Maw of the Devourer, page 14
The child dragged her through the flowers at a run, giggling as their passage knocked up a few flower petals. A gust of wind picked up the detritus and formed a fleeting rainbow of petals. Azure did not resist the child; she was too shocked to do anything but numbly run along behind the creature. It might even have been a pleasant experience if she wasn’t so confused.
After a minute, Azure heard another source of giggling and looked up the nearby hill to see another odd figure of a child. Composed of clouds similar to how Stratos, the child boasted more bright whites and less dark greys—almost like clouds from a cheerful spring day. The newcomer rushed down the hill to meet them and, with an excited giggle, grabbed Azure’s other arm. She felt that same odd sensation of feeling pressure on her arm without actually touching anything solid. The two children shared a look and communicated silently. Suddenly, they spun her around in a storm of giggles and laughter.
“Hahaha!” Some of the laughter came from Azure’s own mouth and she felt her lips pull into a wide smile. It was impossible to maintain any wariness or sense of danger when the children’s laughter was so infectious.
***
Azure woke with a start.
Slowly, she raised her head and found herself bundled up in a bed in a small, unfamiliar room. A candle on the nightstand beside the bed flickered, burned down to a stub and barely clinging to life. It was the only source of light in the room, but it was enough to illuminate the tiny space. A cloudy mirror sat on the nightstand. There was no other furniture in the room beside the bed and nightstand, but she could she her belongings piled up in the opposite corner.
The memories of her encounter with the cultist flooded Azure’s mind, and her breath caught. She sat up gingerly, expecting to feel pain, but nothing came. She was tired, far more fatigued than she had been in years, but there was no pain. Confused, she looked down at her shirt. With a start, Azure stared down at a fresh shirt with no bloodstains or rips. She lifted it up slowly. Two faded lines marked where the dagger had pierced her chest and slashed her side. They were barely even scars.
Azure shook her head, dumbfounded. She dropped her shirt and let out a groan as she shuffled to the edge of the bed to stand up. There wasn’t any pain, but she was tired. Before she could swing her legs over the edge of the bed, the door opened to admit Veyor carrying a tray of food. Azure let out a sigh of relief to see the man alive and, presumedly, well.
Veyor’s eyebrows shot up at the sight of her sitting up, but they immediately furrowed. “None of that! Get back in bed!”
Azure couldn’t contain her laugh at the way he clucked at her like a mother hen, feeling an odd echo of the mirth that she had felt from her dream. “Fine.” Azure shuffled back and let Veyor help prop a pillow behind her back. “What happened? Where are we?”
“Well, that’s a bit of a story, I guess.” Veyor looked abashed as he set the tray of food down in front of her and ushered her to eat. She needed little encouragement. “When I woke face down on the road—sorry about that, by the way. Didn’t think the bastard could kick that hard. Anyway, I found you unconscious and bloodied.”
Azure waved away his concern. “It’s fine. I don’t think either of us could have expected that man to be capable of that. It was almost like he was like me, but wrong somehow.”
Veyor gave her a concerned look, but she motioned for him to continue. “I did my best to treat your wounds, but there wasn’t much that I could do out there. So, instead, I carried you to the nearest settlement.” Veyor gestured around them. “This is Minnow, by the way. A small town right on the border of the Alliance and the Empire—considered in both of their territories if you look at different maps, apparently. But that’s beside the point. I got a room here at the town’s inn and asked the innkeeper to help clean you up.”
“Did you?” Azure asked. Veyor held up his hands, as if it mattered that he might have seen her naked. His discomfort was amusing, but Azure was too tired to tease him about it right now. She’d save that for later. Still, she couldn’t help cocking her eyebrow at him and watching him squirm a little. She had been feeling a little odd since that weird dream.
“She’s a gracious lady and even let me buy an old shirt of hers since you ruined yours—which I would expect you to repay me for normally, but I’ll let it slide for today.”
“What happened to my wounds?” She lifted her shirt to show him the faint marks.
Veyor frowned and shrugged. “I’m honestly not sure. I believe he stabbed you, if just from the state of your shirt and how bloody you were. But when I found you, it didn’t look like your wounds were recent.” He leant forward to inspect her scars, showing none of the discomfort that he had felt before when talking about changing her clothes. “They hadn’t healed as much as now, but I’d say that back then it was the equivalent of how these would look with a few less days of healing.”
“Huh.”
“How’s your head feeling, though?” Veyor lifted his hand to the side of his own face.
Azure remembered the kick she had received during her fight with the cultist. She shifted to look at the nightstand and reached for the cloudy mirror. When she could not easily reach it, Veyor helped her. He held up the mirror in front of her and she inspected herself in it. There was some bad bruising along her right cheek, but it did not look like the kick had down any serious damage.
“I’m fine. It looks worse than it feels. I’m just a little—well, a lot—tired.” Azure punctuated her words with a yawn. It was hard to resist slumping down and lounging in the bed, but part of her didn’t want to admit her weakness and resisted the urge. “What happened with the cultist? Was he really dead? And what about that odd box he was carrying?”
Veyor refused to meet her eyes. “I’m sorry. I didn’t think to check the corpse. I was just so focussed on getting you to safety that it slipped my mind. But I’m fairly certain he was dead. I mean, he looked like he was.”
Azure shook her head at Veyor, even as his concern warmed her heart. To be reminded that there were still people out there that cared about her caused an ache in her heart. Not that she wanted to linger on the dark musings that the thought brought to mind.
“What—hah…” Azure interrupted herself with another yawn.
Veyor recovered and stood up. He smiled gently down at her. “I’ll let you get some rest.” He moved to the door while Azure yawned again, but hesitated.
“What’s wrong?” Azure asked, feeling drowsy.
“It’s just that there is something that I need to go do,” Veyor said hesitantly, “but if you’re feeling tender, then I don’t want to leave until you’re feeling better.”
“I’ll be fine. Just need a long sleep, I think.”
Veyor shot her a grateful look and closed the door behind him as he left. Azure laid back in the bed, stifling another yawn. She was exhausted, but there was so much she needed to think about; how could the cultist move like that and what she should do now…
Azure drifted off to sleep.
CHAPTER EIGHT
Lyon stood in the Hall of the Sun and stared at the empty throne. Rays of light from the midday sun pierced the stained-glass windows and painted the stone throne in a rainbow.
Solalyn had spent a couple of days sorting through the documents they had found and Lyon had interrogated the Amber Eyes members they had captured. They had learnt little of use, though what they gathered was concerning in its own right. The Amber Eyes was an organisation apparently founded over a century ago, and it existed to further the goals and lives of its leaders. It concerned him to think how deep the organisation might have grown its roots into the Empire.
But Lyon set that aside for now.
According to the interrogations, a leader of the Amber Eyes had visited and left a single report written in his hand. Solalyn had scoured through the papers and found it. The report mentioned how the Eyes operated in the north of the Lunan duchy. That fact had made all their efforts worthwhile. After a brief discussion, Solalyn had gone to meet with her father, while Lyon had gone to inform Lith.
Lyon shuffled his feet and glanced at the wall behind the throne. He was still nervous about meeting Lith—who wouldn’t be? But it was not the same anxiety that he had felt before. Now, questions about how his Blessing had changed filled his mind. Questions about that odd, slowed down world and the fatigue that experiencing it brought upon his body. Still, he wasn’t sure whether he should waste Lith’s time. Shouldn’t he focus on serving Lith?
A shadow blocked the light, and Lyon startled. He turned and gasped when he found Lith standing beside him. Lith chuckled at the display and walked past the throne. “Come, follow me, my Moon.” Lith led him up the stairs and out onto the balcony. Without a word, Lith moved to the railing and leant against it. Lyon joined him hesitantly and stared out at the city. After a moment, Lith turned and dazzled Lyon with a warm smile. “What is it you wish to report, Lyon?”
Lyon quickly recounted the raid on the Amber Eyes’ hideout, as well as what they had found out about that organisation. “The cult is doing something in Lunan. Both Princess Solalyn and I believe we should investigate.”
“The Amber Eyes… To think that an organisation of that size could root itself so deeply in the Empire without my knowledge. Who is at their head? I will see that Solaren investigates these Amber Eyes.” That was one weight off of Lyon’s shoulders. Lith shot Lyon a reassuring smile. “Good work, Lyon. Relay my appreciation to Princess Solalyn as well.”
“As you wish, Lith,” Lyon said. Addressing him without title was still unthinkable to Lyon, but so was disobeying a direct command.
“You are right, though. You have my permission to travel to Lunan. Princess Solalyn and her personal guard shall accompany you on the journey. I will see that Solaren redistributes the princess’ duties while she is gone.”
“Um…” Lyon hated himself for speaking up and Lith looked at him expectantly. He didn’t want to question his god’s decisions, but Lith waited patiently. “Why can’t I muster any more aid? We don’t know what I’ll find there and it seems like having more troops would be better than fewer…”
“I am sorry, Lyon.” Lith bowed his head slightly and Lyon’s stomach dropped at the sight of his god apologising. No matter how many times he saw that, it would never look right. “It is still necessary to keep your role hidden for now. It will be for the best if we act as if the princess is travelling to visit Lunare. The people do not need to know about the cult. It would only stress them unnecessarily. I know that Solalyn’s personal guard will measure up to the task ahead. If you are still concerned, I believe you shall find aid in another god’s champion.”
“Who is it?” Lyon asked.
“Stratos. An old recluse—even among my kind—deigned to join us and prepare a champion. He seems more than willing to aid us in our efforts against the cult, but the old bird has not been willing to give any details about his champion. Stratos has always been the private kind, spending centuries without contact with any of us. You need not worry, though. I am certain that if his champion is going to aid you, then Stratos will make it known. He can be quite brusque, to put it politely.”
“And if he doesn’t?”
“Then you may wish to keep an eye out for those that you meet. I believe that Stratos’ Chosen—he only ever Chooses one individual at a time—are marked with golden-brown eyes and feather markings on their ankles.” Lyon nodded at Lith’s words, though he wondered just how he could politely ask to see people’s ankles. “Keep this knowledge about Stratos’ Champion to yourself, Lyon—little though it may be. Stratos is insufferable about his privacy.” Lith shook his head, as if he remembered who he spoke to. “Forget that last part, please.”
“Of course.” Lyon fought to keep the smile from his face. Somehow, talking to Lith like this made the god seem both more human and distinctly divine at the same time. Like his attitude was that of a person, but his knowledge of the world and its mysteries outstripped anything that Lyon could ever hope to match.
“Once again, I would like to thank you for your dedication and efficiency carrying out of the duty I set before you. I knew you were the right choice for this, Lyon.”
“What is happening with my Illumination?” The question escaped before Lyon could stop himself.
“What do you mean?” Lith asked, genuine confusion on his face.
“When I Illuminate as bright as I can, the world slows down around me.” Lyon grimaced and struggled to find the right words in his head to convey what he felt. “It’s like I’m sluggish, but still faster than anyone around me and after I let the Illumination drop, I feel so tired.”
Lith lifted a large hand to his chiselled chin and stroked it. “Hmm… I have no answers for you, Lyon. You are the first to have been so deeply Blessed by me, which would explain why your Illumination has strengthened. As for this slowing down effect,” Lith’s eyes narrowed for a second, but then he shrugged, “I can only hazard a guess. As you know, Illumination strengthens the body and reflexes of the Chosen. Perhaps your Illumination has strengthened to where your mind processes the world around it faster than normal. That would explain the way things slow down while your body feels heavier. That is all that I can think of at the moment. I am sorry.”
“No, thank you. I was just a little concerned, is all.”
“It is good that you are cautious of your newfound ability,” Lith said. “I am curious as to the extent to which your Blessing has grown, I admit. But I must advise against utilising this aspect of your Illumination frequently. Fatigue might be only the first consequence of this strength and if it is something that human bodies cannot withstand, there could be worse ahead of you. I would highly recommend against using it unless it is absolutely necessary.”
“As you wish.” Lyon tainted his vow with a hint of a lie—the slowing down of the world was far too powerful a tool to restrict his use of it. But he would be careful.
“Go now, my Moon. Bring these cultists to justice, swiftly and assuredly!”
Lyon bowed to Lith, then took his leave. As he fled from the balcony, he felt the weight of Lith’s gaze watching him until he moved out of sight.
***
“In here, sir.” The servant bowed low and motioned to the door to a sitting room in the Royal Wing of the palace. Lyon had only asked where Solalyn was and the older servant had taken it upon himself to guide him to where she met with her father. Before Lyon could stop him, the servant knocked on the door. “Sir Lyon Stoutwall is here, Your Imperial Majesty.”
“Enter,” a deep, commanding voice said.
The servant quickly made himself scarce, leaving Lyon to stand in front of the door. Lyon stifled a sigh and squared his shoulders. He opened the door and revealed an ornately furnished room that bordered on relaxing despite its ostentatiousness. Two long couches faced each other in the centre of the room, each one occupied by a single figure. A red rug covered most of the stone floor and dark wooden bookshelves lined the back wall.
Emperor Solaren Lumin the Eighth sat on a couch opposite his daughter. The emperor was not a tall man, but with his stocky frame, he cut an imposing figure. His curly black hair had mostly greyed after his fifty-six years of life and he kept it cut short. The intelligent light in his dark eyes had not dimmed with age. Despite the mumblings Lyon heard that disagreed with the emperor’s avoidance of warfare, the man had never seemed like cowardly. Lyon knelt just inside the room.
“Come forward, Sir Stoutwall.” Emperor Solaren said. Lyon moved to stand behind Solalyn and an amused smile flickered across the emperor’s face. “You may take a seat if you wish to, Lyon; the divine mandate more than grants you that right and more.”
“I would prefer to stand, Your Majesty,” Lyon said. The very thought of lounging in front of the emperor intimidated him. He had only acted casually in front of Lith because the god had ordered him to, but Emperor Solaren had given him a choice.
It was hard to tell from Lyon’s vantage, but he swore Solalyn rolled her eyes at her father’s amused expression as a silent exchange passed between the two of them. Solalyn turned to Lyon and asked, “How did the meeting with the Lord Lith go?”
Lyon looked to the emperor, who gave a quick nod, before he gave his report. “Lord Lith has tasked me and Princess Solalyn with investigating the cult’s actions in Lunan. We are to bring its members to justice and leave as soon as we are able.”
Solaren’s eyes twinkled at Solalyn and an annoyed flashed on the princess’ face. Lyon shot Solalyn a look, and she sighed. “We had made a bet whether Lord Lith would condone the use of more troops or not. I believed he would, while father said he would not. And you know the outcome of that. Whatever, we depart tomorrow morning.”
“Hmm… We will need some excuse for your sudden departure,” Solaren said.
“Lord Lith recommended that Princess Solalyn was to act as if she was visiting Lunare and take a detour on the way,” Lyon said.
“That is what we shall go with. I shall see rumours and foreknowledge spread so that there will be fewer questions as to the abruptness of your departure. And, of course, proper apologies will be given to the planned engagements you will have to miss.”
“Thank you, father,” Solalyn said. “I should begin preparations immediately. Ronen is likely to fly into a fit when he learns he has to organise a trip in a day, though I know the man thrives on that kind of pressure.” Lyon agreed with Solalyn’s assessment of her aide. The man might appear to be a dithering fool, but Lyon swore he enjoyed the tedium of logistics in a way that neither Solalyn nor Lyon could imitate.
“Try not to break his shoulders with all the responsibility you are about to heap onto them,” Emperor Solaren said with a chuckle. “Go, my daughter, and good luck.”
