Chapter 178: Whitefall XXXIII

Chapter 178: Whitefall XXXIII

In the beginning, there was only Elphion.

One god, a being of infinite power and capability, existing on the stage of the infinite cosmos.

Entirely alone.

In his loneliness, or perhaps, boredom, he created other, lesser gods in his own image, carving off pieces of himself to give them mind and presence. At first, his creations were simple reflections of himself, the only true difference between the creator and created that they held only a fraction of his power. These new divinities provided companionship and soothed the creator gods lonesome existence.

It was not enough.

After a time, Elphion grew displeased with his creations, with the way they bowed and scraped to his every whim, accepted his sentiments and commands without question. He did not know why they failed to satisfy him, only that their presence no longer provided the comfort it once had.

So Elphion began anew, splitting his essence once more, giving birth to a fresh wave of gods. He altered them, bestowing each with unique aspects, altering their minds and souls, until each of these new creations spoke with their own voice, thought with their own mind. The new gods were fractious. They stoked rivalries and forged alliances within their ranks.

Conflict was born.

And, although the new gods still revered Elphion, they developed their own agendas, their own passions and pleasures. The creator god found these defiant, unruly deities far more compelling than their elder counterparts and favored them openly.

The original gods, the simple reflections of Elphion himself, seethed at the new gods vaunted status. Over centuries, they grew bitter, conspiring among themselves. Eventually their bitterness grew uncontainable, and they lashed out as one, slaying Sarephel, the Luminous BeaconElphions favorite.

The creator gods retribution was swift and righteous.

Once the older gods treachery was discovered, he smote them, strangling the spark of divinity from their miasmatic souls, stripping each of their power. But not before he granted them the individuality they so clearly coveted.

Vexul, the Festered Sire

Erebite, the Voidspawn

Threxian, Purulent-Heart

The worst of them all, the god who dealt the killing blow to Elphions treasured favorite, was dubbed Zephrion, the Debaser.

When it was finished, Elphion could not bring himself to kill them, as he had made them in his own image. Instead, he cast them down into the firmament, powerless, broken, and forgotten. And just as the new gods formed the divine pantheon above, the elder gods formed one below.

***

The fact that Id heard it before didnt make the story any more pleasant.

Vogrin was cagey with the details, but I could glean the basics. Supposedly, Vexul had attempted to restore himself with a similar pattern hundreds of years ago, when the settlement built upon his resting place grew into a populated town that continually expanded. He called on creatures from a nearby plane and bent them to his will, using them to abduct primitive magicians from the city. And once they were in his grasp, Zephrion consumed them, biding his time until the minuscule amounts of mana he harvested became enough to serve as fuel.

The only thing that stopped him was the interference of one of the divine.

Considering that Id lived to adulthood in my previous life without so much as a whisper about the unexpected rise of an abyssal god anywhere, let alone in Whitefall, I should have been relatively unbothered by Vogrins concerns.

But seeing Vogrins fear of the abyssals alone, hearing the way he talked about them, was significant enough to get under my skin.

I sent Vogrin to look in on Annette.

After that, we returned to my rooms in silent contemplation. There was a light beneath the conjoining door, indicating that Eckor was through with his work and had returned. I sat back on the plush cushion of the couch and spread out, body aching as I processed the events of the day.

Alten paced, his expression grim. From the looks of it, I wasnt the only one disturbed by Vogrins theory.

Any detail from your visions that might make sense of this? he asked, staring a hole in the ground as he paced.

None whatsoever, I sighed. Havent had one of the more immediate visions for a while, but theres nothing long term that supports it. More the opposite.

But you dont always get them.

Correct. I frowned. And if theres any truth to it, something is very wrong. Other than my initial encounter with Thoth, the events that changed significantly could all be at least tenuously connected to the changes Id put into motion. I rubbed at my face. Lets just take Vogrins advice not to get sidetracked. Well hit the library again in the morning, see if we can find anything of note.

When I dropped my hands Alten had stopped pacing directly in front of me. His posture had changed, weight entirely shifted onto his back foot. A subtle shift that felt vaguely threatening. He scratched his chin with his palm in an up-down motion, his thumb extending upwards, pointing up and behind me, toward the ceiling. You know. All this. Getting involved with royal business? Its starting to feel like a mistake.

She smiled, blood showing on her teeth, then ripped free of Altens grasp and lunged toward me.

Before I could blink, Alten had recovered, yanking her back by her hair and slamming her skull into the marbled ground. She went limp, utterly immobile. He checked her pulse first, then pulled her eyelids back. Out cold, he concluded.

Good. I sat back, leaning against the couch. The encounter had rattled me more than usual, considering the last time I was in my rooms and suddenly attacked by an elf with a knife. And well played. Got your signal but wasnt sure theyd buy our little drama. Best I could come up with in short order.

Alten shivered. Hells, you half-convinced me.

I put a hand to my temple, annoyed at my own short-sightedness. If Alten were less capable and this happened on a night I was too distracted to pick up on it, this series of events could have ended badly. We need a non-verbal communication method. Something faster and less one-sided than my using magic to bend your ear.

Guessing you didnt do that on the off chance she was a mage? Alten opened my closet door and rummaged around until he found a belt, binding the drephins arms behind her back.

I nodded. As far as spells go, its subtle, but if she knows her way around magic and was watching us closely, there was a chance shed pick up on it.

Alten snorted. Smart. Paranoid. But smart. He glanced down at the bound body. Well, what now? Grab the real guards and send her off for a reunion with uncle?

That was the question. I frowned. Given their well-earned reputation, I would hesitate to send anyone to the Whitefall dungeons. Given her skillset, however, there really wasnt a better option.

But something the woman said stuck firmly in my mind.

That was the first place I looked.

Alten I said slowly, still working through it. What if shes right?

What? About her kin just up and vanishing out of the dungeons? Alten asked, raising an eyebrow. Not likely.

Maybe. But what have we been doing for the last few hours?

I waited, as he connected the dots between the nonhuman disappearances, and an allegedly absent elf in the dungeons.

Oh. Shit. Alten stared down at her, then back at me. Not possible. There isnt a monster in the Everwood that ballsy.

Probably not. But if they are, and we send her to the same place her uncle disappeared from, theres a good chance she disappears before we get anything useful. I paused, finally coming to a decision. If we can get her to the emissarys quarters, Maya can keep her unconscious until we have a chance to check her story.

We went to work, tidying the room first so Eckor didnt immediately sound the alarm when he returned, then placing the elf on a blanket. The castle wasnt terribly active this late at night, but there were still plenty of people going about their business. And while no one in the castle beyond my parents would necessarily stop me if they witnessed me openly hauling a body through the halls, the resulting rumors would follow me to the very ends of the earth.

There was a loud bang at the door, followed by two more impacts.

Altens hand went to his sword. More drephin? Or someone sticking their nose in.

I sighed. Neither. And walked to the door. There was only one person I knew who knocked in this manner, as if whoever placed the door in her way had dealt her a grave insult.

I opened the door a crack. A girl with a long golden braid and a down-turned mouth stared back at me. We need to talk.

And we will, I said, trying to strain the irritation from my voice. Tomorrow, when Ive slept

Sera pushed past me, and strode into my rooms. Glad you could find the time, baby brother She stopped short at the sight of Alten. Hed reacted quickly and covered the elfs head before Sera spotted them, but in his haste, the entire blanket had shifted, leaving the elfs immobile dark boots sticking out from the bottom of the blanket.

Her jaw worked. Thats a body.

Yes. There was no point in denying it.

A womans body.

Two for two.

Sera slowly turned back to me. Let me guess. Its not what it looks like?

Of all the ways Id imagined breaking through the thick layer of frigid ice that separated me from my older sister, this wasnt one of them.

Its really, really not.