Chapter 73: Champion, Chapter 7: Beneath the Mask

Aidan

The Realms

Firstday, 1st week of the 9th month, Age of the Chosen 1

Mid-Afternoon

Caer Macht, Mistvale Highlands

Aidan turned to his companions. "Ailis, I'll want your help with this. I don't know why they're here, but it almost has to be political, and that's your arena. Cai, Llwyd, I want you both as well. I can't imagine they're here to start a fight or they would have already done so, but better safe than sorry. Brighid, you know that you're always welcome by my side—"

"But I am not needed here, I know." She smiled at him to take the sting out of her words. "It is fine, my heart. I will leave matters of state to you; I will focus on getting the forge downstairs into a usable form again. Those escape tokens are not going to make themselves."

Brighid reached out and pulled Aidan's helmet off then tangled her hands in his hair, pulling him into a fierce kiss that stole his breath and thoughts. She pressed hard against him, bending him backward as her lips crushed against his and her tongue plunged insistently into his mouth. After a few long moments, Brighid withdrew just far enough to murmur to Aidan, "You could have ordered me to cross those leaves and I would have. I want you to know how much I appreciate what you did instead." She bit his lower lip softly, then breathed into his mouth, "If you see someone you like... bring her back with you." She bit his lip again as Aidan opened his mouth to protest. "I mean it. If none of them interest you, that is one thing. But if one does, I want to meet her. For you and me. Please?"

Aidan still didn't feel comfortable with his lover throwing other women at him, but he couldn't resist the plea in her eyes. "As you wish," he acquiesced, then kissed her again. Brighid's fingers tightened in his hair for a brief moment, then began to stroke his head and neck as the kiss grew passionate. Aidan's hands wandered to the straps holding Brighid's breastplate together before a wry comment from behind him brought him back to his senses.

"I thought Aidan was the boss in their relationship," Llwyd mused to his mate. "It appears I was wrong."

Cai snorted. "As if any man would refuse anything from a girl who looked at him the way she does." She turned to face her partner, nibbled on her lower lip, and widened her eyes a touch. "You will clean all our weapons and polish our armor, will you not, my love?"

Llwyd froze for a moment, then blushed scarlet and shook his head. "Witch!" He accused his lover. "...Yeah, I will," he grumbled a moment later when Cai's lips started to tremble and tears gathered at the corners of her eyes. She smirked at him, then winked at Aidan and Brighid.

Aidan flushed, but smiled back, then turned his attention back to his redheaded lover. "I don't know how long this will take, but you had better be ready and waiting for me when I finish up. If you aren't, I might have to get started without you."

Brighid's eyes burned as she replied with a husky voice, "As you command, my Lord Aidan." She held his gaze for a second longer, then walked past him and down the stairs.

"Now that you have decided not to have your way with my daughter in front of me," Ailis drawled, "would you like my advice on the harpy delegation?"

"Yes," Aidan replied, trying and failing to keep from blushing. "Let's talk as we walk. What do you have for me?" As they walked, Aidan resummoned the two Passion Elementals that he'd used to test the Labyrinth portal, keeping them in their base humanoid shape for the moment.

"It is most likely that they are here to gather information. I expect that a harpy scout saw the pillar of fire and linked it with the new Age, and that, combined with our sudden investiture of Ceallach Macht, has drawn their attention. They want to know what happened and what our plans are. If I were their leader, I would have something superficial for them to present to you—a minor trade deal, a temporary non-aggression pact, trading envoys—that gives them an excuse to be here, observing what we do and taking stock of you as a leader. I doubt they have any hostile intentions towards you as our historical relations with them are mostly positive, but they have to be wary of your power. There are two different ways I would recommend that you approach this.

"First, you can give them what they want: invite them into Caer Macht, engage them in diplomacy, work out a deal, show that you are not someone they need to fear. This has the advantages of being simple, straightforward, and playing to your natural inclinations. Alternatively, you can try to seize the initiative: subvert their expectations, keep them off-balance, and make them work for the information they want. If you can pull that off without making yourself seem threatening or unhinged, it would set you up to get a far better deal out of it. You may not realize this, but to attractive, powerful women used to getting their way with men, it is difficult to resist a man who plays hard to get." Aidan squinted at Ailis, but she continued speaking without a hitch in her expression. "This is higher-risk, but also higher-reward. The first method might bring the harpies to Ceallach Macht, but it would be on their terms and schedule. If you can get them hooked on the idea of you, however, they will flock to your doorstep." Her lips twitched as Cai and Llwyd groaned.

"Oh no, the puns are spreading."

Aidan ignored his vassals and smiled at Ailis to show his appreciation of her wordplay. "And how would you suggest I do that?"

Ailis hummed a quiet tune as she thought. "I doubt they expect a human to be the Lord of Ceallach Macht; that will already have them off-balance. If any of them recognize me, they will assume that I am in charge here. We can use that to turn the tables on them. When I defer to you and call you Lord Aidan, they will have to re-evaluate their entire approach on the fly." More groans followed; Ailis's grin grew. "At that point, you can give them temporary quarters and beg off further discussions until you have had a chance to rest." She quirked an eyebrow at him and said, "And if there is one who catches your fancy—especially if she is a junior member of the group—invite her and only her for dinner. Yes, I heard what Brighid told you; these," Ailis waved a hand at her long, horizontal ears, "are for more than looking pretty."

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Aidan saw a chance to seize back the initiative in his personal affairs, so he took Ailis's advice to heart. "Yes," he told her in a voice brimming with mischief, "I know what you mean." He summoned a Magic Hand—as an Ability rather than a spell, it required no chant or gesture—and ran a phantom fingertip along the upper edge of Ailis's right ear. He knew that was one of Brighid's most-sensitive erogenous zones and suspected that it would be the same with her mother.

The former Councillor faltered and almost stumbled at the unexpected, intimate sensation. Her expression—which had been professional aside from the small grin—dissolved into red-cheeked surprise. She recovered in a heartbeat, her face returning to its usual blank mask, but Aidan knew he'd scored a hit. "That's another reason I wanted you along; you have a better chance of overhearing any discussion they have among themselves. Yes, I believe your ears will be quite handy." He rubbed his insubstantial thumb across Ailis's ear tip and conjured a new hand that he slid down her back to the bend in her spine. He saw her nose flare and her cheeks redden again, but she otherwise kept her composure.

Aidan felt bad for teasing her like this; her Oath of Fealty meant that he couldn't allow himself to follow through on the promises his magic hands were making. Even if he believed the interest she showed in him before making her Oath was genuine, it would be immoral for him to have a relationship with someone who was the next best thing to mind-controlled. The Oath of Fealty wasn't quite that bad, but it did take away much of Ailis's agency and ability to deny his requests. Still, though, it was fun to tease her and see her mask slip for short, unguarded moments. He resolved to set aside some time to explain his position to her and apologize for leading her on.

Ailis's ice-blue eyes smoldered as she responded, "Yes, my Lord. I am relieved to see that you are keeping your fingers on the pulse of the situation. Perhaps you should demonstrate how even-handed you can be."

"Ever get the feeling," Cai asked Llwyd, "that there is more going on in a conversation you are listening to, but you just cannot figure out what?"

"Why yes, now that you mention it. Like right now, for instance," her partner replied.

Ailis's cheeks heated up again, but she held Aidan's gaze. Well, Aidan mused, maybe I can keep teasing for now. She might not be able to say 'no' without penalty, but her oath doesn't make her say 'keep going.' He added additional hands to the mix and amused himself by trying to provoke further reactions from Ailis as they walked.

Aidan

Ceallach Macht, Mistvale Highlands

Aidan and his escorts emerged into the mid-afternoon sunlight. Ailis led the way, with Aidan behind her and Cai and Llwyd flanking him. The harpies stood out like a sore thumb in the center of the plaza, and Aidan took a moment to examine them as the party approached. All five wore steel armor, and they were all athletic in build, but that's where the similarities ended.

The apparent leader had reddish-brown feathers with golden highlights and milk chocolate skin; a longsword dangled from her hip. On either side of her were a pair of twins, shorter than the other harpies, with dark purple feathers and pale porcelain skin; each bore a short spear and a shield. The only way he could tell the pair apart is that the one on his left had a scar over her eye. The fourth had her back turned to Aidan, speaking animatedly with the leader. Her feathers were the soft grey of a dove, and her skin was a lightly-tanned bronze. She appeared to be unarmed, but Aidan knew that didn't mean she wasn't a warrior, the same as the others. The final harpy had rich blue-green feathers that reminded Aidan of a peacock. That struck him as incongruous, as peahens were dull as doornails, but he mentally shrugged. She had a pair of long-toothed fighting claws clipped to her belt, and her complexion was a Mediterranean olive.

The hawk-feathered harpy noticed their approach and pushed the dove aside, striding forward to meet the centaurs. Strike one, Aidan thought as the other harpies ignored their comrade sprawled out on the cobblestones. He kept to his role, however, standing behind Ailis.

"Councillor Ailis Silverhair, I believe? My name is Ecgwena, and I have come as a representative of the Ash Shroud Sisterhood. Are you the Lady of Ceallach Macht, then?" Ecgwena had intense golden eyes, but all of her attention was focused on Ailis. She hadn't even spared a glance for Cai, Llwyd, or Aidan, and the two fire elementals were seen, categorized, and visibly dismissed.

"I am Ailis Silverhair, yes," Ailis agreed, "but Councillor no more. And if you are looking for the Lord of this city, you will need to speak to Aidan. May I present Lord Aidan, Prophet of the Brighaid—" they had agreed on the slight obfuscation, as the cat was mostly out of the bag anyway "—honorary Starchaser, holder of three Oaths of Fealty, and Lord and Master of Ceallach Macht and its Place of Power, Caer Macht. My Lord, this sister is here to discuss diplomatic affairs with you." Ailis stepped aside and bowed almost horizontal.

Aidan stepped forward into the gap she left for him, but two incredulous voices filled the air before he could speak.

"A human?!" Ecgwena's voice was full of revulsion. However, she wasn't the one that drew Aidan's attention.

"You!" Shouted the grey-feathered girl. She was standing again, and her arm was outstretched, finger pointing at Aidan. "Yer the one I saw walk through the wards! How are you alive?!"

Ecgwena turned and glared at the taller harpy. "Sunnild..." she growled.

"Enough." Aidan's voice brooked no disagreement, and he shifted his Kindle the Hearth-Flame into Crown of the Exalted. The shimmering, ethereal diadem appeared on his head, giving extra weight to his command. "If you have an objection to speaking with me, Ecgwena, well, there are others in your party. Sunnild, your name was? I am not ready to discuss affairs of state at the moment, but please, give me the pleasure of your company for the evening. I can't say I'd mind getting to know you better since you already know me." He favored the blushing harpy with a smile. "I swear that, so long as you are my guests and act as such, no harm will come to any of you within this city that I can prevent. Ailis, if you would please show these other ladies to somewhere that they can rest." This, too, had been decided ahead of time. "I will send someone for you when I am ready to hear your request."

Aidan extended his arm to Sunnild, elbow crooked. She stared at him for a moment, wide-eyed, then stepped forward and rested her hand on his wrist and laid her forearm atop his. It wasn't the correct pose, but it was close enough. He guided her back into Caer Macht with Cai and Llwyd flanking him and the two Passion Elementals acting as rearguard.

Zurai

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