Bloodcrete (The Weirkey Chronicles Book 6), page 19
Of course she could never tell him everything that had happened to her, but he understood her limited version and didn't press like other Tatians might. As they walked and caught up, she stared over the complex she had once fled. All the damage from the demon attack had been completely repaired, down to the slightest stains on the stone courtyards, yet seeing the school empty left her deeply melancholy.
There was the arena where she had fought her first battles alongside the other two, and where Navim had been injured...
Eventually they walked the path that curled around the side of the tree. It broke down well before the top, but Nanjuma simply leapt the rest of the way to sit atop one of the remaining giant boughs. He didn't offer to help, apparently having realized she was a Ruler now despite her shielding wall. For all that he smiled like a Tatian villager, she wondered how much he saw.
As she jumped up after him, Nauda did her best to compare their soulhomes. They might be on the same tier now, but she couldn't compare herself to his carefully polished power, not to mention his wisdom and experience. He might never have been able to reach Authority, but he had been improving his soulhome for years. Later she hoped to ask him to spar, but not because she wanted to know who would win.
"I do have some questions for you," Nanjuma said quietly as she sat beside him. "The three of you vanished so abruptly after all that regrettable violence..."
"You know why, don't you?" Nauda had examined the area carefully for Landguards, for all the good it would do. She believed there were none, as she was fairly certain that Nanjuma had covered for them before.
"I had my suspicions. That dear girl was an Ichili, but the boy... I doubted that he had come from the Nine Worlds."
"Why didn't you tell the Landguards?"
Nanjuma was silent for some time as he stared out over Myufuru. "I support the Landguard when it protects our world against hostile invaders, but the one they were searching for died when the tree collapsed. Your friend... there was great hatred in him, but I don't think he had truly chosen his path. Has he yet?"
"Maybe." Nauda shook her head and smiled at Nanjuma. "Thank you. I know I should be simply grateful, but... I wanted to ask you what you thought about the Landguard. They must have had their reasons..."
"They struggle to balance a great deal. Especially recently, they have been overtaxed in the heart of Tatian."
"Deeper into the villages?" Nauda snorted. "What are the problems, not enough singing around campfires?"
Though Nanjuma chuckled, his eyes looked deeply sad. "Nothing is ever as simple as it looks, child."
They sat in silence for a time before Nauda decided that there was no choice but to move on. "You know that I'm not here just to reminisce."
"Of course not. I saw you had a fire in you back then, and I'm pleased to see that it hasn't burned out. But I wonder what you expect to find here. All of our sublime materials at Authority and above were destroyed, and I think you now understand that a Ruler is not so powerful in the grand scheme of things."
"No, it's not like that..." Nauda started to reach out to touch his shoulder, hesitated, then realized her new instincts were unnecessary in Tatian. She touched him warmly and tried to find her old smile. "I have strength, and a blueprint I'm happy with... but I need your knowledge."
"I will help you if I can."
"Where to begin... I wanted to talk to you about the giant acorn you used to transport us, and more importantly the giant forest where you found it."
"Ah... that is a little different." Nanjuma shook his head slowly. "I visited there as a young man, and I am still surprised that I survived. I do not believe this is the right time for you to visit... neither the right time in your growth, or the right time for Tatian."
"Are you sure I can't convince you?" Nauda asked. "There are so many things I need..."
"I didn't say that I couldn't help." Nanjuma leapt up with a twinkle in his eye. "And as for the acorn... would you like to give it a try?"
Chapter 18
Now that Fiyu had a storage room full of sublime materials from Nondol, she was eager to return to Norro Yorthin. Yes, she had a great deal of soulcrafting to do to become a full-fledged Ruler, but she could soulcraft alongside her companions. Not only did she want to see them again, she was eager to show her relative all the sights of Norro Yorthin.
They arrived to find chaos.
She had been marginally worried about getting her relative an identity slate, but no sooner had they arrived than they were escorted directly to House Blacksilver. Nearly all the people she passed in the streets were stiff with tension, ranging from anger to confusion to fear. Everyone spoke as if war was imminent, even though she couldn't sense any hostile forces near the city.
When they reached the complex itself, they were met by Associate Karchibol. The Blacksilver Authority was even more bent than usual, but his soulhome blazed as if he intended to fight at that moment. He glared first at her, then at her relative.
"Is he going to attack me again?" Associate Karchibol demanded.
"No, of course not!" Fiyu moved to stand in between them. "He understands that we are allies now. Please, tell us what is happening."
"Never mind that. Return our weirkey at once - the House needs every Fithan weirkey it can get its hands on." Even after her relative returned it, Associate Karchibol seemed little appeased. "Now, just where is Peanen?"
The use of Friend Theo's exterior name tripped Fiyu up briefly, and she wondered what the problem could be, but it didn't change her answer. "We were hoping that you could show him to us. We have not seen him in some time."
Associate Karchibol cursed and turned away. "Then he and Dhan are still missing. Look, if the two of you are combat-ready, we need you to prepare. It's impossible to know how this will develop, but we could be going to war at any moment."
"Please, tell us what is happening!"
"The Asplundat Movement has declared war on Norro Yorthin. Not on the Ruling Cities, but on us in particular. They claim that we instigated an attack on them in the Dustwind Plateaus. We don't think we did, but they might have seen House Crimson's manipulations, or mistook our aid efforts, or this might even be one of Dhan's schemes. Multiple Houses are already gathering there, and-"
"War?" Relative Guchiro spoke up for the first time to interrupt.
"Not truly war." Associate Karchibol waved the word aside with one hand. "They called it a 'preparatory action' to avoid bringing every Ruling City down on them. But it could easily lead to a full war between the sides, especially if someone really did act against them."
It was a troubling development, but Fiyu felt more confused than anything. She had been gone so long, she was no longer familiar with the actions of Norro Yorthin, or even her companions. Associate Karchibol said that they would be transporting out another group of soulcrafters at the end of the day, so she had a brief period of time to orient herself.
First she visited the living quarters, hoping that Friend Nauda would be present to explain everything. No sign of her presence, and one of her neighbors said that she had only returned from Slest briefly before leaving on a longer journey. Friend Theo was also absent... but Betrayer Senka emerged from his room when she passed by.
"I know where Theo is," Betrayer Senka told them. "He was on a secret mission from Dhan out to a different continent. No idea when he's coming back."
Fiyu had hoped that she would never again see the small creature who had deceived her. She could barely accept that Betrayer Senka operated as their ally and may have saved their lives in the Chasm of Lamentations. But this creature had intentionally deceived them, even taking advantage of her small appearance to manipulate Fiyu's behavior. It had been too much to hope that she had gotten what she wanted from them and disappeared forever.
But as much as Fiyu disliked Betrayer Senka, the information she offered now was unlikely to be deceptive. "Do you know more about the conflict in these Dustwind Plateaus?"
"I was there, but not when things turned bad. If you ask me, I think the Asplundat Movement probably has a real cause for complaint. There are a lot of Houses manipulating things out there... but there's a bigger problem about the demons. It's a secret, but I think Theo would want me to tell you."
"I will speak to her," Relative Guchiro said, turning to Fiyu. "You should assemble any resources or allies we require for this conflict."
Fiyu had already warned her relative about Betrayer Senka, and he was much better at piercing deceptions, so she agreed. She considered retrieving their sleigh, but decided that it might be better not to take it into a war zone. Instead, she traveled to the Arbaian quarter of the city.
Her hope had been to speak with Ally Navim, since his view of current affairs would no doubt be carefully reasoned. Regrettably, it seemed that he was absent. But just as Fiyu was about to return in disappointment, the locked door opened and Associate Krikree emerged.
"Fiyu-queen?" The Slescan bowed deeply to her, but her nervousness seemed different than normal. "Ivo-sister where?"
"I do not know," Fiyu answered honestly. She still wasn't sure what to make of Associate Krikree. She had been a useful ally on Slest, and was clearly a companion to Friend Theo. But where many social interactions were troubling to Fiyu, Slescan conversations could be entirely baffling. "There is a significant conflict in the region where he was working."
"What? What?" Associate Krikree rushed closer to her, but thankfully stopped before touching her. "Demons attack dust beetles?"
"I... do not believe it is a demon attack. Other powers are threatening us over politics in the region."
"Bad!" Associate Krikree reached into her soulhome with all four arms and revealed a whole array of new weapons. It didn't seem she intended to use them, but she stuck close to Fiyu with great intensity, as if she was ready to attack an opponent at any moment.
Technically, this was an improvement, so Fiyu guided her new ally back through the city. Associate Krikree was a Ruler-tier soulcrafter, so she would be an asset if fighting began. But Fiyu was constantly uncertain how much the Slescan understood about her environment, and it was always possible she would take aggressive actions. What if Fiyu needed to communicate clearly and was unable to? She desperately wished that either of her companions were present to use the "signalscent" communication they spoke of.
It was deeply unfortunate that her relative did not possess a Fithan weirkey, otherwise they could have traveled there immediately, or gone to recruit Friend Theo. Because he had been focused on assisting her, there had been no time to acquire one. If the conflict had terrible consequences because of her... Fiyu resolved to use her new strength to make a difference.
She was able to meet with Relative Guchiro and several Blacksilver members before Associate Karchibol returned. If only she had more time... but there was no more, and there was little else she could do. Fiyu simply braced herself as the weirkey hurled them across Fithe.
They arrived in a strange region: large rocky plateaus divided by regions of sand so dense they felt more like liquid to her senses. She flinched at the feeling of many soulcrafters near her, but they appeared to be Blacksilver allies. Associate Janne was present as well, meaning that the House had deployed almost all its available forces. How terrible could the threat be?
"Everything's changed," one of the Blacksilver Archcrafters told them. "We desperately need to fully scout the situation."
"Fine. Get Janne and we'll-" Associate Karchibol had been rising into the air, but Relative Guchiro reached out a hand to stop him.
"My ward and I can extend our senses to examine the area, including piercing many defensive or illusory shields. If you offer us a little guidance, we should be able to assist you."
"Well... it's better than drawing fire." Associate Karchibol returned to the ground and escorted them to the Blacksilver strategists.
In truth, Fiyu and Relative Guchiro could easily have scanned the battlefield on their own. She realized that her relative had only asked for guidance so that Associate Karchibol would not feel like they were replacing him - it was a trick! Such things had often passed by her before.
Now, however, she needed to work together with her relative to assist House Blacksilver. His senses were strictly superior to hers, but he was unfamiliar with the local organizations. So they coordinated and he shared experiences, which she translated for the strategists. As she gained a better grasp of the situation, Fiyu realized just how bad it could potentially be.
Currently only a small group was fighting on one of the central plateaus: some Asplundat soulcrafters and some forces that she couldn't identify. That conflict could be contained, and was not yet damaging all the local farms she felt nearby. But all around them sat unguarded lanterns that could burst into light at any moment.
A substantial army of soulcrafters from the Asplundat Movement waited on one of the northern plateaus, including a Stronghold. To the west, a solitary Stronghold from the depths Fithans watched, and some strategists feared they might be an Asplundat ally. House Crimson had brought only a small force, but she recognized the shape of the vessel that had carried Stronghold Wiltur. Hidden within the dust storms, the House of the Lost waited silently, and Fiyu suspected they had a Stronghold as well. There was a small group from the House of Coin as well, but they didn't appear to have brought their strongest soulcrafters.
Four Strongholds present on one battlefield. Now she understood how the conflict could devolve into war at any moment.
"I want to examine the central conflict in more depth," Relative Guchiro told her. He extended a hand, so she laced her fingers through his and tried to align their senses.
At first she thought that they could uncover nothing new, then she made a terrible realization: the forces she had taken to be Asplundat soulcrafters due to their armor largely wore the robes of the Order of the Deepest Blue. Could the two be allied now? The other side still appeared to be a collection of assorted soulcrafters, and she wondered why they were presumed to be from Norro Yorthin.
"You can't go out there!" Associate Karchibol swept in as soon as they started to act. "Right now, both sides are denying involvement in the battle. If we send support, or anything that looks like support, the Asplundat Movement will consider it proof and begin their attack."
"Then we need to open negotiations," Relative Guchiro said. Fiyu would have been dismayed by Associate Karchibol's aggressiveness, but her relative was unmoved. "Surely you have mechanisms in place to avoid unnecessary combat."
As it happened, they weren't able to make any progress before someone else took action. Adversary Wiltur floated from his vessel over the battlefield and brought his presence down on all the fighters, pinning them to the ground. He immediately had the attention of all sides, and Fiyu could feel three other Strongholds preparing to take action.
"Enough of this squabbling!" Adversary Wiltur projected his voice so it boomed out over the plateaus. "I do not know what happened here, but let us determine the truth instead of fighting with one another!"
"And what right do you have to lead?" A sphere of stone the size of a house floated from the Asplundat camp, a woman's voice emerging from its depths. Fiyu's senses couldn't penetrate past the surface, but it must be their Stronghold. "A tyrant of the Ruling Cities has no reason to enact justice."
"House Crimson has no part in this conflict! We came only to answer the allegations against us, without any army." Adversary Wiltur swept an arm over the small group of Crimson forces. "If they trouble you, I can send them away. Only let us come together and speak as reasonable soulcrafters."
To Fiyu's mind, this was meaningless posturing, because Adversary Wiltur was more powerful than all of the other Crimson forces combined. It seemed that the others were somewhat convinced, however, because both sides began to approach the center. These were complex schemes of deception that she didn't feel equal to unraveling, so she remained close to Relative Guchiro. Associate Krikree moved quietly in their wake.
Yet, if this was a deception, it hadn't quite worked. The Stronghold representative of the depths Fithans joined them, but no others. All of the House of the Lost's forces remained stationary, and Fiyu realized that they had raised subtle defensive workings. Meanwhile, the House of Coin representatives seemed to be retreating from the plateaus.
"I can smell betrayal," her relative said softly. "The fewer forces are involved, the more likely this conflict is to be controlled by one party. We should not allow that faction to leave."
"I don't know if I can convince anyone," Fiyu said. But when her relative insisted, she let him fly her after the House of Coin contingent. They should have left Associate Krikree behind, but she stuck close and even tried to grasp her cloak, so Fiyu allowed her along.
The House of Coin group consisted of an Authority and three Rulers... one of whom was Acquaintance Kathina. Fiyu knew their forces in Norro Yorthin were limited, so this was a significant fraction of their numbers. She had hoped they would bring their Stronghold, or perhaps even more soulcrafters from other branches of the House in the region.
"Excuse me, Kathina?" Fiyu felt that her only chance was to approach the one individual she knew. "Can we convince you to stay? This conflict desperately needs neutral forces."
"What, you can't trust House Crimson to work in everyone's best interests?" Acquaintance Kathina smirked with her face, but the noose of tension across her neck and shoulders remained unchanged. "I'm afraid we're leaving. The only reason we were even here was to extract the sublime materials we were in the process of trading. This is likely to turn bloody, so we need to protect our investment."
"Trading... to the local Fithans, you mean?" Fiyu frowned as she considered it. "If you considered them trading partners, how can you leave them like this?"
Acquaintance Kathina hesitated, but after a glance at the Authority in the group, she answered firmly. "It's a cost-benefit analysis. Have they told you the secrets in the Dustwind Plateaus? There are demons proliferating and several plots and we don't know the why for any of it. Staying is an unacceptable risk, much less getting involved."
