Chapter 523

523 Appeasements

***CONTENT WARNING: VIOLENCE AND DEATH***

The Senators all stared at the Alconian Princess with shocked expressions while she crossed her arms. She seemed completely undaunted by their statuses, which made sense because she was a princess, but there was something else to her demeanor. A kind of overwhelming presence that went further than her royal status..

As the Senators all watched Skye staring back at them expectantly, Zazzy let out another low growl. Some of the Senators actually took a few steps back, but not Mei’s father. He had known Skye since she was a child, and held nothing but adoration for her.

Leaning her head down and over, Zazzy sniffed at Senator Lei akin to a dog, but to the top of his head. As her warm breath made his hair rise and fall with every inhale, Skye asked again; “Well? Who tried ta shoot at Zazzy? I dinna care who they are: they’re dead for trying ta hurt my bairn.”

Senator Lei flashed a small smile; “Was the spear not part of the spectacle?”

“You Knew that they were coming?!” Senator Tokuga nearly yelled.

Mei’s father’s posture grew rigid as he replied with a smirking poker face; “No more than you did, Tokuga..”

Turning back to Skye, Senator Lei added; “Why do you think that one or all of us were responsible for the spear?”

Skye huffed lightly; “Because they’re part of the city’s defenses, or am I mistaken?”

.....

“How do You know of our city’s defenses?” Senator Tokuga inquired with a haughty tone.

Skye quirked an eyebrow at him with amusement covering the rest of her features, and replied sarcastically; “Oh, ya mean how do I know about the ginormous spear launchers linin’ the city walls? Gee, I wonder..”

The Senator’s face started to turn red as a voice from above called out; “I told them where the defenses were, and it’s a good thing I did!”

All eyes turned upward as Genie came floating down like he was the master of the air. Most of the Senators respected him for his past accomplishments and rank, except for the ones that followed Tokuga. The small group stood off to the side with stoic expressions, whispering amongst themselves.

Skye had heard the term ‘traitor’ enough times for her to glare at the ones chattering in warning, and telepathically asked Zazzy to look at them and growl. For a moment, both she and Zazzy thought that they might take off at a sprint. The pure terror that flashed across their faces was intense, but fleeting as they watched Skye smirk.

A few of Senator Tokuga’s supporters were still on the fence about his plan, especially now that they were meeting the biggest obstacles to it. Their cooperation depended upon his ability to maintain a projected low mortality rate for both their soldiers, and the citizens. Seeing Zazzy in the flesh was already enough to start to form serious doubt in their minds.. And Tokuga knew it.

Understanding that he could lose all of his support before his plan had actually started, Tokuga countered; “And how is outlining our defensive capabilities to a possibly hostile kingdom a good thing in Any way?”

After bowing then hugging his brother, Genie turned back towards Tokuga and his followers; “I did not say that I told all of Alcon our defenses. I inferred that I had told the princess and her party. Only a traitor would divulge our government’s secrets to another kingdom..”

Genie’s eyes looked as though they were causing the Senators physical pain as a few flinched at his words. After making a mental note of whom seemed to be ‘in the know’, Genie smiled as he locked eyes with Tokuga. Fleeting panic tracked across his features in that moment before immediately switching back to his perpetually-annoyed expression.

Skye hadn’t caught it, but someone else had..

“And if you see Alcon as a hostile kingdom, then why were we invited for peace negotiations?!” Tidas yelled as he and Genie’s men came walking up, dragging a large sack behind them.

While Tidas and Genie’s ninjas had been restraining the other soldiers after taking their position, the one soldier that had fainted had woken up. He laid next to the spear launcher pretending to be unconscious until Tidas and the others were busy launching rocks and other objects at Zazzy and Skye. He had heard the soldier’s heart rate steadily building, but he didn’t think that the kid had woken up; just that he was having a bad dream.

The soldier’s body hadn’t moved in the slightest, so Tidas had gone about his job, then started to leave for the Senate building after they had finished. After hearing scuttling from behind, he had turned around in time to see the lad launching the spear. Tidas had instantly ran over, and hit the young soldier in his gut, but it had been too late.

Thankfully, Genie had intervened just enough to give Skye a clear shot at it. When she had fallen after destroying the spear, Tidas had screamed Skye’s name with clear anguish in his voice. If Zazzy hadn’t of caught Skye.. ‘I honestly don’t know if Any of the Senators would’ve been left alive..’

Shaking the dark thought from his mind, Tidas turned and started to drag a large sack into the forefront of the crowd. Before opening it, he turned and glared at the Senators as he said; “This is the man who pulled the trigger on the launcher, but what I want to know is who does he serve..”

The moment the bag was pulled open, another ninja appeared at Genie’s side. They whispered something into his ear that Tidas didn’t understand, stepped back, then walked off. Genie’s outward appearance had been calm up until that point, but now: he didn’t look like Genie anymore.

A dark aura stretched out from Genie, but it wasn’t from his magic; it was his intent. As the hairs on everyone’s necks stood up, he straightened his posture, put his arms to his sides, and took an intimidating step forward as he spoke softly; “Senator Yeitian.. I believe this is one of your men, is he not?”

One of the older men standing a couple of senators away from Tokuga shrank back as all eyes fell on him. Murmurs of shock and anger started to turn into demands for blood, for offending the Guardian of the Last Dragon. As the elderly man coward in fear, he looked to Tokuga with a pleading expression..

Afraid that he would be found out before his plan could even begin, Tokuga readied himself to signal his own ninja to kill Yetitian. He stared coldly at the elderly Senator, making the man’s expression drop...then turn furious. It was obvious what he was thinking.

As fear took hold of of Tokuga’s heart, Jin Laos stared the Senator down as he asked; “Why are the soldiers claiming that You signed off on the warrant to arrest Princess Skye and her party?! With Specific orders to stop Zazzy from entering the city by any means necessary? And before you answer: I hope you understand that I will know if you are lying, and what I will do to you right here, right now..”

Utter terror flashed across Senator Yetitian’s face as he started to sputter; “I was given the order myself! Like everyone else, I thought that it was due to the rumors! I swear! If I would’ve known, I-”

An erratic gust of wind began to swirl around the large group, making the robes of the Senators flutter. Tidas had moved to stand by his family when he had seen the change in Genie’s demeanor and personality. He didn’t fear Genie, but Jin Laos, the side of their beloved mentor that they knew very little about; was a wild card that had just popped out of the deck.

Taking a final step towards the shriveled Senator, Jin’s face was akin to Marco’s as he asked; “Who gave you the order?!”

Skye had actually flinched from hearing the raw tone that Genie had used. It worried Tidas that her view of their beloved mentor might be changed while they were in Sai.. ‘I know of Genie’s exploits because I’m the Commander of the RMC, but Skye.. She might not see Everything that Genie has done as good..’

Shelving the thought for a later time, Tidas refocused on the trembling Senator on the ground..

He had gone off about how his family would be in danger if he spoke, and Genie was in the process of explaining that his life and livelihood was currently on the line. Right when he was teetering on the edge, the air grew eerily still. Genie’s head darted back and forth as he snapped his fingers.

In an instant, the Senators and everyone else were surrounded by around two dozen ninja. Zazzy shifted uncomfortably as a familiar rank stench hit her nostrils. She was telling her mother about the smell when an arrow flew out of no where, and pierced through Senator Yetitian’s head.

Genie instantly put up a massive wind barrier as the Senator’s body slumped over, and hit the ground. The other Senators started to yell and panic, but Zazzy wasn’t having it. She couldn’t hear anything between the wind and their whining, so she roared at them.. Just a little bit.

The Senators all clammed up and huddled together as Genie took off into the air with a massive gust. Skye tried to follow on Zazzy, but Tidas didn’t want them to split up. It frustrated her, but Skye stayed put until the wind barrier stopped.

Ralph, Klaus, and the others had just reached the Senate building when the barrier was coming down. They launched into a hundred questions, but Tidas told them that they would explain later. When he turned back from talking to them, Skye was in the process of mounting Zazzy’s back.

Tidas ran over with an irate expression as he started to yell; “I thought you said that you’d wait?!”

Skye’s face was scrunched with worry as she replied; “Ya heard Zazzy the same as me. So ya ken what she smelled. If there’s somethin’ else out there wit Dark magic, we need ta ken what it is. And Genie will need backup ta handle whatever it is.”

“I’m afraid that you and I alone may not be enough to beat him,” Genie called out from above.

Skye looked up with a confused expression; “I thought that ya went after the assassin?!”

“I did, but I lost him,” Genie replied with a shrug, then added; “At least I lost his magic trail. His scent trail, however, circled back.”

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As the Senators started to act like a flock of spooked sheep, Skye yelled back; “Do ya think he’s here fer another target?!”

Genie shook his head; “No, not to kill, anyway.. Do you not know who that was?”

As Skye shook her head in the negative, Genie replied with a leery look on his face; “It was Ahriman.. He’s here in Sai.”