NOVEL WEB Book 4 chapter 22
Cemi balled her hands into fists under the table, driving her nails into her palms in a desperate attempt to keep from trembling as she sat in her place in the council chamber. For the first time the large room in the trunk of the great tree felt… stifling. Even when she had first taken her post the room had been breathtaking, it felt so enormous back then she had been worried she wouldn’t be able to hear the other members. But now… she was certain the room was too small, like she was being strangled as the sound of her own heart thundered in her ears.
She wanted to look around, needed to see if the others felt this pressure that was building inside of her that made her feel the need to scream… but she couldn’t. it would look weird if she did, she had never looked around before during the meetings… Did she? No, she always looked forward, she was certain; it was how she was trained when she started as a merchant. Its… rude to gawk at your surroundings… wasn’t it? Now she wasn’t even sure if she was sitting properly! She had sat in this very seat hundreds, if not thousands, of times before but did she… cross her legs, or put her hands on the table?
She should just look at the others, it wouldn’t be too weird if she just glanced at them, right? She was positive she had looked at the others before hadn’t she… no she couldn’t if she did, they would know something was up. How couldn’t they? They were the elven council, the highest power in all of Felnnor, of course they would see through this pathetic lie cooked up by the two newest council members and a gaggle of children!
Gods. She reminded herself in her mind, not that it helped at all as the weight of that simple word settled in her gut like a boulder and she didn’t know if she wanted to laugh or weep.
Cemi was trapped. On one side the elven council, her peers, the very people she had sworn to work aside to protect this land. Sitting at this table was supposed to be the pinnacle of their people, their representatives chosen for their knowledge and cunning, entrusted to uphold their laws and beliefs above all else… and Cemi was going to lie to them, to the people she was sworn to stand beside to lead their nation…
But on the other side was a fate worse than death. The divine of this world made flesh. Literal gods had strolled into their city; no not strolled, Cemi had welcomed them with open arms and thrown open the gates herself. And now she had no choice, right? They were gods, and as a mortal Cemi couldn’t oppose them. She couldn’t be blamed for not wanting to risk their wrath… not that she thought Amethyst would hold it against her. The young woman seemed rather level headed all things considered, and she hadn’t seemed eager to participate in this farce, if anything Amethyst had been more resigned. And if Cemi remembered correctly she was judgment and mercy, that had to count for something right? So, if they got caught in this lie and Cemi just… told the others the truth she couldn’t hold it against her, could she? God's domains weren’t just for show after all… were they?
Not that it mattered. Amethyst wasn’t the problem. No, the young woman would be upset if they were discovered but Cemi doubted Amethyst would do anything rash… Hecatolite though was another story. The insane little glutton who had run off hours ago to who knows where! She had defaced the great tree for a morning roll in the hay of all things and no one else was concerned about where she had gone!? If she’s willing to do that to the great tree what trouble could she cause unsupervised?
That wasn’t fair, she had left with Fae and Remi so it's not like she was alone; but what were they going to do if Hecatolite decided to do… whatever it is the insane little goddess does? She was… gluttony and lust? Cemi could actually understand her domains unlike her sisters; they seemed to fit Hecatolite; the little woman eats nearly constantly and anything that gets close to her mouth just vanishes without a trace. And the lust part of her domain was evident during her morning tryst with Eryl, a woman Cemi had clearly misjudged if the bite marks poking out of the collar of her shirt was anything to go off of.
It wasn’t just the blatant sex on a national treasure, or even the fact she seems completely unapologetic about the whole thing. No, Cemi wouldn’t judge someone for their… escapades. But, anyone who would let Hecatolite put her mouth on any part of their body had to be insane! Cemi had seen her eat a man’s arm for god’s sake… well Cemi hadn’t watched, but she can remember the sickening crunching sounds as she chewed the bone and the looks on the others faces was all she needed to know what had happened.
So, if they were found out… How would Hecatolite react? That is the biggest question in her mind, and unfortunately one she couldn’t answer, and honestly she didn't want to know the answer.
She could guess how the council would react to the truth. The council would be furious to say the least, if they were lucky, very very lucky, the group would be banished from Felnnor and any hopes of an alliance would fall apart. Cemi and Alagos would lose their positions and likely be branded traitors… they could be executed, not that Cemi thought the council would go that far but there would be no living in the shadow of the great tree for sure after that.
The others may understand. After all, if Cemi could explain it then the other chairmen would see that they had no choice, right? Best case scenario they would respectfully resign and move out to a remote village somewhere on the border to be forgotten as the two council members who let a pair of gods run around the city and cause chaos unchecked during a war… who is she kidding, no one would believe that those two are gods, it's more likely that the council would brand them as terrorists and either say Crown had attacked them or blame it on a plot from Utopia; not that it would matter in the end how they tried to justify it given they would all be dead.
Hecatolite had shaken the entire city while having sex, Cemi shuddered to think what would happen if she actually took offense to something. She had read about divine retribution before, and it always seemed so dramatic in the stories. She had thought it was an over-dramatization; yes, a god could rain judgment on the world but pillars of light that split the sky and erased entire mountains sounded excessive… before one had shaken the foundation of their city via an orgasm that is.
So, it was only logical that Alagos and Cemi would lie to cover for them, right? And it was such a small lie, just a… omission of the truth really. X47 had in fact taken an interest in the city and elven people, so in a show of power had rained her… “blessing” on the people of our nation. But being a very young goddess she had been… heavy handed? Or overly excited in her blessing and accidentally overdid it. it was… bending the truth at most, and omitting that Hecatolite was X47… in the end it didn’t really matter right? Whether Hecatolite was X47 or not wasn’t an important detail.
Sure, that meant that Crown had two gods in their ranks, but Algimar had their heroes so of course other nations would have powerful trump cards and just because they are attempting a treaty doesn’t mean they would share all those obvious military secrets with them… even if those two gods were running around other nations and causing an uproar… Alagos had decided that it was best not to share the truth and he was the chairman of Defense after all so it was really just a minor detail. The council didn’t need to worry themselves about what nation was harboring world shattering threats or not. They just needed to know that what happened yesterday was a… extraneous mistake by a young goddess. A mistake that was, in fact, harmless and unrelated to the war.
So really Cemi was doing them a favor by not sharing all the details. This way they could move past this whole thing and move on to more important matters. That’s it, they were just expediting the whole process by excluding irrelevant details. Just like when she was a merchant. If a sword was made with dwarven metal and with dwarvish techniques it was still technically a dwarven sword.
Not! Who was she trying to fool, even as a merchant she would never have tried to pull that; she would be a laughingstock her reputation would have plummeted! Sure, if the swords were still good quality, she could have sold them off at a pittance of the cost, but this wasn’t a business deal; this was treason. She isn’t going to lose a few gold pieces; she could be executed. This was going to be the scandal of the century, her legacy in history. “Chairman of foreign affairs sides with foreign interests and sells her whole nation to a rogue goddess.” That’s it, that’s how she will be remembered in the history books, a footnote right next to the fall of the shadow of the great tree and yet another warning on not pissing off the divine. Maybe it will all be forgotten in history, after all this will hardly be the first time an entire city was erased during a war.
Oh gods, Celest … She should have… What? Sent her a warning? What would she say, oh hey love how are you doing? By the way I’m about to commit high treason but it’s ok because it’s that or piss off an insane goddess. What would her daughter even think of her if she knew that Cemi was about to betray her position on the council? And poor Celest, she’ll be an outcast if this all goes south. The daughter of the disgraced chairman…
Was it always so fucking hot in this room? She couldn’t even breathe, it was so suffocating… she needed… needed fresh air…
“Cemi.” Cemi’s whole body jerked as the whisper carried on a faint breeze hit her ears, her head snapping up so fast her neck cracked painfully. The sharp intake filled her lungs with cool crisp air and the thundering of her own heart in her ears subsided to a low rumble.
Just how long had she been sitting here? Her muscles in her neck strained as she turned her head to look around the room with wide eyes, her shoulders protesting as she willed them to relax only to immediately tense again when she realized everyone…was staring at her.
Directly across from her Alagos shook his head as he covered his face with his hand. Cemi’s eyes darted around the room for… anything to help her understand just what had happened.
In the front of the room stood Amethyst and her entourage of Eryl and Himari patiently waiting to be called on for their testimony… or had they already spoken?
Cemi glanced to the middle of the room where a lone elf stood in guards’ armor, she vaguely remembered Alagos saying something about having to have a few soldiers give reports about the incident and its aftermath… it was a formality given they knew there was no actual damage, but it would support their story in the end.
The more she thought about it the more she remembered the plan. Yes, they needed the soldiers’ reports to put the others at ease not to mention it would help with calming the people if the soldiers investigated and didn’t find anything amiss..
But had this guard been speaking? Had Cemi missed the entire report while she was lost in her own head? If that was the case then… it was her turn to speak, wasn’t it? The plan called for her to present Amethyst and Himari after the soldiers' reports so they can present their “theory” of divine intervention. It was really a show of faith from Crown that their “saint” was willing to offer their expertise in this situation. Sure, Felnnor had priests, she was certain they had a few high priests even, but nothing compared to an actual saint; and Amethyst is, despite her age, considered to be a religious expert given word of her “all-faiths church” had spread far and wide after their yearly offerings.
Cemi could feel her jaw clenching as she stared at the young guard. If he was really done giving his report then Alagos should have dismissed him and then offered the floor to Cemi… so why was he just standing there?
Risking a glance at her fellow chairmen they were all staring at her. Their faces a mix of confusion and… concern? Why did they look concerned?
Cemi blinked, “I…” what was she supposed to say? Where were they in the plan, why had Alagos called on her and why was everyone staring at her?
There was an amused chuckle from the head of the table, everyone’s eyes darting to Eironn; his amused chuckles turning in a raspy cough causing his handlers to spring into action. “Oh, will you quit your fussing?” He slapped away the young elf who was attempting to help the elderly man. “I assure you I am not so fragile as to be done in by a simple cough.” He said with a sigh, though a faint smile played on the corners of his mouth as he opened a single milky white eye. “Then again, with how long you're all droning on I would think you're trying to kill me of old age.”
Eironns words struck Cemi like a physical blow. The others may have passed it off as his usual ramblings, but Cemi knew better. Eironn was a seer, someone blessed with the sight of the future. Sure, he wasn’t a soul mage who could read minds; but they were trying to fool him, a man who was over a thousand years old and could see past the veil of time!
She nearly laughed as she realized the absurdity of this all. Of course, Eironn knew what they were doing, he had trained the other council members; Cemi herself had studied under him during the first few years of her career as a chairmen!
Even if he didn’t know exactly what they were hiding he had to know something was amiss. Something in the future where this all fell apart, right?
Just as she was starting to hyperventilate, Eironn raised his hand in a casual gesture, “ignore that, it’s not important.” For a moment Cemi was certain the elderly man smiled as he turned his unseeing eyes to… Eryl? “Correct?”
It actually took Cemi a moment to realize the elderly man had switched into speaking the human tongue when addressing the other woman who was… glaring at a terminal?
“I would hardly say that isn’t important.” Cemi was an expert at reading other people’s emotions, it came with her job really. Being able to tell at a glance what someone is feeling was invaluable in negotiations after all; that being said, Eryl had proven to be exceptionally difficult to read… until now.
Her long ears were pinned back as her nose wrinkled in a snarl that looked nearly feral, as ground her teeth.
Just what had Eironn seen, more less what was Eryl seeing on that terminal that…
Cemi’s heart nearly stopped as she felt it. It was like the pressure from the other night but… different. So different. Where Hecatolite had blanketed the city in a warm haze this was not so subtle.
This was cold chill that shook one to their very core as it drew all their attention to a single point. Everyone’s head snapped to the side to look to the east, as if drawn to whatever it was… no, not drawn, forced. There was no choice in the matter as they all turned to stare, unable to look anywhere else but the unassuming wall of the council chamber.
It felt as if she was going to be ripped from her seat and sucked into whatever was causing… and just like that it was gone. Between the blinks of an eye they had all been drawn to a single point, and then released. But the cold feeling remained, a deep unnerving… fear? That wasn’t right, Cemi wasn’t afraid of whatever that was, but it had unsettled her.
The only way she could describe it was… it was like being in the ocean and “feeling” something swim under you or your ship. Whatever it was that passed you was so much larger than yourself that you went right past fear and into awe. If it had decided to attack there was… nothing you could do to stop it, so you just hoped it went on its way. Like an ant being passed by a dragon.
They all sat in awe and fear for a long moment, no one paying attention as Eryl furiously jabbed at the terminal before her, muttering quietly to Himari who stood beside her. Amethyst couldn’t help but giggle as she saw what the other two were trying to… stop from ever happening again.
She had never thought to use spatial magic like that before. “I should message Ashmit and ask how he did that.” The words, spoken so quietly and in the human tongue, brought a whole new fear to Cemi.
Cemi… may have peed a little as she turned to stare at the young goddess who was now tapping her chin as she stared at a terminal of her own. If whatever that was had been caused by… no, Cemi couldn’t think about that now. she already had two gods in her city she needed to deal with, and a devil was… no, just no. Cemi will believe that… whatever that had been was just a… aftershock from Hecatolite. Or, like she thought, they shouldn’t have just let her run off like that.
“Well,” Eironn broke the tense silence, his low even voice filling the silence. It was as if he hadn’t just felt whatever that was as he lazily waved a hand. “I believe we are overdue for a break; these chairs really don’t do my back any favors.” As if it were an everyday occurrence he rose from his seat, rubbing his back as his attendants rushed to him. “I think… an hour walk would do us all some good.” He turned to Alagos with the faintest hint of a smile on his wrinkled face, “your wives have come to visit you, I suggest you don’t keep them waiting.” He chuckled, “after all, you know what they say about keeping one’s spouse happy.”
With that, the elderly man slowly made his way out of the room effectively halting this meeting as no one tried to stop him. They knew better than to try to halt him, sure he was just a council member in the end, but he was stubborn and insufferable if he didn’t get his way. Besides, he may be eccentric, but he was rarely wrong and had yet to steer the council astray in all his years.
Leaving behind the stunned council Erionn sighed, he could make a million excuses for assisting the young whelps in their games, after all this was the most interesting his position as council head had been in years. But the truth was rather simple really. He simply didn’t want to deal with that girl if her little “super sneaky plan” didn’t work. How calling upon a devil’s power was sneaky to her… he didn’t know, and honestly, he didn’t want to find out. One of those sages can deal with it, that was their job after all was it not? Sure, they say it’s to train heroes, but he had met the last sage and… well, she didn’t seem so much as trying to train the god king as trying to contain him. And, just like last time, these two sages don’t seem to be having an easy time of it with the two little Deities they are toting around.
The number of futures he sees where they just blurt out what they are is actually quite alarming, well that, and any future he sees where that happens doesn’t end well for him. Why she insists on killing him, he will never know; but he is certain that the moment the council learns what Hecatolite is, she kills him. Even if it's just in a casual conversation…
As he walked it clicked in his mind, a piece that he had overlooked up until now. He had spent the last few days running himself ragged to keep those girls safe. They have honest intentions so keeping their secret seemed like a small price to pay. But he had been afraid, so much so that he had been losing sleep while moving people around to keep them from being found out, terrified that she was going to kill him if the truth were to come to light.
He wasn’t so proud as to not admit being afraid of death, even at his age he didn’t want to die. If they had come here and tried to swindle his people or betray the council he would gladly lay down his life; that wasn’t even a question in his mind. But he knew that, at the very least, Amethyst was earnest in her dealings with the council; it shows in every future he can see. She was honest and open with her intentions, so he didn’t mind bending the rules a little for the greater good. As to how far he would bend the rules… well, apparently as far as he needed if his life was going to be wasted.
“That little devil.” Erionn couldn’t even be angry at this point, after all the fact she was using his magic against him was impressive and… par for the course in politics. And what better way to be certain that he would assist them? If anything, it was a twisted form of trust she had placed in him. After all she had to know he knew what she was at this point; and simply deciding to kill him had allowed her to secure him as an ally without ever even speaking to him about it. “What a terrifying effective threat.”
With a heavy sigh, Erionn continued his walk as he counted the minutes. He knew exactly how long to stall for the pieces to fall into place; after all, Alagos was a lot of things but above all else he was a good husband. He wouldn’t keep his wives waiting for too long even if the other council members hassle him about that little burp of divine power. Then there was that other problem…
Clearing his throat, he turned to one of the helpers that followed him, “do me a favor boy,” he pointed to a rather pretty vase filled with the loveliest blue flowers. “Have that brought to…” Strange, if he sends those flowers… the future doesn’t change.
Closing his eyes he peered into the next few hours, straining his sight to its limits without committing to a ritual; he peered just past the meeting. Looking past the futures where he died, thankfully there are fewer of them now; and parsing out the ones that go on into the night with nothing of note even without his intervention… there it is, the one where he sends these flowers.
In his mind he can see the helper bowing his head as he gives a report of giving the young Deity the flowers… and she eats them.
Rubbing his temple Eironn grumbled, “young people nowadays.”
“Sir?” the nervous young elven man, who was now holding the flowers, stared at him in confusion.
“What ever happened to giving your lover flowers? I used to weave the most beautiful crowns for my wives, the flowers woven into their hair like a halo…” He allowed himself a moment to reminisce before sighing again before turning away from the confused boy. “Put those back boy, I'll have to send something else.”
Walking and using his sight was… not particularly easy but he had experience, and his helpers would keep him from walking into things. Finding an appropriate gift that the Deity doesn’t immediately eat and actually uses to quell the sage’s anger… Wasn’t as easy as he thought, as it turns out, and took nearly the entire hour.
Wiping sweat from his brow he all but pushed the small woven bobble into the young man’s hands, “find that girl… Hecatolite and give this to her, tell her it would make a great gift.” He hissed through clenched teeth.
The rest of this meeting was going to be difficult; he could already feel the pain building behind his eyes from straining his sight so much. Maybe the others wouldn’t notice if he simply slept through it, he had done it before, and it wasn’t like he didn’t know what was going to happen. Though why, out of all the things he considered sending, did this little woven branch of the great tree change the future so much?
It was just a bracelet made out of a vine, it did come from the great tree, but it was a bobble. He had woven simply to keep his hands busy. He had hundreds of them laying around his home, a habit from back when he had been a weaver; he used to give them out with his baskets before he retired… and this one was no different… no matter, it wasn’t important, as long it kept his people from having to deal with another burst of divine power than it was truly a trivial price to pay.
