you mind if I join you? I can just zap you both to the temple and save you some traveling time.”
“Of course,” I replied. “You’re more than welcome. Have you met Vikkal before? I haven’t.”
“No. This would be my first time at the temple, too,” Nuriya said. “But I need to get out of here for a while. I’m no use to anyone if I languish in this feeling of helplessness.”
“Making yourself useful, then.” Zeriel’s smile was faint, but visible. As always, my lover was trying his best to lighten the mood. It didn’t take much effort on any other day. Lately, however, he’d had to put in the extra work to barely pull a smirk out of me.
“Something like that,” Nuriya replied, then nodded a
t her guards. “Stand back. Wait here. We’ll be back shortly, in case the king asks.” They said nothing but took a couple of steps back. Nuriya put her hands out. Zeriel and I took them, and we vanished.
The darkness was but a flicker in time. As if I’d just blinked.
A split second later, the three of us stood in the middle of the Fire Temple. Most of it was glazed in a peculiar darkness. At the far end, candles burned on the altar, which had been recently loaded with fresh food and flowers. Aromatic incense lingered in the air. Amber light wrestled with the shadows across the decorated columns and walls.
“I’ve only seen it from the outside, from far away,” Nuriya whispered, looking around.
Her eyes were wide with wonder, much like mine. “It’s beautiful…”
“The friezes are spectacular,” Zeriel mused, his gaze fixed on one of the columns.
“Vikkal?” I called out.
I’d never met the guy, but I knew who to look for. A silhouette emerged from the corner. I could hear his bare feet shuffling across the stone floor. As soon as he came into the light, I recognized the symbol tattooed on his forehead. I’d seen it on the bodies of fire fae that had blown themselves up at Harper and Caspian’s wedding. Protection symbol, my ass.
“Hello, there!” Vikkal said, beaming at us. His smile faded for a moment when he recognized Nuriya, but quickly slit his face once more as he bowed in reverence. “Your Majesty! What a surprise.”
“It was about time I came to check this place out,” Nuriya replied dryly.
“I’m Vesta, and this is Zeriel,” I said. “I’m a fae—”
“And not just any fae.” Vikkal cut me off, his eyes fixed on me. “You’re what we refer to as a Complete Fae… You master all four natural elements. Word about you has spread since they brought you back from Neraka. You’re special. A rare gem among us.”
A Shade of Vampire 70: A Breed of Elements Page 16