Actually, it didn’t take the Viamontians too long to send a party under flag of truce back to the castle, hoping to find out exactly what was going on and the fate of their king.
Princess Kristie and Warlord Briggs were waiting for them at the gatehouse, which was now missing its doors and bars, while the soldiers who’d remained behind to hold it were now circles of white dust around their armor.
The tall and muscular Hand who approached bore the white flag of truce, and prudently unhelmed himself as he approached. The war mage in bright blue-trimmed red robes next to him was hard-eyed and arrogant after seeing only two warriors there to greet them.
Nevertheless, both knew that the forces they were gathering from the city and which had fled from their castle might well not be enough to defeat those who had taken the castle from within.
“I am Count Coranos di Furzi,” the Hand introduced himself with curt suspicion, taking his measure of both of these outsiders who had done the unthinkable. “I come under flag of truce to learn the fate of my king.”
Instead of replying, their eyes turned to the mage, eerily in unison, pale violet and pale green equally unnerving. The killing intent in their stares actually made the arrogant mage take a step back as a sharp pain seemed to shoot through his heart.
Their utter confidence that he was nothing in front of them did not sit well with him, and he flushed deeply. “I am Baron Lucius du Lotila,” the mage also introduced himself, and even remembered to bow to them.
“You stand in the presence of Imperial Princess Kristie Rantha-Briggs, daughter of Emperor Briggs and Empress Sama Rantha, the Butchers of Viamont and Rulers of all of Ispar,” Briggs ground out, his voice so ominously deep their toes trembled to hear it. “You will kneel to her, sirs, or we will remove your heads for your rudeness.”
Both men swallowed at such an outrageous claim. However, the flat and uncaring stares directed at them clearly indicated that these two could play the arrogance game even more firmly than could they, and something told them that a mere white flag wasn’t going to keep them alive if they chose to be proud.
Biting back any words and knowing they were hovering on the edge of death, both men reluctantly bent their knees to the towering brute and the scarred Aluvian woman.
“Ask your questions. We are not here to negotiate with you,” Briggs ground out.
“Your Highness, we seek news of our king. Does he still live?” the Count immediately inquired, keeping his eyes averted.
“There are no Viamontians alive in the castle or the Dungeons beneath it,” a voice of silk over steel whispered, but both men flinched as it seemed to cut at their ears with exquisite anathema for everything they were.
They were truly balancing on the edge of death here. There were more powerful combatants within the castle than either of them!
“What do you seek here in Sanamar?” the Count continued after a moment of furious thought. None of the royal family survived then, nor many of the nobles, ANY of the nobles not outside the walls?
That was indeed an opportunity for an ambitious nobleman…
Briggs and Kristie could see the realization as clear as day.
“Only one thing now. If Nuhmudira, the Cult of the Raven Hand, or the Freebooter Council comes to you, and you agree to their terms, you will be exterminated, as were your kin and clans on Ispar.” Both men trembled at the news, glancing at one another in disbelief. “I watched the mountain hold of the Furzi topple down the hillside, carrying its cowardly defenders to their doom, crushed under the stones of their own home. I watched the corrals of the Lotila burn the thousand steeds of their stables to screaming Hell, fed by the corpses tossed upon the white flames that devoured man and steed alike.
“There are no Lotilas or Furzis left alive on Ispar. If there is the slightest amount of resistance or rebellion from the two of you, there will be none left upon the islands of Dereth of this world, either. My family tolerates no attitude or defiance from the cursed blue-skinned fools who claim descent from that animal Karkun, and I will feed you to the Land as we fed your kinfolk, armies, and cattle on Ispar.
“I do not expect you to believe me, and I do not care. We will be watching and waiting. When they come to investigate what happened to the team making a Portal out of these lands for you and you agree to their terms, you will not live to see the dawn, and neither Nuhmudira or her daughter Xunidara is going to save you. Both are under death sentences extending all the way back to Ispar.
“Do tell Xunidara the second Imperial Princess followed her to Ispar to enact justice. I imagine she was silent of informing you of the fate of Viamont under the vengeance of my father and mother. Perhaps she will be more forthcoming. Perhaps she will promise vengeance to you in order to protect herself.
“Go. We will be watching to see what you accomplish without your treacherous rat of a king.”
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Both men tensed, but it was the war mage who spoke up, “You cannot expect us to forgo their offer of a new land to settle in! Seventeen years we have endured the siege of Eaters, Aurochs, and depraved Fiuns!”
“Do you expect us to have empathy for you suffering beneath your own sins coming back to rebound on you?” Briggs spat eloquently. “You bred the Red Bull! You fed it on the flesh of the Fiuns who were driven mad by your own hands, and you expect mercy from us when they all come hunting for you?!”
Both men felt like a great weight was pressing down on them, streaming over them and ripping away the magic they had Cast to protect and enhance themselves, popping and breaking like ice beneath the sun.
“If you leave this land, you will be hunted down and slaughtered. They cannot and will not protect you. Take your chances without your leech of a king and knowing you can survive, or glory in the fact you can choose to die with but a few words.
“Begone, sirs.”
The pressure spiked, killing intent leaking out, readiness to pounce and kill building without them even daring to meet her eyes again.
Neither Viamontian noble dared to rise to meet her gaze as they got to their feet, bowed deeply once more, and keeping their heads down, retreated ten steps before turning away and hurrying away from the killing pressure bearing down on them.
They had a lot of experience knuckling under to higher nobles willing to kill them for poor manners...
----
“Colors?” Kris asked coldly as I stepped out of the shadows of the gate.
“Red for the knight, Amethyst for the mage. The knight was among those who rounded up Fiuns for the knife. The mage was an Eater breeder and enslaver, and still wants to enslave them once again.” I couldn’t miss the way their thoughts immediately went to the despicable things they had done when Briggs mentioned them.
Briggs just grunted. “Looks like we might be coming back before too long. Pity.”
“Corcosi vassals are not something the world will miss,” Kris stated icily.
“And we’re still going to kill those two cattle, and they’ll profit by it since they’ll be able to build walls that will stand thereafter,” Briggs huffed, just shaking his head.
“If they get their hands on vivus, they might even realize how to restore the islands… but they have to live long enough to do that, and we’re definitely not going to be starting here,” Kris sniffed.
“I forgot to ask. Was that courtier in seven pieces du Loc?” I asked calmly.
Kris only nodded, her jawline a bit too taut to answer at the question.
“Well, then, I’m guessing our next stop is Corcima Castle? We can let them know the king is dead at the same time.” I glanced east significantly. “I imagine it’s a big move to Baishi, but they’re probably a bit tired of fish now.”
“We’ll see if their Auras are dark or not first,” Kris answered coldly.
“Well, of course.” That was given. “Maybe we can give them a ride to Sanamar. Just cruel leaving them on the island.”
“Abandoning it makes it a potential base for the Freebooters. They only need it as a relay point, after all.”
“It’s made of stone,” Briggs pointed out neutrally.
Kris blinked, then looked at me knowingly. I shrugged, and she just laughed low. “How long would it take you to reduce it to basically an empty hilltop?”
“An hour or two?” I said after a moment’s thought. “Easy to drop things down into the spaces underneath or beside them, after all.”
“After we get them off of there, I think that is a great use of your time.”
“Yes, Your Highness,” I smiled, amused.
She promptly noogied me for daring to be sarcastic with her, but that’s the risk you take for being snarky.
-------
Several days pass…
“How’s she taking her resurrection?” I asked the Mick as we prepared to head south over the water again.
“She’s hating spending the time at home an’ not riskin’ her new skin. Also spendin’ me money buying up good foods an’ learnin’ to cook so’s she dinnae fall o’er dead o’ boredom.”
“Ohhh, beginner cooks. Have her take lessons in Freehold. There’s a really good training program in the royal household training schedule, assuming she isn’t going to be ripping off the guards right and left.”
“Ah, she be workin’ in a tavern in Hebian-to now, so I kin come back t’ her easy-like. Got lots o’ friends there, dead and livin’ alike. And oddly enough, nobody be goin’ to bug ‘er for her attentions with me uncle glowering at ‘em.”
“That will prevent a bunch of fresh young soldiers from getting knifed, I imagine.”
“'Tis true!” he beamed. “It be a shame that even a Summons just can’t keep eating an’ eating ‘til they be real once again.”
“Speeding up the process by a session of epic gluttony does sound pretty fun, but alas, the body only breaks down food so quickly, and only replaces material so quickly. Otherwise, it wouldn’t take that long at all. The human body is mostly water. You could just drink a lot and a week of food would do the job. Alas, it doesn't work quite that way.”
“Well enough. Now we go chasing after the Rose o’ Celdon thing again?” His smile was rather sly. “I do remember what happened the last time we ran out onto a southern island now, mind ye!”
“This isn’t the moarsman island… although that might not mean much. The goal at this time is more to find Harlune than anything else.” I lifted up the Rose on my finger. “If there’s another improvement for these, that would be great, but I think finding Harlune is more important at this point.”
“Aye, having an actual Empyrean who might be willing to share the secrets o’ the greater magic would be a good thing for us, aye… if his knowledge still be valid after the changes o’ the magic.”
“Nuhmudira figured out how to use Portals and get around somehow. The greatest living master of Item Magic should have no problems doing the same thing,” I told him.
“I dinnae be tellin’ ye wrong, but these be the southern seas, an’ T’Thuun an’ the Deep be havin’ far too much influence here. With Ulgrim dead, his island be likely unwarded an’ undefended. Can’t see the old master hanging out there waiting for shite t’ come up out o’ the surf an’ have a go at him.”
There was a pop and snap nearby, as Quaver brought Kris in on top of us, her training session with her swordsmen out on the Caul Island done, which they were slowly clearing of spawns as a special project right now.
“All ready to go?” she asked, as I sat back on my Disk and the Roaches did the same.
“Aye, aye, Cap’n! Ready to shove off fer a good mug of ale!” the Mick called out in salute to the famous drunkard, and then we were off and heading out towards the sea towards the small distant dot of Ulgrim’s Island.
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