Unedited
King Dimitar paced as the calls rang through and through. Dex was fiddling with the Panic Ring receiver, trying to patch through to anyone or anything. Fitz sat beside his sister, his heart pounding in his ears as he waited. He hated waiting; he hated that he was sitting here on his ass while they could all be dead. Sophie was fine... she had to be okay. She was trained, they all were.
But Allesandro was better trained then all of them, and he was still...
No, no. Stop thinking like that. They were fine.
"Come on, come on, come on-"
Nour's face flickered on the screen. His grey-blue eyes darted around in confusion, his brow scrunched as his lips parted.
"King Dimitar?" He muttered.
"You look like hell!" Ro called out, gaping at the Vatarian's broken face. A split lip, bruised left eye, long gashes oozing blood down his face, hell was a bit of an understatement.
"Who... what?"
"Damn, I haven't seen any of you since you were kids," Dimitar muttered. Fitz looked at Ro in confusion, and she leaned down.
"My dad was friends with Sophie's dad. He used to visit Inalia every once and a while." Ro whispered.
"Dimitar, how did you- why-"
"Your mentore and I hatched a bit of an alliance a while back when things were getting a bit dicey for you guys. She gave me the input numbers for your Minyamas. It is also on a private encrypted channel, so even though it's choppy, we can still communicate."
Mansi and Alvar's faces crackled through behind Nour, surprisingly only Alvar matching Nour's injuries. Mansi was left mostly unharmed like the Neverseen were avoiding hurting her.
"Alvar?" Biana asked, her voice quiet. Alvar smiled, the smallest amount of blood dried on his lip, "Hey Bia, hey Fitz. We're alright, don't worry." He responded, squeezing Mansi's waist.
"Dimitar? Its been a few years, huh? How are you?" Mansi asked warmly, gently rubbing her hand over Alvar's arm.
"Apparently better than you guys. What the hell happened?!" Dimitar snapped.
"How did you know what happened? None of our calls have been getting through, and for some reason, our panic rings are going unheard by the Guild."
Dex awkwardly cleared his throat, nervously shuffling up to hold up his receiver.
"I managed to pick up on your signals, and we came to Dimitar for help. We just assumed something went wrong."
"Hey, nice going, Dizznee! Saving our asses is what you are doing!" Mansi praised. Dex smiled, his cheeks turning the slightest shade of pink in embarrassment.
"What happened?" Ro pushed.
Nour pushed Mansi out of the frame, and quietly recounted the events of the Conference. The Dunmer-Vatarian alliance was signed right before the events took place, the threat of civil war in Inalia that was revealed by the Senate, and the possible charge of a war crime against the Elven Council. But then he went into the account of the attack. The Neverseen caught them entirely off guard and managed to push Arsinoe out of her own city.
"The Neverseen are occupying Egypitnat." He finished. Fitz was so pale he looked like a ghost, Biana had her hands over her mouth, and no one said a thing.
"We are completely stranded. We are hiding out with a few of the leaders in a Medjay safe house. But the Neverseen are everywhere, and unless we find a way out of here, we are sitting ducks. They are going to find us." Nour explained.
Biana shuffled closer to her brother, squeezing his hand. They were utterly pinned down, running out of time. Their brother and their future sister in law were stuck, hurt, and lost.
"Do you guys have numbers? Numbers of soldiers, possible weaponry they have?" Sandor asked.
"They looked to have at least 9000 ground soldiers, granted we didn't get the chance to scout that much. But the Mirthless were what really kicked our asses."
"What types of Mirthless? Aerial? Speed based-"
"Everything, there was so many of them. Gods, we barely made it out alive."
"Where is Amalia? I want to talk about her about evacuation," Dimitar explained, calling over one of his servants to bring his generals.
Nour had a guilty intake a breathe, and everyone stiffened.
"We have no idea." Nour sighed.
"Was she captured? Killed?" Dimitar pressed.
"No, no, none of those things. She was on Ricin with Maha, and she was falling, she was freefalling a-and when they all went through the clouds. They-they never came out." Nour had a surprisingly hard time getting it out.
"What?" Ro snapped.
"They were teleported or something, but when the clouds pulled apart, they were gone. Not a single trace of them." Alvar explained.
Dimitar pinched the bridge of his nose, "Okay, what about Alexios?"
"He managed to escape with Queen Arsinoe, Fang Guanyu, and Governor Hennerick," Nour paused, sucking in a breath, "How encrypted is this network?"
"Totally private," Dimitar assured.
"We still shouldn't take any risks-"
"Is that Dimitar?! Give that to me, boy!" A harsh voice cut through the feed. The camera struggled a bit, but soon a new face popped into view.
Dimitar tensed, muttering curse words under his breath, "King Hamidi, long time to see-"
"Drop the formalities, Dimitar," The Avriman King seethed, "Get us out of here!"
Dimitar bit his cheek, his massive claws squeezing the edge of the desk. "I was trying to figure that out with Nour before you stole the damn Minyama away." Dimitar hissed.
"Can't you just take the city back yourself?!" King Hamidi asked.
"It's much more complex than that you stupid-"
"Your highness, I promise you that we will get you out as soon as possible, but I need my minyama to start making plans." Nour's tired voice gently asked in the background. Hamidi glared at him but handed him back the minyama. A small explosion and a roar could be heard around them, but it sounded distant.
"Listen, Dimitar. Alexios is in Chiranu with the rest of the leaders. We have the Senate, King Hamidi, and the Wampanoag Cheiftan with us. The Dunmer royal family is with us as well. No idea what happened to the Council. We have no clue where the hell Maria is either, and not to mention the Neverseen got Ruy and Keefe-"
Dimitar froze. "Wait, do you mean to tell me Ruy Ignis is in your inner circle? Are you insane?!"
"He is a good guy now! Get with the program!" Mansi's voice called out from off-screen. Dimitar groaned, cursing as his generals and attendants walked in. Fitz glanced at his friends, who gaped at the scratchy feed. They have Keefe... he was taken...
"You, I want you to try to get into contact with the Council." Ro hissed at one of the generals, who bowed to her and started to make calls.
"Dimitar, we are running out of time, we are sitting ducks-" An explosion that made dust and debris fall from above. Everyone in the call immediately jumped onto the floor, hiding underneath furniture and covering their heads. The feed crackled in and out, their voices indiscernible.
"Nour? Mansi? Alvar! Come in!" Dimitar called out. Their voices were scattered and scratchy, all of it blurring together.
"We-we....ar-ren't.... can't go-anywhere..." Nour's voice crackled through. The explosions stopped, but the feed was still scratchy.
The last thing they saw was a quick flicker of Nour's grey-blue eyes before the connection was cut off.
Everyone gaped, and Dimitar growled.
"They are gonna be dead any day now if they don't get out of there." He hissed.
"And what do you propose we do about it? You heard them, the Neverseen have that place locked down!" Ro said. Dimitar paced, his attendants muttering amongst themselves. Sophie was missing, Keefe and Ruy were taken captive, they don't know where Maria is, and the rest of the Inner Circle was completely stranded. It seemed hopeless.
"We don't take back the city, but we do take back the Inner Circle and leaders." Tam started. Everyone turned and stared at him in confusion, and Tam slightly shrunk up, hating the attention, but continuing anyway.
"We do an extraction mission. Find a way to get just them out, so we don't have to worry about time limits when we do reseize the city."
"Woah, okay, reseizing the city? Your Highness, this is not our fight! I agree with a possible extraction mission, but pushing ourselves into Vatarian affairs-"
"Our friends are stuck! And that is a city of helpless people who are being enslaved by the Neverseen!" Dex snapped back at him.
"Even then, how could we even do an extraction mission! I say we possibly do airdrops for the civilians-"
"Sure, and maybe we can write a strongly worded letter telling the Neverseen to knock it off?! We have to take serious action!" Fitz argued.
Dimitar rubbed his temples, his shock still settling in. Fitz scowled as the rest of the Generals and assistants started squabbling, and pulled out the card from his back pocket. He stared at Sophie and Allesandro, at the blood dripping from their mouths, the image burning his soul.
What would Sophie do?
Fitz glanced at Allesandro, squinting slightly.
"What would Allesandro do?" Fitz asked. Sophie was gone, teleported to who knows where, and she needs their help. Fitz remembered something Maria said when they were asking about Allesandro.
Sometimes, the dead aren't gone. Not truly. There are always scraps of them we can piece together in the mortal realms.
"Your Highness, you were friends with Allesandro Morretti, correct?" Fitz asked, his eyes set on the card.
"Yes, I was. What does it have to do with any of this?" Dimitar answered.
"Did either of you have to do any missions like this? Extraction missions?" Fitz continued.
Dimitar crossed his arms, still confused, "We never went on that many missions together, but there was one where I enlisted his and Maria's help to get back some of my men back from an enemy outpost over the mountains."
Fitz looked at Dimitar, "What did he think up?" He asked.
Dimitar blinked, "Well, that situation was incredibly different from this one, but the Assassins are a special operative light infantry unit in military terms specializing in infiltration and stealth. Allesandro only brought about five assassins with him, including Maria, where they then sabotaged the outpost by ruining their weapons, hiding their armor, loosening the chains holdings the doors. It made it easier to barge in and take back our soldiers. Not only that, but the Assassins scouted out an area for us through the canyons that was a blind spot for the outpost. I don't remember the details."
"Why don't we recreate that? Have the Assassins-"
"The Assassins are unreachable right now, remember? Not to mention all of the officers that they look to for orders are missing and gone." Dex reminded.
Dimitar paced, a hand on his chin. "No, the Vacker kid is onto something," he muttered.
"Allesandro had this strategy journal in his youth that he used to record all of the tactics of his ancestors he learned, and then ones he created on his own. In there, we might be able to find the detailed infiltration plan if we are lucky enough to where he wrote it down." Dimitar explained.
Ro butt in, "But they used Assassins to sabotage the outpost and scout the area. We have very few light infantry soldiers like they do, especially with their skill set."
"When Inalia fell, a lot of the Assassins scattered and left Inalia, a very few stayed from my limited sources. Most of them returned when Amalia rebuilt the Guild, but not all of them. Allesandro also had a list of his best Assassins in that journal. We might be able to track down some of the older assassins not from Amalia's time but Allesandro's. We use them to get into the city to get the Inner Circle out along with the leaders. Once we get all of them out, we can combine forces and reseize Egypitnat." Dimitar argued.
"Where is this journal, your Highness? I can send our most talented trackers out to find it."
Dimitar stopped, sucking in a quick breath.
"That... is a great question. I have no clue." He muttered. Biana went stiff, looking down at the ground as she muttered to herself.
"What did it look like?" She suddenly asked. King Dimitar blinked but gathered himself.
"Not that extravagant, a tan journal with a lock wrapped around it. His initials were stamped in the back, I think-"
"We have it!" Biana exclaimed, jumping up in her seat.
"I'm sorry, what?" One of the Generals laughed.
"Our dad was friends with Allesandro as well! The whole reason our dad remembers his time with them is because of a strategy book Allesandro gave him to study! It is in his office." Fitz finished, catching on to Biana.
Dimitar scoffed, "How do you know this is the real one?"
"Do you have any other tan journals with AM stamped in the back? Maybe those would be better to look at then." Biana snapped. Fitz nudged his sister, a reminder that they were dealing with the damn Ogre king. A muscle flickered in Dimitar's jaw, but he turned to one of his attendants.
"Get them some crystals so they can teleport back without needing to take the tunnels." He muttered to the attendant. Fitz grabbed his crystal set for his home, and the attendant returned with two small hexagonal crystals.
"Use these once you have the journal. Your friends are gonna stay here while we try to get back in contact with them. Don't let the Council know what you are looking for, don't tell them you are involved with us." Dimitar sighed.
Fitz and Biana nodded, knowing it was just a quick trip.
"And, kids?" Dimitar called to them. Fitz bit his cheek but turned to Dimitar. The last time Fitz checked, he was 21 years old, that doesn't seem like a kid anymore. Granted, it was nothing compared to him.
"Don't waste my damn time. We get one shot at this, and I'm not failing the Morretti's again." He hissed.
The Vackers didn't say a thing as they lept back home, his scalding words rattling around their heads.
It was supposed to be an easy job, pick up Allesandro's journal and rush back. So, of course, the minute Fitz and Biana leap outside Everglen's gates, they spot the Council gathered in the Foyer of Everglen.
Sophie actually really enjoyed the clothing she was put in. Breathable, warm, and comfortable to move in. A long sleeve cotton tunic tight enough to wear was like another soft layer of skin on her, with a jacket made of thick hide that went to her ankles that complimented her simple thick cotton pants with high boots. She knotted her hair at the crown of her head with a few elastic pieces of leather also included in the big bunch of the clothes she was given. Maha wore a similar outfit, but she opted for a fur cloak instead of Sophie's sleeveless jacket. She wore fuzzy ankle boots instead of calf-length leather boots.
They both stopped slightly outside the door to the main hall glancing at each other. But Maha took Sophie's hand, her bare hands sporting Byzanthar's mark, and squeezed it. And then she opened the doors.
It matched the hallways. A room that looked like it was made of solid obsidian, a large circular table in the middle of the room that was hollowed out and had a gentle fire flickering in the middle of it. The chairs looked to be stained so dark they looked black, contrasting the faded pale yellow banners hanging from the rafters that were the only form of color in the room beside the pot of bright red gem berries sitting by the other door.
Sophie and Maha quietly shuffled in and approached the gathered Vatarians. The closer Sophie got, the more she realized that they looked just like Sophie did when she was in her Pancras form. Off-color hair, peculiar and breathtaking eyes, fangs, and claws. They were a mix of color, genders, height, and manner. Sanaa stood, making herself look so typical against all of the other vatarians. Sophie just seemed to realize that even though Sanaa was an ancient Vatarian, she didn't sport any of the fangs or miscolored eyes.
"Amalia Morretti, Maha Abara, it is a pleasure." The one at the head of the table introduced.
"We are the Elders of the remaining Ancient Vatarians. My name is Endre, I originate from the ancient Cariana Kingdom."
The Cariana Kingdom, a time from when the Vatarian cities weren't cities, but vast kingdoms. He looked a lot like what Sophie looks like in her Pancras form. Slightly pointed canines, dark blue eyes with a silver metallic sheen, hair so black it seemed to be made of the night sky.
The Vatarian Elders were made up of six Ancient Vatarians. Each seemed to be from a different Vatarian city.
The first was built like a rock, a solid creature of muscle. His eyes were a dark blue, so dark they looked almost black, with the few flickers of metallic sheen in them. His hair was long and braided, his face sporting the fu Manchu facial hair, thin well kept lines over his lips and down his face in two straight tendrils. His eyes were deep-set in his head, thin and angular. He seems slightly alarming at first, he looked like he could snap Sophie in half like a twig, but he merely gave her a polite nod.
"Dewei of the Dunhuang region of the Chiranu kingdom,"
The woman sitting next to him was tall and slender, red-ish undertone matching her dark brown skin. Her hair was so long it passed just beyond her hips, done in tight braids pleated with beading. Her eyes were a deep Russian blue, long lashes that complimented her angular eyes and full lips.
"Bayou of the Sacred Lands in the Wampanoag kingdom," Endre introduced.
The man next to her matched the Egypitnat man in muscular stature. His arms were full of Egypitnat hieroglyphs, his light brown skin littered with scars. His shaven head conflicted with his built face. He wore a similar outfit to what the Medjays wore in Egypitnat, but a tad different. There was one thing that made Sophie jump slightly.
His right eye missing from its socket.
It was scarred over and jagged, but the man didn't seem to care much about it.
"This is Ta-Nehisi of Egypitnat's Golden Mounds," Endre continued.
The woman next to him had skin so dark it looked like the night sky draped over her. Her head was covered with intricate dreadlocks that were finished with cowry shells and beads. She sported a long purple dress sewn with various red, black, and yellow designs folded right above her ankles. A beaded chest piece matched her dreaded hair, and the intricate white face paint adorning her cheekbones immediately filled Sophie with curiosity.
"This is Folasade of Avrima, born from Hoekwil," Endre explained.
The woman next to her was slightly shorter, but a bit more muscled. Her skin was a royal gold, very similar to Sophie. Her hair was the color of dark tree bark, various highlights running through the strands that were pulled up and tied in a bundle of natural curls at the peak of her head. She wore bands of leather around her forehead with arm cuffs with Inalian runes etched on the sides. Her eyes held slight wrinkles, and white streaks could be seen in her hair. She wore... oh my gods-
"Is that Spartan armor?! Are you a-no way!" Sophie gaped. The woman blinked then burst out in hearty laughter.
"You know it, girl!" She smiled, flexing her muscles.
Sophie was so starstruck, pretty sure she had stars in her pupils. She thought all the Spartans were dead, their practice is forgotten! If Alexios were here right now, he would be losing his mind.
Endre chuckled, "This is Iphigenia of the Inalian Isles, born on Kephalonia island and one of the last Spartans alive."
The woman waved away the old man, "You are always so official. Just call me, Iphi." She smiled as she shook Sophie and Maha's hand with vigor. SOPHIE JUST SHOOK HANDS WITH A SPARTAN, OH MY GOOOOODDDSSS-
"Must you always be so unprofessional? These are the Heiresses!" Dewei snapped at Iphi. Iphi rolled her eyes, crossing her arms as Endre pointedly coughed. Sophie was still star-struck by all of them, Maha having to give her a sharp nudge in the ribs to bring her back to earth, giggling as Sophie awkwardly coughed, reminding herself to never wash her right hand ever again. All of these Vatarians are so old that they were from areas of the Vatarians kingdoms Sophie hadn't even heard about! Just a big reminder of how big Vatarians was so long ago.
"May we all sit down? We have much to discuss." Sanaa asked, taking the seat beside Sophie.
"Well, let's get the easy stuff out of the way now." Sanaa started.
"There are very few Ancient Vatarians left living: the Elders and the few thousand and the base of the mountain. But as you can see, they look very familiar to you in your Pancras form, Amalia. They are what your Pancras form is. The Ancient form of Vatarians before they were all forced into hiding." Indeed. They all had a metallic sheen to their eyes, slightly pointed canines, and finger tails. Though some of their hair remained a typical color, they seemed a bit more vibrant.
"Recently, the Elders took to the Throat of the World because they noticed peculiar happenings in the sky and in their forges, and wondered if it were the gods. Where Kynareth's Will, a limited way to try to interpret what Kynareth wants, hinted that an heiress has been chosen. While we were here, we have also begun to discuss the possibility-"
Folasade interrupted, "We are here to learn what the gods have selected heiresses for and what they need to learn."
"Learn?" Maha probed.
"Yes. The Throat of the World is a temple of worship to Byzanthar and Kynareth, yes. Still, it has also been a place of study for Vatarians for centuries. It merely acts as the Vatarian hideout, but before it was meant to teach the great intelligence of those before us who have learned from the gods themselves."
ThE GoDS THemSeLvES- Like Sophie wanted to know what the gods knew. She had better things to be doing right now, but here she was sucking up to them.
"Is there any way we can possibly contact our godly counterparts?" Maha asked politely, noticing Sophie sulking in her chair like a child.
"Well, there was a Golden Cord gifted to the Elves when they first split off from the Vatarians to keep it safe. But it sounds like the cord has already been used?" Bayou politely pushed, eyeing Sophie. Sophie didn't know the stupid thing would disintegrate in her hands the minute she touched it. She was just trying to snatch it away from Vespera and run.
"Yes..." Sophie muttered. Bayou didn't seem upset, just nodded and turned to Ta-Nehisi as he explained.
"The gods has always been extremely difficult for the rare times they did pick heirs. Sometimes we could get in contact with them through spirits or connections to them. One of Sai's heirs from many years ago, she created a connection by meditating on the concept of good and bad fate for about seven years, and she was able to make contact with Sai."
"SEVEN YEARS?!" Sophie and Maha said in unison.
"The gods do what they want when they want, so it can be a bit... hard to persuade them." Endre turned to Maha, "Luckily, Byzanthar always seems to be quite the charitable god, so you might get lucky, miss Abara!"
Maha smiled, but Sophie sunk in her chair, "So Kynareth is pretty easy to work with too?"
Endre cleared his throat, clearly avoiding the question.
Oh joy, Sophie got the fun goddess.
"Well, the golden cord is gone. But I have come in contact with another artifact of similar stature. A golden key wrapped in a cloth." Sophie sighed. Everyone straightened at that, their metallic sheened eyes dilating.
"Do you have it with you?" Endre asked.
"No, one of my assassins is carrying it. Mansi Shenandoah."
"It sounds like she is from my city, then?" Bayou asked.
"Yes, but we have no idea where any of our friends or allies are. We were all scattered."
"You haven't touched the key with your bare hands yet, have you?"
"No, it was given to us wrapped in a piece of cloth, I learned my lesson when I grabbed onto the golden cord without any protection. I warned Mansi and Alexios to keep the key hidden and have no contact with it until we returned to the Guild to have a closer inspection of it. "
"Good. Besides the key, have you come into contact with any other artifacts."
"None that I can think of..." Sophie muttered, thinking back.
"No, the crystal!" Maha exclaimed.
"The crystal?" Iphi probed.
Maha and Sophie went into an in-depth explanation of the azure crystal that Cato found in one of the Dunmer shops. They explained the bizarre connection it created between Sophie and Ruy, and how the carven dragon was all over the temple.
"That dragon, right there!" Maha insisted, pointing to a tapestry on the eastern wall. It was a perfect recreation of the dragon carved into the crystal, the massive, elegant horns and swirling designs going down its limbs, tail, and wings. The slight tendrils of smoke seeping through its nostrils and snarling teeth. When Sophie and Maha turned back to the Elders, they were all so pale that Sophie believed just talking about the dragon scared them enough to think it was in the room with them.
"Well," Iphi cleared her throat, "Now we have an idea of what the gods want?" She said hopefully.
Every one of the Elders glared at her. Still, they tried to gather themselves as they addressed the perplexed Sophie and Maha.
"Well, sometimes, the Gods will make contact with their heirs if they are in a place that corresponds to them. Maha, you would normally have a better chance of contacting Byzanthar through his forges just a bit down the mountain, but the forge has not been lit by a while."
"Why not? Can't, we go down their and light it ourselves? And what is up with the crystal?" Maha insisted.
Endre swallowed, "Well, no, the Forge of Byzanthar is so powerful that only the Guardian of the Keep can light it. He resides atop the peak of the mountain. He was often seen as the ultimate teacher for Vatarian students who decided to learn here thousands of years ago." He was still avoiding the crystal question.
"Can't I trek up there and ask him to light it for me?" Maha asserted. She just needed answers. What did Byzanthar want from her, what were the true understandings of her powers?
"If you do that, you will be ripped to shreds the minute you make your first step. Only one of his kind can make the hike."
"One of his kind?" Sophie asked.
The world went quiet as he said, "A voice of Kynareth is the only one who can make the trip to the mountain's peak. It is often regarded in the Vatarian tales where Kyanreth first laid out her blanket of feathers over the sky to create the sky we live under."
The world swayed around Sophie. What on earth?! She had to hike up the mountain just to get this grumpy Guardian to come down and light the Forge for Maha?
"It seems Kynareth wants you to talk to the Guardian anyway." Iphi tried to encourage Sophie as the color drained from her face.
"Can't Ricin and I just fly up there?" Sophie stuttered.
"The winds at the peak are unwinnable, even for the strongest of dragons. You and your dragon would be thrown off and hurtling towards the ground before you even got close. You need to climb there with your own two feet." Bayou explained.
Sophie's leg was bouncing furiously under the table, her hand itching to pull out some of her eyelashes in a nervous flurry. This did not sound like a fun endeavor.
"I don't have any of my powers. Kynareth took them away from me. I don't have my sword or my armor or my poison, "Sophie rubbed her forearms, where she could generally count on the warm leather of her gauntlets.
"How can I even-"
"You will be fine, Kynareth has marked you as one of her own. As long as you don't stray and keep going, you should be okay-"
"Okay?! OKAY?! You are sending me up at the top of this peak without my weapons, without my armor just so I can convince this son of a-"
"Lia," Maha whispered. Sophie glanced at her friend, at Maha's sapphire eyes. She wanted to commune with Byzanthar so badly, and Sophie was her closest shot to doing it. Not to mention the Elders really think something is waiting at the top of the mountain for her.
Sophie blew out a breath, realizing she was on the balls of her feet, the chair pushed way behind her, her hands clenching the table.
"I almost died of hypothermia the first time, I'm still recovering. I'm also dealing with blood loss. Those two don't go together well." Sophie spat, still not sitting down but lowering her tone, Maha squeezing her hand.
"Assassin, this is the only other lead we have. The faster we learn what exactly the gods want, the faster you can return to your Guild. Both of you." Endre explained.
Sophie and Maha were stiff, their spines made of steel, and their glare starting to become suspicious of those at the table around them.
"We will allow you two to sit on it, discuss it between the two of you. There is one other thing we want to bring to your attention." Endre said.
Iphi smiled as the attention was directed onto her. Sophie slowly grabbed her chair and sat back down as the Spartan stood up.
"So, the Old Republic in Inalia has been dismantled shortly after the Vatarian Kingdoms went into hiding, replaced by the Inalian Senate. They did very well initially, but for the past few hundred years, they have been, well..."
"Corrupt?" Maha recommended.
"Cruel?" Sophie added.
"Annoying?" Maha continued.
"Selfish?" Sophie replied.
The Elders all nervously glanced at each other as they listed off the traits of the Inalian Senate.
"Do you need more adjectives? We have a whole grab bag full of them." Sophie asked lazily.
"No, no, that is fine." Endre nervously laughed.
Dewei leaned forward, his wooden chair creaking under his monstrous muscle.
"We believe it is time for the Vatarian cities to come out of hiding and for the Inalian Senate to resign their power. We believe reinstating the Old Republic is what is best."
Sophie and Maha were open-mouthed, their eyes wide.
There were rumors about opening their borders again. They had better defenses from the Mirthless now, things were changing. But for thousands of years, the Vatarian cities have been in hiding.
"We have been informed that the Dunmer has started to emerge from the underground under the lead of King Dorian and Queen Sarai. We believe it is time for us to do the same."
Sophie shuffled slightly in her chair, "How do you propose we do all of this? Vatarians have lived this way for thousands of years, and I don't think the Inalian Senate will just easily give up their power." She asked shakily.
"Well, we have been aware that there has been a small rebellion in the lower sectors of Grecia-"
"You have been the ones then. The ones whispering in their ears." Maha breathed. She remembered just as well as Sophie, back to the Conference. The small rebellion the Assassins saved from the whipping pole way back, they have grown.
And it seems the Ancient Vatarians have been the ones whispering in their ear.
"Oh gods," Sophie breathed, pinching the bridge of her nose. She knew a change needed to happen, but now? In the middle of a war with the Neverseen?
"Don't you think this is poor timing?" Maha voiced both of their concerns.
"If not now then when?" Iphi asked.
"The Senate is a delicate situation, especially with the factor of my Assassins coming into play. They have been trying to pin us to any form of crime for years, but we have just managed to slip out of their grasp. A sudden revolution may cause them to pin the blame onto us. And not to mention, the Inalian people haven't seen many battles in years. We were completely unprepared during the Fall of Inalia. Almost all of the Inalian citizens are stuffy nobles, bakers, cobblers, farmers, and more. We don't have the Spartans anymore; the Senate outlawed them! How would a revolution affect them?"
"Inalian people have always been resilient. What happens to the code of honor in Inalians? The heart knows what it wants, Amalia, and the Senate is not what the heart of Inalia wants." Iphi argued.
"And I agree. Trust me, the Senate has been nothing but a pain in my ass. But they can be handled, a revolution and a half-assed version of the Republic may not be as controllable. Especially with everyone being so occupied with the Neverseen." Sophie argued.
"Controlled?" Endre asked.
Maha wasn't ashamed, even with her kind moral code, "A lot of the Senators have many dirty things they tried sweeping under the rug. Embezzling, adultering, and much more. One of the ways we have been able to keep them off our backs is to remind them what would happen if that information leaked to the world."
"That seems less than honorable," Bayou snapped.
"Well, it is the only way we can keep most of them off our backs so my Guild can actually do our jobs. There are only a few senators that we can't seem to get any dirt on, they cover their tracks well, or they simply or morally okay. They are the rare ones, though." Sophie argued.
Endre's eyes darkened as he leaned forward, "Is one of the good ones Vincenzo Esposita?"
The room was so quiet; the only sound was the gentle wind outside, and the sound of everyone's breath caught in their throats. Sophie clenched her jaw as she glared at Endre. The man knew he was taking a risk mentioning the murderer in her presence.
"How would your murdered grandparents and family feel about you letting their murderer slip through the slats?" Endre cautiously continued.
Sophie remained quiet.
"And what about... what was her name? Cynna? She was wronged by an Esposita as well, from what we know. Proteus Esposita? What about him?" Endre continued.
Sophie ground her teeth. Cynna, gods, her name almost stung. Sophie couldn't help but feel like she failed the woman, the woman who just wanted freedom.
Maha was the first to stand, her eyes cold and standing slightly closer to Sophie. A slight reminder where her true loyalties stand.
With her Mentore.
"We will discuss what we have learned, and we will come back to you." She spat.
Endre sighed, getting up and readjusting the lapels of his fine jacket, "Of course. Please do so quickly though, this is all sensitive information that needs to be handled."
Everyone silently got up, awkwardly clearing their throats or adjusting their clothes. Sanaa didn't move from her chair, her eyes were slitted at Endre.
"Thank you for bringing this all to my attention." Was all Sophie said as she and Maha strode out the door.
Sophie's stride was so fast Maha had to quicken her pace. Anger that he would say that, the audacity to spit her grandparents and her hunted family at her like that.
And the worst thing was that Endre was utterly right. Maybe, just maybe, Sophie was a bit too loose with the Senate. With Vincenzo.
"Are you alright? That got a bit intense." Maha whispered. Sophie and Maha walked farther and farther away from the room, the hallways were slightly brighter with blue-lined carpets and potted berries, flowers, and shrubbery with small slats of light coming through the snow flurries windows above them. There were braziers crackling above them, providing even more light, along with plenty of modest candles for the priests and priestesses prayers, but the temple somehow seemed even darker than before.
Sophie rubbed her forearms, missing her gauntlets. Missing that little part of her father she carried with her.
"I'm gonna go get my bandages redressed. I'll meet back up with you in a bit." Sophie whispered, ashamed at how cracky her voice was.
Maha watched her Mentore stride down the dark stone halls towards the infirmary, rubbing her forearms and her lips taught as she mulled over the thought of a true revolution.
Hey! So, just a bit of a reminder, this story updates every 6-8 days as stated in my bio. Please check that before you ask me to update!
Also, I'm here to answer questions that ya'll have asked me!
How long will this book be?
Just about as long as AAD, give or take a few chapters. I'm guessing a little shorter.
Is this the last book?
There is going to be one more book after this, but it is probably going to be much shorter than its predecessors. The AAD series is going to be a trilogy!
What is one good thing you like about KOTLC and one thing you dislike?
Oooh, I forget who asked this question, but thanks for asking it! So what I like about KOTLC is the complexity of the Neverseen's plans. I really enjoy as everyone peels apart the layers upon layers they have created that are really smart, and also just generally how smart they are about all of it.
One thing I dislike though is the lack of diversity. Almost all of the characters are Caucasian and I find it quite annoying. There are very few POC and (I think) no LGBTQ rep, which bums me out. It makes the characters feel so one dimensional and as a mixed bisexual gal it makes me feel underrepresented and a bit bored with the story.
Things you struggle with your writing?
PACING, VARIETY, AND DESCRIPTION. Ugh, there are parts where I want to sit and describe poetically how the world looks, how the characters perceive themselves and those around them, the feelings between everyone, but then it would slow down the pacing. But if I speed up the pacing then the story feels like a bunch of dumped lore and dialogue, which is also bad. I also have a REALLY bad habit of just regurgitating the same actions and dialogue tags into scenes without much variety between anything and I'm trying really hard to change all of that.
Do you have any other projects going?
Yes actually, lots! I'm trying my hand at a romance story (it's not going very well. I'm not a very romantic person). I also have a bunch of original stories that I want to start publishing on here, because Fanfic is fun and all, but I really want to refine my skills and not have to deal with the confines of other author's work. I also have the book project that I am hoping to get officially published, so you guys probably aren't going to see much of it. My PJO fanfic has kinda died out in my creative mind, so it is going to be on hold until I can get those creative juices flowing again. But this profile is not going to slow down any time soon!
Do you prefer AAD or GOMLS?
I actually much prefer GOMLS than AAD. I don't have to do so much world-building in order to make my readers understand my vision as much in the second book since I spent so long trying to mesh my ideas with Shannon's storyline for KOTLC. Plus I felt like my writing skills were still so fresh and mild when I was writing AAD because it was my first official book I created. GOMLS allowed me to get into my groove a bit and I have more of a following so I cam allowed to do what I want with the series without scaring away too many readers. I am SO ready to be able to do my own world-building without having to deal with the confines of having to make sense in the universe of someone else.
The last question, are you a Sophitz or Sokeefe shipper.
UGHHHHhhhhhhhhhhhh- okay, fine. I don't think most of you are ready for this.
Neither.
I hate them both.
Okay, hate is a strong word, but I generally dislike them both as a ship with Sophie. Fitz is explosive and selfish when it comes to Sophie. Keefe never explains anything and kinda sucks up for attention, which is fine for both of them to do! Characters are people, not figures to put on pedestals, and as much as you all may hate it, they are going to have flaws. But I feel like neither of them is what Sophie needs romantically to grow as a person, create confidence, and get done what she needs to get done. I really like the character I created with Ruy because he is someone who grows with Sophie and has a personality that compliments hers, but also doesn't suffocate her or the plot, and is there as his own person and not as a piece of eye candy or a distraction.
I'm not a big shipper when it comes to books, but when I find one I like, I worship it. And right now I'm just kinda annoyed with all of the romance shit in KOTLC. It doesn't feel fleshed out or planned, almost kinda half-assed. But that doesn't mean I don't like Fitz or Keefe, I just don't think they would make good romantic partners for Sophie. Not to mention they are all little itty bitty children who don't understand love yet, and they are just creating stupid drama amongst themselves that would just be solved with the basic skill of communication. Alright, here is my opinion, do with it what you will.
Please remember to vote, comment, share, and follow! DM me if you have any questions or drop them in the comments!
_Sibylline_