“No, I’m not,” the familiar-sounding elf said, and she smiled as she bowed her head marginally, continuing. “I’m Estalia’s personal representative, Vinara the Green.”
Kitania froze in place, her eyes widening as the woman shifted, her appearance turning into that of a familiar, green-skinned succubus that she’d once known entirely too well. Before Kitania could say anything, Vinara moved, and Kitania almost managed to dodge the stinging slap against her cheek, but her shock slowed her just a little too much.
“Vinara!” Isalla yelped, but the succubus ignored the protest, staring at Kitania angrily.
“My apologies, Lady Alserah, but this is a personal matter,” Vinara said, folding her arms as she continued, her voice quiet. “Now, Kitania… what do you have to say for yourself, you coldhearted bitch?”
“What?” Kitania asked, a little taken aback despite herself, and the pain in her cheek already starting to fade. Mixed emotions were rushing through her, a tangle of relief, outrage, and shock at the sight of Vinara. “What am I supposed to say? I was surprised enough to even see you here, and you greet me like that?”
“Of course I did! I thought you were dead!” Vinara retorted, unfolding her arms to wave them in the air dramatically. “Because we broke up, I got sent back to Estalia just in time to hear that you and everyone else were vaporized in the siege! Do you have any idea what kind of effect that had on me? I thought you were dead, and I mourned you for a year! I was celibate! Do you know how much pity sex I turned down for you?”
“I… what are you talking about?” Kitania asked, blushing in embarrassment as everyone stared at them except for Isalla, who began studiously looking at the walls as her face turned red. It took a moment before Kitania managed a deep breath and replied, her emotions mostly turning into confusion and annoyance. “Look… you are the one who broke up with me. You told me you found someone else, and I didn’t want to keep you in a relationship you didn’t want.”
“I was trying to make you jealous!” Vinara fired back, glowering at Kitania. “But no, you’re just too considerate of other’s feelings to be that jealous, so instead, I found myself without a girlfriend. Sure, it saved my life, likely as not, but it was quite cruel of you.”
Kitania stared at Vinara incredulously for a long moment, not entirely believing what she was hearing. Before she could say anything more, Alserah cleared her throat, interrupting quietly, a bubbling note of amusement in her voice.
“While this is an entertaining revelation about Kitania’s past relationships, I don’t believe that now is the best time to discuss it,” Alserah said, drawing everyone’s eyes to her. “I do believe that we have far more pressing matters to discuss. Allowing you two to work out your differences should be left for later.”
Vinara paused for a moment, then bowed her head, having the good grace to blush as she replied. “Once again, you have my apologies, Lady Alserah. I’ve been bottling up my feelings ever since I learned Kitania was alive and couldn’t allow myself to wait any longer.”
“We’re going to have to discuss it later. But for what it’s worth, I am sorry,” Kitania said, noticing that Alserah nodded slightly. She paused as Rose stepped close and gave Kitania a gentle hug, looking up and blinking at the redhead as her heart skipped a beat. Of the various greetings she’d expected, Rose hugging her wasn’t among them.
“I’m glad you’re well, Kitania. We have a great many things to discuss, it seems,” Rose said, glancing at Vinara, then at Niadra. The confusion on Niadra’s face had cleared up, but Kitania thought the princess looked a little put out. “For now, as Her Grace said, we have things to discuss.”
“That we do,” Kitania agreed, and when Rose let go, she gingerly walked over to take a seat next to Niadra. She wasn’t entirely sure what was going on with the others; all she knew was that she was treading on thin ice. Or possibly thin stone over a magma stream, for that matter.
Vinara stayed standing, but Isalla and Rose took seats on the other sofa, even as the elven woman Azalea took a different chair, looking like she was completely out of her element. It was probably Vinara’s blunt commentary on sex that had discomfited her, Kitania suspected.
“From your bearing, I take it that you have something else to tell me, Miss Vinara,” Alserah said, tilting her head slightly.
“That’s correct. If you were the queen here, I’d have waited until we had an official audience in court, but as you aren’t, this situation is appropriate enough,” Vinara said, looking far more serious now, her back ramrod straight. “I bear a message and gift for you from Queen Estalia.”
“Oh? I’m glad to hear that,” Alserah said, smiling slightly. “Please, go on.”
Vinara nodded, and she reached into her belt pouch to pull out a tiny blue crystal. Kitania’s eyes widened at the sight of it, and Vinara smiled as she explained. “This is what’s called a soul shard. Queen Estalia has them made for rare occasions when she wishes to converse with those who are not near her realm. It contains a fragment of her personality and soul, and will allow me to channel her with my body as a vessel. Only briefly, of course, but when the time is up, the shard will return to her along with the memories of what was said.”
“I see. I’ve heard of such before, though I’ve rarely seen them,” Alserah murmured, nodding slightly.
“Excellent. Well, in that case it’s time to allow My Queen to speak,” Vinara said, and she raised the shard to her forehead, murmuring something as she did so. The crystal melted into her skin, and Vinara’s body shimmered with magic.
While Vinara’s clothing didn’t change, except to fit her body, the succubus shifted and reshaped herself to mirror Kitania’s mother. Radiant sapphire skin, deep blue eyes, and blue-black hair adorned the small woman, whose bone structure was so much like Kitania’s own otherwise. Estalia had wings and a shorter tail, but otherwise they were far more similar than Kitania had been in her other form. A faint whisper of Estalia’s ability to captivate others surrounded her, and the succubus focused on Kitania, then on Alserah before she smiled radiantly.
“Ah, what a lovely get-together this is! Hello, Lady Alserah. I am Estalia, the Lady of Desire. Despite coming near you a few times, I do believe this is the first time we’ve met,” Estalia said, smiling more as she added, her eyes twinkling mischievously, “Though perhaps saying that this could be considered meeting you would be going a touch far. I do appreciate Vinara choosing to serve as my agent for this.”
“Hello, Estalia. It’s illuminating to meet you in this fashion, and it appears that the rumors of your beauty don’t do you justice. Had I met you before, I wouldn’t have had doubts about Kitania being your daughter,” Alserah said, looking between them with raised eyebrows. “I must say, it’s surprising how much you resemble one another.”
“Thank you. Though speaking of Kitania…” Estalia turned her attention to Kitania, smiling broadly as she spoke. “How do you get into situations like this, hm? Most demons don’t end up in situations where they nearly die often, yet for you it seems like a common occurrence. Maybe I should have directed the guards to protect you as well.”
“I doubt it would have helped under the circumstances, Mother,” Kitania replied, shrugging uncomfortably. It was strange seeing Estalia like this, since her instincts were insisting it wasn’t really Estalia. Kitania was too used to her mother’s aura to miss how weak this one was. She considered, then explained nervously. “The arrow they used would have pierced almost any defenses as it was. Even if they’d helped, at best it would have led to one of them being targeted, and they don’t have my advantages.”
“Quite true. However, as much as I want to continue chatting, these soul shards do have a limit to how long they can last,” Estalia said, her smile fading as she spoke sternly. “Take care of yourself, hm? I don’t want to hear anything about you, oh… falling into a volcano or something. Staking out the edges while waiting for you to regenerate would be truly tiresome.”
“As you say,
Mother. I don’t intend to do that, anyway,” Kitania replied, a smile flitting across her face at her mother’s attitude. For all her experience with manipulating others, Estalia did seem to have difficulties relating to Kitania at times.
“You never do. Now then, to the matter at hand.” Estalia turned her attention to Alserah again and placed a hand against her heart as she bowed her head, startling Kitania with the action. When she spoke, Estalia’s voice was quite serious. “Lady Alserah, for playing host to my daughter and not abusing her, you have my deepest gratitude. Such is not something which I could have requested of you, with as much bad blood as there is between the hells and your realm, yet you did so without my request. For that, I cannot express how thankful I am, for I have been separated from Kitania for nearly a millennium as it is.”
“It has been my pleasure. When I first sent Lady Azalea to you, my intent was to ransom Kitania back to you, but things changed. Kitania saved my life, and she requested nothing in return,” Alserah replied, shaking her head slowly. “No, if anything I owe her more than I could repay. Your thanks are welcome, but unnecessary.”
“Perhaps so, but despite that, I chose to send a gift to show just how much I do appreciate what you’ve done,” Estalia said, looking at Kitania curiously, which prompted Kitania to shift in her chair uncomfortably. She suspected that Estalia had already noticed how Alserah felt about Kitania but couldn’t be certain. Fortunately, Estalia didn’t pry, and instead she pulled out a cloth-wrapped package as she smiled impishly. “This should do the job, though in truth I’m unable to make use of it. I hope that this will serve as a token of my sincerity, Lady Alserah.”
Alserah blinked, looking at the package, then at Estalia again as she replied. “I truly don’t need a gift, but if you insist…”
“I do insist,” Estalia said and took a step forward to offer the package to Alserah.
The goddess took the package, then looked down as she began unwrapping it. Within was a small wooden box, one which was polished to a sheen, and Kitania watched curiously as Alserah turned the box over a couple of times. Then Alserah opened it, and the goddess inhaled sharply as a brilliant green radiance filled the room, radiating from a faceted emerald just over an inch across. The magic she felt pouring off it made Kitania’s eyes widen, but no more. At least not until Alserah spoke.
“Sindria’s Light,” Alserah breathed out, and Kitania’s eyes widened suddenly at the name, for she’d heard it. More to the point, all the others in the room let out soft exclamations, though the sharpest were from Azalea and Niadra.
“What? I thought that Sindria’s Light was lost thousands of years ago!” Niadra exclaimed, straightening suddenly.
Sindria’s Light was a legendary item, one which even Kitania knew about. The magical gemstone had been found by Sindria, an early goddess of magic. The jewel’s magic only functioned in the mortal world, but it was legendary for its power. When part of the array of a set of wards, Sindria’s Light not only amplified the power of the wards immensely, it also amplified all mana within the ward’s confines, allowing spellcasters to use more powerful spells with relative ease while also accelerating the growth of magi who learned there. Kitania had often wished for it when learning magic, even if she couldn’t use it in the hells.
“Not lost, stolen,” Estalia corrected, shaking her head quickly. “Not by me, but by a mortal thief who’d joined a band of demons. The group brought it to the hells to auction off, but the attempt to do so went poorly. The auctioneers betrayed them, and only one of the band survived the ambush. That one came to me for healing, and the only thing of value he possessed was Sindria’s Light, so I healed him and gave him a fair price for his prize. Now, it can return to the mortal world once more.”
“Mother, you collect the widest variety of items,” Kitania murmured incredulously, prompting a laugh from Estalia.
“I know,” Estalia said, grinning.
“This isn’t a minor gift. This is something that is truly priceless,” Alserah said in quiet disbelief, looking up at Estalia after a moment.
“I know it is. However, that jewel is a mere trinket as far as I’m concerned, at least when compared to my daughter’s life,” Estalia said, her smile fading. “You’ve done what you can to help her, though I can tell that her days with you haven’t been entirely peaceful. You’re too tense for that, and Kitania doesn’t look like she’s been having weeks of relaxation. No, such is too much to hope for. I just hope you can continue to take care of her as best you can. I cannot, after all.”
“I see. Well, you have my thanks, as well as my word that so long as Kitania is here, I’ll do my best to ensure she doesn’t face harm. Or as much of it as I can avoid, with angels apparently out for her blood,” Alserah said, glancing at Kitania and smiling. “There’s only so much I can do about problems like that.”
“Yes, well, that’s how situations like this tend to go. Thank you, and hopefully one day we can meet in person, Lady Alserah. I think it would be interesting to discuss how your power has affected your life,” Estalia said, then nodded to everyone else as she continued. “Alas, it appears that I’m about out of time here. I mostly wanted to give Alserah my gift in person, as it were. Do try to take care. If you need to contact me, Vinara has a few methods of getting word to me quickly. And with that… good day to all of you.”
The radiance around Estalia faded, and in moments she turned back into Vinara, who swayed for a moment, shaking her head and blinking. A moment later, the succubus smiled and bowed her head respectfully to Alserah, speaking calmly. “Ah, there I am again. My apologies, that was a… disconcerting experience. Not a bad one, mind you, just strange. I hope that Her Majesty’s gift met your liking, Lady Alserah.”
“It did. Please, have a seat,” Alserah said, gesturing to a chair as she carefully closed the box she was holding, hiding the gemstone’s light.
“Thank you,” Vinara said, and took a seat, looking around at the others.
Most of those in the room looked intrigued, and a little tense, Kitania realized after a moment. Niadra looked worried, while Rose looked thoughtful, and Azalea a bit stunned. Isalla mostly looked curious, though she was also blushing, probably from Estalia’s appearance, which Kitania really couldn’t blame her for. But it was Alserah that was the one who drew the eye when she spoke.
“Now, then, it’s time to have a discussion,” Alserah said, her smile fading as she looked at Isalla and Rose. “Two days ago, Kitania and Niadra were attacked by a group of angels, and if they’d been aware of Kitania’s ability to regenerate their fates would have been sealed. Kitania said that an angel named Haral was leading them, and that a woman by that name was involved in Isalla’s descent into the hells.”
Kitania saw the two angels stiffen, their gazes growing sharper, but Alserah wasn’t finished, and she looked at them calmly as she continued. “I’d like to know what light you can shed on the current situation, if you will. While I was more distantly curious when I learned how Kitania arrived here, things have changed. Now they’ve attacked my people, and I want to find out why.”
Isalla and Rose glanced at each other, then Isalla looked at Alserah and spoke softly. “You aren’t the only one who wants to know, Lady Alserah. We’ve only a few of the pieces so far, but I’m willing to share what we know.”
“Excellent,” Alserah said, smiling slightly as she leaned forward in her chair.
Chapter 37
“While a third of the angels who attacked us in the hells died, ten of them didn’t, including their leader,” Isalla explained, slightly unnerved by Alserah’s gaze but doing her best to ignore her discomfort. It was strange to be explaining this to a goddess, but she wasn’t going to say anything like that. It wasn’t as though Alserah had another way of finding out the information, after all. At least, she probably didn’t, so Isalla continued focusing on her current situation rather than Kitania. “Her name is Eziel, and from her we found out more, though it wasn’t nearly as much as we wante
d to know.”
“How did you convince the woman to talk?” Princess Niadra asked, sitting forward on the sofa. Isalla had to wonder why she was sitting so close to Kitania, but after the rather startling revelation about Vinara and Kitania, she didn’t dare bring it up. The princess likely felt she owed Kitania, since she would’ve died, Isalla reasoned, though there was an undercurrent of unhappiness to her emotions as Niadra continued, seeming unaware of Isalla’s thoughts. “The angels I ran into were very vehement in their beliefs. I’d think that getting information out of them would be difficult.”
“It would be, if we were simply questioning them. However, Estalia was… upset. So she used some of her powers to sway Eziel,” Isalla said, and Kitania visibly winced.
“Oh. That would certainly do it. She must have been enraged to use her powers like that,” Kitania murmured, her voice soft, and a bit guilty. “She hates using that ability, no matter who she uses it on.”
“What are you talking about?” Lady Azalea asked, and Isalla could see even Alserah looked curious. Isalla hesitated, trying to decide what to say. Fortunately, Rose spoke instead.
“All of you have experienced some of Estalia’s presence, even if what you felt through Vinara was incredibly mild by comparison,” Rose said, looking around at the others and pausing as she chose her words carefully. “Her power is… intense. However, she explained that she can choose to focus it still further on someone, and when she does, it can have permanent effects. She explained that she doesn’t like using the ability because, while it ensures cooperation, it also destroys who the person is, in many ways. Eziel is absolutely loyal to Queen Estalia now, and she sent her with us to serve Kitania as a servant in recompense for shooting her with the arrow.”
“Of course she did,” Kitania said softly, her voice loud in the quiet room, and the demoness looked pained as she reached up to rub her temples. “She’d consider that fitting… and it gives her the perfect excuse to pass the victim off to someone else.”
Mortal Gods (Mantles of Power Book 2) Page 32
