Chapter 59: Diplomacy 5

Elania sat down at the table across from Isara as breakfast was served to them. She examined the meal of bread, some kind of milk, fruit, and cheese with interest. It looked good.

“Thank you for the meal, Isara.”

Isara smiled. “I picked out a normal breakfast that any citizen of Hels might enjoy, thinking you would like the insight into our culture.”

Elania returned the smile and tasted the milk. It had a creamy flavor that coated her tongue. She took a minute to square her thoughts, then decided to initiate her plan. “I would like to provide a demonstration to some of the city officials on Neftasu Artifice.”

“Neftasu Artifice, not Contia?” Isara raised an eyebrow.

Elania nodded. “Yes, like I explained yesterday, I’m from Neftasu, along with my oracle, a Priestess of Artifice. We’re providing our knowledge to Contia in return for safe harbor there, but the technology I’d like to show is Neftasu in origin. I think it would be beneficial to show some of the things Contia might offer Hels in a stronger relationship.”

Isara glanced at the revolver on Elania’s hip. “Maybe that weapon?”

Elania’s eyes flickered. Maybe Isara was more perceptive than she thought.

“Yes.” Elania patted the gun. “Seems to be relevant in the current times.”

Isara nodded. “I can see about gathering Aria Lysander, the Chief Engineer of Hels Forge, Eira Lyrion of course, Kyran Thorne, the Commander of the Militia, and Roran Alder, Head of the Merchants’ Guild.”

“I appreciate your judgment on who should be there. Thank you,” Elania replied, putting on a friendly smile.

Isara sent a messenger, and they continued to eat breakfast, engaging in small talk while enjoying the meal.

Elania savored the flavors, the bread warm and soft, the cheese sharp and tangy. She found herself appreciating its simplicity. If she had closed her eyes, it wasn’t anything different from what she might have had in Neftasu… or back on Earth.

She saved a piece of the fruit for her last bite, the flavors lingering on her tongue as she set her utensils down. Isara mirrored her actions, a satisfied smile on her face.

Almost as if on cue, the door swung open and Eira strode in, her obsidian armor clanking with each step. “Isara, what’s this about a demonstration?”

Isara gestured to Elania. “Our guest has proposed showcasing some Neftasu artifice, specifically a firearm.”

Eira’s eyes narrowed, her gaze flicking to the revolver at Elania’s hip. “I’ve seen firearms before. We have arcane weapons, so I hope you have something impressive, or this will be a waste of time.”

Elania met Eira’s stare, unflinching. “I assure you, it will be worth your while.” She paused, considering her next words. “I also wish to visit the Arcane Academy and meet with Rynor.”

Eira scoffed, then sighed. “I can’t believe that idiot invited you. What was he thinking?” She shook her head, her braids swaying. “Either way, the demonstration will be held at the Arcane Academy. It’s the best place for it.”

Isara leaned forward. “I recommend we deal with Elania favorably, Eira.”

Eira grumbled under her breath, her unhappiness evident, but she nodded. “Fine. I’ll arrange things.” She turned on her heel and marched out of the room.

For a second, Elania wanted to ask Isara why Eira seemed to dislike her so much but then thought better of it. Or rather, she had a higher priority question ready.

“Why doesn’t Hels have a demi-divine? What happens to the energy of those who aren’t followers of one? Or those who don’t follow anything at all?” she asked.

Isara blinked, surprise flashing across her face. She opened her mouth to respond, but no words came out.

Elania felt a slight rattle on her back, as if Eziel had shifted, but the sword remained silent.

The silence stretched for a bit. Maybe she’d stumbled into a sensitive topic?

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Isara cleared her throat. “That’s an uncomfortable question coming from you, Elania. There are people who are followers in the city, mostly traders or transients, that will move on. But for any full citizen, it’s against the law to have divided loyalties.”

She leaned forward, her hands clasped on the table. “Part of citizenship entails maintaining a connection to the city’s heart so that their souls may pass through Hel into the city’s Divine Paradise.”

Elania blinked, staring at Isara as the words sank in. Divine Paradise? What the heck was that? “Sorry, I didn’t mean to suggest I was trying to gather followers. I just didn’t know.”

Isara nodded. “Demi-divine recruitment isn’t necessarily illegal. But it has happened before, and the one responsible was cast out by the High Chancellor. Not in my lifetime, but we have the records of them being… ejected.”

Elania nodded. “Don’t worry, that’s not my purpose here, so there shouldn’t be a problem.”

Isara’s smile returned, and the woman nodded back at her. “I’m glad to hear that! I’ve certainly enjoyed yesterday and today. I think our continued cooperation will be a tremendous help to both our people.”

Focusing her attention inward, Elania realized she could see the connections that bound her to her followers. To her surprise, only one remained visible: her conduit to Yolani. The others to her had shrunk, seemingly absorbed into the golden thread that tied her to her oracle.

The conduit still provided her with the familiar flow of [Divine Power], but Elania couldn’t help but wonder what would happen if she pushed it too far. Would it snap like an overstretched rubber band, severing her connection to Yolani?

Turning her gaze to Isara, Elania noticed a connection extending from the woman, leading out of the building and into the heart of the city. Unlike the golden hue of her own conduit, Isara’s connection was a grayish orange, its color muted and subdued.

And what the heck was a “Divine Paradise?”

She turned to Isara, an apologetic smile on her face. “I’m sorry if I overstepped. I was just curious.”

Isara waved off her concern. “No worries, Elania. I understand.”

They continued to chat, their conversation flowing easily until Eira returned, her armor clanking with each step.

“Your request has been approved,” Eira announced. “We’ll visit the Arcane Academy first, then move to the demonstration in a protected area.”

Isara smiled, her eyes twinkling. “Well, that worked out nicely, didn’t it?”

Elania nodded. “Thank you, Eira. I appreciate it.”

“We should get going,” Eira said before turning on her heel, obviously expecting Elania to follow.

Elania bid Isara farewell and fell into step beside her escort. Their protection detail quickly surrounded them as they left the diplomatic headquarters.

As they walked, Elania snuck glances at Eira, her mind whirling with questions. What did it mean that a woman led the military in Hels? Isara in the diplomacy corps… an “Aria” as Chief Engineer? From what she had seen, gender equality was in full force.

Neftasu had been a bit of a patriarchy, Keswick notwithstanding. Contia was flipped around, almost certainly because of the leadership. From what she was picking up, Hels was more equal.

The city streets were full of activity, but Elania’s attention was drawn to the massive black dome that loomed ahead. It was obviously the heart of the city, probably where their engine was?

“What is that?” Elania asked.

For a moment, Elania thought Eira wouldn’t answer, but finally, the woman relented. “It’s the gate to Hels. The Celestial Engine is inside.”

Elania nodded. “I suspected as much.”

Eira shrugged. “It’s no secret.”

As they drew closer, Elania realized the dome was made of solid black obsidian stone.

It seemed impossibly large, its size defying the laws of physics. But then again, so had Neftasu, sitting in a bubble deep in the earth. Everything there should have been molten rock. This was just another reality-bending anomaly.

When the Arcane Academy came into view, Elania’s eyes widened.

It was a massive, dominating structure built directly into the side of the obsidian dome. Giant spires reached up, with deeply saturated hues of every color bathing the dark stone in different areas.

Eira raised her hand, bringing their group to an abrupt halt as a wagon filled with chained prisoners rattled across the street, heading straight for the dome. The prisoners’ faces were gaunt, their eyes hollow and devoid of hope.

Elania glanced at Eira. “Who are they?”

Eira’s voice was icy and detached. “Condemned criminals. Rapists, murderers, oath breakers. They’ve been sentenced to eternal servitude.”

Elania frowned. Eternal servitude? Was that worse than the death penalty? A weird turn of phrase?

The expression on Eira’s face told her it was serious, though.

She wanted to protest. Capital punishment wasn’t something she supported, but…

The memory of terrified faces haunted her. She’d killed men just to take their essence, so she could save her own life… and the lives of those she cared about.

She had no right to judge a city she knew so little about. Hels had its own history and struggles, and Elania couldn’t impose her beliefs without understanding the full context. Not without being a hypocrite, anyway.

Swallowing her knee-jerk objections, Elania remained quiet. Eira and her escort led them to fall in behind the prisoner precession.

Elania kept her eyes fixed on the ground as they made their way towards the Arcane Academy. Eira was content to let the silence between them stretch.

As they reached the base of the academy, Elania’s gaze was drawn to the dome, where a section of the obsidian stone was missing. An arch of shimmering blue energy filled the gap, looking something like an energy force-field she’d expect in a sci-fi movie. It pulsed and crackled while a small crowd filled the area to watch.

The prisoner procession had turned down a separate path, straight for the field.

Eira glanced at Elania, her eyes searching. “Do you want to watch the condemning?”

Elania hesitated. Part of her wanted to turn away and hurry inside to find Rynor.

But another part wanted to know what was going on, and to see the culmination of Hels’ ultimate form of justice.

She met Eira’s gaze.

“Yes.”