Side Story 155.2 - The High Council

Side Story 155.2 - The High Council

General Rippotis let out a hum as he rubbed his beard. Before him stood a woven basket, placed upside down with a small hole at the bottom.

“So the bees like to live in these...skeps?”

He looked up at several women in thick clothes standing before him. One of them nodded.

“Yes, High Councilor.”

He shook his head.

“It’s general.”

The woman jumped and immediately bowed her entire body.

“M-My apologies!”

General Rippotis just raised his hand.

“It’s fine. You aren’t from around here so I did not expect you to know. But, back to the bees...how then do you retrieve the honey?”

The first woman held her tongue after being corrected, so another spoke up instead.

“We use fire, sulfur if possible, to smoke the bees out, then break apart the hive...General, sir.”

General Rippotis frowned.

“That would kill them, wouldn’t it?”

The woman nodded.

“Yes, generally.”

General Rippotis crossed his arms and hummed again. The women glanced at once another.

“G-General, is there a problem?”

He nodded.

“There is. It is important for my purpose that the bees survive, and that they are happy. Neither of those things will be true if we kill them.”

One of the women titled her head.

“Happy, General?”

He nodded.

“Yes.”

Worst came to worst, he could just make the skeps and then just not gather from them, but that felt quite passive for a mission from the gods. The women glanced at one another once again. But before any of them could speak, a soldier marched into the room and saluted.

“General, you have message from the High Council.”

General Rippotis nodded.

“Leave it on my desk, I’ll get to it.”

The soldier shook his head.

“I’m sorry, sir, but it appears to be a priority summon. The entire High Council is gathering.”

General Rippotis took a deep breath, and then shook his head.

“Very well, prepare my mount.”

The soldier saluted one more.

“Yes, sir!”

General Rippotis took one more look at the skep and then nodded. Perhaps a short break would be for the best. He turned to the gathered apiarists.

“I must depart for now, we will resume when I return. If you can think of a way to preserve the hives in that time, I would be most grateful.”

With that, he set off, leaving the apiarists exchanging hushed whispers to each other.

General Rippotis flew over the mountains on the back of a red dragon, arriving at the tallest peak. A tower shone there, the light at its peak a second sun during the day and a bright star in the night. White banners draped down the sides adorned with a bright yellow star. General Rippotis made a small smile. It had been a while since he last visited.

The Tower had several platforms opening out to the air on its sides. General Rippotis landed on one of these and dismounted. Before he even climbed down, he saw a woman approach, dressed in simple white robes and a golden tiara. A woman who barely seemed three decades old, though the wisdom in her eyes hinted at a considerably longer life. She gave him a warm smile.

“General Rippotis, thank you for coming.”

General Rippotis returned her smile even as he shook his head.

“No thanks are necessary, Oracle Heigiosa. Even were it not my duty, I would always come should you call.”

Her smile grew slightly as she shook her head in turn.

“And that is why I shall always thank you.”

The two walked along in companionable silence, both their subordinates giving the pair room. General Rippotis basked in her company for as long as he would permit himself before breaking the silence.

“So, what is this about?”

Heigiosa frowned.

“Apparently, the lost one has been found.”

General Rippotis raised an eyebrow.

“The Tower we missed?”

The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.

Heigiosa slowly nodded. General Rippotis frowned.

“It seems clear to me that the gods are at work here.”

High Councilor Konilias narrowed his eyes.

“What exactly does she mean?”

General Rippotis shrugged.

“I received a mission from the gods that delayed my departure for the Grand Subjugation, possibly from a previously unknown god. It seemed unrelated to this matter but...the timing is highly coincidental.”

High Councilor Konilias grunted.

“Hm, I had wondered why you had not run off again.”

High Councilor Heigiosa turned to look at the other members of the High Council.

“I have not received any specific instructions myself, however. Has anyone besides General Rippotis heard from any of the Oracles, or received any unusual missions from the gods?”

The High Councilors turned thoughtful, but one by one they shook their heads. High Councilor Heigiosa rubbed her chin.

“So, it is up to us to decipher their will. Still, given the circumstances, I feel that something important is going on here. We should not leave this matter be.”

One of the other High Councilors, a fashionably dressed woman, tilted her head.

“Could it be that they are helping us locate the lost tower?”

Another High Councilor, a man in simple robes like Heigiosa’s, shook his head.

“Not every Tower is placed within our reach. If the gods saw fit to keep one from us, they would not feel the need to help us find it.”

The woman councilor frowned.

“But...they did not keep it from us? We failed to bind one that was, did we not? That’s a failure of our entire mandate, is it not?”

She gave a pointed look to the Lord Starami, who managed to keep his face expressionless. Lord Konilias cleared his throat.

“In any case, whether the gods have spoken or not we have already decided upon a Grand Subjugation. Is there any reason why we should not advance in the direction of this Tower?”

A man in armor next to General Rippotis saluted.

“Just say the word and I will lead my army forth.”

But Lord Konilias glanced at another High Councilor, a fashionably dressed man. The man cleared his throat.

“Lord Starami was the one responsible for this affair, and I was the one responsible for him. He shall lead the mission to seek the gods’ will, and I shall arrange the campaign necessary for him to do so.”

The well-dressed man and the armored man locked eyes. High Councilor Heigiosa glanced at General Rippotis, but he just shook his head. She turned to Lord Starami.

“What of your son? He has already arrived at the location, has he passed back any further messages?”

Lord Starami frowned.

“My son...is likely dead. The failsafe broke the signal a day after we received it.”

High Councilor Heigiosa frowned.

“That is most concerning.”

She closed her eyes for a moment before letting out a sigh.

“Very well. High Councilor Stadvolous shall arrange for the Grand Subjugation to move in the direction indicated. However, please take care if and when you approach the location in question. The will of the gods is not always obvious and it would not do for us to move hastily, particularly considering that our first arrival there has not ended well. In that vein, please provide us with regular updates on your progress. In the meantime, we all should pay extra attention to the oracles and to any missions we receive from the gods.”

Lord Starami bowed his head.

“As the High Council wishes.”

After the meeting, General Rippotis and High Councilor Heigiosa walked together once more. High Councilor Heigiosa’s face was scrunched up, causing General Rippotis to frown as well.

“Something troubles you?”

Heigiosa sighed.

“It is unusual for the gods to get involved this directly. Even we have never received such a specific location, even back when the fate of the world was at stake, so I feel this must be a matter of great importance to them. And yet, they have not spoken to us or to any of their oracles on the matter.”

General Rippotis’s frown grew.

“That’s true.”

The two stood in silence for a moment, lost in their own thoughts. Eventually, Heigiosa shook her head.

“The only thing I can think of is the mission you received. Please, General, approach it with all the care and determination you always display. I fear it may be more important than we realize.”

He saluted to her.

“I would do so were it not important at all. We owe the gods as much.”

Heigiosa nodded.

“We do indeed. If I may ask and if you are permitted to share...what is your current mission? And who is this new god that issued it?”

General Rippotis could not help but make a bemused smile.

“Well...it’s bees.”

Heigiosa paused and blinked a few times before tilting her head.

“Bees?”

General Rippotis nodded.

“Bees.”