by Andur
The Journey to the Afterlife
Dedessia, the Sea of Souls, Semper Fidelis
Elona
“We have to understand the inner politics of Draconis. Currently we have the upper hand because we have Miraven in our custody.”
I survey the room, making eye contact with everyone to ensure that they understand the situation. Nobody knows that we have Miraven. We told the rest of our higher immortals that she ate something bad and fainted, then we carried her off. So not even they know what is going on. I have to remember to reimburse the restaurant owner. It was a brave and hopeful move of him to start something like a restaurant. Having one of your customers faint on you isn't good for publicity. Especially when the customer in question is one of the gods who are protecting the city.
“Draconis split up from Carissimi. There are a lot of people who have ties and family among both clans. Miraven isn't just a single case. If we confront Draconis and hostilities break out, we have to make sure that our people are indeed on our side. And we are under time pressure, there is a limit to how long we can hide that Miraven is in our custody. Her friends among our higher immortals are already asking questions and sooner or later someone will get suspicious.”
I end my speech and sit down. After Miraven spilled the beans, we immediately organized a meeting in the throne room. The room is sealed and only our immediate family members are present. It's hard to trust anyone else right now.
It appears that Miraven was one of Moonray's agents all along. He threatened to kill her relatives if she doesn't spy for him. The fact that her relatives worship him as the perfect leader doesn't help. If we tried to abduct them, they would probably even see us as the evildoers.
Doreen waves a stash of papers at me. “There are at least two more higher immortals among us who can be threatened with immediate family members. In fact, I think we should secure them too.”
“That would reduce our numbers to twenty-nine,” Shade comments. “Is there even a chance that Moonray is able to rile up enough of his people to attack us openly?”
Tisha shakes her head. “I've looked through the populations and the frequency with which people from both clans are visiting each other. I doubt it. The lows and mids of Draconis might be on Moonray's side because Moonray is popular with the masses. They can't travel between clans on a regular basis and it has been a few years since the split, so the family ties are weakened.
But the gods are going back and forth regularly. If Miraven is right, then her family doesn't even know that they are being used as leverage against her.”
Ishaan raises his hand. “I think we should pay Moonray a visit and confront him in front of his entire clan. All we wanted from Miraven is confirmation. In fact, we can try to use her as a double agent.
We don't need to use Miraven as proof. In fact, we can use that bastard of a courier and say that we caught him. Luckily Miraven wasn't stupid enough to put her name onto the message. We can say that we deduced everything else about Moonray from there.
“Once we present them with proof, there has to be a split inside Moonray's clan. I can't believe that he managed to inspire all of his clan members for his cause. Someone would have opposed. In fact, I think that only a small leading group around him knows what is going on. From what I know about Draconis I don't think that there are more than twenty people who have his absolute trust.”
Tisha stops her husband. “That sounds incredibly dangerous. How many higher immortals do they have, fourty-two? What do we do if someone starts fighting and we get caught in the middle of it? It will be chaos.”
Shade starts smiling and enters the discussion. “I like chaos. In fact, I like the whole plan. Better to have them fight each other on their own turf than to wait for them to send us another nasty surprise. The only question is how to introduce enough higher immortals from our side into the mix? If I show up there, I want substantial backup. We need enough people to pull out once all hell breaks loose. Does anyone have an idea for an appropriate cover story?”
Chloe shakes her head. “We can't do that. Many of the people from Draconis are almost like family. And the dragonlands are a dangerous place. If too many of them die, their clan will be doomed. We can't take in that many people.”
Shade claps his hands together. “Perfect. Maybe we should simply kill that floating jellyfish and drop it into one of the volcanos.”
My mother's expression turns shocked, so I raise my hand to stop him. “Shade, I am with you on the point that we shouldn't let ourselves be hindered by showing too much mercy. They caused death and pain on a far greater scale than the destruction of Draconis would cause.
But we aren't complete monsters. If there is an acceptable solution to this mess, then we will take it.”
Quianna raises her hand. “Actually I think that Ishaan's strategy has a far greater chance at success than you think.” She reaches for Antonius's hand. “Antonius told me a lot about his former clan. You fear that Draconis will split into two groups upon revealing Moonray's machinations. That's likely. But I don't think that it will spin completely out of control. Even those who stand firmly behind Moonray have family and loved ones among the citizens of Draconis. They will think twice before they start a battle between higher immortals right inside their own city.”
Antonius adds his part to the discussion. “I believe that Moonray has no more than sixteen people whom he trusts. If we play our cards right, he should be in no position to stay in control of his people. There might even be some who will challenge him for leadership once they get this information.”
I nod slowly to acknowledge my sister's opinion. “So what we would need for this plan is a proper excuse to visit Moonray with as many people as possible.”
Doreen shrugs and her expression turns fearsome. “A family meeting? I am sure that Moonray is excited to meet Ishaan and Tisha after all these years. I would say we simply crash in like good, old friends and demand housing to 'bond' with our relative. He may become suspicious, but he doesn't have any reason to deny us.”
54. ~Welcome, Guests.~
“In Asturias and León mythology the Cuélebres are giant winged serpents, which live in caves where they guard treasures and kidnapped xanas. They can live for centuries and, when they grow really old, they use their wings to fly. Their breath is poisonous and they often kill cattle to eat. Leonese language term Cuelebre comes from Latin colŭbra, i.e., snake.”
The Journey to the Afterlife
Dedessia, the Sea of Souls, Draconis
Shade
“It's really an oversized jellyfish. Up until now I didn't really believe it, but the reports are true.” I tap the ground with my foot. Seems like the people of Draconis built their city on top of a living balloon. “Is this thing using magic to stay in the air? It must, I don't think that it would be able to carry a whole city otherwise.”
Doreen nods. “Most likely. These jellyfish are one of this world's very few species which can be tamed. Moonray brought it from one of his expeditions to the far south. Myrt is Moonray's pet, akin to how Yggdrasil is mine. There are also the leviathans which are used by the trading clans, huge whale-like creatures.”
That's interesting. Maybe I'll try to tame one of these beasties for myself. I am not that much into pets, but it would be cool if it could carry one of my laboratories. Of course I could always grow a floating fortress, but something that actually lives would be cool too. “How do you get such a pet?”
Doreen shrugs her shoulders. “The leviathans are pretty much exclusive to the trading clans. They guard them like their balls. It will be hard to get one of those; you would have to steal a baby. As for Myrt, Moonray never told me where he got it. And if you want to have your own tree, then you need one of Yggdrasil's seeds. I could give you one if you want to. But it has to be supported with a lot of your personal mana until it is large enough to live on its own. In exchange, the tree will be like an extension of yourself and you will be able to command it with your mind.”
The connection goes that deep? I am not sure if I want to be connected like that to a plant.
Our discussion is interrupted by Moonray and a group of his goons. They hurry to reach us while the common citizens are ogling us like zoo animals. The plaza is filled with people. I can't discern any malevolence towards us. There is just curiosity among the citizens, which may be a good sign. All we get are interested glances and open concern. Since we arrived here without notifying our hosts of our intentions, it is only normal that the attention is focused on us.
We teleported here with fifteen people. First of all me and Elona. Then there are her parents and her grandmother. Of course my parents also decided to join the party. Quianna and Antonius are also here. With Aswang and Manti we count eleven people. That's pretty much everyone who wields a crystal weapon. I am not sure if I can trust others with such power.
Antonius alone is already a high leap of trust, but Quianna vouched for him.
The remaining four are Titho, Doreen's closest friend among her higher immortals; then there are Araven and Sasperhagen, two of the freed gods from my clan; and finally Miraven.
Under normal circumstances I wouldn't even waste a though on taking this traitor with us. But it reduces the suspicions against us if there are people who actually have a reason to be here. Miraven has her family to visit and she swore on a set of magical oaths to serve us with her life from now on. All we have to do in return is to try to keep her family safe.
Magical oaths aren't perfect, but they are pretty damn close to putting a slave collar around her neck. Actually the slave collars are just a magical oath which is forced onto an individual by means of binding an oath of servitude to a physical object.
The original version of a magical oath can't be removed by freeing the individual from the object. The oath is forced directly upon the soul. The downside, or upside, is that it has to be freely given, so it is much harder to bind someone that way.
If the person in question is smart with the wording of the oath, there is a lot of room to wriggle out of it.
We also got all three of Miraven's true names in case she finds a loophole around her vows. True names hold a lot of power over an immortal. They can change with time and are composed of the names an individual identified himself with.
My true name would be composed of all the names I've worn during my lifetime. When I've spent a long enough time as Shade, it will become a part of my true name. The same way I am Angrod, Ascathon and Gideon.
Finally Moonray reaches our group and spreads his hands. “Doreen, Tisha, everyone. Why didn't you inform me of your visit? Did something happen? We haven't heard from you for a long time, but the irregular visits between our clans brought us a lot of mysterious stories.”
Ishaan steps closer to Tisha and glares down at Moonray. I notice that Moonray's expression changes ever so slightly, turning from a half hearted mask into a complete mask of friendship. His mouth may smile, but I can see in his eyes that he isn't happy at all. Finding out that Ishaan is with us must be a real shock to him.
“Hello, Ishaan. I didn't know that you joined up with Semper Fidelis.”
Elona steps forward, Seria in her arms. “We thought that you might want to see the newest addition to the family. Seria descends from your bloodline after all.”
“B- b- baby!? How? It hasn't been long enough...” Moonray's voice trails off as Elona presents the small bundle to him. Our daughter is wrapped in blue cloth. The threads are spun from the finest crystal segments I can grow. It is more like chain-mail to be honest, but the segments are so small that it actually feels like cloth. In addition the fabric is imbued with teleportation runes. A single thought from any of the family members and Seria is spirited away to our city where Tisha's harem girls can take care of her.
I was totally against bringing Seria with us, but what can we do? We have to keep this charade going as long as possible. And having the baby with us heightens our chances to trick Moonray a lot. The fact that we brought our child with us means that we aren't suspecting him of anything. Even if he believed so far that we may suspect something, this should take his mind off things.
In hindsight I regret bringing Seria. If Moonray's reaction was truthful, then he didn't know about the baby. We could have padded Elona with some cushions to make her look pregnant. Miraven was sure that he knows about the pregnancy, but we intercepted the message about the baby.
We still didn't dare to change the facts in case that there was a second spy aside from Miraven.
After a few moments Moonray collects himself and gestures towards the huge skyscraper in which he seems to reside. “Of course! But you really should have told me that you were coming! We have to prepare a party and I need to introduce Shade properly to everyone. My granddaughter became a mother, what joy. I would have never imagined that it will happen so fast.”
Doreen steps forward and pushes Moonray towards the skyscraper. “Old fool. Don't waste time with blabbering and get going. How can we inform you beforehand of our visit? It would defeat the purpose of being a surprise!” They take the lead and the rest of us falls in line behind them.
I take my place at Elona's side and put a hand around her hips to pull her closer. “Don't forget to never let go of Seria,” I whisper.
“Of course. She will never leave my hands, that's for sure,” Elona answers with a smile plastered to her face. Somewhere among Moonray's followers she catches sight of Lirian, the slimy bastard whom she originally should be coupled with. Elona raises Seria to her cheek and rubs herself against the baby as if to mock him.
Lirian doesn't take it well and storms ahead of the group.
I purse my lips and track him until he is out of sight. “Do you think that was a wise move? If you antagonize him he may target Seria.”
“I won't let go of Seria and if there is even a hint of trouble I will activate the teleportation. But believe me, Lirian is the first whose head will roll when the fighting starts. All our intelligence points out that he is one of the main message carriers between Draconis and the slavers. He must be involved as deeply as Moonray in this shit. And he has offended me more than once.”
I clear my throat and nod. “If you say so, my dear.”
We follow the group towards the skyscraper where our whole group is issued quarters at one of the higher floors. Then we settle in for the night and wait for tomorrow.
Everything depends on making our accusations at the right moment. Preferably in front of all of Moonray's higher immortals.
55. ~Accusation.~
“The phoenix is sometimes pictured in ancient and medieval literature and medieval art as endowed with a nimbus, which emphasizes the bird's connection with the sun. In the oldest images of phoenixes on record these nimbuses often have seven rays, like Helios (the personified sun of Greek mythology). Pliny the Elder also describes the bird as having a crest of feathers on its head, and Ezekiel the Dramatist compared it to a rooster.”
The Journey to the Afterlife
Dedessia, the Sea of Souls, Draconis
Elona
I cuddle Seria in my arms while we wait for the party to begin. So far our little ploy is going well. Moonray completely fell for the ruse and organized a huge party, so that we can meet all the important people in his clan.
Shade brushes a hand over my hair and smiles. “How is she?”
My gaze wanders to Seria who is sucking on my chest. “A glutton, just like her father.” I look around the ballroom to study the arriving guests. There is a long glass front to the left. It gives a perfect view on the city.
Since I had to feed the baby, we retreated to a silent corner which is sectioned off with mirrored glass. It isn't complete privacy, but only the rudest of persons would disturb a mother who is feeding her child. And we are safe from someone listening in on us. Everyone who approaches the alcove is bound to be spotted long before he reaches listening range.
Of course they could spy on us with magical means, bu
t Shade created a force bubble around us. It isn't strong enough to stop someone from passing through, but it blocks sound just fine. Shade is good with that kind of thing.
“Be ready to send her back when Doreen starts speaking against Moonray. Don't wait until the shit hits the fan,” Shade informs me with a concerned voice.
I sigh. It is hard to let go of Seria and put her in the hands of Tisha's harem girls. But Shade's mother was one hundred percent sure that they can be trusted. And they are standing ready to take care of the child as soon as she appears in her cradle.
“What did you think of the city?” I ask Shade to focus my thoughts on something else. Listening to his voice calms me down. I wish he would be a little more talkative.
“I am relatively sure that Moonray didn't start something like a hate-campaign against us. The normal citizens showed interest in us, but I didn't sense any hostility. I am still unsure about Moonray's goals and that's troubling me. I told you about my suspicions regarding the multiverse.
“Currently I am not sure why Moonray is collecting that much fighting power. We think that we can thwart his plans by toppling his power base, but what if that isn't the essential point about his actions?”
I tilt my head in thought. Then I start thinking aloud. “For what else would he need that much power? It seems like he isn't just interested in overthrowing all the other clans, but actually collecting as much power as possible into one, single clan. And then what? Is he going to form a nation?”
Shade makes a helpless gesture. “That's the question which is plaguing me. We grasped some rules of his game, but we still don't know the winning conditions. That bastard simply had too much time to plan ahead. And all this,” he gestures at the room, “is too easy. Where is the catch.”
I survey the room. “What if we simply have luck for once? Up until now we were just reacting to each of our opponent's moves. It is the first time that we actually managed to make a move of our own. But you are right, Seria shouldn't be here when it starts.”