Gaea - Chapter 19

Author's note: Another peaceful chapter, more dialogue driven plot points. Setting up the pieces for the coming battle of Cein vs Verin, the actual battle of Saverz + Sisial vs Marham's Cenal fleet. After this it is some Aphonia and Hilga action. Storylines are being connected at last... and it will only take another twenty chapters to they clash, lol. Sadly... I don't think that's a joke.

Cool note, 9 of the 12 Great Beasts are legendary and this is where the 'Masters' bit comes from. Ebon Masters are not killers of Anvirelle (like anyone could kill THAT), but took the name because of that fact. Kill counts are in single digits for the elemental beasts, and none to the other six. Something which five cardinals cannot kill equal nasty foes.

I'm not too hot on the King of Piracy title for Saverz, but at this point anything to pull away from Jack Sparrow and Monkey D. Luffy similarities. We won't have to live with that title for long and I may change it to King of Pirates after all.

On to the story!

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Chapter 19

Cardinal Cein dismissed Raina to bed as dawn broke, the Golden Palace shimmering brightly in first light. Departing for the port of Cenal, Cein carried a single pouch containing leather books and a writ from King Herdin allowing him to take authority over the local government and magistrates in times of emergencies. Kilirae would deal with the details for him while he set up the trap for Sisial and defend against the fleet of Saverz. Somewhere in Cenal was the woman who could provide the information needed to defeat the King of Piracy and bring order to the seas once more.

“Marham is eternal,” Cein repeated to himself over and over as he made his way up the stairway, “By my hand, its glory shall persist for all time!”

Upon reaching the top and stepping foot out of the cave which concealed the Golden Palace's entrance, Cein's eyes gazed out upon the sparkling sea and the hundreds of boats which sailed on the edge of the horizon. Sisial's fleet mixed among Marham's own as large warships mixed amongst long fishing vessels and the elegant galleons of his own design.

“Ars Arcanum.” Cein whispered as he evoked divine power. A blue glyph formed around his body, a collection of complex seals, circles within circles, and the divine mother language floated within the air. With the slightest movement of his legs the Cardinal jumped high into the air and caught the wind, propelling him forward through the skies like a bird and up into the clouds.

The rolling ground and its great farming plots of neatly organized crops stretched as far as the eye could see. Winding roads showed him the way to Cenal as he raced along, daring to cast a look upward to the unreachable Heaven far above the clouds where he once gazed down on Gaea with great interest.

“It is just as beautiful as it was the first time I gazed down. Truly, magnificent, glorious Marham! Kilirae, I will not let this land be soiled by the hand of Saverz and those wicked men.”

The Port of Cenal rest between two long sweeping beaches of black sand that stretched some thirty kilometers up and down the coast, in the Black Cape. The cape was the fishing heart of Marham with untold tonnes of fish pulled from the sea each year. The fish fed the people, fertilized the fields and made the best jewelry. It was the Black Cape that was famous for the harvesting of the crystal scales of Leviathan to make into the impenetrable armor of Herdin's elite guard.

The black sand was rich in iron and with charcoal in a hot forge made strong steel that became the backbone of Marham's industry. Cenal was great because of the Cardinal Cein's vision of an industrial heartland along the coast, far from the breadbasket. Cenal was the capital of Marham in terms of power, production and government resources. The Admirality responsible for the defeat of Verin and her confinement rested here.

As Cein flew over Cenal he quickly descended on the outskirts of city and dropped into the adminstrative court at Cenal's heart. As he arrived a battalion of blue uniformed sailors flooded out of the building and lined up in file, each saluting the unannounced arrival of the man. Cein did not salute them or even glance upon the individuals as he made his way up the stairs and into the main office.

His nose scrunched as soon as he entered the building and smelled the potent fragrance of oranges and coffee. He hated having to bear with this disgusting mixture of offensive scents each and every time he entered any magistrate's home. To hell with tradition and custom, it overpowered the scent of the sea-salt in the air and the wonderful bouquet of wildflowers that grew along the coast.

“Ah! Cardinal Cein, we have been expecting you,” said a blond haired boy sitting behind an oaken desk, covered too thickly with dark vermilion lacquer in a lazy attempt to resemble fine cherry.

“I have come to interrogate a recent high-value prisoner, Verin.” Cein stated coldly, not one to accept the lies and formalities of a mere receptionist.

“Verin?” the boy repeated as he opened a large tome of hastily glued in leaflets, copied orders and reports from the day, “Do you know what date the prisoner was brought in?”

“Three days ago,” Cardinal Cein heard footsteps approaching from further down the hall and heard the voice of Magistrate Pratl.

“Yes, I'll see what I can do for you,” the elderly magistrate shuffled towards Cein with the help of a simple driftwood cane, “Ah! Cardinal Cein, I take it you are here to speak to the lady?”

Cein looked at the old man and pitied his ungraceful aging, he looked more shriveled and weak upon each and every meeting. His body was failing him and he suffered from coughing bouts and painful arthritis, but his wit was still as sharp as ever. Cein nodded his head to Pratl, “Correct, do you know where she is being held?”

“That little firecracker? Ha, she's not being so much as held as we'd like. She's merely trapped, but all the men and guns we have won't work.” Pratl laughed and it turned into a painful cough which made Cein tighten up at the very sound.

“Take it easy, sir!” Cein moved over to the Magistrate and placed his hand upon the man's back. He whispered softly, “Ars Arcanum.” to fight the man's pains and restore his body, but even this would not cure the benevolent Pratl.

“She should still be held up in the guard house where she was first brought in,” Pratl smiled down at Cein, the pain dying away from within as the Cardinal sought desperately to relieve his suffering. He would never mention the miracles he performed, but he did not have to, for the secret was between the two of them.

“Lady Verin is that dangerous?” Cein laughed, “A bunch of sailors afraid of a privateer?!”

“It took fifty men to bring her in when she was half drowned, so I do say she's one hell of a fighter!” Pratl turned his attention to the receptionist, “Lad, tell Archer that I'll be with him shortly. The Cardinal and me are going to have a drink.”

Cardinal Cein looked up at Pratl and smirked, “Sounds like a good idea. Haven't had a drink since I took in Raina.”

Pratl lead Cein down the hallway and to the first door, which was his office. With a weak creak, the door swung open and Pratl's lifetime of accomplishments could be seen on every wall and shelf. From his naval days to his rise in the courts, every award and title bestowed upon him from the last magistrate and King Herdin filled the room. Pratl shuffled over to his desk and took his seat, “How about we have the Agari today?”

“Agari Wine? That stuff is as old as me!” Cein bent down and opened the glass wine cabinet, “If has not turned to vinegar I'll have the energy to bring down that woman all by myself.”

“She's not going anywhere for awhile. No windows, no exit. If it wasn't for the narrow stairwell we'd overwhelm her by sheer number.” Pratl reached down and opened the lowest drawer. He pulled two large wine glasses out and set them upon the desk.

Cein pulled the old glass bottle from the wine cabinet and a screw to remove the cork from the top. With several turns, the cork popped out and he poured two glasses of the deep blue wine. Taking his glass in hand he raised it up, “Prosit!”

“Prosit!”

The two drunk down the wine and broke the glass upon the ground. Cein could not take a seat do to his short stature, but it did not bother him as he asked Pratl, “How are things here at the Admirality?”

“It has been tough due to the attacks and the professional hunters, but things should be getting better soon.”

“Saverz is probably coming for her as we speak. Sisial's fleet should be held in port until the fate of the woman is decided,” Cein pulled a book from his pouch and rest it upon Pratl's desk, “This is the last information I have on Saverz, but it may be too late to be of use if Sisial is not who we think he is.”

Pratl opened the book and held it out in front of him to read the words, “I have never been a supporter of those professional hunters, Sisial's own guild the Demonslayers has its roots tainted with assassins. Though they are capable of killing a great many beasts, few are capable of killing the Big Twelve.”

“You know all twelve?”

“Leviathan, Salamander, Tiamat, Icarion, Behemoth, Garuda of the elements. Suzaku, Genbu, Seiryu and Byakko of the compass. Ansielle the Light and Anvirelle the Dark,” Pratl recited them without hesitation and slyly added, “Though some think your kind and Vale belong on there.”

“Then they would be Godslayers, not Demonslayers,” Cein laughed, “If anyone could kill us then they would have done so long ago. Even thin blooded nobles carry a power greater then mere mortality.”

“It is funny that even a peasant girl with the right blood could rise to become a queen.”

“Only in Frae! Though I am quite sure that Princess Marianne will suffer greatly for her father's mistake,” Cein suddenly let out a sigh as Raina came to his mind, “May she never become like Princess Raina.”

“Ah yes, she is under your tutelage!” Pratl set down the book and focused on Cein again, “How is she doing?”

“I cannot say much, but the future is in good hands. She is compassionate and calculating. I am actually a little bit scared by it all.”

“She is her father's daughter, it would be foolish to expect anything less from the sole heir.”

Cardinal Cein had done just that and she had masterfully manipulated him, a mere child holding a divine being in the palm of her hand! What's worse is that he had fallen for her and he constantly wondered now if she truly loved him. He could never admit to Pratl just how terrifying the child was, she was just like Lyre in many ways.