The Royal Estate. Farryn.
Fei Jia
It had only been a few days since the opening of Terra Praeta. What would have been reason enough for her to be summoned by the royals? Did they want to use this expedition as a reason to coax her into working with them?
No. That couldn’t be right. Vorthe was too proud and too cunning for that. She had expected it. But it just seemed too easy. She smoothed out her long lavender-colored robes to keep her hands busy.
Vorthe made their own memory crystals — even though they could never meet up with the demands of the transoceanic market. The Fei Clan already had a monopoly on the market. From the free cities of Velmon, West of the continent to the desert tribes across the sea, her family’s connections held strong. And it would be a breach of thousand-year-old contracts for Vorthe to try to take a chunk out of the market. But no. This was something else.
Fei Jia paced slowly around the waiting room to calm her nerves, her mind going back to her daughter who was facing untold danger in Terra Praeta. She sighed. A mother would always be a mother. Billions of years of instincts couldn’t be suppressed completely, especially when it had to do with one’s offspring. As much as she would love to look in control right now, she did not.
She looked around once again, admiring the palace of the Saint Realm expert, Elder Thorlin Vorthe. The room had high ceilings, with gaudy, gold decorations aplenty. Everything in her view was genuine gold.
Fei Jia was no stranger to opulence, but this put a shame to anything she enjoyed in her estate on the eastern corner of Farryn. If she had been born and bred in the Raoz Empire, on the eastern continent, everything before her would be worth a passing glance alone.
“I welcome your presence, honored matriarch,” the Saint spoke from behind her.
Fei Jia whipped around in near panic. “The honor is mine, esteemed Saint,” she said, curtsying in deference as she calmed herself. If there was one custom she was grateful these former barbarians learned and practiced, it was curtsying.
Elder Thorlin Vorthe, however, was truly a Saint in power. He stood before her with not less than six attendants; and she was sure he had brought them all with him through the same means he entered the room — spatial manipulation. That alone was a feat worthy of her respect if nothing else.
Fei Jia reached out her senses to get a sense of the space around her. Nothing. If she could ‘sense’ space, she could reach for it, manipulate it. But as it stood, she was far from ready to wield it.
“Please, please… have a seat.” The Elder gestured as he walked toward a group of sofas arranged near the fireplace.
To his credit, Elder Thorlin Vorthe didn’t seem like someone who looked others down his nose. His white tresses shone in the golden light of the guest room and his long, royal blue robes, muted in colors as they were, added to the ‘ancientness’ of his person.
This man was a relic, Fei Jia felt in the moment. Quite possibly as old as her husband who was a Saint as well. A twinge of wistfulness passed through her as she thought about how her life would be if her Hanu was as young and vibrant as this Saint.
“How are dealings with the Titans? I hope our people are being very supportive?”
“The Titans slumber most of the time, Elder,” she said. “We are well prepared for when next there is a sighting of any one of them near the bay. And the royal team of scholars you lent us have been more than cooperative; going as far as sending three expedition teams to the bottom of the bay.”
That was one thing she liked about the Vorthes. They were proactive in their efforts to keep their empire together — even though they don’t call it that. Her mind wandered to the hindrance preventing Vorthe from establishing itself as a proper empire. What would it be like working directly with them? She shut down the thought, her mind racing quickly to get ahead on the conversation.
“I must applaud you, Elder, on this exemplary feat — bringing not one, not two, but six people with you through spatial manipulation. From what we know, only Transcendents can do that.”
The Elder smiled at her praise, nodding slightly. But he didn’t seem to be affected much by it. So flattery was out of the question then.
The attendants he brought with him, busied themselves preparing tea and pastries.
“I strive to improve on my journey as a sacred artist. But I can’t take credit for it all. And I’m sure even Hanu could pull that off. He is much older than I am after all.”
Fei Jia wouldn’t put it past him to obscure his age. If her husband, Hanu, was older than he was, it just might be by a few centuries.
“That said, how is he these days?” the Elder continued. “I trust he keeps his wits about himself? Vorthe may some day find a permanent solution to the problems our Saints face.”
“May the heavens grant you the wisdom to shed more light on this problem,” Fei Jia said with a slight bow in her seated position. The Elder was playing around his topic of discourse — whatever it was. She had to be careful.
“Hmm,” the Elder said, stroking his beard with a faraway look in his ancient eyes. “We intend to. Our hope may well rest on it.”
That sounded ominous. She glanced at him, taking care to study his expression without drawing his attention to herself. The Elder was a fine man. Laugh lines crinkled his tan skin, but he looked ageless. And his mere presence gave him the bearing of an ancient god.
The attendants came over, carrying trays filled with pastries, a teapot, and two golden chalices. Jia watched as they served both of them from the same teapot. A tray was brought to her and the attendants bowed low before leaving.
Their footfalls on the marble floor ceased when they were but three feet away. That was weird. She could see their dainty slippers hitting the floor but heard nothing, not even the scrape of fabric as they slowly walked away.
She realized that the Elder must have created a sound barrier to keep their discussion private. She shivered slightly. She hadn’t even felt the use of essence, force, or mental energy.
Glancing back at the Elder, only one thought formed in her head. This was not someone she would want to cross!
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“The status of our world limits us,” the Elder said. “Its essence, only so much to go around. There’s much research our scholars can do to help, but an unnamed planet is at a disadvantage; its inhabitants, only truly able to evolve with it. We either transcend it, or die with it.”
Jia gave it some thought. “You put it so simply, it's easier to understand. Yet it stirs up more questions, Elder.”
“We are not without help, though.” The Elder said, focusing his attention on her now. It was so weird being the focus of attention of a Saint and not being weighed down by their power. It was refreshing. But she sensed something coming, something she wouldn’t like.
“Something, or should I say someone, revealed themselves recently. A claw bone was found down south a tenday ago. It was in the hands of an islander from the southern isles.”
The Elder watched her carefully like a hawk. Jia had to bring to memory all her many years of training to withstand the scrutiny of the Saint. She did this daily with her subjects; to have the tables turn on her quite intensely was a bit difficult to get around.
“I assure you, Elder,” she said, voice tight. “Clan Fei has no dealings with the archipelago. They are barbarians — cannibals even — and we are less than enthused at any intention to bring them into our circle, and we never will, because we have no reason to. But a claw bone, Elder. What has this to do with Fei?”
“It’s the claw bone of a dragon.” Jia straightened her back at that. “Aged from what we discovered, and with powerful effects, the likes of which we have never experienced before!”
“Elder, I assure you, the Fei Clan knows nothing of a dragon claw bone in the clutches of the islanders. If it pleases you, we can launch an investigation into this, maybe recover the bone and find out more about where it came from. We will work exclusively with the Royal Family of course. Fei will—”
The Elder raised a hand to stop her from saying more and she snapped her mouth shut.
“They crossed our borders and left devastation in their wake. They made it to Nandene before they were put down like the savage beasts they were. I truly believe that you had nothing to do with this, honored matriarch. But we well know your Clan is but a branch of the entire Fei Clan.”
The Elder was putting her in a tough spot. Fei Jia took a deep shaky breath to calm herself. She had to think fast. Her brethren on the Eastern continent could not have let something as powerful as a dragon claw slip past their borders and neither did she. But the Elder wouldn’t believe that. It was much easier to believe that some faraway empire was seeking to suppress your power than to believe they let something as powerful as a dragon’s claw slip from their grasp.
“I take it the claw is with you now?”
Elder Thorlin nodded.
“And do you truly believe, Elder, that Emperor Raoz would let such a thing slip past his borders?”
“My point exactly. Which is why I believe this was intentional.”
Fei Jia cursed silently. “The Emperor would kill anyone who tried to use even the scale of a dragon to start a political uprising. He has his honor to preserve. Talk more about sending it across the sea. That seems more like an impossibility to me. I know Vorthe has eyes everywhere on the continent. Have there been sightings of strangers?”
“We wouldn’t know their spies if we laid eyes on them. We are not all-knowing, matriarch,” he chuckled.
Fei Jia wanted to doubt that statement. No, she had to doubt it. The Elder may just have let that slip to make her let her guard down and loosen up.
“May I see the bone, Elder?”
“No, you may not.”
And that was the conclusion of that. Vorthe would never let go of such a treasure. But Jia knew she couldn’t stand knowing that one of her people’s treasures was in the hands of Vorthe. She was duty bound to report such an incident to the empire. And what came after could very well doom her.
It was not known who was the more powerful entity of the two Transcendents. Emperor Raoz inherited the legacy of his ancestors, passed down from the very first dragon that settled in the Eastern continent. The dragon’s legacy was a power that rivaled divinity. But the Sovereign of Vorthe had also inherited a power that rivaled divinity.
The Lord of Light was too powerful not to use this claw to his advantage. It was said that such things falling into the hands of one as powerful as a Transcendent would increase the capacity of their skills beyond measure.
But empires didn’t wage war with their emperors, and foot soldiers were plentiful in both lands — from warriors to spies to assassins. And she’d be dead long before war broke out though, as Raoz won’t be understanding enough to let her live.
The Elder stood up, a sign their meeting was coming to a close. “We could still prevent conflict between our peoples, matriarch,” he said, his voice soft and appealing to her senses. “Like I said. We’re committed to finding a solution for our Saints. And your husband is one of them. This claw could go a long way to help in our research,” he paused to let his words sink in, “and it could very well pull us into a senseless war.
“Find out about the claw, and also if there are more out there we should be worried about. The last thing we need is another one of Zatirah’s claws falling into the hands of ignorant men. Vorthe is prudent and wise, and will withhold this information from Raoz as long as you pay us the same courtesy.”
Ah! Of course there’s something they want. “Forgiveness Elder, but how sure are you it belongs to Zatirah,” Jia defended.
“Because of the power it's wielder displayed.” The Elder said nothing about this power — what it was or how intense the level of power was. “She’s the oldest of the dragons in our world, is she not?”
Fei Jia nodded absently as she tried to figure out a way out of this mess. She would owe Vorthe a favor for not reporting this incident to Raoz. But if she reported the incident and it turned out this was a treasure from the empire, all was well. She may well receive accolades for her actions — and more enemies within Raoz’s court. If she reported and the opposite was the case, she could come under the scrutiny of Raoz. The Emperor could call her back home for further investigation. Nothing would sway him from thinking the claw was never a part of the empire’s treasure. Which would mean someone must have stolen it in times past. And her Clan has been in Vorthe for millennia. Who else would the blame come upon?
Jia sighed. Emperor Raoz was well known for uprooting incompetent and ill-disposed elements from his courts. If she ever lost the favor of the Emperor, her enemies would sink their claws into all that she had managed to build.
She made up her mind then and there to take this information to the grave.
She stood up as she said, “I propose we swear an oath, Elder, to make this arrangement concrete. But I must insist that if I be pulled into this by the whim of Vorthe, I want to be compensated accordingly.” Jia’s heart hammered in her chest as she met the Elder’s gaze unflinchingly. She shook visibly where she stood, sweat beading on her brows.
“We will do as you say, matriarch. Vorthe will not let you down. In fact, we are almost certain we might be able to help a Saint in two summers.”
Fei Jia perked up at that, hope blossoming in her chest. She quickly forced herself to calm down, not wanting to show how much the information affected her. “And is there a possibility that…”
“Say no more, matriarch. Your husband will be the Saint we help.”
Jia drew in a deep breath at that. Her muscles locked up as emotion flooded her. After a few breaths she curtsied to the Elder, voice filled with emotion. “I will forever be grateful for this opportunity, Elder.”
Elder Thorlin Vorthe nodded. “We best go prepare for the oath. I say in a fiveday, we meet to harsh out the details?”
“A convenient day, Elder.”
The Elder nodded and vanished. All the attendants except one vanished with him. The remaining attendant led her to the exit.
Five days were good enough to come up with a bargain tight enough that no loopholes could be easily exploited. And it gave her time to gather the essence needed for such a taxing exercise. Swearing an oath became more tedious the more powerful one became.
For now though, she had to meet with her confidant for advice. Vorthe had been wanting to put her under their thumb for a long time. This time they may just have succeeded.