“Maybe the solution is to simply take your time and make a decision later,” Niadra said, looking at Kitania hopefully. “I mean, I had my doubts about whether you’d stay to begin with, but if I have a chance… well, I’d love for you to stay here. I’m sure Her Grace would, too.”
“That might not be a bad idea,” Kitania agreed, and looked at the others as she asked, “Would you mind that? I don’t want to lead anyone on, mind you, I just… don’t know what I want.”
“Not to mention that offending a goddess wouldn’t be wise,” Vinara said, smirking slightly as she finished her cup of tea. Holding it out for a refill, she continued. “While you can’t die, that doesn’t mean that you’d be able to get away.”
“True, though I don’t think she’d be that upset with me,” Kitania said, then sighed and shook her head. “I’m just not going to be much good without a weapon. Dare I hope that you brought something from Mother for me?”
“As a matter of fact, I have. I’ve also brought something from Lady Anna,” Vinara said, setting down her fork reluctantly, and she glared at Kitania as she added, “It isn’t really fair, you know. Lady Anna doesn’t make things for other people, yet she made you a weapon herself, and its magic is supposed to only work for you.”
Kitania blinked, sitting up straighter at the news, and she smiled in delight, asking eagerly, “Truly? Anna did that for me?”
“I didn’t realize that Anna knew how to make weapons,” Rose murmured, her eyebrows rising.
“She did, and it’s unfair,” Vinara said, sniffing softly. “She has many skills, but some she doesn’t choose to take advantage of for centuries at a time.”
The succubus stood and went over to the packages she’d left in the corner. As she did so, Niadra spoke softly, sounding mystified.
“Who’s Lady Anna?” the elf asked, looking between them curiously.
“I don’t know the details, but she’s an angel who rules the Spire of Confession in Estalia, based on what I heard,” Isalla volunteered quickly.
“She’s also one of the kindest women I’ve ever met,” Rose added, smiling more as she looked off into the distance, hesitating before she added, “I didn’t really learn a lot about her, though. Just that she’s both gentle and powerful.”
“You don’t know the half of it,” Kitania informed them, shaking her head slowly, considering what to tell them and picking her words carefully as she did so. She knew at least some of the truth regarding Anna, after all, but she didn’t want to give up Anna’s secret. “Anna has been a loyal servant of my mother for longer than Estalia’s domain has borne her name. I don’t know the details, but Mother encountered Anna on the battlefield when she was weary and almost seeking death. Speaking with her changed Anna’s perspective, and she chose to change her name and appearance to serve my mother. She’s loyal beyond measure, kind, and quite possibly the single most powerful ally Estalia possesses.”
“Wait, really? I knew she was skilled, but we didn’t do much sparring when I was in the spire,” Rose said, sounding slightly incredulous as she stared at Kitania.
“I know less than Kitania, but even I know that Anna is one of the few people that Queen Estalia trusts absolutely. I’ve heard her say that if anyone invaded, she hoped they’d do her the favor of coming through the region around the Spire of Confession so that Anna and the other guards there could crush them,” Vinara said, grinning broadly as she returned with the packages. “I think a lot of people forget that the spire is where the priesthood of Estalia receive the deepest secrets of the faith, as well as where their knights and warriors are trained. It’d be a poor place to challenge lightly.”
“Ah. That is impressive,” Niadra said, her eyes wide, and Kitania saw that even Eziel looked surprised.
“It is. However, first, here’s your new cloudpiercer, Kitania. Anna sent a message directing me to tell you to try not to break it,” Vinara said, handing the cloth-wrapped weapon over. Kitania set down her fork as she took it, hesitating a moment. It seemed rather short for a cloudpiercer to her.
“I’m going to do my best, but my last one… there really wasn’t much of a chance of it surviving. Rosken didn’t, let alone any weapons inside it,” Kitania said, untying the cord holding the cloth in place and sliding it off, then inhaled sharply at the sight of the weapon.
“That’s beautiful,” Niadra breathed, her eyes widening, and Kitania entirely agreed, staring at the weapon in a hint of awe.
The shaft of the cloudpiercer was made of dark red mahogany, and it was shod in mithral. The blade itself was long and curved, forged of mithral with runes carefully etched into it. No, Kitania realized, they’d been formed throughout the forging process, rather than being added afterward, and each of the tiny runes along the length of the blade shimmered with faint gold light. The weapon was just heavy enough to do its job, and the only real problem was that the shaft was too short for the nearly two-foot blade. As she thought that, though, the shaft suddenly extended, growing to nearly five feet in length in an instant, prompting a yelp from Vinara as she dodged.
“Careful! Her note said that it’ll extend if you want it to or shrink down to about what it started at. Heck, if you want it too, apparently it’ll transform into a bejeweled hair stick for safekeeping,” Vinara said, scowling at Kitania in annoyance.
“You might have said that beforehand. I didn’t realize it changed lengths based on what I wanted,” Kitania said, concentrating on the cloudpiercer, and it quickly shrank back to the original size, then there was a popping sound as it turned into a red mahogany hair stick with a mithral-clad handle. She considered it for a moment, then shrugged and slipped it into her hair, murmuring, “I’m going to have to thank her for it when I see her next.”
“You will, or I’m afraid she’ll have to hurt you,” Vinara said, then nodded at the other package as she added, “Your mother provided new armor for you, though. It’s patterned off your old armor from before you disappeared, with flight enchantments as well, since you might end up having to fight angels.”
“That’ll definitely be useful,” Kitania said, picking up the package with a grunt. The armor wasn’t too heavy, but it also wasn’t light. It should be easy to move in once it was properly distributed across her body, at least.
“What sort of flight enchantments?” Niadra asked curiously, leaning forward in her chair to watch Kitania as she opened the sack.
Unwrapping the armor, Kitania couldn’t help a slight smile as she saw the breastplate first. The surface was covered in black enamel, and the weight indicated that the armor must be mithral, likely to help reduce the weight and increase durability. A tiny part of Kitania had been afraid that her mother would go with something brighter, or even match her skin tone. That would’ve made Kitania stand out, and she was thankful that it hadn’t happened.
There was a black sapphire set into the breastplate near where the top of the breastbone would be, and Kitania stroked it, examining the runes as the others looked at the armor as well. It was much like what Kitania remembered wearing years before, and based on that she knew that when fully armored she’d be able to move almost like she wasn’t encumbered at all. The flight spells might be new, but that didn’t matter much.
“Usually they take the form of light in the shape of wings,” Vinara explained, shrugging as she took a sip of her tea with a happy smile. “I’ve never used enchantments like that, since I have wings to begin with, but I’m told that such spells are quite intuitive.”
“I’m guessing that it uses mana stored in the armor, and my mana when that runs out,” Kitania said, glancing up at Vinara from the armor as she smiled. “It’s pretty enough, at least. I feared that Mother might have decided to make it pink or white, which would’ve made me stand out more than I’d like.”
“I don’t think standing out would be bad,” Isalla protested, looking a little taken aback. “White and gold is pretty, for example.”
“Yes, but it also makes the wearer somethin
g of a target, unless everyone on one side of the battlefield is in similar colors. It’s part of why the Order of the Phoenix makes certain that everyone uses similar armor. They don’t want the commanders standing out and being targeted,” Rose explained, glancing at Kitania as she added a bit wryly, “On the other hand, is black really that much better?”
“I prefer not shining like a beacon,” Kitania replied, taking out a gauntlet and showing it to the others as she added, “Like this, for instance. You’ll note that it doesn’t shine like chitin or the like. Since it isn’t as reflective, it helps keep from being spotted quite as easily. Sure, I’d stand out like a sore thumb in a field on a bright day, but I’m not going to be nearly as visible in the shadows.”
“I suppose, though I think you’d still stand out in most areas of the forest,” Niadra commented, frowning slightly. “It’s too dark, in a way.”
“You can’t have everything, not unless you go with mottled shades to try to blend in with your surroundings,” Kitania said, smiling thinly. “While that’s good in some situations, it isn’t necessarily good in all of them. Besides, this armor would blend in far more readily in the hells.”
“It would?” Niadra asked, blinking in surprise.
“That’s true,” Isalla agreed, looking at Niadra as she explained. “The entire environment of the hells is simply darker. The sun is a dull red, the clouds are gray or black, and at least in the area where Kitania lived, the plants were much darker as well. Her house and the village were made from wood not unlike ebony, because that was what grew in the area. Dark-colored armor would definitely blend in more easily.”
“Huh, I didn’t realize that. I mean, there are tales about the hells, but I’ve never seen them myself,” Niadra murmured, looking at Kitania curiously.
Kitania laughed softly, putting the gauntlet back and setting the armor aside. She’d try it on later, but for now she needed to finish her breakfast. She considered for a few moments, then spoke softly, an odd sense of sadness washing over her. “The hells are… alien. I think the mortal world is far more beautiful for the most part, and that you should enjoy it here.”
“Which isn’t to say that it’s not worth visiting at some point,” Rose said, her voice calm as she glanced over at Kitania with a smile. “While the hells are dark and dangerous, there is beauty there, and if you only experience this world, you’ll never be able to fully understand the perspective of those from other worlds.”
“I suppose that’s true. I’ve visited a few of the neighboring nations, and it’s kind of interesting to see where they’ve influenced us, or we’ve influenced them. Even with the similarities, though, the perspective is very different,” Niadra said, and she smiled as she added, “Maybe I’ll visit the hells someday.”
“We won’t be able to if there’s a war, though. Not reasonably,” Kitania interjected, feeling some of the tension in her spine easing at the more relaxed attitude around the table.
“We’ll just have to keep one from breaking out, then,” Isalla chimed in, smiling broadly as she glanced around the table. “After all, we need time to figure out who gets to keep Kitania!”
Kitania blushed as the chorus of laughter rippled around the table. She considered saying something, but decided that it wasn’t worth trying to interject. The others would just tease her mercilessly.
Besides, there was a tiny part of her that was considering how she could finagle things so that she didn’t have to give up any of them. It didn’t feel likely to her, but at least Rose didn’t seem to object. That was a start.
Chapter 39
Ethris entered the room at a brisk pace, accompanied by a nervous-looking elven man. Alserah didn’t recognize him, but that wasn’t a surprise. His uniform indicated he was part of the army, though his physique and attitude made her think he wasn’t a warrior.
Alserah was accompanied by her usual council, and King Rayvan was hurrying back to the palace now that her messages had reached him. In the meantime, Ethris, Hanrith, Moira, and Oriah would have to suffice for making decisions.
“Who is this, Ethris?” Alserah asked, looking at the brown-haired man intently, and he paled slightly, visibly swallowing.
“This is Lieutenant Jesar Applewood, Your Grace.” Ethris introduced the man, nodding to him as she spoke calmly. “He’s one of the quartermasters for the army, and when I made inquiries based on the information that you acquired, he was able to provide some new information.”
“Indeed? Well, that’s good news, considering the dearth of information we’ve acquired so far,” Alserah said, smiling thinly as she glanced around the table, then asked, “Lieutenant, what is it that you can tell us?”
“I’m not sure how useful it’ll be, Your Grace, but I’m the one who spoke with Corram when he was bidding on supplying the various forts across the kingdom,” Jesar said nervously, taking a deep breath, then letting it out. “He was giving a good deal, so we ended up going with his offer. None of the foodstuffs or materials had any problems, so if you hadn’t asked questions, I wouldn’t have thought anything more of it. I do remember him mentioning that he was working for another angel named Haral, though. He was just her representative in Eldsyr, not in charge of the organization overall.”
“Was?” Hanrith asked, frowning as he pounced on the word, then glanced at Alserah apologetically. “Ah, sorry, Your Grace. I shouldn’t have interrupted.”
“No, no… you’re quite right to note the word,” Alserah said, shaking her head slightly as she looked at Jesar and asked, “Why did you use the term was?”
“When I heard the questions going around, I realized that I hadn’t heard from Corram in a while, Your Grace. I asked around myself, and I found out that he told others that there was some family trouble back in the heavens, so he was returning there, and a replacement would arrive in a month or two,” Jesar explained, paling slightly as he swallowed. “I wouldn’t have thought anything of it, but then I learned that pretty much his entire organization has up and left as well. I don’t claim to know their finances, but that seemed suspicious to me.”
“You’re right, that is suspicious. Combined with other information I’ve heard, it’s also worrying. I assume that you’ve been checking the supplies to see if they’ve been tampered with?” Alserah asked, frowning even more deeply as she grew more concerned.
“I’ve had others start doing so, but they haven’t found anything of note yet. A bit of minor spoilage or the like, but no more than normal, and maybe even less,” Jesar reported, standing up a little straighter as he hesitated, then continued. “If I may… I do remember that Corram asked how many soldiers were in each of the garrisons, though. He said that it was so he could figure out how much to supply more accurately, so I didn’t really think about it at the time.”
“Ah, dragon shit,” Hanrith muttered quietly, and Alserah agreed with the sentiment, even if she didn’t approve of the curse.
“I see. Is there anything else?” Alserah asked, resisting the urge to tap the table. It wouldn’t be good for the confidence of the others to show that she was nervous.
“No, Your Grace. That’s everything I know about it, aside from the amount we paid for the supplies and how they were divvied up,” Jesar replied quickly, looking like he was relaxing a little.
“Thank you, but I don’t believe that we need that information just now. Please go back to your duties,” Alserah replied, and watched the man salute, then quickly head out of the room. He was obviously relieved to be leaving, which amused her, at least a little. Once Jesar was gone, she looked at Ethris and said. “Have a seat. This… is a problem.”
“That’s putting it mildly, Your Grace. If the supplies are good and they were asking about how many people are in the fortresses, that implies we could be looking at an invasion,” Hanrith said, and Alserah couldn’t remember him looking unhappier than he was now. “I could be wrong. I hope I’m wrong, in fact, and that they were using the information to simply figure out where they could
raid with the fewest soldiers available to intercept them, but I don’t think we can rely on that.”
“No, but even if they know how many people are in the fortresses, they don’t know about everything that’s inside them,” Ethris replied and glanced at Oriah as she asked, “Oriah, how has your deployment of the ballistae been going?”
“Um, tolerably well. Most of the major forts have the upgraded ballistae now,” the artificer said, frowning slightly. “Only two apiece at best, save for the palace, but the team is doing well.”
“Good,” Alserah said, nodding slightly before adding, “How well would the ballistae work against angels, if it came to that?”
“They’ll work equally well against anything flying, as far as I know. We were considering trying to create some that specifically targeted natives of the hells but decided that’d make it harder if we were invaded by one of the Fallen Kingdoms,” Oriah reported, sitting up straighter as she smiled. “No, they’re fast, adjust their flight to hit targets, and the bolts are made to pierce most types of armor. I guarantee that they’ll ruin the day of any flying attackers, whether they’re angels or demons.”
“Good. I hope we don’t have to use them for that purpose, but I’m glad your creations are ready,” Alserah said, glancing at Ethris again as she added, “What of the wards?”
“Most of the early-warning wards are on the borders nearest the front lines, so they’re in poor positions to detect any angels,” Ethris said, looking rather unhappy. “I’ve had the magi reinforcing the wards in the cities and fortresses and will let them know that they could be under attack soon, but there’s not much I can do in a short time.”
Mortal Gods (Mantles of Power Book 2) Page 34
