Chapter 71 : 71 kingdoms

  Raiz returned to the Thundersons’ mansion in the crisp, early light. The city of Veor was just beginning to stir, but within the quiet walls of the estate, a different kind of peace was in play.

  He found Zion in the sun drenched morning room, savoring a cup of tea with an expression of deep contentment. The tea had become a small luxury for the clan. Its origin was a story itself .

  Skele, with his obsession for exquisite tastes, had somehow discovered a variety of leaf deep within the Tyas Forest’s middle region. No one knew the full details, but the story went that he had pestered Neon and the ten purple bee siblings. Now known throughout Cloustar as The Golden Beez for days.

  Their rise to power was its own triumph. To win over Amilios’s innate superiority and driven by a collective pride. The 9 siblings had pushed through their bottlenecks in a display of shocking solidarity, all ascending to the Myr realm weeks prior. Their power and unity had earned them awe from bees and humans alike.

  Skele, undeterred by their new status, had whined at them relentlessly. “If only this bread had a wonderful tea with it…” or in the evenings “Imagine how perfect it would be to relax with that tea…” His tea political campaign wore them down.

  Amilios, exasperated, had finally demanded to know who had even found such leaves in the dangerous middle forest.

  The answer was turned out to be Neon. Thanks to his peerless concealment ability and a uniquely sensitive nose, the wolf had explored areas others couldn’t, driven by curiosity about the forest’s deeper inhabitants. He’d been drawn by a unique, calming scent. A blessing of his abilities, and a curse for Amilios, who had to deal with the tea addicted Skele.

  In the end, the Golden Beez had undertaken the mission, returning with a significant haul. Skele, cleverer than he seemed, didn’t hoard it. He shared it liberally with neighbors and anyone he met, creating widespread demand.

  That way, he’d never have to beg alone again. The leaves were a marvel sweet, complex, and possessing a serenity so profound. It was so good that the Thundersons’ own doctors had tested them for narcotic effects. They were simply that good. Now, everyone enjoyed the “Forest Dew” tea.

  Zion was blissfully sipping this very brew when the door swung open without ceremony. Raiz entered, the dawn light at his back. Even after a high speed flight across the territory, there wasn’t a drop of sweat on him.

  Zion, mid sip , had nearly choked. “Raiz? What’s wrong?”

  “The situation with your professor is worse than a personal crisis,” Raiz stated, his voice level. He recounted everything concisely.

  The dean’s hidden threats, the carriage ride to the industrial sector, and his sensory sweep of the factory. “Two hundred people underground, moving like civilians.In a hidden location at dawn. They are building something large, Zion. It has the signature of a assembled weapon, not a forged one. Your professor is caught in all of this”

  Zion’s face paled, the comfort of the tea forgotten. “A weapon? What kind?”

  “The kind meant for a catastrophic use,am sure of that” Raiz said, his purple clouded wings giving a faint, agitated shimmer.

  “When Elder Green arrives, hand the mansion preparations to him. You should return to the city and watch over the professor personally. Your connection might be the only thing that can pull him out.”

  As he spoke, the very subject of their discussion walked into the room. Elder Green entered with a quiet step, but his presence seemed to subtly press against the air in the room. Raiz’s head snapped toward him, his eyes narrowing in assessment.

  This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.

  “You’ve made a breakthrough,” Raiz stated, not asked.

  Elder Green chuckled, a rich, warm sound. “Hah! I just got lucky, that’s all. The atmosphere in Cloustar… it’s conducive to old bones remembering their youth.”

  Raiz saw through the humility. The elder’s energy was not just at the Myr realm. It was stable, settled, like a deep rooted tree. This was no fleeting luck, but a solid advancement. A new plan crystallized instantly.

  “Zion, change of plan. Elder Green will go to the professor instead of you.”

  Zion blinked. “Why? I know him. I can reach him.”

  Raiz looked directly into Zion’s dark eyes, his gaze unwavering.

  “Thats why precisely.You are too close to him.Your history clouds your judgment. You’ll want to save the man, not assess the threat. This needs a calm eye. Elder Green has the strength now to handle unforeseen danger and the detachment to see the whole board.” He turned to the elder.

  “The professor is involved with planning of weapon with a shady group. Considering how they were hurrying up. Whatever they have planned for ,will probably happen around a week.Your task is to make contact, assess his willingness to exit, and gather concrete intelligence on their weapon. Do not intervene directly unless his life is in immediate danger.”

  Elder Green’s kindly expression grew solemn, absorbing the gravity. Zion, after a moment’s internal struggle, gave a sharp, reluctant nod. Raiz was right. His anger on Dio’s behalf could be a liability.

  “I will approach him as a former neighbor concerned about his well being,” Green mused. “The old man checking in… it won’t raise alarms.”

  “Good,” Raiz said. Without another word, he turned and left the way he came, leaping from the terrace. His red form shot upward, a bullet of crimson piercing the morning cloud layer.

  —————-

  The flight back to the forest’s edge where Cloustar hovered was a blur. Raiz pushed his speed, the wind screaming past but unable to pressure on his sleek form. Finding Moon was simple. The cloud was as often happened to be in the middle of the bustling training arena, a floating, conversational centerpiece amidst the clang of sparring and shouted encouragement.

  Moon saw Raiz’s approach and instantly detached from the crowd, flowing to meet him mid air. Raiz had relayed all that he saw this morning.Two hundred. A hidden factory. A weapon and Elder greens new mission.

  Moon’s form shimmered, condensing with thought. "It could be anything. coordinated strike?Political decapitation? The most dangerous thing about this is. The professor is their moral shield, their proof a good man agrees with them. A dangerous role. It would be hard to get him out easily”

  “The only thing we know so far is that, they are building something big enough. So big, it can wipe out the entire areas” Raiz added aloud for clarity. “Its not one person assassination , thats for sure ”

  "Then we cannot be seen as the sole counter force” Moon reasoned, his voice a calm murmur in Raiz’s mind.

  "If we dismantle this alone, we become the mysterious power within kingdom. We make enemies of the desperate and the idealistic. That includes the corrupts too."

  He sent a pulse through their shared connection, a gentle summons. Val Thunderson, who had been overseeing timber measurements for the party decorations, felt the call and hurried over. The man’s transformation was marked. The gloomy, burdened patriarch was gone, replaced by a figure of purposeful energy.

  “You called, Lord Moon?”

  “Val. I have a sensitive task. You still have contacts that send letters ,the discreet ones?”

  “Of course. Reliable men.”

  “Good. You will hire the most trustworthy. They are to deliver an anonymous message to the king’s spymaster, or if they can manage it, directly to the chamberlain. It must state this (Dangerous and suspicion individuals are making what is presumed to be, a mass weapon in Veor) no more, no less. Can you do this?”

  Val’s eyes widened, but he nodded swiftly. “It will be done. I will leave immediately.”

  “Before you go,” Moon interjected, his form shifting slightly. “Take Amilios with you.”

  Val paused, surprised. The leader of the Golden Beez was not typically sent on messenger runs.

  "Reassurance," Moon explained, answering the unspoken question. "Your mission is critical, and the city may be watched. If an unexpected situation arises, Amilios is not just a fighter,his presence will be great reassurance.His involvement guarantees the message’s priority and your safety. He will understand the stakes."

  A flicker of gratitude passed over Val’s face. “Thank you, Lord Moon. We will not fail.”

  As Val strode away, already calling for a messenger hawk and his riding cloak, Raiz looked at Moon. Moon felt awkward being called lord. Raiz would have laughed but kept it to himself this time “And us? We just wait?”

  "We gotta be step … no 2 steps ahead" Moon corrected, flowing toward the clan’s command center. "We prepare for both outcomes. If the kingdom acts on the warning and cleans its own house, we remain observers, allies in the shadows. If they fail, or if the warning is ignored… then we act.

  We wont be heroes in their eyes but we never wanted to be heroes in the first place. It will be natural, impartial force that removes a clear and present danger to the region”

  He paused, his form with thought .

  Below them, Cloustar continued with its usual activity, unaware of the silent countdown ticking down in the city near by the forest.