A/N: It's nice to know that people are still reading this. I mean, it's been on for 3 years already. The original idea I had changed a lot as I matured. I hope that my writing has improved too.
Disclaimer: I still don't own The Seventh Tower. Even though I love it to bits still after all these years.
Chapter 12 – Revelation
According to most Icecarls, politics is all talk and no action. After four years of experience in Castle decision-making, Tal understood where they were coming from. And after listening to the Assembly, sans Kazhua, argue for the past two or more hours like they had all the time in the world, he fully agreed with their diagnosis.
After Malen threw them the shocker, the Assembly had done nothing but debate. Tal glanced at the time bands in the Violet Keystone. They were running out of time before Bogus Wedding Ceremony Number 2 was due to begin. And naturally, the presence of the highest-ranking people on both sides – who happened to all be in the room at present – were expected.
From the direction the debate had taken, Tal was pretty sure the final resolution would be to 'wait and see'. This cannot go on, he decided, and stood up, catching half the crowd's attention.
"Friends," he began loudly, earning him the attention of the other half. An expectant hush followed. "I believe that we have spent sufficient time thinking about this. Let us put it to a vote now. Those who agree to an alliance with the Icecarls, violet light please. Those who do not are to flash red. We will vote one by one, beginning with me." Tal held up the Keystone. It flashed violet, eliciting murmurs from several.
The Assembly member on his left raised his own Sunstone and it too shone violet, sending hope through Tal. Yet as one by one the Assemblymen cast their votes, Tal's heart began to sink. There were substantially more Reds than Violets, and he could see the Shield Maidens start to tense.
Before they managed to get halfway through, however, the doors flung open and three people burst in, two Icecarls and one Castle-dweller from the look of them. Immediately weapons were drawn and Sunstones raised as all eyes appraised the newcomers. Tal recognised Ebbitt and Gill and lowered his Keystone. The rest, taking their cue from him, allowed the red light to dissipate from their Sunstones.
The third person who had turned to close the doors and mutter something to the Shield Maiden guards at the entrance behind Tal's friends spun around to face everyone. As recognition flickered on faces throughout the room, so did the babble of voices. For it was Milla –Milla, of all people- who had turned to face them.
"War-Chief! What are you doing here?" demanded an affronted Malen, at the same time that Tal exclaimed "Milla!" in surprise. Numerous other voiced also sounded their fear, curiosity and outrage concurrently.
Milla held up a hand and the room quieted. The Shield Maidens, ever vigilant, lowered their weapons a fraction and Tal, who had subconsciously taken a step forward, stopped and sat back down.
The true War-Chief of the Icecarls took a step forward to stand at the fore of her little party. She was keenly aware that the wrong words would send blades of both bone and light into her. She was grateful for Ebbitt's presence then, for despite his meandering ways and slow-seeming habits, he could summon a Violet Shield of Discontinuity faster than any of her would-be assailants could perform Light magic.
She wet her lips and begun. "Yes, I am War-Chief Milla Talon-Hand of the Icecarls, the Living Sword of Asteyr and Wielder of the Talon of Danir," she said, holding up the Talon on her hand for all to see, "and I have just come from the former Freefolk fortress. The Icecarl who you all have thought was I is actually my Shield Maiden. I apologise for having deceived everyone." Here, she couldn't help briefly glancing at Tal, "but at that time it was a necessary precaution. You see, we suspect that Advisor Kazhua is planning to commit a crime against the laws of the Dark World, and we cannot willingly aid him."
Out of the corner of her eye, Milla saw Malen rise. She directed her attention to the Crone. "We were just discussing this before you arrived," informed the older Icecarl. "Do you have any new information to share, apart from what Miria told the Mother Crone during her visit?"
Milla paused, considering the Crone's words, then continued. "If this is the case, then I shall not elaborate, except that now we intend to obtain evidence before we act openly." She turned to face all. "I request that you all follow me now to hear from Kazhua himself. Quietly, please. Shield Maidens, spread out and assist in maintaining silence."
As the ranks of Castle-dwellers and Icecarls filed out, led by Milla, Gill sidled up to Ebbitt and hissed, "Did you see that look of Tal's face back there? Priceless!" She would have laughed, but a sharp glare from a Shield Maiden killed off the intention.
Ebbitt glanced over at his great-nephew, among the front of their procession. "And indeed it is," he mouthed back.
Somewhere else on the same level, Miria fretted. She paced around the small preparation room like a penned-up Selski. She worried that Milla wouldn't make it in time. She worried that her words would falter in the face of someone more eloquent and experienced than she was. She worried for the sanctity of her neck. And mostly she worried that Gill might not have made it past the watchful eyes of Kazhua's goons.
It wasn't that she was afraid of dying. Like all Icecarls, Miria had no problems with perishing in battle. But here, in the Castle, where her opponent could potentially still tarnish her name after death? Not such an attractive option.
No time to worry about that now, she decided. Best to just focus on the Ice ahead of her.
Her newly-formed resolve nearly broke apart when an arrogant knock on the door signaled the beginning of the end. Fighting the urge to nock a non-existent arrow, Miria composed herself and answered the door.
Kazhua's triumphant smile made her reach inside her sleeve before she remembered she didn't have a knife with her at the moment. That thought suddenly brought home how vulnerable she was then, unarmed and facing an enemy who could blow up and blast her into a charred corpse anytime. She quickly changed her defensive motion into an effort to look welcoming. And happy, she told herself.
"My dear," Kazhua greeted genially as he passed her on the way in.
His claim over her didn't go unnoticed. Miria inclined her head in reply, her expression a tiny bit colder than it would have been otherwise. As she turned to shut the door, she spoke loudly over her shoulder, "Thank you for entertaining my request on such a short notice. I hope I didn't pull you away from anything important." To a casual observer like Kazhua, it might have seemed to be the beginning of a conversation. In reality, it was more to cover the fact that the Icecarl girl had shut the door, then deliberately pulled it open again, leaving it ajar. She crossed the room to the small desk, where Kazhua was currently lounging, and her heart skipped a beat.
"As a matter of fact, yes, you have. However, your messenger said that it was of utmost importance…" Here the Advisor shrugged, then continued, not noticing the distress that was barely-contained under the girl's professional facade. "So here I am. Feel free to speak your mind."
Miria's mouth felt dry. If he looked up… No, she could not, must not draw attention to the ceiling. If only she'd pulled the chair further away! Deliberately looking straight at Kazhua, she said, "The preparations should be done by now. Your people are very efficient." That much she would gladly admit.
"Soon to be yours too," Kazhua reminded. He looked her over once. "I see they have satisfactorily repaired your dress."
Miria was wearing the same dress she wore when the Guards found her on the road, albeit repaired and polished so much that it looked new. And for all she knew, it could well be. This man has terrible taste, she had thought to herself when her helpers put it over her head. She held up her arms, heavy with the weight of Sunstones. "Yes-" she began.
Kazhua cut her off. "Why don't you brighten the room?" The Sunstone on his finger shone in readiness, waiting for the command to emit beams that would spark the ceiling's stones into brilliance. He raised his hand.
No! thought Miria. She blurted hastily, "No, don't. I like the room dim." The lame excuse slipped past her lips. Fumbling around for justification, she added, "It reminds me of the Ice."
Kazhua, who had raised his eyebrows at her initial outburst, looked appeased and lowered his hand. He glanced at the time bands in it as he did. "I see. Why don't we talk after the ceremony? We only have an hour left." He made as if to stand up.
"We can talk now," insisted Miria coolly. Suddenly she felt as though she was back on the Ice, knowing that the Merwin was out there searching for her, hunting her just as she hunted it.
"Alright," conceded Kazhua, sitting back down. His brow furrowed. "I didn't see any Guards when I came in. Where are they?" he asked abruptly.
"I sent them to patrol the level. With this many dignitaries attending, it's best to be safe than sorry," Miria shot back. Her anxiety had faded; she was in full hunting mode now, and the familiar need to be confident and unwavering filled her. With it came the knowledge that she could bring down her prey. Automatically, her back straightened.
Kazhua sensed the subtle changed in her and became defensive. "I see. I will trust your judgement on this. And so?" he challenged. "What was it that you have to say that is so important it couldn't wait?"
Miria dropped her gaze and started pacing again. She couldn't let it drag any longer. If Milla wasn't there, well, so be it. "Why don't you be honest with me? We both know the reason you're pushing so hard for this is because you want control over what the Icecarls, especially our fighting forces, so. You want the power that being their leader would bring, isn't that right?"
Silence and a frozen stare were the only replies she got. Miria, unwilling and unable to stop now, went on. "That's why you're going for this farce. But you underestimate us. No Icecarl would ever," she stressed the word, "obey you."
Her last sentence must have struck a chord in Kazhua, for he leapt up with a venomous glare. "And how do you know that when your life is in my hands, you will not issue the commands that I wish? How do you know that your precious Icecarls won't do their best to keep you alive?" He was practically spitting the words at her now.
Time to reveal that she was only a mirror, and not the real thing. Miria forced herself to laugh maniacally, stopping in her tracks and bending over a chair for support. Her reaction must have surely surprised Kazhua. He stopped short and stared at her in suspicion. Miria kept laughing. It was surprisingly easy to continue once she has started.
The walls on the dimly-lit room rang with her laughter even as she replied in words. "No one will bat an eye even if I died," she gasped out, and momentarily felt a twinge of sadness as she said that, thinking about the parents who had left her to die out in the cold long ago. She quickly suppressed it. "You've been tricked, you fool," she spat at him, all laughter gone now. "The War-Chief has returned to the Ice."
Kazhua heard the ring of truth in her words somewhere, and his face flushed red with anger as he advanced on the Icecarl girl again. "Then it wouldn't matter if I kill you now, would it? Yes, that sounds like a good idea. Then I'll tell the Assembly that your people betrayed us, sending a fake, thinking us fools. Yes, I shall do just that." His Sunstone flashed once again, getting ready to unleash a Red Ray of Destruction.
Miria had straightened up, letting go of the chair. She met Kazhua's rage-filled gaze unflinchingly. "Go ahead and kill me, you scum. But I just want to know one thing before you do. Why are you doing all this?"
A mad smile appeared on the Advisor's face, sending a chill through Miria. Still advancing slowly, he replied. "Why, you ask? To bring back the former, glorious order, of course. To bring back the days of Spiritshadows!" He raised his Sunstone. "Well now, farewell, pest!" A Red Ray of Destruction shot out of the Sunstone, straight at Miria's head!
Miria didn't want to show any fear of death, but she couldn't help tensing and closing her eyes as the Ray came. This is it, she thought. There was a loud bang and when she next opened her eyes, everything around her was awash with violet. She blinked twice more and the Violet Shield of Discontinuity faded, allowing her to see the source of the noise.
Three Imperial Guards and Shield Maidens had burst in through the door and were currently disarming Kazhua and pinning him down. The rest, watching anxiously through the door, stayed put so as to not get in the way. Meanwhile, the shield had come from the ceiling, where Milla and Ebbitt were coming down. Milla leapt from the hatch and tossed a bow and quiver to Miria, who quickly nocked and arrow and aimed it at the no-longer tussling Advisor.
The Emperor was addressing the rest of the Assembly through the open door, effectively preventing the rest of the politicians from entering if they got too curious. Ebbitt lowered himself from the hatch after Milla and hurried over. "Well, at least that's over," he huffed. From the floor, being sat on by a Guard, Kazhua glared at them with hate-filled eyes.
The War-Chief turned and asked, "Are you alright?" At first, Miria didn't realise that the question was directed at her, but there was no answer from Ebbitt. She quickly nodded, but not before Milla noticed the pause.
"How's the wound I gave you?" Milla placed a hand on the other girl's arm, forcing the bow down. Reluctantly, Miria relaxed the tension in the string.
"It's healed," she replied curtly. Now that everything was over, all she wanted to do was return to the Ruin Ship and disappear among the ranks of Shield Maidens. Try to get assigned to a hand. Look after Wreska and feed them bits of Selski meat. In short, return to her old life and forget everything she learned about herself. Because the alternative would be too hard to bear.
Because Icecarls have a strong sense of justice. Because a debt must be paid back in full. And the same went for revenge.
Miria owed a debt to the Shield Mother Arla. But she could no longer repay it. Not unless she intended to avenge her. And the young Shield Maiden could never bring herself to do it.
She could never bring herself to slay Milla.
By then Ebbitt had reached them, and Miria clapped her fists to thank him for saving her life, pretending not to notice Milla's dissatisfaction with her answer. The old man directed their attention to the door, where a few of the bolder politicians had ventured into the dim room, despite Tal's efforts. The rest had already begun debating Kazhua's fate, and nothing the Emperor said seemed to make them understand that this was a very bad time to be blocking the passageway.
Milla sighed. "Worse than Wrack hounds fighting over a piece of scrap. Come, we better get Kazhua put away before they get too engrossed in arguing to get out of our way." She started walking over to where the Guards and Shield Maidens still ringed their captive, trusting the old man and the girl to follow.
Miria followed a few steps before realising that Ebbitt was gone. She turned her head around, seeking him out before he could get into trouble. That motion made her mildly uncomfortable, and for a moment she couldn't put her finger on it. Then she realized that it was the missing weight of her hair that made her uneasy. It annoyed her somewhat; it was yet another reminder that she had changed and it wouldn't be so easy to go back to where she was before.
Ebbitt had wandered off to peer at the contents of the desk drawer, so Miria let him be and picked up her pace again, until she was right behind the War-Chief. She lifted her bow by an inch as she approached, out of habit.
They were just a stretch away when they suddenly heard a cry of pain. Instinctively, Miria drew back the string on her bow, but a sudden flash of bright light blinded her amidst other cries of shock. Forcing her eyes open, she found herself in near-darkness. In the cacophony of voices, from her left she heard Ebbitt gasp and the harsh sound of a body hitting the floor. Blindly, she turned her arrow in his direction but dared not loose it for fear that she hit him.
Then the lights came back on and she could see again. Miria blinked away the last traces of visions and sprinted over the Ebbitt, lying on the floor. She was closely followed by Milla. Together they helped the old man sit up, with Miria supporting his back.
"Ebbitt, where are you hurt?" Milla demanded, getting ready to cast a Blue Ray of Healing. Without looking, she instinctively knew that Kazhua had surely gone, but where – and how – she did not know. The whole thing couldn't have taken more than a few seconds. Right now she was more concerned with Ebbitt.
Ebbitt, whose eyes were frantic, whose fingers were scrabbling across his chest, who was gasping like a Slepenish out of water. Milla was almost sure that he was choking and was about to slap him on the back, welcome or not, when he rediscovered his voice. It was so faint, the two Icecarls had to lean in to hear what he was saying. And what they heard did not make them feel any better.
"The Codex," he gasped. "He took the Codex."
Elsewhere in the Castle, a door flung open and a figure stepped through. In darkness, the figure raised his hand and a small light bloomed on his finger, revealing more shadows than any man would naturally possess in the presence of a single light. Shadows that slunk and slithered even when the light that cast them did not move.
The man dismissed the Spiritshadows mastered by his underlings easily. They left through the walls, leaving only his natural shadow that reflected his stocky build. With his free hand, the man threw something resembling liquid crystal onto the ground. It expanded and solidified until it was about the size and shape of the door it has just passed through.
The man smiled a humourless smile. "Codex," he snarled quietly, and any who heard it would surely be surprised, for the voice was that of Kazhua's. But there was none, and the man continued, anger making his voice tremble. "Tell me, who is that Dark-accursed girl who keeps ruining my plans?" His voice rose into a frustrated scream at the end, and the walls reverberated with the sound.
Words appeared on the silvery surface of the Codex, a simple name. 'Kazhua' read the name and hissed impatiently, "And what weakness can I use to keep her out of my way?"
More words appeared on the Codex, more than there was the last time. The smile grew wider, and harder, carrying within it the promise of vengeance. "Well now," he whispered, more calmly than before, "what do we have here?"
A/N: Cue the dramatic music xD I tried to write this really quickly, but well, you know how even though you think you're fast, time just flies faster? That kind of happened, and before I knew it, more than a month went past. I actually added a new twist this time round, because I realised there was a plot hole somewhere. See if you can figure it out. The rest, essentially, is the same as what I thought of when I was 14. The new idea is probably more mature. Or less. I haven't exactly been progressing (regression may be entirely possible). As usual, it would help my morale a lot if you reviewed, even if it's just a few words, as long as I know how you find it.