Aliandra: nymph: Book 1 The Nymph chronicles

by Jacqueline Marshall

  "You knew what would happen and you did it anyway?" gasped Ali as realization of what he said slowly sunk in. "You fool! How could you risk your life like that over a stupid suit? I thought you were dead! How could you..." Ali sobbed into his shoulder and clung tight to him. Brand tilted his head back and breathed in a big sigh of relief.

  Finally, when Ali calmed down again she said miserably "I must send a note to Vidarr to tell him I did not know Hades had changed the plan to include you and the waiters. I feel so awful about it." Ali sent the note and a reply came back quickly from Vidarr saying 'I know it'. Ali stayed huddled in Brand's arms while she contemplated her next move.

  "I need to make amends to the demons who were so badly injured and were just left to bleed on the floor" declared Ali.

  "Demons are used to such treatment. It is nothing out of the ordinary. They did exactly as Hades and Persephone ordered, like any other day."

  "I was behind this too. It was my idea originally and I am at fault. I must make amends. Hades owes me a big favor. What can I do for the demon soldiers to compensate for their injuries?" asked Ali.

  "Nothing, their lives move from one unbearable day to the next. Nothing has changed and nothing will change for them. They are treated as worthless nothings and they accept that." said Brand wearily.

  "Now that I am able, I will make at least one change for the good. You will show me around and I will decide what I can do to improve their lives and make amends for my part in this tragedy" insisted Ali. "If you do not help then I will be forced to ask Riv for his recommendations" said Ali stubbornly.

  "It is a distressing place to be, with many hardships, Ali-cat" said Brand.

  "If the demons can live there, then I can visit. You will be by my side all the way right? Hades will want no harm to come to me at least until he gets his new armor and weaponry" insisted Ali. "I will be safe enough. Brand, my deal with Hades was that he and Persephone got their suits five days before Zeus and the other Olympians. I assumed he would boast and show off but after tonight's merciless fiasco I am not so certain. I suspect that he and Persephone will go to war on their brethren as soon as they get their armor. In that case, he will also want me dead after his armor is delivered so I cannot finish the rest of the suits; thus, preventing the Olympians from fighting back. I thought I was being smart because while Hades waited for his suit he would be motivated to protect me from any other Olympians that now threaten me. What have I done?" she wailed.

  "You do what is necessary to survive in this realm. We all do. I am not an acknowledged Olympian because I have sworn no fealty. Make a suit for me and I will protect you from Hades" he assured her.

  "If Hades goes to war using olympium armor we must stop him" declared Ali.

  "Zeus will be able to fight them off for five days until his armor is ready. There will be losses, there always is. Fortunately Zeus will also be keen to protect you to get his armor. If he wants to limit casualties then he would be wise to make an alliance or deal with the Norse for Vidarr's protection of them. It is about time Zeus learned some humility and wisdom, this may be his lesson" responded Brand. "I will send a note to Hades telling of your intention to use the favor he owes you to make amends to the demon soldiers whose blood was spilled during the demonstration. He will be pleased to hear that, it will allay any suspicions he may have regarding you and your safety will be assured for now." Then Brand sent the note to Hades with a small flick of his wrist.

  Hades and Persephone luncheoned under a vast tree at her property. Hades received Brand's note and read it immediately, as he laughed loudly he passed it to Persephone. Persephone read it and smiled with satisfaction that their plan was seemingly assured. Persephone thought she might befriend Aliandra, now she was proving to be valued asset of the underworld. Persephone made mention of it to Hades and he approved her plan. "Soon, my wife, they will all fall at our feet and bow to us" said Hades smugly. "It is to Aliandra that we will owe our victory. We will welcome her with open arms to our underworld. I suspect there is attraction between her and Brand, so we will encourage that and keep her onside. For now she is our valued friend" Hades declared.

  "And later? asked Persephone.

  "She will serve us or die like the rest" said Hades dismissively.

  Persephone nodded regally and relaxed into her chair sipping ambrosia while she planned some enjoyable outings with Aliandra.

  Brand and Ali wandered through the underworld as Brand pointed out different areas in the vast cave system. He pointed out where the intense fires spewed ferociously down the wide corridors and any demon caught there at the wrong time was incinerated. He pointed out the training arenas, offices and public spaces. Finally he showed Ali the scrum, where demon children were tossed in to try to survive until maturity. Ali was sickened at the sight of many children lying injured and weak at the edges of the enclosure.

  "What will happen to those children lying injured?" asked Ali.

  "They will probably die before maturity. If they are injured then they cannot compete against the others to eat. When they cannot eat they weaken and are attacked over and over again until they perish" explained Brand.

  "You were raised in this scrum?" gasped Ali.

  "Yes, I was put in as an infant. Demon children are usually tossed in when they reach three years of age so their mothers can return to full duties. They are left to survive or perish with food scraps being tossed in occasionally for them to feed. Hades approves of the scrum because he has no patience for weaklings. In the scrum, only the strongest can survive."

  "I will raise the weak and injured demon children in safety" declared Ali. "I also want to take in any new children who will be too young to survive the scrum. Where is a place I can do that?"

  "The safest place for you to do that is a set of apartments located in disputed territory. Hades and Demeter have been warring over that land for centuries. Demeter may be willing for you to have it because the dispute wastes a lot of her resources defending worthless land; I doubt she even wants it but she simply does not want it to go to Hades after all these years. I will help you carefully design a contract that will allow you to have the disputed territory and all its resources for you to raise demon children unhindered by Hades. You will have to ensure it says Hades and all underworld beings are forbidden entry to you lands unless they are invited by you. Make certain you never invite Hades, Persephone or any other underworld being you cannot trust completely. You must be extremely careful with your wording on this to block all underworld threats. We will be neighbors so you will ensure the proverbial fence is impenetrable. Hades will not be suspicious of this scheme right now but you must make certain he can never undermine, block or hinder it in the future if he changes his mind for any reason. It must be watertight and comprehensive" said Brand. "We must see Demeter first for her agreement to relinquish the disputed territory to you."

  Ali and Brand 'ported to Demeter's door and knocked. A matronly lady with a kind face opened the door. "Demeter, I am Aliandra. We come to discuss a possible resolution to the disputed territory you defend from Hades" said Ali.

  "Enter" instructed Demeter. The home was cozy, warm and inviting. Demeter signaled for Ali to take a chair in the lounge.

  "I have a plan to use the disputed territory to raise all demon children that are too weak, injured or too young to survive the scrum. I intend to ask Hades for the disputed territory in order to do that. I ask that you also relinquish all claims and entitlement you hold over the disputed territory, its buildings and resources for me to do the work I intend. That would mean my full ownership of the disputed territory would act as an agreed impenetrable buffer zone between you and Hades. This will save your resources and you no longer will have to be burdened with any concerns that Hades will encroach on your land from the disputed territory" said Ali.

  "I have heard of you, of course. You make the new armor everyone discusses. What do you offer me for the land?" asked Demeter.

  "Peace of mind. I wil
l sign a treaty of alliance with you. Your borders in that area will be safe and peaceful so you may utilize your resources better" said Ali.

  "No offer of a new suit of armor then?" she smiled "I am no fighter anyway and peace will be welcome" she mused. "Hades will not enter the territory or take over from you. You will never return or sell the land to him" she demanded.

  "I will be the sole owner of the land and agree never to sell it to anyone. Hades and Persephone will never be invited to enter that land and the contract with him will make him leave me in peace while I raise the children using all my own resources" stated Ali.

  "What happens to the children once you have raised them to maturity?" asked Demeter.

  "They will be free to do as they wish. If they so choose, they may stay with me as long as we have the room. They may choose to rejoin the underworld. They will not be mine to command. I do this to make amends for the demon blood spilled at the recent launch party" explained Ali. "That was not part of my plan to demonstrate the armor; it was Hades taking it to an unexpected level to convince the guests the fight demonstration was real. I choose to do this work with the children simply because it is the right thing to do."

  "I will agree. I am glad to be rid of that land" said Demeter. "When can you have the agreements prepared?"

  "I have them all here now for you to read and sign. We just require another person to witness our signatures" said Ali as she pulled out the pile of contracts and paperwork.

  Demeter raised her hand a little and a woman appeared "Yes, m'lady" she said as she bowed. Demeter pointed at a chair "Wait there until you are needed" she ordered.

  Demeter read through all the paperwork and declared it to be entirely in order. Demeter summoned the woman forward, then she signed and passed it to Ali to sign. Brand and the lady witnessed the signatures and Demeter finished it off with her seal of office. Ali thanked Demeter and they bowed and left with all the paperwork safely stored.

  Ali and Brand then went to Hades to explain Ali's plan and ask for the disputed territory. Hades was feeling generous so he didn't quibble about details and he signed the contracts after he read them. The papers were quickly witnessed, stamped and stored. Ali signed off on her favor contract with Hades that his end of the bargain had been fully met. Ali sent word to Demeter that the contracts had all been signed with Hades and Ali now owned the disputed territory fully. Hades and Persephone's suits were then measured and their new suits designed and stored away. Hades asked if his act was convincing enough to warrant more time and Ali said she would grant him exactly six days of time with his suits before presenting Zeus with his armor. Hades grinned cunningly.

  Ali and Brand then visited the shambling and crumbling apartments to fix them up quickly before they could bring any children in to care for them. Ali pushed her healing energies into the earth and the arid and polluted soil became healthy and clean. Trees, grasses and bushes revived and blossomed. Ali used her powers to strengthen the walls of the apartments that were situated against a sheer cliff. Ali cleaned up, painted and furnished the apartments with the required furnishings in each room. She then stocked all the supplies, children's clothing and finished her checklist. Brand had been outside working at piling up dead trees and clearing debris. Finally Ali spread out her senses to encompass the entirety of her new lands and fixed anything that needed fixing. Ali added playground equipment, toys and cleared a play area. Finally they were ready to bring in the children.

  Brand and Ali 'ported all the injured and weak children directly to their beds in the apartments. They spread the word to the mothers what they were doing and assured them the children would be cared for and free to do as they wished at maturity. The mothers listened with expressionless faces. Ali said she would take in any children under two because they were too young to survive the scrum and she would return regularly to check the welfare of the children in the scrum to removed weak or injured ones to care for them. Ali asked the mothers to bring weak, younger or injured children to her territory should they them notice before her. The mothers looked at her blankly.

  Ali returned to the apartments and immediately began feeding and caring for the children. Ali was so overwhelmed with the work she decided she needed help. Ali went into her window and closed it. She entered the ancient plane and met the commanders and explained what she was doing and that she required help caring for the children. The commanders asked around all the families, a mix of eight young and elderly women volunteered to come out to help Ali. They followed Ali out the window and set to work feeding, caring and healing the children as they went. There was always someone on watch to take care of any child through the night if it was necessary. As the children became healthier they remained cautious and reserved. Still not the behavior of healthy, happy children. Ali and the women remained patient, encouraging and caring as they watched over the children in their care. Ali regularly checked the scrum for children that needed her care.

  As time went on, demon mothers were leaving younger and younger children in the scrum and Ali got busier. Hades heard all about Ali's efforts and was satisfied that he was the one who benefited from this arrangement because the mothers were returning earlier to full duties and underworld resources were not being wasted on raising weakling brats that would not survive anyway. Soon. mothers were bypassing the scrum and leaving their infants on the edge of Ali's territory for her to pick up. Soon the apartments were full of children and infants yet more were delivered daily. Ali sat down tiredly to figure out what else she could do to keep up with the demand.

  A shabby young woman appeared and startled Ali. "What are you doing here?" she demanded.

  "I am raising demon children away from the scrum so that they might survive to maturity. I am, Aliandra, the new owner of these lands" she replied. "Who are you?"

  "I am Martris, titan to this part of the underworld. Like Tartarus, I am linked to earth connected to the underworld" she replied. "What are you to Hades?"

  "I make armor for my regular work. I have a paid contract to make Hades and Persephone armor and deliver it before I deliver the armor of the other Olympian gods. Hades agreed to me having the disputed land to repay the favor of delivering the armor of Persephone early. Demeter agreed I have the land for the task of raising the children in safety, for this land to act as a buffer between her and Hades and to prevent Hades from owning the land. I have all the contracts and treaties if you care to see them" offered Ali.

  "Unnecessary. You would not be in possession without the approval of Hades and Demeter. Why do you heal me? What do you want?" asked Martris suspiciously.

  "I ask nothing to heal you. I heal the earth because I can, no payment is required. I would like us to be friends and allies if that is agreeable to you" offered Ali. "I will continue to heal you but I must ask you not to discuss me or my powers with others because that may endanger me."

  "I will agree if you will heal me entirely" she stated.

  "I accept. Step forward and let me put my hands on your shoulders. I can power you up too if you like?" offered Ali.

  "Yes!"

  Ali poured her healing energy into Martris then assessed her power element and powered her up. Martris stepped back in shock and waved her hand to replace her shabby clothes with a new draped dress. "You are powerful, Aliandra. More than I expected. Why are you in hiding here?" asked Martris curiously.

  "I have hidden enemies and some keen unwanted suitors I wish to avoid. At the right time I will draw out my enemies but until then I must appear weak to make them confident enough to make their moves before they are aware of my true power. I do not hide here. I wanted to do this work to make amends for demon blood that was spilled at the launch of my new armor" explained Ali. "Why were you so concerned about Hades?"

  "Hades chooses to torture, violate and injure my land, my body, to pillage all that he wishes. I send fire down my tunnels to chase away the demon workers. I tried to defend against his abuses but I was weak until now. Now the pain of drilling, my
bleeding walls and the unending persecution stops. I have a chance to defend myself thanks to you" said Martris.

  "Martris, there will come a time soon when Hades will be in open conflict with me. I ask you not to go to war alone against Hades, he is too strong. Defend yourself by all means but I ask you to patiently wait for the right time before you openly declare war on Hades. When we are ready, we will fight Hades together with our allies and we will subdue him. At this time, I ask you to be subtle about your attacks on him so that he does not suspect any major changes have taken place and does not connect us. Hades will protect me until I deliver his armor and then I expect him to attack me. At this point, I need his protection to dissuade other Olympians from coming after me. Will you agree to this alliance?" asked Ali.

  "Yes, I will strike him stealthily so he will not suspect us. Until then, is there anything I can do for you?" asked Martris

  "I don't think so. I was just trying to work out what I need to do. We have so many children and infants to care for we are running out of space. I was thinking about the building and how to safely extend it or build it up so we have more room for the children" said Ali.