Chapter 106: 69 – Devil’s Game, Part 4

When Amin returned to the cellar, Amara urged him to contact Campbell and tell his side of the events. Although he agreed, Amin was adamant to not reveal who had been behind the attack. 

[Are you serious? If Celene is after you, then he needs to know! Besides, how are you going to find out whether she’s behind it or not by keeping it a secret?] (Amara)

[I don’t want the Alarice Kingdom, or the queen, to be implicated if she wasn’t the one who ordered it.] (Amin)

Amara had to let out a bitter sigh as Amin stubbornly kept refusing, and eventually relented. However, they had underestimated someone’s ability to connect the dots. 

Because when Amin called Campbell, who seemed to be looking for the answer to his troubles at the bottom of a bottle together with Andrew, it didn’t take long for Andrew to make a comment that made Amin reveal what had happened. Since Amara knew that Celene had put people to watch Campbell, the meeting was all done through Amin's telepathy to keep it secret. Because Amin would be the only one who could hear everyone, it meant that they had to speak in turns. It was cumbersome, confusing in the beginning and time consuming, but at least it kept the conversation secret. 

Andrew, who was ever the skeptic, did end up wanting some form of confirmation that Amin was telling the truth and not simply manipulating them on Celene’s orders. His idea involved Andrew writing down pairs of phrases, where each pair consisted of a nonsensical codeword and the corresponding option that described the level of truth in what Amin was telling them. Since only Amara, Andrew or Campbell would be able to read the options that were being written inside the office immediately, they would know that if Amin suddenly spoke one of the nonsensical words, it would mean that Amara was indeed present and had confirmed how truthful Amin was.

The option Amara eventually picked was 'unexistencialism', which Andrew had written as the code for if Amin was truthful about Amara and her words, but kept secrets of his own. Campbell seemed somewhat relieved once Amin spoke  the codeword, even though he hadn't seemed to have voiced any doubt towards Amin during the telepathic conversation.

Andrew merely didn't seem quite that affected by the result, and instead started discussing the possible reasons for why Celene might have ordered the attack immediately after they passed his test.

[Andrew says that if the queen was behind it, then it might be because I’ve become a threat to my half-brother. I don’t believe that, since it doesn’t change anything...what use is the prophet of a goddess that the people don't worship?] (Amin) 

Campbell was even more confused over the fact that the assassination attempt had come from someone from the Alarice Kingdom. He suspected that Celene wasn’t behind it, and that Teacher instead had acted on his own. But from what they could tell, Celene at least knew that Amin was attacked, and Teacher was still free to operate. Whether or not he had been instructed to attack Amin again or not, was yet unknown. 

At some point during the conversation, Campbell suggested that they add the elves to the call. But as soon as Amin had explained the situation to them, and their confusion had settled, Aleesha asked a question that made Amara feel put on the spot.

[Aleesha asks Amara what we should be doing about this situation.] (Amin)

Amara felt embarrassed as she realized that they were actually expecting her to come up with a solution. Although she had been giving the broad strokes of her plans for how to prepare her domain, she hadn’t expected that she’d need to be taking a leading role to such an extent. 

[I...don’t know. I haven’t thought about it.] Amara replied honestly. [The best I can think of would be to ask the queen directly, but…I don’t know if it would help us.]

After Amin repeated her response, she waited a while until Amin spoke again. [Andrew says that it wouldn’t do much to help us, and that the fact she hasn’t approached Campbell directly regarding the attack is even more evidence that she is responsible for it. And if she is, she’d merely lie in order to be able to attack me again.] 

Shit. What are we supposed to do? 

In order to get the development I’m hoping for, I need the leadership to cooperate. If they don’t...well, I’ll simply lack the resources. The church does have some, but it’s not enough to implement changes on a large scale…

[Andrew also says that the best plan for the church is to publically disavow me until I make a public appearance to answer the accusations. Personally, I agree with that…if the church stays out of politics, they won’t suffer more than just a little scrutiny.] (Amin)

...A little?

[I think that if Campbell avoids pursuing the policies that Amara wants to implement, and doesn’t make them publicly known, most nations will view the church as harmless. Campbell?] (Amin)

...Dammit. Amara let out a long, dejected sigh as she waited for the pope’s response.

[Campbell dislikes the suggestion, but will refer to Amara’s judgement on the matter. If Amara wants to pursue the path she chose, he’ll follow despite the resistance he’ll face. Amara?] (Amin)

Amara held her head as she thought. How can I be the one to decide? I can’t stop the war, and if I try to develop my domain the priesthood will suffer. Even if they are willing to suffer the consequences…

[Amara? I don’t think you meant to say that to the others.] (Amin)

Amara let out a sigh and bit her lip. [Thank Campbell for me, but I don’t know if it’s worth it. I don’t want the few people that follow me to suffer because of it. Without political or military influence to match...]

When her depressed thoughts went quiet, Amin repeated her response for her. Frustrated and with a feeling of helplessness, she cancelled Farsight and stood up from her couch. She quickly strode over to the curved wall and brought her divine power to bear as she punched the wall. 

Shit! I just don’t know what we should do!

All those stupid rulers...

As she leaned with her forehead against the wall while clenching her jaw, Amin’s voice sounded in her mind. [Aleesha asks whether we’d like to evacuate to Whildernae.]

Amara blinked as the words slowly sank in. ...Whildernae?

[She says she’d be willing to help any number of people, although the more people there are, the longer it will take. Since the centauri and saplings are both devout believers, they’d welcome us with open arms and help Amara with anything they can. Andrew?] (Amin)

....Yes.

Yes! That’s perfect! Why didn’t I think of that!

Amara was relieved as she realized there was a way to get the priests out of harm’s way. She suspected most priests would want to stay behind, but at least a few who might be fearing for their futures would probably be willing to migrate to Whildernae. 

And Amara realized the enormous potential that was before her, if the people of Whildernae were receptive to her as Aleesha said; manpower and natural resources would be in abundance. If they were willing to apply the policies she was hoping to implement, which they seemed, they could be making new discoveries in both magic and science within the century. 

Neither Andrew nor Campbell wanted to leave Teyrin. Andrew didn’t want to leave the city that had been his entire life, and Campbell thought it was his task as the pope to remain regardless of the circumstances. Yet slowly but surely, a plan started to take form after Aleesha made her offer. 

By letting Aleesha take Amin and volunteers to Whildernae, they’d strive towards implementing Amara’s wishes and researching the knowledge, technology and weapons that she would provide. Meanwhile, Campbell would officially proclaim that until Amin made an appearance to answer the accusations, the church would not step into the political stage to implement, or even publicize the new goddess’ directives. They would however stand by the claim that Amara was their goddess, and that saying she was either in league with or a demon herself was nothing but slander. Since the only concern for the rulers seemed to be the fact that Amin had ties to the Alarice Kingdom, they suspected that would be enough to soothe them and let the church operate with little difficulties. How they would bring Amin back into the spotlight would simply have to wait, both until things calmed down and until they knew more.

While the attitude Teyrin’s leaders took towards Amara remained a point of concern, the war itself was even greater. The only way to put a stop to it was with a military force greater than those fighting had - and the only ones with that kind of force were the elves.

But Aleesha said that the war on Teyrin was not their concern, and that the elves would be unwilling to engage in war with anything but demons. She did however agree that they would sooner or later need frequent visits to Teyrin, which meant that they needed a foothold in order to return. And the natural location for that became Levan, as it was still officially the holy city, and in many ways bordering on being considered its own city state.

Although Andrew seemed anxious that establishing Levan as a hub for otherworlders to gather could lead to future conflicts, he was ultimately in favor of using his city for that purpose. He didn’t hide the fact that he was hoping to be able to benefit from the research that the elves would be doing on the knowledge Amara provided, and thus knew that he would be the first to enjoy and become involved with the distribution of new inventions and spells.

 

_______________

 

“How did the summit go?” Ezme asked with a bright smile when she embraced Amara upon her return. 

Returning the hug, Amara realized how much had happened during the few days Ezme had been away. Looking down into the angel’s grey eyes, Amara stroked her warm cheek with her thumb with a faint smile. “Well...long story short, someone tried to assassinate Amin, a war broke out, and I was painted as a demon.”

Ezme blinked repeatedly as her smile faded. “Wait, really? Seriously?!”

Amara nodded with a bitter smile. “Yeah.”

The angel looked at her for a few moments before grabbing Amara’s hand and led her to the sofa. As they sat down, the angel looked at her anxiously. “Tell me what happened.”

Amara suddenly felt awkward by how serious Ezme was, and hesitated for a while. But somehow the warmth from the hand that was squeezing hers, as well as the attentive expression Ezme held as she waited, helped her open up. While she spoke the comforting warmth seemed to be transmitted from her hand to her core.

Amara ended up not only explaining what had happened, but also expressing how frustrated she felt that the human leaders of Teyrin were blinded by their pursuits for power, as well as how she was worried how it would influence the future progress for preparing her domain. Torn between the desire to keep innocents like the priests safe and wish to develop her domain, she wasn’t sure what to do. 

When Amara went silent as she finished, she felt somewhat worried about what the angel was thinking. 

Ezme clicked her tongue when Amara finished. “Tsk. Insolent mortals.”

“...For once, I agree with you.” Amara let out a long sigh of relief. 

The angel looked at her with a worried gaze. “What do you intend to do?”

As Ezme asked the question, Amara was reminded of what Amin had told her during their telepathic meeting. {[Aleesha asks Amara what we should be doing about this situation.]}

Amara knit her brows as she voiced the only thought that went through her head. “...Why is everyone expecting me to have an answer?” Averting her gaze from the angel next to her, she let out a dejected sigh. “I know that I’m their...goddess, or whatever. But I’m not a leader, or someone who has all the answers.”

Everything was silent for a few moments before Amara felt how Ezme’s hand touched Amara’s cheek and turned her face towards the angel that looked at her anxiously. “Maybe you’re not a leader yet. But it is what you’ll need to be. Being afraid of the responsibility merely means that you’re worried about the wellbeing of everyone, which is a good trait to have as a leader.”

Amara suppressed the desire to let out an unamused snort as the angel made her meet her gaze. “Being worried about people’s wellbeing doesn’t make one a competent leader though.”

Ezme’s eyes suddenly went distant as she lowered her hand and averted her eyes. “...I suppose that’s true. After all, I often worry about the people in my domain, but I’m not a very good leader.”

Amara watched the angel with a complicated expression, since she realized that she had unintentionally brought up the angel’s sore spot. Helping Ezme with implementing policies in her domain, Amara had seen that Ezme cared about people. But while that kind of compassion could be inspiring, it was not enough to be a good ruler. “Fluffles, I didn’t mean-”

“The people in my domain do what I ask when it suits them. But they don’t trust my judgement when my opinion and theirs collide.” Ezme smiled at her with a faint sadness in her eyes. “And that’s because I’m not a wise or strong leader. I know that. But you are - have the potential to be. Why do you think I keep asking you for help with my domain?”

When Amara was silent, the angel continued. “More or less, you’ve already been governing my domain. The only difference is that when it comes to your domain, you will need to say what needs to be done yourself.”

“...I suppose you have a point.” Amara let out a sigh.

Ezme smiled and squeezed her hand with a smile. “So, what do you intend to do?”

Amara stroked the back of the angel’s hand with her thumb as she replied. “Aleesha suggested that we evacuate those that might be oppressed to Whildernae. The natives of that world would be welcoming my policies, so I guess we’ll start there and then let a group of people from Whildernae settle on Teyrin later on. But if the rulers of Teyrin are unwilling to implement changes or view the settlers as a threat…”

Ezme tilted her head. “What then?”

“...I don’t know.” Amara let out a dejected sigh. “Then another war might break out. Which is something I’d like to avoid, but I need to establish a presence on Teyrin somehow...”

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Ezme was silent for a while before she replied. “...I agree that you should avoid starting wars. But if you’re not the one starting them, you need to hold your ground.” Ezme looked at her seriously. “People are looking to you to lead the way forward as a result of your position, since you’ll be looking at the future regardless of present circumstances. And...well, Alarice once told me, if you know what needs to be done, you should do it.” The angel knit her brow anxiously and closed her eyes as she added. “Even if it means that a few people will suffer in the present, you can’t let that stop you from saving everyone down the line.”

“That’s…” Amara raised an eyebrow. “Even if people die as a result? Because of something I said?”

“Amara, we’re at war. People will die no matter what we do.” Ezme opened her eyes and looked at her with a sad smile. “That’s what it means to rule a domain. But you can make fewer people suffer in the long run. And more people will die, if you do nothing.”

Amara frowned as she fell in thought. Noticing how Ezme was peering at her, she let out a long sigh. “I guess you’re right.”

“Of course I am.” Ezme retorted with a smile, wrapping her wing around Amara as she leaned back in her seat. “You shouldn’t doubt me.” 

Amara smiled wryly as the warm wing around her back pulled her closer towards the angel and shook her head as she wrapped an arm around Ezme’s shoulders. “I never doubted you, Fluffles.”

Ezme smiled as she leaned against Amara’s shoulder. “So, you’ll be developing Whildernae first. As long as they manage to learn what you have to teach them and they are able to export your inventions and knowledge through your domain, you’ll more or less be set, right?”

Amara nodded. “I think so. Though, the elves seem to be unwel-” Ah, right. I was supposed to ask her.

“What is it?” (Ezme)

Looking down at the angel leaning against her, Amara asked what she had promised Aleesha. “Do you know if the elves played a part in the creation of demon lords?”

Ezme raised an eyebrow. “Not that I know of. Why?”

Amara shrugged with her shoulder. “Apparently there’s a rumour in my domain that the elves are the reason they came around.” 

“I don’t know much about how the demon lords were created, but since we know that Alaric was the first…” Ezme frowned as her voice faded. “Now that you mention it, some of my siblings seem to seclude the elves to a certain extent. Not openly, but…enough to be noticed perhaps. I always thought I imagined it, and that my siblings were merely treating them more cautiously because of their longer lifespan or something. But maybe that wasn’t the case.”

Amara let out a sigh. “So when Alarice says that she and Alaric were betrayed…”

Ezme nodded. “The elves were probably the ones who betrayed us.”

Amara snorted. “But isn’t it a bit much to discriminate against the elves? None of the people responsible are even alive, right?”

“...Right.” Ezme nodded. “In a sense I can understand why my siblings are angry, since we’re still on the defensive as a result of it, but...I agree it’s too much. Those alive now are not responsible. I’ll talk to some of my siblings about it.”

“...Do you think they’ll listen?” Amara glanced at her skeptically. “No offence, but your siblings are rather...”

“Amara.” Ezme interrupted her sternly. “I know my siblings have their flaws. But don’t forget that all of us are old, who have had to watch mortals be slaughtered despite our efforts to protect them. Do you really think that over the course of several millennia, you wouldn’t get dulled to such suffering?”

“Yes, but-” (Amara)

“I think viewing mortals as a resource is something that is inevitable for us. Unless you actively do something to prevent that change from happening.” Ezme said strictly and was silent for a moment as Amara felt how the wing against her back seemed to droop dejectedly. “But doing that...hurts. I think it’s a natural choice for my siblings to want to forget how...similar we are to the mortals, in order to be able to do our duties unhindered by the mental strain that comes with caring about them. And if the mortals in question betrayed you in the past, you'd care even less.” 

“...Is that why you spend so much time in your domain compared to the other angels? So you'll keep caring?” Amara asked. 

Ezme shook her head. “No, it’s not the reason. But because I do, it helps me remember.”

“Then why?” Amara asked curiously. “I don’t think I ever asked.”

Ezme tilted her head as she thought. “I think I started doing that because I wanted to see what I was fighting to protect. But...now it’s mostly because I’m curious about how mortals...tackle the adversities of life. Mortals are weak, and yet...they overcome so many things without our help.” Ezme looked at Amara. “Take your own world for instance. Your world can’t even use magic, yet the people of Earth enjoy better and easier lives than the vast majority. It’s...” 

As the angel’s passionate voice faded when she was looking for the right words, Amara pulled the angel closer and placed her lips against Ezme’s cheek. “Alright, that’s enough. I get it.”

Ezme glared at her. “You don’t want me talking about it?”

Amara smiled wryly. “Maybe I got jealous.”

Emze’s lips curved into a playful smile. “Oh, really?”

Amara grinned as she leaned in towards Ezme’s lips. 

After having an extended, stress-reducing conversation without words, the angel pulled away and looked at her with a gaze full of conviction. “Amara. Although there’s trouble in your domain right now, I have no doubt that they will follow you once you’ve proven your intentions. And trust the mortals in your domain to do the work for you - once the people on Teyrin witness how the people of Whildernae have benefited from following you, they won’t be far behind.”

Amara smiled and let out a sigh. “Alright.”

Ezme reached up and stroked Amara’s cheek with her fingertips. “I know I can be naive at times, while some of my siblings can seem...indifferent. But you are neither of those things. So trust your own judgement.”

 

_______________

 

Trust your own judgement, huh. Amara thought as she stared at the canopy above the bed, with Ezme snoring peacefully with her arm around her while covering them with her wing. 

What is my judgement? 

Well...it feels like moving people to Whildernae is like we’re running away. But it’s the best option, even though it might lead to difficulties for the elves and others to settle on Teyrin later on...

“Krrrh.” (Ezme)

What if...there was an exchange program? That way the people on Teyrin could get used to different foreign races in advance. And the people of Whildernae could learn from current manufacturing methods that exist on Teyrin. 

There are some fears about the elves, but that’s mostly just the rulers. If they even believe the rumours, which they don’t seem to truly do according to Andrew. But just in case, they should be strong enough to take care of themselves if things get dangerous.

Could the rulers be convinced to somehow welcome foreigners though? 

Make A Call: Amin.

[...Amara? Good morning.] (Amin)

[Oh, did I wake you?] (Amara)

[No, I was already awake.] (Amin)

[Great! Can you call the others?] (Amara)

[One moment.] (Amin)

As she waited for Amin to call the others, Amara listened to Ezme’s soft snoring with a smile on her face.

[Go ahead, Amara.] (Amin)

[I was thinking that we could have some kind of exchange program. Sending humans to Whildernae from different professions to help out, as well as sending elves, centauri and maybe even saplings to Teyrin to get the people used to travelers from other worlds. Thoughts?] (Amara)

Both Aleesha and Campbell were positive towards the idea, while Andrew raised the same point of concern as Amara had thought of. 

[Andrew says that it will be pointless if the travelers from Whildernae aren’t providing something that we need. The rulers will simply see them as a threat that is infiltrating their ranks.] (Amin)

Amara let out a faint sigh. [I thought that might be the case. Ask Aleesha if there’s anything about their lives on Whilderane that could improve the lives of the people on Teyrin.]

Amin was silent after repeating her response. [Aleesha says that we don’t seem to have many druids. Since they are experts at helping life grow, they could help us make more food.]

Druids? I guess that could be beneficial…

With the conversation that followed they decided that it was indeed best if those who were to migrate from Whildernae would be druids. By incorporating them into the church, they would provide a service for the farmers where they would either teach them to become druids, or improve the yields from the fields with their abilities. Since they also had some skills related to healing, they could help with lesser injuries or illnesses and therefore relieve some of the pressure on the priests.

The only concern was that doing so would indirectly support the war between the kingdoms. But in the end, they judged that the benefits to the common people would be far greater than it would be for the states, and thus solidify their position among the people. But even the rulers would likely be welcoming druids with open arms once they had proved their worth, which would strengthen the ties and therefore lessen the risks of conflicts between foreigners and natives on Teyrin. 

By the time they concluded the conversation, everyone was feeling far more hopeful than they had earlier. 

[Aleesha says she’s very grateful for your suggestion, Amara. If things go as we hope, it will make a great difference.] Amin was silent for a moment. [Campbell says he’s grateful as well, while Andrew believes it was an excellent idea.] 

Amara drew a deep, shaky breath as she felt somewhat touched. [I just based it on the idea of student exchanges on Earth. But I’m happy that everyone approve-]

“Mmh.” Ezme frowned in her sleep as Amara moved, and tightened her grasp around Amara’s waist for a moment before she fell back into deep sleep. 

As a wry smile spread on Amara’s face when she watched the snoozing angel, Amin’s embarrassed voice retorted in her mind. 

[Amara! Can’t you at least be decent when you call!?] (Amin)

[...I’ll keep that in mind.] (Amara)

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