Hell's Ascendant (Mantles of Power Book 3) Read online

Kitania felt like her cheeks could be used as the beacon for a lighthouse at that point, and it only grew worse as Yain murmured, “Now I’m confused.”

  “You should be,” Eziel assured the woman. “However, they really aren’t wrong.”

  Kitania suppressed the urge to sigh, raising her gaze to the sky as she walked.

  Chapter 7

  Coral knocked on the door and opened it, smiling as she did so. “Lady Anna? I…”

  The succubus paused and blinked at the woman standing in Anna’s office, blinking in confusion as she did so. Coral was quite certain she’d never seen the angel before, since she was striking enough to stick out in the demoness’s memory.

  The angel was tall and powerfully built, her muscles distinct without bulging too much, and her skin was darker than that of most angels Coral had seen, a soft brown that was quite attractive and contrasted with her wavy silver hair. More surprising were the angel’s wings, which had feathers the color of polished steel. The woman turned to look at Coral, and there was something familiar about her smile, blue eyes, and the woman’s shapely figure, which was shrouded by a flowing white dress.

  “Yes, Coral?” the woman asked, tilting her head slightly, and her voice was just familiar enough to make Coral’s eyes go wide.

  “L-Lady Anna? Is that you?” Coral asked, almost stammering in surprise. She’d never seen Anna looking like this before, and it was enough to put her off-balance.

  “Yes, it is. Am I really that different?” Anna asked, smiling even more as she set a sheet of parchment on her desk casually. “This is what I looked like before I joined Her Majesty’s faith, at least for the most part. I didn’t revert quite all the changes… I mostly kept my figure.”

  “You’re… I wouldn’t have recognized you if it weren’t for your voice!” Coral said, looking up and down the angel in shock. “You’re stunning, but so different that I…”

  “Good, then it did as it was supposed to,” Anna said, her smile widening to show her white teeth as she explained. “I was deliberately trying to hide my identity when I changed what I looked like, Coral. If you were able to identify me easily, it would have shown that I didn’t do a good job of it.”

  “I… I see. What brings this change, though? If you were trying to hide who you are, why did you change back?” Coral asked, shaking herself as she tried to focus.

  There was something different about Anna, she realized. A sense of… not confidence, not exactly. Anna had always been confident and sure of herself, but this time it was different. It was that Anna didn’t feel as passive as she had, Coral realized. The angel had a smile on her face that spoke of no fear, and of someone who wouldn’t take no for an answer. It, quite honestly, was somewhat exciting for the succubus, and she licked her lips as she perked up.

  “Mm… I changed back because the time for me to hide is coming to an end. I’ve rested for a very, very long time, and I may be needed. Her Majesty would never call on my services if she had another choice, and she has not called on them now, but…” Anna smiled and shrugged, her voice a little softer now as she spoke almost tenderly. “Things have changed a great deal. I used to be entirely weary of conflict and war, and I needed to rest, but I believe that I’ve rested long enough. When I’m needed… well, I’ll just have to answer the call, won’t I?”

  “Oh,” Coral said, swallowing as her pulse began to race, staring at the angel’s confident smile, along with something else. It was an… an aura around her, Coral realized, and her eyes widened as she asked softly. “Um… Lady Anna… you feel… different. Are you… an archangel?”

  Anna’s smile widened even more at the question, and she focused on Coral as she replied, her tone surprisingly light. “Why yes, that I am.”

  Coral gasped, both at the confirmation and at the way her superior was looking at her. It took a moment, then she asked, her voice almost a whisper, “How… did I not notice before this? You’re… you feel different.”

  “I know I do. I used some complex magic to… to trap much of my power elsewhere, at least until it was time to reclaim it,” Anna said, sighing as she stepped away from her desk, smiling gently at Coral as she added, “Regardless, I’m still me, Coral. You can be sure of that much. In any case, you didn’t come here to speak about that, did you? What did you need to tell me?”

  “Oh, right, um…” Coral said, trying to bring her thoughts in order again. What she’d been thinking was completely gone or was for a moment. She took a deep breath, then spoke. “It’s actually not for me, but apparently there’s some debate on how to train the new knights, since a fair number of them are angels, while plenty of others are demons who don’t have wings. That’s causing a few problems, and I thought I’d let you know before it gets out of hand.”

  “Is that so? Well, I suppose I’ll have to go nip the problem in the bud,” Anna said, smiling warmly as she approached.

  Coral stepped out of her way, but paused as the angel turned her head and leaned in to give her a gentle kiss. The succubus returned it eagerly, blushing as Anna broke the kiss off.

  “I haven’t changed, you know. This is just all of me, not only the part I let you see,” Anna said, smiling warmly at Coral as she spoke. “I expect you not to try to hide your feelings, hm? It’s not something which we’re supposed to do here, after all.”

  “Of course, Lady Anna. I just am… shocked,” Coral said, looking down as she hesitated, then admitted, “I just find your new attitude very, very attractive, and didn’t want to overstep myself.”

  “You didn’t. I’ll see you at dinner, hm?” Anna said, and swept out of the room, moving at a brisk, purposeful pace.

  Behind her, Coral blushed, reaching up to touch her lips. She had a feeling that something huge had just changed in Estalia.

  Chapter 8

  Kitania had never really liked ships, and Dryad’s Gift wasn’t an exception. It might be a beautiful craft, elegantly made from the dryad figurehead prow to the stern railings, but it still made her uneasy to be aboard. It was how confined she was aboard a ship, she knew, plus the deep waters below them. While Kitania couldn’t die from drowning, that didn’t mean that it was pleasant to constantly be on the verge of passing out.

  It also didn’t help that the sight of Naer had been shocking. Fortunately, the seawall had protected the city from the worst of the damage the storm phoenix could have inflicted, but large portions of the waterfront had taken heavy damage, the seawall had been in desperate need of repairs, and the uppermost parts of the fortress had collapsed in the attack. She’d heard that several hundred people had died, and most of the population had been singing Alserah’s praises for rescuing them before it got worse. A few sailors had grumbled at how long it’d taken, but to Kitania it sounded like most people understood, since there’d been so many monsters assaulting the country.

  That said, it’d been depressing to see so much damage, and Kitania had been careful not to say too much about it to others. As far as the captain was concerned, they were passengers who’d purchased passage, and the guards carried important messages to other nations. Considering the attacks, Kitania thought the woman wouldn’t be too suspicious, though she might know who they were, with how her gaze had followed Rose. That or she was attracted to Rose, which Kitania could entirely understand.

  “How’re you doing?”

  Kitania started slightly at Isalla’s voice, not having heard the woman approach. The wind and waves made it difficult to hear someone coming, and an instant later Kitania relaxed and looked over to smile at her friend. Isalla was in human guise and wore the trousers and tunic of a traveler, along with a makeshift bandana copying a couple of sailors to keep her hair under control. Or to attempt to keep it under control, since the wind had already managed to tease several locks free.

  “Not bad, Isabel. Not bad at all. I just… am thinking,” Kitania said, looking out across the waves, pausing for a moment before she admitted, “I’m worried.”

  “Mm… I understand th
at. I’m just curious what you’re worried about,” Isalla said, stepping past Kitania toward the bow, staring into the breeze intensely. “There’s a lot of worries to go around, after all.”

  “Very true. I…” Kitania paused, considering, then spoke again, a sense of guilt rushing through her as she held onto the railing a little tighter. “I owe you an apology, for how I treated you when we met. I was too harsh, and somewhat enjoyed putting you off-balance. After coming to the Forest of Sighs, and being in the same situation… I’m just sorry I did that.”

  “Wait, you’re worried about that?” Isalla asked, doing a double take and staring at Kitania in surprise. After a moment she smiled and shook her head, speaking gently. “It’s fine, Kim. I don’t hold it against you at all, and you weren’t entirely wrong about my attitude. It was… incredible how different things were from what I thought the truth was.”

  “Regardless of whether it was right or wrong, I still feel I needed to apologize. It wasn’t right of me to do, and I should have known better,” Kitania said, smiling a little at Isalla’s reaction. It eased her mind, and it almost felt like a knot had loosened in her stomach. It took a few more moments before she continued quietly. “I’m also sorry that our relationship has had so many… problems. I pushed you away, then there was everything after we were separated… did you hear that someone made your message go astray deliberately, so I’d deepen my relationship with her lady?”

  Kitania deliberately avoided Niadra’s name, since she didn’t want anyone to overhear it. Even if the sailors weren’t that close, she knew sound could carry oddly over water or on the wind, and she didn’t want to give everything away by accident.

  “Say what?” Isalla demanded, her eyes suddenly widening. She looked shocked, then outraged as she continued. “Why would anyone do that?”

  “The woman in question thought that the relationship couldn’t be very deep if you didn’t send another message, and that it would improve her standing if I didn’t know,” Kitania said, wishing she had an easier way of explaining. As Isalla’s gaze darkened Kitania winced, almost regretting telling the angel anything, and quickly added, “She was rather heavily punished already, so try not to get too upset.”

  “Don’t get too upset?” Isalla asked angrily, glowering as she gripped the railing hard with one hand, turning to Kitania with a fiery expression on her face. “She tried to ruin our relationship entirely! What could possibly make up for that?”

  “No, she was trying to get me together with her superior, since I’d said that I wasn’t sure if there was anything still between you and me,” Kitania corrected, her tone growing slightly sharper as she looked back at Isalla, finally starting to get sick of the angel’s indignation and possessiveness. “She lost her position, possibly permanently, and the trust of her superior. What more do you want her to lose? Her life?”

  “I… no, of course not, I just…” Isalla visibly recoiled as she spoke, shock flickering across her face, along with guilt and worry. “I was just upset, and… why are you defending her, anyway?”

  “Because someone has to. She was telling me the truth and apologizing for what she’d done, trying to make amends, and then she was told to leave. She never got a chance to properly apologize to everyone, including you, and that isn’t fair. I’ve been on the receiving end of enough unfair judgments that I’m not about to let you talk without thinking,” Kitania said, taking a deep breath as she calmed herself, trying to keep from overreacting as well. Even so, she knew her voice was colder than it necessarily needed to be. “Just… think about it, please. It isn’t fair to pass judgment without fully considering the situation, even if we have had terrible luck with other issues of late.”

  “I… I guess you’re right. I’ll try to think about it, I just… I was upset, alright?” Isalla said unhappily, turning back to the railing again. She hesitated, then admitted, “We haven’t really even had a good chance to talk yet, not just the two of us. I guess it’s made me rather prickly.”

  “Perhaps so, but—” Kitania began, but stopped suddenly as she heard a cry from the top of the mast, one she couldn’t quite make out. The sudden activity on the aftdeck worried her, though, and she frowned as she glanced back, murmuring. “That… doesn’t sound good.”

  “No, it doesn’t. It looks like our discussion might be delayed again,” Isalla said, scowling as she looked toward the rear deck. “That’s… annoying.”

  “Agreed, but we may as well find out what’s going on,” Kitania said, then paused and shook her head, a hint of worry welling up inside her. “No, probably not. We’re supposed to be just passengers at this point. We’d probably best just wait until they decide to tell us. Or maybe let the others know that something’s up, so they don’t get surprised if it’s important.”

  “You think it’s bad, then?” Isalla asked, looking at Kitania in obvious concern.

  “Not necessarily. It’s more that, considering everything else that’s gone wrong lately, I’d rather be cautious than not worry about something strange,” Kitania said, feeling a little embarrassed despite herself.

  “True enough. I’ll go let the others know, though I suspect they’ll find out soon enough,” Isalla said, letting out a soft sigh as she headed for the forward hatch.

  Kitania watched Isalla go, and as she did she looked up, murmuring forlornly. “What did I do wrong? Everything seems like it’s about to fall apart…”

  Sighing, Kitania waited patiently, letting the breeze distract her, even if the activity on the aftdeck did worry her. She’d doubtlessly find out what was happening soon enough.

  “Ladies, we have a problem.”

  Captain Riss’s voice wasn’t as smooth as that of most elven women Kitania had met, and the tone of her voice instantly put Kitania on edge as she turned toward the woman, her worry growing a bit stronger.

  “I assume this has something to do with whatever’s been worrying your crew for the last few hours?” Rose asked, looking at the captain calmly, an eyebrow partially raised.

  “Yes, I’m afraid so. We spotted sails from atop the mast, and while the ship we saw is rather distant, it doesn’t have friendly colors. We were hoping they’d keep going and leave us be, but it looks like not one, but two ships are chasing us. Probably members of the Fallen Kingdoms,” Riss replied, and let out an unhappy, barking laugh. “Heaven’s know why they’re this close, but we’re in an ugly situation. The fortress which guards the northern shoreline of the Forest of Sighs fell during the recent attack, which means our chances of getting drake riders to give us support are slim. It’s possible we might run into an allied warship, but unlikely.”

  “That’s… unfortunate. Very unfortunate. How likely are we to outrun them?” Vinara asked, frowning unhappily as she exchanged a look of concern with Kitania. “I don’t know enough about ships to make an accurate guess.”

  “With our windstone it’s going to be a long chase, but they’re gaining anyway. They probably have more powerful windstones aboard their ships, which means that they’ll catch up eventually. At a guess, mid-morning tomorrow to noon. If they were slower we could reach a port to take shelter, but we’re too far from any major naval bases,” Riss explained, her expression growing darker. “If it were just one I wouldn’t be too worried, but two… that’s going to make this tricky at best. I hope we’ll lose them after dark, but I can’t guarantee that. We could be in for a bloody fight.”

  “Fortunately, we’re all skilled combatants, so I think we can help defend the ship,” Isalla said, glancing at Rose as she added, “Even Emma is rather skilled, and I know she has decent weapons. Nothing suited for a siege, but a relatively simple battle aboard ship…”

  “I’m not sure about that. I’ve only seen her use a bow, and the rocking deck could play hell with her aim,” Kitania chimed in, mentally placing Eziel as the one being discussed. It took a moment, but at least she was managing not to use the wrong names.

  “She’s not bad with a sword. Not incredible, b
ut not bad,” Rose said, smiling as she nodded to them, then told the captain. “If you have need of us, we’re more than happy to defend the ship. It isn’t like we’ve trained for years to sit back and watch others die for us.”

  The captain smiled broadly as she nodded, her tone much warmer now. “I’m glad to hear that. I’m afraid I don’t know much about your skills, but every bit of help will help.”

  “Ah, well in that case… Isabel and I are knights, while Violet is a magister in training, and Kim is a healer, but also a quite skilled swordswoman. The weakest of our company is Emma, but… maids aren’t generally expected to fight, hm? Still, someone needs to function as our shield-bearer,” Rose said briskly, standing straighter as she considered, then admitted wryly, “Not that I’m happy about wearing plate on a ship. It’s a trifle more dangerous than I’d prefer, but I’ll do it when necessary.”

  “Heavy armor tends to do that, yes,” Riss agreed and glanced behind them with a scowl as she continued. “It’s why most of the crew prefers light armor, if anything. Still, unless they have a friend they signaled that’s ahead of us, our pursuers won’t catch up before dawn. I know these waters, and there aren’t any sand bars or reefs that’ll endanger us through the night. I’d recommend getting your gear ready now, though, just in case I’m wrong.”

  “That does seem like a good idea,” Isalla agreed, glancing at Kitania as she asked, “Shall we? I’m fairly sure that my armor is in good shape, but it’s always good to check.”

  “Certainly,” Kitania agreed, resisting the urge to roll her eyes.

  Kitania knew her armor’s enchantments, and a little sea air wasn’t going to hurt it. She could sink it in the ocean for a century and it’d be fine, though Kitania suspected she’d need to detach barnacles and other sea life from it at that point. Maybe a crab would have claimed the helmet in the place of a shell, too, a thought which amused her enough that Kitania smiled.