“People are not known to make sensible decisions when they’re angry.” Aran sat up again and threw the blanket off. As he folded things up and stored them away, he asked, “How close are we to Unda territory?”
“We’re smack on the border of it, according to the map. We’re hovering in place there.”
Aran gave her a nod of approval and relief. “Good. It’s close to, what, ten o’clock?”
“It is.” Sevana would have suggested that they just land and anchor for the night except for one little fact: the Unda were nocturnal. They actually had a better chance of speaking to the Unda without rousting someone out of bed by contacting them now. Sevana was all for doing that instead of trying to negotiate with someone rudely yanked from sleep. “Well, gentlemen, who wants to do the honors?”
The Jade Emperor and Aran shared a long, speaking look. “How much experience do you have with these Unda, Arandur?” the Jade Emperor finally asked.
“Probably more than you do,” Aran admitted. “I only come into contact with them about once a year. Sev, remember that group of kids we brought from Sao Kao? Two of them came to this territory.”
Sevana snapped her fingers. “Right, I remember that. The Unda actually sent a representative and bargained for two of them. Jade Emperor, let’s send in Aran first. We’ve got trade relationships with them after all.”
He waved them on, not so secretly relieved that they were volunteering. Sevana maneuvered Jumping Clouds down so that it settled on the sea and anchored it to make sure it didn’t accidentally drift into Unda territory. That would be very, very bad. When they were settled, Aran leaned over the sides and put his hand into the water, just holding it there for a long time before finally pulling it free again.
It took barely ten minutes before a head popped out of the water, that of a mermaid with glistening dark hair and large, liquid eyes set above sharp cheekbones. She blinked up at Aran and then beamed a siren’s smile. “Hello, my handsome cousin.”
Aran didn’t seem quite sure what to make of this greeting and went with a neutral, “Hello. I am sorry to come and just knock on your door like this. I am Arandur of South Woods.”
“Oh, the one that brought us children before?” Grabbing the railing, she lifted herself partway out of the water so that she was speaking on a more even level with him. As she did so, she of course saw the other two and paused, giving them a confused study.
“This is Sellion, also of South Woods,” Aran carried on the introductions calmly. “She’s actually the one that found the children to begin with. Our guest is the Jade Emperor.”
The mermaid inclined her head to both of them, her flirtatiousness vanishing without a trace. “I am Kari. I am the sister of the second cousin’s mother’s best-friend that was gifted with one of the children you brought. We are happy with our son.”
Sevana didn’t even try to unravel that connection. Unda family relations could make dwarves’ family trees seem simple. “We are very happy to hear it. Actually our business here has nothing to do with the children, but while I am here, I would enjoy seeing them. They are surely glowing as they change and grow into Unda.”
This softened the mermaid and she gave a slight nod. “I will be your guide for that. But if not for the children, what brings you here?”
The Jade Emperor cleared his throat slightly. “As to that, one of my goddesses has kidnapped another and fled with her. We are afraid they have come straight through your territory.”
At that, the mermaid’s eyes flashed with anger. “That rude, destructive woman is yours?”
Oh that did not sound good. What had Tian-Mu done now?
Face completely impassive, the Jade Emperor said neutrally, “She is. I would like to speak with someone about retrieving her.”
Kari regarded all three of them, mouth pursed. “I will fetch someone. Wait here.” She dropped down in a splash and was gone within a second.
Sevana let out a low breath and dropped back into her chair. “This just gets better and better.”
“If not for the fact that you’re with two people that brought them children, they probably wouldn’t have agreed to even speak with us,” Aran informed the Jade Emperor. “This is more serious than we anticipated. If Tian-Mu had gone straight through their territory, it’d upset them, but we would have been able to negotiate our way around it. But actually doing something destructive in their territory? While they have two children here to raise?”
“I want to go home,” Sevana whimpered, only half-kidding. “Nothing upsets the Fae or the Unda faster than bringing a threat near their children. I’ll be highly surprised if Tian-Mu is even still alive.”
“She’s alive,” the Jade Emperor disagreed solemnly. “I can feel both her and Feng-Huang clearly. Their powers are diminished at the moment, sealed, but still steady.”
So they had somehow sealed Tian-Mu? Sevana wasn’t too surprised by this; it’s what she would have done in their shoes. Why leave a loose cannonball in your territory when it could be safely locked up instead? “Jade Emperor, I have a feeling that the only way we’re going to be able to get in and out with our skins intact is to make them some pretty hefty promises. Now, I doubt this, as I know your people’s culture well, but I’ll ask anyway: how often do you have orphans among your people?”
“It’s unusual. Even when it does happen, extended family takes them in.” The Jade Emperor caught on quickly. “You think to bargain with children?”
“Nothing is more important, more cherished than children to us,” Aran explained quietly. “Especially for the Unda, human children are hard to come by, which is why their numbers have always been so small. The two that we brought to them this past year were the first children they’ve had in fifty years.”
“I have no compunction about giving either the Fae or Unda children as they are amazing parents,” Sevana stated bluntly. “And often the orphans I bring to them are barely scraping by on the streets, so it’s worlds better for them to become Fae anyway. In this case, if you don’t have orphans to offer, then we’ll work out some sort of payment between us. I’ll promise to supply them with children.” It was easily enough done, all she had to do was contact Kip, or two different kings that owed her major favors. “How much they will demand from us, that’s the question. The rest is details.”
The words had barely left her mouth when two heads popped out of the water. One was Kira, the other a male mermaid with short hair and a trident in his hand. He looked bulky, strong, and extremely angry. His dark eyes took in both Aran and Sevana and he gave them an inclination of the head, barely courteous, before pinning the Jade Emperor with a glare hot enough to melt steel. “I am Taslim, Guardian of the Southern Border. I am here on behalf of my king, Curano, and I speak with His Voice.”
In other words, he had full power to negotiate for the whole of this tribe.
The Jade Emperor stepped forward and gave a deep bow. “Taslim, I am the Jade Emperor, ruler over Tian-Mu and Feng-Huang. I am deeply sorry for the trouble mine have caused yours. I have come to make reparations as best I can.”
Taslim didn’t budge. “Your women have posed a danger to our children.”
“It is a grievous offense,” the Jade Emperor agreed promptly and with a troubled frown. “In truth, we are chasing them because Tian-Mu broke several laws in my own territory and then fled. Feng-Huang is an innocent party in this, being sealed, and I am trying to retrieve her to bring her home again. Tian-Mu I seek to punish.”
Seeing this might be the right moment to speak, Sevana cleared her throat. “Taslim, I am Sellion of South Woods. I speak for Nia Reign with Her Voice.”
That made both mermaids pause and stare at her openly. “You speak for Nia Reign?” Taslim asked, voice rising an octave.
“I do. It was in her territory that Tian-Mu caused havoc. She wishes vengeance upon her and I have promised to make sure that happens.” Which complicated matters extremely, as now there were two Unda clans out for the goddess’s blo
od, but it also gave them an additional bargaining chip. The Unda here did not want to upset their northern cousins. They would have to factor that relationship in to any choice they made. “Also, I have a vested interest in this matter personally. I am not sure if Kira told you, but Arandur and I are the ones that brought you the children.”
Taslim stared hard at his counterpart, silently reprimanding her with his eyes. “No, she did not mention that part to me.”
“You took off before I could get it out,” she grumbled under her breath.
Mentioning all of this was the right move as Taslim became visibly more interested in actually talking instead of ranting. “Sellion, I am glad to report that our children are safe despite the danger that woman put them through.”
“I am also very glad to hear this,” Sevana responded in kind. “I will make sure her punishment is more severe for this offense.”
That soothed another ruffled feather, but it still left many others that were prickly. “You said that she broke several laws in Nia Reign’s territory? What did she do?”
Without any apology or sugar coating, Sevana gave him the outline of what had happened. She could see his ire build again and she could feel the Jade Emperor openly wincing behind her, but there was no getting around the truth. Even if she tried to skirt around it now, it would be pointless; word was bound to get to them eventually. She couldn’t sacrifice trade relations with this clan just to get two goddesses out right now.
At the end of her telling, Taslim looked down, troubled. “This complicates matters. You do have the right to punish her on Nia Reign’s behalf, but we must have say in this matter as well. I cannot speak for both of our clans. Wait here. I must confer with my superiors.”
In an instant they were both gone and only then did Sevana draw in a proper breath. “Alright, this is going better than I thought it would.”
“Truly,” the Jade Emperor agreed. “I am correct in assuming that he was sent here to get rid of us?”
“You are,” Aran confirmed. “He had the power to do that, or the power to decide that wasn’t the right course of action to take. That we managed to convince him to hear us out completely was the first success of negotiations.”
If they had failed that, Sevana really didn’t know what they could have done. Pull rank and have Aranhil try? Although she didn’t think pulling three different Fae and Unda clans into negotiations was a good idea in any sense.
This time they had to wait a long while. When there finally was movement on the water, it was a bulge in the sea, sending water in every direction as something massive surfaced. Sevana nearly swallowed her tongue as she realized it was a giant sea turtle, larger than anything she had ever seen before. On its back lounged three different people. One of them was Taslim, but the other two were unknown to her. From the elegant robes they wore, embroidered with tiny shells, hair in elaborate braids over their shoulders, and the small crowns spanning their foreheads, it was clear that these were highly ranked officials of the Unda. Sevana would bet her eye teeth she was about to meet queen and king.
The turtle maneuvered so that he was side by side with Jumping Clouds, and Taslim did a very elaborate roll so that he was close enough to them to offer a hand up. He did the motion with such grace that he didn’t even look like a landed fish in the process. “Sellion, Arandur, Jade Emperor, you are invited to come up.”
Sevana took his offered hand and levered herself up and out, gaining the back of the sea turtle. It was a hard, round, slick surface because of the water. Thankfully it had enough rivets in it that it gave her boots some purchase. Otherwise she would have disgraced herself by sliding right into the sea. Aran was close on her heels and immediately put a hand at the small of her back. She recognized the gesture for what it was—a silent declaration to the parties here that he would react at the slightest danger posed to her.
With the Unda, such statements were probably necessary.
The Jade Emperor took up position on her other side and gave a bow to the other two. “I am the Jade Emperor, ruler over Feng-Huang and Tian-Mu. I am deeply sorry for the trouble she has caused you.”
Silently, Sevana applauded, as it was good to get the apology out there right off the bat. “I am Sellion of South Woods. I speak for Nia Reign with Her Voice.”
“I am Arandur of South Woods.”
Taslim did his roll trick again and ended up back on the other side. “I present King Curano and Queen Rane of Living Waters.”
Oh, that was their clan name here? First anyone had mentioned it.
“We greet you, Sellion and Arandur,” Rane said in a silky smooth voice. She actually sounded cordial, which wasn’t too odd, as she was probably inclined to like the people that brought her children. “Jade Emperor. I am very grieved by what your goddess has done in my territory. She barged into our waters without greeting or permission, ran through our waterways and upset the tides, and then went straight into one of our Rooms and created havoc inside.”
Sevana felt the urge to find a corner somewhere, put her nose into it, and cry. Tian-Mu’s stupidity had just crossed into the Legendary Category.
Seeing a flash of confusion on the Jade Emperor’s face, Sevana explained, although it felt like she was chewing on a rotten lemon while doing so. “A Room to the Unda is a very special storage facility, you could say. From the outside, they look like underwater caves, but they house anything between magical artifacts to treasures. It depends on what they’re designated for. Tian-Mu apparently entered one like a bull in a china shop. The damage she could do in one is….” Words failed her at that point. Just her internal guesstimates of the price tag made Sevana want to throw up.
The Jade Emperor looked about ready to lose the contents of his stomach as well. “I plead ignorance on her behalf. Feng-Huang was sealed inside of a mountain in Nia Reign’s lands. Tian-Mu was likely trying to find a similar location to seal Feng-Huang inside of.”
“So we gathered from what she was screaming at us,” Curano drawled. Waves of anger poured off of him. “Sellion, I am glad that you fully understand the damage she has done. It saves us time in our negotiations. Answer me this: did this woman cause similar damage in my sister’s lands?”
“She did, although more grievous in a way, as she threatened the safety of the entire territory,” Sevana answered promptly. “Nia Reign wants her blood and I have promised to see Tian-Mu punished as fully as possible.”
Curano gave her a smile like a co-conspirator. “Then we are in one accord in that regard. This pleases me.”
If Sevana had been on the receiving end of not one, but two Unda rulers wanting her blood, she likely would have had a heart attack and died on the spot. It was just as well Tian-Mu wasn’t present during all of this, as her immortality might have been put to the test. “Curano, Rane, I understand that the damage that she did in your Room is likely priceless. I understand as well that more importantly than what you have lost in the Room, it was the danger she posed to your children that most upsets you.”
“You are correct, Sellion.” Rane’s head tilted in a gesture of keen interest. “Do you have a proposal for us? What can you offer that will equal what we have lost?”
“I cannot replace what is gone,” at least Sevana was pretty sure that was the case and wasn’t about to try, “but what if I offer you something equally priceless?”
Rane was quick on the uptake. “Children?” she breathed hopefully. “You offer us more children?”
“I do.” Sevana glanced at the Jade Emperor. “He and I will work out separate payment so that I’m reimbursed for the trouble, but that is what I am offering on his behalf: release Tian-Mu and Feng-Huang into his custody. I will bring you children within six months.”
The Queen of Living Waters looked ready to agree on the spot. To her, she was coming out ahead in this deal. Her husband was a different story as he was still mad about the whole situation. Glaring at them both, he demanded, “Why, Sellion, would you aid this man in their release
?”
“Because I want Tian-Mu punished,” Sevana responded promptly, without batting an eye. “Curano, you have amazing power and ability, but do you have the power to punish Tian-Mu? Truly punish? I think your options are rather limited to either imprisoning her or killing her. That is not what Nia Reign wants at all. She wants Tian-Mu alive for many centuries so that she can feel the full weight of her punishment.”
Curano let out a sound that might have been a curse or a growl.
The Jade Emperor cleared his throat. “We have our own process in punishing one of ours. I will have to bring Tian-Mu before a council of seven in order to obey the laws. However, I can safely promise you this: at the very least she will be stripped of her godhood, her powers, and relegated to that of a human. I will set her to the task of laboring for many centuries so that she has no rest.”
Both of them understood that for a god, there was no worse punishment than to lose all of your powers. This promise mollified Curano some and the pleading look in his wife’s eyes did the rest. She was perfectly willing to boot Tian-Mu out if it meant getting her hands on children. The expression on her face made that clear.
Not willing to give up that easily, Curano pointed a grumpy finger at Sevana. “Three months.”
Sevana had to bite the inside of her lip to keep from smiling. She had just won the battle. Now was the easy part. “That entirely depends on how many children you want. It will take me a while to find them and transport them down here, after all. Ten? A dozen?”
Rane leaned forward, eyes glued to her. “You can find a dozen children in three months?”
“I think so.” Sevana turned to Aran, all casual in manner. “Remind me, doesn’t King Bellomi and King Firuz still owe me children?”
“They both promised you some, yes.” Aran played along beautifully. “We didn’t have time to check in with them in the past three weeks, considering all that happened, but the last that I heard from them, they had found a few orphans they thought would be appropriate.”
The Canard Case (The Artifactor Series Book 4) Page 19