…In Nazarick…
"Remarkable speech, wasn't it?" Ainz asked the observing guardians and other attendants.
"She is a gifted speaker." Demiurge admitted.
"But…Id'n she wrong, majesty?" Vanysa asked, "Ah mean…is a good speech an all, she shows yah as the best damn king and the best damn god there could ever be anywhere ever…but…ah don't like ta think ah yah sufferin like she say." Vanysa said, her distress at the prospect of Ainz suffering was clearly driving her to madness.
"Please say she wrong…ah ain't made like the rest of 'em," She gestured around the throne room, her wings wrapped around her as if it were a cloak, and her fury's eyes welled with an emotion other than sadistic urgency, "…but ah don't like ta think ah you bein sad. Ah hope everone here'll forgive this umble slave of yer majesty fer sayin…for em…we loves yah."
This drew some concerned looks from the guardians and maids, and all those other members of his court who had chosen to come at his invitation and watch the Synod unfold. Inside his own mind, Suzuki Satoru sighed. In a way, Neia had been more spot on than he had ever expected her to be, the human within the overlord still mourned the loss of his dear friends and still agonized over his own position. She gave him too much credit, to say it was intentional, but she had been right about the feeling. They were looking to him though, and he could see the bitten lips of Shalltear and Albedo and the deeply disturbed expressions on the faces of Aura, Mare, Cocytus, Sebas, Demiurge, and the maids, among others. He had to answer this.
"My children…my servants…your love and devotion to me is as a comforting blanket that makes every day worthwhile, I will not tell you she is entirely wrong, there can be only one at the top of the pyramid, but know that even in my most difficult hour, thinking of the lost comrades who were your creators, I draw comfort from their precious children, and purpose from my place and the fulfillment of my role as both ruler and as the god of those who serve as extensions of my will. Please feel no distress for me, there is no defect in yourselves, nor is there a virtue you lack that would replace what was lost." He said, and this seemed to ease their troubled expressions considerably.
"I wonder if I'll ever really grow comfortable making those impromptu speeches…" He thought to himself.
"I think it was a very fine start, the previous two days before that were excellent as well, I was especially pleased to see Lakyus presenting such excellent opportunities for Neia Baraja to present her case more fully." Sebas said as he stroked his beard.
"Was that on purpose do you think?" Vanysa asked curiously.
"I think so." Demiurge said, "She's got a sense of 'obligation' about her, and she abandoned her old beliefs privately, if not publicly, over Keeno."
"Are they likely to come to the correct answer?" Cocytus asked.
"I am certain they will, even the foolhardiest creature cannot deny the endless power of my beloved Lord Ainz." Albedo said with a haughty laugh.
"Of course." Shalltear said, stroking her own cheek as she smiled dreamily, "Anyone who does not think him a god, must be either ignorant or foolish."
So it went around the throne room as praises for Ainz and his power and status were circulated. Vanysa however, kept her eyes on his and remained silent until the mirror was shut down and Ainz dismissed them one by one to go back to their duties, leaving him alone in the throne room with Vanysa.
…Arwinter…restaurant…"The Platinum Plate"…
"Intoxication protocol?" CZ asked, looking over at Neia and Skana. The couple shared a look and a whimsical smile, the sort that couples with extended time together have when they're reading each other's thoughts.
"What's that?" Lakyus asked.
"Fun." Skana said with a pleasant smile, "And very cute."
"Cute?" Neia asked with pretend wounded expression, "What am I? Chopped demon?" She tittered a bit and as the server came and filled the cups of wine for CZ and Skana.
"Now cute." CZ said and put a sticker on Neia's cheek.
There was a collective eye rolling from the table, but expressions said it was of good nature. "First," Neia began as she picked up her cup, "I'd like to propose a toast to the Sorcerer King, who has given us peace…in every sense," she looked over to Lakyus, how politely bowed her head before raising her cup, "and who has brought us together, may ten thousand lifetimes be but a fraction of his reign." Neia turned to CZ, "Oh, and didn't you say you heard a toast from your…creator, once?" She asked.
CZ nodded and held her cup high. "Live long…and prosper." CZ said..
She was answered by a chorus at the table, "Live long and prosper." And they drank their cups to empty, and a server quickly returned and refilled them once again. The continual light spell that radiated above a decorative candle made it easy within the restaurant to order, and one by one they made their selections. CZ ordered only more wine, while Lakyus requested a dragon steak. Skana ordered a rich seafood stew and Neia seconded Lakyus's order. They laughed and joked for several hours, trading stories of their activities while apart, Lakyus took particular interest in CZ's service to the Sorcerer King, and the hours felt like mere minutes.
They were nearly ready to go when a server approached the table with a tray bearing several slices of succulent looking cheese cake, topped with various fruits, it was so rich and delicious looking that it was mesmerizing, they could smell the butter used for the crust, it was in a word, marvelous.
"Pardon me," Neia said, "but we didn't order this."
"It is a gift, a show of gratitude for his majesty's justice." The server said. The man was young, perhaps in his twenties, dark hair and a thin neat mustache, he was of slender build and immaculately dressed as all the other waiters, and Neia gave him an appreciative smile and gestured to the table.
"Then far be it from me to refuse." She said, "Please give our gratitude to our benefactor."
"I shall, ma'am." He said, and he removed each plate from a rectangular platter of exquisite workmanship, and laid a plate before each of them, and a small dessert fork for each plate, and then he bowed and left them to enjoy it.
"By god, this looks good." Skana said, and this was met with agreeing nods."
"It does," Neia said, "but if it isn't too much to ask…I'm not really in the mood for strawberry, Skana, could you and I switch?" She asked sweetly.
"Of course, love." Skana said, and slide her blueberry slice over to Neia, and took her strawberry one in its place.
A moment later they were cutting into their slices while CZ's intoxication protocol was clearly kicking in, if her silly little grin was any indication.
Neia took a bite, it was every bit as good as it looked.
Lakyus took a bite and was not disappointed.
Skana took a bite, "This is very good, but there is an undertone to it I can't quite place." She said.
After a few more minutes, the plates were clean.
Skana smiled broadly, "I wish I had both my eyes so I could have appreciated it twice as much, funny undertone, but damn it was good."
"Odd, I didn't notice anything." Neia said, "What was it…" She started to ask and stopped as Skana began to shake as if she were having a seizure.
"Skana?" Neia asked.
"Hey! What's wrong!" Lakyus asked in alarm as Skana seized up and fell off her chair, shaking as if she'd been struck by a low level lightning spell.
CZ immediately deactivated her intoxication protocol and stood up sharply, throwing her chair backwards, the other restaurant goers started shouting in alarm as CZ darted next to Skana and crouched down.
"Hold her!" CZ snapped to Lakyus and Neia, who were already moving to her side.
"Lakyus, head, Neia, body!" CZ snapped out with a monotone that had only a hint of the concern that lay beneath the surface.
Lakyus grabbed Skana's head and held it, fear was etched in Skana's eyes as she realized what was happening, words couldn't form, but the question was clear.
CZ tilted Skana's head back so as to thrust out her jaw, and then she locked her lips in a tight seal over Skana's as if in a passionate kiss.
Under any other conditions, Neia would have been shocked by CZ's actions, however in this moment, she could do nothing but trust her friend. Her trust as it was, had been well placed, and CZ pressed on Skana's belly, as she sucked the poison out of Skana and into her own mouth. An alarmed crowd had gathered to watch, food and conversation and wine all forgotten as the disastrous seeming scene unfolded before them. Finally, Skana stopped moving, and Neia shook her. "Skana! Skana! Get up Skana!" But she didn't stir, her breathing was gone, her body was still. "Wake up!" She shrieked.
Lakyus however, was already acting, the aura of magic stirring from her body as she uttered her spell, but Neia didn't see as she kept trying to shake her wife awake. CZ simply knelt there, placing Skana's breathless, lifeless head in her lap.
It was not until the spell released, that eyes began to flutter open and a deep breath began, she sucked in air as if she had sprung from underneath the waters of a deep lake and looked around.
Neia relaxed, her eyes were wet with tears, Skana was breathing, blinking, and she pushed herself up by her elbows. "What…the hell…was that?" She asked softly.
CZ spat onto the floor. "That…was poison." She said.
Neia fell forward and hugged her wife with tears in her eyes, "Oh thank god." She said softly, "I thought for a moment…" She looked over at CZ and Lakyus, "Thank you."
"Yes, thank you, you saved my life." Skana said sincerely, and Neia reluctantly let go as they got back up.
"Nobody moves!" Lakyus shouted. "I want every waiter in this restaurant, brought over here NOW!"
CZ drew her spell gun and dashed to the entrance without waiting for the instruction. "Nobody leaves." She said flatly.
Lakyus, recognizing what was happening, immediately strode purposefully to the back of the restaurant, pushing past several flustered cooks, then she drew her sword and pushed the tip into the floor parallel to her body in front of her. "Absolutely no one leaves." She said bluntly.
When Neia and Skana got to their feet, the warrior pope could not remove her eyes from her wife. Skana touched her head, "God that was unpleasant. Never been poisoned before…didn't like it."
"Well, somebody else is going to like it a whole lot less." Neia said as she pulled off her visor and one by one the waiters and waitresses were corralled.
"Everybody but the servers…sit." She said. She looked the servers over as the other diners seated themselves and silence swept over the room. The power of the evangelist was in full swing…but not with an angelic warmth that invited the acceptance of her message, but with a terrible wrath that might as well have been the power of her god to those who were present.
"He's not here." Neia said as she looked the nervous shaking servers over. "Where is he?" She asked sharply.
"Where is who?" One nervous, mousy looking woman asked curiously.
"The server who brought us dessert." Neia said and gave a brief description.
The servers looked at one another. "What dessert?" Another young man asked.
"The cheesecake, damn it!" Skana snapped as she moved to stand next to Neia.
"Ahhh…we don't serve cheesecake." One of the servers said.
"We did, a few weeks ago, but we took it off the menu and replaced it with a melon cream dish." Another said matter of factly.
Neia went to the table and snatched up a dessert menu and flipped it over, she scanned it carefully.
"Shit, they're telling the truth." She said without looking up. Diners were staring in silence as she spoke. "But…why would anyone want to poison my wife…?" Neia asked, "Trying to punish me for something?" Neia asked, stroking her forehead as her mind raced.
Skana touched her shoulder, "They weren't after me." She said, "They were after you."
Neia's mouth fell open, "That's right…I…switched with you. The Synod, someone didn't want me to speak. Now I can't speak, I have to find whoever did this…I have to find them and punish them…" A dark aura swirled around her, a terrible pressure built, and Skana found it hard to breath.
"Neia…stop…" She gasped out, several other diners were shaking and also having trouble breathing, but Neia didn't hear anything, not over the roar of her own raging thoughts.
"Neia! Stop!" Skana snapped again, louder this time and touched her cheek.
The warrior pope froze, the pressure vanished. "What the hell just happened…" She asked softly. "What…was…that?"
Skana shook her head, "My question too."
"I haven't felt anything like that since…you know…Remedios." Neia said softly.
Skana took her hand, "Listen, stop…you don't speak at the Synod, and we dishonor our god, you can't stop because of me, or whoever wanted to stop you will have succeeded. What are the rules of Nazarick?" She asked.
"Never know defeat, never allow the enemy a victory, never fail, and always obey his majesty." Neia said softly.
"We'll investigate, we'll find who did this, all you have to do, is lend your voice to the will of the supreme one. We'll have two victories out of this. Go back to the hotel for the night, we'll take the witness statements and gather all the information we can, I'll get Lakyus and CZ to help me, and if necessary, and if we need someone good at terror and torture, I'll ask for Vanysa, she can blend in, and sniff out guilt like a dog on a trail. We've got this…trust me." Skana said, leaning in, and pressing her lips to Neia's own with comforting gentleness.
"Yes…of…of course, I trust you all." Neia said as the kiss broke. "But before I go to bed, I'm going to report this to the emperor…and to the Sorcerer King, they should know what happened here." She said softly and stepped away.
A moment later she was leaving the restaurant and Skana borrowed sheets of paper and began to take notes, going from one person to the next and taking statements, every detail of the mystery waiter, the platter, and for good measure she got the name, description, and residence of every member in the restaurant team and every patron present. The hour was very late when she finally allowed them to begin to leave and she called for Lakyus and CZ.
"Ladies…ready to catch a killer?" Skana asked.
"Yes." CZ said as she holstered her spell gun.
"Absolutely." Lakyus said as she sheathed her sword. "I'm happy to help out Neia, there are no debts among friends and comrades." She said firmly.
…Palace of Arwinter…
When Emperor Jircniv heard that Neia was coming to see him, he wasn't sure if he should be happy or not, all the reports he'd had of the Synod had been favorable, yet she hadn't come to see him on those days, why now? It was not something he wanted to contemplate, yet now he was going to be confronted with whatever it was. His wife sat beside him on a throne matching his own, and he ordered all but one guard dismissed. If it was bad, he did not want there to be any reasonable chance of it getting out.
The large double doors opened, and the small, but strangely towering woman strode purposefully towards the throne, she did not kneel…given her position as the pope of his master's religion, they were closer to peers than anything else, even if the exact positions hadn't been hammered out, it was easier…and safer, to think of her as an equal in social status. She did, however, bow politely, and he inclined his head in return, as did the Empress. More than that however…they'd had correspondence since their meeting, and one could even call them casual friends, even comrades at a distance, who had served on the same side of the war, if in differing roles, so he was comfortable enough after that minor formality to stand and walk down from his throne and offer out his arm to her, which she clasped firmly.
"It's good to see you again, Pope Neia. I wish you had come sooner; I'd have prepared a reception for you when you arrived." He said.
"That is actually why I didn't, though I pray you were not offended by it, I am here on a duty for the Sorcerer King, therefore I must appear independent of all other influences." She said confidently.
"Of course, I understand, but then…what brings you to me now?" He asked.
"Someone tried to assassinate me tonight over dinner, my food was poisoned, my…my wife Skana, she ate it instead, by chance." Neia said softly.
The empress touched her chest and took a deeply shocked breath.
"No…" The emperor said softly. "I vow I had nothing to do with this." He said.
"I know you didn't. You wouldn't do that to me, you're loyal, you're grateful, and you're a good ruler. I never thought for a second that you'd do that." Neia said firmly, much to his relief.
"Is your wife alright?" He asked.
Neia nodded. "She is, CZ was able to extract the poison, and Lakyus was able to use her resurrection magic immediately. They're gathering statements to conduct their own investigation, I'm still speaking at the Synod tomorrow, but you need to know what is going on, and you should inform our master, I would also appreciate making resources available to them while they work." Neia said.
"Of course, of course." Emperor Jircniv said with breathless assurance, "Anything you need, the empire's resources are at your disposal." He said softly.
"Thank you, I came only to inform you of this, I'm…well, I'm truly exhausted, and I'm going to rest, but I wanted to inform you before I did." Neia said, her voice now betraying her ample weariness.
"Shall I send an escort with you?" Jircniv asked with some concern.
Neia gave a little smile, "They used poison because they didn't think anything else would work, I'll be fine getting home, thank you." She said.
"Alright then, please stay safe, and I wish you good fortune tomorrow." He said softly.
"Thank you." Neia said sincerely, and she turned about and walked out the way she'd come. When she was gone, Jircniv returned to the throne next to his wife and looked at her in horror.
"If the assassin had succeeded…" He said, not finishing the sentence. He had no need to finish it, her face was as pale as his own. He'd be doubling the guards on the streets of the capital for the duration of the Synod, and grimly he called for his prime minister and began to pen an immediate message for the Sorcerer King's eyes alone.
It was late when Skana came back to the hotel, and Neia was still not asleep, she lay in bed, but was restless staring up at the ceiling in the darkness, she heard the door close. "Skana?" She asked.
"Yes." Skana replied as the door locked behind her.
"Come to bed." Neia said softly.
"I am." She replied as she stripped off her equipment and her clothing.
"No, I mean…come to BED." Neia said with a very different inflection.
"Oh." Skana said, the darkness hid the arch smile, but it did not disguise the smile in her voice. "Shy and bold both at once this time are you?" She said and removed one more layer of clothing than she'd planned to before lifting the covers of the bed.
Neia didn't answer, not with words, she pulled her wife under with her as if to save her…or herself…from drowning, and pressed lips to lips as they came together, her hands roamed over the body of her wife, she couldn't see her in the darkness, she didn't need to, her hands saw for her as she reached for the places she knew Skana loved to be touched, she drew her body down over her length, pressing lips to skin and drawing little cries from her lover, as if desperate to hear her to know that she was still among the living. Nor was she alone in this, for when Neia loosed her warrior grip, Skana, as if embattled, turned the tables and gave of herself as well, the two entwined and wreathed in shadows that might have been illuminated by the burning flame that might have ignited between them.
When energy was finally spent and they could only lay together, held close, breast to breast and hand to hand, Neia whispered softly, "I almost lost you today…I wouldn't have survived that." She said bluntly.
"I almost lost you today." Skana said, "And I wouldn't have survived that, remember they were after you, not me, and I talked to CZ about it, that poison was at a dose that would have killed you much, much faster, I'm larger, have a higher constitution, that is why I had seconds enough for CZ to extract the poison, and for Lakyus to use her resurrection magic, otherwise I'd have just died again with the poison still inside me. If you'd eaten it instead…if you'd eaten it…" Skana said, and as each contemplated how close they'd come to losing the other, the shaking began that was very different from the pleasurable trembling they had brought out in one another not minutes and moments earlier, neither could finish speaking, and neither began again, but aided by their comforting embrace of one another, they finally fell into a sudden, blessed rest.
Neia got up the next morning and cleaned herself up, Skana slept only slightly later, but got up early enough to have tea prepared and sent to the room so that they could share a cup before they left. Before they did, they embraced and kissed once more. "You be careful out there." They said in unison, then laughed, kissed lightly once more, and departed together before going their separate ways.
Neia went to the Synod, the other priests were already walking in and seating themselves, but she would not be seated, she was at the center of their view, and so where they almost all ascended stairs and found their seats, Neia simply walked to the center and waited. When they had seated themselves amid the murmur of conversation, Neia called out. "Good morning, honored priests of old and new, I will spare you the introduction, since if you don't know who I am…you're in the wrong place." She said, drawing a laugh from some both on her side, and not…however some of the elder priests and priestesses of the old gods, ventured to give her sense of humor some dirty and disapproving looks.
"I will be blunt. Someone tried to assassinate me last night, tried to poison me over dinner with my wife and my friends, instead of poisoning me, they poisoned her!" The talk became loud and sudden as people responded to what she said. "Silence!" She called out, and her call stilled those who heard her. "My wife lives, but only just, and so I am in ill temper today, as all should understand." There were many understanding nods, many priests and priestesses were married, and even those who were not, had friends who had wives or husbands, and understood the pain of losing a loved one, even her enemies did not have that lost on them.
"So, someone wished to silence me! But I will not BE silenced! I will be heard, and my god heard through me! Know that you who listen, were meant not to hear, someone…someone so feared what you might hear, that they sought my life, even at the risk of innocent lives…does that not speak to the power of the divine?! Have you, men and women of faith, the courage to hear what one coward or small number of cowards feared? Will you let their fears rule you?"
There was a discontented rumbling from the priests, but no objections. "Then I will speak, I will give to you, divine writ as it truly is, and leave it to you to know within yourselves if it is or is not the wisdom of a god laid bare before you!" She paused and waited for an objection that never came.
"Then I begin." She said and took a deep breath.
AN: This one took a long time to edit, the next chapter will be easy, because it is just more of the text. ORIGINALLY...I had planned for this entire story to JUST be the text, and the Synod was simply the context to show it, with this poisoning event being a side story I would do later. However, I've decided that just the text itself is rather dull, so I'll be changing the story title and description accordingly. Interspersed within the story will be chapters from the text, while there rest will be dealing with the political situation of the Synod.
Next chapter to be published...probably God Rising, want to do a double release today, but it depends on how long it takes to write. Leave your thoughts in the review, and don't forget to join my discord server, invite is on the author page.