Chapter: 537 Bonus - A Message from the North (Patreon)

Previous__________ToC__________Next

The City Lord of Platoiri immediately noticed a missive arriving from the wilds to the north. While he did try to monitor all the comings and goings around his city, it was the particular magics involved which caught his attention.

The main ones represented were those of the gated humans. It was impossible to miss such entering into his authority.

But what made it more interesting than the occasional trade document from one of the wandering settlements was what he felt in accompaniment. Within the message was a touch of power from that infuriating House of Blood Eskau, Meallain.

As she had never had an interest in or head for trade—and given his knowledge of her circumstances—the combination could only mean one thing.

So, that little human girl did survive after all. It seems life is about to get interesting once more.

  *

Cruas was exhausted.

Doing his own tasks—and those of Pillar Corinis—was draining on the best of days, but it was still better than unseating the man and throwing the whole House into an upheaval… especially with his own Eskau temporarily banished.

Eskau Meallain… When will you come back to me? He knew, of course, that she’d not be physically back for years, but he had meant the internal question in an entirely different sense.

She’d not been the same since the death of the last of the Founder’s line.

He cursed himself for allowing the boy to practice his magics on the elf, even if, ostensibly, Pillar Be-thric hadn’t made any lasting changes. And I suppose he wasn’t a Pillar at the time…

The fact that she’d eagerly volunteered was irrelevant in retrospect.

Even though Cruas hadn’t ever been able to find evidence of any lasting changes, he still had the nagging feeling in the back of his mind that such was too convenient, the results too clean.

That’s probably why Cruas had been so tolerant of Eskau Meallain’s behavior since the boy’s death…

He growled. He knew that he, himself, may have been affected too, and in that way, he was glad that the boy was gone now. The only way to be assured that you weren’t under the control of a competent mind magic user was to ensure that there were no competent mind magic users.

Cruas owed a debt to Eskau Tali that could never be fully repaid even if she were in a state to receive any sort of compensation. It was, after all, quite difficult to receive anything once one has died.

He pushed aside the all-to-often-repeated thoughts and got back to work.

He had the work of two Pillars and an Eskau on his plate, and it wouldn’t accomplish itself.

Just then, a messenger was led into his office.

After the standard greetings, he took the offered note, hesitating for only a moment until sensing the magics from it.

From the gated humans to the north? That was unusual to say the least. He was glad that it had found him, in Platoiri, given the House of Blood conference going on there at the moment. He was usually far to the south.

Regardless, when he opened the message and perused the contents, finding another letter tucked within, he felt his blood run cold.

The second letter was from Eskau Meallain, though the humans had clearly rewritten it. Smart of them.

It was a passing thought, but a solid one nonetheless.

The content of each was short and to the point. Eskau Meallain had submitted herself to the human authorities for crimes committed, and they were reaching out to coordinate her sentencing in a manner that would improve—rather than worsen—relations between the cycling cities and the House of Blood.

Cruas grimaced. He couldn’t handle this on his own. Pillar Corinis would have to be involved… unless…?

He grinned, thinking of how he could present the information to the senior Pillar to get the result he wanted. Pillar Sanguis will need to be involved as well, but he is far easier to keep in hand.

He changed the message he was composing to the Head of the House of Blood, carefully sculpting it.

There was the matter of the human Eskau who was somehow alive, but that was of no consequence to Cruas, himself—even if he did still feel that he owed her… inconvenient that.

The fact that her survival had somehow calmed Eskau Meallain was all he cared about… and added to the debt.

He grimaced, then shook his head, a smile returning to his features. Maybe we can finally get this mess sorted out to our benefit… may the stars send it so.

  *

Corinis, Head of the House of Blood, was woken with the news by Pillar Cruas himself.

He… couldn’t bring himself to care, but he also wouldn’t allow this to unseat him. His brother had died to ensure his primacy at the head of the House of Blood. So, he would act.

He would act by forcing the Pillar most responsible for this mess to clean it up.

Pillar Sanguis will deal with this, or he will be removed.

Still, there was a need for secrecy. He would send a bound scroll to the man, informing him of the situation and designating him as in charge of the ongoing situation… Pillar Cruas would, of course, be made available to consult.

Yes. That should be sufficient.

An hour later, after the Head of the House of Blood’s hold had exploded into a frenzy of activity rarely seen of late, things settled back down.

An hour after that, there was no evidence that anything unusual had happened, and Corinis was able to move back into meditation, leaving the troubles of the world to others.

  *

Revered Sanguis played with his youngest daughter.

It was tafl that they played, and the girl was practically old enough to have children of her own, but it still harkened back to when she was barely crawling around to his mind.

The girl gave him a knowing look. “Father, I’m not a baby anymore.”

He chuckled. “I never could hide my thoughts from you, my dear.”

“Is that why I always beat you in tafl?” She gestured to the board between them.

He grinned. “No, dear one, that is because you got your mother’s mind, and I am stuck with my own.”

They almost continued the banter, but a servant came in with a harried look. “My Pillar, an urgent missive from Pillars Cruas and Corinis.”

Sanguis’s eyebrows rose. For the Pillars to be listed in that order… He grimaced and cursed. “What has the fool done now? Has Eskau Meallain assaulted the Mountain King personally?”

The messenger flinched back, clearly feeling the sharpness of the Pillar’s aura. “I know not, Revered Pillar. I only bear the message.”

Sanguis held out a hand, and the messenger deposited a sealed scroll into it.

His daughter sighed. “I’ll leave you to it, father. I can see that you’ve other things to attend to, and I’ve no love of beating you while you are distracted.”

He nodded absently, accepting her kiss to his cheek and returning it even as he worked to unknot the magics around the scroll.

Old-thinking fools. Why not a letter? Why all this security?

His daughter was gone, and he was alone by the time he got it open, and the reason for the security was immediately obvious.

He still didn’t agree, but he at least understood now.

Sanguis immediately summoned servants, penning letters to various Eskau, including his own.

The two senior Pillars had laid this at his feet, and while that annoyed him, he could see the reasoning.

Eskau Tali—Tala—was alive, and Eskau Meallain had found her.

He almost, almost drafted a general declaration of war, sending to their allies to rally for an assault on the gated humans, but no, that wouldn’t work as he desired, and… this was an opportunity for something else.

They could have attacked at any point, and the results were likely to have actually been more favorable in centuries past. Now? Now, they had a chance for a different tactic.

So, the founding principles of this House might actually be honored in the end, eh? A smile pulled at his lips.

He’d never disliked humans, not really. Honestly, he’d mostly pitied them. That was likely one of the reasons he’d been open to giving that girl a chance…

Eskau Tali—Tala—she’d proven to be worth his time. Maybe there were more like her?

He almost laughed. He knew there were more like her, as otherwise the cycling cities would have been overrun long, long ago by the more aggressive houses.

Maybe it is time to take another look at our long lost stock, and maybe, just maybe, they aren’t just stock any longer.

  *

Pallaun moved through his forms perfectly, not requiring even the smallest bit of attention for his body to act exactly as he desired.

Instead, his mind and soul were reveling in the feel of his wife within him, her soul and his held close. With his physical side active and distracted, it was easier to focus inward. It was what had led to the notion that he trained every spare moment of each day.

Indeed, it was true in a sense, though he didn’t move through the motions primarily to train. That was just a side benefit.

His sandals didn’t make a sound on the hard stone as he moved in irregular cadences across the slick surface, his footing never in question regardless.

His protian weapon danced across him, shifting from form to form, one moment a lance thrusing outward, the next a scythe slashing in a full circle, then a shield to take a non-existent blow, or a bracer or greave to block another.

Most House of Blood Eskau only used their protian weapons as just that, weapons, but Pallaun knew the truth. Their protian weapons were nearly without limit to the forms that they could take, and he’d long ago melded that fact into his fighting.

He’d made no secret of this, but most didn’t see it as a useful distinction.

Eskau Meallain herself had rarely utilized the technique, even in her prime, before… he sighed. Her lack in this area was one reason why he’d never truly been concerned by her.

She had been almost all aggression, even in her loyalty. He grimaced as the elf came more fully to his mind.

She was walking a dark path, having even killed an Eskau Candidate and forced a bond to their nascent protian weapon to slight a Pillar candidate who was to take Pillar Be-thric’s place. On one hand, the act had been a demonstration that she was finally actually learning the uses of authority, but that was the only positive thing that could be said about it.

True, that particular crop of potentials had been lacking, hence why they’d delayed for years before attempting again.

Meallain had interfered each time, with this latest escapade finally going too far.

Even her Pillar had stopped making excuses for her, banishing the woman for a decade to ‘cool her head’ in the wilds.

They’d have a new Pillar well established by the time she returned.

Pallaun did not think that either the banishment or filling the position while she was gone would end well, but he’d never aspired to be a Pillar for a reason. He didn’t have a head, or desire, for complex plans or politics.

He wished only to safeguard his friends and be with his wife.

Power pulsed through him in the pitch dark room, the entire hold held without light and brimming with power specifically for his training and to help deepen his meditative state and increase his soul perception.

True, the hold wasn’t large. After all, it was only this large stone room, his own bedchambers—in which the control column was hidden—and the servants’ quarters, where two attendants resided, each gifted with different means of operating in the dark. Even though it was small, it was still an extravagance that he’d only earned after centuries of dedicated service.

That had been centuries ago, and he’d gone through uncounted attendants since. In fact, the older of these was nearing her own retirement, at which point she’d be well compensated, and a new one would be brought in to be trained by the younger of the current ones.

So went the cycle.

Speaking of the attendants, one was kneeling at the entrance to Pallaun’s training space and had been for almost an hour. He supposed that he should see what she wanted.

“Yes?” Pallaun didn’t stop his movements despite the mild distraction.

“A missive for you, Eskau.”

“What does it say?”

“It was sealed for your eyes only.”

Pallaun detected a hint of a smile on the attendant’s face, and he chuckled in response. “Open it please. I will read it from here.”

“As you command.” The woman broke the seal and opened the paper, spreading it out on the lightless ground.

Pallaun could have probably read it without it being opened, but it was annoying to read folded sentences.

The darkness was his domain, and so he easily absorbed the contents of the letter once he focused upon it.

His eyes widened, and he stopped moving.

“Eskau?” The attendant’s voice held concern, clearly having sensed his pause. “Is everything alright?”

“No… but maybe yes.” He turned and strode to her kneeling form and picked up the letter.

Proximity didn’t help him any, but he still wanted to be in contact with the page.

Meallain captured—if by her own will. Tali alive? And she was Tala now.

So, she was able to find at least a semblance of who she’d once been…

A smile blossomed across his lips at that fact.

Furthermore, the House of Blood was looking to make an agreement with the Cycling Cities.

Pallaun couldn’t comprehend the weight of such a thing.

If they actually did so, it would be equivalent to the House of Blood declaring that the gated humans to the north should be considered as equivalent to a Major House.

He only considered for a moment. “I will not return for some time. Please keep my hold ready for my return.”

“Of course, Eskau Pallaun. We live to serve.”

Pallaun was past the woman when a thought struck him, and he turned back around. “If your time of service should end before I return, thank you for your dedication. It was an honor to have had your attendance.”

“You honor me. It was my honor to serve.”

Pallaun gave a single nod before striding from the hold.

There was much to do, and change was coming.

  *

De-arg sat, balancing on his protian weapon, currently in his favorite shape for it. It was a long staff, nearly twice his own height, capped by a ‘C’ shape that was affixed to the end of the stave about a third of the way around the curve.

He nestled within the arc of the ‘C,’ minutely shifting his muscles in rippling rhythms to keep the whole thing rotating in slow circles while he remained otherwise motionless.

Balance in motion, balance at rest. Balance in all things.

Near ten years of meditation hadn’t been easy to arrange, but it had been worth it. He’d even paid for it in advance through favors and tasks, so that he wouldn’t come out of his reverie and into obligation.

Yes. It had been worth it.

Hallowed. He’d reached Hallowed.

Basking in his concept and the true world fragment, surrounded by vestiges that were keeping the zeme around him as dense as lava, he’d done it.

He allowed himself to smile, slightly contracting muscles in his low back at the same time to offset the motion and keep his slow spin consistent.

Now, another century, and I just might attain sovereignty… if I ever discover what I can be Sovereign of…

A knock sounded on his door, but it didn’t unbalance him despite it being unexpected.

They wouldn’t knock if they were bringing food. Such had been well arranged and coordinated years earlier.

No, the only reason they’d knock was if they were bringing urgent news.

“Come.” He spoke levelly, not too quiet nor too loudly. He had to twitch his tail just so to counter both his own muscular movement and the force of the exhaled air.

You know, this is good practice… Maybe I should move out of isolation to perfect my technique and expand my capacities?

A voice came through the door, gruff and clearly stressed, “I’ve an urgent missive, Eskau De-arg. My sincere apologies for disturbing you.”

“Can you read the missive to me?” Another tail twitch wasn’t sufficient, and he had to contract his glutes and hip flexors to keep his motions unaltered.

“It’s for your eyes only. Once again, you have my apologies.”

He frowned, flexing the back of his head to balance out this time. It would give him a headache if he continued, but a momentary contraction wouldn’t be an issue. “Come.”

The door opened, the air currents causing him to have to increase his focus, minute muscle twitches firing off precisely all over his body.

The servant had no idea the disruption he truly caused as he stepped in and bowed, holding out a heavy envelope.

De-arg sighed. He was attempting to strain his magical capacities upward, and so any use would set him back in his progress in that area.

Therefore, he had only one choice.

He uncoiled, his body not sore in the least due to his careful flexion and extension of every part of himself over the past years.

He lightly landed, extending his hand to allow his protian weapon to coil around it in the form of a heavy bracelet that was practically a bracer.

His other hand took the offered letter, the servant towering over him, as most did. “Thank you, you may go.”

The man bowed again and departed.

De-arg opened the letter with practiced motions, and was instantly irritated when he saw it was only three sentences long. What could possibly be worth—

His eyes widened, and momentarily felt a wave of disorientation. He took a single step to the side, regaining his balance with practiced ease.

Around him, cracks briefly appeared in existence itself, and time… hesitated, seeming to almost stop.

The Eskau looked around himself, taking in the frozen moment as his very being resonated with… something.

Then, the moment passed, and time resumed, leaving no evidence remaining of whatever had happened.

He filed the experience away for later contemplation and reread the note:

‘Eskau Meallain has submitted herself to the authority of the Cycling Human Cities. Eskau Tali is alive in the same region and is known as Tala to the gated humans. The House of Blood requests your counsel and insight at the gathering in Platoiri, that we may achieve a balanced result.’

De-arg stared at the note for several long moments.

It seemed that his meditations were at an end for the time being.

Well, I suppose it is good to know that that girl is still alive. I hope she hasn’t wasted her years of isolation. Things are about to get very interesting.

Here Ends Outbound, Book 12 of Millennial Mage
(But, you know, for real this time.) 😉

The story continues in Book 13, Homebound

Previous__________ToC__________Next