On the next early morning, Arakiel watched Aurora catch the dawn’s light while wearing nothing but her new multicolored wrap which kind of reminded him of a cloak, just more flimsy in nature.
No matter, the way the soft layers of silk wrapped around her body was mesmerizing and he kind of had to pinch himself to remind that this was real, because it certainly didn’t feel that way.
He had somewhat nervous over the past days even if he had done his utmost not to show it. The plan he had put in motion had been rather spontaneous and there was no turning back now. It made him wonder when he had become so reckless, for it appeared to be most certainly a reckless plan – one in a string of reckless decisions.
But it could work and the more he recalled about the assembled guest’s faces, the more he wanted to convince himself that it would work. The weave of half-truths didn’t need to persist till the end, it only needed to persist long enough to get the ball rolling – at that point, he doubted the desert dwellers would stop for in the end, little of what he had claimed mattered when the war had already started.
He’d end up being the one to push them over the edge, but the ball had been set in motion before that. Arakiel just intended to capitalize on the situation and if paid off, he might be able to ‘conquer’ this plane at a decent pace after all. His second-oldest brother and current heir apparent Aeneas had used a similar strategy when he more or less single-handedly conquered his first minor plane as a sixteen-year-old while being a Constructor, a mage with basically little combat potential on his own.
Arakiel returned his attention back to reality, onto Aurora to be more precise. His seraphim had just finished crystallizing the morning sun’s rays into one of her dawnshards, the first one in a while. It was a bit lamentable that they had basically lost the past weeks, but he didn’t want the desert dwellers to know.
With a beaming smile, his thinly veiled aurea turned around, playfully minced over towards him and then proudly presented the little jagged-shaped shard of gold, white and red to him.
He pulled her close, kissed her lips and let his free hand wander beneath her cloth. He gave her buttocks a nice, firm squeeze. Aurora bit his lower lip in retaliation, but he didn’t mind it one bit. He – they – had a lot of catching up to do as it had been impossible to find privacy among a band of strangers and wounded.
In this regard, starting the day with such a wondrous sight in addition to sipping sweet tea was already promising, although he still vividly recalled her saying that particular sentence yesterday. She most likely hadn’t even realized saying it, given the way her voice had changed. She might’ve forgotten again, but he certainly wouldn’t. ‘For as long’ indicated that it was conditional – and the condition was he upheld the oath he had sworn to her. That’s the only way he could interpret it.
He had no intention of breaking it, but still. This power he had gained… he might just lose it if he wasn’t careful. That would be a disaster he might truly not recover from.
He should probably tell Ezekiel about it as well.
“Arakiel, my beloved?” He suddenly heard her say after she sat down on his lap, huddling her body against his. The tailor had truly outdone himself, and the materials he used were really incredibly soft to the touch. He could practically feel her warm flesh underneath.
“Yes, my aurea?”
Her golden eyes looked right into his while her lips carried a mischievous smile.
“How long do you think we’ll be here, on this world?”
He brushed a strand of her hair aside, guiding it behind her left ear. “Why? I guess you don’t like it?” Arakiel replied, assumed.
The answer returned right away, just not quite as he had expected. “I’ve no reference – how long do planeswalks usually take? Lord Lyktos was away for weeks at times and then suddenly an entire year – even Lady Chryse joined him.”
“It depends. It can take weeks or years. Minor planes are usually a one and done deal while medium ones tend happen over several stages. Major ones might take–”
The wooden door leading back into their temporary home was suddenly opened, causing Arakiel to stop in his tracks while his body tensed up as he turned around. Aurora, thoroughly unfazed, remained on his lap which would be unfortunate if he had to fight now, but he soon relaxed when Ezekiel stepped onto the balcony in the third floor of their sizable, cozy albeit temporary domicile.
“Up already?” Arakiel joked, knowing full well that Ezekiel got up even earlier than him.
Ezekiel tossed a piece of curled up parchment his way, noting with light irritation. “Catch yourself an aes, make him or better her a maidservant. I’m not gonna play messenger boy for your dealings.”
Arakiel caught the parchment and unfurled it right away, noting. “Yet you brought it to me anyway.”
Aurora looked briefly, but she quickly lost interest and got up in order to pick a slice of fruit from the ceramic plane on the glass table. While food might be scarce for those of al-Aliriq, Arakiel had gained some of the leftovers from the battlefield and inside the Spatial Ring, they didn’t spoil nearly as quickly.
“It’ll cost you – what’s in it?” Ezekiel joked and queried in a dismissive tone.
Arakiel skimmed the letter and tossed it aside. “A request for a meeting,” he answered.
“With whom?”
A smile hushed across his lips. “Zari Amar,” he said smugly, adding. “They found the poison. Looks like things are gonna happen a little sooner.”
“Wait, there was poison?” The other Mortal Ascendant asked, raising a doubtful eyebrow.
Arakiel shrugged and got up, right after which Aurora returned to hug his right arm, pressing her lovely body against his. He wanted to have a bite of her, but it seemed as though work came first today.
A shame.
“I haven’t been idle, Ezekiel.”
“A welcome surprise, shall I come with you?”
Arakiel nodded and laid out. “We’ll all go. I won’t leave my sister or Aurora unattended – and neither should you let Selene be. We definitely just ruffled some feathers so expect anything. On the flip side, we most likely gained some powerful soldiers for our cause.”
“And you call me reckless.” Ezekiel noted with a slightly wry smile.
“Who can say? Guess you rubbed off on me. Besides, no risk no gain, eh?” Arakiel shot back, adding a little jab just to be sure, not that Ezekiel understood it as one.
“Took the words right out of my mouth.”
After having gathered a fairly drowsy Mellia and surprisingly tired Selene, the planeswalkers without a party name went outside and towards a small strip of garden that lay close the Djinnum Palace’s perimeter. There, amid fresh green grass and some wildflowers, Zari Amar waited with the short but extremely broad-shouldered Shamshierum Rahul ibun Munir.
The dark-haired jinnum hailed them and as soon as they were close, he briefly looked around in a suspicious manner. Arakiel noticed a few other men clad in black in the immediate vicinity and for a brief moment, he tensed up and prepared himself for the worst.
But when the jinnum noted that there would be no eavesdroppers, Arakiel calmed down internally. Right afterwards, Zari Amar went on to tell that the ruling bodies of the al-Aliriq populace were already abuzz with news of the poison found among the slaves. Right now, it was debated whether they should all the executed by having them drink the poison on one of al-Aliriq’s central squares. So far, those in favor were handily winning in that debate.
At the same time, Astral Thaumaturges were already preparing for a grand communion in order to relay the news while internal calls for vengeance grew in strength with every passing moment.
As far as Arakiel knew, they wouldn’t find any immediate poisoning attempts in the other cities, but it shouldn’t matter. The other city’s rulers would jump on the wagon as soon as it got rolling – of this, he had no doubt.
Fear of missing out was real, especially when it concerned one’s own, supposedly established power. These people would fight tooth and nail to keep or secure it – all the easier when they only had to send others to die.
If they didn’t, then his entire plan might just not work out, but that seemed improbable. Anyone who held some sort of power were the same no matter the plane, especially those in between, neither at the top nor the bottom.
Arakiel inquired why the jinnum had summoned him here to this somewhat remote place. The letter hadn’t specified a reason.
Zari Amar’s reply came in an instant, outlining quite emotionally that he and the Shamshierum wanted to use the current momentum to not only make a first strike, but prove that the Transcended’s Holy Chosen people were on the right path.
More specifically, he wanted the God-in-Gold’s envoys to accompany him and his Shamshierum to the closest border town of the Middle Kingdom, the very town in which the merchants of the desert had to offer their wares at unreasonably cheap prices while receiving little of value in return.
Zari Amar called it ‘Boundary’, but he spat the name out as though he despised it. As to why, that was revealed pretty much right away when the jinnum went on to rant how the very name was an insult, a mockery even. After all, it implied that there was nothing of value, only death, behind it and when using the Middle Kingdom as reference, the town of Boundary marked the entire desert as not even belonging to the world.
Arakiel found that reasoning a bit unreasonable, but he most certainly wouldn’t stop the jinnum from seething. Instead, he inquired about details.
Zari Amar and Rahul began to outline the general gist in tandem and unlike earlier, they both seemed to be on the same wavelength.
The jinnum wanted his Shamshierum to pose as merchants in order to enter the town. Then, they would scout out the garrison which should be highly diminished given King Cahil’s order and depending on the findings, they would either ambush them at night, or they would burn down the entire settlement.
More importantly, the Boundary was also the county’s seat of power and the ruling Count Eremon had often mocked the people of the desert, calling them rats, refuse and the like. His downfall would undoubtedly rally many warriors to the upcoming Smokeless Host.
It sounded like an imprudent plan, for it failed to account for the citizens of the town, but when Arakiel brought that up, the jinnum called the Middles cowards and weaklings, having grown fat on their laziness.
He pondered internally.
This action might divert the Middle Kingdom's attention away from the threat of the High Realm, but if the information that Ezekiel had extracted from Count Filann was correct, then the invasion had already begun. The latest piece of news that the count had been given, which had been about two weeks old at that point, concerned the occupation of the Middle Kingdom’s northernmost town. It had been the deciding factor in King Cahir’s rather unusual decision of drafting parts of the nobles’ retinue.
Arakiel kept that part hidden from Zari Amar, but a too forceful push on the southern border might cause the king to divert a sizable portion their way, which would only hamper an eventual push towards the capital city.
On the other hand, a divided force might cause it to be ineffective on both fronts so there was certainly merit to the whole idea.
In fact, the momentum the movement here might gain should be worth the potential risk, especially considering the genuine hatred that not only Zari Amar, but also Rahul seemed to exude when they talked about Boundary.
Their initiative was praiseworthy and although Arakiel had some doubts, it might be too good an opportunity to try and make happen for it’d stifle any discussion about there being no further poison or other hostile attempts.
By that point, the ball hadn’t just been put into motion, it had been tossed right at the opponent’s face, making conflict inevitable… and the desert dwellers would need to fear retaliation, for an entire town wasn’t just some raided village.
The more he considered the proposal, the more he found himself liking it.
In the end, Arakiel affirmed and the jinnum was overjoyed, thanking the divine envoys for their trust in him and his ideas while further vowing to make the Middle’s pay.
He intended to leave during light’s first dawn on the next day using only mounted troops as a means to quickly cross the desert.
Concerning the necessary political maneuvers, he’d see them done over the course of the day and granted, it was something that Arakiel and his party had no further way of meddling in.
For now, these people saw him as an opportunity – that’d change dramatically the moment he became an obstacle.
The only difference was that he was aware of this fact.
And with that, he could work.
Neither Aurora nor Mellia were too keen to give up their temporary home just a day after having been here, but it couldn’t be helped and they weren’t here for vacation. Despite this, he spent most of the day wandering the streets alongside his little sister and his aurea, letting them browse the large variety of wares offered in the streets, which Arakiel found a little odd.
After all, there weren’t that many travelers from afar and although there was a small temple of the Transcended, he didn’t notice a single other planeswalker although that person might’ve also just worn local clothing.
When he asked a store owner about this particular phenomenon, the man noted with an audible sigh that just a few years ago, things had been much better when there had been frequent visits from the other two cities alongside the occasional but steadily recurring extraplanar merchants.
For an easy access to elemental shards, Arakiel could certainly imagine people paying a portal. Why had it stopped, though?
Nowadays, al-Aliriq still served as the hub from which caravans went north to trade with the hated Middles, but it had been reduced to four times a year as trade in general had been down. Unless someone did something and soon, al-Aliriq’s past wealth would be but a distant memory.
It was a shared sentiment and sometimes, Arakiel heard older and wealthier merchants utter the Middle Kingdom and their people with disgust, serving as scapegoats for all the bad things that happened in the recent past.
He began to understand why the people celebrated Zari Amar so much, for he was the only jinnum to actually seek any kind of change – and the general sentiment seemed to be one of extreme hostility towards the Middle Kingdom.
Once again, he couldn’t help but feel incredibly lucky about the current state of affairs. The news of a potential occupation of the border town Boundary would spread like wildfire – and be met with approval.
Over the course of the day, his little sister ended up buying a decent variety of herbs that had an alchemical usage although he was fairly sure that she had no idea about alchemy. When he asked her a little later, she claimed that it was a present for a friend of hers without going into detail. Then, she had him store it inside the Spatial Ring.
As for Aurora, she ended up buying several strips of red, blue and green ribbons of fine silk alongside two sets of undergarments without saying what she intended to do with them.
Later on, near the evening, they went to swim in the oasis whose water was not only crystal clear, it seemed downright purified, which only furthered his suspicion that it was a magical Site dedicated to elemental water. Such Sites, if properly maintained, could produce elemental shards to be used by spellcasters – like the airshards the Air Evokers had used – although the frequency and amount depended on the purity and the skill of those who took care of the energies that were contained there.
Overall, it ended up being a relatively peaceful, uneventful and above all relaxing day which was certainly a welcome change of pace and although there were many issues he needed to ponder on, he allowed Aurora to divert his attention to her and her alone.
After sunset, she played a soft and sweet melody only for him on her violin. Her performance moved him to tears and when she then crawled on top of him in order collect her royalty, he was more than eager to pay.
On the next morning even before sunset, he was the one to initiate yet another round of tender intimacies as it’d most likely be the last one until the battle for the Boundary had been decided. His aurea, realizing this, made it a very special morning indeed, one that left him yearning for more, but when the first rays of dawn arrived, it was time to head out.
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Aurora did her thing as he went to wake up his little sister who was already fully dressed and ready to go – much to his surprise.
When she then, somewhat abashedly, reminded him that his aurea was very lively indeed, he offered her the last stick of chocolate shortbread that was stored inside the Spatial Ring as a means of apology. He had forgotten, again – but he kind of forgot about most things whenever his little seraphim seduced him.
Then, he went to dress in his local attire, feeling a bit miffed about the fact that he hadn’t been able to collect his second set of orders at Sahil’s shop, but he’d likely return here at least one more time before this planeswalk was over.
Aurora handed him the dawnshard alongside a kiss, after which she quickly went to refresh herself one last time before heading out. Meanwhile, he stored the clothes that Ezekiel had left behind for him as he and Selene had already left.
He was a bit curious what they were doing all this time, but it really wasn’t his business as long as it didn’t affect the overall planeswalk.
The streets of the desert city were oddly empty during dawn, with most people only now waking up. It felt almost serene and he quietly praised the atmosphere that the jinnum had created – a pocket of bustling life in the middle of nowhere.
Outside al-Aliriq, he reunited with Ezekiel, Selene and the Shamshierum which had grown in size, quite a bit actually. Arakiel counted thirty-six camels with riders alongside the three horses that they had managed to bring across the desert.
All the animals were packed full of goods – mostly water and shelf-stable food – in order to quickly traverse the desert and after some brief greetings, Zari Amar announced the group to march out, but not before handing Arakiel a light overcoat with which to guard against the sand. Given the way Ezekiel nodded towards Arakiel, he most likely had the other Ascendant to thank for it.
He accepted it and then it was time to leave al-Aliriq again just two days after having gotten here.
Zari Amar and his Shamshierum set a decent pace and unlike last time, the mounted group followed a kind of sturdy trail northward which made it much easier to traverse then straight through the dunes.
Nonetheless, Arakiel was once again the victim of two lovely girls that occupied his saddle alongside him, which made for a far from enjoyable experience.
But he held out despite wishing they made more than two stops over the course of the day, but the jinnum wanted to reach Boundary fast and for that, they had to push both their animals and themselves a bit – quite a bit in Arakiel’s case.
Traveling this way was far, far from enjoyable and Arakiel soon found himself longing for the time when he could’ve just opened a portal to get there, but these days were gone. He could only blink a few dozen meters now, not even having developed a sigil for it yet. In fact, he hadn’t been able to properly train his abilities for a while now, having only been able to hone his already available skills with Ezekiel after dark.
He didn’t even manage that for by the time they made camp for the night, he was more or less drained, able only to relax his strained muscles a bit before he went to sleep next to Mellia and Aurora.
However, the pain and discomfort ended up being worth it, for they reached the town of Boundary in the evening of the early seventh Loss, although Arakiel had kind of lost track of the overall passage of time. It should be close to a month now since their arrival now, but the days traveling kind of all melded into one.
Zari Amar bade his Shamshierum to make camp some distance away, still in the desert as the town had quite literally been built on the edge of the desert, right against what seemed to be a fairly decently-sized lake that had grown right out here in the beginning savanna.
Tomorrow, they’d begin their operation although for now, Arakiel was just glad to no longer travel by horse anymore. A few more days like this and... he might've truly been unable to suppress or rather hide the point in his lower body.
Come what may, at least this 'part' of the operation was over.
---
On the early morning, he and Aurora snuck away for her to create a dawnshard, leaving him two in total as the one created in al-Aliriq would crumble to dust tomorrow.
By the time the two returned, most of the other Shamshierum had already gotten up. Some exercised, some ate breakfast, others were quietly talking about the upcoming mission which many of them deemed to be the most important of their lifetime.
Zari Amar and several other men were in the process of changing attire, from their usual dark to a fairly light palette of colors.
Arakiel joined Ezekiel, Selene and Mellia who were, as usual, forming their own little circle. They also ate breakfast and welcomed them back. The Selenyean princess seemed to be in high spirits for some reason, which was rare.
Talk was kept to a minimum and soon, Zari Amar and a group of six other Shamshierum, Rahul notably excluded, set out towards Boundary. When Rahul then assuredly and authoritatively gave the order to break camp and scout, it became clear why.
The strength-based fighter headed over towards the planeswalkers while most of his men – excluding the Earth Enchanter ibun Qasim and the Astral Thaumaturge ibun Qadir – were scrambling to follow his orders.
He bade them to not visit the town just yet as their presence would undoubtedly draw the count’s attention – a circumstance Zari Amar intended to exploit once he and his people had gotten a proper lay of the land.
It was a sensible move and Arakiel agreed to it and some hours later, only very few people remained inside the makeshift camp.
It left him and Ezekiel some actual time to work on their sigils, although they only did so in secret, not wanting to give away anything to their ‘allies’. Mellia gave them a small regenerative enchantment just as practice and until the afternoon, nothing much happened.
Then, one of the ‘merchants’ returned, excitedly claiming that the town’s garrison was indeed diminished quite notably, diminished to the point where Zari Amar had requested the divine envoys to come and enter.
With no reason to refuse, Arakiel agreed once again and the planeswalkers began to move out. The weather was stable, the air mostly dry and there appeared to be no outside influences at all besides a little wind.
From afar, the town of Boundary might’ve looked impressive for a settlement that might hold up to a thousand people, but Arakiel found the circular, high stone walls, the six watchtowers, the timber-framed houses and the mixture of straw and tiled roofs to be rather dull.
Boundary lacked the charm of al-Aliriq and although the taller, slightly fortified manor on a slightly elevated position tried to add a little grandeur to the overall appearance, it really didn’t add much.
The closer he came, the more he felt confirmed in his initial assumptions. The walls were high, but the battlements and twoers were more or less empty, with only few people patrolling up-top.
In the same vein, two guardsmen clad in decent cloth, little mail and basically no plate waited outside the gate, their tabards showing some heraldic symbol that Arakiel didn’t even bother to look at.
The planeswalkers that approached the town from the south had been spotted quite a while ago and the two men seemed a little tense, but the grips on their halberds and the pommels of their swords were halfhearted and more show than conviction – at least that was the impression Arakiel got.
The road, if one wanted to call the slightly broader trail in the savanna’s thin vegetation that, vanished about a hundred meters before the town’s perimeter. The vegetation had been cut down to size, with no trees in the immediate vicinity – and for some reason, these people’s gate lacked a proper outer ward. It was really just a pair of oversized wooden doors with a smaller door inside. To call this town even remotely fortified would be a disservice to anyone who understood just a smidgen of defensive perimeters, wards and the like.
When the guardsmen hailed them, Arakiel greeted them back, introducing them as extraplanar travelers from al-Aliriq that intended to visit and more importantly trade with the locals. To further back up his claim, Arakiel procured a small list written in the Kalanite tongue from his Spatial Ring that he handed to the guard who, of course, couldn’t read it. He then began to list a variety of goods, including jewelry, alchemical substances and even delicacies and pulled something vaguely resembling from his Spatial Ring.
He spoke in an authoritative and slightly irritated manner and soon enough, the guardsman who was most likely utterly overwhelmed by the sheer volume of information along with their appearance, let them pass while stealing glances at Selene and Aurora.
From inside, the town of Boundary didn’t change too much. No cobbled roads, only trodden in soil and houses of relatively similar make, although some had a ground-floor made from actual stone while most kept it to wood only. The main difference really boiled down to the roof cladding and whether they had one, two or sometimes three floors.
Every single citizen of the town stopped and stared when they passed by, with men in simple linen clothing gawking at the seraphim while their women in long-skirted dresses were doing likewise to Arazkiel and Ezekiel especially.
The many children they encountered stared wide-eyed, with some seeking shelter behind their mothers’ skirts while others approached, directly asking questions which Arakiel found irritating but Aurora and even Mellia, albeit fragmentary, answered them almost endearingly.
He still wasn’t quite sure when Aurora had learned to fluently speak the language, but he just chalked it up to her being immortal. Selene most certainly understood the language as well.
The air in here was odd to say the least. He had heard that many settlements in minor planes were downright intolerable with the smell, but although there were traces of filth and muck, it was handily overshadowed by smoke, grease and other, more pleasant odors. Most notably, the scent of freshly roasted meat that seemed to thoroughly permeate the air and although some of the children had alluded to the event with their questions, it only really became apparent when Arakiel and the others entered the central square.
The locals had begun to roast two entire oxen over an open fire while lots of tables had been put together. Some burly men were bringing large barrels over and just moments later, Arakiel overheard some Middle couple saying that Count Eremon was celebrating his birthday today and that the newcomers were surely here to offer their blessings to the count and his family.
Given the time, the feast was still in preparation, but it didn’t take long for a slightly chubby man in vivid colors to approach. He was relatively tall, had a shaven beard – the first that Arakiel had seen on this plane – and more importantly, he had an outfit that screamed ‘herald’, given his feathered cap, his pointy shoes and the exaggerated cut of his pants and tabard in addition to the wild usage of loud colors.
“Honored guests from afar!” The man greeted loudly with a hint of respect but no feat whatsoever. His bow mimicked his clothing while all-around, the citizens of Boundary were watching.
So far, Arakiel hadn’t seen any Shamshierum or even a trace of them.
“The twice-honored Count Eremon of the Boundary, the very edge of civilization, humbly requests your presence at tonight’s feast, for it is truly a momentous day!”
“Fear the Void, good man” Arakiel greeted respectfully, adding. “Might I ask what kind of momentous day it is that the good count wishes to celebrate?”
“Of course, of course honored guests from afar!” The herald replied, slightly straightening his back as he cleared his throat before announcing. “The twice-honored Count Eremon celebrates his 45th birthday alongside his 30th anniversary! Thirty years of happy marriage and our fair and magnificent Countess Muirne hasn’t gone two years without growing new life in her belly!”
Arakiel frowned a little at the comment, but the herald immediately went on to add.
“I daresay it is no wonder that the rats of the desert seek to claim as many women as they can find – one’s more barren then the next!”
The man broke into a laughter, as did many of the surrounding people, especially the women, but the herald was not done yet. “Or maybe that’s not it…!” He began to shout loudly while looking around as if someone wanted to object. When none did, his voice became quieter, softer. “Maybe… just maybe…”
“Yeees?” Aurora queried expectantly from the side, unable to bear the suspense.
When the herald spoke again, he was shouting, his voice growing louder with each word. “Maybe they lock up their women because THEY are BARREN, their testicles SHRIVELED because of all the DUNG they feed on!”
Around them, some Middles made shocked expressions, others giggled slightly while most seemed familiar with the words, still waiting for the final punchline.
“They are AFRAID of YOU!” The herald shouted, randomly pointing to men in the circle that had slowly formed around them.
Arakiel found the whole spectacle extremely odd.
“Of YOU and YOU – of ALL OF YOU strong, virile MEN in service fo Count Eremon! They’re afraid their women will run here just to have a chance at experiencing the joy of motherhood!” The herald cried out and many of the surrounding men and women began to laugh heartily while commenting with snide remarks and more mockery.
“What need would I have of a woman that lazes around all day!?” A man asked loudly as he patted his most-likely wife on the shoulders, who nodded fervently in agreement. “Let the infertile refuse starve in the desert I say!”
“Aye, let them starve!”
“Let them starve!”
Around them, the crowd began to chant and cheer.
“Charming,” Arakiel commented dryly, directly addressing the herald who began to smile obsequiously. “Forgive this little stunt, oh honored guests from afar. Not only will you find Count Eremon’s hospitality much more fitting, but you will find his and our Middle Realm’s wares to be much, much more valuable than whatever cheap trinkets the desert rats tried to sell you in their pathetic excuse of a dwelling.”
“Honestly, these stains of filth can’t even seed their women, how could they possibly create anything of note!?” Another man shouted in the from the side, causing yet another tirade of mocking comments to follow.
At least the hate wasn’t one-sided, Arakiel thought to himself.
“We would, of course, be delighted to accept the twice-honored count’s generous invitation. It is a venerable cause for celebration,” He replied instead while procuring a small, cut emerald set into a finely-crafted rose gold ring from inside his Spatial Ring, presenting it. “It certainly warrants a small token of goodwill for the occasion.”
The herald’s eyes lit up with greed and he bowed so deeply that Arakiel had to wonder just how agile this man was. Most likely an agility-based combat class for the man in vivid clothing did not appear weak, nor was he intimated by their presence.
He could only hope that Zari Amar had accounted for such variables.
The count’s messenger bade them to follow while all around, the spirits of Boundary’s residents had been heightened quite notably and the amount of mockery and malice only seemed to increase, not decrease.
The children even sang songs that more or less wished for the Holy Transcended’s Chosen people’s death by thirst or starvation.
It was all a bit bizarre, but maybe it was the way that Count Eremon kept his own subjects in line – by having someone to kick down at.
The circumstance certainly explained why the merchants harbored such intense hatred for the Middles, never mind the overall political situation.
Arakiel briefly tried to assess his group’s view on the matter, but found it hard to. Ezekiel’s expression was thoroughly neutral as he liked to come across. Selene was similarly keeping her gaze downwards without showing a lot of reaction to anything besides her master’s orders. Mellia, as usual, did not comment while keeping her expression hidden and his aurea seemed to ponder on why the people had been so elated by the herald’s words but he most certainly wouldn’t try to tell her why.
With nothing to add, they followed the herald towards the fortified mansion that lay on a slight elevation, so slight one barely realized they went up a slope.
On the way there, Arakiel saw no traces of Zari Amar, his men or any additional guards. It was a bit strange, but he wouldn’t jump to conclusions just yet.
Boundary wasn’t large, but it was large enough that one could not immediately find anyone and everyone given the amount of houses and streets.
Once, he spotted a penned area close to the city wall that housed lots of cattle while overall, people were finishing up their business in order to prepare for the evening.
To Arakiel’s surprise, they did not even reach the count’s manor as the ruling couple was just about to leave their home.
Count Eremon was tall, broad-shouldered and didn’t have a single sign of grey hair just yet. His skin, however, was surprisingly rugged like that of most Middles, yet that didn’t hurt his overall appearance too much. Short, neat hair, a three-day beard and a relatively squared face gave him a decent, almost handsome appearance. The fine, regal cut of his doublet, vest and trousers alongside the leather boots and the feathered cap underneath which he wore a thin golden circlet certainly made him stand out amid the other residents.
His most-likely pregnant wife given the growing size of her belly, had soft, rosy cheeks, a slightly chubby face and could be considered quite pretty, bordering on beautiful. Unlike her husband, her skin wasn’t nearly as tanned and showed no wrinkles. Her dress was colorful, wide and went all the way down to the floor. Her circlet was thinner and held no jewelry, unlike that of her husband.
The herald bowed so deep he might just kiss the ground as he presented the guests from afar in flowery words that Arakiel didn’t bother to register. Instead, he looked the count over once again, noticing the small sword on his belt, its silver pommel inlaid with a topaz gemstone, its hilt bound with some type of red leather. There was no crossguard and the silver alluded to some kind of spellsword.
The woman had no visible weapons, but given the lack of wrinkles on her skin, Arakiel guessed that she was a nature mage.
Behind the couple, he saw more people – adolescents and youths – exit the manor, but then the count spoke up.
“Welcome to Boundary, the world’s very edge of civilization,” he greeted in a cordial, almost casual manner and stepped forward, one hand softly holding his wife’s.
“This is Lady Muirne, firstborn daughter of Count Ri’An and my wife. I am Count Eremon of the Boundary, appointed and chosen by King Cahir to guard his realm against the menance of the south.”
“Arakiel il Kalanaar, traveler, merchant and scion of House Alexandrite of the Eternal City of Kalanaar. This is Aurora, my aurea and these are my party members.” Arakiel returned and made a slight, polite bow. “Thank you for the invitation, Lady Muirne, Count Eremon – allow me to express my good intention with a little gift.”
He presented the small ring on his palm.
The count’s soft green eyes narrowed a little and he picked up the piece of jewelry, appraising it quite intensively. His wife did, too.
“Good craftsmanship,” the count assessed a little later, nodding contently. “A gracious gift, I shall accept it, Lord Arakiel il Kalanaar. Forgive my ignorance, I did not realize I was talking to an equal. Your attire is…”
The count trailed off, but it was clear he held disdain for the way Arakiel dressed. His wife, however, chimed in, asking affectionately. “It’d look great on Nyanna, wouldn’t you agree?”
“Let’s save such matters for later, my dear.” The count responded although he didn’t seem to mind the idea.
A pair of graceful adolescents in refined attire joined, siblings given that they both had green eyes and blonde hair, just like their mother. The young man was well underway of developing an athletic physique while his sister had just blossomed into her prime. She bordered on beautiful, but it was more because of her youth than any outstanding traits. The young man eyed Aurora while the girl was clearly interested in Arakiel.
“We are about to head over towards the feast, would you mind keeping us company? I’m sure you have many fascinating tales to share and if you’re a merchant, than we can always do business on the morrow, wouldn’t you agree, Lord Arakiel?” Count Eremon suggested cordially. “I’m sure I can make it worth your while.”
“We are in no particular rush so sure, why not.” Arakiel answered, accepting.
They were to draw the count out in the open and that’s what they did.
As he turned around, he briefly gave Ezekiel a look that hopefully told him to watch out. Whether the other Mortal Ascendant, he couldn’t tell.
On the way back to the central square, Arakiel made light conversation with the ruling couple, asking tidbits about local produce while spinning a tale of how his interest lay in commerce and exploration and how he had chosen to expand his family’s wealth and influence through trade.
When the count’s daughter by the name of Nyanna asked whether he had blood on his hands, her family did not admonish her in the slightest. In fact, the question seemed perfectly valid at this point and when he affirmed, he could tell that the respect these people showed him had just increased.
The young man noted that Arakiel and Ezekiel had the physique of fighters, asking whether he could spar with them on the next day.
When Ezekiel questioned the man on why he wanted to learn the sword, the answer came straight away, and it explained quite a bit.
“To kill the desert rats, for only a dead rat was a good rat.”
Ezekiel inquired a little further, but judging by the reaction, the count’s hatred for the southerners was not only real, it was deep-seated, having been ingrained into all the citizens here.
Suddenly, Arakiel wondered whether Zari Amar had made a massive mistake by underestimating just how deep the grudge lay.”
If Zari Amar really intended to strike today, it would certainly not be easy and more importantly, it’d be a bloodbath of untold proportions.
So far, he still couldn’t make out the jinnum and his men, but if they were smart, they’d wait until the feast was well underway and lots of alcohol had already numbed the senses. That might be the only way for the Shamshierum.
By the time they returned to the square, more tables had been put in lines and a small stage had been built at the very front, one that would see the count, his family and the guests of honor in view of everyone attending.
The mood was already festive and more and more people left while others returned, wearing colorful and festive clothing with flowers, ribbons and all other manner of simple adornments accentuating this or that.
The barrels of beer and wine were in place, the oxen were well underway and hoards of vegetables, bread and after they had taken a seat, men, women and their respective apprentices and family members approached the stage in order to present all manner of produce. Each guild proudly presented and then gifted their masterpiece to the count before putting it on the table.
Multi-leveled tarts, honey-coated, fried ribs of pork and beef, cut fruit and all manner of biscuits and other patries – it looked delicious. Shoes, toys, clothes, cutlery and the like followed.
When the sun had set, the count arose, walking down the stage over towards the first of many barrels of bear.
Count Eregon was handed a wooden hammer and a small metallic pipe with which he was to drive through the barrel’s wood.
Before he did so, he once again held a speech that praised his people while cursing the southerners and given the way the citizens of Boundary cheered him on, Arakiel tensed up even more.
If Zari Amar intended to attack… it would get blood, exceedingly bloody.
Using the count’s ceremony as distraction, he quickly pulled pen and parchment from his Spatial Ring and wrote some notes that he hastily, quietly handed to Mellia and Ezekiel.
With only four hits, the count drove the spigot in and as the first mug of beer was filled, Arakiel felt someone pulling at his sleeve and when he turned, it wasn’t Aurora or anyone else from his party.