Mortal Gods (Mantles of Power Book 2)

by Benjamin Medrano

  “Ah, may I ask why you believe that, Your Grace?” Hanrith asked, looking a little startled by her explanation.

  “While you may not have been aware of such, I’ve analyzed the aura of this… Kitania. The chains that hold her have the measure of her magic, and she is not powerful enough to be a threat. She is skilled, but I would be surprised if she could face a full magister of the realm,” Alserah said and smiled thinly as she looked at Moira, nodding slightly. “Incidentally, Moira’s subordinates examined her while she was regenerating, and were able to determine a great deal about Kitania’s physique. She’s trained heavily, and has a durable, strong body… but she is no demon lord. While I’m uncertain of how much skill she possesses, she would fall before enough of your guards, Northwind. Such an individual attempting to infiltrate my palace alone is a laughable threat, and we have detected no other attempts to intrude.”

  Most of the others looked at Moira, and the priestess nodded slightly, smiling warmly at Alserah’s regard. “Her Grace is correct, at least so far as what we learned. I do not have her certainty on the strength of the demon, but I believe she is correct.”

  “I see. That does ease my mind somewhat,” Hanrith said, nodding slowly as he sat back. “The cell she’s in could hold some demon lords, let alone someone who is weaker than that.”

  “It still doesn’t answer what’s to be done with her, however,” Oriah said, frowning unhappily. “I still believe that she would be useful in my tests.”

  “Such is unbecoming of you, Oriah,” Alserah said, allowing just a hint of warning to creep into her voice as a flicker of pain ran through Alserah’s mind along with her irritation, and she saw almost everyone flinch at her tone. Only Moira seemed unconcerned, and Alserah looked at Oriah, watching the woman squirm as she spoke. “While I appreciate your zeal in pursuing new ways of defending our nation from invasion, you should take care to not become that which you claim to oppose. It certainly wouldn’t please me.”

  For a long moment, everyone was silent, then Oriah looked down as she spoke apologetically. “My apologies, Your Grace. I will strive to keep your words in mind for the future.”

  “Excellent,” Alserah said and smiled thinly. “As for the demon… leave her be for the moment. I will meet with her eventually, and we will see what can be learned.”

  “Yes, Your Grace,” the four agreed, bowing their heads respectfully.

  “Ethris. What is the state of the border wards? While I believe it unlikely, it is entirely possible that this is a distraction, and I want to be prepared for a potential invasion,” Alserah said, looking at the mage curiously.

  “Of course! I’ve requested their status, and all the wards appear to be at full strength and functioning correctly,” Ethris replied promptly, her expression brightening as she continued. “If an attack occurs, I promise that the magi will be prepared.”

  “Excellent,” Alserah said, turning to Oriah as she continued. “Oriah, how is the ballista project doing?”

  Oriah’s dismay seemed to lift a bit, and the woman smiled. “Very well, Your Grace! We have forty complete so far, and another ten under construction, and I believe we’ll be able to complete ten every two weeks at the current rate. They…”

  Alserah listened closely, her hands steepled in front of her. While she didn’t think her kingdom was going to come under attack, she wasn’t going to underestimate the cunning of demons.

  She’d done that once already, and it’d left lasting consequences.

  “Um, what are you doing?” Maura asked, and Kitania nearly lost her grip on the chain due to the distraction.

  Looking up, Kitania saw that Maura was in the hall again, the brunette guard looking perplexed as she looked between Kitania and the guard on duty.

  “Don’t ask me,” the other guard said, her voice dry enough that Kitania was amused. “She just started doing that a little while ago. It doesn’t look like she’s trying to pull the chains out, so I didn’t bother raising the alarm.”

  Kitania currently had her feet planted against the wall above her bed and was holding the chains taut to press her feet against the wall. It was difficult, with how gravity was trying to pull her downward, but Kitania was starting to run out of ideas on how to keep herself distracted from her worries.

  “I’m bored, so I decided to try walking on the wall. If I thought there was any way to do it without falling, I’d try to walk on the ceiling,” Kitania replied, trying to shrug, but instead nearly lost her grip on the chain, and she swayed a little as she adjusted the position of her hands slightly, focusing on sticking to the wall. “It isn’t easy, but it’s a distraction.”

  “Ah. That… makes a sort of sense, I suppose,” Maura replied, looking dubious despite her words. “I’m just not used to prisoners doing things like that.”

  “I doubt you get many prisoners at all, if this is the domain of a goddess. Not many people would be foolish enough to intrude, and I don’t see it being worth transporting most prisoners to the palace,” Kitania said, turning her attention to the wall and slowly easing her way back down it. The trickiest part was when she got to have too much of an angle, but she jumped and managed to land on her feet, which was good. She’d hate to crack her skull, even if she’d recover soon enough. After a moment, Kitania continued, focusing on her explanation. “On the other hand, I’ve been extremely active for centuries. My morning routine usually involved quite a bit of exercise, then I would either perform alchemy or go about my duties as a healer. Being trapped in a cell is an enormous change, and I’m restless.”

  “You’re a healer?” the other guard asked, a note of skepticism in her voice. “I didn’t know demons had healers.”

  “Even demons have small towns, and not everyone has magic available,” Kitania said, considering for a moment before continuing, slightly displeased by the woman’s attitude, but she wasn’t about to make her situation harder by snapping at her. Kitania’s position was very different than it had been when she’d chided Isalla, so she continued patiently. “I went by Kanae at the time. Right up until I was teleported, in fact, but that’s beside the point. I taught myself to be a healer and just settled down in a small town for a while. For longer than I originally planned, in fact, but that’s just how things turned out. No one knew about my ability to regenerate. I could do what I wanted… I was content.”

  “Huh,” Maura said, then nodded at the other woman politely. “Come on, Yain, your shift’s over.”

  “Alright,” the woman agreed, then looked at Kitania curiously as she stood. “Why are you being so open, though? It doesn’t seem like you’re going for pity… do you think you’re going to get us to underestimate you or something?”

  Kitania laughed incredulously and shook her head, a bubble of amusement rushing through her. “Underestimate me, after you shoved me in this cell? Hellfire, no! I just don’t see the point to lying, not when all it’d do is prompt your leaders to be even more suspicious of me. What I want is to get this over with and go home, if that’s possible. I’m worried about my friends, though I’m sure my mother’s guards did their best to rescue them.”

  “I suppose I can understand that. Not that I think that your chances are good, of being released, I mean,” Maura said, taking Yain’s chair, a hint of apology in her voice. “You did intrude into the palace.”

  “I know,” Kitania replied, and sighed, shaking her head. “Honestly, I’d rather that a decision was made quickly, one way or another. At least then I’d have some idea of what I was going to have to deal with. All the waiting just… chafes.”

  “You’re just going to have live with that,” Yain replied, heading down the hall as she waved at Maura.

  Sighing in return, Kitania nodded glumly as she took a seat on her bed. “I know I will. I don’t have to like it, though.”

  Maura surprised Kitania by giggling, which prompted a smile from the demon in turn.

  After a minute, Kitania asked, slightly hopefully, “I don’t suppose I could
get a book, or even a board game or something?”

  “Sorry, but I think you’re just going to have to deal with what you have,” Maura replied, smiling warmly despite her refusal. At least she was friendly enough.

  “I rather figured,” Kitania said, then settled back to think. There wasn’t much to think about, being perfectly honest, but it was better than nothing.

  Mostly, anyway. She wondered how Isalla and Rose were doing frequently… and a part of her wondered if they missed her at all. Considering how close the two were when she was there, probably not much. That hurt to think about.

  Chapter 4

  Ceriax, Queen Estalia’s blademaster, wasn’t what Rose had initially expected. The thin demoness had a few unusual bone ridges along her arms and legs, as well as a pair of more elaborate horns atop her head, but her black hair was cropped short, and she otherwise looked almost human, save for her forked tongue and bright yellow eyes. She also was astoundingly skilled with the sword she favored, which was almost an oversized scimitar that she could wield equally well in one or two hands.

  Falling back after their most recent clash, in which Ceriax had deflected Ember without apparent effort before closing in suddenly, Rose tried to catch her breath, only barely dodging Ceriax’s follow-up strike, shocked at how quick the woman was.

  “Come now, Lady Rose, you can do better than this,” Ceriax said, flipping the sword to her off hand as she smiled and gestured for Rose to approach, obviously taunting the angel. “I’m told you did quite well against the angels.”

  “They were trying to kill me,” Rose replied, and lunged forward, attacking furiously, though she was trying to make sure not to attack vital points. Unlike Rose, Ceriax wasn’t wearing armor, even though Ember hadn’t come anywhere near hitting the demoness yet. It was a little frustrating, though she admired Ceriax’s skill.

  “True, true… but you’re never going to beat me at your current rate. Not without decades of practice, and with everything I’ve seen and heard, you don’t have decades,” Ceriax replied, casually deflecting some blows and dodging others as she kept up the conversation. “You’re strong and fast, that’s for certain. What you don’t have is practice anticipating your opponents, or quite as much endurance as I’d prefer.”

  “What?” Rose asked, pausing her assault, still breathing hard and with Ember clasped in both hands. She blinked curiously at Ceriax, startled by the woman’s suggestion. “Is that how you’re avoiding my attacks, by predicting them?”

  “In large part. Your attacks aren’t entirely predictable, but I’ve fought with plenty of angels before and I ensure that every move I make allows me to deal with most of the other attacks which could follow it,” Ceriax explained, smiling thinly. “Experience is an excellent teacher, especially for those of us who don’t have powerful magical weapons. I’ll have you know that Her Majesty is even better than me with a sword, and I’m constantly working to provide her with a challenge. It isn’t easy.”

  “She’s really that good?” Rose asked, her thoughts drifting back to the sight of Estalia in armor, which had been an oddly pleasant sight. “I know she wields a rapier, but…”

  “Her Majesty rarely has need to wield her sword in anger, but I’d pit her in a melee against fifty of the Royal Guard and bet all my coin on her,” Ceriax said, pausing as they rested, the dull brown sands of the training salle warm beneath their feet. The blademaster’s expression turned thoughtful as she added, her tone musing, “Half that if she didn’t use her power, but why wouldn’t she? Her Majesty is a master swordswoman. She has to be, to have achieved what she has without possessing a great deal of magic.”

  “I see… then, did Kitania take after her?” Rose asked, lowering Ember to the ground and letting her breathing stabilize, curious what Ceriax could tell her. “I saw her using a sword, and she was quite good.”

  “Her Majesty’s daughter? You must understand, I wasn’t the blademaster when she was here; I was still rising through the ranks,” Ceriax said, frowning as she seemed to debate for a moment, then continued. “With a sword… no, you are better. Or at least were. But a sword wasn’t Kitania’s chosen weapon. She was quite resistant to taking after Her Majesty, as I recall, so chose something else. In fact, I find it more surprising that she used one at all.”

  “Truly?” Rose murmured, frowning slightly. She’d only seen Kitania, Kanae at the time, in black armor and with a sword at her side. The demoness had seemed incredibly comfortable with the weapon and surviving through the attacks of as many opponents as she’d faced in the last battle had been impressive. After a moment, Rose asked, “What was her chosen weapon, then?”

  Estalia’s voice rang out at that moment, and her presence startled Rose slightly. “Kitania preferred to wield a particular type of long-bladed glaive… I believe that angels call them cloudpiercers.”

  “Your Majesty!” Ceriax said, turning and bowing instantly, followed a moment later by Rose turning, though the angel didn’t bow entirely, instead admiring the queen.

  Estalia was accompanied by Isalla, who was also looking at Estalia in surprise. Rose’s friend now bore the beautiful white wings that Rose remembered her possessing, and was wearing a pretty blue dress, though it was simpler than what many people in the palace chose to wear, at least of those that bothered wearing clothing. It didn’t surprise Rose, since Isalla wasn’t fond of elaborate clothing most of the time, but their arrival was a little startling. She also firmly put the incident where Isalla had first seen a naked incubus wandering down the hall out of her mind, since Isalla had firmly insisted that nothing had happened that evening.

  “Stand, Ceriax,” Estalia said, smiling warmly as she looked at the blademaster, then at Rose. “How is your training progressing, Rose?”

  “Quite well, thank you. I’m regaining my skill quickly, though I’m nowhere near a match for the blademaster. She bears the title for good reason,” Rose replied, raising her head and smiling, even if she did ache all over. Ceriax had also straightened, and sheathed her blade, prompting Rose to follow suit. She was happy to see the others, and even happier around Estalia.

  “I’m glad to hear it,” Estalia said, nodding in satisfaction as she gave Ceriax a warm smile that made the blademaster perk up.

  Isalla shifted slightly, tilting her head, and her actions drew Estalia’s attention. At her questioning look, Isalla cleared her throat, then asked, “If I may, Your Majesty… why would Kitania favor a traditionally angelic weapon? I mean, cloudpiercers are rarely used even in the heavens, and primarily by guardians of the Holy Council.”

  That, Rose reflected, was an excellent question, and one which had almost been driven from her mind by Estalia’s radiance. Rose had only seen a few hundred cloudpiercers in her life, even in the army. That Kitania had wielded one was somewhat puzzling.

  “That would be Anna’s fault,” Estalia replied, her smile widening even more, almost more radiant than Rose had seen before, and it dazed her for several long moments.

  “Anna?” Ceriax asked, blinking in some surprise. “The Lady of the Spire?”

  “Yes, Ceriax, the very one,” Estalia said, smiling even more. “Kitania didn’t wish to follow in my footsteps at the time… she truly was a rebellious young woman, and she spotted Anna practicing with a cloudpiercer and was enthralled by the kata. She always did love to dance as a child, and begged Anna to teach her. So she did, and Kitania… she had a gift for it. That she’d abandon the art for a sword in order to hide more thoroughly tells me just how much she wanted to be lost.”

  “I… I see. I didn’t realize that Anna knew how to wield a cloudpiercer,” Rose said, a little startled as she thought back to her time in the spire, and to Anna’s quiet confidence with her sword. “She sparred with me a few times with a sword, and she struck me as at least as good as Ceriax.”

  “If anything, Anna is more skilled with a cloudpiercer. It was her favored weapon before she left the heavens,” Estalia explained, her smile widening at Ceriax’s l
ook of shock. “I would not care to face her in battle, not even with Archmage Veldoran at my side. She may not appear to be powerful, but I trust Anna more than anyone else in the world. I’d trust her with my life or Kitania’s, or even with the fate of my domain itself.”

  “Oh,” Isalla said, her voice soft and her eyes wide with the shock that was running through Rose as well. “Why did she choose to leave the heavens, then?”

  “For much the same reason as Rose, in the end. She was tired,” Estalia said simply, and her smile slowly faded as she continued more soberly. “However, discussing Anna isn’t why I came here. Rose, I would like you to come with me and Isalla. I have the information which we needed, or at least part of it.”

  “Oh?” Rose asked, her eyes lighting up as she straightened, but Isalla shook her head quickly.

  “I already asked, Rose, but it isn’t something we can act on yet,” Isalla said, dampening Rose’s mood somewhat, but she quickly continued. “However, it’ll likely help set us on the right path, once we can get started.”

  “Oh. Well… my apologies, Ceriax, but it appears I need to go,” Rose said, bowing her head to the blademaster gratefully. “I’d like to spar again soon.”

  “Certainly, Lady Rose,” Ceriax said, bowing her head as well and smiling warmly in return. “I entirely understand why you need to go, however. We all have demands on our time.”

  “Thank you,” Rose said, but her smile faded slightly, but only slightly, as she turned to face Estalia. The queen was just too mesmerizing for her to be truly dismayed. “I’m at your disposal, Your Majesty.”