Member
CollectorOfMyst
NightbringerSapharan High City, capital of Lanostre
[written by Lovejoy & OppositionJ]
The crowd of provincials began to howl louder as the Varyan infantrymen raised their rifles. Elisheva could not fault them. The Church had its eyes firmly set on the invasion and all else had fallen by the wayside. The land of Lanostre had long been pacified and its strongest warriors, R'heon and warpriests had been folded into the empire's ranks, but even then there were always whispers of dissent within the nation's former military. Leaving the queendom to be watched over by this thin garrison, it was folly. Elisheva was no strategist, she was a warrior bred for the frontline, and even she knew this. What manner of catastrophic failure had occured within Church's leadership to allow Lanostre to fester in sedition and rebellion?
She afforded one look at Galahad. The young inquisitor was the son of a great Lanostran general, and these people would know him. She hoped beyond hope that he would be able to qwell the crowd's anger before things got too out of hand. She decided to place all her faith in Galahad for the moment and then turned to Mother Tatiana, who stood by watching the crowd as they grew more and more boisterous. The young woman seemed a bit calmer now. Whatever Galahad had said must've gotten through to her.
Elisheva walked to the young summoner's side. bracing with every step. The pain was still there, but she did her best to ignore it. She had to be strong. The next words out of her mouth would demand it.
"Mother Tatiana. I've just received word from the military police. Last night, there was an incident at your family's manor," Elisheva said. She breathed in, and in that moment, she realized that she was afraid. Afraid of the young woman's reaction, afraid of how the words would come out. She had been forged for combat, not for this.
"Your father... He has been murdered," she finally said in a low whisper.
***
As she stood at Galahad's side, Tatiana's looked braced and on edge. The riled crowd did little to soothe her frayed nerves, and more than most, Tatiana knew that as inquisitors, she and her colleagues could step in and attempt to resolve the conflict that escalated before them. It was almost as if the slowly building tension that seemed seconds from snapping into violence had captivated the inquisitor. She was so focused on the scenario as it unfolded, that she almost would not have even noticed Elisheva approaching her and Galahad. Was there something entrancing about the violence? No. Tatiana wasn't that sort of person. She didn't think so at least, but for the few trained inquisitors in her proximity that had been around the likes of her before, they may have noticed that Tatiana was surrounded by that palpable. Such a tactile feeling in the air signified only one thing in the summoner's presence. It was a telltale sign of her summoning process, as if Tatiana was on the brink of bringing forth her beast on a whim. Something held her back, though.
As Elisheva stepped to her side, Tatiana didn't have great hopes for what she wished to convey. There was too much misfortune in the young girl's life at that point. Perhaps Elisheva was going to call off Phoenix Warband's expedition to the glacier. If only it was that simple. If only it was another order she could defy like at the Seminary. As Elisheva finally spoke up, Tatiana's blank face seemed stagnant. There was little surprise splayed across her face. Instead, Tatiana's visage sported a certain emptiness. Her pain, however, was plainly evident, but it was by no means a usual way for the bright-minded Tatiana to express frustration or sorrow. Something was off.
"Father..." One word was all that managed to broach her lips as the news reached the young girl. While it may have looked like Tatiana was then lost in her thoughts at the breaking of the news, there was something different going on in her head— or rather there was a distinct and uncharacteristic nothing going on. Whatever Tatiana felt was not present in her head. She was instead just lost. Tatiana's eyes flicked in between the growing riotous crowd and Elisheva. She didn't dare lie so plainly, but Tatiana knew better than to explain things to Elisheva.
"We need to go to the Glacier. There could be survivors... wounded..."
"I understand. You only wish to do your duty, as any inquisitor would. Still, I need answers from you, Mother Tatiana."
The summoner's response had not been unexpected. The concept of parents and anything else that belonged in the chasm of their old lives had become a blurry abstraction long ago. Elisheva barely remembered her own mother and father, or the family that she was born into. All that was, all that had been, was the Seminary. She was comfortable in that. Had the warmth of home faded for Tatiana as well?
"Tell me of your whereabouts last night. Did you not spend the evening at your family's manor?"
I need an answer... The words echoed around the head of the young inquisitor. She had been there. Was there anywhere else she could have been? Why was she lying? Why was she going to keep lying? The questions roiled through Tatiana's mind, but she had no answers. Maybe she didn't want answers. She just wanted it to stop— All of this.
Tatiana glanced around after Elisheva first replied. Her eyes shot towards the ever expanding crowd, though more particularly, her gaze landed on Galahad. Busy. Her one bastion to fall back on had been elsewhere. Tatiana was alone. It came as an empty feeling in her gut, as if you were cornered by your greatest fear with nowhere to run or cower. She wanted to just release it all. That's what she would have done if she were the same person she was only one night ago. No. She was changed. Her voice was meek, but after a long silence interrupted only by the cacophony of riotous forces only meters away, Tatiana spoke.
"I-It was locked. I never made it in..."
Tatiana averted her eyes from Elisheva once again. No. No. It wasn't enough. There would just be more questions. Tatiana didn't want more questions. She knew who killed her father. She didn't need one of her pupils to try and fight her battles. At her side, a hand would twist into a fist...
"Look, 'Inquisitor'... You're doing your duty, are you? Because from my eyes, it appears like you're trying to interrogate one of the few people you could call an ally in this mess while your brothers and sisters in arms are not only dying at the hands of the Glacier, but also trying to stop a riot without you to command them! We don't have time for this."
Elisheva met Tatiana's response with an unmoving stare. Her one crimson pupil stared unblinking at the summoner as she lashed out. The Lanostran inquisitor was acting strange, and doubtless she was hiding something. Elisheva could feel it. Despite that, the girl was right. There was no time for this.
"Inquisitor Tatiana Leviatan," Elisheva spoke the young woman's name, allowing her exhaustion to creep its way into the words. She was tired, hurt, and wanted nothing more than to get back out into the ice and slay those bastards. But this was more important.
"Your father is dead. I thought to be delicate, but I can see that approach is not needed here. Thus, I will get to the heart of it."
Elisheva felt the old pain boiling in her chest. It wasn't the wound that stung her, but the memories. She closed her eyes for a split second and pictured his face. Gaunt yet evergreen. He never seemed to age. His eyes were pools of black. She had never seen someone with eyes like that.
"Father Dara. The apostate summoner. You trained alongside him under Mother Indira for years. The wretch's demon was seen in these lands not long ago. According to reports it tore through a hunting party of native Lanostrans, leaving the snows slick with blood. Dara appears in Lanostre, your father loses his life, and the Glacier awakens. Surely you can see that something is amiss here. Something that could be the key to whatever is happening."
Elisheva's face was still, as placid as ice, but she could not keep the old hurt from burning in her eyes.
"I recall the talk surrounding the Circle in the Seminary. You were Indira's prized star, her chosen heir. Dara was... something else. Did he hold a grudge against you? Did he ever wish you harm?"
Elisheva's reiteration was all it took. Another mention of her father and just like that, a certain subtle trembling awoke in the young inquisitor. Her breathing faltered as she held back a tears. Again, she looked well kept compared to what occurred inside her, but there was no doubt in her mind that Elisheva would notice her demeanor. She shook her head a bit. If Elisheva thought her unfit for combat then that would just further complicate things.
"Dara..."
Tatiana knew the name well. Summoners in the Seminary weren't a dime a dozen, and the few prodigies Indira did find were well acquainted. The pair were for all intents and purposes complete opposite. Dara's silent demeanor only further guarded him from Tatiana's attempts to befriend him. Warband Seraph was above Phoenix anyways— Tatiana thought so at least. She could still recall the day it all changed, though. Once one summoner snaps and turns tail, support and belief in the training of summoners altogether. Was Tatiana mad? No. She pitied the boy. She always had.
Dara wasn't a great man. That much was obvious, but was he a killer? Tatiana wrestled with such thoughts, but she still had little doubt in her mind what had happened just last night. That didn't matter, though. Elisheva was right. With the strange occurrences revolving around the Glacier, the most obvious explanation would be that he was involved. After all, Tatiana knew well that there were a very select few people that would support the awakening of the Glacier. The thought gave her a weird feeling— like what she was just wasn't right.
The thought of Dara coming after her family amplified her that unsettling feeling. Tatiana finally let her stone-faced facade fall, revealing a pained expression beneath. It seemed like a definite possibility, but that shred of connection the two summoners shared held Tatiana from speaking. Did she identify with him?
"No... No, Dara wouldn't do something like that, but the demons... That's more like him..."
Tatiana didn't say much further. It was hard enough to choke out the few words she'd managed to.
There was a hurt in the summoner's voice that Elisheva felt all too familiar. Whether this was due to Dara or her father's passing, Elisheva wasn't sure. Still, there was a clarity in the girl's eyes that wouldn't betray her words.
"Very well. I will send word to the Church about your father's murder, but I will not question you further about the apostate," Elisheva told her. "I am sorry. He was a good man. The people here loved him," she said with a conciliatory smile.
