The Sloth of Heaven, page 43
part #2 of The Fallen Angels Series
“Excellent news Commander, I am pleased to hear this.”
The Elder interrupted “Sorry, I must admit I have been out of the loop building the Academy. Where are we invading tomorrow?”
“The Canadian Forces will invade Alaska, annexing it to the province. Australian forces will invade Papua New Guinea before spreading across to take the whole island. It will be the starting point for Indonesia. If we can annexe all the islands before the Angels return, then we can deal with the Muslim threat there.”
“I thought Islam was a Middle Eastern religion, isn’t Indonesia in South East Asia?”
“It is but it is also the most populous Muslim country in the world. A huge faith source for the Angels. Its conquest would certainly affect them.”
“But Indonesia was never part of the British Empire” Lisa added in confusion “Isn’t the Goddess’ plan to rebuild that empire?”
“And some more. Alaska has never belonged to Canada and yet tomorrow it will. The initial plan is to reconquer as many ex-British territories as possible but if there are other threats to be neutralised, then they shall. Indonesia stands between Singapore and Australia, its position alone demands it be conquered never mind its Islamic population.”
Cathair followed on from Zelaris “With British forces starting in Singapore and spreading up into Malaysia it forms new borders with Indonesia. With Australian forces coming from the other direction they will be trapped between the two armies.”
“But shouldn’t we be focussing on India? The Goddess has claimed it and it was once British India.”
“We will eventually but it is on the brink of civil war and Pakistan is posed to invade. We shall let them weaken each other before we invade.”
“Curiously, I have heard Cameron and the media talk about Blood Oaths. What is that?”
Cathair turned his attention to Noriko, unnerving her with his cold, predatory stare that was so inherent to the Fae royals. “It is a Fae spell utilised by Queens who have annexed or subjugated other courts or species. Once enacted a person is bound by the oath not to act against their liege in any way otherwise their blood will kill them. We have granted its use to Victoria to control the restless conquered populations and as a sign of goodwill between our people.” None of the Fae would mention that Victoria herself was bound to the Seelie Court by Blood Oath.
“You are effectively removing people’s free will!” Cameron exclaimed. His wife quickly elbowed him in the ribs. Victoria decided she definitely liked her.
Lisa, on the other hand, was full of praise “That is a brilliant plan. By preventing them from acting against you in any way it stops rebellion and makes them fully part of the Empire. It also ensures their loyalty on the battlefield. I had wondered if it was wise to send so many Irish in the invading forces but it all makes sense now. No matter who is in the army, it is suicidal to try and turn against imperial forces. This will quell the restless Human populations.”
“It might also be a good way to quell the restlessness between the First Nations and the Maenads.”
Her eyes narrowed “In many cases the Maenads have had a strong presence on the reserves anyway. Our need to be near nature has encouraged us to breed with them until many of the First Nation have much Maenad blood. The few who have not interbred with us are the ones causing trouble for us all. The issue will be dealt with shortly, the troublemakers will be conscripted into the Forces if not then Hecate has made it known she will deal with the issue herself. Besides Canada is not the only country, sorry province, who is having issues, Australia is having similar issues.”
“Australia has long had issues that have been swept under the carpet. There has been an underlying racism for years that has gone unaddressed. The extra benefits the Indigenous population gets has long been an issue with other Australians regardless of colour. The resentment towards the Indigenous Australians has only gotten worse with the preferential treatment they have continued to receive even with Australia’s crumbling wealth. The Empress’ decree has stripped preferential treatment throughout the empire. Finally, Australians are all on an even footing and while the Indigenous populations are up in arms the rest of Australians are glad for the change. With the forced conscriptions much of the troubles have been removed. With Samael being granted temporary governance of Australia while I am away and the freedom to act according to his own will I feel the situation will be resolved by the time I return.”
Already Samael had earned himself a reputation amongst the Empire and beyond. He was a threat always looming now, and he was rightly feared. His actions in South Africa to force it into the Empire terrified the other provinces.
“Are Humans always so troublesome?” the Selkie asked.
“Always, it is in their nature. They have yet to fully overcome all their differences with each other. But the Empire is well on the path to ignoring those differences and building a cohesive Human mindset.”
The Humans shifted uncomfortably at Cathair’s sweeping generalisation of them, and yet they had no solid argument. The Fae had ceased fighting over six millennia ago whereas Humanity had never stopped. Wars, revolutions and riots erupted nearly continuously over the last hundred years as the world’s environmental ruins had destroyed farmland, fish stocks and clean water sources. Whole countries had collapsed, their governments unable to control the unruly masses. Most of Africa had fallen into anarchy over a century ago, but then most of the nations had never been far from it. Egypt, Morocco and South Africa had been the few that had consistently managed to keep on top of their rioting populations and maintain both their country and government.
The Middle East had fared no better. When the oil ran dry so did their money and without it, few governments could support their populations. Some had been prepared having foreseen the end of oil and diversified, they were the ones that had kept their countries together. Saudi Arabia, Jordan and Israel were the only three to have survived comfortably. Saudi Arabia and Jordan had well-respected monarchies that the people had rallied around, they had prepared ahead for the drying up of the oil. Saudi Arabia had even conquered the other nations on the Arabian Peninsula as they had started to crumble, bringing stability to the whole area. Their strength had also been supported by their control of Mecca. That control had given them access to hundreds of thousands of Muslim refugees. Their cheap labour and channelling into the army had kept the army strong and the country relatively rich. Israel had survived because it had always survived against the odds, it was part of its psyche. As its neighbours had crumbled, they had crushed Palestinian opposition completely. All who had dared defy them had been eradicated. Various Human rights issues had been breached, but in a world gone mad no one could really stop them. They had even claimed parts of Syria.
North America had fared fairly well, it was only some of the Latin American nations that had faced collapse, secession or conquest. Europe had fared reasonably well, the Eurozone had remained strong despite the collapse of some of its member states. Greece had divided into the chaotic mainland and the successful islands. Italy had also been divided, the south falling into poverty while the north had seceded then re-joined the EU under its own right. Spain suffered a debilitating civil war when Catalonia seceded and Spain took it as an act of war. The two regions had never really recovered from the conflict, all that remained were groups of city-states that banded together to ward off would-be invaders. Portugal had managed to poach several regions of Spain and make them prosperous again.
Asia had, perhaps most surprisingly, survived relatively intact. Many of the brutal regimes while losing hundreds of thousands of people to starvation had managed to keep their countries existing. China had continued to remain a superpower, annexing Mongolia through economic need. Mongolia had been on the brink of collapse as its people starved until China had stepped in. Japan and South Korea had flourished with their advanced technology. Australasia was another matter. Australia, New Zealand and Papua New Guinea had survived but many of the island nations had not. People had starved to death as the fish died in the toxic oceans, the rest had drowned with the rising sea levels. Most of the Pacific Islands were but memories now.
“Your Majesty, there is a large unidentified flying object approaching at speed. Our radars cannot detail what it is and it is zoning in on Edinburgh with alarming speed. We need to get you out of here in case of an attack.” Her security detail had appeared out of the shadows to start ushering her out. She glanced at Brigid, who raised an eyebrow, listened and shook her head. There was no danger. The Human security guards hovered about unsure of what to do, the Atlanteans returned to their fairy lights.
An almighty roar filled the air making people jump and yet Sariel spun around in delight. The building shook with an alarming groan. Sariel darted outside, unaware that the crowd followed after her, whether from fear or curiosity many were not sure. Outside people were pointing at the top of the Academy with shrieks of fear while they hid among the trees. Even many of the Daemon were within quick reach of the trees’ futile safety. How could trees stop Dragon’s flames? The Fae, on the other hand, stood looking up with curiosity.
As Victoria rushed out onto the avenue and turned to look her breath caught in fearful awe. Perched on top of the Academy was a Dragon, one of the most beautiful Dragons she could have imagined. Ocean blue-grey scales shimmering with rainbows and instead of membranous wings there were feathered wings showing the full colour spectrum. It was startlingly beautiful and terrifying at the same time. It was huge, how it managed to actually fly she couldn’t fathom. And those teeth looked razor sharp as did the long white talons digging into the stone. Each talon was bigger than her.
Sariel jumped up in delight, flying to hover in front of Tiamat’s face. She gave her snout a quick hug to which Tiamat gave a little chuckle. Which still thundered down the avenue.
You are ever a delightful spirit Sariel. You give an old spirit hope for the future.
“What brings you to Edinburgh in your condition? Should you be flying pregnant?”
She snorted. I will do as I please little one, I have birthed many offspring, I know what I can do during my pregnancies.
“But that was your old body.”
She growled softly. Enough, I did not come here to be chastised by a maiden.
“Why are you here?”
Your mother came to see me.
Whatever she had been expecting that certainly wasn’t it. “Why did she come to see you?”
She was looking for you. She wants to find you.
“Your paternal side has also been asking to see you. Hecate, Samael and Thanatos have all requested an audience to see you.” Brigid appeared next to Sariel.
Then it is well overdue that you met them all. If one’s family expresses an interest and there are no good reasons to deny the request, it should be met. Her attention turned to Brigid and from the general silence, Sariel gathered they were having a private conversation.
Then it is settled. Two days from now all shall meet. I shall inform Lilith, you inform the others.
“As you will it, Great One.”
Tiamat snorted again before launching herself into the air with some slight difficulty before she corrected herself with magic. Within moments, she was disappearing into the northern horizon.
“Well, what was settled?”
Brigid turned to her young Protégé “We shall all meet in her cavern, their presence should dissuade any errant behaviour. Your parents will meet you and hold you for the first time since you were a baby. They need this Sariel, more than you do. Give them this.”
She nodded her acceptance.
“Now why don’t you finish off the celebrations” She indicated to Xandelexis, who along with the Royals and Atlantean Guardians stood waiting on a floating platform. She gave a nod to Xandelexis before she appeared next to him. Victoria gave a small speech introducing Xandelexis, who had been overseeing all the constructions within Edinburgh, before handing over to him.
“In union with the opening of the Royal Academy of Edinburgh, we shall be unveiling the first stage of the Imperial Highway connection the capital cities within Avalon.” The British had found it very strange that the Fae and Atlanteans referred to the British Isles as Avalon, but it was something the Irish had pounced on instead of having to refer to Ireland being in the British Isles.
Sariel raised her glittering hands up towards a metal loop floating above the city. The citizens of Edinburgh had watched with mounting curiosity as the metal ring had been constructed but they had no comprehension of what it was. The ring sparkled with electric blue waves as the electricity washed around the ring before arching across the gap. The inside of the ring started to glow an alarming shade of red, making it appear as a massive evil eye. There was an almighty clap of thunder as the electricity exploded out in three different directions. One to the south, one to the north and one to the west. They formed thin veins of lightning across the sky before the red spread slowly down the lightning path. Red crystals started to grow from the docking ring, heading along the tether lines with the sound of groaning crystals. People watched as it spread out to three different horizons. An expectant pause filled the air, then light raced along the crystals lighting them up imperial red.
“And so we have the first stage near completion, linking up the cities of London, Edinburgh, Cardiff, Belfast, Dublin, Sanctuary, Haven and Refuge. In time, more of the major cities will be connected once the docking stations are connected to the already existing infrastructure.”
Chapter 29
His head was killing him and his neck was at a horrible angle. Seamus pushed himself up off the cold stone floor wondering how he had managed to get there. Rough hands hauled him up. He remembered as he looked around at all the redcoats in the room. The planned rebellion had failed. Those damn Fae with their magic had been waiting for them. It was as though they had known exactly what they had planned to do. They had not even offered a fair fight, using their sleep magic to end it before it began. But why was he in what appeared to be a parade ground? If they thought he was going to fight for the fucking British, they had another thing coming.
He was half hauled half frog-marched up to a table by two very strong women. A glance at their eyes confirmed that neither were Human, Humans did not have slits for pupils. Though, in every other aspect, they appeared perfectly Human, especially in the ways that counted. Their breasts were both eye-catching and the way they wore their red coats did nothing to hide that fact.
His attention turned to the woman behind the desk, sitting there in her red coat. She definitely wasn’t Human, not anymore. She was stunningly beautiful in a cold way. Skin as pale as alabaster, her hair almost as red as blood. She wore it in an elaborate ringlet style that modern women simply did not wear. Her coat was immaculate and figure hugging, but in a different manner to the Were holding him. She glanced up at him with blood red eyes before turning her attention back down to the pile of parchment in front of her.
She started writing something down on it, occasionally glancing across at her codex sitting on the desk. He didn’t know how she kept up with it, the images were moving so fast it made him sick to look, but sure enough she glanced and with a flick of her wrist almost too fast to see she had written whole lines. While she did this, he glanced around. There were many desks set up with people being hauled up to them by members of the Red Guard. For the most part, they were Were or Vampires but there was also a noticeable Fairy presence as well.
“I ain’t serving no fucking foreign queen!” he yelled when he realised that the Vampire was filling out a contract with his details on it.
Quick as a flash the Vampire grabbed his hand and slashed his palm with a ceremonial dagger. It was sharp as a razor, blood welled up from his palm, trapped in her vice like grip.
“You have entirely no say in the decision at all Seamus.” Then she forced his bleeding hand down onto the parchment. There was a flash of light and the parchment disappeared. No, not disappeared, it seemed like it had been sucked into his palm. The cut stopped bleeding, a faint blue light racing away from his palm and up his wrist. A sharp pain burned across his forearm as a blue brand slowly grew across. It faded away entirely.
“Welcome to the Imperial Forces, soldier, may you serve the Empress well, because if you don’t your oath will kill you. Any action deemed counteractive to the Crown and Empire will kill you in a most painful manner.” She licked his blood off the dagger watching him with those cold, cold eyes. It was lucky the Were were holding him up otherwise, he may have collapsed. Any action could kill him, surely it couldn’t be true. He glanced around and sure enough, there were a handful of twisted bodies lying next to some of the desks. A deliberate reminder? They looked like they had died in agony.
“Take him to the clinic first he needs to be treated for chlamydia, syphilis and gonorrhoea.”
Behind him, he heard a soft wail. Shit, Josephine was never meant to know about his girls on the side. Why couldn’t that bitch have kept her mouth shut? His eyes moved around the room until they met Josephine’s, there was nothing loving in them anymore, only brittle anger. If there was anything else, he didn’t see it. He was promptly hauled off to the infirmary for treatment before being flown out to Australia.
Josephine watched her fiancé be hauled away by two women. Under different circumstances, he would probably love it. All the rumours were true, how had she been so blind? Because she hadn’t believed them, because she had wanted to believe he truly loved her. That he had changed. But he hadn’t.
