Hell's Ascendant (Mantles of Power Book 3)

by Benjamin Medrano

  “No, though it’s closer than I like to think about,” Alserah said, her smile fading slightly as she began leading the way. “You’re the last to arrive of those I contacted. Besides you and I, Gandar, Ire, Phillip, and Sidina are here. I’m gratified that all of you came.”

  “That… is a rather select group, and a lot of power in one place,” Ratha said, her smile fading as she considered, then asked, “How bad is it?”

  “Likely worse than you think. Bad enough that I’m seriously considering taking the offer of assistance from a demon queen,” Alserah said, pausing for a long moment as Ratha inhaled sharply, then added, “Estalia, to be precise.”

  “That’s bad. That’s really bad, considering how you’ve felt about demon lords for as long as I’ve known you,” Ratha said, her voice grim. “Father said that you hated what they did during the war.”

  They were approaching the gates now, and Alserah nodded unhappily as she let out a sigh. “Yes, that’s all true. However, I’ve since learned that some demons aren’t as bad as others, so that’s changed a bit. The other problem is what I’ve learned in the last few weeks, but that’s why I called for all of you.”

  “I see, then I should wait to ask more until we can convene properly,” Ratha said, her smile almost entirely gone by this point. Alserah completely understood why, since the news wouldn’t have been pleasant if it’d been her hearing about it.

  “Fortunately, the others should be waiting in the conference room, and Phillip put up wards to ensure our discussions are private. I don’t think anyone is going to be overhearing anything we don’t want them to,” Alserah said, smiling as she led the way into the palace.

  “That’s good, at least. And it’d take someone with a lot of guts to eavesdrop on a gathering of deities,” Ratha said, smiling again as she smirked. “Have the others been here for long?”

  “Mm, Gandar’s been here the longest, about a week and a half, while the others have been here for less. Ire got here the day before yesterday,” Alserah said, passing a garden where she saw several nobles trying to be subtle as they watched her. Niadra was with a young woman, and Alserah resisted the urge to frown. Her descendant had been acting odd ever since Kitania had left, which concerned her.

  “Not quite enough time for them to cause too much trouble, then. That’s good,” Ratha murmured, then her eyes brightened as she added, “That’s the room, right?”

  “That it is,” Alserah agreed, smiling to herself.

  The wards over the doors to the conference room weren’t subtle, much as Phillip wasn’t. Patterns of bright red light rippled across the surface of the door, and it’d take a blind man to miss them, in Alserah’s opinion. It wasn’t really a conference room at all, but instead was the room where Alserah had killed the dream spider that had infected her. It was large for even a gathering of deities, but Alserah had decided that she’d prefer the additional space.

  Touching the doors, Alserah spoke calmly. “It’s us, Phillip.”

  The spells rippled brightly, then the door audibly unlocked and swung open, allowing Alserah and Ratha to enter the room. The old ballroom was just as it’d been when Alserah had left it earlier, with a vaulted ceiling and newly polished floorboards, as well as all the other renovations it’d gone through after the dream spider had torn parts of it up. In the center of the room was a circular table with six seats around it.

  Sitting in four of the seats were other deities, and Alserah closed the door after Ratha, then headed for one of the unoccupied chairs, studying her allies as she did so. Gandar was still in his armor, looking rather at ease, and next to him was Ire, a dark-skinned human man from the western isles who’d inherited the mantle of the ocean wind. His eyes were dark and his hair pulled back in dreadlocks, while his face was so expressionless it was almost unreadable.

  Phillip sat opposite the chair Alserah was heading for, and just the sight of the blond human made Alserah want to cringe and her eyes water. Phillip had hazel eyes, but wore incredibly bright, flamboyant clothing that was eye-searing and clashed with itself horribly, making people stare in both horror and pain, in her opinion. Phillip was a deity of illusions and mirages, which helped explain the colors, but he was also a remarkable mage, on the level of an archmage even before he’d gained his mantle, which had improved his illusions to dizzying heights.

  Last was Sidina, a human woman who was average as could be at first glance. Limp sandy blonde hair was pulled back in a ponytail, and her clothing was relatively loose without being too baggy, but Alserah knew better than to underestimate Sidina. The human woman was the goddess of unarmed combat and self-perfection, though several other deities shared the latter mantle, and as such she was probably the person present that Alserah would least enjoy fighting if they didn’t start at range.

  “Glad you could make it, Ratha,” Ire said shortly, nodding at the woman as he smiled slightly. Alserah had always found it amusing how the man was reluctant to act on his feelings for Ratha, but she wasn’t going to interfere, not since she knew Ratha was mostly waiting for him to make the first move. It might happen in the next century, but Alserah wouldn’t put any bets on it.

  “And I’m glad I can be here. My apologies about the delay, but there were some issues with the crops that couldn’t safely wait,” Ratha said, taking a seat between Alserah and Sidina as she looked around, smirking as she added, “It’s been a while since I’ve seen this much power in one room, too.”

  “Quite, though from what I’ve garnered the caution may be necessary,” Phillip drawled, smiling as he nodded to each of them. “Not that I’ve gotten the whole story while we waited, just bits and pieces. Care to tell us what’s going on now, Alserah?”

  “All will come in due time,” Sidina said serenely, watching everyone with her hands folded in her lap. “I trust that we weren’t called upon without need, after all.”

  “Believe me, I wouldn’t have contacted you if it wasn’t necessary,” Alserah said, taking a deep breath, then spoke bluntly, sitting back in her chair. “The attacks on the Forest of Sighs were orchestrated by a renegade faction of angels who’re seeking to reignite the war between the heavens and hells.”

  “What? Are you joking?” Phillip asked, his smile vanishing entirely. “I heard that there were angels involved, but I didn’t hear anything about this.”

  “Oh, believe me, I’d love for it to be a joke,” Gandar growled, crossing his arms in front of himself unhappily as he shifted in his chair, which at least was sturdy enough it wasn’t threatening to collapse. “I was asked to examine the arrow they were going to use on her to double-check things, and these angels are vindictive. They would’ve teleported her directly into Venadiel’s defenses, and coupling that with the attacks across the country… what do you think would happen, Phil?”

  “Damnation. That’s worse than I thought. The rumors were more along the lines of an angelic power play, not something leading to a damned war,” Phillip said, looking far paler than he had.

  “What else is known?” Ire asked quietly, his gaze locked on Alserah, which was always a little unnerving.

  “The situation is more complicated than I’d like, and we don’t know nearly as much as I’d like either. An angelic merchant named Haral has been the primary agent we’ve identified of this ‘Society of Golden Dawn,’ and they seem to be worshiping a supposed angelic god of light, which strikes me as worrisome in its own right,” Alserah replied, pressing her lips together a little tighter. “Haral betrayed an angel named Isalla and cast her into the hells, then her friend Roselynn Emberborn was betrayed by others since she might have heard something from Isalla. It sounds like a portion of the Holy Council is involved in the conspiracy, but I don’t have much information on them, yet.”

  “How did you get the information from this Isalla? You aren’t anywhere near a portal to the hells, and this sounds troubling,” Ratha said, looking at Alserah in concern. “Not that I doubt you, I’m just trying to put the pieces together.”
>
  “Ironically, Isalla was saved by Estalia’s estranged daughter, while Estalia took in Roselynn for safekeeping, then they reunited, just in time for a group of angels to shoot Estalia’s daughter with an arrow like the one Gandar mentioned. It was intended for Estalia, but instead her daughter was teleported into my defenses,” Alserah said, smiling in amusement as Gandar winced.

  “That… would be bad. Did you resurrect her?” the dwarf asked, his voice pained. “I’ve seen those defenses go off, after all.”

  “There wasn’t any need; she has a rather impressive ability to regenerate from damn near anything, so I just had to wait for her to rebuild her body a few days later. In any case, Estalia had the angels, and sent them to retrieve Kitania once she knew where she was. Kitania was the one who told me about the dream spider and how to kill it, and between them they helped fill in many of the gaps of our knowledge. Not enough, but some,” Alserah said, frowning. “Unfortunately, Haral got away during the battle here, so we didn’t have many leads.”

  “What leads do you have? Any group that’s willing to kill deities to serve their own ends is far too dangerous to let move unchecked,” Phillip asked, sitting back in his chair contemplatively.

  “Unfortunately, the highest-ranking member of this society we know of is in Uthren’s Throne,” Alserah said, and all the others groaned, all but Sidina.

  “Of course, where else but one of the most loyal bastions of angelic followers?” Sidina said, considering for a long moment. She focused on Alserah as she asked, “Where are these angels? The ones that gave you information.”

  “They’re on their way to Uthren,” Alserah said, relieved that her friends were taking this seriously. “They want to unmask the conspiracy if they can, since they have people they trust in Uthren’s Throne as well.”

  “Isn’t that dangerous? If they’re your primary source of information, letting them go into territory where they could be killed seems risky,” Ratha murmured, frowning deeply.

  “It is, but there’s no other way to get good information, from my point of view. I’m sure all of you know how difficult it is to get accurate information out of the heavens, and it isn’t like I can investigate without giving everything away,” Alserah said, smiling a little more now. “Besides, with the group I’ve sent I’m rather confident they won’t get themselves killed, at least not easily.”

  All the deities looked unhappy, which was as Alserah expected. Getting information from the heavens was often like pulling teeth. In many cases it was hard to even get an idea of the geography, such as it was for continents floating in a seemingly endless sky.

  “If you say so. The problem is, what can we do?” Phillip said, his frown pronounced as he considered. “It isn’t like we can simply smite the angelic traitors, not without knowing who they are.”

  “That would also invite reprisals if we don’t have evidence,” Gandar added, nodding slightly in agreement.

  “No, we can’t. However, if a group is confident enough to risk reigniting the war, do you really think they’re weak? I want to be prepared to act if they choose to move more overtly,” Alserah said, hesitating a moment before adding, “Besides, this is why I’ve been seriously considering an offer of an alliance with Estalia. She doesn’t want the war to start either, and she’s somewhat invested in keeping the peace at this point. Additionally, she has information on the heavens… not as much as she’d like, according to her, but still more than I had.”

  “How does she have that?” Sidina demanded, her eyebrows rising. “Estalia is on the opposite side of the world, nowhere near any of the portals to the heavens.”

  “That’s the question, isn’t it? However… I do have a guess,” Alserah said, her smile fading as she remembered Eziel, as well as Lady Azalea’s reports of how overwhelming Estalia’s presence had been. That wasn’t even considering the numerous angels she’d seen in Estalia’s palace, and it was that which had informed Alserah’s suspicions.

  “Oh?” Ire’s inquiry was short, and his eyebrows rose as he examined Alserah closely, his curiosity obvious.

  “Unlike many demon lords, Estalia doesn’t kill or torment her captives. Instead, she seems to keep many of them for prisoner exchanges and buys slaves that other factions take. This includes angels, and when another demonic faction needs to exchange prisoners, they often contact her if they don’t have captives,” Alserah said, taking a deep breath to calm herself. Gandar interrupted at that point, to her mild annoyance.

  “Yes, I’m sure we all know that,” the dwarven god said impatiently. “What does that have to do with this?”

  “Because, based on what my ambassador said, Estalia has dozens of utterly devoted angels in her palace, and she can convert them to her service incredibly easily due to her mantle,” Alserah said flatly, pinning Gandar in place with her gaze. He at least had the grace to flush.

  “Wait… you’re saying she can convince angels to change sides easily?” Phillip asked, paling as the man put together what she was saying first. Ire cursed softly under his breath, and Alserah smiled, a tiny part of her taking glee in sharing her worries.

  “Yes, and without magical compulsion, either. Her mantle appears to be primarily focused on social interactions, from what I can tell,” Alserah explained, considering for a long moment before adding more softly, “She can convert someone more directly, but that version is extremely obvious. I don’t think the person involved could hide the change easily.”

  “You’re saying that Estalia has converted angel spies in the heavens,” Ratha stated, her tone flat, and just a hint of disbelief in it.

  “I think it’s likely, yes. How many… I have no idea, but at least a few,” Alserah said, nodding as she settled back, a sense of relief spreading through her now that she’d shared her concerns at last. She debated a little more before adding, “I honestly believe her when she says that she doesn’t want the war to break out, but her long-term goals are more nebulous. Before her representative left, she gave me another message from Estalia, one which stated that if needed, she and a few of her allies would come to help fend off the Society of Golden Dawn.”

  “How? As said before, she’s on the opposite side of the world. The number of ley lines between here and there, plus the portal to the hells makes such difficult,” Sidina murmured, frowning ever so slightly. “By the time she could arrive, any battle would likely be long since over.”

  “No, it wouldn’t,” Alserah said, and she carefully reached into her belt pouch and pulled out a circular disk of gold, inscribed with mithral runes and with a large, flawless ruby atop it. At the sight of the disk Phillip inhaled sharply, sitting up suddenly.

  “Is that a teleportation beacon?” Phillip asked, staring at it in shock.

  “A single-use one, yes,” Alserah said, looking at the beacon warily. “It can only be activated from this end, my magi told me that much. Her representative, a succubus named Vinara, said she had another with her.”

  “Damnation.” Phillip breathed out, still staring at the beacon. The hunger in his gaze startled Alserah, and her eyebrows rose slightly.

  “Alright, what’s the big deal with a teleportation beacon? I haven’t heard of them before,” Ratha said crossly, folding her arms.

  “Teleportation beacons are used to create an artificial ley line from the linked location to the beacon itself. They’re absurdly difficult to make, and I’ve never been able to find records on how they’re constructed,” Phillip said quickly, sitting up straighter as he continued enthusiastically. “They require a huge amount of mana to function and burn out within an hour from what I’ve heard. I’ve never seen more than pictures of one before.”

  “Oh. Oh.” Ratha’s eyes went wide as she looked at the beacon, swallowing as she asked, “So that would allow Estalia to teleport here like it was a single nexus away?”

  “That’s right,” Alserah agreed, letting out a soft breath as she looked at the device warily. “I’ve had my magi examine it, but they told me
this has to be centuries old, and that they had no way of replicating it. It’s simply too complex, and that in comparison to the arrow the angels were going to shoot me with, this is almost as difficult to craft.”

  “I believe it,” Gandar said, examining the beacon with obvious interest. “The gem is nearly flawless, and the precision of the runes… it’s an impressive piece of work.”

  “It’s also dangerous, though how much aid Estalia would be is another question entirely,” Sidina said quietly. “Even assuming she could be trusted, she’s only a single demon queen.”

  “A demon queen who’s been hiding her full capabilities for a long time, but yes, you’re right. That’s why I don’t want to risk facing her without other deities at my side,” Alserah explained, relaxing a little at their caution. “I think she’s being honest, as I said, but that doesn’t mean that I should take risks. I’d like your assistance in ensuring she doesn’t take advantage of the situation should I have need to call for her.”

  “I will be here,” Ire said, nodding slowly, and a rumble of agreement rippled around the table.

  “Excellent,” Alserah said, much of her tension easing as she looked at her friends.

  “I don’t suppose I could look at the beacon, could I?” Phillip asked hopefully, his gaze still fixed on it.

  Alserah laughed, and beside her both Gandar and Ratha chuckled as well.

  Chapter 14

  Estalia stiffened slightly as she sensed a ripple of power behind her, pausing in putting on her necklace. The hesitation was only for an instant, then she spun, her rapier clearing its sheath silently before the necklace could hit the floor. The power of a god was unmistakable, and she wouldn’t be caught off guard, especially if a deity or demon lord had somehow penetrated this deep into her palace.

  The presence was on the other side of the door, and Estalia’s eyes narrowed, bracing herself for whatever might be coming. She briefly considered ringing the bell to raise the alarm but abandoned the notion a moment later. If the intruder had made it this far without raising the alarm, the guards likely wouldn’t be much use anyway. Tensing as the doorknob turned, Estalia braced herself to fight… then froze in shock as the angel stepped into the room.