Changeling

(107): The Last Card

Agathon slowly rose from his throne in the silence that followed. He approached Nestra, each step slow and purposeful.

She couldn’t move one fucking fingernail.

Sereth felt like a mountain when he was angry: massive and implacable. Shinran was a sealed demon in a saint’s robe. Agathon just was. If his presence had a taste at the moment, Nestra’s mind was simply too addled to register it. Everything here was Him, and there was no room in herself for herself.

Until the gate at her back opened.

Nestra didn’t notice it at first, of course. It was only when she no longer was the center of His attention that she managed to steal a breath. Agathon’s gaze was no longer on her, but at her back. She had been temporarily discarded. Without intending to do so, Nestra stepped to the side to free the center of the nave for the coming of someone much, much more interesting to Agathon. She sauntered over the path, each delicate step taken at the tip of a dainty foot. Ethereal butterfly wings extended from Moon Dancer’s back, carrying her on unseen currents while her abyssal eyes were firmly fixed on Him. The A-class Huntress stopped at the edge of Agathon’s impossible presence, hovering at the edge where her power still protected her. She smiled, and she stopped.

For a brief moment, the two stood in front of each other, two tigers across a pond. When it looked like Agathon might speak first, something peculiar happened. A second Moon Dancer stepped in from the stairs Nestra had taken to enter the nave. The Second Moon Dancer was identical to the first in every conceivable way, down to the amused smile. Agathon stood to watch, expression thoughtful.

The Second Moon dancer moved to the first , then she stepped into her like someone entering a battle walker. The two bodies merged, but the wings didn’t. The two sets stood superimposed, blurred yet perfectly clear in the way that defied Nestra’s mind and understanding of baryonic matter.

A third Moon Dancer flew down from the rafters, presumably having gone through the Growth that formed the cathedral. She, too, moved into the Gestalt with quiet grace. Meanwhile, Nestra’s mind was clearing up little by little. Another presence was now contesting Agathon’s, a domain to challenge his own. A fourth Moon Dancer emerged from the ground like a wasp out of its alveole. A fifth blinked through stained glasses masquerading as windows. A sixth. A seventh. Each new one added a pair of wings to the coven leader, a new level to its impossibility. The disjointed, separated aura coalesced in the stupefied silence that ruled over the land. It formed layers of reality and thoughts as subtle and impenetrable as its owner’s namesake reflected on the surface of a lake. The domain grew, then stabilized, until it almost matched its male counterpart.

Outside, the light of the Abyssar pulsed briefly, except no, it wasn’t that. Grandfather Sunwatcher had roused from his meditation to greet the species’ latest fifth ascension. Oh, there was going to be a hell of a party later, Nestra thought.Agathon had allowed all of this to happen on his territory which showed that covens and patriarchs still played nice, but now that Moon Dancer had completed ascension, Agathon reasserted himself. This was still his domain.“Since when do the covens interfere in male revels?” He demanded to know.

Moon Dancer’s voice reverberated over the seats and attendants. She was different. Gone was the dreamy, lost fragment. This was the real deal: a fae noble of immense power.

“We have always loved your audacity, favored old man. Our approval of your project has made you perhaps too confident? You seek to play games with such a young huntress. Do not be surprised if we... balance things a little, yesss?”

Moon Dancer’s hiss carried a hint of threat, not enough to be offensive but an easy reminder that the covens could always call on Grandfather Sunwatcher to ‘arbitrate’ conflicts, but most likely, unless a great many males united, they really wouldn’t need to.

“I believe you won the last round, old man. Now let the little one play her card.”

Moon Dancer turned to Nestra who realized she could move and think and also now hundreds of males were looking at her which was kind of annoying but to be fair that had been her idea to begin with.

She took a deep breath, then cleared her throat and then took another one.

“Sereth’s sister Makihel requests his presence,” she finally said.

That didn’t go very well. There was a very noticeable fall of interest in her that was absolutely obvious in every face around. A few looked towards a cage not far from the throne, which had been hidden but now revealed as the roots slid away, yet the general impression was one of boredom and disappointment. Agathon smiled like an indulgent father waiting for his chocolate-covered toddler to finish telling him the dog had eaten the cake. They didn’t believe she could be convincing.

“I can prove it, of course.”

Without waiting, Nestra walked past Agathon which was in itself an ordeal, and then towards the base of the stairs leading up to the throne. With practiced gestures, she unpacked Earth items while the males looked on, completely baffled. Ultra-wide 64K screen used for advertising purposes in gleam companies, with a resolution of 2.3 gigapixels: check. Charged portable generator: check. HDMI 6.3 cable check. Milgrade laptop with 200 terabyte storage required to handle videos moving at 150 images per seconds which was tolerable to high B and A-class people: check. She felt strangely giddy doing all of this. She hadn’t felt this publicly nervous since coming out as an Aszhii to her parents. It was all a bit surreal. And then the magic of cinema happened. Moon Dancer strangely dimmed the light, helping the screen stand in starker relief.

Soon, Makihel’s face occupied the screen in portrait size on the background of her room at the Imperial Palace, its distinct architecture recognizable to the males. The haughty princess was every conniving player of the Great Game they would have met in their short-lived careers, from the flawless attire to the absolute confidence and arrogance worn like armor on her aristocratic features. Until she started to speak, that is.

“Hello, Serethion,” she started in a soft voice. Her confidence cracked, the earlier exhaustion resurfacing more clearly with every word.

“I... I wanted to talk to you again, really, and now that I am granted this opportunity I shall seize it with all of my strength. When... when you came to me after your existence was revealed, I had very, very harsh words for you. I... regret this now.”

She sighed, eyes darting to the side as the princess persona melted to reveal the sister underneath.

“I had much time to examine my feelings during the lonely nights of my life. I realize now that the feeling I experienced the most and the one that overwhelmed my composure was betrayal. Yes, I felt betrayed, but not for the reason I expected. It was not your nature that hurt me. It was that I learned about it from the guards.”

She paused, breathing deep.

“Do you have any idea how it felt to be told you were a reaver from a complete stranger instead of from you? I never felt so... so humiliated and betrayed in all my life, so much so that I refused to believe them until you came to me in your true guise, and then I knew, I knew for sure, that you had lied to me. Your sister. The one who had your back for decades, through hunger and terror and the threat of death. I had your back, always, and you hid this from me.”

She closed her eyes which were getting a little wet. The way she pursed her lips revealed her internal turmoil. Inside of the cathedral, Nestra and her strange technological apparatus had long since stopped mattering. Heavenlies understood recording but they seldom used this tool in their justice system, because as Nestra had experienced, those were always short and blurry. The males were getting the full resolution treatment and their brains were not prepared.

“I understand you, of course. With age, I understand why you would hide this from me, how you would fear what I would do were I to find out. I know how easy it can be to bury secrets in the vain hope they never resurface. I can only imagine how terrified you must have been that I would find out and cast you away, that I would tell Father, and the shadow cabals. I understand. It just... took me a while. And it also took me a while to admit to myself that... that... I miss you, my brother. I miss you terribly. And I know it was you from the start, reaver or not, and it is you, the real you, that I miss. The time we hid under that willow while the rain fell around us and we feared we might be murdered by our cousins, it was you. It was always you. I am so sorry for what I said. I regret it. Please... please forgive me. Come back to me. I want to apologize to your face. I want to hold you in my arms. Please.”

A sob escaped Makihel’s choked throat.

“No! No, he cannot see me like this,” the recording said, turning to someone out of sight. “I refuse. It cannot be my first appearance after so long. I shall die of embarrassment," that Makihel insisted.

“Only one chance!” Nestra’s voice came from out of field, lying through her teeth. “Only one take is possible! Finish the message, quick!”

Nestra would have never allowed such raw footage to go to waste. It was content gold.

“Fine. Fine! Sethi, I love you. Please... please come see me Sethi. Please! I will be waiting.”

“Kiki...” a voice whispered from the cage.

The footage was abruptly cut. The light returned. Not far from Nestra, Sereth’s restraints and the box he was caught in unraveled as the Growth registered an adamantine desire to get out that would turn obstacles to splinters. The giant that was Sereth stomped forward, hand grasping the air for the phantom of his sister. He wasn’t even the strongest A-class present but somehow Nestra was confident no one would stand against him now. With careful gestures, she offered him a folded paper. He took it more automatically than out of any real desire to do so. His massive fingers unfolded the wrinkled page with a care that belied his size and current level of tension. The paper opened, visible to most males even those who had discreetly climbed pillars to see better. The childish drawing inside showed a heavenly pair of teenagers standing in front of a portal, one wielding blue magic and the other his fists. It was quaint, old, and surprisingly well-cared for.

“She kept it,” Sereth whispered. “She really kept it.”

He looked up, first to Nestra with something that looked like abject gratitude, then towards their father with a promise of violence that could only go one way, but more importantly, would go if he were not allowed to leave. A canvas of abyssal orbs turned to the still figure of Agathon, the man trapped, and in those eyes were a pain and longing that no hunts had ever managed to fill. It was a complete rebellion.

Get PRed, bitch.

“I am leaving,” Sereth stated, and it was not a request.

For a brief moment, Nestra thought Agathon might refuse, extend the game or play a trick or delay or a long list of options available to ancient monsters in a position of power. She truly believed he might. What she didn’t expect was for him to smile. Smile, and applaud.

Clap. Clap. Clap.

It was a lonely sound in such a crowded nave, and all the more impactful for it. Agathon stopped at three, an acknowledgement, then his dark attention turned to Sereth who, despite his earlier efforts, had stopped.

“Leave.”

Unauthorized reproduction: this story has been taken without approval. Report sightings.

Relief flooded Nestra’s mind. Sereth didn’t have to be told twice. He departed, flying away through the open gate, and no one to stop him, but then Nestra felt she wasn’t allowed to.

“Well played, daughter.”

The males’ attention returned to her. In their gazes, she could feel consideration, assessment, and something told her she would lose her peace and tranquility for a very long time. The males petitioned the covens for services on occasion. She had just put herself on the radar.

Well that was a problem for future Nestra.

“You have done well. Now, let us retire to a more private setting.”

Agathon flexed his will. Space around his domain obediently bent to send Nestra, Moon Dancer and their host to a personal chamber near the top of the cathedral, its surroundings sealed by powerful void wards. There were illusions of windows here showing a twisted light of the outside though Nestra could feel that Growth actually blocked direct access. Moon Dancer walked to stand in front of the one leading to the Abyssar with her back turned to Nestra. So that meant Agathon’s pseudo-kidnapping was within the rules.

The bastard took a comfortable seat on a nearby couch, its surface perfectly decorated in the imperial fashion though it looked quite old. He was still smiling. Even his tone reflected pride.

“Allow me to congratulate you on your maneuvering. The use of human technology and heavenly psychology in tandem demonstrated the human adaptability I am very much looking forward to sampling.”

Nestra bristled at the reminder that Earth was set to become a dedicated safari location. Not if she had any say in the matter.

Actually, he probably knew. It was an easy jab for him disguised behind the compliments.

“As you have succeeded, I have lost my token in the person of your brother. Truth be told, heavenly politics is often more a matter of moods than strict rules, something you have understood well, so I have little regret. I will not pursue this specific matter further out of respect for your youthful optimism and ruthless manipulation. Once more, congratulations. Now, however, I would like to submit my offer, as well as offer a new prize.”

Nestra looked towards Moon Dancer. It felt like she’d gotten what she wanted and now Agathon was doing the same? Yet Moon Dancer’s back remained resolutely turned. Her earlier comment was still fresh in Nestra’s mind: the covens approved of whatever initiative Agathon had need of her for. And it looked like they at least wanted her to listen. She wasn’t exactly thrilled about it, but if he had another prize in mind...

She could at least hear him out.

“Go ahead?” Nestra asked without much confidence.

Agathon’s smile widened. Two cups appeared in front of him. Black liquid, piping hot, filled the ceramic. The potent smell of perfectly roasted arabica tickled Nestra’s nose. Coffee again.

“I offer you my hospitality. ”

Nestra had taken some drip bags, but this looked like a level of quality above what she had available. That was always welcome. She took a sip. It was delicious, with a bitter aftertaste that soured the final experience. She hoped it wouldn’t be prophetic.

“Now for what I desire: Kuru-Kuru is a small and relatively new empire on the spatial edge of the many worlds, a recently absorbed planet much like your own. As such things happen, some of our brethren sired children there, and some of those were inevitably found. The ruling class also discovered our, shall we say, potency. Unfortunately, Kuru-Kuru’s population comprises two species: a subservient one and those who broke and subjugated it over the course of many generations. Slavery is deeply ingrained in their culture, and so are the tools and methods to enforce it. We have been informed by one of our newcomers that the ruling class knows the children of Aszhii are Aszhii as well. Those children are currently raised from birth as a sort of new slave warrior caste, with the first generation already deployed. We are understandably quite upset.”

As was Nestra. Slavery was abhorrent to her as a free human, but the Aszhii part of her found the very idea horrifying on a visceral level. Aszhii? Treated as cattle and brainwashed? The horror! The... the audacity!

“I see you understand,” Agathon said.

“Wait, I remember we went to war over another empire systematically hunting every Aszhii. Why are the covens not mobilizing then?”

Moon Dancer chuckled. Agathon leaned back in his seat, clearly amused.

“Nezhra. You are the covens.”

“Uh?”

“Can you not sing your wrath? Can you not open portals?”

“Well sure, but...”

“Kuru-Kuru is lower than Earth on the power scale, and that is mostly because its strongest raiders keep assassinating one another. As angry as most of us are, we also acknowledge that this task will never be more than pest control. You are young. It is now your generation’s turn to take the mantle of reaver, and instill in the other races the fear of what they will never control.”

“So you want me to, what, build an expedition?”

“Yes.”

Nestra had to blink at that.

“It is exactly as you said. I want you to be the leader of an expedition to liberate our fallen brethren, topple the empire, and teach them to fear us.”

“I wouldn’t know where to begin,” Nestra calmly stated.

“Tell her about the messenger,” Moon Dancer suggested, from her spot near the window.

Nestra felt a back and forth between them she couldn’t quite decipher. Clearly, her coven head had overstepped their boundaries somehow? She wasn’t sure, though eventually Agathon returned his attention to her.

“You will meet Unchained Solstice. Solstice is the one who brought us word of the situation. He can guide you back to his world. We will also assist you by letting it be known that a small expedition will gather to solve this issue. You can expect many younglings to join if only for the novelty of it.”

“And the free ride,” Moon Dancer huffed.

“I expect many males will drift away upon your hopefully successful return through the many worlds, yes. The season is almost over. Many will want an early departure.”

“It can be difficult to escape our world, for males,” Moon Dancer explained. “Natural portal worlds do not appear here, but sometimes thinner space in the fabric of reality allows one to push through. It is an unreliable and tiring method. Most males will leave with us, if we allow it.”

It clearly didn’t please Agathon.

“Ok, well, it’s not too bad. I will hear about payment before I decide though.”

“I know you inquired about a specific target,” Agathon said, with deep satisfaction.

It took a moment for Nestra to connect the dots. She’d asked the covens, without much success so far.

“And I have found it,” Agathon finished.

***

Sereth was waiting for Nestra outside of the cathedral, to her own surprise.

“Why are you still here?” she wondered. “Do you need a ride?”

He went from moved to annoyed in a second.

“Nestra, I have waited hundreds of years for this and I can wait for another hour. Rather, I wanted to thank you for being there for me.”

“Hey, you would do the same for me. No wuckas, brother.”

“Please stop layering slang over our holy language and also stop disarming emotional moments with humor.”

“Ok, ok.”

She accepted a side hug. One of the males leaving the cathedral gave them a surprised glance, but Sereth must have done something because he left in a hurry.

“So, the old man wanted you to do him a favor. I assume he got his way and you had to listen?”

“Yes, and I have decided to accept.”

“What?” Sereth shouted. “Why?”

“Because it’s necessary, and also because he’s paying me very well for it.”

“How can serving him be necessary? He will catch you in his net... Surely no mission would be worth the risk!”

Nestra explained the situation. Sereth’s face fell.

“Then I will come with you,” he soberly said.

“What? But... don’t you want to see your sister?”

“I want to, and I will, but this is more important. You do understand the implication of what our father said, yes? He said that the Kuru-Kuru world was slightly below Earth. That still means dozens of A-class you will have to contend with. I expect our brethren to be held under the dominion of one such warrior. I cannot take the risk that you would not have someone who can take them on. Only younger warriors will join your initiative. You need an anchor to your formation. I shall be that anchor.”

“Sereth...”

“And then I will ask for help to seek my sister, return, and then join you on Earth assuming you return there promptly. Stibbs...”

Sereth’s voice grew pained.

“Stibbs will be fine for a little while. I will be sure to return quickly. I promised myself I wouldn’t leave her alone for a full Earth year. Just in case...”

“What?”

Sereth shook his head.

“It is nothing. Makihel will have to plot alone for a few more years. There is a future for us now. That is what matters the most.”

“Ok...”

To be fair Nestra favored Stibbs over Makihel, so...

“When are we leaving?” Sereth asked.

“First there is going to be a massive party because Moon Dancer ascended to the fifth rank.”

“Ooooh yes. That is important. I suppose I will see you afterward.”

***

The covens sure knew how to throw a party. A couple thousand females gathered at the edge and on the massive plaza where Nestra had first landed with Grandmother Voidgale’s help. Because Nestra lacked the massive bag of treasures her fellows had gathered over years of compulsive looting, she didn’t really have a gift for her leader which was a shame when others provided ancient artefacts and pillows made from the ass duvet of some legendary birds. She did, however, have gastronomy. It turned out that Moon Dancer’s fae species had the sweetest tooth in all known species barring, perhaps, Americans. Nestra had the recipes and some key ingredients, so she managed to bake a line of simple cakes with the help of her collected magical flours and some really exotic butter. It took a bit of trial and error, yet she persevered, and the results left Moon Dancer pleased with at least two sets of her ghostly wings folded in the throes of food coma. The party lasted for a good day, a day of relentless preparation, cooking, ingestion, and digestion of the finest foodstuff Nestra could manage. Many old members including Tigress and even Four-Arms - who was generally hostile - came to congratulate her on outplaying Agathon even though it was clear he’d acted nice this time. Nestra was well chuffed.

As the party progressed, however, the discussion turned towards Nestra’s initiative and Earth. She supposed it was the perfect occasion. In her great generosity, Moon Dancer allowed it. Fragments of discussions spread from coven to coven. Groups turned to their heads, who in turn picked leaders among themselves to discuss things further. It was an amazing dance to watch from below and to the side where temporary ovens had been set up. Nestra sometimes turned from her work to observe that dance merge with a great many others to form perhaps one of the few times when the females were really social. Little by little, however, the final decision trickled up to the few S-class in attendance including the latest among their number. Moon Dancer flew down from the mass to stand next to Nestra, just as she was putting the finishing touches to a half-decent meringue.

The others felt the shift. Hundreds of chattering voices fell silent at the same time while a tapestry of void eyes turned towards Nestra, who knew that finally, a decision had been reached. It was Four Arms who took the lead here. And that wasn’t a very good sign.

“Everyone, we have finally reached a consensus on young Nezhra’s proposal to turn her home planet into a space protected by the covens.”

Moon Dancer grabbed Nestra’s hand. The sudden and unexpected gesture made Nestra’s heart sink.

“After careful deliberation, we have decided not to accept her proposal.”

Fuck.

Nestra’s heart sank in her chest. She didn’t have time to process or protest, however, as the tall humanoid raised all of her hands to placate the crowd.

“However! Let me finish! However, and though the decision is final, it only reflects our belief that no coven may be called to arm to defend species of a world they may have never visited, or approve of. No one can hold such authority over the entirety of the covens.”

Nods and words of assent backed Four Arms’ declaration.

“The rest of us remain intrigued by Earth and the possibilities human acceptance offers. The right to declare Earth a protected space with the strength required to back that statement remains the purview of individual covens. Before we can do so, however, the claim that it would welcome us as we are without mask or artifice must be tested. One coven will be sent as ambassadors and samplers to make sure the humans and we are in agreement. Moon Dancer volunteered.”

Nestra looked to the side, touched. Moon Dancer winked. Behind Nestra, the rest of the coven stepped up as a show of support including Grook who shuffled her massive stone troll frame to Nestra’s side so they could stand together shoulder to stony hip in front of the important people.

“The coven will depart. We shall hear what they have to say upon their return. Should they endorse Earth, a voyage will be organized to formalize the agreement between covens and the city called Threshold, and more should the humans prove themselves. And I would be one of them,” Four Arms claimed.

“As would I,” Tigress added.

More of the old ones brought their support, lifting Nestra’s spirits. She wasn’t crying or anything but there was surely a lot of flour dust in this corner of the void, for sure. The mood picked up as the party resumed and the covens discussed what they might find there with some measure of excitement. Nestra resisted the urge to hug her fellow coven members but it was a close thing.

“Thanks, everyone. I’m really grateful. I am. Thank you so much.”

“You must complete the task you agreed upon with Agathon first, then finish whatever business you have here, then you will leave to pave the way. We will come to Earth a moon rotation after your return once the humans have had time to accept and prepare for our arrival.”

“I’m sure everything will be fine. I’m not too worried,” Nestra exulted as blind optimism was making her completely delusional.

The rest of the coven was looking pleased though. Even Blinky was bobbing up and down after being informed that the surface of the planet was 70% water, most of it salty. Soon, the covens melted again as some members had maxed out their social batteries for the foreseeable future while the more social species reached out to old friends, enjoying one of the last outings of the season. Nestra made an effort to thank the Elders including Four Hands who repeated that she would happily visit Earth when the time was right. In any human politician, Nestra would have concluded that she never intended to do so and would find an excuse but the Aszhii were often a bit more peculiar about giving their words as a general rule. Towards the end, Nestra realized that two other young females were waiting nearby. One was a feathery biped who had massive wings where her arms would have been. She was using telekinesis to hold her drink. The other was a slightly smaller tiger who, unlike Tigress, had not reached one ton yet. Probably. Nestra knew that the tiger-like species was mostly solitary from her preparations, yet they usually deferred to the oldest and strongest among them. That meant that the tiger’s presence was blessed by the Elder. Both of them were B-rank like Nestra so basically spring chickens.

“We have come to join your warband,” the, well, harpy said with a deep squawk.

“The males need our help. Again,” the tiger rumbled.

“Thank you both. My name is Nezhra.”

“We know. I am Ita. I will prove my place in the flock with this hunt!” Ita said, then she let out an absolutely horrible sound Nestra could only assume was a warcry of some sort.

“Glad to have you with us,” Nestra replied.

This one was clearly young and eager to make an impression. Honestly, Nestra expected most of her allies would be like that. When it was time for the tiger to introduce herself, Nestra realized she would be unable to vocalize that.

“Do you mind a nickname?”

“No, we are used to it.”

Nestra considered her options, looking at that massive clawed tank that was only marginally smaller than Tigress in the same way a hot air balloon was smaller than a Zeppelin.

“You are Kitten,” Nestra decided.

The female huffed, her breath pushing Nestra’s hair away from her face.

“Acceptable. Short. I will tolerate it for now, until I grow larger.”

“Great. We’ll finish the party first, then ‘tomorrow’ I will move to the open area next to the nameless blade master’s domain. You know him?”

“I know of him,” Kitten said.

Ita blushed with shame.

“I will guide our young friend here,” Kitten added when she noticed Ita’s embarrassment.

“Ok good, thanks. In the meantime, I will find my brother. We need Unchained Solstice to describe the Aszhii prison for us. If I’m in charge, we’ll do this as prepared as we can be.”

She considered the average Aszhii timeline.

“Within reason.”