“It’s curious really, you said before there was no way out, but here we are outside the room and in a location you claimed didn’t exist in your records. Now you want me to believe that if I open this door, I’ll find only a meeting room likely to be occupied by the Raven King himself?”
The tablet gave a mechanical chirp as it said, “I can provide no confirmation or denial regarding the whereabouts of the Raven King as I do not know his current location. This is however, a room he frequently uses for intimate meetings.”
It was a simple answer and more straightforward than the tablet’s previous lies, but Talent found the statement unconvincing. Even setting aside the fact the tablet would never disclose the location of the Raven King, this section of The Nest was entirely too simplistic for someone like the Raven King. Talent had already met him once and there was no question that the man demanded flare and flourish from every aspect of his surroundings.
This hall with its sterile white walls and monotone design was lacking both flair and flourish. It was a nice change of scenery from Talents room, but this place was nothing like what he expected to find near the Raven King.
Talent reached out and slowly turned the door handle as he asked, “Is there anything else I should know before I open this door?”
The tablet was silent for a moment as it paused then said, “If you should encounter the king, please drop me immediately. I do not wish to be destroyed.”
Talent tilted his head as he opened the door, what an odd request he thought. As he stepped inside he asked, “Why do you want to protect yourself from him?”
“Ordinarily I would not need to, however under the circumstances it’s likely you will be immediately—”
Talent dropped the tablet as he jumped back from the thrusted point of a sword. Looking up the blade, his eyes met with a fierce beauty. Her long hair curled around her face, half covering it. The one eye he could see was glowing with magic as a fireball emerged from her blade and spreed towards Talent. There wasn’t time or space to dodge, and his mind whirred with noise as he tried to conjure a barrier.
A thin translucent film coalesced around him, but the fire ball slammed through it without losing much intensity. He spun away, colliding with the wall and wincing as burning pain nipped at his chest and shoulder. He quickly extinguished the flames and sent mana through his body to accelerate his healing.
He glanced up at his attacker and felt his blood run cold. She was the same woman who’d opened the door for him. Her high cheekbones and large eyes gave her an almost childlike appearance, but Talent could tell she was strong and deadly. She placed the point of her weapon against his throat and asked, “What are you doing out of your room?”
Talent looked down at the blade, remaining silent and still as its point pressed against his neck.
She pressed the blade forward until it drew blood, her eye narrowed and her brow raised in curiosity as she waited for a response.
“Ivy, there is no need for this aggression.” A new voice came from behind the woman, commanding yet calm and almost soothing.
Ivy glared at Talent a moment longer before removing the blade and turning to face the owner of the voice. As she bowed in reverence she said, “My apologies. How would you like me to handle this wanderer?”
Talent watched the exchange with intense curiosity. He wasn’t sure what was going on between the two and didn't quite understand why she needed approval from another. He surmised she was being subservient in some way, but given the appearance of the man, Talent didn’t believe it was the Raven King.
His hair was long, silver, and wavy. He had a scar beneath his left eye which was green and his right eye was purple. As the man tilted his head slightly left both eyes appeared to be a bluish color. Talent thought it was the reflection of some light.
His skin was fair and smooth with the barest hint of olive undertones. His fingers were long and slender, as he placed one hand on Ivy's shoulder, as if comforting her, and the other at his hip. “You’re welcome to the prize you seek. I’ll permit an admittance test for him, however you’ll need to convince the other princes and if he should fail…”
She nodded. “I know, but he won’t. I’m certain.”
Talent continued to listen in confusion as the pair spoke. He wasn't sure what they were discussing or what an admittance test was, but he had no desire to be tested by anyone. Ivy spun round, her hostile gaze landing on Talent as he tried to appear harmless, not that he posed any actual threat. He had no diato and for all his mystic mastery, he couldn’t focus well enough in actual combat to pose a threat against a blade mage with her talents.
As she moved towards him, Talent glanced down at the floor, looking for the tablet that lead him here. The device was completely out of reach so he could only glower at it as he silently cursed his stupidity for thinking he could outsmart the machine.
Ivy followed his eyes then squatted down to pick up the tablet. She offered Talent a sly smile as she turned it over in her hands and said, “Outside this nest your name is feared, your power limitless and your authority unchallenged. That however changes nothing here. In this place, we call you the impotent lord. You’re a lost little lamb in a den of wolves, so be careful.”
Talent remained silent as Ivy spoke, focusing his efforts on maintaining a placid expression. Her words cut him deeper than her sword ever would, but he could not show her that. He had to project strength and dominance no matter what or he’d have to admit that everything she said was correct.
Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.
He met her eyes boldly, but immediately regretted it as something cold and cruel flickered through her expression. She turned away from him as she pocketed the tablet and addressed her companion. “Thank you for the reward. I’ll get everything in order quickly.”
After a nod of approval from the silver hair man, Ivy hurried down the hall, vanishing in moments.
“Now that we are alone,” the man began, turning back to face Talent, “Have you given more thought to my previous offer?”
Talent was instantly annoyed with himself for not having an immediate answer for this man. He had no idea what this man was talking about, they’d never met.
With a soft smile, the man said, “Forgive me, I may have forgotten to mention that due to certain curses, my appearance will be different each time we meet. It is inconvenient, I know.”
Talent quickly pieced together that this must be the raven known as the Raven King, and he immediately thought of the offer to restore his diato.
Some part of him wanted to say yes, but his pride wouldn’t let him. Not now, not after the man’s subordinate just humiliated him. Talent rolled his eyes. “I don’t need your help. I can deal with that myself.”
The Raven King nodded and offered Talent a sympathetic smile. It was condescending in every way, but Talent did nothing to show his annoyance. Instead he silently hoped the Raven King would leave him alone and go back to whatever task he had to deal with. Instead, the man said, “I understand. In that case I ask only that you join me for a short while. I’m sure you’ll find these next events quite interesting.”
Talent didn't see it necessary to respond. Instead he gritted his teeth as the Raven King touched his shoulder, placing his right hand over his left, and teleporting them both elsewhere.
The Raven King withdrew his hand as Talent stumbled into the middle of a spacious room. The space was more ornate and extravagant than the simple hall and Talent found it a more fitting place for someone like the Raven King. The transition gave him a level of comfort; he knew little about the Raven King, but he at least knew the sort of man he was dealing with.
Talent took the initiative. “Your organization doesn’t seem so different in structure from the Kastin operations. You claim to network with Lords, and you clearly have a steady supply of crystals. Despite the rumors that your group is made up of thugs and criminals it seems to me that you exert a high level of discipline.”
“Astute observations, but the similarities end there I assure you. Your father’s authority stems from his absolute power to command, his diato. I have no such power and yet thousands bend to my words all the same. Why do you believe that is?”
Talent thought he understood what the man was saying and nodded once as he answered, “You make them feel like they have a choice, but in truth, you create circumstances where they'll feel compelled to act in your interest.”
The man smirked. “Is that truly what you think?”
Talent returned the man's smirk with one of his own as he said, “It doesn’t really matter does it? With a single sentence my father could turn your soldiers into the very weapon that kills you.”
The Raven King nodded. “Yes he could, but he never will. The moment that he does something like that everything will collapse. You see, he may hold the people with fear and absolute power, but I hold their hearts, I give them what they desire.”
The Raven King then turned his back on Talent and walked out onto a balcony that overlooked a grand chamber below.
Talent followed the man and found himself standing in a massive circular room with stadium seating in rows around an octagonal ring made of brass and iron. It was empty now, but Talent could see evidence of its use; there were dried stains of blood and cracks along the outer ring that marked it as a battle ground.
In front of the stands was a stone floor surrounded by torches which cast dancing shadows throughout the chamber. Several chairs sat on this stage. They looked old and worn down as if they'd been here longer than anything else in this building.
Talent remained at the rail, glancing down at the spectator seats, empty but well worn. He was reminded of the magic duel games, but thought this place wasn't built for such purposes. It didn’t seem like a place for execution either as there was no kill spot in the center. Still Talent was certain this served as both a place for entertainment and battles; judging by the ring alone Talent knew there would be brutal deaths here.
Talent turned to look back at the Raven King who still stood on the balcony. A gentle smile curved the Raven King's lips as he gestured outward with one hand and asked, “What do you see down there?”
It seemed like a silly question to ask. There wasn’t much to see at all. Talent looked again, wondering if he was missing something. He didn’t see anything new, save some old scorch marks. He turned back to the Raven King, but as he opened his mouth the man began, “You see the brutality of human nature. No matter how far we progress in magic, science and technology, we always come back to one point. Violence; every step forward is simultaneously in pursuit of and driven by violence. We call it many things, especially the more noble of us, but those who are honest with themselves know that violence is a fundamental aspect of who we are. Despite this, the brutality is not always terrible or evil. Sometimes it can be beautiful.”
Talent was in no position to disagree with the statement. How ever much he wanted to refute the claim, he had seen firsthand what cruelty humanity was capable of. He knew how greed and envy consumed people and destroyed the world around them. He even knew that wars were fought and lives were lost because one group was envious of another's achievements or believed their way of life superior to others. Most of all he knew what the lords had done to cement their power, what his father had done. The inner trophy room was the greatest testament to what truly drove the high lord.
It was also one of the main reasons Talent wished he didn’t have to be a judge.
For a moment he almost felt grateful to his mother for keeping diato from him. Almost, but he decision only plunged him into more perilous situations and would eventually lead to the cleansing of an entire region. Talent couldn’t feel appreciative of that, not when her actions were rooted in selfish ambition.
The old raven chuckled. “You understand, but I can see in your eyes that you still choose to deny. You are blind”
“No, I am different. You may desire blood, and so too do many others, but there are those of us who simply want to be—”
“Free?” the Raven King interjected with a scoff as he rolled his eyes with exasperation.
Talent stared at the man, realizing he still had much to learn before he could ever hope to truly understand him. Even then, it probably wouldn’t matter.
“And what would you do to obtain said freedom? What would any of the numbers in your mines do should they obtain the means and power to be a threat? This Talent, is what I want you to see. Later tonight you will bear witness to what your ideals mean. I wonder if you can face them?”
Talent wasn't sure what he meant or what he would witness. The man's words were vague, and he wasn’t about to ask for clarification. He'd already had enough of this man and wanted nothing more than to leave and return to his room.Unfortunately, that wasn’t allowed.