“No tea for me, thank you,” Diane declined calmly, stepping over and pulling back the chair to sit. “And I am Diane Yisara.”
“I’m Jaine. Why do you call him old? He doesn’t look old for a human,” Jaine added shyly, stepping closer herself and taking a seat. “Oh, and, um, no tea for me, either.”
“Ulvian is very old for a human. He’s nearly a century old, and has delayed aging with his magic,” Elissa explained, pouring a cup of tea for herself before sitting. “But enough about him. How are the two of you doing? Are you being treated well?”
“Well enough,” Diane replied quietly, biting back an urge to comment about the displeasure of having a succubus in her head every damned night, trying to seduce her and plant doubts in her mind. “While the situation is not unpleasant, being here is something I don’t appreciate.”
Elissa didn’t interrupt, instead looking at Jaine, who looked down and fidgeted as she answered. “I’m doing fairly well. The room is nice, the baths are good, and there’s a decent garden behind the palace. But it’s so confining. I’m managing, but it’s hard, being trapped here. We may not actually be slaves, but there’s little difference in my mind.”
“That’s because everyone is a slave,” Elissa spoke calmly, sipping at her tea again, and gave them a small smile when they looked at her in shock.
“What do you mean by that?” Diane asked, irritated by the odd statement, but mostly curious.
“Life is slavery. Growing up, we’re slaves to the expectations and commands of our parents, or to society if we lack parents. Gods are slaves to the desires of their worshipers. Kings and queens are slaves to the needs of their nations,” Elissa explained calmly, looking Diane directly in the eyes as she continued, her tone serene. “And if all else fails, we’re slaves to our own desires. The question is not whether or not to be slaves. It’s to find a master that we believe is worthy of our servitude.”
“That’s ridiculous! How could being a queen or princess be slavery?” Jaine protested, bristling.
Diane found herself taken aback, and frowned as she worked through Elissa’s words. As much as she hated to admit it, it was hard to directly refute. It was definitely at odds with her own philosophy.
“As a princess, could you go anywhere you wanted, and do anything that you wished?” Elissa asked, raising an eyebrow.
“No. I always had guards, and some places were too dangerous.” Jaine faltered slightly.
“Thus, your slavery. You were a slave to your position and expectations,” Elissa told Jaine gently. “There’s nothing wrong with it. You simply have to consider it differently. Are you willing to be a slave to the position that you were in?”
“I could always have chosen to reject the throne, though,” Diane interjected. “I could have done it in order to reject this ‘slavery’ you speak of.”
“Yes, you could have. And when you did so, you would have cast off one set of chains in favor of a new set. No matter what you chose, you would have ended up in another situation where the expectations would weigh on you,” the priestess countered, smiling sadly. “It is merely another form of slavery.”
“And I disagree. What about you, what about your brand?” Diane asked, frowning deeply. She was trying to come up with a way to solidly refute the philosophy, but how could she? It wasn’t as if Elissa was saying people had no choice.
“My brand is to My Lady Eminence. I am a slave to Tyria,” Elissa told her, reaching down to caress the symbol. “And she is a slave to her worshipers. One day, My Goddess in Chains will find a master or mistress worthy of her, and she will give up her everything to them when she does. I have made my peace with how it is, and I made my decision.”
“But if you can cast off a master for one who chooses, how do you justify what happens in Kelvanis? So many people get enslaved, and they can’t choose their masters!” Jaine protested.
“I don’t justify it. I think that the tendency to raid other nations is abominable,” Elissa replied, frowning sadly. “In warfare, I could see it as… tolerable. Many nations kill enormous numbers of opposing soldiers, so saving lives in that manner could be justified, if only barely. I see it as fair for those who choose to enter it to pay off a debt, or for criminals who would otherwise be subject to death, as they then become productive members of society, but I have little control over what has happened.”
Any protests or accusations Diane was about to make died when the priestess disagreed with the actions that Kelvanis had taken. It was something she hadn’t expected, and after a moment she let out a soft sigh, shaking her head as she told the woman, “I cannot say that I agree with your views, Elissa, but at least you don’t glory in what the Archon has done to my homeland. Your beliefs are somewhat abhorrent to me, but I will admit that they are your own. Can you accept that?”
“Thank you for your honesty, Diane. I also have no intention of going out of my way to convert you, save by example and the sermons.” Elissa’s smile was gentle and she nodded to Jaine. “Though if you ever have questions, I’ll happily talk about it for hours. Now then, do you have any concerns that I can help with? I don’t mind hurting Ulvian more if necessary to make life more comfortable for you. It is my job to help those who’re slaves, after all… which means everyone.”
Jaine looked uncomfortable for a moment, but after a moment she asked, “Maybe, could we get a chance to talk to some of the people from back home? Those who’ve been taken?”
“That shouldn’t be hard. I’m sure you saw some of them during the service,” Elissa mused.
“I did,” Diane agreed, frowning. She didn’t have any real issues to discuss, but after a moment she sighed and asked, “Could I ask for news? Anything at all? I feel so uninformed in the palace.”
“Certainly! Where to begin?” Elissa exclaimed, obviously considering what to speak of next, and set her tea aside as she began to inform them of what was happening.
“How are things coming along with the queen and princess?” Ulvian asked, looking at Tyria.
“Jaine’s mind is virtually defenseless, and should be relatively easy to shape, given time. I’m not certain what timeframe, but she is an easier target than her mother. Diane is mentally resilient, but overconfident in her natural defenses,” Wenris replied calmly, reaching through the crystal to inject Serel again. “She is extremely tough, and it may take me until this time next year to bring her even halfway to where you wish her. Both hate you, and if I leave the attraction to you aside, it would make the process easier.”
Serel was looking very different than she once had. The human woman’s facial tattoo was gone, as were her scars. In addition, she now had a pair of horns growing from her forehead, as well as a pair of half-formed wings and a tail growing from her back. Soon enough, she and the other Enforcers would be more demon than human.
“Fine. That part can wait, Wenris. You’re the expert, after all.” Ulvian’s spirits lifted at her explanation, smiling. “Which brings me to them. What do you think?”
He nodded at the center of the room, and Wenris pursed her lips as she looked at the angel and goddess herself. The angel now had light purple wings, and she looked little like her previous self due to the succubus blood which had been injected into her. Her hair had changed from copper to a vibrant crimson, but her halo was a light purple instead. Tyria, formerly Medaea, had changed much less, but change she had. Her hair was now a lavender shade that was slowly darkening, and her lips a deeper purple.
“The angel is ready to be fully corrupted. All of her defenses have been destroyed by the demonic blood at this point, and if we choose to rename her, it will successfully destroy her prior true name,” Wenris replied, frowning. “The goddess is to the point that we can use the liquid from Serel and the others without true risk. It does make me nervous, but she has lost most of the direct protections she once possessed. I would not risk undiluted demon blood, however.”
“Oh, of course not! She might still be upset about that. But soon�
� soon we’ll have her. This is enormously faster than I’d dreamed to hope for!” Ulvian told her, laughing as he turned to the succubus, grinning broadly. “Thank you for your help, Wenris! If it weren’t for you, I’d be looking at decades more!”
“Thank Lady Irethiel, my lord. She was the one who directed me to aid you in your efforts.” Wenris gave a mock-curtsey, which looked silly with her lack of clothing.
“Even so. Thank you,” Ulvian answered, smiling more broadly. “You didn’t have to help with Diane and Jaine, but you did.”
“Oh, it’s my pleasure, my lord,” Wenris replied, her tone brightening and her eyes all but sparkling as she grinned. “Elves are just so much fun to corrupt.”
Chapter 40
Daniel lunged forward explosively, the ground almost blurring under him as the world seemed to slow down, even as his rush continued at normal speed. The thorn shambler was moving so very slowly, unable to intercept Daniel as his glowing white blade struck it. An instant later, the world snapped back into focus, and the creature all but exploded as the impact of his attack shattered its core, while Daniel’s stomach lurched.
“Holy shit!” Eric’s exclamation echoed in the chamber as the last of their opponents fell.
Leaning over, Daniel took several deep breaths, his muscles aching in the aftermath of his attack. Every time he used the incredible lunge, it ate into his stamina heavily, and only a full night’s rest seemed to help him recover, but the sheer power of the strike was intoxicating in its own way.
“Daniel, you really shouldn’t be so quick to use that attack. I know that your spirit allows you to heal yourself more quickly, but that ability stresses your body immensely,” Joseph spoke up, concern in the cleric’s voice. “I don’t want you to use it sometime and be debilitated when you run into an opponent shortly afterward.”
“I’m mostly… trying to get used to it. I figure if I use it on… the last opponent…” Daniel gasped, then gulped down air for a moment before speaking more normally. “I figure that using it then will help me figure out its limits and side effects. I don’t like the idea of being like this in the middle of a fight.”
“Ah. That makes a lot more sense,” Eileen said, seeming relieved as she watched him in concern. “It’s incredible to watch. You turn into a streak of light before you appear again, and your attack just seems to make your target explode.”
“Yeah. I just hit it, and it hits hard. Hurts my arm some, too,” Daniel confirmed, standing up straight and wincing. “Anybody else hurt?”
“Nope, we’re all fine. Try not to get yourself hurt doing that,” Eric advised, shaking his head.
Sayla nodded, sheathing her daggers now that they were clean and looking around the room. She smiled and pointed at a corner. “Violetroot.”
“Oh good!” Eileen smiled. “That’ll help. One of these days we’ll actually get to go down to a lower floor.”
“I wouldn’t be looking forward to that. It gets tough pretty damned fast,” Joseph warned, and sighed. “Hell, even the second floor is going to be tough for you guys. Take it easy for now, and get your feet under you. You’ve got time.”
“Maybe so. I just have to wonder… why did the dungeon decide on plants?” Eileen asked.
“Because she’s a dryad?” Daniel suggested.
“Shut up, Danny,” Eric interrupted, smiling. “Let’s get a couple more rooms done and go back out.”
Sistina was pretty much certain she’d gotten all of the ghouls at this point. Nearly fifty of them had been crushed over the past week, and it was incredibly obnoxious just how many of them there were. The first time there had been plenty, but they’d come in a trickle after that. The last two times she’d tried to lure them out, there hadn’t been any ghouls, though, so she finally felt confident going inside. She didn’t want to waste the mana needed to create another body.
She’d found torn fragments of her previous body in the hallway where she’d fallen, and the scattered bits of semi-plant flesh had made her cringe. Obviously she hadn’t been terribly appetizing to the ghouls, since there was actually some of her left. It was probably that she was largely plant that had done it. Sistina made a note to deal with the body before anyone else came down here. She didn’t want Phynis to freak out. She did retrieve her dagger, noting a couple of tooth marks on it with a scowl.
A short distance from the remnants of her body was the mangled rubble that had once been her golem, as well as shredded bits of nearly a dozen more ghouls. It must have taken dozens of the ghouls to take down the golem, but their claws had managed to dig astonishingly deep into the stone, breaking enough that they were able to tear it asunder and destroy the core of its magic. Looking at it, Sistina let out a soft sigh. It was fortunate that the invasion led by Jared and the Jewels hadn’t been equipped with hammers and the like… if they had, they would have had a much better chance against the golem. But examining the way it’d been destroyed would likely give her a better idea of how to build the next one.
It was continuing to examine the rest of the academy that was depressing. The wing she’d entered had obviously once been dormitories for the students, as well as experiment rooms. It had been largely destroyed over the years by the ghouls, but there were a few pieces of artwork or relics of long-dead students that made for depressing reminders that people had lived here. In particular, the tarnished silver amulet with a pair of magically preserved portraits of what Sistina assumed were a young man or woman’s parents struck her, and she carefully picked it up, and then held it close as she continued through the empty halls.
The wing proved to be essentially empty of anything useful, so she turned and made her way the other direction. The necromantic aura was growing stronger as Sistina walked, and she frowned, slowing down as she moved. About halfway down the hall, she stopped, eyes narrowing as she saw a barrier of darkness shrouding the hallway and hiding what was behind it.
Murmuring a spell, Sistina examined the structure of the spell, and her frown turned into a scowl. The barrier was black magic designed to reap the souls of those who entered it, then to corrupt their corpses into ghouls. The very idea made her skin crawl, but it was far too obvious, so she looked for the trap that must accompany it.
It took a minute of examining the foul weave to find the first hints of the secondary trap within it. This one was far more sinister, designed to strike those who tried to dismantle the first spell and to allow the caster to attempt to possess and replace the soul of the unfortunate victim. But now that she knew it was there, she could dismantle both spells.
Sistina stood there for nearly half an hour, mentally mapping out how to rip each of the two spells apart. Finally satisfied, she began to slowly, carefully cast her own spell, an intricate weave of magic which she carefully designed to counter the two spells which she saw ahead of her. It took another few minutes to cast the spell, but at last she finished, and a glittering net drifted from her hands to touch the barrier of darkness.
The barrier shuddered as her net touched it, and then began to break apart, with a sound like slowly shattering stone. A spectral scream suddenly broke the silence, a female voice in ancient elven shrieking its rage. “No, no! Stop, you witch! I deserve that body, me! You can’t steal it from me!”
As the barrier broke, Sistina saw beyond it a pedestal with a large obsidian orb floating above it. Within the orb was a skeletal elven face, the woman’s features twisted in rage as she screamed curses at Sistina, and magic gathered around the orb in her rage, necromancy pulsing more powerfully as she focused on the dryad.
Sistina barely blinked, frowning and speaking quietly. “No. You are dead. Rest.”
“I will not rest! I waited, and I deserve life!” the woman cursed, bolts of dark power forming around the orb as she screamed at Sistina, and Sistina sighed, gesturing and allowing her net to move forward again just as the bolts of entropic energy lunged toward her.
The web of glittering magic cut the bolts apart with nothing more than a
dull hiss, and it closed around the orb slowly. Sistina sighed and shook her head. “Necromancy… bad. No.”
“You… what are you? You can’t do that!” the woman cursed, marshaling more magic against the glittering web, and the darkness quickly began to fight back, forcing the web backward as it dimmed. “Ha! You won’t be able to kill me, witch! I’m immortal, I’ve outlasted all the others, and I’ll take your body, too!”
Frowning, Sistina sighed as she examined the magic being used against her own spell. She’d designed it to counter the barrier, so it wasn’t perfect against general necromantic magic… but the orb was also effectively a soulstone of some type. As the realization distracted her, the spirit managed to push back her spell slightly, and Sistina shook her head to focus. Pointing at her own spell, she poured more power into it, stabilizing it. She had to make this quick, but at least she had the power to overcome the spirit.
“How… no, you can’t have this much mana!” the spirit screeched, waves of darkness surrounding the orb in layers as she fought Sistina. “What are you doing?”
Sistina began to murmur, reaching out and carefully modifying her spell as it fought against the necromancy battering against it. Unlike with the ghouls, this was almost restful. The dead mage couldn’t move and interrupt her, which meant that she could take her time. Besides, her soul was far outside the woman’s reach, adding to her confidence.
The glittering web grew brighter as she changed it, altering it to more perfectly counter the spells being used by her opponent. And as it changed, the web started constricting toward the orb, tightening as it cut through the necromancy in its path.
“No, no… no! How can you alter a spell already cast! That can’t be done!” the spirit protested, looking around from her orb in growing worry and panic.
“Can. Did,” Sistina replied calmly, tilting her head for a moment as she considered, then admitted, “Difficult.”
Spells of Old (Ancient Dreams Book 2) Page 28
