766 - Guest Room
“What do you mean you don’t know?! How can you not know?!”
“I don’t know because I don’t know! It’s not like you know either!”
Akna’s response to her angry shout was enough to make Solvei snarl, baring her teeth, but she but she forced herself to swallow the furious retort that came to her lips. As much as she hated to admit it, the adlet was right: she didn’t know the answer either, something which was as frustrating as it was embarrassing. One simple task! she raged inwardly, making sure not to transmit those thoughts. Master gave me one simple task, and I can’t even do that right!
It should have been the easiest assignment ever. All she had to do was wait until she and Akna were alone, take as many precautions as possible to make sure no one was spying on them, and then check the shaman’s lifeline to figure out where it was pointing. Given that her strong and proud master – even after having suffered so horribly in that awful Rite, and then being hurt while fighting that White Wraith pony in spite of her vow to protect him – had chosen to take on the dangerous task of keeping Sanguine Disposition busy, failure wasn’t something Solvei was willing to allow for.
And yet she was failing now.
By all rights she shouldn’t have been. After Master and the bat pony had left, another door had opened all on its own, as though beckoning them to enter. With no obvious alternative, she and Akna had accepted the silent invitation, entering to find a long corridor. One that, unlike the room they’d just left, was completely dark, the candles on the wall unlit.
On its own, that had given no indication of what the owner of this place intended for them, but for an odd quirk that had happened as they’d ventured down the hallway: the candles had slowly lit up as they’d approached them, quietly illuminating their path.
Solvei had found the effect unnerving; having flames, even tiny ones, appear from out of nowhere made her uncomfortable. That it happened in a place that was oppressively silent, completely empty, and hideously confined made it far worse. Why would anyone want to live in one of these “house” things?! Compared to being outside, it was like being buried alive! Even the caves that she and her family had rested in had been spacious compared to this!
The only thing that had helped had been her master’s presence in her mind. After dying, which had left her close to him but unable to communicate or feel him in her mind, his presence in her thoughts was reassuring now. Plus, even if there were walls between them, she could still feel which direction he was in, taking comfort in the fact that he wasn’t very far at all. That, and if he really wanted to, he could summon her with a thought. All helped alleviate how spooky this place was.
Plus, as much as Solvei had hated to admit it, Akna’s presence had helped too, if for no other reason than the adlet seemed equally nervous, glancing around while biting her lip.
Eventually, the candles on the wall had stopped lighting up at a particular door. Both of them had walked right past it at first – since it had looked like just another in the various entrances that they’d past – but when the candles had failed to keep lighting up, they’d gotten the message. “I guess we’re supposed to wait in here,” had been Akna’s quiet statement as she’d opened the handle (another device that Solvei found weird and off-putting) and walked inside.
The interior room had made Solvei feel somewhat less trapped than the hallway had, being large enough that she could have comfortably returned to her normal size if she’d wanted. Several pieces of furniture – some high-backed seats made out of soft material – were spread around the room, and a small table in the center had some sweet-smelling fruits that Solvei wasn’t familiar with. But other than a door on the far wall, which had refused to open when Akna had tried it, there was nothing else. No openings to the outside, no servants to tell them what was going on; just an empty room where they were apparently supposed to wait.
But that hadn’t meant that they could relax. Although slightly faded, Solvei had picked up several scents that she couldn’t identify, suggesting that Sanguine Disposition’s minions had been here recently...and were probably still close by now, keeping an eye on them. Too bad for them, Master predicted that!
In accordance with the instructions that she’d been given, Solvei had pushed the padded seats away from the center of the room – Akna watching curiously – and then used her ice magic to create a thin dome of ice, leaving an entrance just big enough for the adlet to crawl inside. It wasn’t very large, and would crumble quickly if hit with any sort of force, but the ice was solid enough to be impossible to clearly see through, while still letting in the ambient light of the candelabras on the walls.
Calling Akna inside, Solvei had quietly whispered to her the instructions that Lex had given her, and the adlet – duly impressed at his plan, to Solvei’s approval – had crouched over and moved her hair to the side, revealing her lifeline, which had been continuing to diligently point the way back to Akna’s body.
That had been when things had gone sideways, as the two of them had realized that they had no idea what direction it was indicating.
Being completely inside a room with no windows, and having gotten hopelessly turned around during the carriage ride to Sanguine Disposition’s house and subsequently wandering the hallways, it had only been when they’d stared at the shaman’s lifeline that the two of them had figured out that they had no way to orient themselves. The silvery string was pointing perpendicular to the door they’d walked in from, but beyond that, there was no way to tell what direction that was. It could have been pointing deeper into Eigengrau, or toward the edge of the city, or even back the way they came for all Solvei knew, with Akna being equally lost.
“We need to figure this out!” snarled Solvei, staring at the adlet’s lifeline as though it was the problem. “Master is stalling that bat pony right now, waiting for us to tell him what your lifeline’s saying! I can’t tell him that we don’t know!”
Huffing, Akna frowned at the winter wolf. “You don’t have any magic that can figure out which way this is pointing?”
“Of course I don’t!” snapped Solvei, hackles rising. “What kind of dumb question is that?!”
“You can already change your size, make black crystals cover your body, move things with your mind, and use the same ice magic as me!” shot back Akna, letting out a growl of her own. “Excuse me for thinking that you actually knew what you were doing!”
“What about you?!” retorted Solvei. “You’re supposed to be able to talk to spirits, right?! Ask them what’s in the direction your lifeline’s pointing!”
Akna winced at that before shaking her head. “I can’t.”
A whine of frustration escaped Solvei’s lips. “What do you mean-”
“I mean, there aren’t any spirits here for me to contact!” Her tail thwapping angrily, Akna waved an arm to indicate their surroundings. “I try and reach out, and it’s like yelling into a snowstorm. No one’s answering.”
The creepy feeling that Solvei had experienced before suddenly came back to her then, muscling her anger aside. She’d never even considered the possibility of there being a place with no spirits at all. “Is...is that because this is the Night Mare’s realm?”
“I think it’s because this is a city, instead of the wild,” answered Akna wryly. “The spirits I was taught to contact as I child were those of nature. They guide the course of the river, decide which trees will stand and which will fall, and raise hills into mountains. But this place? It doesn’t have any of that. It’s all roads and walls and buildings. It’s even more alien to the spirits than it is to you and me.”
Lowering her arm, Akna sighed. “Or maybe it is because this is the realm of a god. I’m honestly not sure. The last time I was here, I didn’t need to contact the spirits; I was able to meet Headhunter on my own. This time I had Breakdown in my grasp, and I still couldn’t...” She didn’t bother finishing, looking down and clenching her hands into fists.
Solvei’s first reaction was to say that she didn’t care about Akna’s dumb fixation on the Night Mare’s weapons. But she managed to control that impulse, knowing that it would just start another fight. Instead, she let out a slow breath. “I’m sorry that you missed your chance to get another of those weapons. I know you had your heart set on it.”
Akna’s eyebrows rose, but when Solvei didn’t say anything else, she sighed, her tail drooping. “I didn’t miss my chance,” she muttered, ears flattening. “Breakdown said I wasn’t worthy. That if I needed its help to turn my people to the Night Mare’s faith, I didn’t deserve it.”
“Maybe...maybe that wasn’t a rejection,” offered Solvei. “Maybe it was saying you have everything you need to bring them to the Night Mare on your own.”
A snort escaped Akna’s lips then. “We don’t even have what we need to figure out which way my body is. If I can’t manage that much even with help, then I don’t think I can get my tribe to overturn generations of tradition all by myself.”
This time it was Solvei’s turn to flatten her ears, hating that the shaman was right about them not being able to do the one small thing her master had told her to-
Solvei didn’t have a chance to complete that thought as a wave of despair slammed into her from across her psychic link to Lex, causing her to gasp.
Her sudden intake of breath didn’t go unnoticed by Akna, sitting up straighter. “What is it?”
But Solvei wasn’t listening, her heart pounding in her ears as she reached out to Lex. Master! What’s wrong?! I can sense your-
She didn’t have a chance to finish as he slammed their connection shut, causing her to whimper as the flow of emotions suddenly cut off. Something was happening! That bat pony had done something to her master, and just like when those mares had uncovered one of his secrets and driven him over the edge, he was in pain and she wasn’t there for him! No! Not again!
Without waiting for Akna to catch up, Solvei scrambled out of the ice-dome she’d created and launched herself at the door they’d entered through. This place might be a confusing collection of twists and turns, but she could still sense Lex’s location. If she followed the lit candles back to where they’d parted ways, she could use his scent-trail and her innate sense of where he was to figure out-
The door refused to budge.
Staring at the barrier in momentary disbelief, Solvei tried it again, yanking the handle down with her teeth and pulling. Just like before, it refused to open, despite how easily it had admitted Akna and herself a few minutes prior. NO NO NO!
“What’s going on?!”
Solvei could hear the worry in the adlet’s voice, pausing just long enough to answer. “Something’s happened with Master! I’m trying to contact him but he’s not responding, and now this door won’t open!”
“I knew this had to be a trap!” cursed Akna, rushing to the other door at the back of the room. But just like the front, it was sealed as well, and she gave up after a moment of tugging on it. “Use your magic and break that door down!”
Solvei didn’t need to be told twice, backing up as she concentrated on her ice magic. A large enough push of ice should be enough to break through the flimsy wooden barrier. Even if there was some sort of magic making it stronger, she could just hit it again and again until-
Solvei, stop. I’m alright.
Exhaling so hard she almost made herself dizzy, Solvei felt herself relax as Lex’s words flowed into her mind. Master, what happened? I thought... She wasn’t able to finish, not having known what to think.
Sanguine Disposition told me the details about Kara’s blessing, and it caught me by surprise, admitted Lex. But I returned the favor, and now that I have, I’m no longer content to waste time here. Have you figured out which way Akna’s lifeline is pointing?
Inwardly, Solvei cringed. I’m sorry, Master. We’re inside a room, and all we can see is that it’s pointing toward a wall...
If Lex was disappointed in her, he gave no indication of it. Have Akna show you her lifeline again. I’ll look at it through your eyes.
But Master, we’re not inside the ice dome I made! If she reveals it here, anyone watching us will see it!
That doesn’t matter now, answered Lex. Just have her show it to you again.
Nodding despite his not being able to see it, Solvei turned and quickly briefed Akna as to what was going on, the adlet turning and lifting her hair again. That’s pointing toward the far end of the city, and likely beyond it, declared Lex a moment later.
Master, I don’t mean to question you, but how do you know that? I couldn’t figure out which way was which at all!
I made sure to keep track of the direction that we were traveling as we passed through Eigengrau in Sanguine Disposition’s carriage, explained Lex. Based on the arc of the outer walls, I was able to formulate a rough guess as to this town’s total area. Comparing that to the relative speed of the carriage and how long it took to get here, Sanguine Disposition’s manor is toward the other end of town, and since I can mentally chart your position in contrast to my own, and compare the direction that Akna’s lifeline is pointing in reference to those, it’s easy to determine that it’s indicating that we’ll need to go past the walls.
That’s brilliant, Master! I mean, I didn’t understand it at all, but that just makes it more impressive!
Unsurprisingly, he didn’t acknowledge the compliment, instead moving to the next order of business. I want the two of you to return to the foyer immediately. We’re leaving.
The announcement made Solvei’s tail wag, but only for a moment as she remembered her current predicament. Master, we’re trapped in here! The door we took to get into this room won’t open anymore!
...wait a moment.
The connection went silent, and Solvei took that opportunity to bring Akna up to date on what was happening. She’d just finished explaining everything to the adlet when Lex’s voice came through her thoughts again. Try it now.
Obeying without hesitation, Solvei took the handle in her jaws, and this time when she pulled on it, the door swung open without resistance. It worked! Did you use your magic on it, Master?
An amused snort came over their link before Lex spoke again. Not as such. I simply made it known to Sanguine Disposition that if he didn’t release you immediately, that would constitute an attack. And he has even more reasons for avoiding hostilities now than he did when we first encountered him.
That was enough to make Solvei tilt her head to the side as she entered the hallway, Akna close behind her. He does? What reasons?
I’ll tell you later. For now, make haste. I want to return to my body as soon as possible.
Smiling as she heard the conviction in his telepathic voice, Solvei picked up her pace, bounding through the halls as Akna rushed to keep up. Yes, Master!
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Sangine realised that trying to put the lid back on a barrel of gunpowder you just set fire to is a really bad idea?
11397241 Either he's cautious, or he's intimidated, or maybe he just doesn't want to sour things with Lex any further. Either way, it's a seemingly-welcome reprieve from how most people seem ready to throw down; let's just hope the lack of aggression is genuine.
There are lot's of reason why Sanguine would not want to hurt Lex. And there are also a lot of reasons why he would want to get rid of him... Some are religion oriented and other more selfish in nature. But the main thing is, Lex shouldn't be looked at if we want to look at a devoted Champion of the Nightmare.
Lex has no loyalty to the Nightmare. But what about the others? there is a reason why Sanguine have that Power and is placed in high position within her religion. That mean that he will not want to disturb her plans for Lex simply for personal grudges... or will he? Even if Sanguine is a conduit to the Nightmare power he is still his own person. so I throw a d2 rather than find reasons for and against his intentions. And that's a 1. Meaning that he is genuine and he will let them go unmolested (But is Lex ever that lucky?).
1-genuine | 2-He is not -- 1d2 = 1
Seems like the 'discussion' went well for Lex for the most part though there's probably a caveat of sorts though reliczexide's comment about Sanguine trying to get rid of Lex seems more likely since Lex did 'kill' Sanguine or at least hurt him bad enough to want to do so but his nonchalant comment at the end of the last chapter implies that it didn't affect him much. So either he was putting up an act or Lex had figured out something out about him that made Sanguine more cooperative. Then again, he was already pretty cooperative last time so I could be wrong.
Guess I'll need to wait a few more days to find out when Lex explains it to Akna and Solvei.
11397933 It's not so much that Lex has no loyalty to the Night Mare, but rather than he has no interest devotion as an expression of religious faith. He does respect her, and regards her as somewhere between a reliable business partner and the head of a foreign government with which he's on good terms. Neither of those are particularly religious, but neither is he; his nature as one of the Night Mare's faithful has always been orthopraxic in nature. He lives his life in a way that models the Night Mare's ideals, even if the specifics drift from her doctrinal teachings.
If that last part sounds paradoxical, that's because the Night Mare's tenets are (to Lex's disapproval) near-totally silent on issues of moral conduct. She advocates for strength and rulership, but in doing so affirms that it's the privilege of the strong to conduct themselves however they wish, whether that's to protect and nurture those whom they rule over or to exploit them for their own personal gain. She does mandate loyalty, but that's largely an issue of "people are a resource," and "better a master who has some use for you than one who doesn't care what happens to you." So if Lex wants to cherish the ponies he rules over, she finds that just as appreciable as Sanguine Disposition setting up a town where anyone who breaks the rules is humiliated and degraded in order to break their spirit. (Because if their spirit can be broken by such a thing, then they deserve it.)
As for why Sanguine Disposition is apparently being so solicitous to Lex now...I suppose we'll find out in the next chapter or two, hopefully.
11398098 It's hard to get a read on Sanguine Disposition's current take on Lex. For the most part, that's simply because we haven't seen much of what's happened when Lex hit him with...whatever that was. But part of it is that, unlike Lex, Sanguine Disposition seems to be very good at hiding his true feelings (maybe a reference to his name, there?). He did seem to recover from that attack very quickly, and didn't seem phased...but this is the person who was given a blessing about ferreting out hidden secrets, so it's likely that he knows the value of a good poker face.
Hopefully we'll get some more clarity in a forthcoming chapter.