23. The Calm and the Storm
After two days, it became blindingly obvious that Lorelai was being avoided. Every time Lorelai had attempted to converse with Ifan, he had found an excuse to run off after only a minute or two in her company, and he was miserably uncomfortable during any proximity with Lorelai. It hurt, but Lorelai assumed it was Ifan's way of easing into the eventual break when he went to continue his mercenary work.
Lorelai wondered if she would enjoy mercenary work—if there were options other than murder. Sebille might enjoy working as a mercenary. Perhaps they could be a trio of mercenaries after Lorelai had passed the mantle of Divine onto someone else; all she needed was to find that someone else. Until then, she and Fane would work on finding Amadia again.
It was Lorelai's hope that Fane's disdain for mortals would inspire him to convince Amadia to give up on Lorelai's special destiny. Otherwise, he would be useful in convincing Amadia to give the information at which she had hinted the last time she and Lorelai had met. The consuming thought of learning whatever Amadia knew was terrifying to Lorelai. She wanted—no, needed—all the distraction she could get.
Since Ifan was currently unresponsive and Sebille was reticent at the best of times, Lorelai was spending more time than she had expected with Fane. They had slept together twice more, which had been a welcome influx of sensation, but her conversations with Fane were appealing in their own way. Once one learned how to ignore Fane's casual disdain for all mortal races that he managed to inject into almost every sentence, one could appreciate Fane's vast intellect. It was like speaking to Dominik again—a cynical, less enamored Dominik, but it was nonetheless comforting. It felt nostalgic, debating things like the origins of the universe or the Void.
"I remember now!" Lorelai gasped. She stood up from her chair and pointed at Fane, who did not raise is eyes from the thick book he was reading. "The Black Ring!" Lorelai cried.
Lorelai was not the least bit discouraged by Fane's inattention. She had noticed that Fane would pause turning pages when she began talking, so he was clearly listening whether he would admit it or not.
"The Black Ring was that cult who tried to bring back the Chaos Demon centuries ago!" Lorelai explained. "They would sacrifice women and—wait, or were those the hood-snatchers?" she interrupted herself. She began to pace with one fingerbone against her chin, and some of the others on the ship tossed her nervous glances. "The Black Ring assuredly attempted to murder the Marked Ones… divines, were those Godwoken…?" she mused. "It is difficult to remember; I did not pay much attention to such things, as they did not affect me… These Black Ring cultists do not give up easily…"
"The origin of the Black Ring is hardly relevant," Fane observed. He turned a page in the book.
"Perhaps," Lorelai admitted, "but it is satisfying to remember where I had heard of them before. I knew I recognized them from somewhere."
"Simply incredible," Fane drawled, his attention having fully returned to his book.
"They might know things about the divines that others do not," Lorelai offered. Fane's finger rested on the edge of the page but did not turn it. "They are, after all, intimately acquainted with the Void and Chaos. Since they are attempting to kill Godwoken, that implies a connection between the Godwoken and the Void, and therefore the divines and the Void."
"I… suppose we could keep an eye out for information," Fane said slowly. With a thoughtful hum, he returned to his book.
"Agreed," Lorelai said. When Fane did nothing but turn pages, reading far more rapidly than anyone Lorelai had ever seen, she left him alone at the small table in the corner and tried to find something else to do.
There were no animals on the ship, not a one. Lorelai suspected it had something to do with the ship being a creature with a soul, a Livewood tree, that kept the animals away, but it made this ship ride quite boring for Lorelai. She decided to wander aimlessly, just like she had on the Merryweather, and simply observe. She fell into a daze for a long time as she walked, thinking of nothing in particular, and it was calming, familiar to her, almost like a form of meditation.
"You," a brisk voice called out, jolting Lorelai back into awareness. Lorelai paused and glanced around. She smiled internally when she caught sight of a scowling red lizard rushing towards her.
"It is refreshing to see that your manners are unchanged," Lorelai noted cheerfully as he stopped in front of her with his arms crossed arrogantly. "I greet you, my friend."
"Yes, yes, fine," the Red Prince dismissed. He studied her with a wary gaze. "According to the gossiping humans aboard this ship," he said, "you have moved into higher circles."
"Whatever do you mean?" Lorelai asked, innocence dripping from every word.
"The divines, you imbecile," the Red Prince sighed. "I am surrounded by…" He took a deep breath and looked at Lorelai again. "I find it difficult to credit these rumors," he said far more cordially, "but I do not believe you will lie if I ask you directly: Are you truly Godwoken?"
"I am," Lorelai replied, "and thank you for your trust in my honesty."
"Mm. Yes," the Red Prince said dismissively. "It seems that I have been chosen as your rival, then," he said. "An intriguing turn of circumstance, is it not?"
Lorelai tilted her head to the side curiously. "To what rivalry are you referring?" she inquired, nearly certain of the answer.
"A candidate for Divine, of course," the Red Prince revealed with a lazy aura. "I myself am Godwoken."
"Ah, chosen of Zorl-Stissa, I would assume?" Lorelai asked.
The Red Prince hummed his agreement. "I must ask," he said. "Who is your patron? I cannot fathom who would deign to choose an Undead."
"Amadia," Lorelai replied with a laugh.
"Ah, yes," the Red Prince murmured. "The divine who values magic over race." He scoffed. "The divine who fraternized with a mortal man."
"So the legends say," Lorelai agreed diplomatically. She changed the subject before the Red Prince could continue questioning Lorelai's relationship with Amadia. "Why are you telling me of your status of Godwoken?" she asked.
"We were allies at one point," the Red Prince stated, "so I am offering you the courtesy of rescinding your claim to Divinity without bloodshed. This is the only chance you will have of accepting my proposal."
Lorelai chuckled and shook her head. "I wish to obtain some information before agreeing to anything," she said.
"Oh, I suppose I can oblige," the Red Prince sighed dramatically. He looked to Lorelai expectantly.
"What do you intend to do with the power of a Divine?" Lorelai inquired the moment she received permission.
"Reclaim my empire, of course," the Red Prince replied without hesitation.
Lorelai nodded thoughtfully. "If I may ask," she said, "how did you lose your empire at all?"
The Red Prince scowled deeply and crossed his arms. "Prejudice," he replied in a growl, though his irritation was not aimed at Lorelai.
"Oh?" she asked, intrigued.
"I am the only lizard born with these red scales," the Red Prince stated. "I have been hailed as a… divine entity of sorts as a result."
"That explains many things," Lorelai quipped.
This time, the Red Prince's irritation was aimed at Lorelai, but he continued his tale nonetheless. "I was—am—a brilliant tactician, a war general beloved by all…" The Red Prince trailed off, and an unexpected flash of melancholy crossed his face. "Suffice it to say that I was not permitted to leave my manor in fear that anything might happen to me. All of my exploits I performed from the inside of my palace, a gilded prison."
"You lived in seclusion all your life, then?"
"No, not quite," the Red Prince said. "I had slaves and servants and all the women I could want… but, after the years, I grew bored. Terribly bored."
"That is understandable," Lorelai acknowledged sincerely. She, after all, could relate, having been forced into hiding herself away from civilized folk for much of her existence.
"Yes, well, I relieved my boredom by summoning demons for entertainment and conversation," the Red Prince said casually.
Lorelai tilted her head, considering this revelation. The Red Prince studied her carefully for a moment and seemed satisfied with what he saw.
"You must understand," the Red Prince said, "that I desired the company of someone with a different perspective, someone who could bring a sense of danger to my mundane life, who would not allow me to win at chess in fear of repercussion, who would be thrilling in bed…" The Red Prince sighed dreamily, then returned his focus to Lorelai. "Because of my seclusion, no one knew of my… preferences for years. Unfortunately, however, demons are not the most trustworthy of creatures. During a particularly intense session of fang-play with an enchanting succubus, she decided to attempt to kill me."
"That is unfortunate," Lorelai agreed.
"Mm, yes. Our altercation was heard by a guard before I could kill her. I was found in bed with a demon and promptly banished."
"One could say that you were caught… red handed," Lorelai could not help but add.
The Red Prince sighed deeply and rolled his eyes. "Simply brilliant," he drawled.
Lorelai chuckled but quickly returned to the matter at hand. "How has banished life been suiting you thus far?" she inquired.
"Quite well, actually," the Red Prince admitted. "Although it lacks the comfort to which I am accustomed, it certainly fulfills my desire for adventure."
"Then why do you wish to return to your empire at all?"
"Because it is mine by right," the Red Prince retorted. "I shall retake it and rule it as I should have been allowed: without restriction."
"I see," Lorelai murmured. "One more question, if you please," she said after a pause. The Red Prince waved an imperious hand. "What, pray tell, is fang-play?"
The Red Prince's proceeding grin was positively feral as he launched into an unnecessarily detailed explanation of a particularly violent form of sex.
Lorelai stored the details for later.
After a surprisingly lengthy conversation about different sexual techniques, the Red Prince was distracted enough that he had completely forgotten his intention of coercing Lorelai into stepping down as Godwoken. Lorelai herself was delighted to be having a relatively civil conversation with the Red Prince, albeit about some questionable practices. They were in the midst of a fascinating discussion on the benefits of having a forked tongue when shouts from above heralded the arrival of some disaster or another.
Lorelai tried to ignore it, but a series of crashes and heavy footsteps forced her to accept that the situation required her attention. She grumbled disappointedly, and the Red Prince seemed similarly disgruntled by the interruption. Both huffed a sigh at the stairwell, and Lorelai chuckled at her and the Red Prince's similar reactions as they both headed towards the stairs.
"I have supremely rotten luck with ships," Lorelai proclaimed as the ship creaked loudly as though impacted from above.
"Perhaps it is a trait of the Godwoken," the Red Prince replied with dry humor.
Lorelai laughed under her breath and made to reply, when a bolt of lightning shook every deck. Lorelai had assumed the chaos was merely from an approaching storm or a minor altercation among the ship's passengers, but they seemed to be under attack. Without another thought, Lorelai prepared the spell that would summon Bunny, and the Red Prince drew the sword that hung from his hip.
"I have never actually seen you fight," the Red Prince commented as they ascended. "Are you capable?"
Lorelai snickered. "I do believe I detect a hint of worry for my safety?" she said cheekily. The Red Prince rolled his eyes and sped up his pace, making it to the top deck just before Lorelai joined him.
"Oh dear," Lorelai murmured at the carnage in front of her. The deck was burning in multiple places, the rest of it crawling with Silent Monks, gheists, and magisters. A massive ship was bobbing alongside the Lady Vengeance, and two figures stood upon its tallest deck.
"Kill the traitors!" one of the figures shouted.
"You will not take me, Dallis!" the Lady Vengeance roared at the speaker. "I will never again serve as your slave!"
The entire ship glowed softly, and Lorelai felt a surge of power rush through her body. It was accompanied by a trace of fury mixed with desperation, and Lorelai guessed the Lady Vengeance's emotions were influencing the spell she had cast.
"We had better not shipwreck again," Lorelai mumbled. She finished her spell, and Bunny materialized at her side. "Dispose of the magisters and their pets," Lorelai ordered.
"My pleasure," Bunny replied in a soft hiss. She eagerly slid across the deck, and Lorelai glanced to the Red Prince.
"If you will rush the enemies," she said, "I shall gladly protect your back."
"There is no need," the Red Prince said briskly. Without another word, he retrieved his shield from his back and barreled towards the closest Silent Monk.
"Godwoken!" Malady yelled from the helm. She was surrounded by a ring of enemies that she was blasting with small bursts of electricity. "Get over here!"
Lorelai cast a last worried glance to the Red Prince, but he had already killed his first enemy. Reassured, Lorelai rushed to Malady's side, pausing only to freeze Malady's attackers in their tracks.
"Protect me," Malady ordered. "We cannot win this fight, but I can teleport this ship out of danger. I just need time to prepare the spell."
"Agreed," Lorelai replied instantly.
Malady skittered away from the enemies and took a deep breath, closing her eyes as she began gathering magic around her. Lorelai positioned herself in front of Malady and flicked her wrists, causing one of the frozen Silent Monks to shatter. She systematically killed two more before the freezing spell wore off, and the final three attacked her.
Lorelai did not enjoy close-quarters combat, but she had no choice. Therefore, she quickly swathed herself in barriers that deflected the gheist's claws without issue. The two Silent Monks began casting spells that would strip the barriers from her body, so Lorelai cast her least-favorite spell: a silencing spell. Both Monks instantly stopped casting, unable to use magic anymore, and rushed at her armed with wickedly sharp daggers.
From there, it was nothing but a game of cat-and-mouse. Lorelai would weave between the three and cast small bursts of magic, all that she could manage without the necessary time to prepare large spells. The gheist fell first, thankfully, as it was the most fierce and quick of the three. A sharp bolt of ice finally caught it through the eye, instantly bringing it to its knees. It took one more ice bolt to kill it completely, and the Silent Monks took advantage of the time to launch simultaneous attacks against Lorelai.
The silencing spell must have worn off, because they both cast a blast of frost magic at her. Her barrier prevented them from freezing her completely, but their combined magic was enough to incapacitate both her legs. Luckily, she did not need legs to cast magic. Now that the Monks had their own magic back, they lingered farther from Lorelai, no longer rushing at her with daggers.
With a deep breath to banish her weariness, Lorelai began preparing a large spell. She ignored the Monks' barrage of magic, even when one of her ribs snapped clean off from a particularly powerful aerothurge spell. Lorelai finally finished her spell, then released it all at once.
Two jets of flame so compact that they looked solid rushed from Lorelai's hands. The heat was so intense that Lorelai could feel traces of warmth, and each tongue of flame bored a hole straight through a Silent Monk's skull. The pair fell without a sound, and Lorelai lowered her arms. She glanced around for nearby enemies and, seeing none close enough to merit immediate attention, Lorelai gently melted the ice from her legs and retrieved her rib. It was a clean slice, an easy fix, so Lorelai stored it into her pack for now.
"I'm ready," Malady grunted from behind Lorelai. Lorelai turned to see a small vortex of bright light surrounding Malady. "This will hurt… a lot."
When the light burst from Malady, engulfing the entire ship, the screams that surrounded Lorelai made her grateful that she was not wearing her mask.