A/N: Ack, not as many reviews for last chapter as I expected, but I've been dead online for a while. Plus, I haven't read a fic online for over a year. To some, that would be like a minor hell. Really, I haven't been reading much, except for this very good Noir fic.
Oh, there's a lot of dialogue later in this chapter.
Death's Due
Chapter Two: War Meeting
By: DarkDracon0
Dante de Thanatos... Had she heard of that name before? Kel wasn't sure, but it was such an unusual name. After the mysterious man had entered and presented himself to the court, he had walked into the crowd and began the customary greeting to nobles and ladies. Kel could already see matchmaking mothers calculating how much worth he was. And by the looks on their faces, he was quite the walking fortune.
"Kel, have you seen Yuki? Can't seem to find her anywhere," Neal said, still looking about.
"Oh, I haven't seen her." Kel rubbed at her eyes, suddenly feeling tired. Why had she stayed so long at this ball? Only an hour would have been good enough and she could have gone back to her room, either to do more figures, practice or sleep. Somehow, she had felt compelled to stay, to see the Marquis. Perhaps the reason was to find out why she felt as if she'd known or seen him from somewhere before.
Slowly, she walked to a table to get a drink. Voices floated around her, fragments of sentences.
"-centaurs acting strange again. Something about the coming of a new rule-"
"-stars looking very interesting. Entering a new phase that I have never -"
"Oh, have you seen that knight's – "
The words all seemed to blur together as Kel focused on the table. Reaching forward, she took a glass of champagne. As she took a sip, she grimaced in distaste. She didn't like spirits. Tucking her sensibilities aside, she took another sip. She looked around her, eyes taking in everything. Realizing what she was doing, she smiled inwardly at herself. It was an old habit, to look around and make sure there were no threats to her or her men, had they been here with her. The thought offered a little comfort, knowing that she at least hadn't gone soft or lazy.
Soon getting hot, Kel walked to a nearby deserted balcony. It was far too cold to be standing outside, but the silent night offered solitude. Puffs of visible air formed and the stars shined with their own ethereal light as she wrapped her arms around herself. She tipped her head back and watched the moon, halfway through its phase. Remembering a comment about the stars, Kel turned her head to watch the twinkling constellations.
They looked no different than before to her, but took the man's words to heart and tried to find any change. Soon bored, she walked back inside and placed her glass on a table, knowing that a servant page would clean it up. She saw Neal and Yuki in a corner, both very obviously whispering endearments to each other. Neal would never have become a spy. He was too indiscreet and expressive. He would have been discovered and killed in an instant. Just as she decided to leave the ball, she felt a tap on her shoulder.
Turning around, she saw it was King Jonathan in his entire royal splendor, smiling at her. Not forgetting etiquette, she faced him and curtsied, given that it would be awkward to bow in a dress. He waved it off and smiled at her again, his blue eyes crinkling in laughter.
"Sir Keladry, how are you enjoying the party?" He asked, gently swirling the champagne in his glass.
"It is... nice. A nice change from the usual camps," she replied, meeting his eyes.
"I should assume that you're right. I've never had to deal with the muck and rubbish that you are doing now. A small convenience, if I had been a lazy king." Kel didn't reply.
"Well, I suppose the small talk is over, please come with me." He started walking away, gesturing for her to follow. Curious, she did as he said. He walked out and into a room behind the court. Stepping inside, Kel saw a small group of people seated at a large table. The king walked to the head of the table as Kel chose a seat near the other end. There was a small murmur as Kel recognized some of the people present.
Sir Alanna, sitting by the king, Gareth the Younger, Duke Baird, Lord Wyldon, General haMinch, Sir Raoul and someone who she assumed as Sir Myles, the Spymaster. Numair and Daine were also seated at the tabled. She realized that all present, even the ones she didn't recognize were very high-ranking and wondered briefly why she was there before the king spoke.
"I apologize for bringing all of you together in such short notice. The reason for this makeshift meeting is mainly to discuss the present state of the Scanran War. The tide of the war had seemed to turn to us for the better since Sir Keladry had rid us all of Blayce the Gallan, which was well over a year ago. However, there have been rumors of a new power rising in King Maggur's court, am I correct?" There were murmurs of agreement before he spoke again.
"Given the state of affairs at present, these rumors would do no good to our soldiers, many of which are rather sensitive to magic. Moral would drop should these rumors increase. A small matter, but what must be addressed is the truth behind such rumors. If I may now pass this onto our resident Spymaster."
A short man with graying hair and beard stood up. "To these rumors, there is a core of truth behind it. However, nothing is certain. My spies, even my most skilled, cannot find anything in Maggur's court, given that none are even allowed in without permission from Maggur himself. The new power is not more soldiers or supplies, but more mages. The rumor say that they can raise the dead, which I'm sure all have heard?" Another murmur of agreement.
"Excellent. I believe that they can raise the dead. And from what our black mage says, they can also tear open portals to other realms." A burst of voices and noise erupted. They were silenced by Numair Salmalin, who stood up and yelled for quiet. Numair rubbed at his eyes, obviously exhausted. Clearing his voice, he started to speak.
"Yes, I believe that these mages of Maggur's can tear open portals to other realms, similar to what happened years before when the Immortals came to our realm. Contrary to popular belief, there are several realms that exist, or rather, co-exist. There is a balance between all realms, the barrier that keeps all of them separated and in harmony with each other. Certain powers, such as the gods, can cross between realms freely and not throw off the harmony of the realms.
When the portal between the Divine realm and mortal realm was opened, Immortals, creatures that were never seen before, entered our realm. Harmony between mortal and Divine was disrupted, drawing forth the Immortals War. Since the portal is now closed, harmony is has been restored." Numair took a breath, took a swig from a glass of water on the table and continued.
"This new group of mages are very powerful, to the point where I could sense their power even from here. I believe that these mages may have been hiding away from society for quite some time before revealing themselves now. The timing in which they unveil themselves is suspicious; near the end of a great war. I have wondered why they did not show themselves earlier, when they would have a greater impact on the war. More so, I have also found a history of them." Numair opened a folder that had been on the table. Gingerly, he took out several sheets of paper that appeared to be nearly crumbling to dust.
"This manuscript dates back to the Old Ones. It is extremely old and I was very lucky to even find this in readable condition. It took me some time to translate this, but I believe that I have the gist of what it is saying." Clearing his throat again, with another drink from his water, Numair began.
"Though I cannot speak these words to you, I can tell you what this manuscript says. It speaks of four, over and over, this manuscript repeats the number four. I know not of what it means by 'four'. The manuscript also speaks of something called the 'proletariat'. Only few know that the proletariat is the lowest class of people, those who cannot find the means to support themselves, so they live by selling their ability to labor, services. In other words, the proletariat are commoners who work for an employer and cannot support themselves. I believe that the new mages call themselves the Proletariat, yes?" Sir Myles nodded.
"So it is possible that this group is very old, one of a secret society or cult. To have gained such power as to open a portal between realms and perhaps maintain who and what passes through it needs incredible power. Another possibility is that power was passed down in this 'Proletariat' by means of sealing it in a number of mages' bodies just before the originals dies. This is very difficult to do and always has a possibility of killing the next heirs. To think that they have continued this process several times successfully is extraordinary."
Duke Baird raised his hand and stood. "I have heard of such a process. It is very old and dangerous to perform, requiring human sacrifice of the original, correct?" Numair, already sitting back down and wiping the sweat off his face, managed a nod.
Duke Baird continued. "I have heard that once the original or originals are sacrificed, the heirs must drink a small vial of their blood, supposedly to keep an essence of the original's power within them. It would also to be used as a way to control the foreign power. I only know very little of this process, but it is very primal and dangerous. Should the power being transferred be accidentally released, it would cause unspeakable damage, even if it only very little."
Sir Alanna spoke. "Is there anyway to stop or capture these mages? Assassination?" Numair shook his head. "With their kind of power, I doubt any physical means to kill them would do any damage. Anyhow, if they can summon the dead back from the grave and bring more Immortals and Mithros knows what else to their aid, how will we even be able to get close to them? Ah, that reminds me. Keladry?" Kel blinked and stood up, surprised.
Numair smiled at her and motioned for her to sit back down. "This is where you would step in."
"Sir?" Numair coughed briefly before continuing. "From what I hear, the Chamber of the Ordeal actually spoke to you." More voices of exclamation and surprise. Kel looked down, suddenly feeling embarrassed. "Yes, sir. It spoke to me."
"And you actually entered the Chamber twice?" Voices of outrage sounded throughout the room. "Yes, sir."
"That is ridiculous!" Kel looked up to see a man standing up, red in the face and furious. "The Chamber cannot speak to a person! It is only a room that tests knights, not some magical entity that would speak to anyone, especially a loose chit like her!" Sir Alanna and Raoul roared to their feet, snarling. Kel felt almost pleased that they would come to her defense. The king eyed the rude man, before quietly ordering him to stand down.
Numair ignored what had just happened and continued to question Kel. "What did the Chamber say?"
"The Chamber asked me to stop Blayce the Gallan." More like told her to, Kel thought silently.
"Did it show you anything else?" Numair asked.
"It showed me what would happen if Blayce continued to use spirits to fuel the killing devices. It didn't show me where Blayce was because it said that it was beyond the concept of boundaries and time." Numair thanked her and turned back to the nobles.
"With the Chamber, it is possible that we can gain more information about the Proletariat. Kel, would you be willing to go back into the Chamber?" The question surprised her. Go back to the Chamber? The Chamber wouldn't hurt her and she thought it might be nice to visit. She silently laughed at herself. "Yes. I will go back into the Chamber if need be."
"Excellent. The Chamber must be opened soon and I suggest that we ask it tomorrow night as the soonest. Are you alright with that, Keladry?"
"It's fine, sir."
"What exactly makes you think that the Chamber would even bother to help you?" A new voice sounded. Kel looked to find the speaker. A few chairs were moved back to look at the man. Her eyes widened when she saw who it was.
Dante de Thanatos was leaning forward on the table by his elbows, hands nearly covering his face. He glanced at all seated before standing and making his own statement.
"The Chamber owes nothing to you. You don't even know why it helped you to stop Blayce the Gallan. No matter if Tortall falls to the killing devices or Scanra, it would not affect the Chamber in any way. It is foolish to think that a room which tests knights for their knighthood will help any of you."
Numair also stood. "That may be true; the Chamber's motives are unknown. However, we must not lose hope. We must use any and all possible sources to find information about the Proletariat. Should we not find anything of use to us; our descendants at least can't blame us for not trying." There were a few chuckles.
"You are wasting precious time. The Chamber will not help," Dante countered.
"How are you so sure, Marquis? You barely even show up at court and now you're saying that one of our few sources is useless," said a man whom Kel did not recognize.
"The Chamber will decide when or how it will help us. You cannot command it to help you, nor ask it."
"True, true. You cannot force a magical force to aid you in times of need unless it chooses to," Numair said. "But we cannot lose hope. Likeliness is that the Chamber will not be responsive to us, though perhaps to Kel. Kel has had past experiences with it, so the Chamber will identify with her more easily. It had a reason to speak with her in the past before; maybe it will choose to speak again."
"What of you, Lioness? You are god-touched. Have the gods spoken with you?" asked another official.
Alanna shook her head. "It is strange; the Great Mother Goddess has not answered any of my questions or prayers. Even during the early stages of the war, she would contact me, though she wouldn't tell me anything. It's almost as if something is blocking us from seeing each other."
"Your Majesty, what of your role as the Voice of the Tribes? Have the Bazhir shamans said anything?" The king gave the same answer as Alanna. "The Bazhir say that something strange is happening. I have several shamans say that something foretold long ago is coming. Perhaps what they mean is the Proletariat." Numair acknowledged this with a small grunt. "I will look into it, Your Majesty."
Daine said, "The People say the same thing. They feel changes in the air and earth; unnatural changes. They say that it is affecting the seasons, including this unusually early winter. Many are frightened and flee to the south. Even the ones who are spying for me in Scanra are scared. I don't know what's happening in Scanra, all of my spies have turned tail and run for it. Your Majesty, all of this scares the People, including me."
After the meeting had ended, Kel slowly walked to her room, trying to absorb everything that had been said. It was incredible, how everything was happening so fast. Tomorrow night, she would be in the Chamber again, with several high-level officials waiting outside its great doors for her. Quite different than her own Ordeal, where there had been her friends and family. Now, with officials that wanted to know exactly had happened. She silently laughed at the irony of it.
Scanran Capital
A small group of mages dressed in black robes stood in a circle around a fire. All wore cloaks and were hooded, with various ornaments and necklaces. The leader, the tallest one, raised his hands in level with his shoulders and began a slow chant. The others soon followed. The chant was in a foreign language, a dead language. The fire roared loudly like an enraged lion and rose, higher than the men and higher than the trees that surrounded them. Animals, the ones that were brave enough to stay, now fled away.
"The Four will awaken,
Our Masters, our lords,
None shall speak of their name,
None shall see their immortal faces,
None shall escape their swift judgment.
All will bow,
To the immortal Riders,
They who will deliver us a new era,
A revolution that will bring the beginning and end."
A/N: Sorry that took so long. I have a job and it sucks like hell. Hopefully, more people will actually review this fic. I worked so hard at it... ;) Y'all know what that means. (I procrastinated, bitched, threw tantrums and generally avoided Microsoft Word 2003, but finally gave in) Ack, I didn't do much editing in this chapter.