Chapter 23
THE LITTLE THINGS IN LIFE
Sintra had asked to bring the assembled refugees through the gate, and things weren’t quite ready for them.
His troops filed off in perfect step.
“Devon, those women are terrifying. What have you done to them?” Izzy asked with a concerned look.
“I haven’t done anything to them but empower them to be the individuals they choose to be. Relax, they’re very nice, intelligent young ladies,” Devon tried to assure Izzy. “You know all of them, especially Gwen. They’ve just had a tough life so far. I had hoped you might have some understanding for them because of that.” Izzy’s reaction had annoyed him a little. He admitted that his students were a bit controversial, especially now, but they were wonders in human form, in his opinion.
“Ahem!” Sintra tried to interrupt this tiff between god and priestess delicately. Her deity had proved he could be a lot more ruthless than their history books ever suggested. “We would be honoured if you would gift us with magic, lord Wayfarer,” She said. Her voice was still very formal and a little scared.
“Please, Sintra, relax. I want us all to be friends. We will need to work closely together from now on. After all, there is so much to do,” Devon almost pleaded. He hated diplomacy, and he didn’t want Astley’s demise to sour the situation.
Devon walked the guests into the cavern and past the waygate, which was now fully active and humming happily to itself. He walked over to the keystone and started it opening with the Wayfarer’s crystal. Aria’s death weighed heavily upon him, but their guests needed his attention. He would deal with her loss later in solitude. “I believe I have you to thank for fetching this for me, Mitsey?”
“Yes, lord. I would have done it a thousand times just to get to this moment. It would be an honour to serve you further if you have a space for me in your guard,” Mitsey said. Just getting her hands on a set of that magnificent armour the Wayfarer’s troops wore would be a dream come true, but to become as powerful as them would be awesome.
Devon looked questioningly at the goblin. “I do owe you a debt that I will struggle to repay. Perhaps you and I should have a chat,” Devon said.
A wide smile spread across Mitsey’s face. “Of course, lord.”
They began the long trek down the winding road that led into the depths to the nexus. The walk gave them some time to talk.
Devon looked across at Mersia. Many years ago, the elven high priestess had sworn her life to the Wayfarer while he was still wandering, uselessly around Earth realm, cursed to be eternally human. She had stuck to his faith, and he owed her a debt for her loyalty. Izzy was right. She was always right.
Mersia was older than Izzy but still, like all elves in Devon’s opinion, very striking. She had blonde, almost white hair that reached past her shoulders. Her face was narrow but gently shaped, and she had the look of too many years of worry about her eyes, which were a silvery blue. Her figure was a little fuller than an average elf’s, but not by too much. The overall impression he got was a genuine person that anyone would be lucky to call a friend.
“Mersia, I believe I owe you my thanks too. Your constant loyalty throughout my darkest years humbles me. I wondered if you might do me the honour of becoming my arch priestess? Now that I am back, I will need someone to take charge of our faith and advise me.”
“My lord, Wayfarer, I… I… Yes, of course. It would be the highest honour. I thank you with all my heart,” Mersia said. Her face lit up with glee.
“Then, it is done.” A radiant explosion of golden light engulfed them both, and Devon felt a link appear. He sent warm feelings of friendship and gratitude to Mersia across the freshly forged bond. “In my realm, there is a temple that I build many hundreds of years ago. It has sat empty for all this time. I would like it to become the centre of our faith. I also included suitable accommodation for my arch priestess. Would you be willing to take it as yours and make it your new home?”
Mersia looked stunned and almost apoplectic with delight. “Yes, my lord.” The elf paused and looked worried.
“Just talk to him, Mersia; he is quite friendly and approachable,” Izzy said.
“Well, uhm, you see, lord Wayfarer, I’m just a priest. I don’t know what an arch priestess is supposed to do,” Mersia admitted.
“Well, talking to me is a good start. Having the courage to speak up and tell me when I’m an idiot would be helpful. Izzy is very good at that,” Devon said. He heard Izzy snort and grinned to himself. “Think of our faith as a school with you as the head-teacher. Whatever you need from me, just ask. I want us to be friends and move forward as a team. You, Izzy and me.”
Mersia beamed the happiest smile.
Izzy looked delighted.
she replied.
“Isabelle, I hereby promote you to the role of my high priestess,” he said.
“Thy will be done, my lord,” Izzy replied with a slight bow, and another golden flash enclosed them briefly.
Devon tried to conceal his amusement with a slight cough. “Ahem! The first item on our agenda is the goddess of light, Theia. She has requested a merging of faiths. As it happens, Light and Justice align very well. I would like you both to discuss the matter and let me know your thoughts. I consider anything that makes us stronger to be good.”
“Yes, my lord,” the two priestesses chorused.
After all the walking, they were still only halfway down the twisting road. Devon still had two more guests to address, though. He turned his attention to the lady gnome.
“Now, Glimmer, I must admit that I am confused about what I can do for you,” Devon said, smiling down at her. She had all the features of a fully grown human but on the scale of an eight-year-old child. She was a little over four feet tall with long, richly coloured nutmeg hair organised in the most complex network of interwoven plaits that he had ever seen. Her head looked a little larger by proportion than an adult human’s, and her eyes were enormous. They were a striking golden brown that was hypnotic and drew his gaze straight to them. Devon had always liked gnomes.
“My lord, the gnomes have always been dedicated followers of the Wayfarer,” Glimmer said. She was not shy by gnomish standards, and her mission was to secure her people’s place next to their deity. “Our race is often more persecuted than others because of our size. We are tired of the constant oppression and seek sanctuary in your domain.” She took a deep breath. “In exchange, I bring a pledge from my people. By your leave, we, the gnomes, wish to dedicate our lives to an alliance with your cause. We beg you to take us into your employ and use our skills.” She looked up at him and gave him a beseeching smile.
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“Truly, this is a favourable day for me,” Devon said in all honesty. “I gladly accept. When can you start, and how many of you are there?”
Glimmer’s face fell. “I’m afraid that is the bad news. The Tinkers number just ninety-two artisans. Our Ranters’ guild numbers a sad thirty-six fighters, and the Boffs’ guild have a mere seventy academics. As for our race, we number just shy of six-hundred.”
Devon was instantly sad that one of his favourite races had suffered such decimation. “I am deeply sorry to hear such tragic numbers, Glimmer. Thank you for informing me. Have you brought your people with you today?”
“Every last one, my lord. Long ago, our Boffs prophesied this day, and no one would dare miss it. Today is an auspicious day for our history books.”
“You have my word that you will all have good homes to call your own, the best magical protection we can offer, and the rightful freedom to be the wonderful people I used to know. We’ll work hard to restore your numbers to their former strengths.”
“Then you will have our oaths. We can start now,” Glimmer replied.
“I have some fascinating things to introduce you to, lady gnome. I think you will enjoy my design centre and I will introduce you to a unique lady called Beth. She is a technomancer – a new ability that combines this world’s technology with magic. I think you’ll both become good friends. I have already created a guildhall for you and the others, and I have a few projects I would like to discuss very soon.”
“Wow! You work fast. Thank you, Lord,” Glimmer replied, excitement oozing from her words. “We will strive to learn everything we can and build you the best artefacts ever created by my people.”
Devon nodded his thanks to the gnome and turned his attention to Sintra. “And that just leaves you, lady elf. I hope to remove the need for Defiance very soon. I need to make reparations to you for not being around when you and your people needed me. Tell me what I can do for you, my friend.”
“My lord, my wildest dream was that this day would come to us during my lifetime. Now you offer me magic and call me your friend. It is already enough.”
Devon smiled. This elf had spent a lifetime being austere and often felt the weight of the realm on her shoulders. There must be something he could do.
Izzy’s laugh tinkled into his mind.
Finally, the road straightened out, and Devon gave the guests a minute to take in the beauty of the nexus. “Take your time. Come over when you are ready.” He guided Izzy onward, and they sat together on the low wall by the mana-pool.
“Devon, you know we have to try and rescue princess April from the queen’s clutches. We can’t let her die because of Astley’s treachery. Besides, there are some very credible rumours floating around that she just came of age. With magic, she could be a powerful ally for us and a huge thorn in the queen’s side.”
“I am fairly sure that we already have her and her lady in waiting, strapped down and sedated in the hospital. I need someone who can identify her by sight to check my suspicions,” Devon said. “Our foray into the city was part of my plans for fast-tracking the Shadow’s training. I hope that our army will grow soon, and I need them to train others. Lead them too, when the time comes. They’re becoming extremely good, Izzy. The guards never saw us coming.”
“Devon, I want to fight the battle for Triana with you, but I have decided that I want to become a teacher when all this is over. My days as a resistance fighter end when the queen is finally dead.”
Devon was pleased that Izzy had made her choices. She’d fought for the resistance throughout her life, and he understood her need for change. Now all he had to do was persuade her to talk openly with Gwen about their relationships.
“I can still read your thoughts, idiot,” Izzy laughed. “I was worried you wanted me to become a soldier, but I don’t want to fight anymore. The liberation of Triana will be my last battle. As for Gwen. Yes, of course I will talk to her. I see how you feel about each other and how you feel about me. Just relax. Gwen will want to fight by your side, and I will be here supporting you both.”
Devon laughed out of sheer relief. “Thank you. That means a lot to me.” He hadn’t realised just how much the issue had been weighing on his mind. “Back to the original subject, we destroyed over twenty patrols last night and a squad of the biggest ogres I’ve ever seen.”
Izzy looked at him in amazement.
Devon grinned at her.
Izzy pressed herself closer to him. “I’ll wager you are right then. That was the princess and her lady you rescued. Astley said she was being taken to the arena by the queen’s guard, which, according to our intelligence, consists of fifteen of her most fierce and loyal ogres. Sometimes, you make it easy to forget just how powerful you really are. The strength you lend to those of us you have bonded with is beyond comprehension to my people.”
Mitsey walked up to him and jumped up to sit on his lap. “Am I interrupting something?” the goblin grinned.
Devon and Izzy looked at her in shock, but Mitsey just continued to grin. “You said you wanted to talk, boss. I get a crick in my neck talking to you tall people. Glimmer would prefer talking to you from here too. She’s a short arse like me.” She looked down at his lap. “Yes, I’m sure she’d like it here cuz I’m bloomin luvin it right now.”
Devon snorted. Goblins were always fun to know, and he already liked this one. Her skin was a lighter green than the dryads, a more delicate shade. Her wild hair contrasted her skin as it was a flame red and cut to a length just longer than a crop. Her face had more curves than human faces, making it look a little more pronounced in the cheekbone area. Mitsey’s eyes were as large as Glimmer’s but a beautiful dark green, and they glowed as Izzy’s did. Her entire being radiated intelligence and cunning. She had a small mouth that contained very sharp teeth. Her petite body was athletic, but there was no polite way to describe her figure. Her curves were lewdly exaggerated and buxom.
“You mentioned that you would like to join our team, lady goblin. Are you any good?” Devon asked her. He already knew he wanted her in his force but had to lead into it somehow.
“Devon, Mitsey is the best you could find and then some. She is an accomplished assassin, a talented engineer, and the best thief in the business.”
Mitsey pointed at Izzy. “What the lanky one said, plus I am fabulous in bed. Very fertile and would give you strong babies.”
Izzy coughed hard, trying to disguise a loud swear word. She’d forgotten how forthright Mitsey could be.
Devon choked at her words. “Wow! Goblins aren’t shy, are they?” he laughed. He couldn’t believe she’d just said that. He decided to cut to the business part. “If you want to join us, then I want you on our team. Now, why don’t you strip to your underwear and climb into the mana-pool.”
Mitsey grinned back at him. “I’ve heard some lines in my time, lord Wayfarer. That one is new, though.”
“Down, girl. Just get in the pool. Go and find your mana-wyrm.” Izzy growled at the goblin.
Mitsey touched her forehead in a mock salute and jumped down. Instead of stripping to her underwear, she took the lot off and did a twirl. She laughed raucously and slipped into the mana-pool.
Izzy said
He chuckled at her sign-off. Finn had recently explained to him what a ‘nerd’ was. Beth was what he’d used as the definition.
“Looks like we accidentally rescued a princess, Izz.”
****-****
Devon stood on the stone dais with Missy and Fate. He’d just broken the news of Aria’s death to Missy, and he wasn’t sure if she was stoic about her daughter’s death or just cold. She certainly didn’t seem upset by the news.
“Don’t mistake my indifference, Wayfarer,” Missy said. “I am sad Aria has passed, but I also know that she will be reborn eventually. Do you have her soul?”
Devon handed Missy Aria’s soul sadly. Regardless of missy’s emotions, Devon was upset at the dryad’s death. He had made Astley suffer as much as he could, but it had still not nearly been enough.
“I will double the price Fate offered you for Astley’s soul and another two favours for the queen’s painful demise.” The goddess of nature said firmly. “It will entertain me to make Astley’s soul suffer.”
Fate nodded her head to Devon so that he knew she was happy to concede the deal to Missy.
Devon handed over Astley’s soul to Missy, and she took it with a satisfied snarl.
“Thank you, Reaper. The deals are done. You may depart,” Fate said, ending proceedings in her usual abrupt manner.
Devon shrugged sadly, opened a portal, and left quietly. There was nothing left to say.