Fate (Inner Space Adventures Book 1)

by J B Forest

  He gestured to the group, “please sit. I am anxious to hear of your progress in our absence. Although I can clearly see many of the accomplishments with my own eyes.” Jerard smiled at the senior mage. “We hoped that you would be pleased with our progress. The troops follow direction well and are hard workers. They follow our instructions without hesitation and seem content with the meals provided.”

  “They are even bathing in the river without prompting at the end of the day,” added Malik. “Some of them observed us bathing and they began to mimic us, so we showed them how to wash properly. They seemed pleased with the results.”

  “We were certainly pleased,” laughed Toran, “they smelled terrible!” The mages shared the details of their progress with Seth. He was indeed pleased with their accomplishments. They were well on their way to establishing a good base of operations from which to complete their mission.

  Seth had not questioned Zehn about his strategy to meet with Cruim. He assumed that he and the other mages would not take part in the military endeavors. War and fighting were well beyond their base of experience, particularly since he was reluctant to use magic here on Earth. Their practical skills were best utilized in organizing the base camp and ensuring that there were sufficient provisions for the Unseelie soldiers and the new troops.

  He wondered silently about the progress of the new troops. They were showing more signs of intelligent thought. The mere fact that they were concerned with personal hygiene was a definite sign that they were no longer mindless drones subject to Mogran’s every whim. He would need to observe them more closely in the future. Nothing in the reports that he received from the other mages indicated that they were developing any type of formal communication skills but surely that would be the next phase in their development.

  He made a mental note to speak with Zehn, they would need to develop a plan to guide the troops in the right direction. Otherwise they could begin to develop habits and traits on their own. Right now, they were like a blank canvas, without the proper direction, things could quickly go awry. He smiled to himself, this could be his opportunity to mold them into beings with positive traits. He almost laughed aloud at the missed opportunity for Mogran to mold them into evil clones of himself.

  He decided to broach the subject very carefully with Zehn. He knew that the fae was an excellent leader and skilled soldier. The time they spent together and interactions with the humans provided some insight into his disposition. He did not seem predisposed to cruelty and evil acts the way that Mogran and some of the Unseelie Fae were. Not all Unseelie were inherently evil but neither were they prone to perform acts of kindness. The Fae as a race were more concerned with their own well-being and did not necessarily undertake great measures to help others if it was not personally beneficial.

  There were exceptions to this, the current Seelie Queen was a fair and just ruler. She did not hesitate to protect her subjects within the Fae Dominion even if that meant banishing the entire Unseelie race to avoid chaos within the dominion. When several of the Unseelie princes convinced the former Unseelie King to attempt a coup to seize control of the dominion for the Unseelie, the Queen took swift action to dethrone the King and banish the perpetrators. This was unfortunate for the remainder of the Unseelie, since the princes involved in the plot were tied to most the ruling families within the Unseelie Domain. The Queen banished the entire race rather than risk allowing segments of dissenters the remain free in the Dominion. None questioned her decision.

  The other major races within Inner Space applauded the Queen’s actions, however, she was unable to prevent the ban all Fae from travel through the astral plane. The Queen convinced the other worlds to allow Seelie travel through the astral plane under very limited conditions in emergency situations. The Unseelie were bound to the Unseelie Domain. Seth’s predicament kept him prisoner in the Unseelie Domain. His freedom was only a factor of Mogran’s whims. If he displeased the Unseelie prince in any manner, his life was forfeit.

  Seth consoled himself with that fact that his presence here on Earth afforded him more freedom than he had since he was taken by Mogran. He and Zehn worked well together, at least in these early stages. He decided to focus on developing the encampment and supervising the troops to the extent that he could.

  The camp settled into a routine of training and preparation. Trade with the humans was established and Zehn and Seth delegated those responsibilities to the lieutenants and junior mages. The mages closely observed the progress of the troops and provided guidance during their development. Seth keep Zehn well-informed of their efforts. Zehn was also able to observe the troops in action during training and other activities.

  The time to meet with Cruim was quickly approaching. The encampment was secure and the troops were prepared for battle. Zehn continued to include Seth in key discussions with his lieutenants as plans were finalized for the journey to meet the human leader. “We have accomplished much in a short period of time,” Zehn commented to Seth as they walked through the camp one evening.

  A bond was established between the two fae as they worked to prepare for their mission. Although, they both remained skeptical of the other’s true intentions, they slowly began to realize that they had much in common despite their different backgrounds. Seth paused and smiled at Zehn, “I only hope that the other mages and I were able to assist in a meaningful manner.”

  “Your team was instrumental in making this camp what it is today. You may not be warriors, but your organizational and logistical talents abound. I never had the patience to deal with administrative issues…for me, the focus was always on training and physical prowess. We will break camp two days hence. I trust that you and your mages will be ready to travel with us.”

  “We will be prepared, as before, I will have the mages dispersed among the troops to observe their actions as we travel.”

  There was a flurry of activity over the next two days. The decision was made to begin the journey after dark to minimize the opportunity for humans in the surrounding areas to observe their movements. It was a three-day trek to Cruim’s castle. They traveled in darkness and as quietly as a force of their size could do. By dawn of the fourth day, the fae were encamped in the forest within sight of their target’s castle walls. The next stage of Mogran’s plan was about to commence.

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  The veil of emptiness was truly gone. During his entire existence, he had only known confusion and dulled senses. He did not know how long it had been since the veil was lifted since he had no real sense of the passage of time. He only knew that recently, he had become more and more aware of his surroundings.

  Everything was new to him. He was not sure, but he somehow felt that this place with all the colors, smells, and sounds was not where he had spent his entire life. He had no frame of reference for the past, but it was a strong feeling. He could not speak the way he heard the others, the ones with the long garments. They showed him how to do things and he could follow their actions. He liked the feeling of doing things on his own. He especially liked scrubbing the foul smells off his body in the water after working hard. His body felt good and the others showed him how to do the same with his own garments so that they did not carry the foul smells.

  There were many others like him. Some would look at him and nod or grunt. He did not know if they felt the same as him. They did not talk like the others. Some, had trouble doing the tasks but most tried until they learned. When the sky darkened, things became quiet and they rested. He decided that he liked this place.

  Chapter 20 – Fae Dominion

  The time since the discovery of the rifts created by the Unseelie was very taxing for Ionoe. She managed to get through her normal tasks, meeting with various Council members regarding the state of the domain, as well as addressing any issues that required her input for issues related to the running of the castle. She had a full complement of administrators who were responsible for managing all the details necessary t
o keep things operating effectively. Inevitably, there were issues that required her direct involvement or input on occasion.

  She had not yet heard from either Tristen or their emissaries regarding their respective missions. She knew that Tristen’s task would take more time and that she might not hear from him unless things became critical or that his mission was a success. She trusted her brother to make the right decisions. Although in his youth he made mistakes in judgement, since taking the reigns as her Counselor, he became more dependable and reliable and she trusted his advice above all others.

  She was anxious to receive information from the emissaries. The information that they would provide regarding any activities in the Unseelie Domain would form the basis for actions that she would take to eliminate any potential problems. She hoped that the source of the troubles was limited to a handful of Unseelies (or one, Mogran), rather a full-blown Unseelie undertaking. She winced at thought of missing her chance to eliminate Mogran during the final battle of the Unseelie rebellion. She thought that she had wounded him mortally, which was a difficult task since fae were virtually immortal. The one weakness is the Fae’s susceptibility to iron. Iron particles were embedded into Ionoe’s weapons, she could handle the weapons without risking injury or harm to her person, however, if struck by her sword or impaled by her arrows, her victims would perish. During that last battle, she saw Mogran fall at her hands, but she had to fight off other opponents who attacked her after she struck him. Mogran was no longer in the vicinity when she turned back to the spot where she left him. Although it was never proven, Ionoe suspected that Mogran was responsible for instigating that fateful uprising which separated the Fae Dominion for centuries. Now it appeared that he was instigating more trouble.

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  August was pleasantly surprised that their journey into the Unseelie Domain was accomplished with only minor obstacles. He had not ventured into Unseelie territory on a mission for the Queen or her Counselor since the days after the end of the rebellion. During that time, he and a select number of the intelligence cadre established a secret route into the Unseelie Domain using natural and fabricated tunnels. He and Justin also developed a small network of informants who were willing to provide information on events occurring in the Unseelie Domain that could be potentially harmful to the Dominion.

  These informants were generally lower ranking members or servants in the Unseelie royal families who had established strong connections to the Seelie Domain through marriage and trade when their King was the Queen’s consort. They were banished with the rest of the Unseelie because of their blood ties and relationships. August was not sure that any could still be trusted after such a long period of time.

  They only attempted to contact two of the informants to minimize the potential for discovery in case the informants changed loyalties over the years. Their first contact was still sympathetic to the Seelie, but had established a new family bond and was unwilling to risk exposure by assisting the Seelie agents. They were more successful on their second attempt. Not only was the second informant still willing to help the Seelie, they learned that she had access to the Unseelie Council.

  Unlike the Seelie Council which consisted of high ranking members in the Seelie Domain. The Unseelie Council was comprised solely of the remaining princes in the Unseelie royal line. The informant served as a scribe and part time courier to the Council and had free access to the meeting rooms. Although only Council members attended the meetings and kept cryptic notes of their discussions, they utilized the scribes to document those portions of the meeting discussions that were deemed acceptable to maintain in the official journals. Not all the princes were as diligent in maintaining proper protocol and would often continue their discussions outside of the closed Council chamber doors.

  The informant devised a secret method of recording information in case something was discussed that should be shared with the Seelie. Through the years, there was only one time, when the informant felt that there was something worth sharing. She ventured into the Seelie Domain using the routes established by her contacts, names were never disclosed as a matter of security. Once the information was shared with the Seelie, the informant returned to her duties in her home domain. She never knew the outcome or impact of the information that she shared.

  She was truly surprised when she was contacted by the Seelie agent after so long. The fact that he traveled into the Unseelie Domain was clear evidence that there was a serious problem. She could not remember hearing anything from the princes that warranted such concern on the part of the Seelie. She agreed to attempt to find out more information and review notes of previously recorded discussions. Her contact indicated that someone in the Unseelie Domain was causing a rift in the astral plane. There were signs that someone attempted to travel to Earth or one of the lesser worlds. If this was true, the implications for the Fae Dominion could be dire if the Elves or other races in Inner Space found out. All Fae would be held accountable.

  She was tasked with finding out whether this activity was a consolidated effort of the Unseelie Council or if it was the action of an isolated group. She knew that if the Council was acting as a group, she would have heard something. The only unknown factor was the Unseelie Prince Mogran. He rarely attended the Council meetings and oftentimes berated the other princes for not taking further action to overthrow the Seelie throne.

  She was given only a few days to uncover any information to share with her contacts. Time was of the essence; the agents could not afford to remain in the Unseelie Domain too long without the danger of discovery. She returned to her duties with the Unseelie Council determined to closely monitor conversations from the princes and their associates. The third day after her contact with the Seelie agents began as uneventful as any other day. Just before the time when the princes suspended business for the midday meal, loud voices could be heard in the Council chambers.

  Two princes burst through the chamber doors embroiled in a heated discussion. It seemed that news of unconfirmed activity that could jeopardize the treaty with the Seelie was shared with the Council. The other princes quickly surrounded their brothers and steered them back into the Council chambers. No other outbursts were heard after that. The informant remained diligent and attempted to glean all possible information about the outburst.

  The next day, she heard one of the scribes who was close to one of the princes involved in the previous day’s incident talking to some of the younger couriers. Her opinion of this scribe was not very high. He routinely bragged about his close relationship with the prince and filled the minds of the younger scribes and couriers with tales of his self-importance. It was always amusing to see how humble he became whenever the prince addressed him directly. She remained unseen and listened intently has he described the conversation between the two princes. She was sure that he embellished his role during the event. Nevertheless, she obtained potentially useful information for her Seelie contacts.

  She followed the pre-arranged instructions to meet with her contact. He was always careful not to disclose his location. She passed along the information that she received and was instructed to resume her normal routine to avoid suspicion. She did not hear from her contact after the exchange.

  August and Justin worked to obtain any information available while they waited to hear from their informant. Justin was successful in gaining entry into Mogran’s castle through the stables. He was always amazed at the tendency for those in power to hold critical discussions in the presence of hired help and servants. One of the stable hands was a casualty of one of Mogran’s recent tantrums and the stable master hired Justin to fill the vacancy without going through the normal screening process.

  Justin found out that the castle was a flurry of activity. He heard from various servants and stable workers that the Master had recently embarked on a new endeavor. Rumors abounded regarding the actual events. He learned that Mogran’s chief mage, senior general and some of h
is lieutenants had not been seen for several days. He also found out that prior to their absence, it seemed that some soldiers were preparing to leave for an assignment. No one knew the specifics, but he obtained enough information to confirm that a major undertaking was underway.

  Justin’s discoveries combined with the informant’s input confirmed that Mogran was acting on his own in this venture. The agents could inform the Queen that this was not a concerted effort by the Unseelie Council, but rather, the brainchild of one Unseelie Prince, Mogran. August reminded Justin that although the entire Council might not be involved, there was the possibility that some on the Council covertly supported Mogran. They returned quickly to the Seelie Domain to share the news with the Queen.

  The two agents returned to the university and resumed their normal routine. They had each established an alibi for their absence prior to their departure. Since August occasionally communicated with the Queen on routine matters, he sent an encrypted request to meet with her embedded within a normal communique. She responded with instructions to meet in a place designated for such encounters centuries prior and cautioned them to use the secret passages to avoid observation.