After completing an inspection of the walls surrounding the Artor Valley, Leon returned to his villa to relax and spend some time with his family. He was accompanied only by Anzu and a handful of Tempest Knights, and the latter simply joined the force already guarding the villa upon his arrival.
Leon wasn’t sure what he was expecting to find when he entered the private gardens that were starting to take recognizable shape under Elise’s guidance, but a gathering of ladies surrounding his wives and a strong assault upon his nose was not it. The smell that hit him was so strong, in fact, that he was tempted to transform into his Thunderbird form just to escape it.
Anzu, on the other hand, closed his eyes, raised his nose into the air slightly, and began sniffing in delight.
“Hmmm,” the griffin in human form hummed in thought. A moment later, his eyes snapped open, and he identified, “Cliff peppers.”
“Huh?” Leon grunted.
Anzu turned toward him and grinned. “Cliff peppers. They were found a few months ago growing on some cliffs a few hundred miles to the north. The nature mages must have declared them safe.”
“You sound like you knew they were safe already...”
Anzu’s grin turned sly and slightly embarrassed. “I... may have sampled some a couple weeks ago... They were delicious, though!”
Leon shrugged, replying as he resumed his walk toward the gaggle of giggling ladies, “If you say so.”
“You should try more hot stuff, brother,” Anzu insisted. “Some of the strongest flavors in existence!”
“You’re not selling me on this that well, Anzu,” Leon replied.
As he strode over, he noted that several handmaidens from the Tribes were with his wives, along with two of Maia’s river nymphs, and three of Cassandra’s personal guard. Lana and Alix were also present.
His arrival drew plenty of attention, with Elise in particular glancing up and saying, “You hardly ever eat anything spicy, husband.”
“Can you blame me?” Leon asked as he finally got close enough to lay eyes on what had captivated all of these ladies so.
The gathering was largely arranged in a semi-circle in what would become a large gazebo in the middle of the garden. For the moment, only a circular stone platform marked the place where the gazebo would be raised, while most of the planting beds and fields remained bare while Elise decided what to grow.
In the center of the stone platform, however, was an ornate table surrounded by chaise lounges and sofas, upon which the ladies were seated. His wives were reclining while the other ladies all sat straight.
Upon the large table was a spread of dozens of different kinds of sauces of nearly every color—Leon was particularly disturbed by one sauce that looked purple from certain angles and blue from others. Around the sauces were freshly baked crackers and bread, though the heavenly scent of fresh bread was lost in the heady odors given off by some of the sauces.
“No, I suppose I can’t,” Elise said after exchanging a knowing look with one of her handmaidens, who immediately burst out in a giggling fit.
“It’s your loss,” Valeria stated as she tore off a piece of bread from the nearest loaf and dipped it into a bright red sauce. She brought it up to her lips and, while making direct eye contact with Leon, ate it.
“That’s a little weird,” Leon observed. “Trying to assert something, darling?”
“Val’s just trying to act like a tough bitch,” Cassandra exclaimed as she tossed a cracker at the silver-haired woman.
Still chewing, Valeria’s eyes widened in protest at this apparent betrayal.
After hurriedly swallowing and throwing the cracker back, she claimed, “Nothing’s better than a good spicy sauce!”
“Here here!” Alix shouted in support, and a few of the handmaidens nodded sagely in agreement.
“I like spice, too,” Elise claimed as she dipped a piece of bread into a honey-like golden sauce. “Enough other people like it that spices are valuable.”
Cassandra groaned. “Yeah, but we’re talking about what you like to eat, not sell!”
Elise laughed through her nose as she finished her piece. Then her eyes mischievously narrowed and turned in Leon’s direction. “Why don’t you take a few samples, Leon, and guess which one is our favorite?”
Sensing considerable danger as dozens of female eyes fell upon him, Leon almost made an excuse to leave, but Anzu, practically buzzing with desire to join the sampling, also looked at him, his red eyes wide and gleaming with an unvoiced question.
With a profound sigh, Leon said, “Fine, we’ll join you.”
Anzu raised his arms in triumph and leaped right to the table, settling down next to Alix. The rest of the ladies cheered, though Leon only sauntered over after a couple more seconds.
As he sat, he added, “I’ll not be party to any contests, I’ll have you know.”
“Booo!” Cassandra shouted as she playfully tossed a wheel of bread at him. Leon easily caught it, then tore off a piece.
[It’s also rich in fish!] Maia stated. [And two of these sauces were made from river plants!] She nodded proudly, and Leon grinned, sending her love through their connection.
“So what kind of stories do they tell?” Leon asked.
“Mountains that fly amidst the clouds!” Valeria claimed.
“Haunted forests filled with red lightning,” Elise added.
“An enormous tree that commands the weather!” Cassandra gushed. “Apparently, there’s some legend up in the north, too! That the tree will only blossom for a King of Kings!” Her expression turned sneaky and conspiratorial. “Maybe you should find this tree, darling. Get it to bloom and maybe the cities will bow to you.”
“Maybe...” Leon whispered, thinking that it might at least make for a good adventure to see this tree. However, before he could say anything more, the doors of the villa adjacent to the gardens burst open, and Gaius and Alcander both came running out looking harried.
“Leon!” Gaius shouted. “An ark has emerged from the King’s Ocean and is heading this way!”
Leon’s eyes widened in surprise before he projected his magic senses and confirmed Gaius’ words.
The ark was smooth, looking rather like a whale rather than the sleeker arrowhead designs that the arks of Aeterna favored. It moved sluggishly, though whether that was by choice or by virtue of it simply being damned enormous, larger than any of his carriers, wasn’t clear.
Regardless, Leon knew that a response was necessary. Any trace of levity in his demeanor vanished. It seemed he now had to deal with his neighbors to the south...
---
Leon coldly regarded the man before him, noting the wiry frame beneath his tight, sea-green attire. He was no ordinary messenger given his tenth-tier power and the sheer number of turquoises, sapphires, and amethysts that adorned his clothes, especially with similarly dressed the rest of his three score followers were.
The man had emerged from the oceanic ark and hovered in the air for several minutes before making a declaration that could be heard for dozens of miles. He wanted an audience with the Lord of whatever city was now being built before him.
In short, he wanted to meet with Leon, but his dismissiveness toward their efforts thus far had not won him any goodwill—nor had his arrogant attitude in the two hours since. He refused to so much as lower his head before Leon, and throughout the entire short journey from his ark where it yet hovered to Leon’s portable villa, he’d made many snide comments about the city and how ‘quaint’ it was.
Now he stood before Leon, his nose held so high he was practically looking directly at the ceiling.
“You stand before Leon of House Raime—” Gaius began, but the mage immediately cut him off.
“It is of little consequence who I stand before. The only matter we must discuss is the matter for which I have come.” The mage spoke in an odd accent that trilled his r’s and elongated certain vowels. Leon found it as pompous as the rest of the man.
“Why don’t we start with your name, then?” Gaius suggested as the others in Leon’s throne room started getting agitated. Leon could already tell that more of his people were now glaring at this man than not, and given Anastasios, Eva, and Clear Day were in the room with him, he was rather surprised their tenth-tier visitor was standing so solidly.
“That’s hardly necessary,” the man claimed. Raising his voice, he loudly declared, “I am here at the behest of the mighty Ahndhas Gargan, Lord of the Eternal Waters, Commander of the Tides, and the Ocean King, by the grace of the Great Lord Khosrow! He who stands unmatched beneath the waves has sent me here to inform all of you that you are trespassing upon land that he has long ruled! He commands you to vacate this land! To pull down all you have built, restore this land to its pristine condition, and never befoul his claimed land with your presence again!”
Many of Leon’s followers began to shout and stomp in anger, filling the hall with the raucous sounds of anger. But Leon called for quiet with but a tap of his finger on the arm of his throne. Almost immediately, the hall fell silent, while Leon stared at the envoy, who stared defiantly right back at him.
“The Ocean King commands us to leave?” he growled.
“Upon pain of death,” the envoy smugly added, one of the most punchable grins Leon had ever seen spreading across his face. “Should the Ocean King be forced to handle this matter himself, you, your pathetic city, and all of your dirty planar peasants will be drowned beneath the waves of his anger. Consider the matter well, for there will be no second warning. Leave this land or face the wrath of the Oceans unending.”
The envoy didn’t wait a moment longer, spinning on his heel and walking toward the door amidst the rancor of Leon’s court.
Leon was rather surprised the envoy didn’t even wait for his response. Still, with a quick mental command, several Tempest Knights closed the far doors of the hall while the Jaguar appeared in a flash of blood-red lightning between the envoy and his destination.
“I will provide you my response right now, whoever you are,” Leon said as he rose from his feet and let his vibrant, violent aura spill forth. The air in the hall whipped around him as silver-blue lightning arced up and down his body. The envoy turned, finally looking a little intimidated by this display. “Your King has no authority over this land! Should he do so, I put forth the claim that he is a hypocrite, claiming the title of Ocean King while ignoring the restrictions that Khosrow himself placed upon it! This place is our new home! You are welcome to dispute our claim, if you have the strength!”
Leon’s heart beat in his chest like it was trying to hammer through his ribs. His wrath was towering, and while he was letting his aura rage around him, he kept his killing intent in check. Still, he was rational enough to know what he was saying, and his followers were rational enough to cheer upon the conclusion of his declaration.
“You seek war with the abyssal strength of the Ocean King?!” the envoy cried in shock. “You doom yourself, madman!”
“Ha!” Leon mockingly retorted. “Do you know the difference between madness and brilliance, my honorable and esteemed guest? Victory. Begone from this land! If you are seen here again, I will make you shorter by a head!”
Again, roars of defiance and bloodlust echoed from one corner of the hall to the other, while to a man, Leon’s people loudly expressed their support for him.
How much that was true in their hearts didn’t matter, for they could only display a united front before an aggressor such as this.
“So be it!” the envoy shouted, his voice rising in pitch as he visibly restrained his panic. “You have declared war upon the Ocean King, fool! Be not surprised when the tides come and buries your city in a storm that will shake the Nexus!”
Leon grinned. “I look forward to it.”