As soon as the meal was laid out, Jadis made it her business to clean every plate in the hall of every last scrap of food she could see. Fortunately, she was in good company in her mission, as everyone was just as ravenous as she was. Add in heavy eaters like Noll and Tacitus, and the heaping helpings of freshly cooked food didn’t stand a chance.
The group gorged themselves, eating with such ravenous abandon that very little talking was done, at least not until seconds and thirds were had. Jadis didn’t even take the time to consider what she was eating until after she had consumed several plates worth of whatever it was. The ingredient selection seemed to be limited compared to the breadth of options available in Eldingholt, as many of the dishes were using the same vegetables and meats as others were. However, Aelius’ cooks were truly talented, and they were able to create dozens of different dishes just by changing up the way the ingredients were prepared and the seasonings that were used. Most of the protein provided consisted of fish and crab, which was nothing Jadis would ever complain about, but none of the foods had any red meat in them. She guessed that had to do with the fact that they were in a border city. The demonic invasion had forced farmers to move their livestock further away from danger, so red meats were likely in short supply in Glanum. Still, the food was excellent, and Jadis happily packed away enough calories to fuel an entire platoon of soldiers.
When the eating slowed down, conversations started in earnest around the table. Many of the topics discussed involved the battle, particularly concerning the fight against Vinea and the way Jadis and the others had managed to slay the Demon Prince. There were retellings from different points of view, including an interesting version told by Cora, who had been privy to many of the rumors that were being spread around the city by the soldiers who had witnessed the event. Already some liberties were being taken in the retelling, and the listeners speculated about how drastically the story would differ from reality by the end of the week. Even then, Jadis was more content to chew her mouthfuls and listen to others talk rather than chat along with them. The cheerful conversations that went on around her had a calming effect on her mood, and by the end of the meal, she felt relaxed and in high spirits.
One thought that did not settle down in the back of her brains was the question of how many levels everyone had gotten. Jadis knew that she had a veritable shit ton of them, just going by what she had seen during the previous night. Even as she ate and listened to the others talking around her, one part of her was sifting through the massive number of notifications the system had stored for her so she could single out all the messages regarding her classes and new levels. Not even halfway through the process, Jadis realized that she had gained more levels from the fight against the demonic invasion than she had ever gained in a single battle before, ever.
Looking around the table, Jadis noted that others also had that telltale distant look to their eyes, indicating that they too were reading the messages that the system had given them. Jadis had no doubt that any discussion that her group was going to have regarding their levels was going to be long and drawn out, just for the sheer volume of information they were going to have to discuss, never mind the potentially difficult choices that would have to be made.
As the meal wound down and the table was cleared, Jay leaned in close to Severina.
“Hey, I know I said I would go visit the general to deal with the Odilia business this evening, but is there any chance we can send a message and ask for a raincheck?”
Severina raised a perfectly shaped eyebrow at the question and Jadis hurriedly amended her speech.
“By raincheck I mean, can we ask to reschedule the meeting? Tomorrow morning maybe? Everyone has gained so many levels, and we need to discuss them before we start making our permanent choices. I know I’m starting to feel antsy about it, and I can tell everyone else is itching to get to it, too. It’ll probably take us hours to go into everything, so I want to start right away and avoid interruption.”
The golden-haired Seraphim frowned a little, as though she was considering the possibilities and consequences of the request, rather than showing any real displeasure. After a short pause for contemplation, she answered Jay quietly, speaking in low tones that wouldn’t be easily overheard by others thanks to the noise of conversations going on around them.
“It would be more politically wise to address the issue immediately, under most circumstances. However, as I said, General Voss is not a horribly political man, and as a soldier he understands the need for time dedicated to rest and recovery. I do not think he will object. If we are going to delay, however, it would be best if I deliver the response directly to him, rather than sending a runner, since it could be interpreted as a purposeful snub otherwise. If I go now, I should be back within half an hour. Will you and the others wait for me?”
Jay didn’t quite understand what Severina was asking at first, but then it hit her. Leaning in closer to the other woman, she gave Sev a serious, penetrating gaze.
“You want to share your status sheet with us? Are you sure?”
“Yes,” Severina answered without hesitation. “Last night, I would have benefited tremendously from having your… lover’s bond ritual applied to me. Who knows how many lives might have been saved if I had been stronger. I haven’t participated thus far because I felt it was wrong of me to engage in the ritual without sharing with you the way everyone else does. I was uncertain if I should. Now, I want to.”
“You don’t have to share your status sheet to become empowered by my ritual,” Jay told her lover. “That’s never been a requirement. Everyone shares because we want to, not because we are being forced to. I would perform the bond with you, regardless of how much of your class information you want to reveal.”
“I know,” Sev replied with a soft smile. “It might just be my own admittedly rigid way of thinking, but I simply could not justify participating in one without the other. It felt like taking advantage of you to do so. Before last night, I was uncertain if I wanted to go all the way. Now I am certain.”
Jay stared deeply into Severina’s eyes, understanding the full weight of her words.
“Should we arrange to meet your parents next?” she asked, one corner of her lips tilting up in contained amusement.
“By Valtar, please no,” the Seraphim repressed a shudder. “I cannot even begin to fathom what either of them will make of all this. Explaining my decision to have children with you via letter has already been a trying experience. My entanglement with you is not the future they envisioned for me. Allow me some time to ease them into the idea. Perhaps a decade or two.”
“Sometimes it’s better to just rip the bandage right off,” Jay chuckled at the request. “You know I have a decently good track record for talking with future parents-in-law. I could give it a go.”
“No,” Sev shook her head, placing a finger on Jay’s lips to silence her. “Do not even think it. I know my parents, and they will resist the notion simply because it wasn’t their idea. I will have to ply them subtly for a while until they see my choice as one that they themselves would have made, otherwise they will fold their wings and take years to change their roost.”
“They sound like a stubborn pair.”
“Exceedingly so,” the paladin shook her head in remembered frustrations. “You have no idea how difficult it was to convince them to back Prince Kestil over Prince Hraustrekr. I’d rather not go through that trial a second time.”
That was news. Jadis had figured that Severina’s family had been supporters of the second prince from the beginning, which was why Sev was so loyal to the man. Instead, it seemed that Severina had been the initial supporter and had convinced her family to switch sides. The knowledge brought up the question; why was Severina such an ardent supporter of Prince Kestil? If it wasn’t because of familial loyalty, then what had motivated her to set her flag down in the wily man’s camp? From what Jadis knew of her lover, she would have assumed Sev to be a follower of the first prince, if for no other reason than he was the traditionalist’s choice. Instead, the prim and proper paladin had gone with the younger brother, an almost rebellious choice by comparison. The reasoning behind her loyalty was something that Jadis would have to ask about, though it was a question for another time.
“You will wait for me?” Severina repeated her earlier question.
“Of course,” Jay confirmed with a quick kiss that she playfully placed on the Seraphim’s cute nose. “Hurry back, though. Kerr might explode if we wait too long.”
Severina scowled at her, either at the placement of the kiss or at the reminder that Kerr was going to be kicking up a fuss as soon as she heard that the Seraphim would be participating in their group leveling discussion. Jadis wasn’t really sure. Either way, the frown was adorable and made her want to delay Sev’s departure for more teasing. However, she resisted the impulse since the sooner she left, the sooner she would be back.
Once Severina excused herself from the table, the dam was broken and others began getting up from their seats. Some continued to talk, simply moving their conversations out of the dining hall and out onto the balcony overlooking the courtyard, while others left on their own business. Before he could slip away, Syd caught hold of Noll and took him to one side of the room to ask a few questions in privacy.
“Glad you found your sword,” she commented, nodding her head at the curved weapon. “That would have been a bitch to replace, I’m sure.”
“It would,” the old mercenary nodded as he fondly patted the sword’s hilt. “That’s why I have an enchantment on it that helps me locate it. Get one. Or three.”
“Oh, that’s a thing?” Syd asked, surprised to learn that something like magical GPS existed. “Yeah, I’d love to get some of those. In the meantime, any chance you saw my hammer in all that mess when you were digging your weapon out of the muck?”
Noll shook his head once.
“No. The military mages already cast some spells to ensure no Demons are still alive in that pit. They’ll be covering it all up soon.”
“Shit,” Syd winced. “I don’t suppose they’ll delay long enough to let me search for my maul, huh?”
“Not worth your time,” Noll told her bluntly. “Have the talker make a better weapon. You’ll have access to good resources. You have claim to a portion of Vinea’s body.”
Jadis hadn’t thought of that. A magical beast’s components were often used in the creation of enchantments, but they could also be used more directly in the construction of weapons and armor. Thea’s sturdy shield and scale mail were proof of that, since they had been made from a hydra and a magical bug monster they had slain in the caves under Weigrun. Jadis didn’t know what could be made from the Demon Prince’s corpse, but she imagined some potent equipment could be crafted, in the right hands.
“Alright, that’s definitely a priority,” Syd agreed. “But I have a more pressing issue to talk about. You know that the centipede Demon that attacked us in Eldingholt is here, right?”
The old wolf nodded his head, a dangerous glint in his yellow eye. When the Greater Demon had escaped the capital in all the confusion of the surprise attack, Noll had been given the task of hunting the Demon down by the emperor himself. The fact that the creature known as Twisted Desire had escaped Noll’s blade for so long had to be a sore spot in the therion’s pride.
“I know.”
“I’m sure you’ll be hunting it down,” Syd continued. “And I don’t need to tell you to be careful. But that thing ambushed me again and got away again when it failed to kill me. The bitch is smart. Don’t underestimate her.”
Noll’s gaze drifted over to Alex, who was conversing with Aelius and Thais.
“I won’t.”
“Yeah, I know,” Syd smiled wryly at the old wolf. “Like I said, you don’t need me to tell you to be careful. But I don’t think that Demon is working alone. If it's here, I would bet my tits that there are cultists in Glanum, too. It could be why the Demons launched an all-out assault on the city in the first place.”
Jadis’ suspicion wasn’t based on any kind of insight from Lyssandria or D or whichever god might try to poke at her mind. These thoughts were just her gut instincts, which she trusted more than any outside influence. Twisted Desire had worked with cultists before; there was no reason to assume the Demon would act differently now.
“Maybe you should check,” Noll growled, not liking the idea of Samleos worshippers in the city any more than Jadis. “With the gods.”
That meant performing the oracle ritual with Eir. Definitely a possibility, though it hadn’t been quite long enough since the last performance of the spell to do another immediately. If Jadis had her math right, it would be close to two weeks before Eir’s ritual cooldown timer was up. Maybe a little less. The cultists could be gone, or captured, in that amount of time. However, if they weren’t dealt with by then, talking with D was on the menu.
“We’ve got a long while before that’s an available option,” Syd said with some disappointment in her tone. “We’ll do what we can to help root them out regardless, though.”
“Hm,” Noll grunted in understanding. “Keep your nose to the ground. I’ll let you know if I find anything.”
“Me too,” Syd agreed. “Meet up tomorrow?”
Noll nodded, then departed the room in his usual brusque way.
Jadis hoped she was wrong about the cultists, though she doubted she was. The attack on Glanum coinciding with her arrival felt like too much of a coincidence to be anything other than a coordinated plan. Demons might not be much for strategizing on their own, but the cultists Jadis had encountered thus far definitely were. Supposedly, there was a mastermind behind the cultists called The Playwright. Considering his past efforts, the nature of the previous night’s battle felt like something he had a hand in. Especially with the Demon Prince’s focus on a death that would humiliate Jadis, rather than a more efficient spell. She was certain being buried under a mountain of mire hounds had been an intentional insult, not just an attempt at her life.
All of those thoughts were just speculation, however. Jadis couldn’t prove anything, not yet at any rate, so splitting her attention for a threat that didn’t even necessarily exist was a pointless waste of energy. Better to focus on what was important in the here and now. Namely, all of the levels she and her lovers had to discuss.
“Hey, Aila,” Dys whispered into her lover’s ear, interrupting her conversation with Kerr and Tegwyn. “What do you say we start rounding everyone up and make our way somewhere private where we can start talking hard numbers, hm?”
The smile that graced Aila’s face made Jadis’ hearts flutter.
“I thought you would never ask.”
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