Chapter 145: Whitefall II

Chapter 145: Whitefall II

My father listened unflinchingly throughout my retelling of the events since my first death. His cold blue eyes pierced me, evaluating every word and gesture.

The two of us sat in his carriage, undisturbed as a mute scribe recorded our every word.

Despite the severity of the matter at hand, I couldnt shake the idea that this was all some sort of elaborate ruse. A cruel joke that could end the moment he decided the novelty of taking me seriously had faded. Only, despite my trepidation, it had been hours. He asked me questions and clarifications that indicated he was not only paying attention to my words, but contrasted them with versions of events he must have gleaned from Mayas account.

I tried to suppress the voice deep within me. The one that whispered that this was the best outcome I could have hoped for. Recent events had taught me that the voice of optimism almost always predicated sorrow.

After I had finished my recounting, hed roughly accosted the scribes notes, and began reading them. Eventually, somewhere around three quarters of the way through, he pointed to a single line.

You handled the proceedings in the Sepulcher exceptionally well.

Where? I asked, totally unsure of how to handle the praise.

Here. You cut a deal with the arch-mage, and when your demonic allies undercut your efforts, immediately improvised and salvaged a no-win situation. Follow current novels on novelb((in).(com)

Shame washed over me as I remembered Thoths expression of surprise and pain as I attacked her relentlessly, shortly after the brokered deal fell through. Im not following. It was a disaster. I failed to stay her hand, and ultimately, failed to kill her when I had an opportunity to strike.

King Gil looked up from the notes with a scoff of derision, and I braced myself for the turn. Please. You gained something much more valuable than a parlay. Up to this point, the arch-mage was entirely in control. This was reflected in her attitude, her manner. She was sure of herself. You capitalized on her weakness and cut her open. He grinned. Her confidence was shattered. She feared you, boy. For the first time, she lost control. And in her fear, she acted rashly and gave you the opening you needed to survive.

My head spun. Thats one way to look at it, I suppose.

Regardless of strength, no one survives something so harrowing without the scars to show for it. Marks on the body and mind. Father leaned back against the plush carriage seat and spread out, as if hed just gorged himself on a feast and was fully sated. Im proud of you, son.

I swallowed.

He studied me carefully before continuing. Im considering putting pressure on the Order of the Crimson Brand to exchange talented disciples with the infernals. In your experience, would they be amenable?

It took considerable effort to bite back the immediate yes. The Crimson Brand was the primary order of human mages with close ties to the monarchy, though they maintained their independence in name only. It would be a first step to sharing magical knowledge, eventually making the mages on both sides far stronger. This was likely what my father intended eventually. But if it was something he wanted, it represented leverage.

Its within the realm of possibility. I said carefully. Though I suspect our reliance on demi-human slavery may give them pause.

King Gil laughed. The scribe looked up at him, then at me, lips pursed in a puzzled expression.

Even if infernals constitute a small percentage of slaves in the human territories, it will present an obstacle. I argued.

My father made a dismissive gesture. You misunderstand. I am not making light of your idea. Only that we came to the same conclusion independently.

That couldnt be right. He had to be screwing with me. Then, you intend to abolish the slave-trade?

Intend? King Gil snorted. Boy, I abolished slavery a year after you went into hiding.

The ramifications of that were staggering. But wouldnt enacting such a change so quickly lead to civil war?

It did. A rather unexciting one, to be frank. King Gil mused, The holdouts eventually fell in line. As it happens, watching the most outspoken leaders of your faction paraded around in collars and stomped to death in the street by the previous bearers of said collars does wonders for ones social sensibilities. Why do you look disappointed?

They died out?

They were hunted. Erebus grimaced in distaste. Though not without reason. With a steady hand, they were excellent companions. When we brought them to the mainland, however, some escaped out into the wild, and their tenuous domestication became a distant memory. Within a few generations, they were routinely terrorizing travelers and villages alike, frequently with harrowingly bloody results. They took to the Everwood, where they were eventually hunted to extinction. Or so we thought. The Everwood has been especially fearsome as of late. And for the first time in decades, there have been sightings of a full-grown abyssal panther, golden eyes gleaming in the dark.

Hence, the reason for your search.

Erebus nodded. Its most likely a misidentification. A shadow panther, or direwolf. Still, if theres even a small chance an abyssal panther survived the purge, I would like to see it for myself.

How would one differentiate an abyssal panther from a shadow panther?

Hm. He took me in, paying full attention for the first time. Your interest is genuine. Thats surprising, your grace. Your father would not give me the time of day when I requested leave to head an expedition into the Everwood.

I snorted. Im guessing he stopped caring after he realized you werent proposing a hunt.

Erebus choked, then guffawed. Such irreverence. Refreshing, amongst the lapping of sycophants. The two species are similar in body, but identifying abyss panther from its diminutive cousin is a simple matter. A shadow panther bears eyes of silver and generally keeps to the trees, dropping onto its prey once they draw close. An abyssal panther, being significantly more ferocious, rarely leaves the ground. And its eyes gleam like purest gold.

Several realizations began to slide into place in my mind, one after another. I swallowed. What of their intelligence, Lord Erebus?

He was watching me carefully now. Have you encountered such a beast, my prince? Perhaps when you disappeared into the Everwood?

Perhaps.

Many were said to understand the spoken tongue, though that is likely more legend than fact. Im curious to hear the details of how you survived your encounter.

Not wanting to string the man along, I recited the original details of that encounter. How the abyssal panther had attacked me in the Everwood just after I escaped from Thoth, and the following encounter, when it brought a hare to me at the fire.

Erebus leaned forward, to the point I could smell the vurseng on his breath. And your response?

I had no idea what I was doing, save for the fact that it seemed intelligent. I ran a hand through my hair. So I treated it the same way Id treat any traveler looking to share a fire with strangers on the road. Cooked the meat, and offered the panther a fair portion.

Did anything about its behavior stand out? Erebus asked quickly.

I was silent for a moment as I recalled the encounter. It refused to touch its portion until I ate mine.

Erebus sucked in a breath and said nothing more. When it was clear he wasnt going to explain why, I continued. It stayed with us for some time after that, and given that I was headed into potentially hostile territory, I released it into the Everwood. And I promised that, if it was alive and found me when I came back through, Id give it a name. I think there might be truth to the myth, that the creatures can understand human speech.

Damn. Lord Erebus gazed out into the Everwood, searching between the endless thick tree trunks and overgrown foliage in the dark. That makes this turn of events all the more unfortunate.

You really think it remembers after so long? It was hard to fathom. I hadnt forgotten the panther. But it had been unreasonable to think it remembered me, especially after such a long length of time.

Im quite certain. Lord Erebus scrunched his face up in frustration. They are dangerous predators, but loyal. The interaction you described is not unlike how the creatures chose a human partner amongst my ancestors as a hunting companion on the Isles. Such a commitment was lifelong. How you managed to navigate that process by chance is beyond me.

Chance is often superseded by fate, Ive found. I answered absentmindedly.

Lord Erebus chuckled. Wise words. Im half-inclined to advise you to walk past the forests edge and begin yelling in hopes it would recognize your voice, though that would be an exercise in futility. The wood is thick, and voices seldom carry.

I thought back to the way, mind catching over how Barion had tracked my use of the demon-flame. I might have a better idea.