Chapter 54: Book 2 Ch.4: Eleven more

Author's note

Been a little while since I've gotten new subscribers on my SubscribeStar (Do I need to go back to reminding people about it at the bottom of the chapter? I've stopped doing that since it started being supported on the site and I now have a button for it, but I really did get more people showing up over there when I made the manually written links and explanation of what was up.)

Anyway, time to thank ShadeByTheSea for joining the subscribers over on SubscribeStar. I appreciate every one of you, you are what might hopefully one day allow me the free time to give more frequent chapters while at the same time reducing the chance my free time will be eaten up in the future.

Eirlathion’s POV

After making his shocking announcement about the true reason behind the moving of the capital, actually using the great tree as a war platform, the changeling Sagel clumsily reached for a chair and sat down and let out a long breath. “Oh man, what kind of wine was that!? It works really fast, I’m feeling good actually.”

“It was also a spirit restoration potion, and the alcohol was slightly altered to have an effect directly on your brain in order to calm your nerves. Alcohol has that effect already, but really the only reason it had to be alcoholic was because alcohol enters your bloodstream faster and it can act as a carrier for other chemical effects if they are molecularity bound correctly.” Dryad told him, the two of them having veered immediately off subject almost the moment that big news was dropped. Eirlathion assumed Dryad’s knowledge and ability to do what they just did came somehow from the knowledge in the spirit energy they had just absorbed. That was not important now though.

“Let’s talk about mole… whatever some other time.” Eirlathion said. “Can we please go back to the part about the capital being the front line in a war? That seems like an unusually bold move for her majesty.”

“It was not the queen’s idea.” Dryad responded to him. “It seems there are some newcomers in the fey court, 11 new great faeries who were born during the Heaven’s Fall, in fact they were found by the fey dragons who went to search the site of the fall. They claim their previous lives were spent in a different world, and it seems they have a lot of incredible knowledge. They seem to have the queen’s ear now, and when they learned about the Heaven’s Scar potentially becoming a route the demons and devils could use to reach the surface a few of those new great faeries proposed this plan.”

Sagle’s face seemed to have an unpleasant expression on it when he heard Dryad’s explanation. Eirlathion couldn’t blame him. This news was… “So, these new great faeries were only just born during the Heaven’s fall? Wouldn’t that make them only just over 2 years old?” Eirlathion summed up his concerns. It’s true that unlike Elves and Humans, great faeries are born as full adults. However, being only 2 years old they would not have a lot of knowledge of the fey community yet. It really didn’t make sense that they would be trusted enough to allow such a drastic action to take place under their word.

“I only know what Everon knew,” Dryad responds. “However, it seems like the queen was very impressed with the things those 11 new faeries were able to tell her. I don’t know too many details, it seems like Everon shared the opinion you had on your first impression and only begrudgingly went along with this plan when convinced of the merits of it by one of the true dragons. He didn’t know too many details about these new great faeries themselves, but there were rumors about that some of them were already a match for true dragons after only 2 years of getting used to their faerie magic.”

“Well, this is all new information for me as well.” Sagel says, slouching in his seat in and looking somehow unconcerned with what is being talked about. “Everon did tell me a little bit about this plan being from some of the great faeries, but I didn’t hear anything about their previous lives being in another world or anything like that.”

He just seemed to be talking about this all quite easily as if it were nothing. Eirlathion doubted it was in Sagel’s character to talk so openly about such things, changelings were defined by their role as the queen’s spies after all. The secret was already out because of Dryad but he should at least LOOK a little conflicted about spilling information related to the inner levels of the fey court. It must have something to do with the strange alcohol Dryad had given him. Just how powerful was that stuff? And why is he not slurring his words if he’s become so loose lipped from it?

“Alright, I have a question for you now Sagel.” Eirlathion said, looking over to the changeling. “Would you have told us about the purpose of the capital being moved if Dryad hadn’t goaded it out of you?”

“Wait, are you saying Everon didn’t tell you anything about it!? That idiot sub dragon!” Sagel cursed the fey dragon so openly that it actually made Eirlathion feel a little uncomfortable. “How are you supposed to know how to defend the village if you don’t know you’re supposed to expect attacks from any direction!? The whole plan was supposed to be to build a ring of forts around the Heaven’s scar so we could keep them from attacking the capital by getting up from the tunnels in another part of the woods, yes, but it’s also possible they might come up from the scar or maybe already be out in the area from before the capital was moved and we don’t want them getting out in that case or if we find them they need to be dealt with at any rate.”

“I think I am starting to really hate working with sub dragons. This was all a total disaster!” Sagel continues on, seeming to not realize he’s said enough. “First the idiot takes off without me! Then he completely mishandles the preparations of the village! Seriously! I looked at the preparations from overhead when I arrived, the fortifications here are AWFUL!” Eirlathion tried his best to avoid taking personal offense at Sagel’s words. It was him and Calanor who had come up with the village’s defensive fortifications, but he knew they were clearly inexperienced in the area.

More to the point, he was beginning to fear the drink Dryad had given him. For it to have this kind of effect with just one cup, already having him spilling his guts on every personal thought he has, it was not something Eirlathion ever wanted to have done to him. In fact, Eirlathion was starting to feel somehow guilty just listening to the man, as though hearing him was some kind of invasion of the man’s privacy. Thing is, he still was not done talking, and Dryad was giving him gestures to not act as Eirlathion was about to try and make the man stop talking.

“Ridiculous!” Sagel continues his rant. “He does not know at all how to lead! If it was just the bad fortifications though, it would be fine, but then all of THIS happens! If this makes that dryad turn against the fey court!”

“You mean me?” Dryad interrupts him.

“Ah! Oh, yes!” Sagel responds, seeming to have only just realized who he was talking to. “Wow, just how much alcohol was in that wine anyway!? I don’t feel drunk at all, but it seems to have made my tongue pretty loose.”

“Like I said, I made it to calm your nerves. They way it does this is by suppressing the activity of the frontal lobes of your brain, that’s the part responsible for for future planning, worry, and inhibition. So, since it targets this part of the brain specifically, it allows you to become very open with your words while still keeping the rest of your mental faculties so you are not stuttering and slurring and you still have an easy time accessing all the information in your brain that you know. It also helps you to recover from a state like the one you were just in. It’s hard to say which should be considered a side effect and which should be considered an intended effect, I guess it depends on how you plan to use it.”

“Wait, does that mean you gave this to me to interrogate me or something!?” Sagel responds with wide eyes. Meanwhile, Eirlathion begins to feel almost physically ill as his words drive home the rising fear he was beginning to feel.

Dryad has an almost coy smile on their face as he turns to look at them. The dryad, who had completely changed from the Nymph he once knew, leaned down almost seductively over Sagel and stared him directly in the eyes as Eirlathion could do nothing but watch dumbfounded at the events unfolding in front of him. “I need to see if I can trust you.” Dryad says, and then their projection circles around to lean against the counter as they start taking advantage of the fairly feminine looking body that dryads possess as they move in an alluring way while staring down at the changeling.

Sagel looks back up at Dryad with his large eyes, and then the actual “interrogation” assisted by this magical drug they had given him begins.

“So, what do you think about the girls?” Dryad asks. “Do you believe the rumors around town about them being grey elves?”

“What!?” Sagel yelps and almost jumps from his chair, beginning to sit rather uncomfortably. “I… well, the one who was brought out was definitely sick, that makes it seem like they’re just sick, but it is weird that you turned into a dryad during the attack though. It’s all very weird, I don’t know.” Sagel trails off and Dryad simply looks at him with expectation written all over their face. Eirlathion is starting to see what direction Dryad wants to bring this, and frankly he wants some answers on this subject as well. It’s not so much about what Sagel might say, but rather what Dryad might reveal during this interrogation that has him more interested.

The silence between the two continues. Eirlathion realizes Dryad is waiting for Sagel to continue, but finds it strange they are suddenly being so delicate with him as to wait for him to speak rather than goading him to go on. Given how full of fury they were just a short time ago, he had not expected Dryad to be so patient with what had already openly been described as an interrogation.

“I…” Sagel sputters, having apparently become uncomfortable enough with the silence that he felt compelled to continue. “I don’t know, I mean, your tree just suddenly started growing!” he said. “I’ve never heard of that happening during a nymphs ascension into a dryad. So, you had to use something to make that happen, right? Did that kid have something to do with it?” He looks up into the face of Dryad’s projection. “She did! Didn’t she!? Well, if she did then that makes it more likely she’s a grey elf I guess.”

“That’s right.” Dryad admits to him simply. “And…? What do you think about that?”

“That’s incredible! Wait! Oh no! Wow! This is bad! If that baby has that kind of power, and Everon’s actions hurt her! Wow, you better do something to get justice here, if you don’t then the queen will take matters into her own hands and probably kill every single elf in this village.”

“Oh, don’t worry. I’ve already done plenty to assure just punishment against them. The queen should find it plenty satisfying, especially after I’ve declared it as enough.”

“So, does that mean you will not turn against the court?”

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“For now, let’s say I’m completely on board with slaughtering some dark elves, and maybe some of the other demon races of the underworld. Anyway, I think I’ve made my decision about you. You are very pragmatic, a true realist, but you also care about the people of a village you have only been in for a few hours. I definitely think you are someone I can respect enough with what I am about to ask of you. But, before that, I need to tell both you and my master something.”

“Wow! Master Eirlathion, you must be pretty respectable for a dryad to be calling you their master! I mean, I guess they were a nymph just earlier today, but they are still calling you master though.”

Dryad had a slight frown on their face in response to this remark, but they seemed to dismiss it as their projection’s lower half straightened out, even if it did have to phase through the counter they had previously been sitting on to do so, and then walked out into an area where both Sagel and Eirlathion could easily see them as they stood in a more authoritative pose.

“Well then, you recall how I said that there were 11 new great faeries after the heaven’s fall? Well, it could have easily been 15 instead, or maybe even more.” At these words, Dryad gave a very meaningful glance toward the floor. No, toward the room below this one, and then looked up in Eirlathion’s direction and fixed him with a gaze that seemed to be willing him to get their meaning. Indeed, realization did dawn on him rather quickly, making for one more in the marathon of shocking developments this chaotic day. Well, by this point he had about grown numb to it, but still! This was quite a revelation.

“You mean…” Eirlathion began.

“Yes, that’s exactly it.” Dryad affirmed, looking over to Sagel who would clearly not have the information necessary to make this connection. “Aerien, Gaerien, and even Levin and Rolwen are all originally from the same other world as the 11 new great faeries. And, all four of them have retained their memories despite being reborn as elves and humans.”

“Wait, what!? A human was born with the memories of their previous life!?” Sagel nearly shouts. “That’s insane! That would make the human almost like one of the upper level fey! Except with spirit energy instead of mana!”

“Sagel!” Dryad cuts him off with a harsh glare.

“What? You’re the one who gave me some drug that makes it so I pretty much can’t help but say everything I’m thinking about!”

Eirlathion was pretty impressed the guy could talk back like that given the situation, but then it was probably another effect of the drug he just mentioned. That aside, this just had… so many implications! This really would explain a lot. In fact, almost everything that was out of sorts about Aerien would be explained by this. Well, except for the chaotic nature of her energies, but then that could be from whatever cultivation she used in her previous life. After all, it was pretty much impossible to become a fey above the level of a fused spirit without having some level of cultivation in your previous life.

What about Gaerien and the boys though? They hadn’t behaved all that unnaturally. No, thinking back to the time in the nursery, the boys were always a lot more calm than the other children. Perhaps if he had known better how children normally acted he could have picked up on this a lot sooner based on that. He might have not even noticed Aerien was strange for a child if it weren’t for her unnatural energies.

Eirlathion looked up, noticing Dryad was giving him a serious look. “Master,” they said. “I want you to know, the reason I’m telling you this is only because Aerien has been wanting to tell you for a while. She has been feeling held back by the fact that you did not know about this, and the only reason she hadn’t told you before now is because she felt she did not know enough elven to convince you what she was saying was true.”

“Wait,” Sagel interrupted, “but fey dragons and great faeries are born with the memories of their previous lives all the time! It’s not that strange for a fey to be born with their memories intact.”

“She didn’t know about that.” Dryad responded, their projection shaking their head and then placing their fingers on their forehead.

“How did… Oh! Because she’s from another world! I’m still having a hard time believing that part, and wouldn’t there be fey in that world too?” Sagel continued talking carelessly under the influence of the drug Dryad had given him.

“There weren’t, actually.” Dryad responded.

“What!?” Sagel said, and the fact that he had said it so quickly was the only reason Eirlathion wasn’t joining him. How is it there were no fey in the world Aerien was from!?

“Apparently, the gods of their world had some kind of campaign to exterminate all the fey in order to eliminate magic and arcane energies from the world.”

“What!? Wh… why!? And also, wasn’t your drug supposed to keep me from feeling emotionally sick from stuff like this?” Sagel responded. Aside from the later part though, he was once again speaking Eirlathion’s thoughts exactly. He was beginning to feel inadequate over the fact that he hadn’t said a word this entire time but was now having all of his thoughts voiced by Sagel instead just due to how quick on the draw he seemed to be due to the effects of that drug.

“It only stops you from being anxious and from worrying about your future well being.” Dryad said. “I gave it to you because those effects would make it so that I could absolutely trust the words you said had no duplicitous intent behind them. As for the campaign by the gods of this previous world, as I said, the entire reason seems to have been in order to eliminate arcane energies in order to prevent devils and demons from being formed.”

“That crazy!!!” Sagel roared. “Wait, how do you know about all of this anyway? Oh! Right! Dryad and spirit energy.”

Dryad let out a sigh. “Well then, mister Sagel. How about you just get some sleep to remove the effects of the drug. I will make my request for you as soon as you have settled down. You can probably guess what it is by now, but I would like to afford you the opportunity to be your usual self when I ask you.”

“You want me to help raise these kids, don’t you?” Sagel responds, getting a smile that almost seemed to somehow be a shrug with the face in response from Dryad. “It makes perfect sense, they are babies now and only a changeling would know what it’s like to have the the mind of an adult while having to grow up as a child, we’ve all done it again and again and again. Well, if you are not going to bear a grudge against the fey court over Everon, then I will gladly make amends by helping with the children. It sounds like Aerien is a national treasure level existence anyway, so I guess it would be an honor to give my services like that.”

“Well, I guess that simplifies things.” Dryad said. “Yes, that’s exactly what I was going to ask.” Dryad smiles and shakes their head at the way the entire scenario just played out. Meanwhile, Eirlathion is still struggling to catch up with all of this.

“Well then,” Eirlathion says, “I suppose now that everything has been worked out, I should probably offer Sagel my bed so he can get your drug out of his system. In the mean time, I think I would like to take a walk in order to think and process all of this.”

“Actually master,” Dryad cut him off, “It would be better that you not go outside right now.”

Author's note

Since I am already in the mood of commenting on the subscribers, I would like to quote a comment that one of the subscribers made on this particular chapter.

"an INFO bomb fell from the sky's many were slain =P good chap yo"

-Roy

Yeah, thanks Roy. I got a good laugh out of that one. Just had to share your eloquence with everyone.

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