“What the...? When did this happen?” Yarro asked.
Kael's eyes fixated on the smoke in the distance. “Overnight, maybe? This could be a sign from the Deities to tell the Queen about the guards.”
“Do you suggest we head into that castle empty-handed?” Yarro asked. His own hand pointed at the castle in defense of his argument.
Kael sighed. It was clear to the both of them that neither would be convinced of their argument. “Whatever. Let’s get this done then.” He made his way up the long stone steps. Yarro groaned and slowly followed after him.
Inside the castle was filled with bustling servants decorating the castle and getting it ready for the Midsummer Ball tonight. Some carried cloth sheets, or banners or baskets full of fresh flowers encased in ice. The smell of food wafted down the hallways. A fancy looking maid was at the center of it all with a guard nearby. Said guard spotted them come in and walked up. “State your purpose.”
“We have information for the Queen. Do you know where we might find her?” Yarro asked.
“No one may see Her Majesty Queen Illa unless approved,” the guard said.
Kael pulled out his seal and showed it to the guard. “This should be the approval you’re looking for. We’re on a quest from the Deities.”
The guard rolled her eyes at the mention of the Deities. She took a glance at the seal, looked at the duo, then rolled her eyes again. “I’m sure you are,” she sighed, “Follow me.” With that, she turned around and went down a hallway. This one was empty of servants and devoid of all celebratory decorations. A number of difficult to remember turns were made, with increasing amounts of guards standing idly by. Yarro was sure they were making the same turns they did last time, but he still couldn’t remember which ones exactly.
Finally they came to the end of the hallway and the guard knocked on the door. A moment later they all heard a “Come in.”
The door opened to reveal the Queen in her office with Lord Marshal Eris. They looked to be in the middle of planning something. The guard stepped in and formally bowed to Queen Illa. Kael and Yarro followed suit. “Apologies, Queen Illa, for the interruption. These two say they’re on a mission from the Deities, and that they have important information for you.”
Without looking away from a chalkboard, she waved her hand away at the guard. “Thank you. You two sit by my desk.” The guard bowed once more and exited the office without turning her back. Kael sank into his chair the moment he sat down. Yarro stifled a cough.
“Do we have enough soldiers to investigate the smoke coming from the mountains?” Queen Illa said.
“We should keep them here. I suggest we send a few scouts first. Nothing too drastic,” Lord Marshal Eris replied.
The Queen was silent in her thoughts, then looked at the duo like she had a spark of a genius idea. “Have you two completed your investigations?”
Yarro knew they didn’t have much time. Or maybe she was simply asking because they were here with information. He gave Kael a knowing look. “Yes, Queen Illa. We have concluded that the majority of the guards assigned to the southern district, as well as some from the main guard house would qualify as corrupt by the Deities’ definition. We have proof for the southern guards, but unfortunately we weren’t--”
“Yes, yes. Eris, what if we just send these two? Surely the Deity’s chosen can handle a quick trip to the mountains. No soldiers or scouts needed. Our military can stay here if they go.”
The Lord Marshal looked them over, and raised a disdainful eyebrow. “It could work. Especially since we were going to send Kael to the Master Earth Elemental, before the Deities stepped in...” She grumbled the last part of that sentence.
“Perfect.” The Queen clasped her hands together in excitement. She turned to the duo. “You two will--”
As if on cue, a loud, long thunder-like rumble was heard. It shook the glass windows and furniture. Everyone paused, wondering where it came from. It was Kael who got up and looked out the window. “The volcano erupted.”
Yarro moved next to Kael to see as well. The lighter smoke coming out of the mountains this morning had turned into thick, pitch black clouds, and was spewing out the top at a faster rate. Chunks of rock left trails of smoke as it rained down into the mountains it surrounded. Yarro's eyes widened in surprise and horror. He could feel Kael's glare on the back of his head. So, it wasn't the guards.
The Queen cautiously made her way to the window next to Yarro. He noticed that she was just the same height as him. “Hmmm…” she began. “Dawic is empty, correct?”
“Yes. When we received the report from Army General Calina, we sent a few people to collect the elderly couple residing there and brought them to the city to their extended family,” Lord Marshal Eris said. Yarro sighed in relief. He knew there was no way those two would leave their town without being forced to from someone in power.
“Great. Then you two can go to the mountains after the ball,” Queen Illa said.
“Your Majesty. That was before the volcano erupted. Perhaps we should send a few scouts for now, to see if there’s lava that would pose a threat to any damage?” Lord Marshal asked in a hurry. There was an implied accusation of rashness that Yarro noticed the Queen had elected to ignore.
“If you insist. Find two or three scouts, and give them a direct line to you.” She turned back around to see a guard inside the room that wasn’t before. “Get back to your post!” She shouted.
“I will send word to the Army General at once.” Lord Marshal stood up, bowed, and followed the lone guard outside the office. Once she was gone, the Queen turned to the duo, who were still standing by the window. “Is there anything else?”
“Um, would you like the evidence?” Yarro said as he held up the permits he took from the guards. The Queen looked at the door, where Eris had already left, and sighed. “Leave them on my desk. I’ll give them to her later.”
Yarro nodded and put the papers on her desk, and the two of them ushered themselves out the door. They could tell they were getting on her last nerve. One of the guards standing just outside the door closed it behind them. Kael glared at Yarro once again, but he ignored it by turning to a nearby guard and asking him to show them the way out.
Once Kael felt they were outside and safely away from keen ears, he turned to Yarro and crossed his arms. “You did notice how the volcano didn’t erupt until after you told the Queen about your so-called conclusion, didn’t you? The Deities know you’re lying, and they don’t appreciate it.”
“Don’t be so superstitious. The Deities don’t keep that close an eye on me.” Yarro shrugged.
Kael then threw his hands up in exasperation. “You’re literally their champion! Of course they’ll know!” Kael growled in frustration and began to pace at the base of the stairs. “We have to fix this. We need to find the true cause of the corruption, and then beg the Deities for mercy. I suggest we go back and figure out what the Lord of Commerce is up to.”
Kael turned to the smoking volcano and paused. Then he turned to the Fire Deity statue that towered over them in front of the castle. He stared up, seemingly admiring their beauty, or perhaps the grandness of the scale of such artwork. Kael then bowed, deeply and formally before it. Yarro watched his lips move quickly, though no sound came out. Once done, Kael righted himself, and bowed formally once more.
“Did you just pray?” Yarro asked.
“Don’t sound so offended. You’re their champion, so you should pray too. Beg for forgiveness,” Kael scowled at him. Then he cocked his head at a realization. “Don’t tell me. You’re not religious?”
Yarro shook his head. “My family was more interested in getting food on the table and surviving than attending service to Deities that were too busy to hear our prayers.”
Stolen novel; please report.
In response, Kael angrily shoved his whole hand at the smoking volcano once more. He said nothing vocally but his scrunched up face said it all.
Yarro shrugged once again. “Like you said, I’m their champion. They’re probably paying attention to me more because of that, rather than some no-name citizen of our planet.”
“Then maybe you should start praying.” Kael narrowed his eyes. Yarro gazed up at the Fire Deity statue. It's flame burned with passion. The phoenix that flew off their arm had a grand aura about it. The statue truly was beautiful, but it didn't hold a candle to the magnificence of their true form. He had never even prayed before. How would he do it? What would he say? Would they even hear him? Kael must have noticed his hesitance. “Here. Bow, just like this,” he said.
Yarro watched as Kael bowed before the statue once again. He carefully observed his form and copied it. This bow was exactly like how one would bow to the Queen, or to someone above his station, except kneeling on the ground and bowing much deeper. For a moment, he was staring at the ground before realizing he should close his eyes.
Yarro focused his mind on the Fire Deity before him, and one idea flowed to the next. To fire, as an abstract concept, then to the phoenix, to the various emotions associated with them, and all other things associated with the Fire Deity. Yarro conjured the image of a single flame in his mind, and silently told the Fire Deity of his plan. His actual plan, not the one that Kael insisted upon.
Once he was done, he looked up at the statue. The fire it was made of seemed to be glowing brighter than before, though only slightly. Or was it always this bright? He checked to make sure he didn't accidentally turn on his elemental eyes. Kael's earthen aura wasn't present, so that wasn't the case.
Yarro turned towards the mountain, and although it was still smoking, there seemed to be a little less smoke coming out of the volcano than before. Did the prayer actually work? Kael seemed to notice the differences as well. He looked over to Yarro and smiled. “Good. Now, let’s head over to that tailor I mentioned before, yeah?” he asked.
The rest of the day passed by uneventfully as Yarro and Kael got fitted for their outfits to the Midsummer Ball. Initially, Kael wanted to wear his formal military uniform to the ball. Luckily, the combined persistence of both Yarro and the tailor got him to change his mind. Even he knew that wearing a military uniform to a ball as fancy as this would essentially put a “kick me” target on his back. They were going to be introduced as the Deities’ Chosen. Getting the military involved would mean giving them a share of the glory. Kael, and Kael alone, was helping. Not the military.
Eventually, Kael settled on a long sleeve, navy blue jacket that ended just above his nice butt, and a white waist sash over the jacket. The jacket itself was kept open in place with two golden deer antlers pinned on the sash that, Yarro noticed, seemed to point directly to his crotch. He was both embarrassed and grateful for such pins. Under the jacket was an orange collared shirt. Clipped onto his right shoulder with the royal seal was an elbow-length cape, which covered one arm and matched the navy blue outfit with a golden underside. He wore black pants that were just tight enough to show off his thighs and white knee-high boots.
Kael looked quite handsome. With a splash of water and some gel, the man was able to slick back his longer-than-most hair and keep it out of his face. “Why the cape though? I didn't think you were a noble?” Yarro asked.
“I'm not. But members of the military are required to wear one,” Kael answered back. “Due to their high status. Lucky for me, I don’t need to wear one as fancy or as long as my commander.”
“Hmm. I didn’t realize they were distinguished by their capes up here in the castle…”
“Now, on to you, dear,” the tailor interrupted. He eyed him with a mischievous little glint in his eyes.
Yarro chose to wear a more relaxed look than what was expected for the ball. His coat was an emerald green, with angular padded shoulders, seamed in gold. The coat’s length extended to just above the knees, and rounded off in the back. The collar was long, almost to the waist, with a thin maroon scarf that draped down from his neck. Near the waist on the back of the coat was a golden lined diamond design that pulled the sides in to create the waistline. Under the coat was a matching emerald green shirt with another golden lined diamond design, though smaller than the one larger one in the back. The matching emerald green pants gave plenty of width in the thighs, and then were tucked into the knee high brown boots. Yarro pinned his seal to the waist seam of the pants, where the shirt tucked in.
Kael nodded in satisfaction when he came out of the dressing area. A little smirk played on his lips. “You clean up real nice.” The compliment had Yarro feeling heated up. He tried to calm himself down, and disguised his feelings and sweaty palms with a slow turn around to show off the outfit.
“I won’t need a cape like you, right?”
Kael shook his head. “You need an official status to wear a noble's cape. One you don’t have, even as the Deities’ Chosen.”
Yarro frowned. His whole body slumped. For some reason he was disappointed. He didn’t really want to wear a cape, but being told not to was a completely different thing. It felt rude, in some way. He tucked his half bun braids into one large ball on the top of his head. He let metal end pieces freely clinked together. “Shall we get something to eat?”
“Maybe something small for now. There will be plenty at the ball.”
"After that, I want to visit Guard Captain Lisa. I want to confront her about the permits we confiscated yesterday," Yarro said.
The other looked at him curiously, but still agreed. "I'll wait outside." The duo paid and went to go find some snacks before the ball. There were still plenty of hours left before sunset.
Yarro guessed that when he entered people would be playing some card games, as they usually do. And he was correct. He sighed when they didn’t even look up to see who had come in. Some lot they are. “Is the Guard Captain still here?” No answer except a boisterous cheer for the presumable winner and groans from the losers.
Yarro went looking through the building for Lisa. Most would be out on duty, especially out on a day like today. Which left whoever rushed in for help with those rowdy folks up front.
Eventually Yarro made it to her office. It was just as messy as he imagined, if not even more so than the last time he was in here. Guard Captain Lisa sat at her desk, frustrated and dead tired, surrounded by piles and piles and piles of paperwork. He knew that managing the guards for the entire city was tough, but where did all this paperwork come from!? “Are you always reviewing all these reports by yourself?”
She didn’t look up. Her voice betrayed how utterly unfazed she was by his appearance in her office. She didn't even ask about the outfit. “Who else is going to do it?”
“I don’t know. Don’t you have some sort of apprentice or secretary to at least sort these out?” Yarro picked up a stray piece of paper. A report on some random robbery on some poor family shop. “Like this one! It’s just a robbery! Why do you need to see this?”
“That’s in the sort-later pile. It’s already been reviewed, so put it back.”
Yarro shook his head disappointingly. “You need some help.”
“Are you offering?”
“No?”
“Then keep your opinions to yourself.”
Yarro sighed, and secretly vowed to find her an assistant. One who could sort through this pile of trash and delegate the less important ones. “Anyways, I came here for a different reason. I went to the southern district yesterday. Did you know there’s a protest in there that’s been going on for a week?”
“That’s none of your concern.”
Yarro froze. His whole body tense up. She didn’t ask “What protest?” or “Why are they protesting,” but instead said “That’s none of your concern.” She knew. She knew they were protesting and hadn't done anything. Did she not care about them? His mouth dropped and he could feel his body heating up. His heart quickened, like he was rearing up for a fight. “It is my concern when the Deities drop on our earth and demand we fix our city. It is my concern when the Queen specifically asks me to look into the guards.”
Guard Captain Lisa finally looked up from her pile of papers and her face turned to horror. She stood up in a rush, and held out one of her hands to stop him, while the other hand reached for gloves. “Peacekeeper Yarro, calm down. I know you’re upset, but getting fired up like this will not help your situation.”
Yarro was confused. Why was she acting like this? He looked down and realized that he was actually on fire. Flames licked his skin and came off his clothes. But he didn’t feel the heat either, nor was it burning his new clothes, luckily. Was this a consequence of the Fire Deity’s boon? To be on fire when his emotions became too riled up?
Yarro took a deep breath and concentrated on quelling the fire. He imagined a wave of water washing over him and putting out the fire. Guard Captain Lisa had to have a reasonable explanation for ignoring the protests. He focused on calming his thoughts and his body and eventually Guard Captain Lisa relaxed, though not completely. He noticed that a nearby stack of papers had their fringes burned. Were the fires that strong? How could it burn the papers but now his clothes or self? The magic of the Deities were weird.
Yarro took another deep breath and looked over at Guard Captain Lisa. Her eyes narrowed at him. Herself a safe pace away from him. Her arms raised in defense. “I thought you controlled water?” was all she asked.
“I do. But I guess that’s what happens after the Fire Deity blesses you…” Yarro stared at his hands, then at the gloves. No burns. No lingering heat. That wasn't how normal elemental fire worked.
Guard Captain Lisa rubbed her eyes. She collapsed back on her chair once she deemed it safe enough. “Yes, I knew of the protests. Which is why I assigned a dozen or so guards to stop it. I don’t have the time to personally go down there and hear them all out. Nor can I let the army know. They will massacre the entire southern district. Queen Illa wouldn't care about this either. Surely you knew this, at least?”
"I collected about a dozen permits from those very same guards and gave them to the queen."
Anger flashed across her face. “Why would you do such a thing?” She asked.
“Those dozen guards you assigned to the protest all have a history of abusing their authority against the people living there, prior to the protests. From what I gather, guard abuse is a solid chunk of the reason for these protests"
Guard Captain Lisa crossed her arms. Her face creased into a frown, eyebrows furrowed, while she thought. “Fine then. I’ll find other guards to deal with the protest.” She paused and glanced at Yarro. “I did this to protect those people. If Queen Illa finds out-”
“She won’t. I won’t tell her you knew, and neither will Kael. We never even got the chance to tell her about the protests before the volcano erupted.”
"That's another thing I need to deal with," she sighed. “I hope you know what you’re doing."
“I’m trying my best. Be prepared for an investigation towards the rest of the guards.” Guard Captain Lisa said nothing as she went back to her mountains of work.