Chương 71: Shifting Currents

In the end, Saaranam's question had shifted the entire situation onto Drahk's shoulders. Would he refuse and tell the Elder that she was wrong, that her accusations were baseless? Or would he join them and try to subdue or kill Liesel? The former was basically impossible, as Liesel understood. It may have been a very different equation when she didn't have the strength to fight them on even ground.

But now, if Drahk accepted Saaranam's design, he'd have to deal with her, while putting Elder Ahura and almost everyone around her at risk. Lacking knowledge of her actual abilities might be the biggest factor in his decision. Drahk was dangerous, and at this distance, Liesel questioned if her threads were enough. Her expedition team was no longer in sync with her abilities. Liesel didn't think having them here would help much. Saaranam raised his brow, demanding an answer from the Spearhead.

But how do I dissolve the situation? I cannot call Ahura mistaken or a liar. That might just be enough to tilt every Pathstrider's rationale into a frenzy, including Drahk. Drahk approached Saaranam. He settled his hand on the smiling man's shoulder. His curved claws dug into Saaranam's flesh, through his floaty garb.

"I am your chief. Remember your place, kid," The Spearhead uttered.

"You can demand from them, not me." Saaranam's smile didn't falter; if anything, it seemed to eerily stretch wider. Liesel doubted even she could muster that level of nonchalance. Drahk dropped his hand and addressed the Spearheads in their tongue. His voice boomed. The Pathstriders showed no intent of listening to him. Shaking his head, he turned and addressed the Elder, "Our guest has proven her innocence through Qhidah-Shi. Her victory was fair. Gurvantha has judged her once, and granted her a second life.

To be withering, dying, and be given passage to the womb of the world. She is unquestionably our mother's herald." He turned to the Pathstriders. He said something again; this time he was both powerful and uniform for a minute. The Elder glared at him. Liesel was equally taken aback that he would breach that subject, to dare imply the Elder was in the wrong. But perhaps, evocation of their god's name nullified Ahura's status to a degree. Or perhaps she never realized what place Drahk held.

Elder openly hated him and preferred Saaranam, and yet he was their chief. Midway through his speech, the Pathstriders lowered their spears. Their animosity began to fade.

"As for Arval," Drahk finally addressed Elder Ahura, "A child of god speaks no lie. Let her illuminate the mystery of her disappearance, and in the meantime, our guest will be safe under my care." Elder Ahura glared at him, but she didn't say anything. Saaranam seemed mostly unbothered, almost as if this was the outcome he had squared.

"Please come with me," Drahk said.

"And you can lower your will. They are not your enemy." Liesel didn't mind. She gathered her Materiality into a small orb and followed behind the Spearhead. She trusted Drahk to a certain extent, but not enough to leave herself open to danger.

"What did you tell them?"

"You are an omen of change," Drahk uttered.

"In these dangerous times, when Sirmal's Tome is about to collapse, and the world around grows stranger and stranger, we cannot let our fear and bias blind us to the goddess's gift. You have promised peace, as had I. My promise will be betrayed over my corpse."

"I don't know how that would fare in the future, but I am glad today we hold onto our promise of peace." Drahk nodded.

"I never imagined you would speak against your elder," She uttered once they entered Drahk's area.

"Was it the fear for her safety that forced you to?"

"She is protected by the divine," Drahk kept walking.

"Gurvantha's will must be honoured. She has absolved you, blessed you further. We cannot anger her divine benevolence by harming you."

"Absolved from what?" Liesel asked.

"For a sin I have never committed? Or have you deluded yourself into believing Qhidah-Shi was fair and just?"

"The matter is resolved. Arguing any further is unnecessary."

"But you have to face the fact you sent your subordinate, Arval's father, to meaningless death when you could've resolved the situation then, just as you have now. Just as easily. Clearly, Elder Ahura and her whisperer are unwilling to cross your decision. You are unwilling to change reality, but you hold that power."

"I had Gurvantha's will on my side, your trial," Drahk uttered.

"Without it, the Pathstrider will never act against Elder Ahura's will, even if I stand against them." Because you have never stood up against her before. Liesel"I wonder how much of it is Gurvantha's will, whatever mystical nonsense you are deluding yourself to, and how much of it is your fear of the carnage that the act of subduing me would've wrought," Liesel stated bluntly.

"I am forever grateful for the generosity you have shown, but it does not mean I am blind to the reality that you exist in." Drahk shrugged, offering no retort. After a minute, he said, "I merely wish not to disturb the lives of the innocent ones who have nothing to do with our meaningless conflicts." Liesel sighed. Of course you do.

Liesel stared at the artificial food. Compared to the too-much-flavored fruits, it tasted like warm water. She'd need little readjusting to get used to this place. Drahk sat opposite her. He seemed remarkably more tired than the last time she saw him, now that she had the time to observe him.

"I am glad to see you are back unharmed and recovered."

"It is fine for now," Liesel replied.

"I had been with Arval. More or less, for three months at this point." Drahk nodded.

"Why can she speak our language so fluently?" She had been saving this question for Drahk as it felt odd to ask the child. Most likely, Arval didn't even know the true reason. Drahk considered for a long moment, and then shook his head.

"I cannot tell you."

"So you know the reason," Liesel uttered.

"What are you planning to do?"

"What do you mean?" Drahk frowned.

"Fiya is captured, last I heard."

"She is unharmed, and she will be released after Arval has clarified that you had nothing to do with her disappearance. At the earliest, in tomorrow's gathering." Liesel nodded.

"Thank you for looking after the rest."

"I promised so. These are difficult times. Usually, it would've been far less eventful than it has been." Liesel wondered about that. She stared at the hesitant man. He held more power than he let on. It felt especially potent because of the level of influence Ahura seemed to wield.

"I have no business with how things are among your people," Liesel said.

"But I plan to make sure that Arval's future is not puppeteered by anyone."

"Don't make a grave accusation without proof."

"Three months in isolation with anyone is enough time to inherently understand if they are merely growing older and molding their being around their society or being molded into something by a guiding hand. I know that feeling well. The uncertain beliefs and actions you hold in your being, the contradiction between what you believe and the reality you are always blinding yourself to. Few see past it, and even if they do, by the time they do, it would already be ingrained into the core like second nature.

Believing herself as the sole existence capable of destroying the Empire is hers." Unauthorized use of content: if you find this story on Amazon, report the violation.

"I do not know what you are trying to imply."

"I am asking you now that her father is gone, will you step up and take responsibility for her?"

"She has her people to look after her," Drahk said, a hint of annoyance bleeding into his voice. Dark and bitter.

"She has nothing to do with our or your schemes. Keep her out of it." A nonanswer. That's very unlike him.

"You are just going to watch her being molded into something. You watched her father die in vain; you know better than anyone how shallow and a lie it was. He was weak, too weak to have any change. You had the power. You didn't use it. You still have the power, and you are refusing to save Arval. Again, you wish for a status quo that survives only in isolation. Look where you are. Why do you not feel the decaying reality of your Caravan?" Drahk looked to the side, chewing something in his mouth.

"You will leave soon. Then everything will be back to normal. We were unprepared for having guests. I made a mistake."

"What happens when the desert is no longer the barrier to your isolation? What happens when every week a new group of humans stumbles upon your caravan when they travel the Necropolis?"

"That's impossible. There are few humans like you. Most will perish."

"You are an ally," Liesel said.

"So I will be honest with you. We will cross the desert, and that means slaying whatever is responsible for the Ash Storm. The Tomb may stand and be sealed, but the Necropolis itself will collapse. The Soul Heart has to be claimed. If not by me, then some other group in the future, once we have left. It cannot stand the test of time; hence the hope of normalcy that you desire cannot last even in the best-case scenario." Drahk was quiet for a second.

"Unless you can find another place with the same isolation and possibility of survival. How much of the village will survive that journey if you do find it?"

"It is not a consideration that you should worry yourself with," Drahk said. He had reined in the bleeding emotions in his tone.

"We do not require preaching from a human on how to govern."

"Is that the retort you can fall back to?" Liesel shook her head.

"Regardless. I will leave the village once Fiya is free. They have recovered enough to survive in the Garden, which is not as dangerous as I had initially believed. A little danger would help rebuild our understanding."

"It may be the best course of action for the safety of everyone." Liesel nodded. She wanted him to act, to free Arval from the elder, but if he refused, what good would her protection do? Where would the child go after being saved? He has to act. ** Isa regarded the spirit, who observed the boiling pot of liquid with great interest. The tiny being winced when the eye in the cauldron popped and sank to the bottom.

"How are you, Auram?" Isa asked. It must have been a while in the Necropolis, she imagined.

"Well, a lot happened. Liesel is fine, so I wanted you to know."

"I am glad." Isa stirred the cauldron. The liquid was too thick for her feeble strength to even manage that with any grace.

"I was asking about you. How are you? You look very different than last time I saw you."

"I do?" The spirit frowned.

"I doubt it. I have been the same for a long time."

"Physically, but your expression tells a different story."

"Well, I am sort of confused, but it's all sort of complicated, so I am not going to bother you with the details."

"You can bother me anytime you want to. I have all the time in the world. This work doesn't require much concentration, so I am bored more than anything," Isa smiled. She didn't know what kind of companionship the spirit had, but she felt an inkling to offer anything she could to the spirit. Something inside her just burned whenever she looked at the spirit. She felt unworthy of gazing upon something so natural and warm. A flash of memory burned in the back of her mind that she refused to focus on.

The spirit considered for a moment, then shook her head.

"I am not sure it's something I can even put into words."

"Spirits didn't use words, right?"

"We don't have to. I am like an individual because I am alone. When I had a family, we were just one, slightly different beings. Anything we did sort of communicated those differences. It's hard to describe in words because humans have no idea."

"I doubt we are worthy of learning it," Isa said.

"But I am always willing to listen if you have anything to say."

"You are too nice," Auram grinned. Just the warmth of her words melted the stinging pain in Isa's knees. For a moment, there was relief, like she was just a normal human.

"If you are free, then that saves me the trouble. Did something happen while I was gone? In the city, I mean. Or with the demons on the western front." Isa frowned.

"Did Liesel ask you to do this?"

"Well, that's also a complicated question. Of course, she didn't ask me, and if I had offered, she'd say no. Unless there's an absolutely desperate situation, she won't bother me with anything related to humans. And if she does, it is out of her desire to be fair to me." The spirit hopped off the jar and circled the steam rising from the cauldron as she spoke.

"But I want to help her where I can. She'd have a better frame to make decisions if she had information about the world outside."

"The Chancellor might be dead," Isa whispered carefully. Her eyes flickered at the ventilation window.

"There's no official confirmation, but he's gone from the public. The Western front collapsed three days ago, and the Envoy of Realms arrived a day after. They are higher-ups of the Empire. They managed a retreat and held a strong front on the edge of the Marshes. The Commander of the Saffron's legion is also gone in the skirmish; that is confirmed. The Envoy was with the Scholars, or are they the Scholar? I don't know."

"Why would they kill the Chancellor, though?"

"Well, there were some small but important settlements that fell to the Demon's claim. Precious mines that are part of the Imperial Tribute. At least, that's what I feel is taken. But I don't know how far the demon has reached to claim it with any assurance."

"But they can't just kill the Chancellor. He's important. Liesel didn't even hurt Kurvam because he's his son."

"The Seer addressed the city two days ago, which is the first in my memory. And that is nothing to say the fact that the Chancellor's family has made no appearance either, even though they regularly visit a few establishments. Collection of Assurances has also stopped. Maybe they are behaving, but Seer never bothers with official duties, and the only circumstance I feel he would is when his brother is dead, and the city must have an Authority figure in sight after the Western Front's disaster."

"Oh," Auram frowned.

"But if he's dead... that makes things simpler."

"You look upset."

"Kurvam is a loathsome being. I feel Liesel is only waiting for the right moment to end his life, and this would discharge all her hesitation."

"Is that a bad thing?"

"I don't know... Kurvam has been through so much. He seems to be growing, not into a good person, but you know. It might take a little more time, but I don't know if Liesel would tolerate his irrationality until then."

"You don't trust Liesel to make the right decision?"

"I do. But a right decision doesn't mean the most compassionate one. I feel she has a very biased perspective when it comes to humans specifically, not that she is generous to anyone in particular. But I want her to see him turn into a better person."

"Then, don't tell her," Isa said. She wouldn't fault anyone for having a biased view of humanity in its historical context. Even she sometimes had a hard time squaring it, especially when something heinous takes place in the city. How depraved must someone be to steal Ashdusts of a dead person? It was about the objective of the group, but Isa's mind couldn't see any other race doing it. It was her bias. And she couldn't just stifle it.

"But she would not understand how things are here without it."

"I am surprised you don't want him dead. He's a despicable human, and part of the lineage that you should hate."

"I'd rather find good in everyone," Auram uttered without any weight.

"Because there are too many bads to condemn."

"There are," Isa chuckled.

"But are there not too many bads to turn good?" She continued explaining the finer observations of the Saffron Helm's situation until a knock on the door sent the Spirit away.

"You talking to someone?" Hasrah asked.

"Just making sure everything's in order."

"Yeah," he nodded. There was a tension in his voice.

"Are you sure you want to do this? The Envoy of Realms is not any better than anyone else. You are exposing yourself to danger. He'd not give you."

"I am your tenant, Hasrah," Isa said, distantly.

"You should mind your own business." She understood it. But what other path was there? She couldn't just be this for the rest of her life. The pain meant her Ashening Curse was growing.

"What in the Ascendances' fuck did you do to my weak, miserable Liesel?" Yehia grinned as she circled Liesel. Now, she looked famished compared to the healthy figure Liesel had grown into. Liesel's eyes searched for her sword and other belongings that were left behind. It was not here.

"I was gone for a while, but I assure you I am the same miserable and weak Liesel," Liesel chuckled.

"C'mon, there's no way the Liesel I know would make that joke." That's probably playing along with Arval... Liesel shook her head.

"It was a long time."

"A place even slower than the Necropolis?" Yehia hummed. She settled on her cushioned mat, gesturing for Liesel to sit.

"Well, I am all ears."

"I'd rather go over the details in the morning," Liesel said.

"In the presence of everyone."

"I don't want to hear some truth and a lot of bullshit lies, so spare me," Yehia sighed.

"I am glad you are back. If you can't tell me what happened, how you feel so fucking strong, I am fine with that. I'd rather not feel my dignity trampled by a bunch of bullshit that we both know is going to be a lie." Liesel's brows furrowed as she settled on the other mat. She didn't know if she trusted Yehia. She didn't know her at all in some way. There was no way Yehia was just a random Spearwoman that Seer found. But Yehia had been the same since the first day.

She had been more loyal than anyone else, even if she was critical of Liesel's actions sometimes.

"I don't understand you, Yehia," Liesel said.

"Not enough to be honest with you."

"Neither do I," Yehia huffed as she lay flat on her back.

"And that doesn't mean much. I think having lived through the Wasteland should be enough proof of my character."

"It is enough for me to trust you with my life," Liesel replied.

"Just as you do. But some things are more precious than life."

"Gonna be honest, in your case, life is pretty bottom of the list. Like even hiding your handwriting might be more important," Yehia chuckled.

"Drahk said it was more than just a day for you."

"I was in a place deeper than the Primordial Vein. Time slows to a crawl there. A day there is only an hour here."

"That's fucking insane."

"It is," Liesel nodded.

"And the girl you supposedly stole?" Yehia asked.

"She is back in the Elder's care."

"I doubt that's enough to please these people."

"It is not the worst outcome."

"But close to it," Yehia sighed.

"I thought we were in an oasis, but it's a corroding swamp. People are nice here, and still I am always on edge. Like I am livestock."

"We are not for long. Once Fiya is free tomorrow morning," Liesel said, "We are going to leave the village."

"I doubt everyone would take your offer," Yehia uttered.

"That might be for the better," Liesel said. She didn't know if she wanted everyone on her team to see how her magic now worked. But first, I need to work on the Crest.