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I slowed my craft as I approached the Fairy King’s Castle and turned to enter a circular path around it. Naturally, I had already attracted an additional patrol, but I left it to Tamerà to sort matters out with them.
Instead, I called up my memory of Oberon’s spiritual aura and sent a message to his mind.
Your Majesty, I have returned. I must speak with Mother before I head North. May I set this craft down on the lawn north of the Castle?
Only a few seconds elapsed before I felt the Fairy King’s reply. He sounded amused.
So you’ve remembered how to use this style of communication? I hope you’re gentle with the younger fairies when you use it.
I remember Áne’s difficulty while facing me and knew what he meant, but Tamerà had not seemed too pressured when I spoke to her, so I felt I was probably gentle enough.
And my request?
It really should go to Tenre, but I’ll allow it, he responded. I’ll let her know. However, Little Deharè left for Pendor last night.
I winced. Then I replied, I still need to put the craft down. I can fly to Pendor to catch her much faster than this craft can fly.
It would be better to contact her from here, he suggested. I’ll have the maids bring you to me.
As I set the craft down, I grew puzzled. Hadn’t he said before that it was almost impossible to contact Mother long distance?
My landing was, of course, far better than my first attempt. I don’t want to say exactly how many landings I had been forced to make during Dilorè’s ‘flight school’, but I was pretty well-versed at it now. I shut the craft down, put on my sword, and headed to the hatch.
On my way, I called for Sirth’s friends, then brushed Lucy’s pouch.
“Lucy, could you come out, please?”
“Out!” she declared almost instantly. I was walking at the moment, so she fell into formation with me, flying just off my left shoulder.
I smiled, then asked, “I called a few wind spirits to me. Could you ask them what they would like to receive in return for staying with this boat for a while?”
Lucy seemed puzzled, but Durandal chimed in, I’ll explain it to her. You want them to guard and let you know if anyone trespasses?
Actually, I would like a longer term, I answered. I want them to stay with me for a trip up North and back.
Understood, he replied.
I could sense the communication happening this time. Just as when Sirth sent her shapes and emotions to her spirit friends, it wasn’t a communication in words, but it was a sort of language of its own kind. Sort of like an extremely distilled, condensed version of the ‘communication’ that is interpretive dance or body language, raised to the level of transmitting complex thoughts.
The vague familiarity I personally had with it wasn’t from Sirth, though. I recognized it as the communication of Immortals. Adult Xa-Ne speech was also this, except interwoven with the oral communication of juvenile speech.
For me, right now, it was just beyond my ability to comprehend it. I would need several years of study. But even mortals with the skill other mortals called ‘Spirit Magic’ could learn it eventually. After all, ‘Spirit Magic’ was nothing more than the ability to communicate with them.
As I descended the little set of steps from the hatch to the ground, Durandal came back to me. They have agreed, My Lady. They will speak to you through Lucy, normally. They want Healing mana in return, naturally.
Did you tell them I could pay with that? I wondered as I shut the hatch behind me.
They already knew. You seem to have become quite famous among spirits, My Lady.
Can you handle channeling it to them? I asked. I’ve watched and tried to learn what you are doing, but I don’t think I quite get it, yet.
Now that I was clear of the fans, I grew my wings and flew the short distance across the moat and halfway up the hill to the nearest public entrance.
I am your sword, My Lady, was his rather courtly reply. I don’t know if he was trying to be ironic, but I giggled slightly at it.
I did watch, and thought I might be able to manage it next time, but I would probably have him handle the transactions a few more times to make sure.
The place where the maids led me was the absolute opposite of the sunny terrace of the prior day. Today we met in a little dining nook near the ‘private chamber’ behind his throne, deep in the heart of the Castle. Like the ‘private chamber’, it was actually a little clearing in the woods, with a canopy made of interwoven branches sheltering a low table and sitting cushions. He was wearing his antler crown and other regalia, because he was taking tea before holding an audience.
I sat in seiza across from him and received a cup of green tea and a plate with red bean cakes.
“Is it a special occasion?” I wondered. Audiences in the Fairy King’s Castle were actually fairly infrequent affairs. More than likely, the one where he met me in royal audience, on my first visit a bit over a month prior to this, had been the previous occurence.
His mouth quirked, then he nodded. “You could call it that. I’m going to welcome an old acquaintance and his wife as a guest of the Castle. Although in practical terms, they remain prisoners for now.”
An old acquaintance and his wife, who were prisoners…
“Lâsin and Mára?” I guessed.
I have to confess, the thought that they would be coming to the Castle had me instantly a bit nervous. I had fought a terrible battle with her, then followed it a short time later with an encounter with him. I was probably quite a bit stronger now, but I doubted I had opened up much of a lead over her, and considering I had faced him only after he had already been beaten up by Oberon… I didn’t know if Durandal and I were a match for him now.
Oberon nodded. “I’m allowing them out on their own recognizance, restricted to the castle grounds. Morrígan has placed special restraints on them, so they can work here while assisting my people. She doesn’t want Castle staffers cluttering up her palace grounds.”
Noticing my discomfort, he smiled.
“I’m not suggesting that you meet with them. It’s a coincidence that you showed up with this timing.”
“To be frank, I prefer not to,” I admitted. “That woman may not care to see me, anyway.”
He twisted his mouth and scratched his neck, then nodded. “It may indeed be too soon. But she might be in a mood to apologize eventually, Mother. Don’t avoid her forever.”
Withholding the comment I wanted to make about being called ‘Mother’ again, I nodded and promised, “I’ll give her the chance eventually.”
Although, first I wanted to know how much of her attitude had been the creature inside her brain, and how much had been herself. And what exactly that thing had done to her. Demons normally can’t control a person, just twist what’s already there.
As a maid appeared at this moment, carrying a crystal ball and stand to the table, Oberon explained, “We’ve set up a hotline with Narses, for the duration of the crisis.”
Narses is Mother’s capital city. My one and only visit to it was the train change on our trip from Anto to Oseri. I was shuffled over to Oberon’s side of the table by the other two maids in the room while the first maid set things up.
She bowed deeply and withdrew, gesturing for the other two to follow her. Once the ‘room’ was empty, Oberon made a gesture and a holographic image formed in the air above it. A beautiful woman with pastel blue hair, probably one-fourth life-size, bowed to the King.
“Cili marcorhe raenneverná Laganydd söanmiloëo (this humble servant greets His Majesty.)” she stated smoothly, then switched to Dorian to add, “Her Grace is awaiting your call.”
She nodded ‘off-camera’ to someone, then her image slid to the left and disappeared, and Mother slid in from the right to replace her. The operator on the other end had just rotated the crystal ball sending us this image.
I recognized the subtle dance of protocol the moment the first woman, probably Mother’s diplomatic aide, showed up. Oberon is royalty, but a duke in Orestania is also considered royalty, so Mother could not allow herself to be treated as inferior to anyone except her own liege lord, Owen. Thus, she couldn’t appear to be left waiting for Oberon to have time to answer the call.
The solution was to have a subordinate wait. Probably, the maid had contacted my mother’s subordinate, and they had coordinated to have the two ‘come to the call’ at the same moment. In reality, Mother had been standing by, waiting on Oberon, but at least she wasn’t the one who appeared to be waiting. Appearance is everything.
“Lagan, Tiana-innan, ëí onar lâ,” she stated warmly.
We responded in kind, then Oberon looked at me and noted, still speaking Fairy, “As the matter is confidential, shall I leave the room?”
Part of me was instantly horrified at the thought of sending the Fairy King out of the room. Exactly how arrogant would that be? But it didn’t matter, because it was fine for him to stay.
I shook my head. “No, Your Majesty. It would be good for you to hear, in case you can lend any advice. Mother, on your end, is there anyone listening?”
She looked slightly off-camera, then stated, switching to Dorian, “Please retire to the waiting chamber, Lyria.”
After a bit, she nodded to me, switching back to Fairy to say, “We are alone now, and I have cast [Realm of Silence].”
I spent the next several minutes going over what Gaia had told me, covering the matter of the heroic destiny, and then stressing the part about why the demons had targeted Amelia.
“I believe there are also important details that she didn’t tell me,” I concluded, “since she stressed that you needed to consult Princess Tenre. She feels that you need a better understanding of how they could sabotage Ryuu or worse if they had control of Amelia.”
Mother nodded. “I shall certainly have a long talk with Esteemed Sister about this. But how about you, Tiana? I doubt you are simply going to deliver this message and then go about your own business. I know how you feel about Amelia.”
“I’m going to Dausindiu immediately,” I stated firmly. “I plan to keep her safe at my place.”
She frowned, then stated, “Tiana, you have both a responsibility and a legal duty to get my husband’s permission before you do that.”
The brash declaration that I first had to protect Amelia died in my mouth as I realized Mother was right. Above being my foster sister, she was the First Princess of a major nation. If the King said she would go to Dausindiu, I couldn’t just show up and take her somewhere else.
“So, Uncle Owen is still in Thuriben, right?” I fretted. So far away…
“Actually, he finished handing off command of the Hamagaar front to Prince Gerald yesterday and returned to Atius to deal with Parna’s rebellion,” she answered.
“So I need to go to Atius…”
“Actually, I’m going to recommend you go to Thuriben,” she countered, her lips curling up slightly.
I blinked. “Huh?”
“The Royal Mages have set up a command network between Atius, Thuriben and Pendor,” she stated. “We’re speaking by viewing glass every day now. I shall discuss Amelia’s matter with my husband. In the meantime, you should go handle a matter that has just come up in Cara Ita. I’ll let him know that I sent you there.”
A slight feeling of annoyance crept into my thoughts, which I fought back. “Mother, you’re sending me on another errand? I have my own matters to attend to.”
She smiled. “Which is why I’m recommending this. The situation in Cara Ita is related to you, after all.”
