Heretic Spellblade 6 - Ch13

Chapter 13

Close to a thousand knights milled about in the fields outside Aleich. They wore a mixture of Royal Knight and Imperial Army uniforms, given Nathan’s elite units were split between the two. Officially, the soldiers in his service served the Imperial Army and only those defending Aleich counted as Royal Knights.

Unofficially, the lines had blurred so heavily that the uniforms often meant very little. Nathan had appointed a swathe of his own loyal officers to the Royal Knights in the aftermath of Maylis’s betrayal, and the divisions trained and fought together regularly. His Champions further confused matters, as all of them counted as Royal Champions.

During the cascade, Kara had eagerly sent Royal Knights across the Empire to put out fires. The only exception granted was to ensure enough of them remained in the palace to protect Alice.

Usually, this wouldn’t matter. In the coming days and weeks, it might.

“Lia, do we have enough spare equipment and uniforms for the Royal Knights?” Nathan asked Seraph.

The two of them stood off to the side. A set of anti-scrying wards ensured he could use her true name with impunity, although she still shot him a slightly annoyed look. Unlike Sunstorm, who rarely did more than pout when he called her Choe in public, Seraph greatly disliked the possibility of anyone else learning her true name.

“Possibly.” Seraph frowned. “I’ll admit that I’m not entirely certain, especially as there’s a gap between the levels of enchanted equipment in use by the knights. We’ve recruited in huge numbers during and following the civil war, and you don’t have the time to be making enchanted equipment yourself.”

“I know. We purchase the gear for the knights now. Is that a problem?” he asked.

“We have a minimum quality, but the knights squabble over anything you made. When you transferred entire units across to the Royal Knights, almost all of them gave up handcrafted equipment. No expense is spared to defend the Empress after all, so they got an upgrade.”

Finally, he understood her point. “So the answer to my question is yes, but they’ll be using vastly worse equipment and many of them will be grumpy.”

“Yes.” She gave him a thin smile. “Why are you worried about the Royal Knights anyway?”

He tapped the royal emblem on her shoulder. “We’re entering Trafaumh, a nation that seceded precisely because of their dislike of Alice’s position. The Imperial Army is one thing, but the sight of Royal Knights in their glowing golden armor will inflame tensions.”

“You think the Inquisition will attack us because of our uniform?”

“I think it will make it more difficult to negotiate. Many are going to see us as symbols, rather than soldiers.”

Seraph nodded slowly before turning away from him. They stood without saying a word for some time.

In the distance, they watched as a small army of knights swarmed a mass of fluffy tails. Tarako’s bronze tails fanned out protectively while her cackles echoed across the field, drawing more and more knights to her presence.

Despite how far away she was, Nathan still heard Fei.

“It’s you, it’s you, it’s you, it’s really you!” Fei shouted.

Not that the other knights—almost all of whom were beastkin women like Fei—acted much differently. Tarako’s fame preceded her.

“Was it really wise to let her distract the knights?” Seraph asked.

“Would you rather she do it in the middle of a battle?”

“Fair.” She nodded. “Fei is going to tear you a new one when she learns you could have given her the Nine-Tail Slash.”

He grimaced. “I have no clue how Tarako’s powers even work. Her trigem power is at least a seventh rank spell. If anything, I’m now curious as to whether I can rebind existing gems to make them stronger.”

“One step at a time, Nathan,” Seraph said drily. “You’ve been training me to become a Bastion, are busy mixing and matching gems, and still need to find a solution to Ciana’s arm.”

The unicorn stood a dozen feet away, studiously pretending she couldn’t overhear them. She remained the reason for Seraph’s annoyance that Nathan had used her real name. Not that it mattered, as Ciana had eavesdropped on it in the past.

Along with several others, as Seraph had learned over time. Although even the Twins knew better than to tease Seraph over that fact. As much as they needled various Champions, they avoided deeply personal topics.

“Back to our original topic,” Seraph said abruptly. “I think you’re overthinking things.”

“About the Royal Knights?”

She nodded and rubbed his arm. “Maybe that would have mattered in the past. Perhaps even your past. But now? You’re the symbol, Nathan. Even more famous than Fyre, the literal prophet of the goddess. People usually learn the names of trigems, because of their fame. Rarely, somebody like Tharban becomes infamous due to their monstrosity. But I guarantee every Champion and Bastion knows you.”

“I was known in my world as well,” he said bitterly.

“For your own ability, or as a symbol?”

A frown marred his expression. “The latter… I think. You’re right. I think the only politician that ever saw me for my own potential was…” he trailed off at the realization.

Because, beyond all else, it troubled him greatly.

“Who?” Seraph raised an eyebrow. “More to the point, why do only the politicians matter?”

“Because they call the shots, Lia.” He chuckled. “I was in that meeting with Alice and Fyre just then. Reminded me of the gap between me and my darling fiancées when it comes to politics. They butter me up about how well I handle politics, then I watch her bulldoze the Amican Dukes over Trafaumh.”

“She is born to both archducal and imperial dynasties. If she couldn’t handle herself among powerful nobles, something has gone horribly wrong.” Seraph’s eyes narrowed. “Well? You didn’t tell me who.”

Nathan sighed as Seraph refused to let the topic drop. “Baudelaire. Brutal dictator or not, she understood what prevented complete destruction of Doumahr, even if it involved working with a Bastion from a nation constantly warring with her. I suspect that if the situation had been reversed and Falmir had fallen, while Trafaumh remained, she would have welcomed me with open arms.”

“Yet you seem to utterly detest her.”

“I know who and what she is, as well as what she’s capable of. Baudelaire will stop at nothing to accomplish her aims. More worryingly…” He rubbed his arms, only for Seraph to catch his hands.

“Is this something you should worry about?” she asked, looking him in the eyes.

“Yes.” He met her gaze. “Because I often question what I will stop at to protect Doumahr. Look at the people I work with, the magic I’m using, and the things I’m doing. To some, there may be little difference between the dungeons beneath Trafaumh and what I did to Tharban.”

“I don’t think you’ve brutally tortured countless beastkin.”

“Maybe not. But don’t you think the nobility might value those beastkin the same as a single noble?” He grimaced. “Baudelaire’s aims and mine align. I’m worried about what will happen when we reach Soreaux, because I’ve always had to make the pragmatic choice. And in this case…”

“It might be to retain the brutal dictator.” Seraph leaned against him. “Narime and I talk, you know?”

“I never knew,” he said drily. “It’s not like the two of you tell me this every few months, when it’s clear I haven’t been open enough with one or both of you.”

She pinched his side. “At least you’re self-aware. But I’ll echo her comments from the end of last year. Your old world burned because Bastions stood by and let people like Baudelaire do ‘what was necessary’ instead of what was right. You’ve been doing everything you can to balance that, instead of simply turning a blind eye and trusting leaders like a fool, when you have the power to fix things.”

“What if I decide Baudelaire has the right idea?”

Seraph laughed. “I don’t think you’ll ever decide that. But if you decide that she is the lesser of two evils? Nathan, I love you and support you because you’re able to make the difficult decisions without fooling yourself. You’re not Torneus, who nearly lost control of everything fighting the Empire and couldn’t see that he’d forsaken the things he loved. Or like the Guardians of Kurai, who became blind to their own complacency.”

“Not a supporter of our newest member?”

“I… dislike the idea that she kept so many secrets from her kin, including Narime, simply out of defeatism.” Her expression darkened. “You keep secrets as well, but I know that if I press you about them, you’ll tell me. Often I wonder if you simply forget to tell us everything.”

He winced. “A little. Sometimes it’s because I don’t know how to explain it.”

“Like the difference between timelines and worlds?” she asked drily. “Don’t bother. Narime gave me an update on it, and I’ll admit I don’t fully understand it. If you’re fine with it, as Champions we can keep each other up-to-date on everything you tell one of us.”

“Do that. I don’t intend to silo secrets, but it can be difficult to tell everyone repeatedly, especially as not everyone is going to follow some of the more intricate details.”

“Sen drew the short straw on explaining things to Fei, so don’t worry about that.”

Ironically, Nathan felt that Fei would be the least of their worries.

As if sensing their discussion was nearing their natural end, Reine trotted up to them. She’d returned to a baggy black robe and even slipped on her old porcelain mask. The featureless black mask had been missing from her face for months now, and Nathan found the silver eyes painted on it eerie.

“Vala has returned with her unit of knight-killers,” Reine said before stopping just short of him. “Otherwise, I believe this is our immediately available capacity to assist Trafaumh. I will work with Kara to mobilize Archduke von Milgar’s forces swiftly so that we can free up more of our elite knights for your purposes.”

“Don’t stretch yourself,” Nathan warned.

“You have granted me a gem ability. It would be remiss of me not to use it to its fullest potential,” Reine said.

“You also don’t know how quickly it will drain you.” Seraph crossed her arms. “Nathan is right. You are vital to our efforts for more than just moving soldiers. More knights will be useful, but not if you collapse and your scrying becomes unavailable. If you want to be as useful as you desire, don’t push yourself to collapse. And you won’t know what will make you collapse until you have more experience.”

Nathan looked at Seraph, a rebuke in his throat for her rather callous words to Reine.

Yet his spymaster merely nodded and spoke before he could. “I understand. You are correct, Seraph, and I shall bow to your experience until I have gathered more of my own.”

The sidelong look from Seraph suggested she knew he had been about to chide her, and he winced.

And then Reine’s voice spoke in Nathan’s mind, causing him to jump. I do not mind her harsh words, Lord Nathan. She is correct and sometimes I need the reminder of my relative inexperience so that I do not act too rashly.

He stared at her. Naturally, all that stared back were those featureless painted silver eyes. Although he saw the back of her robe shift, as if her tail had wagged nervously.

Tentatively, he reached for the mental tether he’d formed with her and felt it thrumming with power. More so than even the sympathetic gem tether he’d formed with Ciana.

No, he realized. The link with Ciana felt different to this. Subtly so.

The links to his Champions served multiple purposes, but primarily were about supplying them with power for their gems. To do this, he tied them to their emotions and minds. With Ciana, her mind had become so bound to the tether that she beamed her emotions and thoughts across the link constantly, as if she struggled to distinguish his mind apart from her own.

He worried that sympathetic link meant Ciana’s mind might shatter if he ever broke it.

His link with Reine felt just as active, but he couldn’t feel her emotions beaming across it constantly. Instead, it seemed as if a constant thrum of magic pulsing along it from his binding stones and her alexandrite somehow reciprocated.

There was one other link that matched this behavior. Fyre’s. When she’d first become the prophet, she’d constantly pressed at his mind until he’d eventually let her in. She could do all sorts of strange things through the connection to him: supply power to his Champions in battle; connect to his binding stones, such as the palace; and even communicate mentally with him.

Just like Reine was right now. Was the alexandrite granting Reine an identical connection to the prophet? Nathan was deeply uncertain.

He tried replying to her like he did with Fyre when communicating mentally. Not that he did so very often. It took him a few attempts.

When did you realize you could do this? he asked her mentally.

She tilted her head at him. Almost immediately after you gave me my gem. I take it this is unusual?

Yes. He rubbed the bridge of his nose. “It’ll be useful, though. I plan to visit Marquise de Rosewald first, and if I can talk to you over the mental link then we can minimize the time the portal is open.”

“I see. That was not the original plan.”

“It is a good idea, though,” Seraph interrupted, although with a raised eyebrow. If she was confused by where he’d picked up the conversation thread, she kept a lid on it. “What brought this on?”

“The fact Reine can teleport anywhere. I’m limited to places either on leylines or that I’ve been before.” Nathan looked pointedly at his spymaster. “We’re less constrained now.”

The shifting of Reine’s robes suggested her tail moved quite wildly in response to his praise.

Assembling for his diplomatic visit took a few minutes. Ciana insisted on accompanying him, although nobody questioned her. Rather than a sword and shield, she carried an ostentatious greatsword that Nathan hadn’t seen since Leopold’s funeral. It was a powerful relic weapon, although he didn’t know what it was capable of.

While Trafaumh possessed countless relics, many had been lost in the defense of the Gharrick Mountains. Deverese refused to use them, so Nathan rarely saw them in action. No doubt his former rival knew the origins of the relics and avoided them.

Sen finally dragged Fei over to join them, with the cat beastkin spitting and clawing the entire time.

“But I still haven’t found out how she defeated the nine golems of Horthrumgar,” Fei whined as Sen physically dragged her.

Fortunately, Fei wasn’t seriously resisting. The kitty could hurl Sen across the field without even trying if she wanted to, even if Ciana’s strength outclassed her tenfold in turn.

“I don’t even think Horthrumgar exists,” Sen said.

“It’s a mythical city that supposedly exists on an island in the Far Reaches,” Nathan explained. “We’re pretty sure something like it exists, as explorers found it again shortly before the secession, but nobody knows who built it or what it’s for. It’s fodder for lots of stories and myths. The assumption is that it’s an old city of the First Peoples, but…”

He frowned. Knowing what he knew now about Omria and the civilizations she’d churned through, it seemed questionable to call the faeries “the First Peoples.”

“Even Kurai has myths about it,” Seraph said. “It’s far from the only ancient city. I assume most of them are leftovers from former civilizations.”

“Then Tarako might—” Fei perked up.

Tarako appeared behind the catgirl. “I haven’t been to Horthrumgar since Om…” She screwed up her face. “I’m never going to get used to not being able to use her name. Anyway, the last time I went there was when the old cow levelled it in a fit of rage.”

Everyone stared at her.

“You can’t say that without elaborating,” Sen said. “Although Ifrit seems to know what you’re talking about.”

“Of course he does. If the spirit in your head is the one I think he is, I’ve met him a bunch of times. He’s seen more empires fall than I have.” Tarako seemed to stare through Sen. “Anyway, Horthrumgar is an old draconic citadel. The faeries claimed it and abandoned it when the old cow abandoned them.”

“So the nine golems?” Fei asked, practically vibrating with excitement. Her tail turned invisible as it spun around behind her.

“The dragons had a whole host of summoned guardians. They were so few in number that they relied almost exclusively on summons.” Tarako shrugged. “Oversized mana tanks. Useful against demons, but useless in war and against Messengers.”

“Awwww.”

“Enough. Are you coming with?” Nathan asked.

Fei stiffened, and Nathan reflexively severed the mental command he’d unwittingly given her. Tarako shot him another curious look, although he saw her tails shiver.

“Is everyone here aware of what you’re doing with your voice?” Tarako asked.

“It’s new,” Fei said, biting her lip. “Last night was the first time.”

“I only started doing it to the Messengers months ago,” he clarified. “It’s spread to everyone now. I have no clue why or how. I don’t even feel the magic activating, and the succubi are useless at helping.”

“Given their interest in you is transparent, I can imagine why they won’t help you rein your power in.” The fox clicked her tongue. “I’d be less concerned if you hadn’t hammered on my barriers twice as hard this time. Anyway, are you picking a fight?”

“No. This is—”

“Then I’ll remain behind and drink some sake. It’s better if my kin don’t think I’m taking too proactive a role, or they’ll think I’m their chief again.”

“Aren’t you?” Seraph asked. “You have your gems back. Why not take the reins?”

“Because I’ll be their god-empress for life if they let me.” Tarako rolled her eyes. “I prefer my retirement.”

With his retinue gathered, Nathan left the legendary fox alone and directed Reine to open a portal.

The slit she tore in space shuddered as it expanded to roughly fit three people through it at once. Looking through it, Nathan saw a dirt courtyard and a keep.

He immediately knew they’d be in for some “excitement” on the other side. Before anyone realized what might be awaiting them, he ushered his Champions through.

“Fei, Seraph, with me. Sen, help Sunstorm gather the knights. I expect we’ll be back in under thirty minutes,” he ordered.

Sen gave him a breezy salute as he followed the other Champions through. Ciana trooped after him, while a small team of knights gathered in a panic at the sight of him leaving.

Once he stepped through, the portal closed after him, preventing anyone from following.

And stopping any of the panicking soldiers on this side from charging through. A dozen guards wearing Rosewald’s emblem on their tabards charged, halberds raised. Their commanding officer wore the black uniform of the Inquisition.

“Intruders! Heretics! Demons!” the inquisitorial soldier shouted. “Your heads shall—” He cut off abruptly, his eyes nearly bursting from his skull.

Every other soldier stopped dead alongside him. But the damage was done. Shouts of panic and bells rung out along the walls around them.

Reine had portaled them directly inside the courtyard of Marquise de Rosewald’s castle. The locals didn’t take kindly to Nathan’s surprise visit.

- - - - -

Commentary: You can probably get a better idea of how I want Reine's alexandrite to play out from this chapter, and I'll fix things up when I find the time and words. I might still tweak it a bit. The general idea is that I want the alexandrite to have a special quality of its own, due to the way it taps into the Bastion-Champion system.

I'm still mixed on how I'll write the mental magic side, as the idea I actually want is for Nathan to work with the binding stones directly in some way to help Reine (as part of his realization so far has been that Bastions are a conduit, and that might be hampering the use of more powerful gems in contrast to those gifted by outer beings). This is a more direct path than what I was going for. Saying this outright gives away part of the secret, but I unfortunately didn't find the time and words to write it out properly so I have to just say it. It should pop up again soon-ish.

Otherwise, Nathan hints at his future moral conundrums.