CHAPTER FIFTEEN

An Offer of Salvation

---

 

Bram avoided a confrontation with the manse’s guards by promising to pay for the broken gate, and with a hefty bag of griffins, earned entry into the coven house as guests instead of prisoners. From the expansive main hall that looked as shabby as its exterior—the trappings of once-great fortune in decline—the party was ushered into a dusty sitting room where they waited for a coven representative to meet with them.

“The tea’s quite good.” Rowan, who’d pulled off her hood, took another sip of the tea a servant had brought into the sitting room twenty minutes ago. “Oh, do sit down, My Prince. Fretting about won’t hasten our host’s arrival.”

As usual, waiting was a challenge for Bram, who, like Hajime, was pacing around in the room. Though, unlike Hajime, who, along with Bridget, marveled at every sorcerous bauble they discovered, Bram’s attention remained fixed on the closed door.

“I’ll see what’s keeping them,” he proposed.

“Or”—Rowan patted the seat next to hers, with bits of dust flying at her touch—“you could sit and enjoy the tea whilst we wait.”

Bram sighed, though he gave in and sat next to her.

Interestingly, as soon as the seventh prince chose to quiet his impatience, the door to the sitting room opened. A lanky, pale-faced, blue-eyed man with chin-length dark blue hair—the racial trait of a Shamvalan—who wore an embroidered silk robe of varying green tones appeared through the open doorway.

“I apologize for the wait,” he said in a quiet, genial tone that carried no hint of a Shamvalan’s highland accent. “I thought I might dress appropriately first since we have such important guests visiting.”

Strangely, the Shamvalan’s face—the long-hooked nose over the lips that had been painted blue, the high cheekbones and narrow chin—was a face that Bram thought familiar. It took him a second to realize that this sorcerer who’d entered the room had been the same servant who’d brought them tea earlier. Undoubtedly, he had also been the guard whose long-fingered hands received the bag of griffins Bram had bribed the coven with.

“You clean up nicely,” Rowan said in greeting.

She too had noticed the Shamvalan’s identity.

“And you are even more beautiful than the rumors, Lady Rowan,” he replied.

It seemed this Shamvalan noticed their identities as well.

“I am Ravi Samal, Vice Master of the Coven of Stargazers.” The Shamvalan introduced himself with a bow to Bram, showing he knew who had come to call on him.

“Do vice masters usually serve tea to guests or act as a guard for the house?” Rowan asked.

“Sadly, you’ve visited at a time when many of my coven have gone off on an expedition. So, I do what I can while I mind the house.” He flashed Rowan a pleasant smile. It was one that he turned on Bram next. “Despite being understaffed, those who remain are capable sorcerers who can provide excellent services to our new governor… How can we help?”

Though the seventh prince was sure Ravi Samal was hiding something behind his smile, Bram couldn’t dislike this obvious attempt to show off one’s ability in diplomacy. So, looking more favorably at their host, he said, “We’ve come to bargain.”

“Oh?” One of Ravi’s painted blue eyebrows hitched upward. “What sort of bargain?”

The seventh prince was glad that Ravi seemed interested. If he’d shown the slightest hesitation, Bram would have left without sharing his proposal for he couldn’t risk revealing the great undertaking to potential enemies.

“It’s well-known in the imperium that the Coven of Stargazers are talented summoners.” Bram started things off with a bit of flattery. “Lotharin needs your coven’s talents now so that we might rise from years of fetid waters to touch the sky.”

“Lotharin,” Ravi repeated as if he thought the seventh prince’s choice of words was interesting.

This was Bram’s intent. Within that one speech, the seventh prince revealed his great ambition while also setting himself as the representative of the people.

A sheepish smile flashed on Ravi’s face. “Forgive me for saying so, Your Highness, but the people don’t know their new governor…and those that do—”

“Think very little of me.” Bram finished the Shamvalan’s thought. “I’m aware.”

He made a show of glancing around the room, his gaze pausing at the obvious signs of decline around them.

“It seems the people of Bellen hold you in the same regard these days, Vice Master,” Bram said provokingly.

This wasn’t just speculation on the seventh prince’s part. Thanks to Sir Anthony’s report, Bram had come to Bellen knowing that the Stargazers were the least recognized among the walled city’s three covens. It wasn’t always so, but something had happened to their coven in the past year to influence their decline to the point that its vice master handled even the menial task of serving tea to guests.

“How long has it been since you received a commission from the city lord?” Bram asked.

“Not in a long while, considering the state of this abode,” Rowan chimed in, her tone impish.

Ravi frowned. “Your point?”

Bram didn’t mean to offend, but discussing the coven’s decline was his way of sweetening the bait he was about to dangle under Ravi’s nose.

“Come under me, and I won’t just commission you for simple magic tricks… I’ll give you wealth, honor, prestige…a new purpose. One that will allow your coven to pursue the mysteries of the heavens without obstruction,” he proposed.

“You…” Ravi’s eyes widened slightly. “…want to sponsor us?”

“More than simply sponsoring you, we would like to put you to work on a great endeavor,” Rowan chimed in.

“Put us to work…” Ravi’s brow creased.

Bram could picture the cogs turning inside the Shamvalan’s brain, and he wondered if Ravi would notice. The seventh prince hoped that the vice master would because he’d brought such stellar samples of their product just to see if Ravi had sufficient ability to recognize their true nature.

“You mentioned our summoning talents…” A pale blue light sparked to life in the depths of the Shamvalan’s irises. A pair of glowing blue eyes flitted toward the faces of the three otherworlders standing behind Bram and Rowan, and then recognition dawned on Ravi’s face. “I assume you mean them… Your companions aren’t from around here.”

“He noticed it quickly,” Rowan smiled. “Impressive.”

Bram thought so as well, and he was glad that the vice master of the Coven of Stargazers had passed the bare minimum of their requirements.

“Could others easily discern the truth of my companions like you have?” Bram asked.

“Thanks to recent trends, not many sorcerers practice the summoning arts,” Ravi explained in a disappointed tone. “Our coven is the only one in Lotharin, though not many of my brethren have the eyes to see what mine can discern.”

“What do you see?” Hajime asked.

“I see the distortions in your forms like flecks of stardust clinging to your bodies. It’s the same effect that appears whenever we summon an elemental from another realm,” Ravi revealed. “Though you seem to possess actual bodies instead of an astral form… Astounding.”

Bram glanced sideways at Rowan just in time to see the smug expression appear on her face.

Ravi noticed too. He inclined his head toward her in a sign of respect. “The rumors about you have been downplayed, Lady Rowan.”

“Tis a simple task”—Rowan placed her empty teacup on the table—“that I wouldn’t mind showing you should your coven decide to accept our proposal.”

To learn rare and advanced sorcery was a great incentive for any sorcerer, but Bram could still see the hesitation on Ravi’s face.

“To be able to summon humans from another world…it’s an unprecedented accomplishment,” he admitted, though he sighed soon after. “But it’s also a crime, one with very grim consequences…”

Ravi bowed his head.

“Apologies, Your Highness,” he said in a sincere tone. “I cannot accept your offer of salvation at the risk of our members committing taboo…”

Bram raised his hand. “That’s not exactly true.”

“But it is,” Ravi insisted. “It’s explicitly stated in Section Seven of Article Sixteen of the Sorcerous Codex, detailing the proper rites and regulations of the summoning arts… The summoning of living beings in their entirety is expressly forbidden. For a complete being of mind, body, and soul may not be bound in contract to their summoner. To summon such existences risks bringing havoc to the world should such beings—demons, elementals, spirits, and the like—prove hostile to the people of Aarde.”

“Then we’ve not broken the law of the Codex,” Bram insisted back.

Rowan giggled.

Ravi couldn’t help but look confused. “You didn’t summon these otherworlders?”

“We did,” Bram admitted.

“Then—”

“But we never summoned them in their entirety… Only their souls were brought to Aarde,” Bram revealed.

“Only their souls…” Ravi’s gaze drifted over to the three otherworlders.

All three of them waved back at him.

Ravi’s brow creased. “But their bodies—”

“Created through sorcery,” Rowan cut in—to which Bram added, “Right before they signed a contract with us.”

“We couldn’t cause havoc without the prince’s say so… Not that we’d want to,” Bridget happily chimed in.

The two men to either side of her nodded their heads in agreement.

“Blessed Pallas,” Ravi breathed.

As if the revelation of these three otherworlders caused him to feel lightheaded, the Shamvalan was forced to sit on the couch opposite Bram’s and Rowan’s. It would be a while later, after a full swig of the zesty tea, when he finally found his voice again.

“I suppose you’d want us to move to Bastille,” he began.

Bram smiled, for at last, the Shamvalan seemed ready to bargain in earnest.

“There are too many eyes and ears at the capital,” he explained. “We thought a nice house in the countryside might be better.”

“Have you heard of a town called Reise?” Rowan asked.

“No,” Ravi admitted as he poured more tea for Rowan.

“You’ll like it.” She took back her teacup. “It has all the amenities one could need. Or it will soon enough.”

Bram briefly explained that he would build new facilities in the town of Reise that would serve as the center of operations for their great undertaking. This would include the large summoning chamber that was crucial to their plan.

“Your lodgings shall have enough space to fit all your research materials, including the large ‘Stargazing Mirror’ on your roof,” Bram promised.

“That would be appreciated…” Again, hesitation flashed on Ravi’s face. “You promised to give us wealth, honor, and prestige… I assume all of this will be tied to the new purpose you have in mind for us?”

From the corner of his eye, Bram noticed Rowan scratch the tip of her nose. This was the sign they’d agreed upon beforehand to subtly explain that she could glean no disturbance in Ravi’s emotions that could suggest deceit. It would have been better if she read his mind more accurately, but such an act would require casting a spell that an experienced sorcerer would most certainly notice.

Still, Bram thought Ravi could be convinced. Not just because of Rowan’s lure of newfound power, but because he could see a glint of desire in the Shamvalan’s blue irises. Bram had seen such a look enough times among the favored courtiers of the Sovereign’s court to know its meaning.

“We will need many hearts and minds to help Lotharin prosper.” The seventh prince made a show of glancing over his shoulder. “Hearts and minds that have yet to be tainted by the customs of the imperium.”

Realization flashed on Ravi’s face.

“You want to summon more otherworlders to Aarde…” His gaze drifted to the trickster who was sipping her tea. “…Much more than Lady Rowan alone could handle.”

Bram nodded.

“What will you do with such a large force…?”

Again, realization flashed on Ravi’s face. It was a sight that delighted Bram. Clearly, this Shamvalan’s mind was far from a dull one.

“The brewing conflict with the north…you plan to use otherworlders against the northerners,” Ravi deduced.

“Conflict may be the most immediate concern,” Bram admitted, “but we also plan to make use of the knowledge of the other world to elevate the kingdom’s quality of life.”

“How?” Ravi asked.

“Better roads, for one,” Bram answered.

The seventh prince couldn’t help grinning while he recalled the Sovereign’s Road that they’d taken north to Bellen and compared its rough stone path to the paved gray roads of the glass city in his visions. He was determined that such roads be made in Lotharin soon.

“Healing arts more advanced than the imperium’s,” Bram added.

Skepticism flashed on Ravi’s face.

These days, the ‘Healing Arts’ were quite advanced. Sorcery that could restore even lost limbs, herbal medicines to combat plagues, divine rites that stave off curses, and even the acupuncture practices recently adopted from the eastern continent that were said to improve a body’s constitution—the Sovereign’s court spared no expense in improving the quality of health of the imperium’s citizens.

“They’ve found a cure for the malignance,” Bram revealed.

Ravi’s eyes widened.

The Malignance—what the otherworlders called cancer—was a devilish thing that not even the most powerful sorcery could unravel. Despite recent advancements made in the healing arts, the malignance, like old age, was the one thing that could not be cured. The appearance of tumors in a body was akin to a death sentence on Aarde. Indeed, the malignance was such a strong curse that there were many covens dedicated solely to solving its ghastly riddle.

“Is this true?” Ravi’s questioning gaze drifted to Chris who looked to be the most reliable of the trio.

“Yeah, it’s true.” Chris shrugged. “But it’ll still depend on what kind of cancer y’all got and how far along it is.”

He raised his left hand, palm down, and shook it.

“Anything under stage three and it’s doable,” Chris explained. Though his brow creased when he added, “Stage four’s terminal. At that point, it’s in the hands of the Almighty.”

“What kind of sorcery does your world wield?” Ravi asked excitedly.

“We don’t use sorcery,” Hajime weighed in.

One of Ravi’s painted blue eyebrows hitched upward. “Then how could you cure something as vile as the malignance?”

A long discussion about the science and technology of Earth ensued with the Shamvalan enraptured by every word spilling from the lips of the otherworlders. At the end of their tale, it almost seemed to Bram that Ravi was salivating at the prospect of introducing such novelties as toilet seat warmers, same-day delivery services, and carbonated beverages to Lotharin.

“I’m more hopeful for cinema,” Rowan remarked. “Such a fascinating concept.”

“These are the moving pictures you discussed?” Ravi guessed.

“We just call them movies these days,” Bridget answered.

The thought of recording a celebrated play into a device and then sharing that recording with more people than could fit even the grand theaters of the imperium’s capital seemed like such an innovative idea to the three Aarders. More importantly, the wealth such an industry could bring—not to mention the diversity of stories they could tell—would certainly help Lotharin rise from its status of being the poorest of the twelve kingdoms and perhaps become a center of entertainment for the imperium.

“Imagine,” Bram raised his hands in the gesture of ‘air quotes Bridget had recently taught him, “the sorcery of the Cinema Arts.”

“Astounding… Such an innovation would make the sonusgraph obsolete,” Ravi whispered.

“What’s a sonusgraph?” Bridget asked.

Ravi pointed to a bronze box sitting on a nearby desk. When the Shamvalan snapped his fingers, the box popped open like a clockwork machine revealing its inner workings. It was a bronze horn that wheeled around itself, its open half rising to the top while its pointed tip slid down to the base of a bronze plate. Mounted on that plate was a crystal cylinder with grooves engraved on its surface.

“This is a sonusgraph,” Ravi explained.

The crystal cylinder that was about the size of a soda can began to rotate clockwise so that the horn’s pointed tip slid along the grooves etched on its surface. A slight trembling raced up the bronze horn, and when it reached the top, a song began to play.

“Oh,” Bridget grinned in delight, “it’s like an old record player.”

Hajime, who’d moved closer to inspect it, pointed to the crystal cylinder. “Is this Aarde’s version of a vinyl record?”

“It’s a voice crystal made from sorcerite,” Ravi answered.

The song playing on the sonusgraph had a mournful melody with the voice of a female bard singing of forlorn love and infidelity.

“I love a good ballad,” Bridget commented.

Hajime frowned. “Isn’t this too sad, Bridget-San?”

“The sadder the better,” she replied. “What’s it called?”

“Loveless,” Bram answered.

He recalled the tale the bard sung of; the nymph loved by a goddess who later spurned her after she’d been raped by that goddess’ husband, a god who’d been jealous of his wife’s lover.

From the corner of his eye, Bram caught Rowan’s frown. He assumed this was because she hated being reminded of the gods’ transgressions against their children, a tragedy he guessed she’d experienced herself once upon a time.

“It’s a popular song.” Ravi’s face turned contemplative. “It could make an interesting story for one of your movies.”

“I assume that comment means you agree with us?” Bram asked.

For the third time, he noticed hesitation flash on Ravi’s face.

“You’ve painted a picture of stars so dazzling that I would be a fool to refuse your offer, Your Highness…” Ravi bowed sincerely to Bram. “However, this isn’t a decision I can make without the master’s approval.”

From what he read in Sir Anthony’s report, the seventh prince knew this was impossible.

“Your master…where is she?” Bram asked.

The hands that held Ravi’s teacup and saucer shook slightly. “I guess you’re aware that she’s missing…”

Bram nodded.

It was written in Sir Anthony’s report that the master of the Stargazers had been missing for nearly a year. Right around the time that the troubles of the Red Forest began.

“How deep in the forest did your expedition go?”

“A month’s ride to the west, in an unexplored region near the border of the Vinland Mountains.”

Bram glanced at Rowan. “Ring any bells?”

“A few,” she conceded, “but I would have to go there to know for certain.”

“Y-you want to go?” Ravi asked.

The Shamvalan couldn’t keep hope from showing on his face.

“Should we manage to find your coven…” Bram refrained from saying ‘rescue’ because he wasn’t certain anyone from their expedition would still be alive after all this time. “…Can I assume your coven will agree to serve me?”

“A thousand yesses!” Ravi bowed his head once more. Lower this time. “If you can bring them home, we will pledge ourselves to your cause.”

‘Ping!’

Right on cue, a quest notification arrived.