Transcendence, page 49
part #6 of The Beginning After The End Series
“Lastly. The asuras have been out of touch with your leaders, right?” He didn’t wait for me to respond. The asura possessing my bond rose to his feet, maintaining his poise. “That’s because a few asuras, including Aldir and Windsom, tried infiltrating my castle in Alacrya, hoping that they’d succeed in killing me while my forces are divided.”
“Tried? That means that they failed,” I replied, my heart beating faster. “Doesn’t that mean the treaty is broken?”
Agrona shook his head. “No. Neither my side nor the asuras in Epheotus wish for it, but they had to pay for violating the treaty. So we made another deal.”
I was afraid to ask, but I did anyway. “What is the deal that you made?”
“The asuras in Epheotus can no longer aid you in any way throughout this war,” he answered, stepping a bit closer. “Windsom, Aldir, and the rest of the asuras that you’ve met have abandoned you and Dicathen.”
It would be tempting to say that I remained unfazed and took the news in stride, but that would be a lie. In my head, I was using every curse I knew to express the frustration and panic that was bubbling up inside me.
Finally, after I regained enough composure to form words again, I spoke. “Why are you telling me all this?”
“To appeal to you, of course. I’m trying to ultimately get you on my side willingly, remember?” Agrona winked. “Frankly, I don’t see where your loyalty to those asuras comes from. Kezess and the other asuras that helped train you did so only for their own gains; you simply went along with it because you needed to get stronger to keep your loved ones safe. Seems more like a business arrangement to me.”
I shook my head. “Even so. You’ve said that you’ve been conservative during this war, but while you come off as well-mannered so far, your retainers have massacred soldiers with glee.”
“Exactly as you said. Soldiers,” Agrona pointed out, snapping his fingers. “And really… I think it’s hardly fair to bring that up when your side has treated my men with just about the same amount of hospitality. I’d say freezing my poor Jagrette and displaying her corpse like some sort of trophy in front of your nobles is hardly any better than what she or any of my other soldiers have done.”
I was at a loss for words. I shouldn’t have been surprised that Agrona had such detailed information, but hearing him speak of events that had happened in the castle, like he had been there to witness it, was difficult to digest. Clearly he was much better informed about our actions that we were about his.
Silence enveloped the room, bringing my attention to the sound of the wind whistling around us.
“What we’ve discussed today isn’t something you can organize in a span of a few minutes. I’ll give you some time to think about everything,” he finally said, breaking the silence. “Besides, Sylvie seems to be stirring from her sleep. After you’ve thought about it, recite this spell to Sylvie so you can give me your answer.”
He sent a string of foreign words through mental transmission, allowing me time to remember it. Then he continued, “I advise you to make a choice soon, though. As I said earlier, we’re progressing to the next stage of this war, and I assure you it won’t be to your side’s benefit. Offering you this deal does not grant you immunity from harm should you refuse or withhold your answer.”
“Wait,” I called out. “What you told me earlier… that I was the only one on this continent you’re interested in. You never told me why that is.”
“I suppose it does no harm in telling you.” Agrona tapped his chin with a finger, thinking for a moment. “Let’s say I’ve enjoyed talking with an old friend of yours, King Grey.”
Also by TurtleMe
*The Beginning After The End*
[Book 1: Early Years]
[Book 2: New Heights]
[Book 3: Beckoning Fates]
[Book 4: Horizon’s Edge]
[Book 5: Convergence]
Book 6: Transcendence
*Read Ahead on Tapas Media for Book 7 *
[Starts at Ep. 527]
*Official Webcomic Adaptation*
Turtleme, Transcendence
