Chapter 359: Not Our People?
By the time they reached the carriage, Nyrielle had a much better understanding of Ashlynn’s intentions. More than that, she began to wonder if she knew the Eldritch people as well as she had once believed.
For more than a century, the Vale of Mists had very little to do with Eldritch nations other than their immediate neighbors. Moreover, when Nyrielle dealt with other Eldritch Lords, she most often dealt with the extremely long-lived vampire lords that could be considered relics of an era that was beginning to fade. Now, it seemed like wealth and commerce were becoming as important to the Eldritch people as the raw strength to defend them from their enemies.
"When we met, I said that I believed you would help me break the stalemate with the Lothians," Nyrielle said as they settled into her carriage. "At the time, it was because I believed in the strength you would wield as a witch once you came to understand your powers. Now, however, I’m coming to realize that even if you were a powerless human, you would be an extraordinary agent of change."
"Strength still forms the best support," Ashlynn said, summoning a faint swirl of emerald energy that danced around her palm like leaves blown in the wind, filling the carriage with the rich scent of new growth. "If I wasn’t the Mother of Trees, how many merchants would have met with me? If I couldn’t offer them things they couldn’t receive from anyone else, how many would be willing to discuss a deal?"
"If I wasn’t a witch, if I hadn’t been strengthened by my bond with you," Ashlynn said, dismissing her magic and reaching out to hold Nyrielle’s hands. "This wouldn’t have been possible at all."
"I still don’t know if any of your seeds will bear fruit," Nyrielle said, hoping to temper Ashlynn’s optimism. "Or even if there will be time for them to do so. But so long as you believe, I’m willing to give new things a try."
"That’s all I could ever ask and more," Ashlynn said, snuggling up to Nyrielle in the comforting darkness of the carriage. The single oil lamp cast soft shadows over both women, creating the illusion that they blended into each other as they enjoyed the moment of peace and solitude before plunging into the crowds that would surround them when they reached the arena.
Outside the massive structure, crowds filled the plaza, pressing up against barriers and straining for a glimpse of the arriving dignitaries. Shouts of adoration and pleas for attention could be heard from innumerable throats as everyone from famous champions of the previous generation to the wealthiest merchants emerged from their stately carriages and made their way to the converted first floor of the arena.
As soon as one carriage arrived, however, the crowds went completely silent. Everyone pressed forward and the lightly armored guards dispatched from both the arena and the palace had to press people back behind barriers lest someone find themselves trampled beneath the crowd.