“Really? That will save me some time, then.” Sevana blinked at her audience, all guileless. “If I find that I have more than a dozen waiting for me, should I just bring them all? Or do you just want a dozen? I can always take them to North Woods—”
“All,” Rane commanded firmly. “Every child waiting for you, we will take.”
Curano looked like he wanted to argue, just to maintain his ground, but even he was willing to put the priority on having more children. It shifted his stance so that he didn’t have a figurative toe to stand on. “Sellion. You have traded with us before. You are Aranhil’s daughter. You speak for Nia Reign. All of these things tell me that I can deal with you in good faith and you will not break the bargain. But I do not have experience with the Jade Emperor. What if he does not uphold his bargain with you?”
The Jade Emperor looked affronted by this, as well he should be, but these two didn’t have a relationship with each other in any way. It was a valid point that Curano raised and he knew it. “I do not have a relationship with you, but I do with Nia Reign, and she has agreed that I can handle Tian-Mu’s punishment.”
“That is correct,” Sevana verified. “Curano, I do not believe that the Jade Emperor will go back on his word. He is not a god that would do such trickery. But on the off chance something goes awry, rest assured that it will not affect my promise to you. I can ill afford to lose my trade relationship with you. Within three months you will have children, delivered by my hand.”
That satisfied him. “Then the deal is made. Taslim, go and retrieve the women.”
Taslim put a fist to his heart, rolled and dove off the turtle’s back.
Curano wasn’t quite done and he gave the Jade Emperor another glare. “Whatever task you set her, make sure that she never puts so much as a toe into the sea. If I feel her presence in the water, she will lose that limb.”
Being a wise god, the Jade Emperor simply inclined his head in understanding.
Rane was satisfied with the matter and her mind clearly on other things. She held out a hand, gesturing for Sevana to come closer, and patted the area next to her. “Come, speak with me further about the children. You mentioned two kings. Where are they?”
Sevana crossed and settled comfortably, crossing her legs, and tried to wrap her head around having a nice, cozy chat with a scary Unda Queen. “One of them is Sa Kao, a desert land that doesn’t see much water. The two children that I gave to you? They are from that country originally.”
“Oh, more from there? I am glad to hear it, they are very good children. And the other?”
“The other country is Windamere, which is where I am from. South Woods is on their border. I know the king there very well, he and his queen, and they are always quick to give me any orphans they find.” Partially because it kept crime off their streets. “My business partner, Morgan, is the one that keeps tabs on all of this while I’m on a job, as it’s hard for me to stay in communication with them both. I’ll contact him the moment Tian-Mu’s punishment is settled and get a headcount of how many children are available now. How shall I communicate with you when I have that information?”
“You raise a good question.” From her throat, she unlatched a small conch shell that hung off a gold chain, and then reached forward to put it on Sevana. “I have the sister of this shell. It will let you speak directly with me.”
Whoa! Sevana hadn’t meant for something like this to happen and was a little floored that she now had direct access to the queen’s ear when she needed it. “Rane, I am humbled by this gift.”
“Do not be. It comes with a price.” Rane’s rebuke was softened with a smile. She nearly glowed with excitement. “I want regular updates, not only on my children, but also on that woman’s punishment.”
Which meant that Sevana now had two queens to report to. Lovely. “I understand. In order to use it, do I just lift it to my mouth?”
“No. It is perfectly understandable in this position. You must say my name three times. Then I will hear and respond. Try it now, to make sure that it will work with your magic.”
Wise idea considering how her magic behaved these days. Better to break it now and be able to get a replacement than try it later. Sevana dutifully said, “Rane, Rane, Rane.”
The shell lit up faintly on her chest and the sound of the ocean filled her ears.
“Perfect,” Rane’s voice said in a dual echo. “It works fine.”
The shell’s power faded and went still again. Sevana picked it up and stared at it with great curiosity. Interesting, her magic hadn’t tried to flare out of control when she had used it. In fact, that was the smoothest interaction she’d had with another magical device since her injury. Now why was that?
Aran had caught this as well and tentatively stepped up to her side, also bending his head to look at it. “That worked amazingly well.”
“Didn’t it?” Sevana agreed, still staring hard at the shell. “I think this is the first magical object I’ve tried to use that wasn’t human made. I wonder if that’s the difference or if my magic is just behaving today?”
“It’s a good question, and an easy one to test.”
Rane regarded them both curiously. “I noticed, Sellion, that your magic is out of balance. There is a cause for this?”
Aran launched into the explanation, as he always did, and Rane listened attentively throughout. Curano just as avidly listened in, expression growing thoughtful. When Aran finished, he offered, “We have an expert here that likes to study human magic. He is one of our researchers. Perhaps, Sellion, you should speak with him when you return with the children. This state of fluctuation is not one that you should live in.”
“I can agree with that whole-heartedly. I will be pleased to speak with him, Curano.” Sevana glanced at Aran, wondering if this was one of the experts that he had mentioned before. Aran seemed to realize what she was wondering and he gave her a small shake of the head. No? Then that was all the more interesting.
Taslim returned with several others, all of them bearing the two goddesses wrapped in a clear membrane of some sort. They were tossed in front of the Jade Emperor with little care and both goddesses bounced once before settling. Sevana could feel their silent anger from this and the Jade Emperor hiding his feelings behind a stone mask.
With another bow to the two rulers, the Jade Emperor lifted both women and retreated back into Jumping Clouds.
Sevana had to make a few more promises of updates as soon as she had information before she could finally escape back into Jumping Clouds. Aran lost no time in lifting them into the air and turning the ship around before retracing their route. Only once they were airborne did Sevana take her first full breath.
“That went amazingly well. I was very afraid that you were going to have to sacrifice Tian-Mu to get Feng-Huang back.”
“I also feared such.” The Jade Emperor stood staring at both of his goddesses with a contemplative look on his face. “Sevana. Did you have the idea of bartering with children before we came here?”
“Not really, no. It’s more habit than anything else, as I’ve become an adoption center for the Fae. I find them children all throughout the year and I have a list of clans that want children waiting for me. They usually pay in kind for my help by giving me rare elements. This is the first time I’ve used it in a hostage situation. I was going with the flow more than anything else. You object?”
His expression said that he did. “I find the idea of bartering with a child’s life…discomfiting.”
“You shouldn’t. If not the Unda, the children I find will go to some Fae clan.” Seeing that he wasn’t sold, Sevana gave an aggravated sigh. “Jade Emperor, understand this: the children I bring are orphans that are not being taken care of. They literally have no family or means of support. Often they’re street rats and thieves because that’s the only way they can survive. I’d rather have those kids in a Fae or Unda clan, with parents and extended family, wouldn’t you?”
“Well, I
would, but…”
“And I can’t work for free. Gathering all of those kids up, traveling with them to their new homes, all of that takes a lot of time. I incur expenses in the process. I have to be repaid somehow.”
The Jade Emperor gave her a long look, his face blank so that he didn’t show any emotion. “I won’t win this argument, I see.”
“Many have tried. But they also don’t give me any other viable option. I find these kids good homes. My conscience is clear.” Pointing a finger, she tsked him. “What you and I should be discussing is what you’re going to pay me with. After all, the tab for this is on you. Not just for the considerable help I gave your people with the volcano, but also for this rescue mission.”
He inclined his head in agreement. “That is true. We shall discuss it on the way home. First, however, I am inclined to release Feng-Huang. There is something that I must verify with her.”
Oh? Sevana was interested to see this so she stepped aside and let him have the room he needed to approach. With a snap of the fingers, the membrane surrounding Feng-Huang disappeared in a flash, and then the seal around her broke as well. For the first time, Sevana could see the goddess properly.
She resided in phoenix form, red and golds and blues, beautiful in coloring. She shimmered as she moved, sitting up gracefully and half-unfolding her wings as she stretched and found her bearings. On seeing the Jade Emperor lean over her, she dipped her head gracefully forward. “You have freed me?”
“I have, to answer my question. When we were at the banquet, what did you say to Lei-Gong?”
Feng-Huang blinked up at him as if she couldn’t begin to understand why that would be important or why he would be asking. “I asked him if he could pour me a cup of wine, I think.”
Aran leaned in closer to Sevana and whispered dubiously, “That’s it? That’s not flirting.”
“Not per se,” she whispered back, thinking hard as she spoke. “But in this culture, pouring someone else a drink can either be a gesture of respect or a sign of affection, depending on the situation and the parties involved. It can be misconstrued as flirting if the mood is right.”
The Jade Emperor pressed, “You asked him to pour you a cup?”
“Yes. He had the last of the wine sitting in front of him. Jade Emperor, forgive me, but why is this important?”
Clearly from her reaction, Feng-Huang hadn’t done anything to be guilty of. She had asked another woman’s husband to pour her a drink because he’d had the flask in front of him. So it was more a matter of convenience? Sevana groaned.
“Tian-Mu blew this completely out of proportion, didn’t she.”
Looking pained, the Jade Emperor let out a year’s worth of sighs. “Feng-Huang, Tian-Mu accused you of flirting with her husband while drunk. That is the reason for your punishment.”
Feng-Huang’s beak dropped in shock and she transformed in a second into her humanoid shape. Her hair was still bright red, done up in an elaborate bun on top of her head, clothes red and gold and draped around a shapely figure. She was more beautiful than Tian-Mu, and Sevana saw in that instant where the jealousy had really spawned from.
“That woman accused me of flirting with her husband?! Who would want to be with that overbearing, judgmental man!”
That made the Jade Emperor sigh again and this time he looked beyond pained and maybe a little embarrassed.
Had he just taken Tian-Mu’s word for it? He hadn’t tried to investigate the matter himself? “Jade Emperor. Just how much in a rush were you that you didn’t even ask the accused if the matter was true or not?”
“Very rushed,” he admitted sourly. “We were interrupted mid-banquet with dire news and I literally had a few minutes to settle the matter before I left. Tian-Mu kept hounding me to see to Feng-Huang before I went.”
And he’d done so just to get her off his back. Like a parent would a child that wouldn’t leave them be? It sounded just like it.
“Feng-Huang, much has happened while you were sealed. How aware of events were you? I know that Sevana spoke to you through a dragon at one point.”
Sevana let the Jade Emperor and Feng-Huang sort things out between them and retreated back to Aran’s side. “Remind me never to get involved with a god of that pantheon. They apparently are too quick to make snap judgments.”
“To think that this whole thing could have been avoided if the Jade Emperor had just asked Feng-Huang if it was true or not.” Aran shook his head in wonderment. “Why do so many problems occur because of miscommunications?”
“And stupidity, don’t forget stupidity. It’s the leading cause of death and destruction in the world.” Sevana would know, as she was called in to fix things after people made those stupid decisions. “Apparently even gods are not immune to this. Well. The Jade Emperor going to be paying through the nose for his mistake, so hopefully he won’t repeat it. No matter what emergency is hanging over his head.” Sevana had an idea that Tian-Mu’s punishment just got worse, though. Men hated to be embarrassed more than anything else in the world. The Jade Emperor would not react well to her machinations.
Thinking ahead, Sevana requested, “Call Kip. I want a headcount and if it’s short, we need to put him in motion. I’d rather get our repayment to the Unda out of the way quickly, if I can.”
“He’s likely asleep at this time of night,” Aran pointed out. “I know there’s a time difference between here and there, but you do realize it’s after midnight? He’s probably in bed by now.”
“If I’m awake, he’s awake. Don’t worry, he’s used to me rousting him out of a sound sleep and making unreasonable demands.”
Aran stared at her for a long second. “Why is he friends you with again?”
“He’s a glutton for punishment.”
“That does explain it.” Shaking his head, Aran pulled a Caller from his pouch and set it in front of her. “Morgan.”
It took a long moment, some fumbling sounds, and a curse, but eventually the Caller came alive with Morgan’s features. His hair stood on end and he had a robe barely on, eyes blinking rapidly as he tried to focus. “Arandur. Sev. About time you called me with an update!”
“Not just that, I have unreasonable demands,” Sevana informed him cheerfully. “Kip, how many kids do we have for adoption?”
“Judging from that scary smile on your face, not enough. I’m probably going to regret asking this, but…why?”
Sevana settled in for a long conversation. This was going to take a while to explain.
Sevana had been in some very surreal situations before, but this one, well, this one took the cake by a long mile.
It might have been because she was surrounded by eight gods, including the Jade Emperor, all of them looking very majestic and resplendent in colorful robes. Or possibly it was because she sat with them, acting as ambassador for two Unda clans, which was mind-boggling in and of itself. But Sevana was fairly sure that the main reason lay in that for the past two hours she had been sitting quite comfortably on a cloud.
A cloud, mind you.
Sevana had seen many illustrations of the gods meeting and coming together in counsel in her lifetime, and they were always depicted being on clouds, but she had chucked it up to a gross misunderstanding on behalf of humankind. Or perhaps a blanket lack of creativity. Never had she suspected that it was actually truth until the Jade Emperor had kindly pointed her to the cloud near him and invited her to take a seat.
The only complaint that she had was that it felt a little airy, like wind was passing underneath her buttocks. Other than that, it was remarkably comfortable. It made the inventor in her wonder how she could duplicate it. Surely there was a way.
In the two hours she had been here, Sevana had been introduced, she had given her testimony of events—Aran had as well—and she had given a recounting of the very least punishment the Unda were willing to accept. That last part hadn’t gone over very well. Tian-Mu had done a lot of wailing while Sevana tried to talk.
T
hen it was time for the accused to give her defense. For the past thirty minutes, Tian-Mu had been on a roll, justifying everything that she had done, pleading for leniency, the works. Her pleas more or less fell on deaf ears. Sevana had tuned her out two minutes in, Aran was actually napping while sitting upright, and the other gods were whispering to each other behind their hands. Being so openly ignored made Tian-Mu grow more shrill, which was harder to ignore, and Sevana glared at her. Wasn’t this woman going to shut up?
“Enough,” the Jade Emperor finally commanded, his voice ringing out like a bell toll. “Be still, Tian-Mu.”
She choked to a stop, staring up at him with wide eyes, trembling hands clenched in front of her.
All of the whispering stopped as well, and the Jade Emperor looked from left to right, connecting to each god with his gaze alone. “You have heard all of the testimonies, arguments, defenses. What is your judgment?”
“Tian-Mu committed many mistakes in a very short time span,” Yen-Lo-Wang declared slowly. As the God of Death and Ruler of the Fifth Court of Feng-Du, he cast a very dark figure. Black robes, black hair trailing down his back, a thin mustache outlining his mouth, dark eyes. For some reason, however, he wasn’t a forbidding or frightening person. In fact, he was one of the calmest people in attendance and Sevana was inclined to like him for that alone. “I watched these events unfold, afraid that I would be overrun with souls that had lost their lives because of her rashness. It is only because of the mortals’ efforts that we did not lose everyone. As it stands, we did lose seven of our people prematurely.”
“This is very true,” Guan-Yin observed. She had shucked her common clothing for the more celestial robes and no longer looked like a nurse that had spent a full day at a hospital. Sevana actually hadn’t recognized her for a moment, the change was that extreme. “I saw with my own eyes the destruction that was caused. Our people are still suffering because of it and I expect that they will struggle for some years until the land around them fully recovers.”
The Canard Case (The Artifactor Series Book 4) Page 20