I hesitated, since I really hadn’t planned to talk with this creature any time soon. I had been granted the ability to meet it as part of a tenuous alliance between House Wiegraf and House Listoh, which had been struck sometime before my arrival in this world. While some of the details of the alliance still escaped me, the one which I was acutely aware of was the fact that I had been granted the means to contact and enter into a binding agreement with a supernatural creature of incredible power, and that creature had been this ‘Co’Zar’I’Us.
Of course, the entire gesture on the part of House Listoh (which was the most powerful assembly of Summoning and Binding practitioners in Veldyrian) was little more than to provide me with an introduction to the creature. Co’Zar’I’Us had made its Binding ‘requirements’ clear, and they would have to be agreed to before it would actually participate in any form of beneficence.
“I’m still not certain I can fulfill your demands,” I said slowly. “And even if I can, I already said that I won’t be party to the subjugation of free will,” I finished a little too defiantly.
The creature swelled in size, and its form shifted to that of a miniature tornado, complete with tiny streaks of lightning sparking in its core. “You dare!” it boomed in a voice filled with thunder. “Your careless utterance of my name in the open air has exposed my realm to all who might have heard your wayward voice—including that abomination which means to take more than just your pathetic life!”
I wasn’t sure what was more unsettling; Co’Zar’I’Us, The Cloud King’s tempestuous fury, or the fact that he had somehow divined that the Iron Butcher had designs on more than just the fate of my body.
But Co’Zar’I’Us wasn’t finished. “You should taste the fury of the Five Winds for such effrontery, and yet you have the audacity to dictate terms to me in my own home?!” he roared with the force of a tornado, and I was almost thrown from my feet but I managed to kneel down and keep my general position even with nothing to hold.
His quickly expanding form morphed until it was shaped like a cyclone. He stood at least twenty feet tall and nearly as wide at the top, tapering to a miniscule point at the base which whipped across the surface of the cloud almost hungrily.
This was going even worse than I had previously feared, but I had to find a way to salvage the situation. “Co’Zar’I’Us, King of Clouds and Lord of Storm,” I began in my most supplicant tone, “I kneel before your awesome fury and beg forgiveness.” I had no idea how to do this, but I figured groveling was inevitable and thought that I might as well get started on my own terms.
“You kneel,” he boomed with a peal of lightning to punctuate the second word, “because I make you kneel! You beg because you fear the imminent end of your meaningless life! Why should I enter into compact with such a pitiful wretch like you?” His words and voice were still violent, but his form had stopped growing and the miniature lightning crackling at his center was less abundant.
I had to think fast, but nothing was coming to me so I blurted, “I didn’t fully understand your terms when we spoke last,” I began, unsure of what force caused my tongue to keep moving, “and I come before you to seek clarity, that I might complete our negotiations and beseech your aid whilst it might still be of benefit to my wretched self.” Those didn’t sound like my words, but I was thankful to have spoken them at that moment.
Co’Zar’I’Us’ face re-appeared in top of the cyclone and he looked down on my kneeling form. He stared for what seemed like an eternity before his form began to slowly shrink, until eventually he was barely larger than a man, and had returned to his roughly humanoid shape.
“That I have given offense,” my mouth continued, “pains me deeply and I humbly submit myself to your mercy.” Now that was definitely not me speaking, and I was more than a little alarmed at hearing myself say words I hadn’t intended to.
“Your words finally carry with them the respect I deserve,” the Cloud King said, his anger dissipating quickly. “But it disturbs me…” he said, and I felt my face being lifted by something cold and wet, which I looked down and saw was his hand. “I hear not one, but two voices when I speak with you…and there is nothing more disturbing that not knowing with whom I speak.”
I actually waited a few seconds to see what I would say next, but when nothing came I decided to do my best on my own. “I do not wish to cause you alarm, great Cloud King,” I stammered. “My allies are seconds away from death and I find that I am not feeling like myself, if I’m being perfectly honest.”
His eyes locked with mine and I could sense the awful power within this malevolent, unpredictable creature. His vaporous head nodded and his expression shifted somewhat, but I couldn’t read it through all the special effects that made up the rest of his body.
“You speak the truth,” he said doubtfully, “or at least, it is the truth as you believe it. But that is not enough for me,” he said ominously.
I felt a wave of panic wash over me. If I couldn’t convince Co’Zar’I’Us to help me, I was absolutely certain that even if I managed to take the Iron Butcher out before I ran out of power, every single one of my companions would die.
“Please,” I pleaded, “my companions are about to die!” It was weak, but it was all I could come up with at that moment.
The Cloud King shook his head. “Time flows differently here, or do you not remember that?” he looked at me with clear puzzlement.
I closed my eyes and cursed myself silently. In truth, I had overlooked that factor. The last time I had visited the Cloud Realm (as Co’Zar’I’Us referred to it) we had stayed for what seemed like months, but it turned out to be just a few hours by the time we returned. He had been very specific that time was not slower in his realm, it was just…different.
We had left on something of a less-than-happy note, but the door had remained open for future dealings. If not, he probably would have killed us rather than let us go.
“Again,” I said after a moment’s pause to collect myself, “I ask your forgiveness. I’m still a little edgy given the circumstances, and I find myself more than slightly confused at the moment.”
The Cloud King’s voice pulsed and his form shook repeatedly, which I realized after a moment’s confusion was his equivalent of laughter. “That is perhaps the first truly honest thing you have said since returning to my home,” he said with a broad smile on his dark lips.
To call Co’Zar’I’Us mercurial would be something of an understatement. His mood swings were one of many reasons why I hadn’t completed our Pact of Binding almost a year earlier. In fact, it was one such mood swing which had precipitated our longer-than-expected stay as ‘house guests,’ in his terms. It hadn’t been a total loss, as I was able to study a handful of ancient tablets he kept in his private collection. That study had greatly expanded my own understanding of Elemental magics, specifically, and the function of magic in general.
I was keen to take advantage of his goodwill, however long it might last. “I don’t want to waste your time,” I began quickly, “so I would like you to remind me your requirements which must be fulfilled before you enter into the Mutual Pact of Binding.”
The Cloud King’s form swirled and droplets of water flew every direction from his position. I took the affectation to be his equivalent of a snort. “As I said previously, when your attentions were quite obviously elsewhere,” he chided, “you are to supply me with any knowledge you naturally learn which might aid in the war against my enemies; you are compelled to answer my summons no more than once per each of your years; and you are to supply me with a suitable living host through which I might conduct my affairs in the world of mortals.”
It was exactly as I remembered it, so I nodded agreeably. “The first condition,” I said, “is easily agreed upon. The second seems only fair, as the Pact allows me to summon your assistance as often as I can supply a suitable supply of energy for you to use when you are summoned.” I hesitated before slumping my shoulders, “But I cannot in good cons
cience coerce someone into becoming your vessel—especially when I know that it will result in more than just their body’s death.”
“Then we have a problem,” Co’Zar’I’Us seethed as his nebulous form began to darken and swirl with increasing speed.
I held my hands up. “Whoa, just wait a second,” I began quickly. “Maybe you need to explain to me the specifics of what constitutes a ‘suitable’ living host. We might be able to find common ground.”
The Cloud King was obviously still furious, but his form wasn’t growing and nothing appeared to be getting any worse. His expression became thunderous, “You would waste my time—that of an Ancient Guardian—over such semantics? I have never held such torturous negotiations with your kind before,” he growled as his cloud-like form darkened. “I find my patience wearing thin,” he boomed as a lightning bolt exploded through his form.
I suddenly folded my arms and tapped my foot impatiently, which wasn’t something I had planned or instigated at all. “You are in no position to argue, Cloud King,” I spat unwittingly. Now I was pissed! Someone was controlling of me, and I was going to figure out who or what it was and put a stop to it.
“You dare!” exploded the Cloud King, as he literally expanded into a swirling maelstrom which consumed everything I could see. I found myself caught in the eye of the storm, as it were, and I was acutely aware that if I moved even five feet in any direction I would be shredded by the impossible, roaring winds. “You insolent, pathetic mortal; I shall feast upon your soul!”
My head shook defiantly and a laugh spat from my lips. “You will do no such thing, self-proclaimed King of Clouds,” I heard my voice retort, “the only reason we are in negotiation is because The Guild has deemed you unfit to serve their members, likely owing to your multitude of inconsistencies.”
I was as furious as Co’Zar’I’Us, and both of our furies were directed at the same person: whoever it was who had taken control of my body.
My voice continued against my wishes. “So put an end to the theatrics and let us conclude our business, as we ought to have done long ago,” my voice finished, and I instantly felt that I was in control again.
“You insult me,” he seethed, and I could see the edge of the maelstrom inching closer and closer to me, “in my own home, you dare to insult me,” he continued, his roaring voice the only thing penetrating the din of the maelstrom encircling me.
This time, I understood more clearly how to deal with the creature, in no small part due to the bastard who had somehow made me his puppet a moment ago. I stuck my chin out and put a hard edge on my features.
“You’re as much a prisoner here as I was last time I came,” I yelled defiantly, “so don’t try telling me you have any other options. I want to know exactly what you mean by a ‘suitable’ living host, and I want to know it now or by all that is or ever was I swear to you that you will never leave this place!”
It laughed; a deep, thunderous sound which could probably shatter granite. “You believe you can destroy me in my own home?” the Cloud King asked, with more than a hint of amusement in his voice. The swirling maelstrom was now mere inches from my body, and I knew I had only seconds to find a way out of this before I would be utterly destroyed.
“No, I’m powerless here,” I corrected him, “but if I don’t return with the proof of our completed Pact of Binding then The Guild will bring your greatest enemies to your doorstep in order to tie up loose ends, as I understand it.” I knew no such thing, but I was running out of options. “You could destroy me easily enough, but I doubt you could deal with all of them together,” I spat.
The edge of the storm ceased its contraction, and I knew then that I had him.
“So let’s finish this unpleasant business and be done with it!” I shouted defiantly.
The form of Co’Zar’I’Us became softer somehow, and within seconds he had reverted to his state when I had first opened my eyes.
“A ‘suitable’ living vessel,” the Cloud King began coldly, “is one who allows me to inhabit it as I see fit, for whatever purpose I deem necessary. When I inhabit this body, I will imbue it with my very essence and it will become aligned with my own purpose entirely. How this permission is gained is irrelevant to me.”
I nodded impatiently. “Skip to the part about the price this vessel will pay,” I prompted.
His eyes crackled with electricity, but he held his tongue long enough for it to subside. “The fusion of my essence with that of my vessel requires payment; the form of such payment is its soul, or at least a portion of it. Such is the price of great power,” he fumed.
I knew I had to be very careful, because even though I had successfully appealed to this being’s self-centered nature, I knew that its temper was volatile and that if I waited around too long it would swing back the other way. I doubted I would survive another temper tantrum. “Is there any way for the vessel’s soul to be replenished?” I asked, seeking even a glimmer of hope.
Co’Zar’I’Us shook his head in disgust. “If it were so simple, do you not think I would have already bargained here and there to ensure my permanent placement in your realm?” he asked derisively.
I nodded grudgingly. It was a long shot, but it was worth asking. “How much of a person’s soul can they lose before the damage is irreversible?” I hardly believed that I was asking such a question, of such a creature, in such a place.
Co’Zar’I’Us shrugged indifferently. “Each soul is unique, as each person is unique. Some mortals can lose a limb and hardly experience a shift in their personality; others,” he sneered, “and a simple scratch to the face will disrobe them entirely of the veneer in which they have wrapped themselves, utterly destroying their sense of identity.”
I sighed. There didn’t look to be a way out of this that didn’t end up with me facilitating what amounted to the absolute violation of a person at the most basic level. Then an idea hit me. “What if you left the vessel as soon as we saw signs that the drain was too great?” I blurted, this time of my own volition—for which I was thankful.
The Cloud King’s eyes narrowed. “Perhaps you would enlighten me as to why I would do such a foolish thing?”
I locked eyes with him as I gave serious consideration to what I was about to say. It was risky, and it tied me even tighter to this chaotic creature than I ever wished to be, but as usual it appeared that I didn’t have a choice.
“Because I would find you another one,” I answered reluctantly while my shoulders slumped for effect. I didn’t feel nearly as deflated as I was trying to appear, but I really wasn’t all that happy about this turn of events.
There was genuine shock in Co’Zar’I’Us’ eyes for a brief instant, but he gathered himself quickly. “You would find me another vessel, if I agreed to leave the previous one before my magnificent presence inflicted permanent damage on its imperfect body?”
I held up a finger. “I would find you ‘one’ additional vessel,” I corrected him, “and I would demand that you abide by the same stipulation with the second vessel, even though I would not be bound to provide you with a third.”
The Cloud King’s eyes narrowed again. “You use that word, ‘demand,’ as if you know what it means,” he said threateningly, “but in any event, I could not accept such a condition. Two vessels, whose service time would be significantly less compared to the usual methods I have employed, is barely a fraction of the value I require.” He paused for a moment before continuing, “Perhaps I should return you to where you came from? We could work through these tiresome details at a later time when you are more…acquiescent,” he said maliciously.
It was my turn to narrow my eyes. It looked like we were at a standstill, unless I budged on the number of vessels I would provide. “Give me a reasonable number, and we can be done with it now,” I bit out.
Co’Zar’I’Us locked eyes with me in an unyielding stare before holding up both hands, which were now equipped with well-defined fingers. “Ten,” he said triumphantly. “I r
equire ten vessels under your proposed amendment.”
I wanted to groan, but I’d played enough poker to know who was usually holding the stronger cards. “That’s ridiculous,” I scoffed, putting on a show of throwing my hands in the air dismissively, “and frankly I doubt that The Guild would sign off on such an agreement.”
That seemed to deflate him a bit. “I could accept no fewer than seven,” he retorted stiffly.
I shook my head exaggeratedly. “And I couldn’t go more than three,” I shot back. “I’m really not even sure how I can do that without completely subjugating myself to you, which would essentially defeat the entire purpose of the arrangement from my end!”
Lightning pealed inside his form, and he began to rapidly expand again, taking on the familiar cyclone shape. “Five,” he roared, “and not one less!”
I lowered my face and shook my head, mostly to hide the smirk I couldn’t keep from my features. “I’ll agree to four, but only on the condition that I be granted a two year window to find you a new host once you’ve left the old one—and that you leave immediately upon my instruction.”
“And how am I to know that your measure of ‘permanent damage’ and mine will be the same?” he hissed. “I require a neutral third party to assess and confirm the damage.”
That was actually something I hadn’t considered. “Sounds easy enough,” I agreed, “when I return to Veldyrian, I’ll contact a member of The Guild and have them designate an appropriate assessor.” I can’t express just how surreal this whole situation was, but I was in too deep by then. The stray thought occurred that if I was actually on a slab somewhere about to be lobotomized, I mostly just didn’t want to think about it.
Co’Zar’I’Us glared at me before finally nodding agreement, which made my heart skip a beat in the figurative, not literal sense. In fact, I wasn’t even sure that I had a body while I was in his realm. I still didn’t know how all of that worked, and right then I didn’t care as long as I got what I needed.
Revelation (Seeds of Humanity: The Cobalt Heresy) Page 12
