It was late into the evening that the general tale of what happened in Weststar and beyond were explained. To their credit, Namari and Moric took the near-unbelievable story better than Ordephus had thought. If you'd call slightly pale and mildly horrified well, that is. Especially for Moric.
"So that all happened," Moric said, taking a deep breath and pushing what was just said to the back of his mind to process later. "Moving onto matters I can comprehend, what was that about your plans for Langerich? You said you had a location in mind in case everyone is opposed to freeing dragonkind, correct?"
"Yes," Ordephus replied tentatively, "but that will only be put into effect if less than one-sixteenth of the population doesn't object."
"That's a small percentage," he pointed out almost timidly. He was charged with protecting the reservoir, but sometimes that duty extended to the city itself. The man in front of him was his friend of many years, yes, but in a situation like this, it was terrifying how quickly he could turn into an enemy.
"It is." Ordephus leaned forward, leaning his elbows on the table and folding his hands in front of him. His gaze was leveled on the captain steadily. A Prince of Nimn indeed, Noctifer thought idly as he watched the interaction before him. "If I want this battle and potential war to end quickly, Langerich is the ideal location for me to start in. The largest reservoir in Amaredeia; a natural wizard's fortress. Call the tactic barbaric, but it's, unfortunately, not below me to take a city by force."
Moric gulped and gripped the hilt of his sword at his side. The action didn't go unnoticed as Noctifer narrowed his eyes and Namari glanced between them worriedly. Ordephus' words were a plain threat. Not to the people of Langerich, though. He knew how to read in between the lines. As a captain, he had many soldiers stationed under him. Alliance soldiers. Most who were wizards. But were they prepared to fight a legend head-on? As far as he knew, fighting a harbinger deity could've been like swatting away a pixie to the father of magic.
He mentally shook his head. What was he thinking? Regardless of who he was now, he knew him. Darin had always been helpful and always put the well-being of others before him. How was Ordephus any different? If anything, the other was simply looking at the bigger picture. What was the displeasure of Langerich to the suffering of the dragonkind? With a small smile, he released the hilt in favor of laying both of his hands on the table.
"You don't need to go commander on me," he said with a nervous chuckle. "It's nerve-wracking. Of course I'll help, and I know there are others in my company who will, too. If anything, this side of Loten may support you due to the Vecjivi influence. They've certainly been open about their feelings about the harsh treatment."
Ordephus shrugged with a smile, leaning back in his chair. "Sorry, just wanted to make sure. But we don't need to discuss that part yet."
"Yes, you have yet to actually say any part of your plan," Amonis said.
"I'll tell it," Noctifer cut in before Ordephus could begin, earning him a peeved glare. He pointed to the orange beams of sunlight shining through a small window. "The sun is setting."
He sighed in resignation and waved his hand to continue. "Fine. Go ahead."
"We have already begun putting the plan into action," Noctifer explained. "We plan to gather those who will be coming here to Langerich at the tower first. Once we seize Langerich, word will spread, and we'll have a battle at our doorstep by the end of the week. So we'll need sufficient time to plan and move those who can't fight to the Vecjivi."
"They are unlikely to turn away the innocent," Iver commented.
"Iver and I have already cleared an initial space while Ordephus and Argent expanded the borders," he continued. "It's up to the rest who join to set up however they wish."
"When did you have time to do all that?" Namari asked. "And how will everyone get there?"
"While Argent was healing," Ordephus replied. "As for how we'll get there . . ."
Ordephus reached into his bag, rustling around a bit before pulling out a small sack. Inside the sack was dark red mana beads, a few of which he set on the table. Moric wrinkled his nose at it, feeling uneasy being around it, and Namari and Tarkana had similar reactions. Amonis, on the other hand, sent Ordephus a sharp look.
"I see you haven't stopped fiddling around with your life," he stated, and Tarkana's eyes widened at the realization.
"Father, you said you wouldn't—"
Ordephus held up his hands in surrender. "Calm down, calm down. It's less than you think. Only a little over a second. Now, let me explain." He paused, letting everyone settle down. "My symbol can act as a teleporter to my tower, correct? But it only works for me and anyone else with my likeness. For example, Tarkana can use it because she's my daughter, but Amonis cannot because the bloodline is too thin. So there are two solutions: Connect other lifeforces to the symbol, or create something that already holds a charged symbol."
Everyone took a closer look at the bead, seeing the Symbol of Ordephus carved on the outside of it as the red essence swirled around.
"As you can see, I chose the easier method."
"How . . . Why do you know how to use your lifeforce?" Moric asked shakily. He wasn't sure he even wanted to know the answer, but the curiosity was eating away at him. It was Iver, however, who answered in Ordephus' stead.
"It was what he used before being able to absorb mana," he deadpanned.
"He wasn't born with fae blood, you see," Amonis explained, trying to ease Moric and Namari's confusion. It didn't quite work.
"A madman from the start," Noctifer added with a nod.
"And it appears he still uses it despite all of us urging him not to," Tarkana sighed.
"Alright," Ordephus said exasperatedly, ignoring Argent's quiet snickering. "I get it. I'm a fool. But desperate times call for desperate measures."
"Does it hurt?" Namari asked quietly. "When you use your lifeforce."
A pause. "It feels as if my heart is being ripped out of my chest," he admitted.
There was a moment of silence after that. Some vowed to never try the method while others restrained themselves from strangling the legend. Ordephus shifted to the right a bit as Iver's previous threat echoed in his head.
"So what do we plan on doing for recruitment?" Moric asked before the atmosphere could get any tenser.
"Ah, yes, that." Ordephus took that moment to deposit the bead back into the sack and stuff it into his bag. Out of sight, out of mind. "I was thinking we should split off into groups to gather all races more efficiently. Perhaps after snowfall—or sooner, if you'd like—and after smoothing out the logistics of it all. Argent and I will head to Nortempress to talk with the dragonkind and dragons—I have a lengthy apology to give—Iver and Tarkana heading to Ichorwood to convince the Elven Council, and the rest of you and a small force to the dwarves and their chiefs. Téchivar is harbinger-infested territory, so please make sure you're well prepared to encounter a few. In fact, I have a few things to give to you before you go—"
"Ordephus, we can discuss this another day," Noctifer said, motioning to the window once again. "It's getting late."
"You're right . . ." He stood, the others following suit, and gave a teasing smile to Moric and Namari. "I suppose I should let you process the information tonight before truly getting into things. But can you stop by tomorrow? I have a spell I want to teach you both."
"Moric visits the apothecary more than I do, so someone might get suspicious if I come again so soon," Namari said, and Ordephus nodded to that.
"That's good enough. Moric can teach you it later, I'm sure." He made a shooing motion with his hands, grinning. "Now, get out of here before the cold begins to bite."
"How can you be sure neither of them will tell?" Noctifer asked Ordephus, leaning back as Amonis' wife, Elowyn, collected their bowls ("You are our guests," she had said when he attempted to return his bowl to the kitchen. Instead, she ushered her husband to help).
A late dinner had been served long ago, and all had stayed at the Rummenod's insistence. It had been decided that Tarkana would sleep in Areniah's room while the boys kept to the rather spacious sitting area with blankets and pillows abundant. The legend was once again in the disguise of Darin, as well as had returned to the name, to keep from confusing Areniah. That, and there was no guarantee who the little girl would tell on an innocent whim. Said girl, however, was curled up peacefully in Ordephus' lap while Argent leaned against his side. Areniah was fast asleep, and Argent had begun to dose.
"Remember that spell I mentioned teaching them?" Ordephus said. "It amplifies the sounds of someone's heartbeat and breathing, and thus you can figure out if someone's lying. Their heartbeats were elevated, yes, but that was a consistent thing."
"They were probably still in shock of you being you," Tarkana commented.
"More than likely. So I didn't count that against them." He shifted slightly, careful not to jostle Areniah's legs too much. "But even if I don't stay in Langerich for very long, I still got to know them as people. I knew where their hearts lied, but it's always good to be sure."
"How do you plan on completing this?" Amonis asked as he emerged from the kitchen. He dried his hands with a towel as he gave Ordephus an unsure look, handing it to Elowyn before resuming his place in the circle. "I don't doubt your experience with battles, but I don't believe we could raise enough troops to take on the Alliance."
"You'd be surprised what we can do when we have a good location."
Seeing that they would be talking a while longer, Elowyn gently extracted Areniah from Ordephus' lap—Ordephus helped to support her legs until Elowyn held her securely. A quick round of goodnights was shared as she took her daughter to the main bed chamber, leaving the rest of them to converse.
"That's why I need Langerich," Ordephus continued. "I suspect our main fighting force will be wizards and magic users, so as long as we keep a good barrier up, we will have the advantage. I'll maintain the barrier myself if I have to. This is also a risk, I'll admit, since we'll be trapped if they do get through." He looked through the window to the slope of the basin Langerich sat in. "That's why it's important we remove everyone who doesn't want to be involved out of the city before the Alliance can reach us."
"That still doesn't seem to be enough," Noctifer cut in, narrowing his eyes at him. "There's something you're not telling us."
"Yes, well—I suppose there's this one thing I was thinking of," Ordephus admitted.
"Which is . . . ?"
Ordephus looked to Amonis. "Do you know if there are any good scryers in Langerich?"
"That's a question you should've asked Moric," he said. "There are many scryers at the reservoir."
"Not ones who look through realms, I mean ones who can look within Amare. Namely, who can search for, ah . . . items."
Now it was Amonis' turn to narrow his eyes. "What kind of items?"
Ordephus gave a nervous chuckle, looking away briefly before squeaking out, "Perhaps a sword?"
"I knew it!" Amonis hissed. "You're going to get that sword back, aren't you! You don't plan on using mana at all!"
That caught Iver's attention, and he leveled the legend with a glare as he ground out, "What?"
"Hold on, hold on." He held his hands up in surrender, causing Argent to stir awake, disgruntled. "That's why I want my sword. Its blade has already been tainted, so absorbing lifeforces while in battles won't damage it. I can then use that instead of my own if that's what you're so concerned about."
"I'm not sure I like the idea of you using other lives, either," Amonis stated.
"Think of it as an extended contribution," Ordephus shrugged. "It would be a shame for it all to go to waste, and I'm not too far gone in insanity to try absorbing it all into my own body." He paused as a thought struck him. "I suppose that's marginally the basis of that one aging spell I attempted before refining it into something functional—"
"As long as it's not being supplied by the living," Noctifer said, cutting Ordephus' potential ramble, "then I don't see the problem with it. But know this, Ordephus:" He waited until the other, reluctantly, looked him in the eyes. "If your morals slip, I will cleave your head off your shoulders and drag your corpse down to Druuo so you can wake up in the Garden of the Damned."
Ordephus gulped. "Duly noted."
"So," Noctifer looked to the rest of those in the room, all shifting uncomfortably from the exchange, "are there any scryers to look for this sword?"
"There should be one in Ichorwood," Tarkana piped up. "It was an elven art before being adapted to be cast by other races."
"Your work?" Iver asked Ordephus.
"No, actually, but I was there." He tilted his head to the ceiling in thought. "I believe it was before the Three Kingdom Alliance came to be when the Three Sons of Ordephus—er, my sons, I should say—were still young. Relative to dragonkind age, of course, since they were probably around forty, but considering that elves and dragonkind aren't considered adults until around sixty or seventy—ah, I digress. I'm sure it's written down somewhere, but it was Ormarj who adapted it by using a mirror instead of a basin of water." He laughed at the memory. "Parrag had lost his spellbook again, so we used mine as a honing item to find it. It wasn't far, just on the other side of the room, but it was still a success. Erelot hid it on purpose trying out a glamour for itemless magic."
"How many children do you have?" Noctifer asked in disbelief. There had been many historical figures who had claimed to be a son or daughter of Ordephus, even centuries after said legend had supposedly died. If it had been a few months earlier, he would have laughed in any historian's face if they had recited that fact, but now that the legend himself was living and breathing in front of him . . . He didn't realize his insensitive question until he caught Iver's wide-eyed expression. Luckily, Ordephus didn't seem to notice. Instead, he looked amused.
"Are you looking for confirmed numbers or an estimation?"
Noctifer didn't know how to respond to that.
"Anyway, that reminds me of something," Ordephus continued, looking at Tarkana. "Do you mind checking over Argent to confirm his age? Iver and I tried to, but we could only confirm what was obvious: He's a preadolescent."
"It was a bit beyond my field of study," Iver added.
"Not at all, I can even do it now," Tarkana said, sending a friendly smile to Argent who looked at them all curiously. "Only if you don't mind, either. We could do this in the morning, or not at all if you're uncomfortable."
Argent shrugged and began to stand. "If you're only gonna do what Iver did . . ."
"Less, even."
The two of them moved to the kitchen where it would be quieter, leaving the remaining adults to themselves.
"Ah, I meant to ask Tarkana this as well, but perhaps you know, Iver," Ordephus said, continuing when Iver turned his attention to him. "There's an elf by the name of Yorwick who is a master in memories. Or was, depending on if he's still alive. He would be past 400 years old by now. Do you know of his whereabouts?"
"Master Yorwick is still alive and in Ichorwood to my knowledge," Iver confirmed with a slow nod.
"Good. I'd like to contact him and ask him to look over Argent as well. I know that Argent wasn't born as a slave, but he was taken from Nortepress when he was very young. A coastal village, I suspect, since he already knows how to swim and likes to be around water. Either way, he doesn't remember his surname nor his parent's names. He did mention, though, that he vaguely remembers people calling his mother either 'Vin' or 'Viv' because he remembered thinking to himself that it was silly." His lips twitched into a smile. "Toddler's logic; she was just 'Mom' to him. I'm sure he knew their names and his surname at some point but had since forgotten them due to separation. I'm hoping that Master Yorwick would be able to unveil these earlier memories for the names, and then we can go to records to see where they were sent." He suddenly grimaced. "Or, we may just discover their fates from his memories alone. I'm attached to the boy, I'll admit, but I wish to return him to his family if I could."
Iver nodded sagely. "I understand your sentiments, but it would be best to reunite families that had been separated by force."
Ordephus subtly glanced to Noctifer, gauging his reaction. They had yet to tell Iver, or anyone else for that matter, of his situation. Noctifer only quietly exhaled, sending a small, reassuring nod, and Ordephus gave a soft smile in response before returning his full attention to Iver. Neither Iver nor Amonis noticed the exchange.
"And that is what I wish to achieve after the battles ahead."
Word count: 3028