Селеста / Сelesta: Глава 25

Chapter 25

Camrad_RIP 11.07.22 в 13:30

///...The snake has no limbs and is venomous and cold, and only the ice of snake rings can wait for someone else's impatience, a careless strike, and will wait for its snake...

Camrad_RIP 11.07.22 в 13:38

The vampires had it all figured out right. For centuries they lurked in the darkness, creating the illusion of submission, winning their freedom drop by drop. Slowly, bit by bit, they grew in influence and numbers, learning their nature and the abilities it gave them. They knew that one day the mortals would let their guard down.

Camrad_RIP 11.07.22 в 13:39

Twenty days have passed since the Curse of Tyran, and the chaos has only grown. The division of the royal family, the desperate fights between nobles who had chosen different parties. Conflicting manifestos by the generals of the Northern and Southern armies finally plunged the country into internecine strife. The cult of Derkana, the official religion of the kingdom, had fallen silent after a vague statement of support for the current Son of the Sea, and several of its top hierarchs had defected to Zonna and were now rumored to be preparing to perform the coronation ritual for Prince Kono. Both sides were actively amassing troops and preparing to begin open hostilities any day now.

Camrad_RIP 11.07.22 в 13:42

In the current situation, the risens were forgotten. They did not flatter themselves, realizing that the calm is temporary and largely due to the death of their most consistent enemies in the square in front of the Academy. The temples of Blue Ang and the Sun had lost their most revered leaders - it would be better for them to deal with internal squabbles now. In any case, the vampires made good use of the respite.

Camrad_RIP 11.07.22 в 13:43

The communities hastily shifted resources and members among themselves. Zervan put off bringing the bandits to submission and swept the country in a whirlwind, executing the few traitors. His foe Latham went to Lascaris, which had suddenly transformed from a mere major city into a crucial player in the coming confrontation. The principality had a good personal retinue, excellent relations with the leadership of the western army, and serious trade routes passed through it. Much depended on which side the blessed Yunarik would take. The feudal lord was well aware that fate had thrown him an excellent card, and he intended to sell his loyalty more expensively. The vampires could help him decide on a future buyer, and in exchange for the peace and development of his community, they would provide information straight from the heart of Taleya.

Camrad_RIP 11.07.22 в 13:45

Prince Kono, head of the rioters, was not forgotten.

Camrad_RIP 11.07.22 в 13:45

You shouldn't call him "rioter," but "rebel" or something neutral like that," Medea said. "After all, he does have some claim to the title. But why me?"

Camrad_RIP 11.07.22 в 13:47

"Who else could I send?" Celesta wondered. "Latham is busy, Hastin is physically incapable of being away from his home laboratory for long periods of time. The others are either not manners fit for the high aristocracy, or not competent enough. So you'll have to act as our ambassador to Zonna, and at the same time strengthen the community there."

Camrad_RIP 11.07.22 в 15:45

The friend shrugged:

Camrad_RIP 11.07.22 в 15:45

"I don't mind. Anyway, I can't stay in Taleya right now."

Camrad_RIP 11.07.22 в 15:46

It was impossible to conceal the risens' participation in the evacuation of the mages. In fact, it is impossible to keep an operation of this magnitude secret. As a consequence, the authorities instantly had extremely uncomfortable questions for Medea, still officially considered the head of the Capital's community. Now it was impossible for the beauty to appear in the homes of aristocratic acquaintances, theaters, and simply in public places, so her departure for Zonna was seen as a return to her usual way of existence.

Camrad_RIP 11.07.22 в 15:47

It was annoying that she wouldn't be able to come back anytime soon. It wasn't as if the mortals were going to compromise, which meant they'd be slaughtering for a long time, and in earnest. So again, famine, plagues, bands of marauders ravaging villages, poor refugees dying on the roads and fields of war. In such years, the Dark One looks more closely at the world than usual, and more of the dead rise up. Wonder how many newcomers will come into the communities over the next five years? Will there be enough to replace those killed in the recent standoff? Hardly. There are fewer risens now than in the past, and almost all of them are insane.

Camrad_RIP 11.07.22 в 15:54

It's a good thing Celesta doesn't look like an otherworldly creature anymore and looks human. At any rate, she was free of the pressing sensation of alien eeriness that had come over her before, and the shadows didn't dance around her in a rippling, black whirl. Except that she could no longer be confused with a mortal: the darkness was still in her eyes. The Morvanite fanatics would be ecstatic to see their Mistress.

Camrad_RIP 11.07.22 в 15:55

"Your blood tastes different," Medea suddenly reported. "It's drunk like wine."

Camrad_RIP 11.07.22 в 18:16

"Crumbs of energy seep out of the seal. It's for me, I'm for you. Not a bad source of power, you know."

Camrad_RIP 11.07.22 в 18:16

"Oh, yes, Zervan especially liked it," chuckled her friend. "Remember how he used to run around the dungeons?"

Camrad_RIP 11.07.22 в 18:17

Celesta also laughed softly, then frowned.

Camrad_RIP 11.07.22 в 18:17

"I don't think I'm going to make that connection to anyone else. At least, not until I know more about the properties of the Seal."

Camrad_RIP 11.07.22 в 18:17

"Is it because of Latham?"

Camrad_RIP 11.07.22 в 18:18

"He burned out his throat with one gulp! If he hadn't had the support of the ancestral spirits, he wouldn't have survived the ritual, and he's an Elder, one of the strongest. I don't want to risk."

Camrad_RIP 11.07.22 в 18:20

"He recovered pretty quickly."

Camrad_RIP 11.07.22 в 18:20

"And yet," the Mistress shook her head. "We have received too generous a gift, too large a piece. I don't want to choke on it."

Camrad_RIP 11.07.22 в 18:26

"What does Hustin say?"

Camrad_RIP 11.07.22 в 18:26

"He's fascinated! If he had his way, he'd lock me in the lab."

Camrad_RIP 11.07.22 в 18:27

The vampires looked at each other understandingly. The wizard, who was a fine thinker - at least he knew his politics well, and could give good advice if he had to - was completely insane when it came to the work he loved. Fortunately, Celesta belonged to that very small circle of people with whom Hustin did not dare to be intrusive. He understood that demanding anything from the leader was dangerous, with unpredictable consequences.

Camrad_RIP 11.07.22 в 18:30

The warlock did not bother Medea either. He was afraid of her abilities as a scandaless.

Camrad_RIP 11.07.22 в 18:30

"Okay, I'm going to go pack," she rose from her chair. "I have to get ready for my first diplomatic mission."

Camrad_RIP 11.07.22 в 18:48

"I agree about the diplomatic one," Celesta smiled, "but why the first one?"

Camrad_RIP 11.07.22 в 18:48

"At this level, and almost officially, it is the first." Medea twirled in front of the mirror, admiring the provocative dress that enveloped her ideal figure with satisfaction. "This is not a seduction of small border chiefs! You don't do enough with a couple of seductions in Zonna. They're trained differently, they're taught to be cool from childhood. You can't fool them with smiles... That's it, I'm off."

Camrad_RIP 11.07.22 в 18:52

She was happy. Medea, impetuous and flighty, suffered more than any other from the limits imposed by mortals. The need to obey people infuriated her, though she settled in well in comparison to the other risens. But it's one thing to obey her older sister or act within the framework of some higher, natural laws, and quite another to take orders from the lip-synching officials of intelligence. Belle acknowledged the director's need but demanded competence from him. Now, praise the Dark One, she was no longer dependent on amateurs!

Camrad_RIP 11.07.22 в 19:01

Celesta glanced at her sister, sat for a moment longer, mindlessly admiring the dance of the flames in the hearth, and then got up as well. Time was of the essence. There were a lot of unresolved issues, each or almost everyone required her participation, and the problems multiplied at a mind-boggling rate. She tries to shift some of it to her assistants, but they have enough of their own. Besides, some decisions can only be made by her.

Camrad_RIP 11.07.22 в 19:06

For example, how to use the former territory of the Academy. It is now completely inaccessible to humans and the living in general, but the undead can exist there for a while. Not for very long. It seems that the "little blessing," a ritual shown by the dark priests and linking Celesta with three Elders already, increases the length of stay in the cursed place, but that still needs to be verified. One wonders what the mortals will do with the area affected by the curse. They seem to be going to fence it off with a wall. They've calmed down a bit now. But at first, they planned to move the city. Then they figured out how much it would cost to move it, other concerns piled up, and the boundaries of the sphere are not changing - most likely, it really will do with half measures. They will simulate a semblance of activity, they will fool themselves.

Camrad_RIP 11.07.22 в 19:24

And there, in the center, is the Darkness. The Abyss. Another sphere, no more than four meters in diameter, was completely black and motionless. A tear in space, shackled by the most complex magic, which is frightening to even approach. The seal put on the rift is difficult to break, but it is possible, and she was warned that there are beings in the world with the right knowledge. Or the same Hustin, with his irrepressible craving for experimentation? No, until a way to further protect the seal is found, no one can be brought inside.

Camrad_RIP 11.07.22 в 19:25

Though the warlock was now immersed in another project. A vital one for the entire vampire kind.

Camrad_RIP 11.07.22 в 19:26

The Taleya catacombs had long ago become the fiefdom of the risens: people did not dare to descend to the lower levels without special need or permission. It is quite natural that for convenience the main routes were strengthened, cleared of debris, and sometimes even laid new ones. And the latter was disguised by different tricks. With the beginning of the known events, the dungeon maps, stored in the archives of the intelligence service, were stolen or destroyed. In short, the risens considered the lower paths relatively safe and tried to use them to the maximum. So it was no surprise that on her way to Hustin's lair, Mistress twice encountered her kin hurrying somewhere, who halted in reverence at the sight of her, and then stared after her with awe-inspiring eyes.

Camrad_RIP 11.07.22 в 19:30

It is pleasant, of course, to be considered a messenger of a god (or goddess, according to public opinion). But what is forgivable to an ordinary ruler is often dismissed from the pedestal by the superior powers. Long-lived vampires are not zealots or cultists, they don't get their heads screwed on, and they don't like to be disappointed in anyone. And if they think they've been deceived, they don't want to be. She must put a stop to rumors of her godhood before they spread too widely.

Camrad_RIP 11.07.22 в 19:31

Hustin's laboratory - although his bedroom was also here somewhere, it was hard to call the complex of libraries, storage, ritual rooms, and outbuildings home - and greeted Celesta with silence and the echoes of recently cast spells. The background of power wavered. The Mistress did not wait until the master reacted to the appearance of the guest, and walked deeper down the corridor. She didn't want to think, she wanted to act.

Camrad_RIP 11.07.22 в 19:33

First an encounter with legendary wizards, incredibly far along the path of evolution, and the need to make a difficult, somewhat imposed decision. Then an attempt to tame the alien energy raging in her body, a merger with a pseudo-intelligent spell that has its own purpose and will. Praise Morvan, the seal acknowledged her supremacy. Next, a transfer of some of the power to the Elders. With Medea (she was the first, because the trust of both parties was an unusually important factor in the ritual) and Zervan, the bonding went well, and they both became much stronger as a result. But with Latham, it was almost a disaster.

Camrad_RIP 11.07.22 в 19:42

Celesta did not understand why her bodyguard was hurt. She seemed to be doing everything right. So until the cause of such a painful reaction to the ritual was found, no new connections could be made. That's too bad. With Zervan, who was two days away from Thalia, Celesta could now communicate almost without strain, and the Elder himself had gained ample advantage over his kin. From this moment on, there was little fear of treachery on his part-it was unlikely that he would be willing to give up his free power.

Camrad_RIP 11.07.22 в 19:44

In the last month, she often had to calculate, to map out ways in which her kin would develop. Circumstances demanded strategic decisions, and time was taken up by routine. Rest - half an hour of light chitchat with Medea. Fortunately, there are intelligent assistants, and some questions with the answers have been determined long ago. All that was required was not to deviate from the chosen line.

Camrad_RIP 12.07.22 в 09:48

As now.

Camrad_RIP 12.07.22 в 09:48

"I thought it was explained to you why we needed you, Devlin."

Camrad_RIP 12.07.22 в 09:50

The trio, bickering in the back room, were so engrossed in the heated process of mutual mudslinging that they ignored the appearance of the Mistress. Her voice came as a surprise to the disputants, causing the two disputants to jump on the spot. The warlock, who was third, turned stately, and poked his finger:

Camrad_RIP 12.07.22 в 09:50

"There! Explain to Messena what else you are dissatisfied with!"

Camrad_RIP 12.07.22 в 09:51

The company was strange. If Hustin looked in the atmosphere of the ritual hall organically, so to speak, fitting into the atmosphere, his newly admitted apprentice Vador, with a commoner face, decorated with knuckles, and wearing a dirty cloak of a day laborer seemed to be an outsider who accidentally wandered into the light. Nevertheless, the warlock liked the inquisitive newcomer, and he slowly dragged him to his assistant.

Camrad_RIP 12.07.22 в 09:52

The last disputant was a man, tall, with a scowl on his face. A mortal. Considering that people had only been brought into the lair of the Elder-Warlock as test subjects before, a man without shackles, and one who dared to argue with his master, was not an uncommon occurrence. It is, in fact.

Camrad_RIP 12.07.22 в 09:53

"Devlin?"

Camrad_RIP 12.07.22 в 09:53

"Mistress," the man bowed, and remained in a bent position, not daring to look at Celesta. "Maitre says I will be left alone with one or two people after the ritual."

Camrad_RIP 12.07.22 в 09:55

"Yes, and so?"

Camrad_RIP 12.07.22 в 09:55