Chapter 57

Chapter 57

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Azrael, Asheara and Shiori all felt a little lost after exiting the throne room among all the naga nobility. The nobles were arguing in a loud voice about the meaning of the Eternal Empress dismissing all of them from the throne room. The arguments only got more intense once the Kenshin and the priestesses guarding the empress also exited the room. One of the priestesses noticed the three of them looking lost, and led them to a room on the side, with a view of the hall where the nobles were gathered. The priestess was the same that had spoken on behalf of the empress, and was simply known as the Voice. Apparently the empress usually didnt even deign to speak out loud with the nobles. Usually she only signaled the Voice, who knew what the signals meant, and then the Voice spoke on the empress behalf.

It seems that the nobles are quite agitated. Im guessing what happened in the throne room isnt common? Azrael asked the priestess.

No it is not. You are among the rare few members of other races to even set foot in the Coral Palace. The Eternal Empress, may she live forever, never meets any of the naga nobles alone, not to even mention the members of other races. The Eternal Empress is treating the one known as Neleh as an equal. That has never happened before. The Voice explained half in thought, obviously also wondering about what was going on behind the closed doors.

Shiori harrumphed. The empress is overestimating herself. Earning a shocked look from the priestess and an alarmed shushing from Asheara. Shiori could see the light produced by the mind of the so called Eternal Empress within the empty space her own mind showed her. Even though that light was larger than any other she had seen before, with the possible exception of the biggest dragons she had seen in JaoeTinukai, it was nothing when compared to the blazing sun of Neleh.

How are the nobles taking it? Azrael asked out of curiosity.

I would imagine they are going to pay extra respect and attention to Neleh once they get over their initial shock and confusion. No one who is treated like this by the Eternal Empress can be anything else but a very important person for the future of the naga. They might not like it, but they will most certainly respect it. The rule of the empress is absolute. The Voice replied simply.

Any idea about what the empress has planned? Asheara asked a little worried.

I would not dare to speculate on the mind of the empress. The only thing I know is that she wanted to have a certain person healed, and had a reason to assume Neleh would be able to fulfill that request. Beyond that, I cant say. The Voice replied.

After talking about the naga politics for a while, Asheara wondered out loud. Should we pay a visit to Kanakos family? I mean we could put in a good word while we are here.

Shiori shook her head. As much as Id like to cause trouble for the girl, I dont think thats a good idea. Shes in Rhianon for a reason, and drawing notice to her could cause major parties to focus their attention on her. I doubt she would handle that well. I have my doubts about her, but until I have some proof Id like to avoid destroying her life.

Not long after they were all invited back into the throne room. Neleh and the empress had spent quite a bit of time alone.

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Neleh had expected the answer the empress gave her, but it still made her apprehensive. She had considered the possibility of children, and pretty much given up on the idea for the foreseeable future. She most certainly didnt expect to father any children. She wasnt against the idea in theory, but being the sire of a new start to a race might come with a fair bit of trouble later on. She most certainly had no desire to start parenting a clutch of Kirin.

Lets say that Im not against the idea so far. What exactly are you expecting from me? Im assuming you realize that even if I give my agreement, I wont be able to fulfill my part for several years, maybe even a decade? Neleh asked, testing the waters.

This much is obvious. Not having reached maturity, such a large shapeshift would be near impossible even for you. We have waited for millennia without hope, so few more years to save our race is nothing but a blink of the eye. What we expect is for you to mate with the remaining Kirin that can still wake up. We will lay the eggs and check the genders of the hatchlings inside. If there are male Kirin among them, then you have done the minimum required, although we would hope for more than one birthing to give our young a better chance of carrying on the race. We do not expect you to parent them, as you would most likely not even make for a suitable parent for Kirin. The empress gave a small smile.

About twelve, open only long enough for one or two beings to come through. Its hard to tell exactly while at the bottom of the ocean, but Id say they were spread quite evenly across the continents. At least one opened on the elven continent and one on the island chains near us. I would guess its the first of the Harbingers. They are most likely here to sow chaos and find agents to work for them among the populace of this world. Neleh made an educated guess.

Harbingers already? Does that mean that the forces of the enemy are not far behind? As if we dont have enough trouble and chaos without their help. Elune worried.

I doubt it. My guess would be that they noticed that this world is particularly vulnerable to the effects of the Harbingers, so they sent them in early to do as much damage as possible. When you consider the current unrest and the effects of the Consortium, this world is ripe for their influence. This might actually be a good thing. If the lost-deities think this world is easily influenced by the Harbingers, then they might not send the strongest factions against us in the future. It will be a balancing act though. We cant leave them to do their work freely, but if I start hunting them too overtly, then we will draw the eye of the lost-deities. Neleh mused.

Well, we always knew this wouldnt be easy. Will you go after the ones closest to us? It would be bad if they came among the naga and spoiled what you just accomplished. Can you even find them? The goddess asked.

For the next week or two, easily. A forceful transfer like that leaves a mark on the ones being transferred. It will be harder after that though, once the traces disappear. Then it depends on the form and skill of the beings that came through. And I suppose I should deal with those that thought it wise to appear so close to us. We should bid our goodbyes to the naga tomorrow. I wouldve liked to stay longer, but I can always leave a doorway behind. Neleh decided.

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The ceremony was kept simple as they were leaving, mostly due to Nelehs request. They had partied enough the previous evening. She had requested that the others be transported back to Bluepearl the same way they came, while she would make a small trip to the islands where the gateways had opened. The empress had immediately understood when Neleh had sent the message during the night. In fact the empress had expected it, since it had to do with the other minor favor she was planning for Neleh.

As they were leaving, the empress contacted Neleh through the bracelet. Time for me to do the other favor. Once you have dealt with the ones that came through the gateway, you should take the chance to help a fleet of human vessels that are in trouble near the islands you are traveling to. I think youll find that saving the people on those vessels will be beneficial to you in the future. There was some odd mirth in the empress voice when she gave the hint.

Im sensing theres something special about these particular humans. Does this by chance have anything to do with the earlier hint about finding some humans proficient with spirit magic? Neleh asked dubiously. There was something else weird about these vessels, she could sense it in the nagas voice.

Among other things. Have fun. The empress laughed and cut the connection.

Im not so sure Im too happy with this favor. I might have to ask for another one later on. Neleh grumbled to herself.

Azrael, Asheara and Shiori were not too happy with Nelehs decision to separate from them, but they couldnt travel underwater at high speeds like Neleh could, and it wouldve been too suspicious to take a doorway back to home. The empress finding about the Nexus was one thing, but even the more incompetent naga nobility would figure something was wrong, if they didnt need transportation back to Bluepearl. After they exited the Coral Palace grounds and Neleh saw the others off with the weird ship, she flew up towards the surface as if shot from a cannon. She had adopted the form of the Seraph again, and thankfully her wings of holy fire were not susceptible to water thanks to the inclusion of the holy element. A seraph didnt actually fly according to the normal laws of physics, and had the ability of a sort of magical three-dimensional movement instead. As a result, the water didnt much affect her speed. To further help her movement, Neleh formed a globe of air around herself, which even kept her dry during the journey.

Once she reached the surface and started closing in on the islands, she spread her senses out trying to find the telltale feeling of the magic that had transferred the Harbingers here. She found the two enemies fairly easily and started monitoring them from a distance. The two looked surprisingly human, most likely due to assuming the shape of those that lived on the islands. The two were also alone in an area with no one else around. The good thing was that she could fight them without collateral damage. The bad thing was that she had no way to gauge their strength and they would be able to sense her approach if she got closer.

It would be very handy if she had that blessing of Loki, since the concealment abilities would come in handy right about now. Concealment was not really her specialty, although she wasnt bad at it either. But she had no idea of the capabilities of her enemies, and she would rather they didnt get the chance to send a message to the others. So if she couldnt assassinate them close up, then how about long range sniping? From this range, they would not be able to sense her forming the spell, and she might catch them by surprise, but again she had no idea of their capabilities, so she would have to be serious in her attack to make sure it would work from this distance.

After a small moment of thought Neleh decided to use one of her most powerful long range attacks. She gathered her power and burst it towards the enemy in a straight line. Gravity cannon. She mumbled the activation key to the spell.

The sea split in a straight line from Neleh towards the two enemies forming a tunnel that reached the two, and continued a little beyond the small cape. The two creatures felt alarmed as their bodies started to float upwards and they hurriedly raised their magical protections and looked towards where Neleh cast the spell from. They didnt even have the chance to turn their heads completely before they were engulfed by a stream of blue energy. The energy was filled with competing gravity fields far beyond the ability of any humanoids to handle, and the two were torn to shreds before they even knew what had happened. There was a clear U-shaped hole in the cape, as the water rushed to fill both the hole and the tunnel Nelehs power had formed earlier.

Well that was easier than I thought. Did they only send small-fry this time? The Harbingers arent known for their combat abilities, but for their ability to control and influence others. Neleh mused to herself with a frown. Oh well, saves me time if they make it easy. Now where are those pesky humans the Eternal Empress mentioned?