Halls of Power (Ancient Dreams Book 3) Read online

  “Agreed. Which means we need to finish those last few things,” Phynis replied, sighing as she slowly let go of Sistina. “Sorry, Sistina. We’re going to be a couple more hours. At least.”

  “Is fine,” Sistina assured her, smiling. “Can wait.”

  Moving back to her chair, Sistina sat down and tried to relax a little. Things could be a lot worse, but for the moment, they were going well. That made Phynis happy, and when her Queen was happy, the dryad was happy.

  “This is absolutely amazing,” Daniel said, looking around the small store in awe.

  The store wasn’t the biggest one he’d ever seen, nor the fanciest. It was relatively small, honestly speaking, but it was extremely well-built. It had indoor plumbing, something he’d only heard of, plenty of sturdy shelves, and was built of granite with slate roof tiles. Even Darak had admitted the building was an incredibly sturdy structure. But best of all, the building had a second floor that was perfectly set up for someone to live there. At least according to Sina.

  “Isn’t it? And Queen Phynis gave it to me!” Sina replied, the dusk elf grinning like a loon as she spun around in the middle of the shop. “I never thought she’d give me a store! It’s right next to the Adventuring Guild, too!”

  “I know it is. Why did she give it to you, anyway?” Daniel laughed and moved to embrace her from behind, hugging Sina gently as he smiled. “I didn’t know you were on that good of terms with her.”

  Leaning back into him, she turned her head and smiled. “I’m not, really. But I was one of the three first inhabitants of the dungeon. I think it made her think better of me, and you and I helped pretty much all of the slaves get freed. I think she appreciated that.”

  “Ahh, that could explain it. So what are you planning to do with the store? All you said was that you wanted to show it to me,” Daniel asked, giving her a quick kiss.

  “I’m figuring I’ll sell vegetables and the like, just like before,” Sina replied, grinning slightly. “And I may, just may, see about joining the Adventuring Guild myself. I hear there’s a handsome young man who might be available there.”

  “Oh? Who might that be?” Daniel teased her in return.

  Sina just giggled and gave him a quick kiss before breaking away. This may be the calm before the storm, but at least she was happy. Daniel smiled and followed her upstairs. He was curious what the living quarters were like.

  Chapter 2

  “There you go, Serel. It looks like you have it now,” Decira said encouragingly, smiling at her. “I’m impressed you managed to figure out how to shapeshift so quickly.”

  “Thank you, Decira. It may not be too hard, but isn’t it somewhat uncomfortable? Like putting on clothing that’s just a little too tight,” Serel asked, feeling unsteady.

  Serel had been removed from her crystalline prison two days earlier, along with the other former Enforcers, and despite her owner actually being Wenris, the demon was so busy with other projects that another succubus had been forced to mentor Serel. That had made getting used to her new abilities much more difficult. Potent bitterness about being betrayed by the Archon still lurked in the back of Serel’s mind, but mostly it had been subsumed by the influence of the succubi, as well as the improved power and strength of her new body. If she had the chance she’d take her vengeance, but it was something for later. Things were a bit too unstable for her to make plans yet.

  Initially they’d been told to anticipate heading out toward the western territories to help deal with a new city where the dungeon had been, but that had changed quickly. The Archon had decided to retain Serel for duties in Kelvanath, while two of the others were going to be keeping an eye on the various ambassadors from Alcast and Morak. They might even try to suborn them, if they thought the ambassadors would be receptive. The last two had been recalled by Irethiel, for what reason Serel wasn’t entirely certain.

  Shapechanging back into an approximation of her old body had been moderately difficult to learn, unlike doing a general shapeshift. It felt like something was constricting all around Serel’s body, a deep, constant pressure making it too easy to let lapse. Still, she’d managed it eventually. But at her complaint, Decira smiled.

  “It does, doesn’t it? Don’t worry, you only really feel it the first few days that you shapechange. After a little while you acclimate to it, and it begins feeling natural,” the succubus assured her.

  “I’m going to be feeling like this the first few days every time I change my body?” Serel asked in shock, cringing internally at the idea.

  “No, just the first few days you use it overall. You’re a new succubus, and your body is getting used to its new abilities,” Decira corrected, smirking. “I should add that you’re getting a mild introduction. In the lower planes, the introduction is very… strenuous.”

  “Mild?” Serel asked incredulously. “I couldn’t even walk until this morning!”

  “Exactly. You’re walking and can think coherently. I’d call that a nice easy introduction to being a succubus. I imagine that Farin and Vivian already learned that, though,” Decira explained. “Now then, let’s get to work on your weapon practice. Ulvian was saying something about wanting you to be the bodyguard of one of the captives.”

  “Oh?” Serel perked up a little at that. “How so?”

  “You know how Wenris is busy? She’s been working at brainwashing a pair of elven royals from Yisara,” Decira told her. “Ulvian wanted to start sending them out to begin undermining the morale of Yisara’s agents, but he doesn’t quite trust them yet. That’s why you’d be their bodyguard and jailor. Mostly the former queen, Diane, but you’re to keep an eye on both of them.”

  “I see. Well, that seems reasonable enough,” Serel agreed. “I suppose I do have to get back into shape, though. Even if I’m stronger now, I haven’t had a chance to get used to my body, and I’m out of practice.”

  “I’m glad to hear it, Serel! Some of the others aren’t as serious as you are. Maybe they didn’t hold up as well, mentally,” Decira mused, then smiled and shrugged. “Never mind! Let’s get to work. Your equipment is this way.”

  Serel followed the other woman out of the room and toward one of the underground training rooms, trying to get used to the pressure on her skin. As she walked, she glanced toward the sleeping, purple-haired goddess in the main chamber. Part of her dared to wonder what Ulvian was going to do with Tyria, but she knew better than to ask.

  “‘ello, Sorvos. It’s been ages since you contacted me last. I assume you’ve got a good reason this time?” Kevin Sailor asked, sitting back in his chair. Kevin was a big man, Ulvian reflected, which made a lot of people think that he was a warrior, but nothing could be farther from the truth. The black-haired man was the head of the Blood Flame assassin guild, and was a subtle and deadly sorcerer.

  “It’s good to see you, Kevin!” Ulvian replied cheerfully, taking a seat at the table. The two of them were meeting in a private room at Ulvian’s favorite restaurant in Kelvanath, and the Archon suspected that no one was aware that Kevin was even here. Shaking off the suspicion that a crossbow might be aimed at his spine, Ulvian continued. “And I believe I have a very good reason for meeting with you. The job is a touch more difficult than the last one.”

  “More difficult than getting rid of the abolitionists? That’ll be a trick. What do you have for me?” Kevin asked, his eyebrows rising slightly.

  “I presume the room is secure?” Ulvian asked seriously, glancing at the door. “I doubt you’d say something like that without being certain, but I’d really rather not have the staff murdered. They’ve provided excellent service before.”

  “Heh. It is. And no one will be hurt, either,” the assassin leader replied idly. “So spill the beans already. I’m a busy man.”

  “As you like. I want you to kill the dungeon in the new city of Beacon,” Ulvian explained forthrightly. “It’s created golems and a city, and I now consider it a major threat. I want it dead before it derails my plans any further.
”

  “…You must be joking. My guild specializes in killing people, not dungeons.” Kevin’s idle manner vanished, and his dark brown eyes hardened as he sat forward. “We don’t take suicide missions.”

  “It wouldn’t be a suicide mission. I have everything you need to detect where the dungeon’s heart is, to hide from its senses for a time, and even an aetheric disrupter to knock it and its monsters unconscious so you can kill it.” The Archon’s voice was equally flat. “In addition, some time ago I found a teleportation stone that would allow them to leave the dungeon. I have it on good authority that it has several nodes, and at least one connects to Westgate. The problem is that I don’t trust any of my people to do the job right.”

  “Hmmph.” Kevin sat back again, his eyes narrowing. “I’d have to see the things you’re planning to provide, Ulvian. An aetheric disrupter isn’t something the Adventuring Guilds just leave out in the wild. They consider those to be a bit important.”

  “When my friends and I escaped the Road to Hell, I claimed that we lost it in our attempt,” Ulvian explained, smiling. “I left it where they couldn’t find it, so yes, I have one.”

  “Hmm… I suppose that makes sense. Now, even assuming all of your little preparations check out, how much are you willing to pay to kill a dungeon, Archon?” Kevin demanded, his voice still serious. “I’m only considering it because of what you’ve offered, and because you’ve been good to work with before this.”

  “Two thousand gold. I know your usual teams are four members, so five hundred each, and a hundred extra for each of them if they succeed,” the Archon replied softly.

  “Two thousand? You really do want that dungeon dead, don’t you?” The assassin’s eyebrows rose, and he contemplated for a long minute, then nodded. “Right. I’ll explain the job to my top people. If there are enough who’re willing to take the risk, we’ll do it. If your preparations are adequate.”

  “Excellent! I’ll get everything together and let you look it over,” Ulvian replied with a broad smile, straightening slightly as his tension lifted. “I dearly wish this dungeon to die as soon as possible.”

  “Of course you do. Now, why don’t we have dinner?” Kevin replied, smiling. “You’re paying, of course.”

  “Yes, of course.” Ulvian nodded, and sat back as the other man rang a bell. A few moments later a server began to deliver plates of deliciously steaming food.

  Chapter 3

  “Fate does work in mysterious ways, doesn’t he?” Slaid Darkeye murmured, looking over the note he’d received.

  “Sir? What was that?” Umar Sharptongue looked up from honing his sword, blinking in confusion.

  The group of bandits and rebels was in the small town of Ireford, near the Serpentspine Mountains. They wintered there every year, so they took care not to draw trouble down on the small village. In a couple of weeks they’d start up to the northwest regions of Kelvanis to continue their raids on the kingdom’s supply caravans.

  “Oh, I just got a letter from Eileen,” Slaid replied, looking up and smiling thinly at the other rebel leader.

  “Eileen? Who’s that again?” Umar asked, frowning. “The name sounds familiar, but…”

  “She was part of Henry’s group before he left. They went to the dungeon up near Sifaren,” the one-eyed leader explained. “When they left, they promised to let us know if they found out anything useful. They’re the ones who told us about the death of Adjudicator Falgrave last fall.”

  “Oh, her! That explains it, I’d almost forgotten about Henry’s lot, after his death.” Umar nodded in recognition. “What’d they have to say?”

  “It’s information on the dungeon. Apparently it can screw up the slave brands to not work for Kelvanis.” Slaid paused a moment, then smiled as he added, “It also transformed the entire mountain into a fortress city before kicking out Kelvanis and crowning an elf queen. She sent out an open call for immigrants, and that they would immediately go to war with Kelvanis.”

  “The dungeon did what?” Umar exclaimed, almost losing his grip on the sword. “What… how could it do that? Any of it!”

  “I have no idea. Her letter wasn’t exactly all that detailed. However, the city is named Beacon, and it’s accepting immigrants.” Slaid looked at the letter and considered for a long minute, tapping his finger on the desk slowly. Eventually he continued, his voice slow and thoughtful. “I wonder… maybe, considering the situation with Sifaren, we should look at this city and see whether we might have an ally or not.”

  “Are you sure, boss? We’ve been trying not to bring Kelvanis down on us for a while. Ever since most of our backers in Kelvanath died…” Umar’s voice trailed off as he swallowed, shaking his head slowly.

  “I know. It’s a risk, but we haven’t been fighting the Archon for this long to give up now. I’m not saying we will join them, just that we should go see if we have a potential ally. Things are coming to a head, Umar,” Slaid replied soberly. “If things continue as they have been, Sifaren may fall, and Yisara will be next. At that point we’ll lose all our support from outside the country, and I think our hopes will utterly vanish.”

  “You could be right,” his second in command admitted, frowning. “Shit, you probably are right. Isn’t that a cheery thought. So when we leave, we go to take a look at this new city?”

  “Actually, I think we should leave early. Kelvanis won’t let this stand any longer than they have to. If we want to get there without interference, we have to get there relatively quickly,” Slaid disagreed, shaking his head firmly. “Do you think we could be ready in, say, two days?”

  “Let me think.” Umar frowned, considering the timing for a moment before nodding slowly. “I don’t think we could be ready in two days, but three we could manage. Some of the guys are out hunting, and we’d want to give them time to prepare when they get back.”

  “Fair point. You take care of that, and I’ll go talk to our escaped slaves, to see if they want to join us,” Slaid replied, tossing the parchment into the fire and watching it burn for a moment. “They might be tempted by the chance to be freed, if what we were told is true.”

  “Right. I’ll get to it, boss.” Umar laughed, sheathing his sword and putting away his maintenance gear.

  Slaid smiled slightly and stood himself, dusting off his pants as his gaze hardened. After Umar left, Slaid murmured softly. “You’ll get what’s coming to you, Sorvos. You should’ve been more thorough about killing off my family.”

  Deep in the heart of Kelvanis, Wenris considered the tasks she was working on in worry. In nearly three millennia of service, she’d proven herself a devoted and capable servant of Irethiel, which had managed to mask her disobedience this last year, at least so far. The problem was that there was only so long that could last, and she had to wonder why her true lady had asked her to betray Irethiel now.

  Throwing away a highly placed spy after three thousand years wasn’t something that her lady was known for. She was a methodical, careful planner, and not given to sacrificing her servants, so Wenris had forced herself trust her lady. Irethiel didn’t have any idea that Wenris had sabotaged one of her greatest conquests, or that the succubus had an escape route even from the demon lord herself.

  Shaking off her idle thoughts, Wenris smiled as she considered Maria and Meredith. The two attractive humans were the servants of the former queen of Yisara and her daughter, Diane and Jaine. She’d been given permission to take control of their brands directly, chaining them to Irethiel via Wenris herself, which simply made the succubus giggle to herself. While Ulvian might think it was more secure than other choices, the succubus knew the truth.

  Neither of the two had been surprised when Wenris had appeared and taken control of their brands. Most of the palace staff knew that the occasional succubus served Ulvian, and they were forbidden from speaking to others about it. Now that she had the two servants under her control, she could—

  “Wenris, time is growing short. Before the Summer Solstice,
you must be out of Kelvanis,” an ethereal voice, that of Wenris’ true lady, spoke directly into her mind. “My plans are coming to fruition, and I have further tasks for you. As always, be cautious.”

  Suppressing the grin that threatened to cross her face, Wenris didn’t acknowledge the message in any way. The direct contact was dangerous enough, but if her suspicions were correct, that wouldn’t matter for much longer.

  Wenris did wonder what her lady had in mind for Kelvanis and Irethiel, though. She almost pitied both of them. The question was, what to do with Diane and Jaine?

  She’d have to consider that question carefully.

  “Hello, Farren, how are you today?” Arise asked, the svelte tailor holding up a blue dress with a critical eye. The tailor was tall, fit, and had beautiful chocolate-colored skin and eyes that perfectly set off her silver-blue hair. She was quite popular in the city, a fact that wasn’t lost on Farren Galthor and never ceased to frustrate the younger man.

  Farren barely managed to suppress a flinch at her familiar tone, his voice frosty as he snapped back. “Don’t be so familiar with me! You’re the one who requested the meeting, and since you couldn’t follow through on your part of the last bargain, this had better be good.”

  “Hush, young lordling, someone might misinterpret what you said if they overheard,” Arise replied with a smile and shake of her head, returning the dress to the mannequin. “Not that they would. I made certain that we’d be alone, and that no one would be able to hear inside the shop. It’s hardly my fault that things fell through, though. I’m just a contact, hmm? You’re the one who was supposed to rescue Phynis, not some common soldiers. You’re lucky the General took the blame for the betrayal, you know.”

  “So what? I don’t give a damn about all of that,” Farren retorted, glowering at her. “What do you want?”