Sssr'dssnssts: 19 Eleasias

The Golden One.

Sssr'dss said the words to itself. Sweet-smelling dry flesh and blood had lingered below its nails for days after the killing of the Dukes. The invisible primate female who laughed and cast poison-gas that covered tens of other primates in a single casting; the squat and hairy human male with the short sword that seemed to drink blood of its own will; the Golden One Itself; Its primate magician; and Its nourishing primate. The gold of the hair of the Lady Cythandria and of the Lady Cythandria's layers of stiff-rustling laced dress on that day had shone in the noon sun that had radiated through mage-secured glass of the high buttressed ceilings, suffusing the primates gathered in shining jewels and brilliant silks. When Sssr'dss looked with the thread-sight it viewed as sufficiently close to the sight of the Greater Ones it saw the lengthy and well-ordered readings of Lady Cythandria as of that colour of old gold, not nearly so glorious and inhuman as the divine that blazed from within the Golden One's untouchable mind but yet something that to Sssr'dss' mind was a match for Its power. Of the other potential nourisher kept by the Great One the power was less discernible by that particular sight Sssr'dss had learned the trick of, though of course that simply gave it the advantage of knowledge and it was a fighter of great renown.

The primates had screamed and thought and cursed the word of monster while Sssr'dss and others of its race were instructed to use terrifying forms as different as possible to each other. Sssr'dss felt that a face like that of the scaled and toothed creature primates feared called the basilisk, a body large and blackened and spread like the combination of a tree struck by lightning and a sea creature of the far depths of this place of the world, and even daring enough to represent the form of the tentacles of the Red Master at the ends of its hands was above the efforts of its fellows. There were screams and bloody deaths, and the Golden One was seen to turn on them, and did in truth slay some of Sssr'dss' own number. This was done so that others should worship It as the Noble People did so.

It was and demanded to rule above and beyond all. Certain of Its servants carried graven discs of symbol of outright worship that spread. It caused countless deaths in Its name. Yet the Golden One was not within the planes It wished for a domain, and could not yet make obvious use of the monsters It possessed.

Thus the tasks of Sssr'dss' fellows were only to maintain the primate faces taken and even in that were replaced by degrees by primates who came as new servants, since after all primates did not usually crave the flesh of primates, and to gain battling and the eating of flesh only in quiet night.

Many of the pods were satisfied by this. Rsssjss boasted of its work and thoughts of even producing a birthing with its partner Tssslss'lssls, with discussion of which would be the nutritional parent. Sssr'dss thought that its podsib was of suitable quality to feed young and for that their own pod would grow. That impersonation was not entirely unskilled for it was drawn upon a portrait and words of a primate female, and the Golden One's instruct was to bring direct word of a sight of the original primate, but still Sssr'dss would have found it uninteresting.

Akkariss-jheriss, name meant of derision, pretend-human who thinks itself primate, its pods might say. The Lady Cythandria had Sssr'dss simply because it had a talent for it. What if the Golden One in Its great godly destiny—and there was no blasphemy or disobedience in possessing such a thought, Sssr'dss rationally determined, because after all since the Golden One had such greatness any concerns of the people of Its servants were far below It—allowed them to continue with less work, or even to slay further of them to gain favour with the worshipping human-primates? Then with the Lady Cythandria Sssr'dss had learned more both of their own nature and even of what the Greater One of its own pod refused to instruct.

I tell you to lift weights in varying forms to test how much strength is affected by shape, had spoken the Lady Cythandria, briefly and absently, writing down its words and notes and contemplating other things. From that Sssr'dss had learned that the strength was primarily innate and shape or no shape it could change liftings only by positioning: which it had learned besides the absorptions it must have committed while still within its nourishing parent's body and before memory of longing for Greatness.

I tell you to transform to different shapes to ascertain the limits of what you can impersonate, had spoken the Lady Cythandria, and from that Sssr'dss had realised securely that to imitate a shape it had spoken to was far easier than mere description, and as well that it could combine and vary shapes and voices, and that it could transform no more than nine times within a short space of time. (Perhaps this had of late increased to ten.)

Yes, I would know more of the magics cast by those you call Greater Ones, spoke the Lady Cythandria, and then Sssr'dss had dared to request demonstration. Illusions and a few invocations and transmutational enhancements, I've observed. The Weave touches you, the Lady Cythandria said, and then Sssr'dss had learned from it what it was capable of. It could begin to imitate a Greater One itself through human-primates' knowledge of casting, and one day it would be as above the Greater Ones as the Lady Cythandria itself was above them in magic. No matter what those of Sssr'dss' noble people chose to view of it. Lady Cythandria spoke of aptitude for sorcery and the meanings to it and of the tangle of equations that governed Sssr'dss' learning. Sssr'dss understood it not all yet, but it served the Lady Cythandria to know more.

Lady Cythandria, the word here of vivisect I know not in your tongue, Sssr'dss had dared to speak once to it, for the Lady Cythandria closed its mind purposefully at all times, and it had instructed Sssr'dss in what it meant. When Kssr'zsss'vsstn was for incompetence punished, the Lady Cythandria had gained the idea of numbing transformations of flesh whilst it cut into the skin of Kssr'zsss so that it should last for longer time. The detail of how the Noble People turned flesh was now known and visible. Sssr'dss saw for itself the way the bone reshaped first followed by the flesh and the skin itself last of all, and wielded the knife itself to the directions of the Lady Cythandria. In battle Sssr'dss would look to the underlying bone first. The flesh continued to possess transformative properties for some time once removed, and Sssr'dss noted that the Lady Cythandria kept the twitching mass and made use of it upon more giant transformations.

Then the primate who reached an orange-red within the threads that the Lady Cythandria held had come, as had the irritating and loud halfling-primate. The people of Sssr'dss had continued to address it as akkariss-jheriss, wouldbe-primate, but it had maintained learning. The Lady Cythandria's flesh smelled foully of artificial scent, so it did not wish to consume it, and when it spoke Sssr'dss listened in patience to the Lady Cythandria. Sssr'dss listened less to the tales and legends of its people and was among them at fewer sharings. For all new growth of firstflesh shattered bones and consumption remnants were left behind.

Sssr'dss smelt the podscent of Rsssjss its sib, which was a scent of the blood of the people and quick-coming to the cellar of their keeping. By nature Sssr'dss went toward it to first learn.

Rsssjss was cut as if by small daggers or thorns and the blood was the silver of their people rather than the red of a primate transformation. Its form maintained some of the seeming of the role it was given. Sssr'dss noted glass shards and plant material in small amount in the wounds.

Sssr'dss stopped it in its tracks by bone-hold that shifting would take time to free from, and demanded to be the first to know.

"By the orders of the Golden One—" Rsssjss said, but Sssr'dss wished to hear and offered to accompany. "The face has come, Sssr'dss; and Tssslss and Vss'zss lie dead in the primate house! It was I sent to—"

This would be news for the ear of the Golden One as well as an avian-hunt; a fall on which flight was captured.

"I will go," Sssr'dss said, travelling with Rsssjss. The actions of the primate—it had skimmed sufficient surface-thoughts, had it not, to know? For the primates it had killed their final thoughts were of fear and monsters. Primates hunted monsters. The face of Rsssjss' impersonation was the face of one the Golden One chose to hunt. In the place of that primate Sssr'dss would have tried to convince the primates of the Golden One to hunt themselves instead.

The Golden One Itself had by wizardly might been transported to fight in the south of late. To achieve this correctly and a reward should await; to fail and die quickly, or painfully. The orange-red pathetic primate had more keenness for battle than the Lady Cythandria, and that one was absent. Sssr'dss debated quickly to share glory with fellow people, or with the primate of dulled gold; any failure already was that of the people. Yet should it succeed the Lady Cythandria would have given advice, and likewise should it fail that would be true.

"Darkness nears and the primates cannot see," Sssr'dss said. "The Golden One is absent. To capture or slay your face-primate for It will be glory. Let us return to its dwelling and seek. Ensure your face is not that primate's." The human primates could see identicality, as they were not utter fools and would suspect more of the same; the Golden One should easily have their heads for that. Sssr'dss glared at Rsssjss for its stupidity in retaining to form in the very streets; if it had been not seen there remained chance.

In the bowels of the dwelling maintained by their ilk was a live primate source of information, and Sssr'dss had its podsib take it through the hidden doors to find it.

"The flesh seemed plump and good in its day," Rsssjss noted in their own tongue. The primate was evidently starved and quite ill, and by its surface-thoughts terrified. Its grey-pink skin was slack and flabby, its hair and body dirtied. They had simply chained it to the wall and it tried to move away from them.

Sssr'dss had noted in the halls a picture-sketch of a similar primate, one that reminded him slightly of the Lady Cythandria simply for the yellow-coloured hair and a few trappings. The differences in primate-features meant to it only a matter of adjustment rather than personal tastes; this one was older, plumper except in the chest, lighter-haired, shorter-nosed. It also lacked the gift of mind-shielding.

Its title had been Duchess and it was kept by the Duke for primate reasons; the offspring impersonated were not of its birthing as nutritional parent. Sssr'dss searched the mind not for the recent fears that were pathetic and incoherent in despair but for the one of interest. To stimulate it changed its face to the primate Rsssjss had been assigned to emulate. That gave further memories.

—calls me Mummy, the poor motherless thing, and I do wish her brother would likewise—

—a doll in pink and quite well-behaved for her age, entertained the guests for a brief while—

—ought really to take her more often, alas for one's memory, so quiet—

—dear me, guilty of leaving room for the garden by night, such a scandal if not caught in time, and I did notice my opal brooch disappearing and reappearing—

—there must be bars on her window if she cannot stay put; was entirely satisfied with those dull history-books only a year ago—

—a scandal, I should be quite socially ruined though none could fairly blame me—

—Those monsters, they must have killed her killed Entar; monsters all monsters all nobody comes please help please—

Sssr'dss wondered if the primate had long to breathe; with sufficient information it supposed it might be killed, if its function was done with. But that was not its order to give, and if the chains had not broken for this time they would hardly break with the primate as it was now.

"Rsssjss, I shall undertake this; instruct Hrss'vsss that it must not impersonate this one," Sssr'dss told its podsib briefly, locking and barring the door firmly behind itself.

"The face came and killed—the face left, and none but I saw!" Rsssjss said. "If you possess a way to retrieve it before the return of the Golden One, do so and all shall gain, podsib."

"For that I have a plan, if the primate has at least a trifle of a brain," Sssr'dss instructed. It could not be so powerful, or else it should have killed all upon its own. It would also have been shocked by the appearance of its blood but not of its bone, for primates were foolish in that way and had few senses that could appreciate the constancy of the buzzing mind underneath and the ways of recognition that were not within the shape itself. Perhaps it had been granted sufficient time already to reflect and choose the tactic. Opportunity ought not to be wasted.

—

The tangle of thoughts could be mind-skimmed:

The Duchess Brilla Silvershield was trying to knock on the barred and closed door of the Ducal Palace throughout the night independent of the curfew. And that was either proof of doppelgangers—or I was wrong, and she is alive, and she has to be terrified to do that—

"A terrible attack—" Brilla Silvershield protested loudly to the two Fist guards at the heavy doors, incoherently—"I demand the Grand Duke—" About forty had gathered to witness her; it was now the early morning and the dawn's light, the curfew complete. "I have been present all night! And that upstart—the most horrendous battle—upon my own home—that upstart—"

The stream of skimmed thoughts were pathetic, Sssr'dss thought. At least the apprentice wizard of the Lady Cythandria had shown resistant attempts with primate-pictures.

She found the bodies of what weren't my father and brother, ran into the streets—perhaps it was possible—oh, Brilla—

Sssr'dss skimmed that mind's surface; there was an oddity about it, but it only rendered it more hopeless. A trace of something, it was far from the strength of either of the Golden One's consorts.

The primate face stepped forward, and its speech was not quite what lay in its mind. Perhaps a deepthought coming to surface. There were turnings of heads and awaitings. For primate-eyes lamps still bathed white-and-gold walls with bright light.

"—I am Skie Silvershield, lately returned from travels, and I know that you are not the true Brilla Silvershield. You are a doppelganger impostor who has created a false war; surrender now and give your true shape." Its speech was high and loud and clear; it required the hearing of the crowd it saw.

Brilla turned carefully, with eyes that appeared bewildered. "Skie? Daughter?" But to look revealed the flaws within the figure. "No. You are the impostor, and a frightening one I should think. I would know my own daughter; and..."

A question, Sssr'dss thought; a question...

"Then you're the doppelganger. We know you turn to your true shapes when you die," said the primate-face. The raised daughter of Brilla rushed to attack, but the pair of guards moved to block her way. They were still diversions.

In the primate-face's dim mind Sssr'dss had noted the use of the very word. Not all primates knew of their people; Sssr'dss delved into the dark currents, and saw memories of a tower to the south...

These had defeated the tale of the pods once under the command of the Tentacles... But an idle thought.

"—Young woman, you will stop this at once; I am the Duchess—"

Then a caster; Sssr'dss' mage-sight suddenly showed it with pink-bright power, lancing forth missiles. But the Lady Cythandria had offered the suggestion of purposely numbed flesh.

Skie saw the stepmother fall to the ground, screaming in pain at the burning magery.

"Help me! Please, it hurts!"

Sssr'dss' thought-skimming extended to the caster; the scrolls of the criminals warned of spellcasters. This one had true brightness, phoenixlike, but it faltered from a ridiculous and almost pitiable fear that it had caused pain in a genuine primate. Its eyes were fixed upon the screaming and flailing woman burned by its power—truly burned, of course, and in that screaming Sssr'dss affixed a pattern of gesture by instructions of the Lady Cythandria.

The mind of that primate opened below charm, and Sssr'dss gained access to its spells. Such a low-power human-primate mage spell, and what reserves of power could be tapped by it! The analysis of threat: the dark-elven primate was ready to attack the guards to come here, and would be seen by some as the fastest threat; a nature-prostrating human still younger than this primate as another caster. But there was also the warrior, whose mind was resistant by strength as the dark-elven primate was resistant by nature to skimmings, andthat Sssr'dss saw as the one to attack first.

The fire-power was not the most potent of the primate's spells, but it had a wild and strong source buried within it mixed with a certain reluctance on the primate's part, and it was speedy. Sssr'diss had the mage-primate reach for the eyes of the warrior with burning hands; and made the target. Blinded she could not fight, and called to alert the others to one foolish primate turning upon another.

The second caster was closer and immediately began the healing chant over the burned eyes. Sssr'dss had the controlled primate take one step away and commence the second spell Sssr'dss wished: the strongest spell of charming another to will. The primate-face, Sssr'dss could tell from the ground, sought to fight its way through the guards without hurting them, which was both difficult and foolish.

The spell of the phoenix-primate's body hit the caster, but it had already begun to make the warrior primate see again by a strongly powerful healing spell, the burned flesh now only a dull red. (Perhaps some of these were a little capable after all.)

"Friend Shar-Teel, go to fight the guards!" Sssr'dss made the infant-healer say. "I will stop Imoen!"

Sssr'dss possessed now two minds charmed to make to obey. It had the phoenix-primate cast a fiery arrow as the younger primate summoned its creature, both targeted at the other warrior primate. Then came the sound of yet another caster; divine, difficult to detect through primate-magesight. The holding spell came. It attacked both the bodies of the younger primate and the phoenix-primate, and prisoned the body of the latter.

A time to use all power at its disposal; Sssr'dss, its false body weeping and crying from pain, had the young primate begin a casting for lightning. The earth and sky responded to the body and controlled mind, the same power coursing through it; and the lightning coursed down from the sky upon the head of the other primate caster.

"—Ilmater!" cried a primate's voice, half-broken—only half-broken, sadly; obviously resistant to the power. It must certainly try to heal itself; Sssr'dss had the primate perform the quick chanting for a flaming blade, and gave instruction to attack. There were sounds audible through the mind-skimming; the dark elf ought to be overcome by now.

"—Please don't kill them!" the primate-face begged the warrior-primate. "We'll need them to help, eventually—"

The warrior-primate easily knocked out one of the guards, and then Sssr'dss lost control of the charm, for the primate-face was upon it.

"—Show me your silver eyes! Show me your horrible grey skin!" it cried, the flaming blade threatening to burn. Sssr'dss had to dodge and yet not seem to be; avoid the blows even as the weak primate weighed down by thick silks and satins would never naturally have. Brilla Silvershield screamed as her stepdaughter tried to kill her— The primate-face was fast. For a moment Sssr'dss felt a loss of control.

But the Fist had come easily through the dark elf; iron filings were flung in the air. Then the spell to hold was chanted by a bass-pitched voice. It caught upon the primate-face; body only, though, rather than head. The primate-face screamed:

"I saw it! Silver eyes—a doppelganger! Someone else must have—tell me you saw the monster there!"

No human gave her an answer; by the appearance of the full patrol the crowd had begun to disperse quietly. These wore gleaming armour, high-ranked. One carried the limp form of the dark elf primate. Sssr'dss had its form take a shuddering step backward.

"It's a doppelganger, not Brilla! A doppelganger who killed her and stole her shape. Why won't you believe me?" the primate-face cried, idiotically. The cheeks of its pale face were flushed in rageful hysteria.

"That...that disturbed impostor...why, the nerve..." Sssr'dss had its false throat utter. "These are...precisely those wanted; those warned for impersonation by the guard; daring to...to, here... I demand to be returned..."

The warrior-primate had been frozen as well by the spell, and then knocked down on its face by a blow on the head from behind. The red-haired Fist caster wearing thick golden decorations on its uniform walked forward. The dark elf and the phoenix-primate they also had; but the young primate had screamed to the others that they ought to flee, when Sssr'dss' control of it had evaporated and the other caster had come. The dark elf primate was utterly unconscious.

The phoenix-primate spoke, chained though spell-free, its voice in despair. "The Grand Duke's the one who started your iron crisis and your war. We've done nothing."

Then the primate-face joined it. "Yes. Amn's going to attack. If the city doesn't survive—we only came back to save it. The war's wrong, it shouldn't be happening. We don't want anyone to be hurt. Please, believe us."

"You're Amnian agents," the Fist captain-caster said. Its brown boot nudged at the body of the warrior-primate; it moved the primate's head to lay sideways in the mud.

"No," primate-face said. "Not one of us is. Amn is huge. The city's in danger—"

"Such altruistic motives," said the captain. It was close to the Golden One, Sssr'dss knew; a mage in its own right as well as a warrior of the Fist, and very dry of wit and cynical in ways. These primates could hardly offer more than the Golden One. "Take them away. They are the ones we want."

Or, rather, the captured primate-face was the one the Golden One demanded; no matter how many of those others still fled. Sssr'dss permitted its false face a small smile of victory.

—