Chapter 3: 1.1 – Thus the Winds do Gather.

The existence of a right-hand man -someone to delegate assignments and trust to fulfill them to the best of his abilities, someone able to be counted upon to take your side when the going gets rough and the schemes get thick - has and will always be a necessity in the world of cut-throat, high-stakes politics. This necessity was the major driving factor for the development of Aides.

The use of Aides was introduced by the fallen Bitre empire. The empire itself spanned five realms so it is no surprise that many kingdoms now have incorporated this practice into their ruling structure.

As for what aides are exactly, they are little more than the best friends of those they are brought up to aid. Best friends with relevant connections and resources. Usually, they are gotten from whichever noble house the imperial family decides is most loyal to the crown.

An advice for all up-and-coming ball players in the politics court. If you've got an aide, treat him nice.

An excerpt from A Ruler's Craft by Narguz Muire.




Decaverse; Nireavat; Siadro


"You're crazy," Voscov blurted as he stared up at his sister.

"I think not," Tema huffed.

"You don't know how to fight and you're going," Voscov retorted. "That's crazy."

"Of course, I don't know how to fight. I'm an array meister, not a damn knight," Tema said, waving around a small white blade.

"The Triumph Tournament is for fighters not array meisters," Voscov pointed out. "So why are you wearing armor and planning on heading over with the envoy if you're not a fighter?"

"Responsibilities, responsibilities," Tema waved him off, still looking at her reflection in the mirror. "And I'm wearing light armor. Just bits and pieces Vos, not the real thing at all."

"Still. You're just going there in vain. Can't you stay? You're gonna be beat up on the stage, Tema."

"Not with me there she won't," a voice came from across the room. Voscov turned and saw Tema's aide, Geovine, leaning against the doorway.

"You're supporting her Geovine? Seriously? I thought you're meant to help her make good decisions, not help get herself killed," Voscov said.

Geovine shrugged. 

"What can I do?" He asked. "It's her responsibility as the heir apparent."

"Responsibilities be burned then. She can refuse if she wants to right? Right Tema?" He turned to his sister with a questioning gaze.

Tema crouched, bringing her line of sight level with his. "As a matter of fact, I  can refuse-"

"Then why don't you-"

"But," she raised a hand. "Refusing to go comes with its own consequences. It would please me much more if I don't head over to that quaint little island in the middle of the sea but if I do not acknowledge my responsibility, who in the whole kingdom would? Remember Vos, we are the light. That's all there is to it. And by the way," she pulled away. "I'm not going there to fight. Just to see the island head and I'm done."

"Still don't want you to go though," Voscov grumbled.

"Ha! Sissy," Geovine teased.

Voscov grew red in the face.

"I'm not!" He shot back.

Tema laughed and hugged Voscov. 

"How about this Vos: When I return, I'll take you to see the water pegasus I enchanted."

"You sure it's worth it?" Voscov sulked.

"Definitely worth it," Tema replied with a smile. "Especially during a full moon."

Voscov would eventually allow Tema leave. When she would come back a fortnight later, it would be on the night of a full moon. They would go to see the water pegasus.

The Incident would occur.

A week after, Tema would be pronounced dead and Voscov named heir. 


Two months after that, Geovine and the Lady Arskavi both would go missing and the king's aide Thorslane Arskavi would be thrown into jail on charges of treason.

Voscov would be ten years old a week later.

.........................


Gabriel leaned deep into his chair, trying to squeeze every ounce of comfort from the four-legged wooden structure. His day had not gone well. At all.

After breakfast, he had quickly realized that they would not be spending the day as leisurely as he had hoped. There were pans to be washed, furniture to be dusted, vases to be wiped, plants to be tended to and a particularly nasty mole to be chased out of the flower garden; none of which Valerina intended to do alone.

It was pretty easy for the girl to rope Gabriel in and a minute after breakfast, he found himself behind the cottage washing pans with Valerina and pandering to the girl's endless questions.

Dusting furniture had been easy, if a little dusty, but cleaning the vases hadn't gone down well. Unused to such a delicate act, he had broken three vases in under half a minute and Valerina had angrily made him sit that one out. He'd counted it as a small victory and took the time to look for a knife in the kitchen. That was when he realised something weird was going on.

There was no knife anywhere in the house. Loaves of bread had been sliced into portions beforehand, potatoes had been peeled, cut to size, and stacked up and anything else that needed you to take a knife to it had been diced to manageable bits.

Gabriel hadn't had the leisure to contemplate the strange situation further since Valerina came along and dragged him to the garden outside. By then he had been thinking rather lovingly about lunch and that was when he'd gotten careless and an oversized Venus flytrap had almost had him for lunch. Scratch the almost actually. The flower had already swallowed him whole before Valerina came along and pulled him out. Apparently the monster was her aunt's pet and had ingested Lola more than once.

After that came the mole. Gabriel was pretty sure 'stupid' featured nowhere in his arsenal of traits but the mole gave him good reason to suspect it should feature rather strongly. Eventually the mole had gotten careless and the flytrap got lunch.

Overall though, the day had been... fun. Incredibly so, infact that he'd begun to regret that she was going to die soon. Just a little bit. Like, once they were back behind the city walls, it wasn't as though they couldn't be friends. She was a Vontumavia and a rather fun person to be around to boot so either they'd meet sooner or later or he would simply seek her out.

If they were going to be friends though, he would need to do something about her thoughts on the concept of danger. Valerina thought danger was fun. To her, there was a certain sense of excitement and adventure she found in facing danger. Not to say that Gabriel had a grasp on her character or anything but the sight of someone coming halfway down the gullet of a Venus flytrap to hand you a rope and pull you out when she could have easily thunked on the flower's trunk to get you free painted a certain picture in Gabriel's mind.

Thinking of it, she and Arint would hit it off pretty well. A danger lover and a chronic risk-taker were bound to have more than a few things in common. Gabriel was none of those but he wouldn't say no to a few crazy moments. Maybe he could even convince them to...

With a start, Gabriel realised where his thoughts were headed and shut it down quickly. 

We can't be friends, he reminded himself. She's going to save me... she has to die.

His headache flared briefly and he sipped some more of the repulsive tincture in his hands. 

"I could maybe survive the demon this time without awakening the Other," he muttered. 

He mulled over the idea for a few seconds then shook his head. "That's stupid. It's been getting way too strong. The last time I had gotten away by a fluke. I need to do this." 

He bit the insides of his lips and fingered the seeds in his pocket. He shouldn't put it off anymore. 

Moments later, Valerina came into the room carrying a tray containing two steaming cups, a kettle, and plates of biscuits.

She set them down on the table and took her seat across Gabriel, helping herself to a cup and some biscuits and inviting Gabriel to do the same.

"Delicious," he commented. 

"I know right? The biscuits are simply heavenly are they not? I made them myself," Valerina preened.

For a few silent seconds, Gabriel just looked at her.

"Did... you make the tea too?" He eventually asked.

"No. It was kept it in a sealed flask. Why?"

"Ah... just forget I said anything then."

"Why?"

"No reason. Nothing at all."

"Oh come on! Why?"

"Nothing. Seriously."

"Hey! Remember you said you'd answer my questions!"

"Okay then..." Gabriel paused. "Are you sure though?"

Valerina nodded vigorously. "Certainly."

"Okay. So when I had said 'delicious'-"

"Yeess?"

"I was actually talking about the tea."

Valerina froze, a stricken look surfacing on her face. Then carefully, gingerly, she took a sip from the cup of tea in her hands. She moved the tea around her mouth slowly, tasting it.

"But... but it's bland!" She protested.

"Oh I know," Gabriel replied.

"How could it possibly be better than my biscuits?! They are chock-full of sugar!"

"Of course it isn't. I was just pulling your leg."

It took Valerina precisely two seconds to process that and when she did so, she was not pleased. Gabriel ducked, barely managing to avoid the plate of biscuits that sailed past his head. He saw her reach for the kettle and raised his hands in defeat.

"Hey hey, it was just a joke alright? No need to murder me," he said. 

Valerina leaned back in her chair with a huff and folded her arms.

"You could have just given me a straight compliment," she sulked. "And I know it's not that good. It's just full of sugar."

"Really? Just sugar makes it taste this good?"

"What do you mean 'this good?'" Valerina scoffed. "It's just sugar."

"My mother doesn't let me take sugar much," Gabriel shrugged.

"My mum tried doing that. She gave up after a week."

"Huh? Really? How'd you manage to make her stop?" Gabriel asked, looking genuinely intrigued.

"I did nothing. She left."

"Left?"

"My parents visit every now and then." 

"Speaking of which, you said you are nobility right? Why do you live with your aunt then?"

"She's taking care of me. I'm... rather prone to falling sick. Enix dysfunction," Valerina explained.

"E... nicks?"

"Enix. Don't know what it is exactly but I'm normally not allowed to play, jump around or touch sharp objects in general."

"So you've never played? As in run around the yard?"

"Nope. According to Aunt Maggie though I'm improving and she recently said I'm now allowed to play and stuff. That's why she could leave me at home since yesterday. Normally she watches me like a hawk."

"So what do you do all day?" Gabriel exclaimed in shock.

Valerina shrugged.

"Mainly I read books. Nothing much else to do. There was a time Aunt Maggie didn't even allow me do chores. It's such a joy to be able to run around now. Today may as well have been my best."

Well she won't be around much longer so today certainly would be her best, Gabriel thought and the guilt that crashed down on him was immense.

The girl had just got a new lease on life and he was about to kill her. Gods above; could he get any worse?

Gabriel fingered the seeds once more. If he was going to do it, he'd better do it now. No need to make any more memories and increase his guilt.

"Hey, wanna see a trick?" He asked her.

Valerina made a noise at the back of her throat.

"A trick? Like at the circus?" She asked.

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"Sorta. It's not really a trick. 's just cool. Watch." He thrust a fistful of seeds under her nose and concentrated, flooding the seeds with his power, willing them to do nothing else but grow.

They did grow. Light green stalks cracked open the seeds, carrying vibrant green leaves with them as they went. Flower heads formed, bright yellow petals unfurling from them a second later before settling down to ring dark brown disk florets.

There was silence for a few moments.

"Wow," Valerina breathed. "Seeing that up close was... just wow."

On his part, Gabriel was staring at the cluster of sunflowers he held in his hands, stupified. What the hell? How did this happen?

Then his memory supplied him the scene where Valerina dropped sunflower seeds back when she gave him the tincture.

Oh, Nether.

There were a couple of purple weed but they were only about three or four. Nothing he could do anything with.

Gabriel sighed.


.......................

It went without saying that Gabriel had mucked up his chance of killing Valerina. There was nothing sharp he could use and between she and Lola, they'd make short work of him if he didn't take her out in one strike. 

They spent the rest of the day monkeying around. Sometime during the afternoon, Gabriel's headache decided to move house and the grateful boy could finally dump the shit stack of a tincture. 

Eventually darkness rolled around and they both retired for the night. Gabriel tried to keep awake, waiting for Valerina to sleep and dreading what he would do once she does. 


.........................

It's almost midnight.

Gabriel rolled to his side.

It's coming.



He put up a hand and scratched his cheek.

We are going to die..

The boy sniffed and rolled to his left. He kicked out with his legs, trying to throw the quilt off him.

Hey...


Gabriel whimpered, murmuring something about cakes and birthdays.

Hey...

He reached for his pillow, pulling it closer.

WAKE UP!


Gabriel jerked awake. The room was dark, the pale silver lances of light cast by the moon barely illuminating the place. 

Gods. What time is it? He thought.

Minutes to midnight, the Other answered helpfully. It is about to arrive.

"Right," Gabriel muttered. "You are always awake whenever it is near." He tossed aside the quilt and climbed down from the bed. Slipping out the door, he carefully crept down the hallway. Golden rays of light shone into the dark corridor from the keyhole to Valerina's room. She was still awake. Probably reading.

Gabriel crept past Valerina's door then paused. Should he risk it and bring the girl into the forest too? The ritual was rather very simple and he could complete it within seconds.

He mulled over the idea for a while. He would probably never be let off the hook by his conscience so was it really worth it? His peace of mind would be gone. Forever.

Gabriel's mind turned. He'd give her a chance to decide her fate.

He took a deep breath and pounded on her door then turned tail and ran toward the front door. If she followed him due to curiosity, her bad luck; if she didn't, he would probably die. 

Does that really absolve me of the blame though? He thought. He shook his head.

Of course it does. If she dies then it is due to her curiosity. Not any fault of mine...

But I know she wouldn't resist. She's more curious than a cat. I know that and used it against her. 

Gabriel swept the distracting thought from his mind and slipped out the front door. He made sure to leave the door slightly ajar and by the time he had run up to the gate, he could spot Valerina on the porch.

He slid away the bolts holding the gates shut and escaped into the night. His legs burned as he ran, ascending the hill as fast as he could. He could hear Valerina calling out to him to stop, to wait and explain. He didn't stop. He continued to run, getting closer and closer to the forest atop the hill.

It is here, the Other whispered and Gabriel's heart clenched in fear. It was back... it was back. Valerina... Valerina would surely have to die now. She had followed him. Why did she follow him? Was she stupid?

Gabriel darted into the forest, his lungs on fire. At the outer edges of the woodland, he stopped to break off a small branch from a short tree. He tested its weight. Good enough. Then he roused his manipulation, pushing it toward the branch. He willed it to grow. Strong and sharp. Like a dagger.

The branch creaked lightly, changing its shape. It became more compact, condensing and ending with a wicked point. More like a stake than anything else.

The sound of Valerina's heavy breathing found its way into Gabriel's ears. He turned around and saw her nearing the forest. She hadn't seen him yet.

As silently as he could, he slinked away, moving sideways, away from her direct path, and hiding behind a cluster of trees. He watched with hardened eyes as she neared, then went past his position. She was muttering to herself as she went and Gabriel followed her as silently as he could manage, waiting for a chance.

Eventually the girl stopped, trying to catch her breath and figure out which way her quarry went. Gabriel crept closer, wooden  stake in hand. When he was close enough, he tightened his grip on the stake and shifted his weight in preparation to lunge.

Behind!! 

Gabriel lunged hard to his right as something split the air where he stood a second ago.

Duck! Down!

The boy heeded the warning a second too late and something slammed into his back, knocking the air from his lungs, pushing him forward and sending him crashing into Valerina. The girl yelped and they both fell, tumbling into the dirt.

As they worked to untangle their limbs, they heard a low, ringing whistle coming from somewhere within the darkness.

Valerina froze up while Gabriel became even more frantic. He shoved Valerina's legs off his and moved to remove her head from atop his arm.

Move!! Now!

His heart flipped and he hooked his arm around her head and rolled to the side. The ground beside him exploded in a shower of dirt and leaves as something dark and nebulous impacted the area. Valerina seemed to come to life and was on her feet the next second, pulling Gabriel up by his arm and helping him to his feet. She spared the ground a glance and wished she never looked.

On the ground was a dark sinister shape. Shaped like a ball yet clearly not one, its amorphous surface rippled, rose and fell as though something was trying to escape.

Gabriel grabbed Valerina's hands in his without a second thought and ran deeper into the forest as his legs pumped and adrenaline pounded through his body.

Up ahead.

Gabriel braked and dove behind a tree, pulling Valerina with him. Up ahead, a strange bipedal form prowled through the woods, sniffing at the air. It looked like a wolf. A ginormous wolf standing on its hind legs with two burly arms, each ending in five gleaming claws. Five familiar claws. Gabriel choked back a sob.

"What is that thing?" Valerina whispered.

"Werewolf cross-breed," he whispered back. "Come on." He began to edge away from the creature. Valerina followed his example, slowly creeping away from the were cross-breed. 

A dry twig snapped.

The werewolf's head snapped to their direction.

Run.

Valerina was the first to bolt, scrabbling over the leaves and fallen branches as she raced to put some distance between her and the monster few paces away. Gabriel was right behind her, adrenaline doing its thing as he tried to flee certain death. 

"Why the wolf, why the wolf, why the wolf?!"
Gabriel screamed as he ran. He didn't get far.

The werewolf pounced on all fours, eating up the distance between it and the children in seconds. It reached Gabriel first, a maw the stuff of nightmares biting down. 

Brake and duck!

The little boy braked and ducked quickly and the monster's jaws snapped shut just inches from his neck. He twisted out of the way, rolled across the ground, shot to his feet and kept on running.

The werewolf howled in anger then burst apart, the black amorphous sphere from before taking its place. The sphere streaked toward Gabriel, whistling low and hard. The boy twisted out of the way and his feet met air. He stumbled, fell forward, and rolled down an incline.

He reached the bottom disoriented and unable to, for the life of him, figure out which foot went where anymore. 

Somehow he managed to get his feet under him and stumble forward a few paces before someone gripped his arm and yanked him to the side and into a circle of shrubs. He looked up to see Valerina; breathing ragged, eyes wide and a finger to her lips.

There was a distinct sound of a bubble popping and something large landing on its legs. Gabriel could make out the sound of soft footfalls and loud sniffing just outside the cluster of shrubs, moving around and about their location but never homing in. He held his breath as did Valerina, praying not to be discovered.

After ten agonizing seconds, the footfalls and sniffing retreated, moving away from their immediate vicinity. Gabriel relaxed his breath but Valerina's shoulders were shaking in fear now.

"It's playing with us," she whispered. "It knows where we are. It's just... playing." Her voice broke. "I'm going to run... we need to... we need to get out of here. Back to the cottage. There are wards there. Magic wards...."

Gabriel nodded, anxious. Valerina nodded back.

"Three, two... let's go."

She darted out first, running through the forest for all she was worth. Gabriel was right behind her... up until he wasn't. 

A dark nebulous form hooked onto his ankles, sweeping his feet from under him, sending him crashing to the ground and letting Valerina pull ahead several meters.

As quickly as he could, he was back on his feet and trying to catch up with Valerina. Then to her right, a dark lupine form sprang. She screamed as the werewolf tackled her, driving its horrendous teeth deep into her shoulder with a vengeance. 

Gabriel braked, diving behind a tree as his heart threatened to beat out of control. He watched the beast meters away carefully. Its neck bulged, powerful muscles rippled and twisted, sending Valerina flying with a fling of its head. Gabriel snapped his eyes shut. Something thudded into the ground a few paces before him. He waited, not daring to move or breathe.

It's... gone, the Other said, sounding equal parts surprised and confused.

Shaking, Gabriel risked a glance behind the tree. A few paces before him lay Valerina's crumpled form but beyond that, the place was empty, devoid of life with only a light fog swirling around the trees.

Gabriel exploded into motion, running up to Valerina and skidding to a stop where she lay.

"No no no. Not again. Not again!" His hands hovered over the bone-deep wound running from her right shoulder and down her right breast. Gabriel could see her ribs. He wasn't sure but they seemed broken.

She's still alive but wouldn't be for much longer, the Other provided.

That was enough for Gabriel. Unable to carry her, he began to tug; pulling her over the forest floor and trying not to aggravate her wounds further. They needed to get to the cottage. The demon was gone. He would save her.  

From within the fog, something laughed. Low, throaty and not really human. Gabriel glanced up sharply and saw a familiar lupine silhouette within the fog approaching leisurely. Gabriel froze.

"I thought you said it was gone," he croaked, unshed tears blurring his vision.

I... It was...

The monster kept on approaching. Gabriel shuffled backward with Valerina. His heel struck an exposed root and he fell then scrambled back up hastily. The form kept approaching. Gabriel clenched his fists. He had to do it. He had to...

Gods.

He dipped two fingers into Valerina's wound, coating them in blood. He brought it up to her face and scribbled a simple array on the left side. It was nothing complex. Just a half-circle and a triangle missing a single line.

He repeated the array on his mask. The werewolf was getting nearer. He spoke in the language of the fae.

"Semembre. Siksha," Dissolve. Open.

His eyes closed. He stilled. His surroundings turned silent as though the forest was holding its breath. Gabriel knew, somehow, that it was holding its breath. 

The werewolf's ears perked up. Its muscles tensed and it began a desperate run toward Gabriel, all four limbs pounding away at the ground, bringing it closer to its quarry. 

Four feet....

Three feet...

Two feet..

It lunged.

The little boy opened his eyes. The wolf didn't survive the encounter. Valerina did.

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