by Thomas Green
He sat down and offered them each a chair while calling his men to bring them water. “What can we help you with, War Leader?”
“I know how this will sound, but I need a place to hide a few hundreds of my people. They will be released war prisoners, and I will need them to stay here for a few months. We can pay all costs after we recover them once our war is over and what I can offer is counter service.”
Jack stared at her with his mouth gaping. “That’s… not what I expected. We will need to speak to my father about this.”
Zerae nodded, stopping herself from saying she told him so. After arranging for an audience, Jack took them to the long hall that seated a stout, gray-haired man on a throne. Draperies with various emblems besieged the room, many decorative, but others trophies of conquests of the days past.
He was a former warrior which did not favor her. Zerae forced back her frown.
Jack motioned to the lord in a formal gesture. “Lord Joneth Carlyle, ruler of Langburn, heir of ash, head of house Carlyle.”
Zerae bowed. “Zerae Hellwind, the War Leader of the Sil Haen, heir of the Hellwind clan.”
The lord formed a professional smile. “What can our city do for you, War Leader? You seem to be in a hurry if I may be blunt.”
You have no idea. Zerae stretched her neck, making sure her voice remained calm. “My people, the Sil Haen, are about to enter a war we had not chosen. As Sil Haen, we know no fear, no weakness, and no surrender, but that does not mean we have to die in the wars of others. I am searching for a safe location to hide whoever I need, a place where they will not be found until the war ends, a place like a city in the caverns. We will cover any costs you have after we recover our sisters from here and I offer any reasonable service we may do in exchange.”
The Lord's eyes narrowed. “Now that is quite a request. Pray tell, who will be the people you will desire to hide?”
“The wounded, the crippled, and the exchanged prisoners. Anyone who cannot fight anymore.”
“How have you convinced your enemies to take your people as prisoners instead of killing them?”
She was hoping he wouldn’t have noticed this. Yes, she was planning to betray her allies, the demon princess Kayleanne and her peer, Ur’Thul’Gar, before as much as starting their cooperation. Despite her heart leaping up into her throat, Zerae kept her face calm. “I haven’t yet, but I will make it happen.”
“This sounds like something that will not involve your allies. How will you arrange for your enemies to exchange prisoners?”
She shrugged. “That’s a mere technical issue and none of your concern.”
The lord’s expression remained unreadable, his voice steady. “Provided you somehow manage, how do you plan to get your people down into the caverns?”
“If my maps are correct, there is a chasm about three hours of a walk from here. I will descend my sisters through there.”
“Chimeras infest the abyss. You will never pass a single person through.” The lord formed a slight smile. “And even if you could, this would still be the most outrageously insane plan I had ever heard of. But, for the sake of argument, suppose I agree, War Leader, what’s in it for me and my city?”
Oh, good, he was greedy. Finally, something she could work with. Zerae withdrew her most pleasing smile from her arsenal. “The Sil Haen are warriors without equal. We can help you defeat your enemies, hunt down your demons, and clean out the caverns of whatever monsters creep within.”
“I have an army, so I have no need for untrained hands. If your warriors are that mighty why do you not win this war you are in?”
“Because we must not. I cannot explain so it makes sense when lacking the broad context.”
The lord scoffed. “I heard a council of matrons rules the Sil Haen, yet you do not appear to be a matron nor have you mentioned any once. Why?”
He knew one fact too many about them for her to lie her way through this. Zerae’s heart froze. “Because I am doing this without the knowledge of the high council.”
“Since you turn your back on your own leaders and apparently plan to deceive your allies, what guarantee do I get you will not betray me?”
It took all of Zerae’s willpower to keep an impassive face, not revealing a single emotion. “None. But know this city is far from our lands, there is nothing in it that would interest us, and we are not ungrateful. Perhaps, one day, you will need our help. Aid us now, and we will answer your call should it ever come.”
“This is a massive risk with no real reward. I have no use for extra hands, and your hundreds of refugees might turn into thousands. I am afraid I am forced to refuse.”
The moment of uncomfortable silence was sliced by the ringing of the city bell, loud and strong, announcing an incoming attack. Everyone rushed to the balcony to look outside. A swarm of chimeras was descending onto the streets, making its citizens scream in panic.
Aaahhhh… yesss. Zerae felt like the weight of the world fell from her shoulders. As all her muscles unclenched, she couldn’t remember the last time she was this relaxed. “Your Highness, please allow us to retake our weapons, for we will end this crisis within minutes and well, perhaps witnessing our strength will help you reevaluate the value of friendship of the Sil Haen.”
The lord’s brow furrowed. “My men will manage this.”
Zerae’s face twisted into a vicious smile. “What would your people say were they to find out the incoming massacre could have been avoided if only their lord placed less importance on his pride?”
The lord froze before Jack approached him. “She has a point, father, for we have nothing to lose here.”
Lord Carlyle waved his hand. Astril, Leena, and Zerae took back their weapons from the guards.
Zerae turned to Astril. “Show them the difference.”
Astril leapt off the balcony, landing on a roof and started dashing to where the fighting was happening. The creatures swarmed around in frenzy, attacking everything they could.
The lord, Joneth Carlyle, turned to Zerae. “Are you not going?”
She laughed, trying to contain how mocking it must have sounded. “I don’t need to, for sending Astril represents an excessive use of power by itself.”
The lord grunted. “Why can’t I shake the feeling you are playing me for a fool?”
Of course, she was, but he had already fallen for it. Zerae bit back the snarky replies that popped into her head. “Because this is the first time you had met us. Watch… watch and bear witness to our strength.” She smiled as Astril sprinted across roofs, reaching the chimeras.
They screeched and descended upon her. Astril drew her falchions. She soulstepped to the nearest monster and severed in half. Before the creature had time to fall, she soulstepped again and chopped off a head of another one. Astril danced to the tune of death as she kept soulstepping from one chimera to the next one, ending their lives, turning the swarm into cut up pieces of flesh and blood.
Within her mind, Zerae played out how the battle could have gone were the chimeras more intelligent. They may had figured out Astril’s soulstep had a limited range, which would have allowed them to regroup by flying high, but she was not sure even humans would have made a sober judgment in this situation. The chimeras had come following the smell of Zerae’s cigars, the scent that oozed out of Astril and from their destroyed nests.
Zerae caught movement from the corner of her eye, seeing four of the chimeras approaching the balcony. She guessed these four tracked the cigar smoke to her. Ah, well. She turned to Leena and waved her hand. “Make a show out of these.”
The guards realized what she meant and pushed the lord and Jack into the hall to set up a defensive formation.
A sensible reaction, one which played to her advantage. Zerae followed them.
Leena jumped onto the railing and waited for her opponents.
The first creature flew straight at her, screeching a battle cry. She remained motionless until it was almost at her, but at the last sec
ond, Leena sidestepped the creature’s claws and swung her staff at the chimera’s body. Bones shattered beneath the impact, sending the monster’s corpse to the ground. With her staff swinging in a blur, faster than a striking cobra, Leena ended the fight within moments.
Zerae threw the lord a charming smile. “With the interruption over, I would like to ask if your highness wouldn’t be open for the reconsideration of my offer.”
He walked to the balcony to gaze at the city. The air was clean, and the panic was subsiding, for the chimeras were all but dead, felled by Astril’s blades. He nodded. “I believe there is merit to what you have presented to me. Let us sit down and talk through the details of our cooperation.”
Zerae bowed. “Your Highness.” She followed him back into the throne room while Leena left for the city. She spent long hours negotiating with the lord. Afterward, he called his son to accompany Zerae out of the castle.
The deal she struck wasn’t what she hoped it would be, but she needed it. That left her with two more impossible negotiations to put her plan into motion. She evaluated it at four out of ten, which would normally be unacceptable. But these weren’t normal times. Zerae allowed herself a short, honest smile.
Jack cleared his throat. “How about we go grab a drink? I am not sure if you ever had the mushroom vodka, but I assure you it is quite something.”
That was an eight out of ten straight face, the best she had seen in the past decade when a man asked her out. Either she got uglier, or he was better than she gave him credit for. Zerae glimpsed her reflection in a mirror at the wall. Her golden hair was a touch unarranged, but her face dominated by the sky-blue eyes was every bit as heavenly beautiful as it has always been. He was good. “Perhaps another time, Jack, for now, I need to fetch my girls and get back.”
He barely winced at the rejection, making him rise in Zerae’s eyes. “Do you know how to find them?”
“One will be in a place you can obtain toxins and the other one wherever you could hold an orgy.”
Jack spat out. “Orgy? I don’t think we have those.”
She laughed. “You do now. Want to bet?”
“No.” His eyes narrowed. “Your friends aren’t the most common representatives of the Sil Haen, are they?”
Zerae shrugged. “They aren’t anything special.”
He laughed. “I was wondering how long you planned to stick to the lie. I didn’t disturb your negotiation with my father, but I know what a Sil Haen pureblood is.”
Purebloods… born out of the Void where they were created by their Goddess. She still wondered what it was like to appear out of nowhere in a body that would never age a day, akin to a statue that moves, breathes, eats, but never changes. All scars would heal, the skin and muscles would stay the same no matter how much a pureblood would train, everything would always remain the same. Ignoring the most basic foundation of life, change. Every time she thought about it, she realized the four living purebloods, Astril, Leena, Sibyl, and Elaine, were almost too normal given how different they were compared to the rest of the world. Even next to the never-aging Sil Haen, the purebloods were utterly alien as they were closer to living statues that the artist repaired whenever anything changed. Zerae arched an eyebrow. “You recognized Astril, so I’ve been wondering from where.”
His face twisted into awkwardness. “We both served in the Skullraiders.”
She stopped, squinted and measured him with a glare. “I find it curious to hear the word served in the same sentence with the name of the most infamous bandit troupe there is. Much less in connection to Astril.”
He smiled in a way Zerae didn’t like. “I see your friend hasn’t told you a lot about herself.”
She had been with Astril and Leena almost every day of the seventy-four years of her life, save for when they took a ten-year break to explore the world. They told each other what they did, but she guessed all three of them lied.
She let Jack lead her through the buzzing streets of the city, arriving at a place called Lazuli Tea. She scanned the stone building with her eyes, seeing green-brown smoke coming out of the multiple chimneys.
Jack took her in. Beyond a set of doors opened a large hall filled with people relaxing on pillows while smoking water pipes. Leena lay by the far side with four girls sprawled over her.
She wished she hadn’t seen this coming. But then again, she supposed a little celebration was in order after today’s victory. Zerae crossed the room to tower above Leena. “We depart tomorrow morning, so be functional by then.”
Leena giggled. “Suuuuure.”
“Where’s Astril?”
Leena waved her hand to the side. Zerae approached the undecorated door.
Jack walked at her heels with disbelief twisting his face. As they arrived at the doorstep, two women stopped the prince. “We apologize, your highness, but the room beyond is not for men.”
Zerae measured Jack with a calm look. He wasn’t bad, but in thirty years, she would be the same as she was now and he would be an old man who couldn’t hold his piss. She offered him a playful shrug. “Sorry, maybe next time.”
He shook his head and spun to leave.
Beyond the door lay a spa full of naked women. Through the steam, she saw the bare form of Astril lying on a sofa with a girl feeding her grapes.
She threw her a smile. “Did the negotiations succeed?”
Zerae smirked. “Of course, yes.”
“Then I allow you to join my celebration.”
“Allow me?” Zerae raised an eyebrow before she turned to one of the local girls that sat by the edge of the pool. “Bring me something to spank her with.”
8
Zerae
Upon their return to Voidspire, Zerae gathered the champions of the other two clans, Sibyl and Claire, into her office to prepare before the meeting with the matrons. Sipping the tea Patricia made for her, she asked, “since we are heading face-first into a disaster, it’s time to share our intelligence. Do you have any information about what happened in the meetings when I was gone?”
Sibyl shook her head. “Not much… grandmother doesn’t want to talk about it, but Kayleanne did not seem unhappy when she left. I suppose the deal has been sealed and we are to live through the consequences.”
Claire sighed. “Elaine says nothing, but has tripled her practice regime, which never means good times are ahead.”
Zerae frowned. “All I get from my mother is that our future will be glorious because we will soon find the Faceless Goddess. We need to infer what’s going on. Did your scouts pick up anything interesting as of late?”
Sibyl cleared her throat. “A Palai army of over twenty thousand men is rampaging beyond the Frozen Heights. They conquered Cinderwell after a short siege and handed it over to Count Salazar of Xona. Now it’s going genocidal on everything it doesn’t like to the north from there, releasing a humongous refugee wave from the cities they ransack. They should not enter our territory, not unless they somehow cross the mountains, which is unlikely.”
“Massive fleet of Palai warships, easily twenty thousand men, has arrived into the Sea of Serpents,” Claire added.
Zerae allowed the fresh scent of her tea to calm her down. “West is… I don’t even know what to say about it. There used to be a massive population of bird and snake demons occupying the Cotton Woods. Over the past two years, almost all of these demons have been wiped out. Nobody knows by whom, nobody knows how, nobody knows why. The crows say it was the snakes while the snakes think it was the crows. I believe neither of them, for they are not capable enough to execute an annihilation of such scale without leaving tracks.”
A knock on the door interrupted them. “I am sorry, but it’s time for the main meeting.”
“Thanks, Patricia.” Zerae rose. They walked to the Hall of the Council where the matrons were already seated.
Mathilde Hellwind threw Zerae an amused stare as she played with her hair. “Give me the report on the search for the Goddess.”
Zerae bowed as her heart jumped. “The mission is proceeding with no significant progress.”
“Don’t you find it strange for the military commander to disappear for almost a week when her forces are not making progress? Especially now we know, thanks to Lady Kayleanne, that there is something to search for.”
Kayleanne was lying to them, Zerae knew, but Mathilde had already fallen for it. As she saw no other option, Zerae sighed. “I was investigating a possible clue, mother.”
“But found nothing. If I were to summarize, you are failing at every accord and seem to carry little repentance.”
Zerae wished the words did not hurt her as much as they did. “Yes, Matron.”
Mathilde waved her off with her hand. “That’s enough of the present, for it is the time to turn to our future as we have sealed the negotiations with Lady Kayleanne. Thanks to her assistance, we have contacted the pirate lord, Ur’Thul’Gar, and arranged cooperation that shall grant us the compass necessary to find the Goddess. I wish these measures were not needed, but the repeated failures of our War Leader has left us no such options.”
Zerae stomped the ground. “Have you all gone insane? Did you sell us out to the demon princes? Dragged us into their wars? We do not have the military capacity to carry out any single of these tasks.”
Mathilde glowered at her. “Silence! The high council has already decided this. Your opinion is irrelevant.”
Zerae saw the anger and hatred in her mother’s eyes, but steeled herself to speak, anyway. “As the highest commander of our forces, I have a say in any matters that involve our warriors which these deals do.”
Mathilde smiled. “Due to your repeated failures to deliver any results in the search, as of this morning, the command of our army has been transferred to the high council.”
“You can’t do that, for we have laws which we all abide by. You cannot transfer the command of the army from individual champions.”