**Author's note: I'm at half a million words! Thanks to everyone following along!**
"You know this alien?" Alberich asked me, a confused twist in his German-accented voice as if the Aeldari wasn't standing right in front of me. "You are familiar with this elf creature?"
Back on Kolch, I remembered being informed that we were being watched, and after telling the Divine Retribution to scan the local area, it had been discovered that three separate parties had been spying on our location. Aside from the Ebon Hare, which I had destroyed shortly afterward, I remembered seeing both Orikan's Necron ship, and three Aeldari vessels who had been quietly observing me. After discovering the Aeldari ships, I remembered turning my Sight to them, and I had both seen and perceived powerful psykers who had been curiously observing us. One particular individual stood out: an Aeldari Farseer with stone grey eyes, straight black hair, and a serious expression. I turned back to the individual before me, and realized that this was the very same Aeldari.
"What is the meaning of this? What are you doing all the way out here?" I immediately asked. "Why did you follow me here, and why were you guys stalking me?" This was actually the second person from the confrontation around Kolch that I had had the displeasure of running into on this world, the first being the Ebon Hare's surviving Navigator, Ven Tristan. If I needed any more confirmation that Tzeentch was screwing around with my life, this was it. Kolch was easily thousands of light years away! All we needed now was Trazyn or that crazy Nome King Necron to magically show up, and we'd have a trifecta of "just as planned" coincidental weirdness. And, knowing that capricious god, he probably had that planned for later.
A small group of nobles all began to laugh nearby as they whispered, glancing in my direction.
The Farseer looked away, and I could tell that he was actually somewhat intimidated. A part of me was definitely flattered by that. He then turned back to face me, and said with a sniff, "I'd like to speak somewhere where the local Mon-keigh are not hawkishly observing us."
Word Bear had guided Alberich and I to the lounge for more privacy, but I had apparently ruined that with another halo malfunction. Now, out of the corner of my eye, I observed the small huddle of rich nobles standing near one of the exits. Intuitively, I could tell that they were gossiping about me, whispering nasty observations like mean girls at a school dance. Those bitches were just jealous, I thought, looking their way again and managing to make eye contact with a man dressed in a suit of shimmery sequined sapphires who looked away as soon as he knew I was looking at him.
Evanora, he thought loudly. Evanora of the East is here! How dare she show up like this?!
It appeared another person here had been familiar with the disagreeable Wicked Witch of the East, whose body I now inhabiting. How many people had Evanora had pissed off before leaving this universe? That witch certainly left me with a lot of problems to deal with.
"Alright, fine. You both want to take a walk? I'd like to stretch my legs a bit," I decided to suggest, wanting to leave the area with the chattering nasties.
The Aeldari man nodded once, and placed his placidly-featured (and creepily black-eyed) white mask back on his face. Yes. I do feel uncomfortable in this area as well. That large Mon-keigh was aligned with Chaos, if you did not already know.
"Yeah, yeah, I know," I answered audibly as I started walking toward the exit opposite the one with the gossiping nobles. While I couldn't hear what was being said about me, I could sense that they were both confused and upset with my presence. Not pleased that I was now suddenly back in high school, I stopped and slowly turned around to face them. A woman dressed in a slinky gold dress and wearing a lion mask had appeared, and was now also chatting with the group. She then turned to look pointedly at me. "Let's go," I said to my companions.
Alberich, Evoray, and I made our way to the exit on the opposite side of the lounge, and walked through it. Here, we now found ourselves in another opulent hall, but this one featured a large marble fountain in the shape of a stylized woman in the center of the room, and the floors were actually made up of swirling red and gold tiles instead of the flat reflective gold of the ballroom. Around the fountain, curved benches held a few spectacularly dressed partygoers. This place appeared to be a sort of sun room, as the tall domed ceiling was made up of glass panes in a broad radial pattern. During the daytime, this room was probably stunningly beautiful. The water from the rushing fountain gave this room a slightly more humid feel, and the wall to our right held two large open doors which let the cool night air in. Outside, I could hear the music of a stringed instrument being played, and with a look, I could now see that this sunroom was adjacent to a large outdoor pool that was lit from beneath the water with soft pastel lights. Again and again, I continued to be impressed by the staggering amount of wealth in this palace.
"Wish I brought my bathing suit," I observed with a grumble, making my way over to one of the benches around the fountain. While people noticed me as I passed here, the gossiping group of nobles had not followed, and I felt more comfortable. "Alright, time for you to come clean," I spoke impatiently to the Farseer, who was now sitting next to me.
Evoray straightened his back, and I could tell that he was carefully considering what to say before speaking. "I will explain what does not involve any security measures for my people. I see no harm in that," the Aeldari said through his bleak white mask. "I come from a pristine wild world known as Quilan, far to the north and east. It is a world of my people who have eschewed high technology, and who wish to soothe their souls with their connection to the wildness of nature, if you can fathom such a concept."
Alberich groaned at hearing that, and looked away. "Do not be insulting to us, alien. We are both educated," the beastman growled what I had been thinking.
"It is interesting that you yourself own a bird's head, yet you use that harsh tone to look down upon me as a being who is not a Mon-keigh. How very interesting," Evoray tutted at Alberich, not even deigning to look his way. "To continue, both the people and the world of Quilan had been experiencing strange dreams of a gold phoenix. Our horoscopes and divinations led us to the world named Kolch by human astrocartographers. Who or what was causing the dreams, we would know in that location. That world, Kolch, has another, more ancient name, and that is Nome, given to it by the Yngiract, or as you know them, the Necrons."
"Okay," I said. "Still doesn't explain why you're sitting right here."
"Patience, Marii-Suze. I am getting to that," Evoray replied gently. The Aeldari's tone was smoothly haughty, and when he spoke to us, it felt as if he was actually dumbing down his words so that he could properly be understood. "I and some others were dispatched by the elders of Quilan to Kolch to investigate the origination of the sightings of the gold dream bird. And, we found you. As I viewed you, you, impressively, sensed my eye. Soon after, you chased another human ship until its destruction in the Sea of Souls. This was witnessed by us. Your vessel is of... staggering in power, I must admit."
As I listened to Evoray, I found myself drawn to the strumming music being played outside. It gave this meeting an exotic atmosphere.
"After we had our confirmation on your identity for our scholars, we ventured back home. As a gift for my loyalty, I was allowed a boon, and was given the location of one very dear family member who has been lost to me for some time. It is pure coincidence that the world I was pointed to was this one, I assure you. But, since you are here, I do wish that I could speak to you."
So, why did you call the Divine Retribution the Fate's Sundering? I quickly asked using telepathy. I felt like this guy was not telling us large amounts of his story.
Evoray paused, and took a deep breath. "My race is familiar with your vessel, my lady. It-"
I cut the Farseer off by speaking to him in mind. Talk about the Divine Retribution using telepathy. I want to keep that confidential.
Understood, Evoray complied. I watched as Alberich turned away from the two of us, now understanding that we were now in a telepathic conversation.
Your vessel, as you know it presently as the Divine Retribution, has had many names over the eons. It is an ancient entity of vast power, and was originally piloted by our people deep in the mythic past, aiding in our fight against the soulless metal ones you know as the Necrons. Our formal name for the great eagle is Fate's Sundering, and some of us study it. Records of this unique vessel are often scant and find themselves lost, however, so when omens proclaimed that Fate's Sundering was awake and active once again, I was sent to observe it. I... I apologize for any impropriety, Evoray spoke in mind. I noticed that this man seemed utterly exhausted.
Well, out with it. What else do you want to know? I asked him and shrugged with a big sigh. Honestly, I'll just tell you. You're not a Drukhari, and you people can't steal it from me anyway.
Fed up with secrets, and knowing that this guy, by his nature of being an Aeldari Farseer, would probably eventually find everything out on his own, I ended up simply telling him everything that I knew over the next ten minutes. As I explained, his soul blazed with wonder and amazement.
After I informed him of who and what I was, Evoray sat beside me, stunned. Then it is true. Your soul was summoned from another plane of existence, but you are not a Warp-spawned fiend. I-I have much to think about. I-
"You two done talking?" Alberich asked with impatience. The beastman was now standing next to me after briefly walking over to the entryway that faced the pool. He was still slightly intoxicated, it seemed.
"Yeah, fuck it, I told him everything. I mean, why not? He would've found out anyway because of who and what he is. I told him about the last pilot, too," I said dismissively to the beastman.
Evoray appeared to shrink from my words, and wrapped his arms around himself. He was obviously having an extreme emotional reaction to hearing that I was the same sort of creature that the Emperor was.
"Oh?" the beastman replied with a laugh and a short hiccup. "Unusual to throw caution to the wind, meine Führerin, but I trust you implicitly." Alberich then sat down next to the Evoray on his opposite side, and began to laugh. A short pause and a flash of Alberich's eyes illustrated that he had used his telepathic ability to say something to the Farseer, who turned his head slowly to look at the beastman. Alberich then stood up, laughing in amusement, and went to observe the pool area from the doorway again.
The Farseer froze, and exhaled heavily, trying to moderate himself. The emotions emanating from this man's soul were extremely powerful. This alien was a thousand times "louder" in spirit than any other human I had met in this universe. Despite his cool outward demeanor, the energy pouring from this man's soul rushed like rivers of light. I had heard that the Aeldari were a much stronger psychic race than humankind, but to actually sit next to one while in possession of potent psychic powers myself was definitely an experience. No wonder Slaanesh found these people delicious. They were little nuclear reactors of soul energy. As I watched the Aeldari, I even felt a slight pang of hunger.
It was time for me to pause and gather myself when I realized that I was now thinking in terms of how "yummy" a soul would be to devour. So far, I had only devoured human souls (and a few monsters). Could I eat an Aeldari, or did Slaanesh really have dibs over that entire race? Morbidly, as I watched the Farseer next to me meditate his emotional state down, I continued to wonder how much stronger would I get if I consumed this man's extremely potent soul.
The strumming lute music pleasantly intermingled with the babbling rush of the fountain and the chatter of the costumed partygoers in this sun room. Finally, the Aeldari then turned to me again. "I truly did not intend to see you here, Plane Walker," he spoke in voice, shaking his head. "It is an unexpected quirk of fate to see you at this location. I tell you truth that I did not follow you here, but I am thankful for all that you have said to me. I am here for another reason; I am seeking a family member. I search for my wife; she may be at this event. Have you perceived anyone like me here?"
I shook my head. "You're actually the first living Aeldari I've ever physically met," I replied, remembering the dried out corpse I had seen on Nubua.
A long pause as Evoray continued to collect himself. The Farseer then straightened himself up again, and turned to me. "I... I have one more question, if you please."
"Yeah?" I asked, standing up. I didn't want to waste all of my time talking to this guy when I had to find the governor.
"Do you..." Evoray began as he also stood. "Do you have something for me? I have had a premonition that spoke that you have something to give to me."
"Have something for you?" I asked, confused. At the entryway to the ballroom, I then noticed that the small group of gossiping nobles had appeared in the sun room, and were now slowly walking through the space, chattering and laughing. "What on earth would I-?"
My halo brightened slightly as my intuition was immediately drawn to the spirit stone in my cloak pocket! Oh, I guess I did have something to give him!
I nodded without saying anything, and the Farseer turned to me in interest. I began to telepathically explain:
So, I've been carrying this around ever since I went to Nubua in the Deadly Desert, which is now gone. On Nubua, I found the corpse of an Aeldari. It looked like the poor guy had been killed in a fight with two Chaos Marines, and while he lost his life, he had managed to dispatch both bad guys. Before we left, I found his spirit stone, picked it up, and took it with me.
I reached into my cloak pocket, and retrieved the spirit stone. Evoray sat transfixed, his masked head angled toward my hand as we both stood next to the fountain. The warm stone glowed and shimmered beautifully in my palm. The Farseer then gently turned his head, angling it as if he was suspicious of my offering. He then spoke to me, his words were a tense whisper.
"What is it that you desire in return for this?" He asked me. "I have brought wealth with me to this world. No doubt this is not a gift given freely. No gifts from Mon-keigh are."
"The humans from this reality might be jerks, but I'm not, even if it is a little weird that you were stalking my ship and ended up here on this planet with me. I have enough money, so just take it. I don't want anything. Just, I don't know, tell your buddies that I'm cool and generous. Maybe they'll return the favor one day?" I said with a grin, letting my halo brighten a small amount. Knowing the lore behind the Aeldari, any kind of reciprocation of good will was probably not going to be seen, but this still felt like the correct thing to do. "Hold out your hand," I instructed.
Evoray complied, and I handed over the spirit stone, which he took in two slender hands. As I passed the stone to the Farseer, a peculiar feeling washed over me. I felt a sense of warm gratitude, and in my mind's eye, I saw an image of a stern Aeldari ranger woman, her violet eyes twinkling with relief. In a way, I almost felt as if she was smiling at me. Oh, the soul inside the spirit stone had been a woman, I realized. A whisper then passed through my mind like a gentle breeze.
Thank you, the faint voice sang as the stone brightened with swirling iridescent lavender in Evoray's hands, who then looked back up toward me. Even though he wore his mask, I could tell that the Farseer's eyes were now glistening with tears, and he was smiling.
"You are a tribute to your race," Evoray said as he placed the stone in a pocket within a breast pocket of his costume. "I and the lost Ranger thank you, Plane Walker."
"Don't mention it," I said, keeping my eye on the group of nobles I had seen before. They didn't seem to be too interested in me now, and went about walking further into the sun room. "So, I don't know anything about your wife, but there is a Harlequin troupe that's supposed to perform for the guests sometime tonight. Maybe they would know?"
Evoray nodded. "Yes, I know of the troupe. I am hoping to see them," he spoke softly. Outside, and near the pool, I could now see that Alberich was speaking with the woman in the lion mask and the slinky gold dress I had seen earlier with the nobles. He pointed my way. "Thank you for all your help. Your information and your gift are invaluable to both me and my people. We will not forget this."
"Okay," I said, now distracted by the sight of the lion-masked woman walking toward me with the clops of her spiked heels against the mosaic floor. "I have a feeling I'm about to have a confrontation right now, so you'd better go somewhere else," I explained to the Farseer, who also now noticed the woman walking towards us.
Very well. I will detail what you have told me to my people, and to the Craftworld that birthed me when I see their representatives. Know that you have friends in both Quilan, and Craftworld Alaitoc, Evoray responded to me in a polite clear telepathic voice before shortly bowing. As he started to walk in the opposite direction of the approaching woman, he added, Those of your race will benefit greatly with you as their new figurehead. Take care.
That's cool, I thought with a smile as I watched the slinky lion lady approach me. Alberich was now also alongside her. His expression, while not worried, was that of concern. Quickly, I asked him, What's going on? Who is this?
A mistress of Evring, I think. The rich playboy on the yacht spaceship we encountered. But don't voice that. I just think she's his mistress, Alberich hastily informed me as the woman now stood before us.
"Your name is Erika?" the woman asked me in a bored voice. Was I in trouble because of my halo accident in the other room?
"Yeah, I'm Erika."
"Please come with me, and come alone. The Sinclair brothers wish to speak with you. You can leave your mutant here. We are only going to the pool," the woman pointed behind her toward the open door that led to the pool area.
"But I don't have a bathing suit," I tried to joke. Behind this woman's gold mask, I could tell that she had not smiled. "Who are you?"
"My name is Rose. Just come with me," the woman tapped my shoulder. "I am Evring Sinclair's fiancée."
Oh, Evring's fiancée, I thought with a brief snort. This was the scantily dressed woman I had seen yelling at Evring on the Shower of Gold, I realized. "Give me a moment," I informed Rose.
"It's fine," I replied to Alberich, who stood watching this confrontation dubiously. "Just wait here, Alberich. I can handle myself."
"Very well. I will await your return, my leader," the beastman informed me. In my mind, I heard him whisper, I will be close and will not wander. We should watch our backs in this den of degeneracy. Luukai said for us to keep watch for such difficult things.
Okay, I replied dryly to the beastman as I started to follow Rose. Behind me, the masked nobles were tittering, gossiping that I was now probably in trouble with the governor, who I still had yet to see.
Rose led me out the door into the brisk evening air. The sun had set, and the sky was awash with a rich dusky blue dotted with twinkling foreign stellar constellations, giving me confirmation once again that I was on an alien world. The strumming of the stringed instrument played against the gentle flow of a smaller fountain near this doorway.
Before me, a pool approximately twenty meters long and five wide sat parallel to the palace walls. It was lit from beneath with soft multicolored desaturated lights, and the rippling light effect was magical. Pale mosaic tiles in interesting wavy patterns made up the walkway outside, and lined the pool itself. The staggering wealth of the palace was also seen with lush hedges of foreign, sweet-smelling star-shaped blossoms of all colors lining this area for privacy. To my right, a broad umbrella hung over three cushioned outdoor lounge chairs, and a smiling nobleman dressed as some kind of robotic man in a red robe (which I assumed was some kind of Tech-priest costume, complete with mechadendrites) sat speaking to two attractive young women, each dressed as butterflies.
Rose led me to the left, and there, a larger lounge area lit with tiki torches and two large umbrellas offered a cozy atmosphere. There were two obviously important men here, and each were dressed in spectacular wealth. I recognized Evring's voice, and the playboy was dressed as a violet cat decorated in amethyst gemstones. His cat mask seemed to be constructed of an articulated elaborate mask of metal, which had been plated with sparkling purple gems covering the upper part of his face.
Evring was speaking amiably with a man who was dressed as some kind of silver robot that could almost be the Tin Man from The Wizard of Oz. The shiny metal of this man's costume was finely wrought with etched filigree designs, and curved artfully against the man's body. Another metal half mask covered the upper portion of this man's face, and I could tell that he was older than Evring. This particular costume was stunning, and would definitely be a hit at any steampunk convention.
Three other individuals joined these two very important men. One very slender woman wore a very sharp and wicked suit of armor, and her hair was long, straight, and black. I wasn't certain what she was supposed to be until she turned her head, and I was then able to see that her mask bore a hooked beak that resembled that of a ibis. It gave me the impression that she was dressed as some kind of terrifyingly evil bird or lizard xenos. With a superficial look, I also sensed that this woman's soul (who was apparently not human) was also pitch black with corruption. Whoever this was, she was not a nice person, so I made a mental note to stay away from this dark alien bird lady.
Near the stylishly evil alien woman, another unfamiliar individual lounged decadently on a suspended swing. In her hands, she played what appeared to be a lute in a tune that was both alluring and somewhat eerie at the same time. This woman did not wear a mask, and she had milky pale skin with blonde hair was styled in perfect waves that cascaded like water around her shoulders. She had distinctive (and very striking) light green eyes, and around her neck, she wore a heavy choker of dark gemstones. The stranger wore a fluttering white robe of what appeared to be silk, and around her right wrist, she wore a gold bracelet that was adorned with a small translucent red key that sparkled in the light. The way this woman watched me gave me an uneasy feeling, and it felt as if she held a secret anger under her beautiful veneer.
Another very slim man stood beside the costumed steampunk Tin Man. This person was also clad in all black (aside from a sparkling blood red gemstone that seemed to be a belt buckle), and wore a thin suit of soft body armor perfectly tailored to his lithe body, and a black cloak hung around him, making him look both mysterious and very dangerous. His cloak covered his hair, and it partially shrouded a leering white horned mask that gave me an unsettling feeling to observe. The masked man then turned to me, and my blood ran cold. Strangely, I noticed that the mask then actually transfigured itself to a more polite grin, and when I approached, this unsettling individual stood to offer me a dramatic bow in greeting.
Rose led me to this group, and without another word, she turned around, and unceremoniously left the pool area. The strumming music of the woman playing the lute continued to echo through this now slightly-tense moment as the man in the white horned mask then stood up from his florid bow.
"Ah, and there she is, the little golden godling. This one sees and understands, yes," the cloaked man said in a musical accent. He then turned around to the other three individuals, and said, "This one is now satisfied, and he now goes to his appointed task."
Without elaborating, this strange masked man then turned to leave. The woman in the dark bird mask and evil armor also offered a polite curtsy, and followed him. As the mysterious man passed, time seemed to slow down, and I saw that his horned mask was deeply studying me. As the black pits of his mask fixed upon me, a chill gripped my heart. Under his eyes, it felt as if my nervous system had been doused in ice water, and my Corona even reflexively strengthened itself around me in a warm glow. With that, an intuition on this stranger's identity was now easily evident.
A Harlequin Solitaire! I realized with amazement. Passing by in this slowed moment, the Solitaire's mask then somehow cheekily winked as I recognized his nature, and he even gently poked my shoulder with a finger before offering me a friendly, almost silly wave. I could see that on his wrist, he wore what I knew was kind of mysterious esoteric weapon of a fluted appearance, displayed obviously despite the "no weapons" laws.
"Divine retribution finally comes to the Conglomeration of Ev, and the worlds therein are summoned to their grand finale!" the Solitaire remarked in a cheerful sing-song tone as he stepped away. The voice spoken to me actually also seemed to rake through my mind as well, giving it a very resonant and fearsome polyphonic effect. "You will do more to punish their wicked ways then this one ever could. Fear not, fledgling, you will experience no interference from this one or the dancers despite the corruption of this world. We recognize your jurisdiction to punish the sins of your race accordingly. Enjoy the evening, godling!"
The moment restarted, and before I could respond to the Solitaire's mysterious words, he and his lady companion were walking back into the sun room. The doors then closed behind them, and they were now gone.
Out of the corner of my eye, I watched a brightly colored blue bird land with a chirp atop one of the umbrellas. It sang a sweet song before flying away. Seeing this familiar bird briefly disturbed me, and I tried not to think about it. Not everything was an evil omen, I scolded myself.
Ignoring the blue bird, I turned back to the remaining three people that sat under the two umbrellas. The strumming of the lute had ceased, and the blonde woman placed her instrument down beside her. I cleared my throat, not knowing what to say after hearing the Solitaire's declaration. "So, I'm sorry for what that guy said. I don't know him, really!"
"Pardon?" the Tin Man replied, shifting his weight on his lounge. He had a deep, authoritarian voice. "We have heard nothing strange. Have you imbibed in any intoxicants this evening?"
I shook my head, and looked behind me, disturbed and intrigued at the confrontation I had just had. "I could have sworn that I..." I trailed off before shaking my head. "So, hi?" I held up my lightning claw hand, and waved my bladed fingers at the trio in greeting.
"Hello, Erika," Evring greeted me with a smile. "We meet again! I'd get up, but I'm too comfortable. Welcome to our party! I'd like to introduce to you my brother, Justinian Evring Sinclair the elder, the brains behind much of Tar Vigaz and the great Conglomeration of Ev. I go by Evring, he goes by Justinian, if you were unfamiliar. Just a little naming quirk in our family."
The Tin Man nodded my way, and said nothing. He did not smile, and appeared very serious.
"And the beauty who plays the lute is the lovely Mombi, a noblewoman of style."
"-and a personal advisor to governor Langwidere," Justinian added.
Mombi sniffed, appearing annoyed.
"That too."
Justinian shook his head, appearing exasperated with his younger brother. He then turned and fixed his harsh eyes on me from beneath his metal mask. "We've called you here to ask you how you've been enjoying your stay in Evna. It has come to our attention that your visit has been somewhat complicated."
"If you're talking about having psychotic cultists come after me, and people trying to steal my ship after trying to out me on state media, yeah, I could say that my visit has been 'somewhat complicated'," I snapped, a slight resonant growl at the edge of my voice.
The three all looked at one another, and Justinian then turned to Mombi who cleared her throat in a derisive manner. The older Sinclair brother then attempted to smooth the situation over. "I have been told you received compensation for these unfortunate events. I assure you that there is an ongoing investigation."
I didn't reply immediately. "Well, at least the woman responsible isn't here though, right? I heard that her invitation got rescinded."
The woman turned to the two Sinclair brothers, and angled her head upward while making a sneer. Seeing this, Justinian turned to me, and said, "The governing body of Tar Vigaz and the entire Conglomeration of Ev is, of course, devoted to proper civility. We apologize for any inconvenience on your behalf. Our family has been in power here for over a thousand years. If you are under the assumption that the culprit of these crimes against you is Raula White, you are actually mistaken. Our evidence is pointing toward a sect of extremist Chaos worshippers that venerate the God of Fate, and who count wicked minded mutants among their ranks."
I was shocked at hearing this. Were these people for real? "But yesterday, I was literally attacked by a group of cultists who had been stalking me. They had even shouted 'For Raula!' when they came after me. I'd say that all of this makes the culprit pretty obvious!"
Mombi fixed me with her icy green eyes, and pursed her lips. With slender fingers, she idly plucked at the strings of her lute as she considered how to respond. When she spoke, her voice was impassive and cool, and she now held her lute in her lap once again. "I don't know how much knowledge you actually have on the inner workings and behaviors of Chaos, but these cultists and mutants follow a god that encourages scheming, lying, and manipulation. It is entirely possible that what happened to you was an example of the lengths those malcontents will go to plant false blame on an innocent party. Cowardly, I'd say, to employ deception to advance their agenda. Fake news, as we call it."
The two Sinclair brothers glanced at Mombi, and each appeared greatly intimidated at her words. This was unreal!
"But, I will tell you this: We have a no tolerance policy concerning violence toward our citizens and visitors. I have been informed that the matter is being investigated. As a representative of the governor, the discussion is now over," Mombi replied, acid in her voice. She placed her lute down again beside her, and I could see another flash of anger pull over her features. "You have also been called to meet with us here since you have been making waves in our fair city. So, Erika..." the blonde advisor sneered as she heavily stressed my name, almost using it in a mocking tone. "Tell me about yourself, your history, where you have come from. I am so very curious."
I continued to feel anxiety (and even fear) rippling off of both Evring and Justinian as Mombi spoke. I decided that I wasn't about to let myself be intimidated when I hadn't done anything wrong, and rallied myself before replying. "I come from a place that's far away, from a world you probably don't know. A little backwater place, you know? I came across my vessel during one of my adventures, and found my fortune along the way. I'm an adventurer. There isn't that much more to say, really."
Both Justinian and Evring turned to Mombi, who was now gritting her teeth in restrained anger at what I had said. "Not much more to say, hmm?" she began. "And a world that I don't know? You're lying to me."
I shook my head, now feeling put on the spot. "I'm telling you the truth, really. What else do you want me to say?"
A brutal hush came over the trio as Mombi now glared at me. "You can fool everyone else, but you cannot fool me, Evanora. Beyond that veneer of gold paint, you are still the same twisted woman who existed in perpetual competition with Langwidere. As the governor's close advisor, I am privy to much of her personal life, and she was communicating with the Scion of the East for many years. It is remarkably rude for you to show up here at her home, proclaim yourself to be named 'Erika', and behave as if you do not know the governor. The social infraction of this act is absolutely appalling, I declare."
Uh oh, I thought, swallowing heavily. Evanora and Langwidere apparently knew each other. Oops. Thanks for fucking everything up for me, Evanora, I thought angrily. I braced myself as I prepared for how I would explain this away.
"So, listen, I know this is going to sound strange, but I'm really not Evanora."
Mombi laughed bitterly, and I even saw Evring flinch as if he had been slapped. The younger Sinclair then turned to her, and quietly whispered, "...I really didn't know! I never saw Evanora!" before the woman held up her hand, cutting him off. "I don't know what kind of amusement this causes you, but I can assure you that Langwidere is highly insulted at your social impropriety! Why continue to lie?"
"Because I'm genuinely not Evanora!" I insisted. "Listen, I've got a crazy story about who I am, and it's unbelievable, but hear me out, okay? I'm really not Evanora!"
"This better be amusing enough for you to not get you expelled from this party in ten minutes."
That honestly didn't sound too bad, I thought, but I did feel like I had to clear the air here. "So, I'm not Evanora, but I admit that I'm in her body. Evanora performed some kind of ritual which displaced her soul away from her body somewhere else, and drew my soul inside of it. At least, I think that's what happened. I actually came from another reality, another universe altogether. Have you heard of the concept of Travelers?" I asked hastily. I then remembered that Evna's high society was currently enjoying The Wizard of Oz as a trend, so I hastily added, "Like, if you've watched The Wizard of Oz, I'd be Dorothy, but instead of my physical body also coming over, only my soul was displaced. I'm telling you the truth here!"
A loud unexpected thought echoed from Justinian as I watched his face take on a puzzled expression. ...what Grigori claimed to be in his stories, what Grigori was investigated for...
I turned to Justinian, and almost blurted out, "Yeah, that's right!" but then considered that I would probably get in a lot of trouble for invasively reading someone's thoughts, even if it was unintentional. Instead, I cautiously added, "I'm called a Traveler. I came from another universe. If you guys know Word Bear, he can confirm it. I'm not Evanora. I'm Erika."
Mombi now seemed to relax somewhat, which was a relief to see. I got a sense that this woman was being somewhat deceptive to me, but I wasn't about to openly use my gifts to get confirmation on what was going on in her head. I didn't want to risk another halo malfunction here. "A Traveler?" she dubiously asked.
"My lady, Grand Advisor Grigori was being investigated for being such a thing by the marines of Angel's Respite. There may be some truth to this," Justinian softly offered to Mombi. "It may be plausible."
I perked up at hearing this again. Another Traveler somewhere? I had not yet met the Grand Advisor, but I had overheard his name referenced a few times since coming here. Maybe I could find him and have a chat?
"A Traveler," the advisor replied pensively, her eyes searching. "So, if you tell me the truth, it appears that Evanora succeeded in her little project."
Both Sinclair brothers turned toward Mombi, their souls shining with deference. Despite the power these two men held, they both seemed to hold this advisor in very high regard. She was, I could obviously tell, extremely important.
Mombi sat thinking for a few long moments, her eyes thoughtful and her jaw clenched. "It may be that there is some truth to your story, and if I find this out to be true, then this changes things. I will speak with the governor. You will be contacted by her eminence, and you will meet alone with her to fully explain yourself. Hopefully, this mystery can be solved. In the meantime, you are permitted to remain at the party."
"I have no problem with that," I explained, nodding. "As long as no more people come after me and try to break into my ship, I'm happy."
"I assure you again that the guilty parties will be found and brought to justice," Mombi quickly and curtly said. "If you see anything out of the ordinary, do bring it to the attention of the governor when you see her. These beastly mutants have been a plague, and it would not be beyond them to target the party in their insane ambitions."
I decided not to fight the advisor on this, and simply said, "Okay."
"This concludes this meeting. Evring, I believe you wished to give our visitor a tour of the east wing of the palace?"
Evring turned to me, and smiled. "Oh, yeah. I did! So, uh, Erika, Evanora, whoever you are, I've been wanting to show off just how beautiful governor Langwidere's palace is! Would you like to see it?"
This set off some intuitive alarm bells inside of me, but a stoic, defiant (and now increasingly golden) part of me refused to be afraid. If Evring of all people tried anything with me, I was now strong enough that I could blast him into ashes, and then, remove the memories of my actions from any witnesses. While this was certainly a reckless course of action, I found that a part of me delighted in the suggestion that a conflict might happen, because then I could have an excuse to obliterate someone who sought to subdue me. And then later, I could find Langwidere and rewire her mind into not being a Chaos-sympathetic bitch, conflict or not.
I turned to Evring and smiled. This sounded fun, even if I was walking into some kind of trap. And, if it wasn't a trap, it still sounded fun. This palace was absolutely beautiful, and strangely, I found myself really enjoying all the majestic wealth and gold everywhere.
Funny how your tastes can change, I thought as I subdued the voice inside of me that warned that this line of thinking was unusual.