AO 7 Ch 4

Chapter 4

"Thank you for the time," Bad Kitty said, batting her eyelashes at me as the two of us walked alone outside of town. 

"Of course. Anything for my Bad Kitty," I smirked, watching as she rolled her eyes playfully. 

"You truly get a great deal of enjoyment from taunting goddesses, don't you? The name Bastet has been worshipped and honored for thousands of years, and here you are, butchering it into 'Bad Kitty'."

I shrugged with a smile. "I could call you Naughty Kitty, if that made it any better."

She snorted. "No, keep with the first. It has memories that go with it." She gave me a sideways glance as she walked with her arms behind her back. A dark tail flitted out for a brief moment. There was a gold band a few inches from the tip that caught the light before it disappeared once again. "And there you go, looking at my ass again."

"And honestly, it is a fantastic ass," I said, shrugging helplessly and taking the moment for my eyes to rove over Bastet.

She had dark purple hair and features that weren't common. Her skin was dark like the Garrish, only theirs always had a tinge of red to it. Hers was smoother, more golden, like the grains of sand under the midday sun. Her most unique features were the disappearing tail she used to tease me and a pair of cat ears that blended in, oftentimes too perfectly, in her head of hair. 

"You know, I can never quite understand you, Ard," Bad Kitty said, a smile gracing her lips. "On one hand, you strive ever more for power, taking on more anchors and growing your magic. I even sense Missy’s magic in you now."

"Guilty," I said with a smile, "but what's the confusion?"

"You build all this power, but it does not seem to be with the desire to rule as king over any of these kingdoms, or perhaps is king not enough for you? Do you want to become a god and be worshipped?"

"A god and be worshipped?” I scoffed. “No thank you, that gives me anxiety just thinking about it. To be honest, I don't know what I want myself. It's kind of been a string of incidents that I've been falling through since awakening as a mage. There's always been something pushing me, and I haven't always had to push myself. Now that I find less pressure, I do wonder if owning an inn wouldn't be nice."

A sly smile slid across Bastet's lips. "Would you like a family?"

"Someday, but I know I'm going to live for a very long time, and I'm not in a rush just yet." I answered.

Bastet nodded. "And while you're ignoring your own kingdom, and Garrish, will you try to get Eva the throne in Zenovia?"

"I think the best way to answer your question is to say that I will help Eva with whatever she wants for herself. As for my own goal in this, I simply want to see my neighboring country, and perhaps see if there's anything about my father that still remains." I answered, getting quiet towards the end as I brought up my father.

The cat goddess's eyes narrowed at me, her tail flicking behind her. I wondered if it was an unconscious twitch.

"And Freya?" she asked. 

"Oh, I want to strip Cowtits of anything and everything she has acquired. Mostly because I know if I don't, she's going to come for you three. And I simply can't have that. If I can get her weak enough that she leaves us alone, well then..." I shrugged. "If she runs off to the other side of the world, I doubt I'll try hard enough to chase her down. Unless she gives me a reason."

"You would let her live?" There was a flash of anger from Bastet.

"If she stopped causing me a headache? Absolutely." I didn’t back down. "And what do you think the chances of that are, Bad Kitty?"

Bassett smirked. "Zero. Freya is not one that's known to give quarter to her enemies."

"Well then. Sounds like I'm in it to win it, the whole biscuit and all of that. And you, Bassett? What is it that you want?" I asked.

"I would laugh, normally, with a mortal asking a goddess what she wants. But you have a peculiar way of doing the unimaginable." She sighed and looked out over one of the fields that had a spotting of workers going about, toiling with their hoes. "Peace would be nice," she said after a moment's thought. "Family would be nicer. Many of us have been focused on escaping this world, building up enough power to do it and devouring each other. But I do think it's possible to strike an equilibrium. Especially with a new pantheon." 

She turned and refocused on me. "You would be a god derived of this world, unlike the rest of us. I’m not entirely sure what that will create. But I am open to discovering it. Of course, most mortals that I've known that get great power are rarely satisfied. And with each bite they take, with each ounce of strength they obtain, they simply become more and more ravenous for far greater power." She narrowed her eyes. There was clearly more than the surface to that comment. But if she didn’t want to explain the history behind the look she was giving me, I wasn’t going to push her. It would probably come to light at some point.

"Those that get power like that probably wanted it in the first place," I said. "At least, that would be my best guess. Because, unless you're born as incredible as I am, you don't really get this awesome without a ton of work and drive behind you the whole way."

"What's that?” Bad kitty shook her head. "You were just born this incredible?"

"I know, it's been a burden my entire life," I said with a sad shake of my head. "It's like a curse, but I will bear it."

"You bear it quite well, Ard. That you took the time to heal those in the alley last night, and that you're hesitant to rush into the current restructuring of power, says that you might very well break the mold and my expectations." Bassett smiled, and it reached her eyes as they crinkled in the corner. 

"But in order to protect yourself, given the amount of power that you have, you do need some skill," Bassett warned. “It will be like honey for the greediest of your people.”

I let out a heavy breath. "I know. Truthfully, I hoped to borrow that skill from my lovers. Though, Zuri has a tactical mind and Maribelle could weave circles around me in etiquette, I'm not entirely sure either of them is built for the political machinations that we're about to dive headfirst into."

"At least you're aware," Bastet nodded. 

"Which brings me to Eva," I said after a moment. "She's most likely to get me through any sort of political problem. However, she doesn't have any of the personal backing to do anything. Perhaps going to Zenovia will get her that. As reluctant as I am to admit it, it might be good for me to make sure that my family and anyone else who might seize power at least understands me enough to not cause me endless headaches. Or, of course, I could just fuck off to Soulgard and quite literally disappear until it all blows over." I flashed her another smile. "After all, we're going to live a long time, aren't we?"

"Yes, we are, and I suspect your connection to your anchors will bring them along with you.” She offered.

“My only worry is Eva, of course." I shrugged.

Bastet's eyes narrowed. "I must also prepare you, Ard, as you have power and allow those around you to borrow it. There will be people who have past histories that they wish to reconcile."

"Is there someone you're saying you need to take revenge against?" I asked. "Perhaps Freya?" I smiled. "As stupid as I am sometimes, your reaction to me letting Freya go was noticeable enough to me."

Bastet pouted. "She is a wicked woman. She does not deserve your sympathy nor mercy. I would suggest that you remove her from the equation entirely as quickly as possible.” Her eyes flashed dangerously. She was far more than just a tease.

“If you stick around me, I promise that she at least won't be able to hurt you again. As for me taking vengeance on her, well, we'll see if she gives me the opportunity. Right now, we don't even know where she has gone.”

“She built her base of power here on this continent." As she spoke, her mask of civility was gone, and anger settled into her eyes. "She wouldn't have gone far. No, she couldn't have gone far."

I smiled at her to hide my other emotions. I knew the three goddesses likely came with a fair amount of baggage and that Freya was no kind motherly figure. But I hadn't expected quite this much anger to exist between them.

Of course, Missy had called on people she thought would help her against Freya. And she must have known some of this. But for the otherwise capricious Bad Kitty, who I expected to have a firm hold on her emotion, to get so angry, perhaps Missy had brought people to the fight with more stake in it than she realized.

***

Gwen Aldis rolled forward through the royal palace and into a large meeting chamber.

The floor dipped around the feet of the round table that the mages had pulled from the marble. They had well and truly settled in this week.

It was eerily quiet in the palace. She was joined by the elders from the Enclave. 

There were still two open seats, but no one was rushing to fill them. Instead, the entire city seemed to almost be in quiet mourning after Ard had killed the King of Avente.

The Aldis family had swept back into the capital and quickly used the Enclave to seize control of nearly everything from the royal family. Those remaining had, of course, tried to turn the Enclave into a collection of followers for them to control. Not only had that failed, but it had blown up spectacularly in their face.

Although Ard had frozen the King of Avente solid, the king had not lasted long after losing the weapon given to him by a god. And he certainly had not survived the journey back to the capital.

And the broader families had moved quickly as soon as news had arrived.

The first prince was killed by the Trevis family as they seized control of the military before the prince could act up. The second prince had been immediately ordered to keep himself in Hidavente. The lesser children of the royal family had been little more than marriage pawns between the royals and certain noble families. Their actual leadership qualities or personal power was not enough to resist the sudden overwhelming push from the noble families that still held the Enclave. 

With Strathmoore's support in their group, the critical items for the kingdom were locked down, the people wouldn't starve, and the roads would still be paved. The Greystones had never truly picked a side, trying to remain neutral, while the Thornes had hedged towards the royal family and would pay the price for that. It was largely the lesser noble houses that had joined the royal family. It was the royals way to keep the old houses in check. 

"Do not desire too much vengeance," her father said, almost as if he could read her mind. 

"I can both desire it and be intelligent enough to know that I can't get it," Gwen said. "You do not have to instruct me like I will act off instinct. I am not Ard." 

"No, Ard would be far simpler," her father said. "I'm fairly certain I could tell him to sit on the throne, and he would." 

Gwen snorted and covered her mouth before she embarrassed herself further in front of the other elders. "You still have much to learn about your grandson. Not only do I think he wouldn't sit on the throne, I think it would be a terrible idea for everyone involved if you managed to force it." 

"Wise Four Sphere Mage," one of the Enclave elders said, frowning. It was hard to hide a conversation in this room, the sound amplified itself far too easily against the hard marble.

Old Elder Virel to let out a hacking laugh. "That boy still has too much fire and spirit in him. Let him go run around for a few more years. Perhaps after he's borne the responsibility of a few rugrats, he'll wise up to what it really means to take care of a kingdom." 

"Speaking of, he does have two on the way.” Regis Virel added for his aunt.

Gwen nodded, a smile on her lips at the idea of grandchildren. "Yes, he does, and I hope he'll be back to see them born. But getting our country stable is our most important present task. In stability, we can reach out and help the farmers or react to floods from the mountains.”

“If anything, I would love for this damn war to end. Your son was hunting chancellors? Perhaps we could scare them off." Another elder complained.

A raven made of shadows came flying into the room, cawing loudly before exploding in a puff of feathers that melted into shadows and left behind a rolled-up scroll. 

"If you would," the Elder Virel motioned to Elder Segmund.

The old man had lost everything to Ard already. With the royal's support gone, their faction of the Enclave would dissolve shortly, Gwen expected. 

Elder Segmund unrolled the scroll and cleared his throat. "News has passed down the warfront that the King of Garrish has been slain, and the Fourth Company is requesting orders on our next steps." He spoke clearly before he paused and his eyes scanned over the words again.

"Is the seal correct?" Elder Trevis asked. 

"It appears to be, though we did have false communications in our network earlier. It doesn't even mention how King Martin died," Elder Brahamun huffed and squinted over the other elders shoulder. "Almost seems we should have gotten another message that was more detailed," he pondered aloud.

Gwen had a sudden sinking feeling. "Perhaps House Trevis could send a missive to Chillwind Pass. They may have more information. They are stationed directly across the Garrish Fortress." She and the Old Trevis Elder shared a knowing look. 

"We'll send it immediately and request an update on the situation there. Speaking of," he said, his eyes shifting to look into the distance, "I think our regular communication from Chillwind has been delayed. We've already sent someone to check their route." 

Gwen's sinking feeling intensified.

"Is something the matter?" Anadonis asked.

"I have this sudden impending feeling that somehow Ard is involved in this in multiple ways." 

"You think your boy killed the King of Garrish?" One of the elders sputtered, slapping the table and laughing. "That brat is not even wet behind the ears. I've heard the exaggerated stories of him fighting our king. But everyone knows they are exaggerated. Just look at the descriptions of our king. He was never that much of a warrior." 

Gwen shared a look with her father. "Yes, well, the last I heard from my son, he was hunting chancellors."

Her words even caused the elder to snort. And Gwen shrugged helplessly. "You're welcome to believe your own reports. I do hope that you find them more to your liking than mine. What we must decide now is how to lead the kingdom moving forward." She didn’t want to have this discussion again.

Eyes darted around the room as each and every elder checked with their allies. 

Gwen continued to hold the floor. “I understand we cannot have an open and frank discussion on this, however I would ask all of you to consider the stability of the kingdom. The royal family's line is still active, and though the king's popularity is at an all-time low, keeping the royal family involved in the equation would likely solve many headaches.”

“We can just take one of those brats and have one of them marry into our family's house and lift it up." An elder called out, rubbing his chin thoughtfully.

Meanwhile every Elder in the meeting glared at him like he was a fool counting his coins before the goods arrived.

"Yes, so simple," Gwen said dryly. 

"Simple isn't the word I would use," the elder tried to correct her, "however it would be pertinent that we make it happen in the most palatable way possible. As you said, we shouldn't upset the populace." 

Gwen shook her head already, feeling a headache coming from a mile away. It would almost be simpler to deal with Ard. Ard's particular brand of chaos was at least marginally predictable.

"Perhaps we should let the royal children decide their own matches," one of the elders offered as casually as possible.

Gwen held back from rolling her eyes, she could only imagine the remaining royal children split into a half a dozen houses and then each pushing them forward in a massive succession war. 

"Oh wonderful. Next we can let babies write our laws," another huffed. 

"They are not babies. Though they might seem like children to you, they are fully grown and educated royals. We would simply be utilizing our own capabilities to pre-select their options." Another added.

Gwen successfully held back a groan.

Her father, Anadonis, leaned over. "We should get your son back here as quickly as possible. It should be rather simple for him to pick up where he left off with that Bianca? If we get her and the second prince on our side, then it should be smooth sailing from here for House Aldis to take the throne."

Gwen chuckled at her father. "If you think getting Ard to do anything will result in smooth sailing, I would like you to reintroduce me to this version of my child that you've met. Because the one I've been dealing with gives me nothing but endless headaches."

"He'll come back with more understanding. War has a way of mellowing even the wildest of children," Anadonis offered.

Gwen gave her father a placating smile. "And while we're at it, I would love some of your optimism. Thank you."

Anadonis clicked his tongue. "Allow me to set the boy straight when he returns."

"Oh, please. I would appreciate it if you let me come and learn from you, Father." Gwen tried to hold back a smile imagining the exchange.

Her father turned his attention back to the discussion turned argument playing out around the table. The elders jostled for power and favors even before anyone had the actual authority to move forward. The vacuum of power was simply too great. It had clearly drawn in all of the elders far beyond their ability to control themselves.

Gwen put on a fake smile and rejoined the conversation.