Once Aross was officially reinstated as the official Invigilator of Rennervation Demesne again—well, official by the people of Rennervation for Orbray hadn’t exactly proclaimed her the ruler of her own Demesne—it felt like the whole of the Demesne had turned up to the celebrate. People lined every street, filling every available spot. They danced with anyone and anything too, sang for those who would listen, those who wouldn’t, or just for themselves, traded goods, threw gifts, scarfed down food and drink to waste a thousand years of stores, and generally made a mess of themselves as if they had all reached some sort of paradise where everything was aplenty.

As though this whole war with Orbray was over and they had become victorious.

So short-sighted. Riven was having a hard time keeping himself rooted to his spot on the balcony. He would have never come here, but Aross had insisted he and Viriya join her, and no one refused an Invigilator of anything.

For her part, the Invigilator of Rennervation Demesne seemed to be enjoying herself. Her smile was bright enough to blind the unwary, the happiness on her face melding away some of the creases on her face to make her look a decade younger. Or maybe that was the make-up.

“This won’t last too long,” Mirren promised. She smiled at Riven, a little apologetic. Aross had also insisted that this was an off-day, so Mirren had been forced to discard her Essentier uniform and don a white and pink dress with the impression of rose petals on the skirt and bodice. “The turnout has been unprecedented. There are only a few more streets of people to address, then the Invigilator will retire.”

“Just a few more?” Riven asked, raising an eyebrow. “How many, exactly?”

“Four,”

“I think you need to revise your definition of a few more.”

“We can retire and rest soon, don’t worry, Riven.”

Her smile looked a little forced for a moment before she turned to face outside again. Riven and Viriya were being treated with great respect now—whether it was because they had taken care of the strongest Essentiers Orbray had left in Rennervation Demesne or because they were affiliated with Father, he couldn’t tell.

But Aross had no limit to her insisting it seemed. She had “requested” that Riven and Viriya join her on her triumphant return to her duties, or at least, show that they were allied to her publicly. That amounted to standing on this wide balcony on the east side of the Invigilator’s Office, reminiscent of the one Wenster had destroyed. Which Viriya had destroyed too, with her bombing.

She was standing on the other side of the Invigilator, another Rennervation Essentier Riven didn’t recognize standing near her. Viriya ignored the man, and everything as well, looking forward with all the expression of a statue that was yet to be carved from its marble block.

Like Riven, she was wearing an embroidered white shirt and garish vermillion trousers. Aross’s fashion sense was loud, and partly what made him want to escape. They still had their grey jackets though, dirty, torn, and ruined though they were. There had to be something that denoted them as Essentiers from Providence Demesne, after all.

They hadn’t talked once about all that happened back in the hall with Wenster and Lacelle. Chasm, Riven had hardly gotten any words from her. Aross’s forces had found them soon after Lacelle had turned herself in, and they had been given no opportunity to converse since then. She had been incarcerated into some dungeon, hopefully not tortured to near death by Aross’s people for information.

It had been one long rush from the battle—at least they had helped Riven recover his Coral sword, though its broken tip was missing still—to the medicers, then to rooms where they’d barely had an hour of rest before Aross had summoned them.

The worst thing was that Riven couldn’t look away from the people crowding the streets. His only other option was the sky, and far in the heavens to the west and north, dark clouds swirled. The Septstorm was growing.

Orbray was still on track to summon a Scion.

“Attention!” shouted the other Essentier Riven didn’t know. His voice was loud, booming along the balcony and falling on the people in the streets with the force of an avalanche.

The crowds quieted, and Riven stood straighter. Finally, the end of his post was in sight.

“Good citizens of Rennervation,” Aross said. Her voice was loud too, but she wasn’t shouting the way the Essentier had. It seemed to carry everywhere on its own, without the need for someone to propel it with force. She stepped forward, placing her hands on the balcony railing. “Today, we have won a great victory. We have shown what we are capable of. We have retaken our home!”

There was a thunderous cheer. It seemed to reverberate through the streets, a tidal wave of noise that swamped every corner of Rennervation city, washing past the older, white-walled houses and more modern dark brick tenements as well. The city lifted as everyone waved.

“Though we have come out on top, our work isn’t done,” Aross continued as the cheering died down. “We have lost much and we will need to rebuild. Our streets have seen battle, our homes have been unfortunate casualties, and our lives have lost many days. Many of us have friends or family injured. Many of us know those who have passed onto the Beyond. All of this, all of it, needs to be addressed. We must return to where we used to be before this debacle fell upon us, but we must also look forward to what can come of it.” She paused, letting the words swirl in her citizens’ minds. They whirled in Riven’s head too, but he wasn’t sure if the meaning was clear. “So I implore that you keep up your excellent mood and act as the great citizens that you already have. I implore that you uphold the name of Rennervation Demesne, just as you have done so far!”

More cheers. More applause, hurrahs, shouts of Aross’s name, of Rennervation’s glory, and more Riven couldn’t catch. The Invigilator had whipped up this crowd and turned them all into model citizens. Riven swallowed. The power of words, backed by reputation and power, was incredible.

“A final word, my good people,” Aross said once the crowds calmed again. “This isn’t over. Victory has been assured, but our enemy still lies beyond the walls of our city, and beyond the boundary of our beloved Demesne. We cannot rest on our laurels, nor can we for a moment think that our troubles will never return. No, we must be ever vigilant, ever careful, ever ready to do what we must to protect our lives, our families’ and friends’ lives, and our Demesne’s continued prosperity.”

Another cheer. A louder one, a final one, a promise that Aross’s words had been sucked in by all present and that it was all that these people would think of for quite a while. They weren’t swayed easily of course, but everything she had said made too much sense. For all that Aross was a great orator, she was a greater leader, and leaders handed out tasks.

None of their jobs were over. As proven by the Septstorm still growing in the distance.

#

Invigilator Aross invited Riven and Viriya to her main office. It wasn’t the little private room Wenster had been using as his impromptu headquarters. Riven had been glad for that. He wasn’t sure he could have stomached going back there and let the sight of Wenster’s ruined corpse pass him by without turning into a mess of one kind or another. He’d vomit, but then, his emotions wouldn’t exactly sit well either.

Monster. Lacelle had called Viriya a monster.

“Please, take a seat.” Aross pointed to the chairs in front of her mahogany desk.

Riven and Viriya took the chairs. He ignored how the desk looked like a picture-perfect copy of his father’s, how instead of a series of paintings depicting whatever Aross held dear, there was a tapestry showing some strange scene Riven had trouble recognizing. A man standing atop of a mountain of skulls, several dark figures trying to scale the mountain in an effort to reach him.

“First thing first,” Aross began. This was supposed to be their official meeting. Riven would be lying if he said he wasn’t a little tense. But Aross nodded, holding onto a little smile. “Thank you. You have done a great job for Rennervation Demesne, and for that, my gratitude is boundless. I see why Invigilator Morell trusts you so.”

“It was the least we could do,” Riven said. “We’re allies after all.”

“That we are,” Aross agreed. “I may not be the Invigilator who you report to, but I am an Invigilator. As such, I have the power to promote you as I see fit, given the current circumstances. And you two are greatly deserving of promotion, of recognitions for the true power that you hold, especially after your deeds over the past week. You are far stronger, far more powerful and capable than your current ranks would have anyone believe.”

Riven frowned. “You… want to make me a Secondmarked?” He turned to face Viriya. “And Viriya a Firstmarked?”

“Yes, if you agree to it. You deserve it. The way you’ve defeated all other Essentiers who’ve come before you—” Aross shook her head, a little smile of amazement on her lips. “Wouldn’t you agree, Mirren?”

Aross had invited a couple of other people to the meeting as well. Mirren and the other Essentier Riven didn’t know. Who was the man?

“Agreed, Invigilator,” Mirren said. “I wasn’t witness to the actual fight, but I do know just how powerful Wenster is, and to see him defeated in such a manner means that Rorink and Morell are quite powerful.”

Riven swallowed. The sight of that crushed head floated in his head. Cruel, barbaric, monstrous.

Viriya showed no reaction at all. “With all due respect, I disagree, Invigilator Aross. I’m a Providence Essentier, and as such, it wouldn’t do to accept a promotion from a different Invigilator. Any promotion needs to come from Rosbel Morell.”

Aross laughed. “You can’t surprise anyone with your Secondmarked badge anymore, Viriya Rorink. We all know, they all know, that you are far more powerful than you let on.”

“I’ve never tried to hide what I am.”

“No, of course not. But as you wish then.” Aross turned to Riven. “And you, Riven Morell. Do you think the same?”

“No I don’t,” he said. “Frankly, I couldn’t care less. Waste of time, in my opinion. What I want is to make some decisions on important matters and get moving.”

Aross considered for a moment. “Now that everything has gone according to plan, we stand at a very advantageous position. Your appearance beside me proved that we have Providence on our side, that Rosbel Morell is the one that holds the real power. But also, Orbray is reeling. He still has his main force in Ascension Demesne, but for now, he won’t strike. We have some time to recuperate while we plan. We also need more information before we can make any informed decisions.”

“So you’re saying we need to wait?”

“Do you want to rush headlong into the maws of your enemy without counting their teeth?”

“Is that a proverb?”

“If it was, I’m sure it would have been prettier. Answer me, Morell.”

Riven turned to stare at Mirren for a moment. The badge glimmering on her shoulder was dirty, old bronze. “Why aren’t you rewarding your own Essentiers? Surely Mirren deserves a promotion after she led the successful recapture of the Invigilator’s office?”

Aross looked amused. She was hiding a smile, Riven was sure of it. “Well, Mirren, do you want a promotion to Thirdmarked?”

“I do not, Invigilator,” Mirren said. She didn’t bother hiding her smile.

“Why?” Riven asked.

“My Essence is weak. I’d be killed by other Essentiers pretty easily. That’s why.”

 “And that isn’t what we’re here to discuss,” Aross reminded Riven. “Decisions, you said. I think we will need to wait a while before we can make any proper decisions.”

“I don’t think there’s any time to wait,” Riven said.

“I understand you are worried about your sister, but we cannot rush headlong into Ascension Demesne. We need reconnaissance, scouting, getting an estimate of the Essentiers stationed there and a layout of their defences. I suspect you think we need to assault Orbray while he’s reeling but in truth, he’s more than prepared to repel whatever meagre force we can throw at him.”

“It sounds like you’re afraid of him.”

“That’s because I am. You’d do well to be a little afraid too. Fear breeds caution and curbs fatal overconfidence. But what I meant is that I have Rennervation back, and I intend to consolidate my position here before attacking Orbray.”

Riven leaned back. Just what he’d feared. Aross had used him and Viriya to oust Orbray’s Essentiers, and now that they had done their purpose, they were being cast to the wolves. Well, as much as it could be done while still saving enough face.

“I need to free Rose,” Riven said. “Every moment we waste here is another that she could be killed. I don’t even know where Father is supposed to be, and I can’t leave her alone anymore. Who knows what kind of condition she’s in.”

He shouldn’t have said that. Riven really shouldn’t have. Every awful thought he’d been wrestling with ever since he had learned that Rose was being held captive by Orbray came charging back, throwing up visions of his sister stuck in a dank and dark cell, emaciated by the lack of food worse than Wenster’s fastest form, maybe even tortured by that bastard Orbray. She could be dying even as they spoke.

Fuck, she could be dead already. All of Orbray’s reassurances that she still lived could be little more than lies. And all Riven did was stay here, healing and talking.

“I think the Invigilator went to the Frontier,” Viriya said.

Riven turned to her. “Why would you think that?” He wanted to ask why she’d reveal that to this treacherous snake, Aross, but that would have been highly improper. “Did he tell you?”

“Of course not. But certain things I’ve picked up over my time at the office assures makes it very likely true. I know Invigilator Morell was preparing to attack Ascension Demesne one day, and if that day ever came, he’d do it via the Frontier.”

“A no-restrictions zone, of course. The Frontier is beyond the law of either Resplend and Vedel Arn, so there’s no one to consider him culpable of anything. There won’t be any legal repercussions from this.”

That seemed odd to Riven. Father was still attacking, wasn’t he? What did it matter which direction he did it from, he would still be assaulting a High Invigilator of Resplend. It seemed common sense to hold him accountable for it.

“So we can join up with Father in the Frontier?” Riven asked.

“It’s only a supposition,” Viriya said, not looking at him. “I don’t think rushing into the Frontier is a good idea.”

“Besides,” Aross added. “Orbray wasn’t as comprehensively beaten as you may think. Many of his agents escaped, and the spies he planted outside of the city have surely fled. The situation here is, or will be, well-known to him before long.”

Riven cursed. Not the politest thing in current company but he couldn’t help himself. Every moment was making this victory taste sourer end sourer. He was supposed to be free, to be bouncing off it and making progress towards recapturing Rose. Instead, here he was suffering Aross’s excuses as to why this victory still meant nothing.

“More than that, a frontal assault on Orbray wouldn’t work,” Aross continued. “I’ve been to Ascension, and it isn’t an easy Demesne to assault. The highland is easily defensible. You are also forgetting that Orbray has reeled in the other Demesnes to do his bidding. He’s more powerful than over.”

“All right, all right, I understand.” Riven shut up before he snapped. “I understand it looks impossible at this time, but we need something soon. Do you even know what Orbray is sitting on his arse for, Invigilator Aross?”

Aross frowned. “The Deathless. He’s pulling them in, all of them, and means to eradicate them entirely. Or deal enough of a blow that they won’t be a problem for generations to come.”

“And do you know how?”

“How?”

“By summoning a Scion.”

Aross went silent at that. Surprise flickered on her face for just a second, followed by a cold consideration. “And I assume keeping Firstmarked Lacelle alive has something to do with it?”

“It does.”

“How?”

“Hard to explain. But I think her Essence can help me figure some things out regarding the Scions.”

“I see.” Aross seemed sceptical, but she didn’t push further. She didn’t say anything at all, letting Riven pick up the pieces of where it had left off.

Which he was glad to do. “It seems you’ve made up your mind about staying here and waiting until things settle down. Well, I’ve made up my mind as well. I’m not staying any longer than is necessary. I’ll rest as you said, but for only until I’m healed and recuperated enough to set off, on my own if needed. That’s my decision.”

Aross nodded. “And yours, Rorink? Will you follow along?”

“I have no reason not to,” Viriya said.

“But you have reason to leave?”

“It seems prudent. Besides, I believe that, however much of a debt you may be in, you are ultimately in this for yourself and your Demesne. Our goals don’t always necessarily align. And when it seemed as though we’ve come to a crossroads, you chose the diverging path.”

Riven grimaced. He might not know how to play politics very well, but that was harsh even to him. Viriya had basically called Aross faithless. Untrustworthy. The Invigilator saw it too. She smiled, though it was a jagged thing, merciless in its promise of exacting something in return.

“Then it seems we are at odds,” Aross said. “Perhaps—”

The door to the office jumped as loud knocks sounded. “Invigilator! We have a messenger from High Invigilator Orbray. She says the message is urgent, and that it’s for Morell.”

Aross frowned, mirroring Riven’s own, then nodded at Mirren. The Fourthmarked opened the door and let the guard in, a short woman in a soldier’s uniform stepping in smartly behind him. A messenger from Orbray, sent specifically to see him. Given that she had arrived less than a day after Rennervation had “fallen” to Aross, the High Invigilator must have sent the woman knowing Riven would be here. But she wasn’t a quick response after his defeat.

“What is this message from Orbray you’re bearing?” Aross asked.

The woman didn’t respond, or even look at the Invigilator. Her cold eyes were fixed only on Riven. How did she know who he was? “You have any qualms about revealing anything here?’

He had plenty of qualms but his curiosity wasn’t to be denied a single moment. “No. Go on.”

“Your sister is dying. Captivity has not agreed with her, and she will pass into the Beyond soon enough. Unless you come and take her from the High Invigilator’s care. The High Invigilator has set a week from today as the execution date for Rosiene Morell. Your response?”

Riven’s response. What in the Chasm could he respond? Rose was dying just as he had assumed. He had no time for questions, no space for deliberations. The woman’s eyes confirmed that his response needed to be either a yes or a no on whether he’d be leaving to get to Rose as soon as possible or not.

And there was only one right answer to that.

“Tell Orbray I’ll come. I’ll leave for Ascension Demesne tomorrow.”