She woke in the plan of Dreams.
The moment she opened her eyes, she was certain of it. She recognized it intimately, as if it had never left her, as if she had never left this place.
But since her arrest and the blessing of Zorl-Stissa, she had been excluded from this place, condemned to watch it from afar, never able to reach it in her sleep, although her soul only grew stronger and stronger with Source. Af if the two were somehow incompatible.
But there was no doubting here. It was the Dreamland. The place that was not really a place, more like a million possibilities of places put together in the same mind, had a strange scent and taste. It scented like drudanae, which seemed logical in a way. The perfume lingered on, overwhelming sometimes. In her young years, before she was taught how to master the Dreams, the scent would wake her up and make her sick. She would vomit after a Dream, as if somehow the scent had travelled with her back to the real world. As for the taste, it tasted exquisite and exotic.
She looked around her. For now, the dreamland had not formed completely yet. It was as if she was standing up in a room with no walls and no roofs, no surfaces at all. All was light and all was shades. The light was not bright, was not white ; it all seemed kind of silvery, or maybe blue, or maybe it was a color no material eyes could truly perceive. As she wondered about that, the lights distorted, forming shadows ; the shadows themselves were fleeting, like ghosts, maybe. A few ghostly scenes started to sketch themselves : here was a human woman, kneeling in front of an altar. There was the world created by Brahmos for Sadha ; she could distinguish the lizard, beautiful as ever, but lost in time and space. And so on it went : people she knew or didn't know, all there maybe, but fleeting at the corners of her mind ; Ifan walking amongst dead trees ; Lohse staying awake at nights, afraid of the darkness. She wanted to stay and linger on, to approach her friends. But it was not for them that she had been called here.
To navigate the Dreams was not an easy feat. Her old mentor, a female lizard named Aethia, had taught her a lot about it. She had said that is was like diving into the waters. Divers on the coast were trained to dive deep enough to reach the precious pearls that formed down the waves ; some of them never made it back. They said that when you dive really deep, there is some strange feeling of content and satisfaction that overwhelmed you. It was as if all was right, all was at its right place, including you. So the divers could die, drowned in bliss. The Dreamers faced the same dangers ; never should you be giving in into the figures of shades and lights, never should you try to force a contact, for it was easy to lose oneself's in here. Aethia had taught her how to maintain her willpower here, and how to break free from the dreamland and make it back really quick to the real world.
Mahalia remembered all that easily, as if no time had passed. She started to walk absent-mindedly. She didn't know where she was going. She trusted her feeling, her intuition ; if something was calling her, she had to trust it.
And suddenly, without any transition, she was somewhere else. It was a room, underground maybe, but luxurious and beautiful. Veins of Source pulsed through the stones that contained it; the interior was decorated with piles of preciously embroidered cushions and sofas. Sitting around a drudanae pipe, there was a circle of lizards of different heights and scales, but the same insignia tugged to their robes : the insignia of the Dreams.
" - At least you've come to us", one of them said, saluting her. It was a female lizard, quite old judging by the faint tint of her pink scales. Her voice sounded like rocks in a river.
The circle moved and reacted to her words, but Mahalia noticed that the other lizards had their eyes closed. Their presence here was only metaphorical, so. The Godwoken approached the old lizard, gracefully bending her head to salute her properly.
" - So you are the one that called me. May I know your name, Dreamer ?"
" - My name is Myrrh, from the House of Dreams. Indeed I called you, my lady, ever since we sensed your presence on the soil of the Empire. Indeed I wished to see you and welcome you back to our House."
" - Is it true, Myrrh, that the House of Dreams chose me to replace Brahmos the Traveler ?"
Myrrh inclined her head painfully.
" - It is. We know of his death and we mourn him still. My husband left us before he could achieve his quest : bringing he who was chosen back to his throne. But Brahmos weaved dreams behind that we still maintain for him and protect."
" - You're referring to the dream world wherein lives Sadha and her dragon-children."
" - We keep on protecting her, but our strength is fading. The Godking is making progress ; its cultits track us down, and we have no protection from the current Empress. However the Dream is still alive. I have called you to welcome you ; but we know already that you will succeed. Do you wish to see ?"
" - Yes, I do."
Myrrh made a slight gesture of the chin and pointed behind her. Mahalia went past the circle of lizards and advanced in the rooms. In the darkness, the veins of Source pulsed and then, she was in a huge, circular room, made of white marble. The room seemed to be on top of a tower ; the windows were carved directly out of the marble. A sort of circular balcony surrounded the room. And there she saw the Red Prince, leaning on the balcony, Sadha by his side. A delicate crown was resting on their scales. As delicate, in fast, as she shackles they wore at their feet. In the distance, she could hear the flapping of some kind of birds. Not a bird, she corrected herself as the flapping grew louder and louder, until it was impossible to mistake the creature for anything small at all. No, that thing was gigantic. She approached the silent couple in awe, and watched, mesmerized, as she shared in the views : a dozens of marvelous creatures, as red as the dusk, were flying around in the skies. As she turned around to have a better look at the Red Prince and Sadha, she suddenly saw them climbing up the balcony and extending their arms with a smile. Their flesh started to change, to evolve, as some sort of bulb of scales and flesh exploded from their shoulders. Mahalia stepped back, impressed. Their back suddenly were ripped open, but there was no blood, there was no pain, even though the dream was quite horrific. As she expected, some sort of wings crawled out of their wounds ; they were huge, and scaly, and thin, and beautiful. They reflected the light of the dusk. The scenery seemed oddly peaceful considering the metamorphosis that she was witnessing. The couple took off and started to fly alongside the dragons. Intrigued, Mahalia climbed up the balcony too, and extended her arms in the same fashion than the couple before her. She felt as if something was ripping inside her, but it wasn't painful. She scratched her shoulder blades uneasily ; something was growing, she could feel and outgrowth in the configuration of her body.
As she withdrew her arm, she considered her hand in which she found a black shell.
She looked up, but the dragons were gone and the scenery too.
After that, she woke up in the real world.
She straightened up immediately and assessed her surrounding. It was still night. Most of the soldiers of the escort were resting, except for those that were keeping guard. Without really thinking about it, Mahalia got up and made her way to her neighbour's bedroll. The Red Prince was sleeping as well, an arm over his child. She tried not to disturb the dragonling as she knelt by the other side and seized the shoulder of the Red Prince to shake him a little.
The Red Prince suddenly straighten up as his hand went under his pillow, probably to retrieve some sort of weapon, before he recognized her. He slowly backed up from his child to face her.
" - What is it ?" he asked dryly. " - Are we in danger ? "
" - No, no, not at all. Not yet. I think."
" - You are not being very coherent right now" he noticed. He pursued with a smile : "- What do you wish to talk about then, my friend ? ."
" - I had a dream." It sounded quite grandiloquent, come to think of it.
The Red Prince took a few second to proceed the information, and was suddenly beaming. He took her in his arms fiercely.
" - I knew you were still tied to the dreams. I knew it ! Tell me, what did you see ?"
She narrated the dream in every detail as her friend listened with attention. As she described the white room in which she saw him with Sadha, he smiled and laid back a little.
" - You are describing my birthplace and my favorite tower. And you saw me there with Sadha you said ? Wearing crowns ?
"-And shackles.
"- And shackles... " he repeated. "And then ?
"You took off and fly. There were huge wings crawling out of your back. It was quite impressive."
The Red Prince nodded with satisfaction. "- This is a good sign then."
" - It's quite difficult to interpret the signs, actually. But it felt peaceful. There are two signs that felt off, though.
"The shackles, I guess. And the shell in your hands when you scratched your back. What could they mean ?
"I'm not sure. Well, I'm pretty sure for the shell. It was black, and it could look like a scale in a way. And we both know a certain lizard with black scales", she whispered, careful not to wake anyone else up.
" - It could be it", admitted the Red Prince. " This arrogant and uneducated fool did show us that he was, somehow, still alive. The House of Shadows has been after me since the beginning. It is not absurd to think that they will resume their intrigue very soon.
" -It doesn't make sense, though. Why would the Prince of Shadows reveal his existence to us without making any move against us ?
" -We cannot be certain that the lizard we saw is truly the so-called Prince we used to know. As for their plans, I am afraid I am at a loss for the moment. But we will find a way to decipher this.
" -Then the shackles. I don't know what they would indicate. It must be a warning as well."
At that, the Red Prince laughed lightly.
" - My dear, I think I can unravel this one enigma. You saw these shackles because you are jealous of my relationship with Sadha. So your mind created them to fit your jealousy. It is quite elementary.
"-What ?" cut Mahalia. " - So this is your conclusion ? Seriously ?
"-I am being as serious as can be. But you do not have to worry, Mahalia." He extended his arms to pat her shoulders. She backed up instinctively, furious. " I assure you, you will always have a place by my side.
"- I am not jealous of your relationship. You are...you are projecting your own interpretation of your life unto me.
"-If it makes you feel better to think so", he replied, a little stiff and cold.
"- You have a problem, not me.
"- Nonsense, Mahalia. I am not the one to dream of shackles on my feet.
"-It could mean a lot of things. You interpreted it your way, because you like to think of me as jealous, because...I don't know, really.
"-Well, you are jealous of Sadha, that is all I can say.
"-I am not.
"- Yes you are. Sadha is my promised one. But rest assured, I do understand why you would feel this way. Being around me for so long surely has affected you. This is all really quite normal, I fear. Soon you will have to…
"- I am not feeling anything, I assure you. You are delusional. And must you talk about Sadha all the damn time ?
"- Aha ! See ! You're making my point."
As they began to banter and argue between themselves, the dragon-ling started to whimper and became agitated in its sleep. Mahalia breathed sharply ; she felt furious and vexed that her friend would see her that way. Surely she was not jealous. Because she was not a child. A trait that was obviously not shared between them. He was being as stubborn and smug as ever. It was not worth debating the subject any further. But even as the thoughts came to her mind, her mouth went on arguing :
" - The only point made here is mine. You keep on accusing me of jealousy because it reassure you. Was Sadha there when you nearly drown in that ship ? Did she help you get rid of the collar you wore as a slave of the Magisters, or of the multiple assassins that chased you ? Did she wait for you after conceiving your child ? No, because she was busy contracting with the Godking. And how exactly did she do anything to stop him ? Is she here now, your Highness ? No ; you only have me ; and you're desperate to hang up to your dreams, especially now that you see reality is quite different from what you imagined. The truth is that you are afraid of your future. That's what the shackles means : you feel trapped !"
She tried to maintain her voice steady and low, but it seems her anger was enough to wake up the dragonling. The Red Prince was glaring at her with contempt and disappointment in his eyes, but his response was cut off by the cries of the child. Without breaking eye contact, but visibly displeased by this turn of events, he took the child in his arms and started to soothe him.
" - I see you have revealed your true face, then, Mahalia, and I must say your so-called psychological talent are overrated. I should have seen such low and illiterate thoughts coming from you. You are dismissed.
' -Dismissed ?" she replied, incredulous.
"- I am an Emperor here, so yes, I dismiss you. Get away from my sight, for now. I will call you when I need you.
"- Oh, please, stop being so delusional and imbued with yourself ", she pinched her nose, sighing. "You'll need me soon enough, your Highness."
She got up and made her way to her bedroll, that she very childishly transported as far away as she could from the Prince without leaving the perimeter of the camp. The guards that were awake looked at her strangely and started whispering between themselves.
She angrily slapped back the bedroll to the ground, but could not get back to sleep.
The escort woke up before the dawn and Vaxx ordered them to resume their travel in the early hours of the day. Mahalia stayed at the back of the formation, while the Red Prince took the lead. She was aware that they were behaving foolishly and that they should put their vexations aside, especially in times like these, but she did not wish to be the one to make the first step towards this reconciliation. By the way the Red Prince managed not to look at her at all during the day, he had followed the same trail of thoughts and was not going to make any effort either. Egocentric bastard, she thought. Why did she ever bother to have him accompany her around again ? The vexation was silly, she knew it, but the more she thought about how silly she was reacting, the more she was actually vexed.
She tried to remain unreadable to the soldiers but it was easy to tell that the guards had already been spreading rumours about the two of them. She had no wish to hear them. The rest of the travel was uneventful ; she would speak to Vaxx or to his lieutenant, Ondra, whenever they caught up with her, but otherwise would remain silent and pensive.
They reached the Forgotten City the next day.
Vaxx ordered the escort to an halt as they drew closer to its wall and gestured to Mahalia and the Red Prince to join him and Ondra. The both of them joined the captain quickly, but didn't exchange any words.
" - What is it ?" asked the Red Prince.
Vaxx was using a spyglass. He looked at something in the distance. From her perspective, Mahalia could only see the dunes leaving way to the bay of the artificial oasis the City was founded on. The walls of the City stood tall and proud, made out of a white stone that reflected the light of the sun. The sight was beautiful. The soothing view of the clear, blue water oasis contrasted against the red sands and the white was movement around the walls too ; the remparts were being attacked by some creatures, probably Voidwokens. She was too far way to tell what kind exactly and how many they were. The battle seemed sporadic and unimportant ; this was not an army. She could also distinguish the rooftops of the main buildings of the City ; here was the tower of the House of Law, a splendid architectural feat built like a spire. In the north laid the Palace of the Empire, one of the greatest and highest place in the world, easily outstanding even the cathedral of Arx.
Vaxx turned to face them and tended his spyglass to them. The Red Prince took it quickly to asses the situation himself.
" - The Voidwokens are blocking us from the main gate, and it looks like the soldiers there could use a hand", said Vaxx. " They are, however, quite numerous. If we wish to enter into the City, we will have to do so efficiently and quickly, guerilla-style. We pierce through their ranks and we make a dash for the inside of the City."
The Red Prince hummed slightly under his breath and gave the spyglass to her. " - What do you think, Mahalia ?" he asked. His tone was polite, which suggested some sort of forgiveness.
She took the telescope without any word. The tool made it far easier to perceive what was going on.
From afar, she had assumed that the Voidwokens were not numerous. But now, she could see that there were dozens and dozens. Sure, they were not a danger to the walls of the City, but their escort would have difficulty to cut through so many of them. She observed the rest of the walls ; the same situation repeated itself. Not enough Voidwokens to represent any real threats to the Forgotten City, but they were constant and everywhere. There were many battles being fought right now with the soldiers of the House of War.
" - How are they not disbanded yet ? Surely the Empire has enough men in its armies to settle this quickly", she said.
" - Yeah, the Empire though so as well", replied Vaxx. He shook his head. " They just keep coming, and they never tired. Our men need to sleep ; they don't. When you kill one, it is always replaced. We do not know why or how.
"- Strange", she commented. " We never assisted to such an organized behavior in them before.
"- Is it possible that they could learn ?" intervened the Red Prince. "After all, they used to be Eternals.
"- Eter-what ? mumbled Vaxx, but the two Godwokens ignored him.
"- We killed Dallis. She was their leader on this side of the Veil. They should have been weakened by now. The Sallow Man too has been removed, as well as Justinia and their impersonators. Something doesn't line up", Mahalia said, thinking.
Vaxx and Ondra were looking at them strangely, surely trying to understand what was going on.
" - How did they get here in the first place ? If you remember right, it is the fault of Lucian in a way. By causing the genocide of the elves, he destroyed the equilibrium of souls and Source. The weakening of Tir-Cendelius caused a rift, an opening, in which the Godking started to launch his troops", she continued.
"- And your final "solution" was to refuse divinity for your own and to distribute it amongst every living soul in Rivellon. I still think that's a bad idea, by the way. It must have created another movement of disequilibrium", added the Red Prince. "We have to take into account the disparition of some of the most powerful Source-bearers in the world too ; Dallis, Braccus and Lucian.
"-Probably", she admitted. "Another reason to reunite quickly with your Empire and your armies. The Godking is getting stronger. I hope he has not managed to cross the Veil yet. Otherwise…"she trailed off.
"- Our ancient seven gods shared the power of the Source between them when they found it, and then amongst their servants, so that they could drink off their souls. But the Godking, when he was cast into the Void, was alone. He never shared the power he found out there. And we have no divinity to oppose him now", continued the Red Prince.
They fell silent, considering the situation. Vaxx and Ondra stared, wide-eyed, at them, trying to take in the informations they had subtly overheard.
" - I didn't get most of the things you said, finally said Vaxx, but…"
The Red Prince turned towards them, as if he had forgotten their existences, and cut Vaxx sternly, gesturing him to be quiet :
" - Lieutenant Ondra, you are a skilled infiltrator, aren't you ?
"-I am….
"- This is my order for you. You are to infiltrate the City now and make contact with the House of Law. You will warn them of my presence and that, as the Spouse of Sadha and the rightful Emperor, I expect their hospitality tonight. We will talk about the future of our Empire, including the demise of the current usurper and the rise of Sadha's faithfuls. Is that clear enough ?
"- It is not, actually. Because you are not my superior, but an exiled. So I do not take orders from you."
Mahalia gasped. She had not seen such courage (or idiocy) coming from the lieutenant. Vaxx tried to intervene, but it was too late ; the Red Prince grasped Ondra by the collar and single-handedly lift him off the ground.
" - Stop that !" ordered Vaxx coldly, but the Red Prince didn't listen to him. He glared into the eyes of Ondra, as the lieutenant tried to remain unreadable and not show any sign of weaknesses.
Mahalia felt a slight twist in the Source ; the Red Prince was calling to his innate abilities. She had seen him do this before, mainly in the course of battle. He had a way of glaring at people that could be quite frightening, to be honest. It felt as if he was tearing the inside of your souls. Most of the victim of this gaze would be destabilized, impressed, and cried something along the lines of "Kill the demon!" The feat was mainly impressive, and sometimes useful in combat. The mind of the victims grew weaker and it was easier to wave a spell at them.
Ondra closed his eyes in response. " - Let me correct your phrasing, young lieutenant. I am not just *an* exiled, I am *the* exiled Emperor of this place. You are due to obey my commands and orders, for I am your superior. This Empire is mine, and I will not have anyone disrespect my name and my authority here. We are going to stop the Voidwokens and their leader ; this is your mission too, as a member of my House. So now you will do as you are told, or you will leave."
Vaxx managed to intervene. He put himself between the Red Prince and his lieutenant. " - Easy now, Prince. My lieutenant was only doing his job. He is loyal and respectful of the Empire, by respecting my legitimate authority.
"- Really ? And who do you support now, Captain ?
"- I support you", Vaxx said. He turned towards Ondra, who was still closing his eyes and now had difficulties breathing. " - On the condition that you prove yourself not to be as narcissist and power-driven than your mother."
The Red Prince laughed bitterly and let go of Ondra, who fell back on the ground. " - I can assure you that my mother is far worse than I could ever be. Now that this question is settled, can we move forwards ? I plan for us to have a busy day. Vaxx, go talk to your men and make sure that they understand that they either serve me, or that they can go away now. Ondra, I think your orders are clear enough. And Mahalia " he turned towards her, full of confidence and smugness "let's give these Voidwokens an hour or two before attacking them. I need our infiltrators inside the city before my arrival, so that they can prepare my hosts and guardians."
Mahalia nodded, unfazed by what happened. After all, it was unrealistic to think that the Red Prince would endure much longer being called an exiled. Ondra got up on his feet and massaged his throat, coughing a little. Vaxx exchanged a few words with him in private, and the lieutenant seemed to calm down after this conversation. He turned towards the Red Prince and adopted a martial attitude.
" - I'll take a few men with me, General." His voice was carefully neutral. " - I'm leaving now."
The Red Prince smiled delightfully as he watched the soldier go away to choose his men.
" - General", he repeated.
"-Well, I guess that's how we should call you now", murmured Vaxx. " Every soldier remembers the General fondly.
"-You are making the right call, Captain Vaxx", replied the Red Prince, looking at him sternly. As he left him to direct himself towards the troops, Mahalia heard the Captain mumbling to himself :
" I certainly hope so…"
Ondra left with three other lizards, as he said. They all had the ability to turn themselves invisible and favored the art of the bow and the daggers ; it seemed a reasonable choice. After that, Vaxx had a talk with his men. It lasted for a while and a few lizards left the ranks of the escort, shouting that they will "see what the Governor has to say with traitors like them." Mahalia supposed that the rest of the soldiers had confessed their loyalty to the Red Prince. He was checking his weapons, seemingly unaware of the mess he caused in the ranks of the soldiers, but Mahalia could see the slight smirk on his face.
She herself prepared for the fight. She adjusted her shield on her arm, checked the bracers of her enchanted armor, and recalled the few spells that could be useful in combat. Once she was ready to fight, the Red Prince got up and walked slowly towards her.
" - Mahalia", he began. " I still do not intend to ask for forgiveness for my hurtful commentaries on your dreams. I do wait for you to beg my pardon.
"- General," she replied. " - I still don't give a damn about your pardon, and I won't apologize. You can, however, try to appeal to my mercy if that is your wish."
He laughed frankly. " - You are stupidly smug and arrogant, Mahalia.
"- You too, your Highness.
"- It is only natural. I deserve recognition because I am simply better than everyone else. But I have to ask to leave this argument at that. I still need your help.
"- I told you so. You can't live without me.
"- No, I can't," he said softly. " Though sometimes I wish I could. You can be so stubborn. Anyway ; please honor me and lead the fight with me.
"- Do not worry, Prince. I'll watch your back."
He nodded slowly, and turn towards the pack of the soldiers. " - Well, let's not wait any more, shall we ?"
The general drew his sword and his shield and turned to walk towards the City and the Voidwokens. Mahalia followed him without hesitation, and, after a few seconds of muttering, the soldiers, led by Vaxx, fell into line behind them.