Skyvenom: Chapters 24-25

Here are your chapters for this week.

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Chapter 24

Esaire floated a few feet off the floor to hover beside a hanging ring that Theo hadn't noted previously: if that was the speaking position, he wasn't sure how non-Authorities were supposed to use it. In any case, his old enemy spoke smoothly and calmly.

"This outsider and I have fought on several occasions. Most recently, he destroyed my family's operations on the world of Tatian, including killing several of our allies and taking my grandfather prisoner. Then he followed me back home, again intending violence. I contacted the Demon Court in order to acquire the strength to kill him and his allies before they could finish their vendetta."

The speech didn't seem to surprise anyone except Theo, who struggled to suppress any visible reaction. He had expected a moral argument or at least a broader rationale instead of everything being stated in such self-interested terms, which meant he had misjudged Deuxan. Had it been that way a century ago, or had he just not been able to see it?

In any case, one of the Accilonian nobles leaned forward in her throne. "You are from, and I say this without any disrespect, a small frontier family. How could you draw the attention of the Demon Court?"

"In my travel across other worlds, I was fortunate enough to gain knowledge that interested them. Perhaps they could speak for themselves?"

"Not yet," Tabrien declared. "Are there any other questions?"

"You brought two foreign Strongholds to Ostic," one of the other nobles said. "That conflict could easily have led to the destruction of an entire region with critical Ethereal materials. Did you explain the rules of the convocation? Did you have any means by which to enforce them?"

"My lords, I thought the battle would be over immediately by convocation law." Esaire clasped his hands together and bowed to the assembled group. "First I contacted a local Stronghold, the honorable Sartozi aima Occoire, and after that I attacked with three Strongholds. Who could have imagined this would not have ended the conflict?"

Judging from the stares, the soulcrafters watching could imagine it. Accilonia itself was only a bit larger than Norro Yorthin's region, Theo judged, but it was effectively capital of half the continent. It was a military power on par with the Asplundat Movement or Ruling Cities, at least assuming all their courts could cooperate.

In any case, Theo hastily adjusted what he'd planned to say. This council clearly wasn't deciding a moral issue, just adjudicating a violent conflict. The only sin in their eyes was escalation that threatened their broader interests. He didn't know all the rules of the game, but he could play to such self-interested parties.

"That is enough," Tabrien said after the next question. "Now, outsider... give us your statement."

Theo floated up to the ring and passed Esaire as the other man left it. They crossed within an inch of one another and Esaire glared at him, but there was no question of any violence at that moment. Here, their words mattered more.

"It's a simple matter," Theo said as he reached the ring, which amplified his voice. "Esaire ai Armeau attacked me in Deuxan, then tracked me down in Fithe. There he hired mercenaries who nearly killed my first companion," Theo gestured to Fiyu and then Nauda, "and then his family invaded the home of another close ally."

"What does that matter to us?" one of the watching nobles asked scornfully.

"It doesn't. I came back to Deuxan solely to make sure that he could never attack us again."

That got a bit of a reaction from the crowds - the Deuxans appeared more receptive to this than any kind of moral plea. An older man leaned forward onto his hands. "So you seek vengeance?"

"I seek to end this." Theo turned to look directly at Esaire. "Your grandfather is still alive and unharmed, because he's no threat to us. But we can't leave you free to prepare for another attack. If this has to be resolved by a convocation of souls, so be it."

"So many aspects of this are irregular," one of the Strongholds said. "I read the reports. You first met Sartozi and somehow he acknowledged a mere three Authorities as equal to his power? That seems absurd."

Challenges leapt to Theo's lips, but he swallowed them. Yes, Sartozi was glaring at him, and Theo had an opportunity to humiliate him in front of all his peers. But where ruthlessness had served him before, he didn't think it would be useful here. All evidence suggested that Sartozi was only motivated by the Demon Court, not controlled by them. In that case...

"Sartozi generously held back, perhaps because we were new to the convocation of souls," Theo said. "You can ask him and Esaire about who chose to call on more soulcrafters from the Demon Court."

This argument seemed to be well-received, but Theo focused on Sartozi. The Stronghold watched him suspiciously, as if trying to find his angle. Their gazes met for a single second and then Theo looked away, playing to the general audience. Even if they didn't participate directly in the convocation, he wanted their good will in case things turned ugly.

"You are all very young Authorities, yet you tell us a story that ranges across Tatian, Fithe, and Ichil..." The new voice came from a portly man who sat in one of the independent thrones. Unlike the others, who watched them sharply, he seemed only curious. "You might be able to cross worlds easily now, but that is rather unlikely before."

"I can only tell you what happened." Theo wasn't sure if honesty would play well here, but he hadn't imagined that part of the story would distract anyone. He supposed that even here, in a city with at least two gates, their story was a fantastical one.

"Oh, I only seek a sample of the proof... a taste if you will." The man folded his arms over his stomach and smiled contentedly. "You may not know this, outsider, but I am known as the Silver Gourmand. I would not fight in this war, but I might be persuaded to provide aid to one side or another... if you can impress me."

"Seriously?" One of the other Strongholds spat out the word with a mix of disgust and resignation, as if this wasn't the first time. Not everyone in the council seemed so irritated, however, and some even looked amused: this was a war for lesser powers, just entertainment to them.

"No one will make any statements of support until this council has concluded," Tabrien said. "Are there any further questions?"

"Is it true that you travel with a scouting ant?" It was the Slescan queen who spoke this time. Her crown might appear Deuxan, but he could get absolutely nothing from her eyes.

"It is," Theo said simply, since there was no point denying Krikree's existence.

"And just how did that come about? As the Silver Gourmand said, you have already traveled many words, but Slest as well?"

"I don't think the story would interest anyone else here, but if you doubt me..." Theo shrugged and held up his Slescan weirkey. It wasn't much for an Authority to have one, but the reveal seemed to have a small impact on those watching.

The Slescan queen settled back, clearly unsatisfied despite the fact that she asked no more questions. Theo wasn't sure what to make of that, since her clothing and multifaceted eyes told him only that she was probably from a part of Slest he had never visited. It seemed marginally likely that this could work in their favor and very likely that it would prove a complication.

That made his eyes shift to the Arbaian, who had yet to say a single word. Someone who didn't know Arbaians might have thought he was dead, but Theo knew he was only watching. Neither of them said anything and he seemed disinclined to get involved.

"This seems an ordinary enough war," Tabrien announced. "We would leave it to the usual convocation rules, but there is the matter of foreign courts. All of you may step back, as we will now hear from those involved."

Theo floated back and saw that stewards were gesturing for them to move to the side. He and his allies weren't escorted out of the room, just to a small benched area in the shadow of the council walls. It put them so out of the way he hadn't noticed before, but it also placed them opposite their opponents. Esaire glowered, Amaeli didn't make eye contact, and Theo decided to ignore them both.

Next two Strongholds entered the room - not through the doors, but flying from the circular opening in the ceiling. Both of them were seated in hovering thrones that had clearly been customized for them: the woman from the Demon Court floated on a red-lacquered throne while a man who must represent the Mercury Court sat on a throne of liquid metal. He looked as Deuxan as the others, and aside from his strength there was nothing particularly remarkable about him. The thrones slid in smoothly to take their places on opposite sides of the central floor.

"We welcome court representatives from afar, of course." Tabrien rose to his feet for the first time and bowed to both sides. "However, we must also ask you about your involvement here."

"The Demon Court has always been interested in Socirro, as an elder brother is interested in a younger." The woman from the Demon Court spoke in a muffled voice due to her mask, but didn't remove it. "We have not interfered until now, when this young Authority appealed to us for assistance."

"And you would have me believe this is an act of charity?"

"Of course not. A few of us simply decided that we would participate."

Tabrien returned to his seat, but leaned in her direction. "Then you aren't here to represent the entire Demon Court? Do you pledge to obey the laws of this convocation of souls?"

"We have never done anything else." The Masked Stronghold thrust out a hand toward the man sitting opposite her. "A more important question is why the Mercury Court chose to become involved. When has your court ever involved itself here?"

"As it happens," the other Stronghold said mildly, "our great Emperor, the Voice of the Four, requested that we conduct a survey of gates into Deuxan. As a military concern, yes, but also for the good of all. As Tabrien can attest, we were here for months before we heard about the Demon Court joining some minor war, and it seemed... unsporting, shall we say."

"I stand by no other statements," Tabrien said, "but he does speak the truth. Mercury Court was only conducting their survey when this conflict was escalated."

The grand hall lapsed into silence. Everything, from the architecture to the powers around them, gave Theo a sense of anticipation. Yet he didn't think they were going to pronounce judgment, not here and now.

"The matter seems simple enough to me," Tabrien announced at last. "This convocation has overgrown itself, but it is not so serious. I would ask that the representatives from all major parties join me to discuss terms further. Surely we can find a way to limit the conflict so that all sides have a chance at their vengeance or other goals without causing undue destruction."

That seemed to be a dismissal, so Theo stood up with the others to depart. It seemed that most of the Strongholds were leaving as well, with only the major representatives remaining in their thrones. He wanted to stop and talk to Nourise to find out what this was likely to mean, but it didn't look like there would be an opportunity.

Once they got away from the great hall, they were left in a silver-white room. After the silence stretched for many heartbeats, Nauda threw up her hands. "Well, we're not dead, so that's good, but otherwise I have no idea if that went well or not."

"I think that it could have been worse," Fiyu said. "They will agree not to let Esaire escalate, right?"

"Unless they change the rules." Theo ran his hands through his hair as he tried to think about the precedents he'd read back in Anguedan. "One way it could go would be to restrict all Strongholds from participating. Then it would just be us against Esaire and whatever Authorities he can find."

"Do you think that is likely?"

"No, not at all. Esaire wouldn't want that, and whatever the Demon Court wants, they're definitely involved. The other Strongholds might want to get something out of this too. That one who called himself the Silver Gourmand definitely implied he wants to make a deal with one side, maybe both."

"I'm more worried about the Mercury Court," Nauda said. "I don't like the sound of that 'Emperor' and their whole presence here seems very suspicious."

"Agreed." Theo couldn't put his finger on exactly what bothered him so much, but he kept thinking about the casual Stronghold when he tried to put together all the political schemes. "If we get any kind of reprieve, we need to gather more information. Find out more about the two world powers, definitely, but also all the Strongholds in Accilonia. I don't know what kind of support they might offer, but if it means fighters, armaments, or sublime materials, that could be a serious problem."

"More importantly, what would they want in exchange?"

"Right, that's why we need to get some basic information about them. Enough that we aren't going into any agreements completely blind."

They began to talk over their impressions of the council, even though they didn't have much to go on. Fiyu did have several interesting observations: certain local Strongholds apparently seemed much more tense about the Demon Court, and she suspected they might be indirectly involved. But aside from that and intuitions, they were basically just hypothesizing.

When someone knocked on the door, Theo hoped they were finally going to be given answers and allowed to get to work. But instead it was one of the local stewards, who bowed politely to him.

"Excuse me, outsider? The Demon Court would like a private audience with you, alone."

Chapter 25

All at once Theo went from waiting on a judgment to having very little time to make a decision. Surely here, in the center of politics, the Demon Court wouldn't try a direct attack. He glanced at Fiyu and Nauda, who could only shake their heads. It was entirely possible that refusing would also cause trouble, so he didn't think he had much of a choice. Hopefully if anything happened, the others could join him quickly.

So Theo stepped out of their temporary room into one of the pale hallways of the palace. The steward led him around two corners and Theo was focused on mapping their progress when he ran into the Masked Stronghold without warning. An instant later the steward was gone and it was just the two of them.

"Let me be direct with you," the woman said without introduction. "We aren't your friends, but we could be your allies."

"I'm listening." Theo didn't think he could trust the Demon Court at all, he just didn't see the advantage in saying anything else.

The Stronghold took off her mask and to his surprise she looked like an ordinary woman. A bit ageless, suggesting an Immortality Conduit, but otherwise a normal Deuxan. She sighed and rubbed her forehead where the mask had been, then she looked up and the trace of weakness was gone.

"We are not particularly pleased with Esaire at the moment," she said. "I freely admit that we nudged Sartozi against you, then sent our own Strongholds. But the only reason we helped him was because he promised us information about the Teraeves family. It is increasingly clear to me that he is bluffing, and that if he knows anything specific, it's only because of you."

She threw out the name carelessly and it took all of Theo's self-control not to let anything slip. A moment of surprise, questioning if it was a ploy, memories of Vistgil... he didn't let any of his reactions reach his face and just stared back at her.

"The Demon Court has nothing against you personally, we just want to investigate this matter. If you can do more for us than Esaire, we'll abandon him in an instant. That would, needless to say, immediately end the war in your favor. We could also provide rewards, if you actually have information we can use."

"You said you'd be direct with me, so I'll be direct with you." Actually, Theo was buying time to think. A part of him wanted to pursue this further and find out the heart of the issue, but he didn't think it was worth the risk. "I don't have any inside information - this all started with a misunderstanding. Esaire is playing up an imaginary angle to get you on board, but this is mostly a private vendetta. I was telling the truth about our previous fights."

"Is that so?" The Stronghold's eyes narrowed until the metallic edges of her eyes rendered them mere slits.

"I won't lie to you or try to claim any of the rewards you mentioned. But is my honesty worth you withdrawing from the conflict? Because I don't think Esaire knows anything either, so there's nothing for you to gain here."

"I'm afraid we can't depart so quickly, not after mobilizing multiple Strongholds. How did this misunderstanding come about?"

"I don't think there's any information useful to you," Theo said with a shrug he hoped looked nonchalant, "but I'm not going to give up anything while you're actively trying to kill me."

"And we aren't eager to be deceived again. Is there anything we can do to persuade you?"

"Why are you called the Demon Court?"

The question seemed to surprise the woman and Theo hadn't exactly expected it himself - he had wanted a quick question, something that suggested he wasn't thinking about the mention of Brigana's family. In fact he could think of little else, and struggled to look casually focused while the woman answered.

"It might seem an ominous name, but the only reason is that we use demonic remnants as sublime materials. You... really haven't spent much time here, have you?"

"Almost all my time on Deuxan was spent in Anguedan, at least before I got involved with this." Theo smiled wryly as if he didn't think he was in any danger.

After staring at him for a long moment, the woman replaced her mask. "Perhaps we will speak again. If you truly know nothing, you have nothing to fear from us, but we cannot let this matter go so easily. Contact us if you think of something."

She stalked away without giving him any information about how to contact them. Theo resisted the urge to breathe a sigh of relief and instead adopted a puzzled expression. Unless he had been thoroughly deceived, he thought that he had just avoided a great deal of danger. Apparently the name of Brigana's family really was enough to draw down great forces, but not immediate destruction.

Theo was still thinking this over as he turned around to find the steward. He'd barely stepped around the corner when he found the Mercury Court's Stronghold leaning against the wall.

"Smart not to work with her," the man said. "Mind you, the Demon Court isn't as malicious as it may sound, but they tend to throw away their allies as soon as they're done with them."

"And the Mercury Court is different?" Theo spoke with a slight smile on his face as if he hadn't just been set on all his edges. Technically it didn't hurt to confront this unknown now, and the unknown court could even be allies, he just wished that it would have happened after he had more time to prepare.

"Well, we aren't talking to you out of an excess of generosity, but the difference is that our long term interests are actually aligned." The Mercury Stronghold pushed off the wall and reflected his smile. "The Mercury Court is a stable power - ask anyone, even our enemies - so we don't go starting vendettas or invading other courts."

"But you have an emperor? That's not generally how those work."

The man only chuckled. "We don't have good vocabulary for political systems larger than courts, so empire it is. But the relevant part to you is that we don't like the Demon Court or the way they meddle in other areas. Our actions here are... counter-meddling, you could say."

All of that seemed plausible, but Theo was still on edge for reasons he couldn't fully identify. He briefly considered whether or not he was being too paranoid - was there any substantial difference between working with Greater Ostic and working with the Mercury Court? Both were just alliances of convenience that he needed but couldn't fully trust.

"Anyway, you can't trust the halls here," the man said. "Would you come back with us to our encampment? We're concerned the Demon Court might have sent agents to act more directly."

"What kind of agents?" The question covered his immediate concern. Here, in the seat of power with anti-weirkey stone all around them, even a large court might be limited. If they got him outside the palace at a location they controlled, there was no telling what they might do.

"Well, they have Strongholds here who are fully capable of acting, at least once the decision is made. And they have less reputable agents... this really isn't the place to talk about them. Everything would make more sense if we can talk in a secure location."

"Sorry, but we're still getting settled here."

The man's eyes hardened, just a bit. "I really can't convince you?"

"I'm sure we can work together, but as you can see, I'm being approached from all sides right now."

"Fine, if you insist." The Stronghold turned away, readjusting his robes with barely-constrained irritation. "Emperor Dave is not going to be happy about this."

Theo froze in place. His composure had held through all the tense encounters up to that moment, but the absurd phrase "Emperor Dave" shattered his defenses. It wasn't simply the incongruity; the intonation of "Dave" was exactly like the Earth name, not a soul translation.

Had that been a test to draw some response out of him? The Stronghold didn't even seem to notice, though he could just be skilled with hiding his reactions.

All at once Theo's every movement became stiff and tense. If this Stronghold attacked him, he wasn't sure how effectively he could fight. No, violence was unlikely: the real threat was that he might have been identified as not just an outsider, but an outsider from Earth. Theo had been so worried about the Demon Court being an agent of Vistgil that he hadn't considered the Mercury Court might be as well. But that would be just like Vistgil, to play all sides and not care if they fought one another.

"I'm sure we'll discuss this more later," Theo said with a false smile. Immediately the other man smiled back, but now the good humor seemed clearly false.

"Of course, I understand. Just be very careful if the Demon Court starts taking action directly, outside the convocation. You can call on us if necessary, even if you refuse to work with us otherwise."

"I'll keep that in mind, thank you."

As soon as he could, Theo stepped around the other man and returned to the waiting room. He got half way before the steward met him with consternation, then quickly adapted to guide him back. Theo had tried to set his face in a neutral mask again, but as soon as he stepped inside the others looked at him in concern.

"What is wrong, Theo?" Fiyu asked.

"Use your stealth technique," he said, stepping in closer. "We need to talk."

Once they were surrounded by her bubble, he told them about both encounters. Fiyu was deeply suspicious of both groups, while Nauda didn't seem convinced. But unlike she might have years ago, she didn't accuse him of paranoia. They were definitely swimming in important waters now, and the line to attracting the wrong kind of attention might be crossed at any point.

"But it doesn't change the short term plan, right?" Nauda asked. "This is still the safest place for us, with all the major powers facing off with one another."

Theo nodded his agreement. "We can always weirkey away, but even that might be risky. These courts might be local to Deuxan, but they could also be related to inter-world organizations with the potential to hunt us down. So yes, we stick to the plan, we just stay more cautious while we investigate the others."

Before they could discuss things further, the steward returned. This time there was no intimate meeting, instead they were guided back to the grand chamber. It should have had less effect the second time, but now that Theo felt Vistgil's influence looming ever closer, it actually intimidated him. Endless silver and gold would still kill, in the right hands.

"Our decision has been made," Tabrien announced to the chamber. "The war between Esaire ai Armeau and Bartolo aina Fithe is formally accepted as a convocation of souls, limited only to those currently participating and the other Strongholds of Socirro. We will begin with an absolute armistice of one month, to allow both sides to negotiate for support from the Strongholds of Accilonia. That will be followed by a limited armistice for another month, during which Authorities may do battle. At the end of that time, the convocation will be permitted to resolve its conflicts on its own terms."

The pronouncement had the air of a judgment and Theo's mind expected a gavel or gong to go with it. Instead there was only silence, then rustling and murmuring as the Strongholds began to disperse. Esaire glared at him one final time, then he and the Demon Court swept out of the room.

Theo began receiving invitations from the local Deuxans before he even got out the door. There was blood in the water and everyone wanted a piece.