“I’m on it,” sighed Darden, as he counted in his head the amount it was going to take to finance Abigail’s empire in Myrus.
Chapter 51
“You called for me,” Abigail said to Seres in the dining hall of the Senate House. Seres sat at the head of the table with wine and a dinner of pork in front of him. He had been waiting on Ellen to join them, but instead he was greeted by the curious Abigail.
Seres took a sip of his wine before he spoke. “Earlier today, yes. My men couldn’t find you. I wasn’t expecting you anymore.”
“I’m sorry,” said Abigail. “Should I come back tomorrow?”
“No,” said Seres. “Now, is fine.”
“What is it that you wanted to talk to me about?” Abigail asked walking into the room and standing next to the dining table.
“Nikali is still out there,” said Seres. “It’s not safe for you to wander off alone.”
“I know,” said Abigail. “I can sense his presence all across Eluan.” It was a lie based on truth. She could feel Nikali’s presence when her power was full strength, but lately she had felt nothing.
“It is getting very dangerous out there,” said Seres. “Eluan is going to rip itself apart if we do not act quickly.”
“I realize that,” said Abigail. “We have some thoughts on the situation. Darden wants to speak with you in more detail about Myrus. He wishes to invest some of his money into the city, to help rebuild it and strengthen your army.”
Seres’ right eyebrow rose from interest in Abigail’s words. He leaned forward, interested in the conversation for the first time.
“That is very generous,” said Seres. “Any bit will help.”
“It comes with a condition though,” said Abigail.
“I don’t know if this is the time to be making demands,” said Seres.
“All I want is to open the Senate House to more people. I want to feed them. I want to clothe them. It’s what I’ve been doing on my travels and it should not stop here.”
Seres contemplated Abigail’s proposal. He weighed the options in his head before speaking again.
“How much is your friend willing to invest?” asked Seres.
“Enough,” said Abigail. “The stronger Myrus is then the more likely we are to survive this campaign. We will both benefit from this.”
“Yes,” said Seres. “I think we will. I’ll speak with him tomorrow. We can roll out a more formal plan. I had my doubts about you, Farrah. When I saved you I was worried you and your people were going to be dead weight. I’m happy to say you are turning that around.”
“Then why did you risk your entire reputation to come and save me. What was it all for?” asked Abigail.
“That I did,” said Seres. “I did it because I was asked to.”
“By who?” Abigail wondered.
“As I understand it you were already on your way here. Why did you come to Myrus?” Seres asked instead of answering Abigail’s question.
Abigail did not answer right away. “How do you know that?”
“Because I am a generous leader,” said Seres. “And in return I am given information.”
“I had this feeling,” said Abigail moving the conversation along. “I was needed at Myrus. There were people waiting for me.”
Seres nodded his head. “That’s it?”
“That’s all I needed,” said Abigail.
Seres got to his feet. He approached Abigail. “You’re right. There are people here that have been waiting for you.”
“Who?” Abigail asked.
“A group,” said Seres. “The Suraya. They are actually the reason I came for you. If it weren’t for them then you’d be dead. Slain by Nikali’s crazed army.”
“What do they want with me?” Abigail asked. Her anxiety began to rise. Thoughts of her time hidden away in cellars started to reemerge. She refused to go through that again.
“They want you to lead them,” said Seres. “They believe you can unite the people against the Eluan flag.”
Understanding set in on Abigail’s face. Seres’ revelation was a surprise, but it did not shock her. She never had any intention to overthrow Eluan, but Alexus had. And Abigail was a big part of that plan, whether she wanted to be or not.
“That’s absurd,” said Abigail.
“That’s what I said,” agreed Seres. “But I gambled on it anyway.”
“Why?” Abigail asked.
“Because when it came down to it there were only two choices. It was either fall in line with the rest of the Royal Council and join Nikali and his absurd reign in the Capitol or fight for my place in Eluan and keep the traditions alive that made Eluan the only name in the world.”
“Surely, the Royal Council will settle Nikali down,” said Abigail. “He has his moments, but he has always calmed down for the better.”
“The Royal Council are hiding behind his power and getting comfortable where they can. They know it is only a matter of time before Nikali breaks and the Council will pick up the pieces of Eluan when it is over. They are greedy men that see Nikali as a weakness and will capitalize on the situation before their empire. Heric chose poorly when he made his Council. They would have followed him, but never Nikali.”
“Then the Royal Council rebuilds after Nikali,” said Abigail.
“But who is in charge?” Seres asked. “Heric has no heir. Neither does Nikali. The Council will swallow itself up fighting for the throne.”
“So you are choosing me?” Abigail assumed.
“The Suraya are the only ones brave enough to challenge Nikali, now. They will not sit back and wait for Nikali to fall on his own and the Council to swoop in. The revolution is fully behind you, and they can be ready to go.
“A show of power can topple Nikali and put us in position to take over Eluan. But this comes back to you, and your ability to commit.”
“Commit to what?” Abigail asked. “Ruling Eluan was never a part of my plan. It was Alexus. It was Tcher. It was Louson. I was just an unwilling pawn.” Abigail’s frustration was getting the better of her. She felt her stomach drop as Seres smiled. She had said too much.
“You can speak freely. The Suraya has told me everything that they know. I know about Alexus’ plot. It was ambitious.”
“And it failed,” said Abigail. “Eluan is too strong. I cannot lead an army to overthrow it.”
“That’s true,” said Seres. “But I don’t expect you to lead the army. I can do that. I need your face. I need your word, your bond. That means you cannot doubt my command.
“You have led your people across half of Eluan with nothing but compassion. I admire that, but it will not last. We have to get all of Myrus to unite under your leadership before they succumb to Nikali’s control. I do not lie when I say Nikali is coming. He will burn this city to the ground for a second time if he needs to. He’s got the Capitol under his thumb. No one else in Eluan will challenge him. It is up to us here in Myrus to be the voice of reason against Nikali’s crazed rule.”
“You’re talking about going to war against the Capitol,” said Abigail.
“I’m talking about saving Eluan,” said Seres. “But it does not happen without the both of us working together. The people will follow you and I can lead them to victory.”
Abigail did not respond. She pondered Seres’ proposition for a few moments.
“I want to meet the Suraya,” said Abigail.
“Wonderful,” said Seres. “They are excited to see you as well. They have waited a long time for this moment.”
“When?” Abigail asked.
“First thing tomorrow,” said Seres. “You may bring along one of your companions.”
“Very well,” said Abigail. Then she excused herself from the dining hall. There was nothing left for Abigail to learn from Seres.
The next day Seres was amused to see Odessa accompany Abigail to meet the Suraya. It was the right choice, but he half assumed that Grifith was going to weasel his way on the trip across the city.
&nbs
p; “Are you two ready?” Seres asked.
“Yes,” said Odessa.
“Why don’t you show your face?” Seres asked Odessa, referring to her veil.
“I’m used to it,” said Odessa. “It feels strange without the veil, even in better conditions.”
“I’ve heard the sun will blind you if you take off your veil,” said Seres. “Is that true?”
“Don’t believe everything you’ve heard,” said Odessa. “Taking off my veil will not weaken me.”
Seres smiled. She could tell he was testing her.
“Let’s get a move on,” said Seres, changing the subject. “They’re on the other side of the city.”
The carriage ride was silent. Seres, Abigail, and Odessa did not say a word to each other. Abigail kept her attention on the city. It wasn’t as glamorous as the last time she was there. The city no longer sparkled like it used to. But the people hadn’t changed. Despite the city’s condition the people still went about their day, some as happy as ever. People always found a way to live in even the worst areas. That was the emotion that Abigail tried to reach out to. She wanted to feel it again. Still there was nothing.
Grifith had given her plenty of Tamor Blood the past couple of days. Abigail could once again lift objects with her thoughts. She could even sense the emotions of the people around her. At that moment she could feel the disdain that Seres and Odessa had for each other. But that was all. She couldn’t heal. She couldn’t make her people feel better. She couldn’t reach her senses across the whole empire. And she couldn’t make sense of her dreams.
Feelings of déjà vu erupted every now and then, not like Abigail had lived through the moments, but more of a sudden moment of recognition, like she remembered a dream she never had. It left her with a feeling of dread. Something bad was coming, and she couldn’t turn away from it.
The carriage pulled up to the central base of the Suraya. It looked as rundown as it had in the past. The street was abandoned. Odessa snickered at the location.
“I know it’s not much to look at,” said Seres. “But it has its surprises. Come with me.”
Seres led them inside the former prison. One lone guard was sitting at the doorway. It wasn’t Jordon this time around, but the man was dressed the same. The ragged clothing made the character blend in to his surroundings and nobody would think that a secret organization was running this area of Myrus.
“Who’s there?” said the man.
“Farrah,” answered Seres immediately.
The man looked up with wide eyes. He broke character as soon as he caught sight of Abigail standing behind Seres. The man rushed to a position on his knees and bowed before the leader he had been fighting for all these years.
“Oh, Farrah, it has been too long. It is wonderful to see you finally,” the man said. “It was a tragedy to hear what happened to Alexus.”
Abigail overlooked the man’s words. She stepped forward. “There is no need to bow to me. Please, stand.”
The man did as he was told. He stood up and came face to face with Abigail. He could not contain his smile.
“I’ll show you to the others!” said the man. “They must see you. They must! Finally!”
Abigail smiled. There was nothing she could say that would calm the man down. So she let him run through his excitement.
“My name is Hota,” said the man as he lead Abigail and the others down into the maze that now belonged to the Suraya. “I’m sure you don’t remember this, but we’ve met before. You were a little thing. Just a few years old. Alexus brought you to us. You were very sweet.”
Abigail blushed from Hota’s kind words. He was right she didn’t remember their previous meeting at all. She chose to stay quiet about that fact. The less the Suraya and Seres knew about Abigail the better she felt. They expected her to be an all powerful leader. It was an expectation that Abigail was going to struggle to maintain if at all possible. Her people were now at the mercy of Seres, truth be told. His army protected them all from Nikali and the Blood Beauties. If Abigail didn’t play along then it would be her people that would pay the price.
Hota lead the group the same path that Seres had been through before. He remembered the turns that he and Jordon made last time. This time around Seres was able to take stock of more of the scenery of the Suraya maze. The open doors that he passed were either used for storage of food supplies or were former cells that remained empty.
They reached the final door in the center of the maze. Hota pulled out a key. With a bit of fanfare he unlocked the door and swung it open. His head bowed as he gestured for Abigail to enter.
Inside the room five men were standing around the carved map of Eluan. They were talking amongst themselves when the door opened. Then Abigail came into view and all attention was on her.
Jordon was the first of the men to bow. The other four were quick on their feet. Seres held back his astonishment at the Suraya. He didn’t expect such elation from a group that considered themselves rebels from the established powers. They weren’t rebels. They had just found a different establishment.
“Welcome, Farrah,” said Jordon. “It is an honor.”
“Please, stand,” Abigail told the five members of the Suraya. “I know you view me as your leader, but I do not lead like that.”
The Suraya got to their feet satisfied that they were acknowledged by their figurehead, yet still a little embarrassed by her response.
“Our apologies,” said Jordon. “And on behalf of everybody here, we were sorrowed to learn about Alexus. He was a good man. It is a shame that he couldn’t live long enough to see his plan come to fruition.”
Abigail lowered her head to avoid eye contact. Still mentioning Alexus’ death brought a pain to her heart. Even with the knowledge that Alexus was not who she believed him to be he was still the father in her life and she missed him.
“What is your plan?” Abigail asked, changing the subject. She could not dwell in the past. She had to focus on the present, and prepare herself for the decisions to come.
“We’ve had to alter it a bit from Alexus’ original goals, of course,” said Jordon. “Marina’s actions started the war without us or even Louson on her side. We are working to bring her into the fold soon enough.”
“Do you plan on freeing her?” Seres asked, cutting into Jordon’s speech.
“Yes,” said Jordon. “In fact, it is done.”
Seres nodded. He didn’t push the issue any further.
“Once we have Marina fully engaged with us then we will strike properly,” continued Jordon. “It’ll be a two pronged attack similar to what Alexus wanted. Louson can attack from the west. Myrus will attack from the north. Thanks to the Tcher war there is once again a lot of dead land out in Eluan. We will be able to take larger chunks at a time and be able to hold them. The hardest part will naturally be the Capitol. Louson and Myrus can converge on the Capitol. Our two armies will overwhelm Eluan. Plus, with Marina already in the city it will be swift with the takeover of the palace.”
“This is assuming we can hold out long enough to get Louson across Insabal’s Canyon before Nikali attacks us directly.”
“There are still some variables, yes,” said Jordon. “But are we not fortified, Francesco?”
“We are,” answered Seres. “That does not mean Nikali will simply roll over. He already built an army once. I’m sure he will do it again.”
“Then we can beat them again,” said Jordon.
“Can you beat them again?” Abigail asked Seres.
Seres turned with a short glare at Abigail. “Yes, I have confidence in my men.”
“Do you think Nikali will strike back stronger?” Abigail asked.
“That is hard to say,” said Seres. “And that is what I am worried about. Strategies are good, but we’re up against an enemy that we have never seen before. Nikali continues to grow stronger, and the people in the Capitol are growing more dangerous. My reports are saying Nikali’s ravetroopers are forcing Tamor Bl
ood down people’s throats and killing those who don’t oblige.”
“That’s awful,” said Abigail.
“I hesitate to make the first move against Nikali,” said Jordon.
“You already have,” said Seres, cutting off Jordon once again.
“We should be on the defensive until we can get Louson lined up. We have men all throughout the city ready to fight on our word. This revolution has been building for years.”
“But if Nikali does attack soon?” Abigail asked.
“Then we will have to fight him,” said Jordon. “Seres’ men can fend off Nikali’s army, and you, Farrah, can challenge Nikali. For this to end it will be you Farrah that has to bring Nikali down.”
“No,” said Abigail.
“Excuse me,” Jordon asked, almost unsure of what Abigail replied.
“I will not fight against Nikali directly,” Abigail clarified.
“You are the only one with the arcan to rival his,” said Jordon. “You have to fight him.”
“No,” said Abigail again. “I am not a fighter. I will defend. I will heal. But I will not kill Nikali.”
“Farrah,” said Jordon. “Nikali has to die. The entire Caning family has to die for this revolution to work. There are still too many people loyal to the Caning name.”
“I can’t kill him,” said Abigail.
“You might be the only person that can,” said Jordon. “We’ve seen his power grow. When the invasion begins you are our ultimate weapon.”
“If Nikali strikes at Myrus I will not fight Nikali,” said Abigail again with a stern tone.
The room grew quiet. Nobody wanted to challenge Abigail any further. She was their leader after all.
“Very well,” said Jordon. “We shall hope Nikali is distracted from us.”
Abigail nodded her head at Jordon’s acceptance. Then Odessa came from the side and put her hand on Abigail’s arm. Abigail looked over at her trusted ally. The veiled head of Odessa nodded to the side signaling to speak in private.
“Excuse us,” said Abigail to the others. Then the two women walked across the room to a more private area of the Suraya base.
“What is the matter? I know you knew Nikali from your childhood. Is that why you are hesitant?” asked Odessa once they were sure they were alone and nobody was listening.
Eluan Falls: A Whisper of Fate Page 25
