“I am sure the answer will reveal itself in time,” the elderly man placated.
“One can hope, Orthos,” the noblewoman muttered.
* * *
After awhile and more conversation with Orthos, Kai arrived back home, outside her doors, in a brilliant flash of light. The mercenary found herself already growing fond of this teleportation spell, even considering the possibility of learning it by heart, so she didn't have to have the scroll.
The mercenary had just reached up to push on one of the double doors of her home when she felt a tingling in her bones and turned to look around. At that moment, a flash of light came from a few feet in the air in front of her and dumped a young man out of nothing and onto the ground with a heavy thud. The man stood up and ran his fingers through his shaggy hair and eyed Kaidia for a moment.
“I do hope you're Lady Kaidia, Dragon God and all that,” he said, a little smirk on his lips.
“I am,” Kai answered, studying the young man.
“Ah good, the old buzzard hasn't lost his touch completely,” the man replied, digging into a satchel that hung at his hip from a strap that he had looped over his head.
“Old buzzard?” Kaidia questioned.
“Yes, the old magician who sends us couriers from Vortha through portals when the message we carry is urgent. Last week, he tossed me into one and I ended up coming out of the portal, upside down, and landing head first in a pond,” he grumbled, rummaging through papers in his satchel.
“Well that's not so bad. I'm sure you can swim, kid,” the noblewoman replied.
“Yeah, I can. But landing in the pond wasn't the worst part of it,” he responded.
“Oh?” Kai prompted, curious.
“The worst part was the fact that the pond I landed in happened to be a lake in a High Elf city that was used exclusively by their women to bathe and there were about twenty of them there when I fell in. Usually, that would be a dream come true for a young man like myself, but it becomes considerably less heavenly when you have to climb out of the water and there are many armed elves waiting on you. Even if the women look really lovely in that armor. Luckily they listened to why I was there instead of killing me outright. They just tossed me out of the city,” the young man explained.
“Sounds like an adventure,” the mercenary replied with a chuckle.
“Oh sure, yeah, an adventure about three days ride from where I was supposed to be sent,” the courier replied, finally pulling out a letter and holding it out to Kaidia.
“It could have been worse. You could have fallen into an orc bath house,” the warrior responded, taking the letter.
“Thank the gods that didn't happen,” the young man chuckled.
“You're welcome,” Kai responded with a raised brow and a faint smirk.
“Oh, right. You're a god. Forgot. You're personable and such. I would imagine the divine beings of the world to be more... stuffy,” the courier replied.
“Perhaps I am just the odd god out,” Kaidia suggested with a shrug before closing her free hand into a fist, then opening it and tossing the silver coin that had appeared there to the courier. The young man caught the coin and eyed it for a moment.
“Perhaps so. You are definitely the odd person out when it comes to compensation. Half the people don't even give me anything. Those that do give me steel coins. Which aren't bad, mind you, but they're no silver. Thank you,” he said with a smirk.
“You're welcome. Oh, and try not to fall into any Esmera bath ponds along the way,” Kai quipped with a smile. The young courier just grinned, bowed, turned, and walked away.
Kai glanced over the letter she'd been handed and quirked a brow as she noticed the Valengaard family crest embedded in the wax that sealed it shut. She was just about to break the seal when she felt that tingling in her bones again that told her magic was being worked nearby.
A few feet away, a flash of light caused Kai to squint, and out of the flash stepped a woman dressed in fine robes of rich black with golden trim. The light behind her faded and she smiled pleasantly upon seeing Kaidia.
“Wonderful. I don't have to go searching for you, God of Dragons,” the woman said, giving Kai a respectful bow before she reached into her robes and pulled forth a tightly coiled scroll of paper that was bound with a red ribbon. She held it out to Kaidia, still smiling.
“Let me guess, this is important too,” Kai said, taking the offered scroll.
“Yes, Mistress Kaidia. It is from the King's Council,” the woman replied. She was beautiful. Her hair was reddish blonde, her eyes a deep brown, and her smile warm as the spring sun.
“The King's Council?” Kaidia asked, her eyes fixing on the woman questioningly.
“Yes, Mistress. It is urgent business,” the woman replied, her smile fading a little.
“What about?” the noble asked, raising a brow.
“I suppose you do not know. Corrana has fallen to an army that swept through two days ago. The King, the Queen, the Prince and Princess... were all slain. The royal line is dead. That scroll is a summons to meet the King's Council. I assume to discuss what to do next,” the messenger answered grimly, her smile gone now.
“Wonderful. Politics. And they'll be all frantic because of the dead royals. Though it's sad to hear about the king, I actually liked him,” Kai muttered.
“He was a good man. And you are a noble, you must be used to political games,” the woman responded.
“I am. I don't like them. I thought being a god might exempt me from such things,” Kai replied.
“Apparently not, Mistress Kaidia,” the black robed woman said, her smile returning.
“Indeed. Thank you,” Kai said before she held out a silver coin. The woman declined by holding up a hand.
“No need, Mistress. I'm not your typical courier,” she said softly.
“If you say so,” Kai replied with a shrug, the coin disappearing as she wrapped her fingers around it.
“I do. Now, I must be on my way. The scroll contains the details for your meeting with the Council, Mistress. Have a lovely day,” the woman said before she waved a hand, the blinding light reappearing. She disappeared into it and it faded, leaving Kai by herself, now with two letters of seemingly major importance.
She opened the scroll first, taking in when and where she was supposed to meet the King's Council. She was pleased to see the meeting was to take place in Mehroth. After a moment's thought, however, she speculated that the meeting taking place there must mean that Corrana had been all but, if not entirely, wiped out.
Next, she opened the letter from Vortha, assuming that it was from her sister, given the seal. She was shocked, however, to find Sae-Mirra's handwriting instead. She read the letter swiftly, her expression growing stern. She tucked the letter and the scroll away in her belt before taking the teleportation scroll in hand again.
She read softly, barely a whisper. A bright light materialized in front of her. She rolled up the scroll, tucked it away, took a deep breath, and stepped into the light.
Chapter III: A Return to Vortha
Kaidia stepped out of the portal and onto ice. There was a chill in the air, yet the sun beat down with an unmistakable summer heat. The mercenary looked around. She could see a massive wall of ice standing between herself and the city walls of Vortha. All around her were soldiers run through with spikes of ice that appeared to be impervious to the sun's heat. Some soldiers were nailed to the ground while others were lifted into the air or impaled while standing on their feet. They wore the same armor as the group that had attacked Quinolt. A few had their helms knocked off in their mad scramble to get away from the icy death that had chased them down. Their faces were, quite literally, frozen in silent screams and expressions of pain. They appeared to be mostly orcs with a few elves of all three elven nations scattered in as well. A few dwarves, humans, and even a kyrian or two were also among the dead. She couldn't help but feel a hint of pride at the display of power her sister had shown.
�
��That's my little sister,” the noble said with a smirk. She glanced around, keeping an eye out until she spied a small group near the center of the wall. The mercenary made her way toward the group, glancing over the wealth of dead soldiers as she passed. When she got near, Sae-Mirra broke away from the group and ran towards Kai.
“You came quickly! Good! Nadia needs your help!” the kyrian said, obviously worried.
“I read the letter you sent. She just overexerted herself. Just be glad she wasn't using fire or lightning magic when she did it,” Kaidia said reassuringly. Sae nodded and led the way back to the group. There were a few of the city guard members and a couple of mages, all eyeing a place in the ice wall. Kai stepped near, and though she knew what had happened, she still found herself momentarily taken aback by what she saw.
There, encased in the ice, was Nadia. A look of fierce rage on her features, her sightless eyes glaring out at the icy field of death. Despite appearing awake, Kaidia knew that Nadia was in a deep sleep. It's what happened if one exerted too much power in a spell and survived the aftermath.
“We need to heat this up. Considering the magnitude of this, I wouldn't mind some assistance from you two,” Kai said, gesturing to the two mages, one male and one female.
The two robed mages were obviously surprised by the request, but they beamed with pride and nodded their acknowledgment before stepping over on either side of Kaidia, using their staves to balance themselves on the ice. Once they took up their footing, they laid the crystals atop their staves against the ice. Kai wasn't surprised. The two were young, likely freshly graduated from whichever academy they had chosen to attend. Trying to wield the power of magic without a focusing object was dangerous for most magic users. Only those with years of training or a natural talent could use magic without having the need of tools to do so.
Kaidia placed her hands on the ice as well. A radiant glow emanated from underneath her palms and soon the crystals atop the mages' staves were glowing as well. Suffocating heat radiated off of the three, causing Sae-Mirra and the city guards to take a few steps back. The wall of ice began to sweat, rivulets of water trickling down to the ice covered ground, making it slicker yet. The mages were straining, a sheen of sweat on their faces. Kaidia was obviously concentrating but she wasn't pouring on all she had, either. If she did, she might accidentally harm Nadia in the process.
The ice slowly melted away, bit by bit, until Kai reached in and pulled Nadia from the frozen wall. Nadia leaned on her sister heavily and looked up at her with unfocused eyes.
“Sa... saved my ass again, Sis,” she muttered weakly, then went limp in Kai's arms, passing out.
“Nadia!” Sae shouted, bolting forward, nearly falling to the ice in her haste.
“She'll be fine, Sae. She just needs rest. Lots of it. She'll be in a real deep sleep for awhile, I would imagine,” Kaidia said reassuringly.
“Let's get her home then,” the kyrian insisted and started walking toward the city.
Kaidia glanced over to the two mages, gave them an approving nod, then scooped her sister up in her arms, and started after Sae-Mirra.
* * *
After settling Nadia into the bed she shared with Sae, the kyrian and Kaidia found themselves sitting in the dining room downstairs, talking.
“Do you know how long she'll be like that, Kai?”
“No. It could be a few hours, a few days, a few weeks, even a few years. But she's young and strong, so I'd say she'll snap out of it sooner, rather than later.”
“Well, that is a bit of good news, I suppose.”
“It is said that for every dark cloud, there is a silver lining.”
“That is usually true. So what now?”
“Now, I need to go home and get some rest. I have a meeting tomorrow with the King's Council to discuss the appointment of a new King.”
“What? What happened to King Pyrus?”
“Corrana was attacked by another detachment from the same army that Vortha was attacked by. They weren't as lucky. From what I understand, the city was decimated and the entire royal line was killed. I have no doubt that was the intention. Throw the humans into chaos by killing their King, his successors, and heirs.”
“That's terrible... but at least they're reacting to it logically.”
“Agreed. Not something I expect from politicians. They generally run around spouting the dumbest things I ever hear. Or the most corrupted things I ever hear. Rarely does anything good come from a bureaucrat.”
“That's true enough. I bet you dislike some of the trappings that come with being a noble... and a god, come to think of it.”
“Of course. It'll get worse once I take over for mother and father... though I will have Nadia to help share the load. But it will still be a massive pain in the ass. I'm a warrior; I have little time for political crap.”
“I have no idea what it's like, but I suspect I will find out shortly. With your parents gone and Nadia out of commission, I'm the acting Lady of Vortha.”
“That's right. Good luck with that,” Kai chuckled.
“It's not funny. I have no idea what the hell I'm doing,” Sae retorted, laying her feline ears back against her hair.
“Now now, calm down. All I can really tell you is to use your head and you'll be fine. You're a smart woman, Sae.”
“Thanks. I sent a messenger to Boreth and Syren. I'm sure they won't take long in returning. They like me, but I'm sure your parents don't trust me to handle the responsibilities of nobility for terribly long. I'm not experienced after all.”
“Nor will you be if you're the fifth ranking noble in Vortha all the time.”
“Fifth?”
“Yes. Father is first, mother is second, I am third, Nadia is forth, and you are fifth. If I were to get married again, it would bump you down to sixth. Though when I'm out of the city, you're actually ranked fourth since they'd come to you before sending a courier to me. Though that depends on the situation, really.”
Sae-Mirra sighed. “This is all terribly complicated.”
“Once you actually understand it, it's simple.”
“That's the way everything is, woman!”
Kaidia laughed and leaned back in her chair.
“Yes, yes. Is there anything else I can do for you before I leave? I have an injured priestess and a servant girl waiting on me at home. Not to mention a temple in Quinolt I should probably check in on before I head to Mehroth for that meeting with the King's Council tomorrow.”
“Busy woman. I think I'll be fine without your divine guidance. But thank you for coming so quickly.”
“Of course. She's my sister and you are as well, if not by blood. I wouldn't leave you in dire straits if I could help it.”
“You're a nice god, you know.”
“Yeah, I know,” Kaidia chuckled and stood up.
Sae-Mirra stood up too. “Nadia talked to the leader of the group that attacked the city.”
“She did? Did you happen to catch any of it with those big ears of yours?”
Sae gave Kai a playful glare. “No. They were too far out, but the conversation seemed polite. Then all hell broke loose and Nadia went all out. That's the most powerful magic I've ever seen. And what makes it scary, is that I know you're stronger. And you're likely not the only one in the world.”
“I know I'm not the only one in the world stronger than Nadia, but she is stronger than most. Remember that most magic users have to have tools to work their magic, a staff, a weapon, a piece of jewelry. A focus object of some sort. She doesn't need that.”
“But she works her magic through her weapons.”
“By choice. She doesn't need to and often does so just to augment her weapons, to make them more dangerous. After all, getting cut by a sword is bad, getting cut by one that is colder than ice is worse.”
“I suppose you're right.”
“I know I am. I use the same technique now and again.”
“Oh well, that just makes it all right as rain,” Sae s
tated sarcastically.
“Of course it does,” Kai chuckled, then scratched Sae behind the ear for a moment, eliciting a loud purr from the cat girl. “I should be on my way. Keep in touch.”
“I will,” Sae replied, then pouted lightly as the scratching stopped, as always. Kai smiled, and saw herself out.
* * *
By the time Kaidia stepped onto the grass in front of her home, the sun was sinking in the sky and the shadows were growing long. She pushed open her front doors and let them swing shut behind her before descending into her subterranean home. Upon stepping into the main chamber, she saw Xerith relaxing in one of several chairs, reading a book. She appeared fully healed, but tired. Her robes were once again flawless and bright. She looked up to Kaidia, apparently sensing the other woman's presence.
“Welcome home. You were gone awhile,” the priestess remarked.
“I actually returned from Quinolt around midday, but was immediately set upon by two different couriers with urgent messages. One from Vortha and the other from the King's Council,” Kaidia replied.
“Vortha? The King's Council? What has happened?” Xerith asked, showing restrained alarm as she closed the book she had been reading and set it aside.
“Both Vortha and Corrana were attacked. Corrana was razed. The royal family is dead. The King's Council apparently wants my opinion on who to appoint as the new king. Nadia slaughtered the soldiers attacking Vortha, but overexerted herself in the process. She's in a deep sleep, when she will wake is anyone's guess,” Kaidia explained.
“Corrana had many temples and holy sites. Vortha has a few temples for gods of war and there are plans to erect one dedicated to you. Corrana is a tragedy, but Vortha is a good sign. Whoever these soldiers are, they can be beaten,” the holy woman said, mildly upbeat.
“Yes, I found that out for myself,” Kai responded.
“Oh yes, I assume the trip to Quinolt went well,” Xerith said.
“Yes. I got there just in time. What few town guards they had, along with the people, were standing guard in front of the temple they'd built to honor me. I appeared between them and the advancing troops, killed their leader, and then killed them. Their leader was a Smoke Elf. It was strange to see one outside of the Dread Forest. I told the people to build a defensive wall and spoke with the priest of my temple. Everyone seemed pretty happy,” Kai expounded.
Realms of Valen - Blasphemous Crusade (War of the Gods Book 2) Page 3
