Petor walked into the scrying room. It was deep under Ilus, the walls covered in runes and mana channels. All of the runes met at a large table in the middle of the room. The bowl was as large as Mya’s table had been on Mesurial.
He pulled the stone door shut. Good hinges. The foot thick door was light in his hands. Well most things were, but even if he was mortal he bet it would have been smooth to move. He locked the door and glanced around.
Desari gave Mya a potion, the same thick black goop they’d used before. She put it on the table and pulled out four sticks.
“I’m going to number these, I’ll take the last one and we’ll go in order. We’ve got a lot more potion so we should have a longer time and well greater clarity in here,” Mya said, jotting down numbers.
“I don’t have anything I need to scry,” Desari said. “Take my time.”
“What about Vessali?” Petor asked.
“Avatar of the Geraxi Pantheon. The one group you can’t scry on, the dead and their supposed guardians—gods,” Mya said, putting one of the sticks away and holding up three to Valter and Petor.
Valter took one and looked at it. “Three.”
Petor grabbed a stick too. “One.”
“Two,” Mya showed her stick. Valter and Petor passed theirs back, it disappeared into her storage before she moved to the scrying table.
“I wish that there was a way to increase the size of my storage device,” Petor muttered.
Mya’s steps stuttered.
The looks made Petor pull his head back and look at them each. “What I say that was stupid?”
“Storage devices,” Mya tried to parse the words together, pinching the air.
“They create a storage space that their bonded can use. If their bonded gets stronger then the space grows accordingly,” Desari said.
“Wait,” Petor looked into his storage device and checked. “Oh.” A blush started to crawl up his cheeks.
Mya let out a bark of a laugh and the corner of Valter’s mouth turned up.
“Storage items get stronger with the more mana you can put into them. The better the storage ring, the more efficient, the more storage. A poor storage device is going to have a little bit of room, as your core levels up you’re going to get a bit extra each time. Though if you have common, or uncommon you get more space for each core level,” Desari explained.
“You can also artificially increase the space of your storage device by pouring mana into it, not just passively letting your core fuel it,” Mya said. “Its why traders still use ships and carriages most of the time. Also cause storage rings are one of the most expensive goods out there.”
“Everyone wants one, but so few are made,” Desari said.
“The inscriptions are, complicated and to have them on a small item is…” Valter let out a heavy breath.
“Surprise me at every turn Petor.” Mya pulled the cork of the scrying potion out and dumped it into the bowl.
“Shall we see what we can see?” She shook the bottle a few times to get the thick goop out.
“Remember how this works?” She passed the bottle and cork to Desari who accepted them and moved to the side.
“Power you up with mana, put my hands on the table somewhere and think of the person or place I want to see in as much detail as possible?” Petor asked. Sadly, I think that there are only three people I care to see and all of them I met within two days of dying. His smiled got a little forced as he looked at the table, searching for where to put his hands and avoid eye contact. In the last few months, there were at least four more people he’d be interested to find out the truth about.
“Right there,” Desari pointed to twin hexagonal carved spaces. The table was the same stone as the walls, fused in one single piece, a black-green crystal filled the geometric channels and runes throughout.
Looks pretty.
“Alright, lets fire this up,” Mya said.
Petor reached out to their oath and sent mana to her, it was so easily done. While doing it in the world was so tricky unless he had physical contact.
Her eyes turned to white flames as her power ignited the green crystal with a ghoulish light that spread through table floor and up the walls to the ceiling above.
A needle of light dropped onto the goop in the bowl.
Smoke rose as Petor focused on Esal, Aelof’s priestess. He frowned, the last time he saw her, she was still wearing the white of Yaaseen.
The smoke twisted and shifted, the scenery moving around. Esal hurried through the halls of some grand building. She wore the white of Yaaseen’s priestess, other clergy passing her.
Each had an excited energy to their movements. Something was afoot.
Esal diverted through another corridor, skipping out of the way of a duo coming the other way she bowed her head in apology, they barely noticed, bowing back continuing on their way.
She pulled open a door, a set of stairs spiralling up. She grabbed her skirts rushing up the stairs at speed.
Sunlight peeked through the top of the tower she emerged onto. Arches held up the peeked roof as she looked over Ramas, the capital of the Aeld Kingdom.
“Damn that must be the cathedral.” Petor leaned forward. The capitol had grown since he’d last seen it. The river it had butted up against now had a dozen bridges crossing it, the city flourishing on the other side.
The curtain walls showed where the city had progressed. A new one well underway.
Esal grabbed onto one of the pillars holding up the tower and peered down.
The streets were filled with people, all of them pressed against the side of the streets.
Petor’s stomach clenched. Rows upon rows of soldiers marched through the city. as he shifted his head around to follow their route. “Their taking Savior’s path. They’re heading out to war. These are forces raised from across the kingdom.”
The soldiers wheeled past the cathedral, back’s straight, movements confident. Flowers were thrown from the buildings and rained upon the soldiers. Clergy stood out front of the cathedral, heads bowed as they prayed for the soldiers. Yaaseen’s statue in the square glowed with her divine power, blessing their actions as they passed around her.
Reading on Amazon or a pirate site? This novel is from Royal Road. Support the author by reading it there.
“Ordained by Yaaseen herself,” Petor scoffed. “She got the war she wanted.”
How many will die upon her altar?
He turned his attention to Esal, her entire stature rigid as she lashed out at the pillar next to her, the speed greater than one without a core could hope to perform. She held her hand back from hitting the pillar, instead thumping it against her thigh.
The whole capitol was in celebration. Military transports waited along the river docks. Units were departing the city from their own barracks.
Petor withdrew his hands from the scrying table. He didn’t need to see more.
He wanted to do something dammit, but Yaaseen was a goddess, connected to several worlds. He’d seen what running in would do. He needed a damn plan, not just relying on righteousness on his side. Righteousness wouldn’t get the job gone, it wouldn’t be his weapon or his shield.
If he bought the information he could at least understand what he was up again, give himself time to plan.
He lifted his head, realizing the others were looking at him. He gave them a tight smile.
“Thanks Mya.” He dipped his head and moved towards the wall.
“Guess its my shot now.” Mya drew on her mana once more. Petor kept a steady flow going to her as the runes gained brightness once more and the dark smoke shifted into colors.
It transformed into a room, petite but fierce brunette sat next to a big man with close cropped black hair. Both of them wore tattoos that glowed faintly, like their eyes.
Across from them was a man with greying hair and beard, his face worn by the sun and time. He gestured to the side where a window looked over a natural harbor.
A handful of ships were docked, three more out at anchor with boats moving back and forth from the shore.
Four pits had been dug into the sand near the water, ships of various stages growing out of them.
The petite woman leaned forward, Mya did as well. The man behind the desk lowered his arms in defeat and gestured at another wall.
The view changed. Mya studied the wall, flinching at the carve ships that dotted the wall, while she continued to read over them all.
The view snapped back to the trio around the table. Mya’s eyes jumped between them all as they chatted.
Petor held his tongue, not wanting to interrupt her concentration.
The big man put a hand on the woman’s arm, a familiarity of loved ones.
She looked to him and deflated slightly.
The man said something else from behind the desk.
The woman nodded, the fight had gone out of her. She stood with the big man, saying something to the man behind the desk before she exited.
The spell faded away into nothing.
Mya’s eyes held onto a piece of the table, stuck in thought.
“Mya?” Petor asked.
“Hmm?” She lifted her head, distracted. “Oh, Valter, your turn.”
“What was that?” Petor pressed on.
“That was Lianne, my helmswoman and Joreck, my navigator and signaller. The fella they were talking to was Mo, he runs one of our supply ports. An isolated one.” Mya bared her teeth. “The Mardun’s ships are targeted whenever they’re spotted. The crew are usually rescued by other traders. We’ve got a lot of people hiding in different locations but few ships. They’re resorting to building small ships in sand pits and then weaving in the rituals and wood that are needed later to make it stronger.”
Mya met his eyes. “They’re being exterminated, driven from the waters, stuck on land.” She shook her head. “Nothing I can do about it right now. Valter, your turn.” She pushed in her enthusiasm, signalling the conversation had run its natural course.
Valter moved opposite her and put his hands on the table.
The scrying vapors grew into shapes and colors.
Valter’s son opened the door to a simple home, waving another man in, similar in appearance, but different.
“My nephew, Ismond” Valter said. “Decent fighter, but faster with his mind than he was with a blade. Got placed with the logistics.”
Valter’s son got something to drink and waved the other man to sit, he waved him off, walking back and forth across the room, saying something.
“What are they saying?” Valter asked.
“Lets see I’m not too bad at reading lips,” Mya squinted into the scrying spell.
“The sandy blonde hair man—Ismond—he says that the Sacrophytes are moving once more. Motions in the city have been seen.”
“The Sacrophytes have become a power onto themselves. They bind with metal, blood and soul. Should have destroyed them. There is little order, just towns, villages and cities that want to be left alone. The wounds are too deep and fresh still.” Devin said taking a drink from the urn and passing it to Ismond.
“Cultists moving through the land speaking of the return of Xander.” Ismond said, taking his own drink.
Valter’s son shook his head. “No that can’t be. Father killed him. I saw it with my own eyes.” Mya relayed as he looked up into the other man’s eyes.
“I was there too cousin.” The other man shook his head, a haunted look in his eyes. “Remember that feeling?”
Valter grunted and crossed his arms.
“We said never to speak of that,” Devin’s eyes held his father’s darkness. “Bet that didn’t sound happy,” Mya added, shifting her gaze to Ismond, he gathered himself and passed the drink back. “It felt like his soul split.”
Devin held his words and drank instead.
“Devin, we need your help. Cultists are wandering old battlefields. The Sacrophytes entombed are spreading beyond the capitol. After everything the fighters looked up to you for aid. Did not those that followed you come here to settle?”
Devin looked away. “That was there choice.”
“Cousin. Things are moving.”
“I had hoped we were done with war.”
“I hoped too.” Ismond said, he took out papers and held them out to Devin.
Valter moved around to see over his shoulder.
“Maps of the area,” His tone softened, pride. “He settled down near Krado.” He tensed as his eyes moved, leaning closer. “Spottings at each of the battlefields, new lines for different factions. Old nation borders. The capitol has one surrounding line and another further out.
“Devin is asking about the marks. Ismond is saying that the Sacrophytes are now stopping anyone from passing the new border. The nobles within the city have reached out to others in different areas. Hearths are being lit, armor is getting made.” Mya licked her lips. Sweat on her brow. “Not just regular armor, but Sarcophagi Immortalias.”
The scry slipped and the image shifted.
Valter’s expression was perfectly-terrifyingly-still.
“Each of the nobles in the capitol gained their positions on the blood of others. Each were powerful supports to Xander. Each of them totally ruthless, most of them craving war, if they’ve been a part of it or not.” His eyes shifted to them.
“They’ll do as Xander did, get people to form a core, tear them apart and embed them into armor to become their weapons. Without any will. They’ll have learned from Xander, they’ll have made the armor a complete prison.”
Petor shuddered, complete loss of control. To be ordered completely. His body operating against what he wanted to do. “Can they resist?”
“Resist and your soul will be literally destroyed. I knew of several lords that used the threat of killing soldier’s families to keep them loyal and fighting.” Valter’s voice was dull, stating facts as the majority of his mind was drawn elsewhere. “I will have to return sooner rather than later,” Valter said. “The nobles will start fighting, either one another or to take more land. The Sacrophytes will use the chaos to gain resources, backing, souls for their own guard.”
He looked at the middle of the scrying table. “Devin will need my help. We will have to find a way to kill Xander completely and then destroy the Sacrophytes and their twisted Sarcophagi.”
Mya grimaced. “Well there are three ways I can think to kill them.”
Desari and Valter raised their heads to her.
“The first, drain them of their power to the point that they collapse. Two get their believers to believe they’re dead. They made them with their belief, they can unmake them. Except their mortal body if they have one. Then destroy them. Or third destroy their soul. Not simply shatter it. Set it upon fire, the kind that will destroy all trace of them. No soul, nothing to come back.”
To destroy them completely, remove them from all planes and worlds.
“Though it comes to the real problem. Killing gods.” Mya crossed her arms.
“We kill one god then the others will learn,” Desari said.
“The gods crave power and position. Knowing they could die?” Petor asked.
“Then we will be hunted,” Valter said. “Xander is isolated there are myths of his parents but he stands alone.”
“You’re talking about killing him as a test,” Mya said.
“Correct,” Valter said.
“I don’t even know how we’d reach Yaaseen, I haven’t heard of her leaving her celestial realm, except at the end of great battles or when greeting a new people to bring them into the fold,” Petor said.
“There are more gods than grains of sand in Indur,” Mya said. “Varying levels of power, though all of them hate me and my kin.”
“The gods here tend towards the elements, though there are more gods for the sentients. They have connections to the mortal plane which has hundreds. We kill Vessali and the Pantheon. It will create an uproar,” Desari said.
“Well I need to get working on your gear, but first, anyone interested in investing in trade wares?” Mya looked at the others.
“Two hundred thousand,” Desari said.
Petor took out his card, doing some quick math.
“Four hundred,” Petor said.
“I haven’t the gold to spare,” Valter said.
“Desari is there a device someone could use to remove the salt from water to make it drinkable?”
“There are a couple of devices I can think of that would work.”
“Alright, then the other thing is rocks. Going to need to find different grades of it, preferably kinds that have an innate quality already in them.” Mya strode out of the room with the look of someone figuring it out as she went.
In two days we head to Nether Chasm again.