"That'll be our cue to leave," Sebastian spoke as the angels disappeared from sight, balancing himself while Kaiser bent down to lift Dumon and Solomon off the ground. He offered the same to Ciel, but the demon politely declined, opting instead to walk alongside Drake who had now caught up. Demons began to crowd around them, their cheer being replaced with hints of sadness at the finale of the battle. They could see with their own eyes the wounds their allies had received. While the angels had suffered injuries as well, the feathered kin certainly ignored the fact. Sympathy for others wasn't something commonly practised by angels, letting wounds been known would simply create a teasing point for others to exploit.
Slowly the battlefield cleared away, leaving only the crystalline towers hanging in the still air, surrounded by the scattered shards left by the Nightmares. Sebastian stopped briefly to discuss matters with the Human King, reigniting the march back home once he has finished. There would be many celebrations they were all home safe and patched up, with not a strange creature in sight.
Chapter 19: Plans for the Future
The following week passed without incident; the sightings of the creatures had since disappeared from the stream of news being passed from individual to individual. Celebration was widespread and filled with drink and rich food, but such enjoyment would be short-lived. Cold weather had continued to dominate, devastating what crops were being grown around the main isles. Farmers had done their best to salvage what useful parts remained, but it was still going to be a year of limited supply.
In lieu of this information becoming known, Sebastian had opted to ramp up the order of food from the South, at the cost of other needed materials. Demons could get past having to skimp on materials, but the race was no use if starved, or so was his reasoning. It was thought that the other races had agreed on similar contracts with their trading partners. Contact had been fairly limited, so their exact plans were vague.
So far all communications with the angels had been through Sariel; Uriel had been silent since then. Sebastian himself had been stretched between work and rest. If Dumon could have his way with him, he would wind up tied to a bed to allow his wound time to heal. Ciel was trying his best to force his father to allow him to help, but the Demon King was being stubborn. As long as he could move, he would deal with political issues. Entirely sheltering his son was not the intention, but Sebastian did wish for him to keep his freedom for as long as possible to enjoy his youth, something he was unable to do. It didn't appear to create any long-term tension between them, they had been spending more time just to have a family talk in the last few months, which was helping.
Today was fairly identical to other recent days, the unusually cool morning air nipped at those who were brave enough to venture out. Inside the castle was noisier than average with the buzz of voices. The current population had not greatly increased, but the inhabitants had become far more active. They tried to keep their volume down, else they got shouted at by the chamber guards, or sometimes even Dumon. The doctor had been inundated with patients, from minor injuries to grievous wounds. A few days on there were still several individuals resting within the wards beds, including Solomon. Other doctors and nurses had been called back to the capital to aid, most of them were understudies of Dumon at some point. It had helped him out greatly, so far no one had died from their wounds. Such news had been a relief, although the old demon was still worried about his charge. Solomon had yet to wake up, his vitals showed positive, but his strength would fade if he remained unconscious for too long.
Unfortunately for Dumon, without the mage, he was short of ideas on how to wake him up, short of exposing him to discomfort. Methods such as ice, water and rubbing spots that were generally irritating to demons. He had attempted a few, usually once a day, but it had shown no results. Kaiser had been trying to cheer him up while he was around, recovering from his own wounds.
With a long sigh, Dumon ran a hand through Solomon's hair, listening to his quiet breathing.
"Still no change?" Sebastian enquired from behind, with Ciel following him. The doctor shook his head, turning his gaze toward his new company. "I thought I'd check in first, before going to see what Sariel wanted."
"Uriel’s still not responding?" he frowned. It was unusual, to say the least. Sebastian had informed him of the injuries the angel had sustained during the fight. While possibly painful it didn't come over substantial enough to keep him bedridden for days.
"Nothing direct, suppose I'll see how willing Sariel is to tell me anything."
"I think you'd have more luck getting blood from a stone, with their pride issues and all."
Sebastian laughed at the remark, before gripping at his chest. He still kept forgetting about the seriousness of that wound, even slight movements could cause it pain. So far he had managed to learn to walk in a way to keep it from aggravating. Everything else, however...
"Come back here afterwards. I'll check you over and change those wraps."
Dumon raised an eyebrow as he spoke, watching as Ciel just shrugged his shoulders. Resting was still evidently not the first thing on his mind. His son just had to make sure he didn't kill himself. Sebastian merely waved it off and smiled, departing the room as quietly as he had entered.
Shortly afterwards they arrived in the room that had been temporarily repurposed as a communication chamber, being greeted briefly by the one in charge of tending to it now Solomon was incapacitated. Ciel excused himself while the King sat down on the chair, placing one hand on the magically enchanted orb.
"Hm? Oh, there you are," Sariel's voice echoed through his mind. It sounded surprisingly calm and notably, not annoyed. He had to admit to himself that Sariel had been fairly amicable the whole week, which was a stark contrast to his normal behaviour, more so towards Iomor.
"Is everything alright there? I've yet to hear anything from Uriel directly," Sebastian questioned, listening to the angel pause. The lack of a quick response made him wary. Had something suddenly gone wrong? It wouldn't bode well for all of them if it were the case.
"That depends on who you ask. As far as other angels are concerned, he's just keeping to himself, scheming and plotting. In reality, Uriel's resting up with Arariel at his side." Sariel paused for breath, curious how the demon was going to react to his words. "He is fairly old you know, he doesn't recover as fast as he once did."
"...I am aware of that, yes. Still, knowing him, I would have expected him to be putting on a display of being perfectly fine."
He heard Sariel chuckle, before regaining his composure.
"Well, you can thank or blame Arariel for that, up to you. It's a little-known fact, but Uriel took the kid under his wing, giving him a stable home after his parents were killed. Due to that, he feels it's his duty to ensure our Monarch's health and well-being."
"Is there a reason you're telling me all of this? It’s peculiar for an angel to be so frank with me and you of all people."
"Mhm... It's no secret that I'm no fan of your race, but I'll admit that I was impressed for the most part during that battle. As for why, Uriel didn't specifically say I couldn't say anything. That and I wanted to ask you a question," Sariel responded. Sebastian could hear the disturbance as the angel shuffled his position on the other side.
Sebastian took a moment to process what he had been told, bracing himself as to what could interest the angel enough to barter information for information. Before he could reply, however, Sariel had accepted the silence as permission to keep speaking.
"What do you see in Iomor? He's nothing short of a bastard, a point further proven by the information my sources furnished me with."
"What information would this be?" Sebastian queried. It was the first he had heard of anything, and it was worrying.
"I did notice the lack of women in your front line during that battle, which is supposedly his doing; a male-only force which answers exclusively to his whims."
"Shae leads that half of my army. She's essentially Iomor's counter
part, but where are you going with this?"
"There is more, yes. His methods are nothing short of abusive, I'm honestly surprised that you've not seen the effects of the hate he breeds. At least I treat my soldiers with respect, females included."
Sebastian fell silent. It was a serious accusation and by the sound of it, not a baseless one either. Judging by his tone, Sariel felt strongly about the issue, which was surprising by itself. He knew the two commanders were bitter enemies. Did it stem from the angel's distaste of his counterpart's methods? The two races hadn't been on speaking terms for a long time, telling him to dispose of Iomor would have been seen as preposterous.
"Let me put it to you this way; why would he need to force control over individuals loyal to you, if it weren't for some subversive purpose? Iomor cares only to serve the crown, not the head it sits on."
"I'll have to investigate these claims, but thank you for bringing it to my attention," Sebastian replied, uncomfortably leaning back in his seat.
"Just watch your back. Uriel may consider you an upstart and a bit outspoken, but he doesn't want you dead by any means."
With that statement, the magical link went silent. Sariel had evidently spoken everything he wanted to, leaving to prevent any further discussion. He had succeeded at making Sebastian doubt Iomor's innocence, but getting evidence to prove his claims was going to be a tricky matter. If the demon got wind of what Sebastian was investigating all he would do was hide his tactics more. Such abuse would leave visible wounds, which if they had been treated Dumon would know something.
* * *
Life had been bleak in the swamps since the battle ended. The weather had not become worse, but it also showed few signs of improving. Snow still lay scattered over the ground, piling up high against the trees that dotted the landscape. It was a daily battle to keep the ice that suffocated the lakes clear. So far the effect had not been too severe; the West often got cold winters, but that was during the winter months. A winter at the end of summer was going to be felt for a while. The fish which was the staple of the demons could survive the cooler temperatures, but its breeding cycle would be heavily disturbed. In the long term, it would regulate itself, for now, it would mean rationing food to prevent causing any damage with their greed.
The air was silent as always inside the log cabin that sat perched in the swamp, the dark tint of the wooden panelling was lit with the brightness of a magical flame. Books had been piled high on a small wooden table that sat on one side of the room. The set of drawers nearby also had tomes stacked upon it, along with a varied selection of magical artefacts. Up against the left-hand wall was a bed, by far the largest item present within the reasonably sized room, it could easily sleep two demons.
A creak from a door broke the silence, followed by a solemn sign as a robed figure entered, quietly shutting the door behind them. With the flick of the wrist, they retrieved a book en route to the bed before settling down on the edge, gently leaning over the blanket-covered mattress.
"Morning sweetheart," Amnur said, reaching over to softly stroke the side of Sakura's face. It was wrapped in bandages, covering the majority of the left side of her head. He waited for a response, but as it had been for the days following the incident, she was still sleeping. His expression sank; this was the longest she had ever been unconscious following injury. Normally she bounced back quickly, way before her body had a chance to rest. Keeping Sakura on bed rest when it was needed was a challenge in itself. The kid was just too curious and active for restrictive rest. Right now, Amnur would prefer having to bicker with her and doing everything possible to amuse his daughter as opposed to her current state, silent and seemingly lifeless, aside from the warm puffs of air from her breath and the pulse of her heart.
There was only one event previously that she had been unconscious for any notable amount of time, which happened several years ago back when her mother was still around. Although it hadn't been Amnur's fault, he was still wracked with guilt over it. It was his daughter after all, and he should have been there, much like he should have taken action sooner and prevented her current wounds.
As his mind wondered, tears streaked down the dark, jagged landscape of his face, falling onto the book he was clutching with his spare hand. The thought of losing everything to something out of his control again was too much to bear. He had scrapped together the will to carry on once, but a second time would be impossible.
"She won't die. I won't let it happen, Amnur," Abel spoke up in between his faint sobbing, causing the demon to flinch. "Your door wasn't locked. I did knock, but you didn't answer."
Amnur took a deep breath to calm his nerves, turning his head towards the surprise guest. He took a moment to mull on his words, his expression changing to more of a curious scowl, but a scowl no less. "You sound like you have a way of fixing this..."
"That is correct, but if I'm being honest, I hadn't mentioned it before because the process won't be pleasant for her."
"Unpleasant? Surely it wouldn't be any more unpleasant than death!" the mage growled, easing up a little as he watched Abel pace around the room. The demon was nervous to speak his mind, idly fiddling with his various feathered accessories.
"There is something unique about her that I can utilise, although her lack of mana is a hindrance with that, unfortunately."
"Unique how exactly?"
Abel turned away from the demon's curious yet stern expression. As much as he desired to lie to the man, he knew that such a thing was impossible. Not now he had grabbed his interest. Anything concerning his daughter he would sooner resort to violence than diplomacy, something which irked Sakura rather.
"Well…"
"Would this have anything to do with why her mother was abusive towards her?" Amnur cut off his sentence, causing him to stutter.
"...That would be my theory, yes. It's not a bloodline trait you would want so easily spread. Simply put, she regretted having a child."
"So she expresses her concern by trying to kill my daughter? Just what is this trait, Abel?"
"It is dangerous if it falls into the wrong hands, in other words; the North."
Amnur rubbed his chin. There weren't many demons that didn't know of the northern continent and its political dominance or the forceful control of neighbouring islands to be more correct. Its population consisted primarily of demons, the majority of which were considered to be old blood, which meant they possessed a formidable military. Even to members outside of their race, they were known as the betrayers for the actions they took just after the angels decided to split their societies. They simultaneously revolted against the other demons and the less remembered draconian race, taking slaves and slaughtering those that resisted.
Eventually, they conquered the snowy continent of the north, banishing the other races that inhabited it. Very few ended up making it out alive, staining the pure white snow with the crimson of angel and human blood. Since then, tensions with the North have been chronic, boiling over periodically and resulting in short term battles. In recent years it had calmed down, but for no good reason. The North had their eye on invading the Central Isles, a milestone in the journey to reach the southern continent. Their plans had been halted by the rise of Nathaniel, Sebastian's tyrant father. He was no ally of the North, and his vicious tactics left even them wary of approaching.
When he died for reasons still unknown, the angels used the opportunity to spread rumours that it was Sebastian himself who had murdered the King. If someone was capable of killing that tyrant in cold blood, then they weren't worth dealing with, unless they wished for copious amounts of bloodshed. It had the desired effect; the North had been quiet for a while.
"I'm not getting out of telling you exactly why, am I?" Abel let out a long sigh, Amnur was more knowledgeable about the demon politics than most, enough to know what the connotation about the North meant. "Just let me finish before you comment on anything, alright?"
Amnur shrugged, gesturing him to begin speaking.
"How do I put this simply without freaking you out. My bloodline is different than normal, something you might have been able to guess already," the demon spoke, pointing to the piercing white eyes he possessed. "My father was a demon, living as a shaman in a remote village, but my mother was a dragon. She was considered a nuisance by the village folk. They had food stolen, houses damaged, so on, so forth."
The demon mage eyes widened at the information, but he kept to his word and remained silent. Abel cracked a slight smile, gently catching his breath with small puffs. "Given the reports, my father decided to investigate, only to find a terrified creature, not the monster they made it out to be. She had been left an orphan at a young age by an attacker from the North. Thus she was unaware of how to care for herself, relying on the local village for food."
"That explains why you're so aware of the North," Amnur spoke up, his fiery eyes gazing towards his daughter. He felt as if Abel knew more than he was letting on, but possibly didn't want to accuse anyone without evidence. "I said I'd be quiet, though, so continue."
"To cut a long story short, he reached out to her and trained her. She repaid his kindness by saving his life when he fell gravely ill, but I could be here all night if I described every detail."
"So that means you're half dragon, but can you shift into a draconic form?" he mused, going silent as his mind thought over his statement. "Can Na-ri?"
"Yes, we both can," Abel chuckled, a feeling of warmth embracing him as he viewed the demon's interest on the matter. "I wouldn't fit in here if I did, however."
Amnur rubbed his hands together. It certainly hadn't been what he was expecting, not that he had any idea what to expect. Given this was the first time he had heard the details regarding his past, the village where they originated from wasn't anywhere nearby. It probably wasn't even the Central Isles. A dragon could fly much further than a demon in a single burst, enough to transverse vast stretches of water. He did notice Abel had stopped short of saying why they had to leave aside from previously being told it was unsafe, but they had picked a secluded enough place to live, that was notable enough.
Skies of Fyir Box Set Page 42
