Chapter 72 - Mindeater?
"Your father is dead," Liesel said.
It had been a tiring thirty minutes. She had to explain, mostly true lies, how she became so much stronger in the last few days. They were aware of the time dilation in the Primordial Core, which made things easier.
"Heh," Kurvam scoffed. "We are both damned in this godforsaken wasteland hellhole. How the fuck will you know that?"
"I have my ways. I want you to know that he's dead. Internalize it. The shield that birthright gave you is gone. Verka, I don't need him. The friction of cutting your life short is so low that letting you live henceforth is itself a friction I am tolerating, and only because someone very kind thinks you can change. Feel helpless, Kurvam. And find, beg the divines to show you light, a path that will let you live."
"Don't give me that bullshit!" He scoffed, taking a step forward. His face contorted into a disgusting sneer. "If you could kill me, I'd be dead. Fuck the benevolence bullshit! Don't give me your pity. Come at me anytime, try me. If I am going to lose, I am gonna take a chunk of you with me."
Liesel exhaled. "I wasn't expecting you to take this warning, but when your head falls off your body, remember that you had been warned it would happen, and that you brought it upon yourself. No one else."
He would have had time to ponder those words if he were not blinded by the pain of having his neck sliced off.
This was the last confrontation between him and her, even if Kurvam didn't seem to realize his situation.
He would never realize it, Liesel believed. He would die acting irrationally, for his privilege and power were too addictive to let him change. If he were talented, he'd have climbed up the ladder on his own to get back there, but he was not.
She really hoped the Chancellor's death was not a false presumption by the Alchemist, but if it was, the expedition had spiraled far beyond their initial understanding. Kurvam could reasonably die on expedition without it being too odd. Verka would be gone with him, so that would be three casualties. A little less than what should be expected at this point. They should all be dead by any reasonable metric.
Not that any justification would mean much. If the Chancellor were petty enough, he would frame her justification as a challenge to imperial authority, creating a situation no different than the one where she had demanded Qhidah-Shi, except there was no such custom in the Empire. The imperial ordinances were final.
As the day unfolded, Liesel found herself in the throngs of Rakamels, sitting in the grand tent. She sat on the floor, like everyone else, though they were civilians. At least, she sat in the front row to observe the proceedings.
Yehia and others were sitting among the Pathstrider section, which she had been barred from, as she was being denied the dignity of a warrior, an important aspect of their culture.
Yehia raised her brow. She believed they'd be fighting their way out.
Liesel would not like that. Too many civilians would die, caught in the outlash of the Materiality from their collision. She hoped Arval's words would be enough, and hopefully the child hadn't been coerced into lying.
The meeting started soon. There was chanting and prayers Liesel didn't understand, and some presentation that seemed like entertainment, though she had no eye to appreciate it. Then, a speech addressed the Rakamels about today's agenda.Finally, another prayer.
Liesel had not realized how many people there were until they started synchronously humming with the lady on the stage, who looked like Kfahal.
Liesel hadn't seen Kfahal. She felt there was no need to find her. After three months, Liesel at least knew Kfahal had no presence in Arval's life—only Ahura was. If anything, Garhalik's presence in Arval's life may have been the reason why he was used as a sacrificial lamb in the trial. To cut the child from her paternal figure.
Finally, it was time for the Elders' meeting. Arval, Drahk, and Saaranam were the only ones not at the age of living corpses. The other dozen or so elders all looked about the same age. Decaying as they moved.
Liesel observed the child who seemed calm on the surface.
The Elders' meeting had several purposes, as Liesel understood. From the allocation of soldiers for gathering energy and lookout to the maintenance of the ward. Almost everything of any consideration and opposition was discussed here, and anyone in the village was allowed to attend the meeting.
Most of the time, the tent would be empty, as no one really wanted to hear old folks argue how the resources were distributed. The final subject was Arval's disappearance, so that attracted many people.
The discussion lasted several hours.
The person sitting behind her was also bilingual, so he explained a few of the things that were discussed. There was friction between Drahk's idea of how many Pathstriders should be in the Garden. He wanted to deploy half the warriors there, as well as several of the captains, while Saaranam's whispered Elder Ahura wanted to keep as many here as possible.
Which, if Liesel understood correctly, was for the safety of the village, and currently there was only one nominal danger here, which was them. Or they could be trying to keep as many of their loyalists in the village to take care of Drahk after the line he crossed yesterday.
The village was built in a buffer zone between the Garden and the rest of the Necropolis, where the Sand Centipedes couldn't enter. So the only danger here was the humans. The person translating and summarizing the discussion didn't mention them, but it was obvious Ahura was using them as the reason to keep the soldiers in the village, rather than gather resources to survive.
In the end, Drahk stood firm until Elder Ahura gave him a couple more, just enough that the Pathstrider could escape if they encountered a dangerous beast.
During the four-or-so-hour-long discussion, Arval didn't look at Liesel once, and there was no way the girl couldn't feel Liesel's presence, especially when Liesel didn't try to hide herself. That was not all. Arval kept her head lowered and mumbled something to herself. Inaudible at this distance.
As Liesel observed the entire stage and the people over it, except for Drahk, every elder also seemed to have been whispered to by Saaranam, or they were in his scheme.
Arval didn't say much. Just that she went into the core first to hide from a beast, and then stumbled into that place. Then, she looked at Liesel.
Her Golden rings were still, tiny, a dot in her red iris.
A knot twisted in Liesel as Arval began speaking.
"I am deeply ashamed and sorry for pulling you into my childish stunt. Please forgive me, honored Guest." Her voice seemed very different than one Liesel was familiar with.
Liesel stared at her girl; a part of her was demanding something. She held her breath as she nodded. Letting them know that Arval was a soft spot would only make things difficult for her.
"Saaranam," Elder Ahura said.
The smiling man nodded. He left the tent as Arval settled beside Ahura again.
Ahura announced the conclusion of the meeting after a few words.
One of the Pathstriders informed her that their mage had been freed and that Liesel would find her at their residence.
"You don't look happy that we didn't have to free Fiya," Yehia said.
"I'd have preferred that over this," Liesel uttered.
Drahk must've informed Ahura about Liesel's intention to leave the village if the mage was freed. Only under those circumstances could she see Saaranam give up Fiya so easily.
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What did they do to Arval?
—---------
Fiya's face was troubled as she stared at her.
Liesel raised her brow. "You don't look happy that I am back."
"I am!" Fiya quickly regained her bearings. "It's just... even for the dilated time, it feels too fast. Your Materiality is terrifying."
"How are you, Fiya?" Liesel said.
"Fine," the mage said. "It wasn't bad. I couldn't understand what they were saying, but Drahk visited me every day to assure me that he'd get me out."
"He's a good man," Liesel said.
While Fiya ate, Liesel shared a bit of the Primordial Core with her and Yehia. Liesel couldn't tell her about Auram, but other secrets seemed barely worth the effort of a lie, except for the Dustcore and the Soulweaving things. Liesel, however, believed her Soul Weaving skill would be exposed to Yehia sooner or later.
"I have no freaking clue about any of it," Yehia uttered. "That sounds too important for me to know."
Liesel agreed. It seemed like important information that the Empire wouldn't like to share with just about everyone. "So, we should keep it among ourselves."
"We gotta tell the boys too," Yehia said.
Liesel smiled, nodding. "Thank you. Make sure they understand it is dangerousknowledge."
Yehia sighed.
It was very dangerous knowledge. While Liesel or Arval couldn't fathom someone crossing the barrier of time to destroy the heart, or the necessity of destroying the Primordial Core, someone high enough in the Empire would have the method and a reasonable 'why' to do it. And they'd not appreciate a bunch of children talking about it in the open. If anyone was exposed, soon a trail would lead to Liesel. I should talk to them directly.
"Fiya, where is my sword?"
Fiya snapped out of her thoughts. "It's... in Pathstrider's custody."
"Oh," Liesel nodded. "With the rest of my belongings that were left behind?"
Fiya affirmed with a nod.
"Okay. I will have to fetch it."
"Is it necessary?" Fiya asked. "I held the sword only for a few moments, but I was filled with so much rage and anger, and I don't know, something bitter was filling my heart. Even after I let it go, it remained with me. It's still here with me, a hiss in the back of her mind."
"Is it with you in actuality? Or just a lingering aftereffect?"
"It's fading, so probably I am haunted by it," Fiya said.
Liesel breathed a sigh of relief. She found the idea of exercising a Mindeater's soul from a mage exhausting; doing it would be impossible here.
Unless my Soul Skills can do just that if I try.
She had hoped the vision in the Primordial Heart about the Mindeater was false, but it seemed unlikely now.
"What even is in it?" Fiya asked.
"If I say it is a Mindeater, would you believe it?"
"No fucking way that's true," Yehia shook her head. "A Mindeater is on a whole different plane of existence. I'd have an easier time believing you killed an Ascendant Demon General by some scheme. It's impossible to trick-kill a Mindeater."
Liesel shrugged. "Well, that's why I would rather lie and be vague with my answer."
Yehia seemed to think it was a jest, and Liesel would accept that outcome.
Fiya, however, seemed unsure. Her instinct would tell her that's impossible, but the experience was still fresh. The bitter voice was in her head, perhaps telling her that it was a mind.
"I will go and find it," Liesel said. "Because if it is so dangerous for a mage like you, I cannot imagine the harm it would cause to an unsuspecting Pathstrider."
Liesel had a hard time finding Drahk, but she did find someone who told her it was in Saaranam's custody, and that she could ask for it in the temple.
They called the giant tent a temple, which made no sense, as there was no presence of Gurvantha. Unless the village quite literally worshipped Elder Ahura and other elders as divine, Liesel was missing something about their religious practices. They had statues. Here, it could be woven from threads, or sand melted into glass, and cast into an idol.
Saaranam was waiting for her at the temple. He had her blade in his hand, and unlike Fiya, he seemed completely unbothered. If the Mindeater had claimed his mind, it could act just as well as it wove memories.
"I heard you were looking for him," Saaranam said.
"I would appreciate it if you returned my sword without unnecessary bloodshed."
"You are a curious case of ever so restrained and always threatening. After a while, they sound hollow. You have to spill blood; it adds weight to the words."
"Only a feeble ego relies on meaningless bloodshed," Liesel said. She looked around her. "Perhaps I can kill the fifteen Pathstriders around the temple with a snap of my finger, but they are worthless in the grand scheme of things. If their deaths were critical to my possibility of survival, their heads would be rolling in the blood."
"Again, this is where you drop a head to make the point."
He wants to see what I can do, probably.
Right. Saaranam knows about my threads, but he should also know that I have something else, something that scared Arval to her core. But did Arval tell them what it is?
"I'd rather not make such a point after offering peace to your chief," Liesel said, smiling. That finally wiped the grin off his face. Sore spot. He wants the title. "Now, the blade."
He glanced at it. "I want it. And you certainly don't need it. What will you trade it for?"
"Arval," Liesel said, pausing as she regarded his eyes. They didn't give away anything. "She lied today. If you tell me why, I will consider your request genuine. A participation price, you can say."
"I do not know what that lie even looks like," Saaranam frowned. "She even took the part of your blame on herself. Asked Elder Ahura to free your companion. I cannot know what kind of lie she would have woven."
The lie was that Arval said the way out opened on its own, a blessing of Gurvantha. Erasing Liesel's contribution. But Saaranam would only know that if they had extracted every piece of information out of Arval. His confusion would imply it was not the case.
"She lied," Liesel said. "If you are not privy to even that level of knowledge, I doubt your proximity to the Elder can manifest into anything tangible. Worthy of trade."
Liesel extended her hand. Her sword was returned to her. And along with it, the rest of the things she had left behind. Her satchel also had the arm guard that Garhalik had woven.
Did Saaranam and Ahura not know about it? Liesel would imagine they would have destroyed it otherwise. That could be why Drahk kept it a secret.
"What is your ultimate goal here?" Saaranam asked as Liesel approached the exit.
"With your caravan?" Liesel asked. "Nothing, honestly. I have much bigger problems to deal with. We'd have been gone without any issues had you not meddled with me."
The only reason Saaranam seemed no longer interested in using her as a tool to deal with Drahk was because of the danger she now posed.
The question almost seemed like his acceptance that he had no intention of messing with her anymore, and Liesel wouldn't mind dropping the issue here. There was only one caveat, Arval. She couldn't just leave the child in their care after what she saw today.
—----
"What are we going to do about Arval?" Auram asked, as Liesel had been expecting.
The spirit must have been desperate the entire time Liesel spent with her expedition team and among the Caravan.
"I don't know. What can we even do?" Liesel asked. "She is safe for now. We can come back."
After analyzing the situation with a calm mind, Liesel had rationalized that Arval could not be the top priority.
"That's not how anyone should treat a child," Auram huffed.
"Values do not grant divine authority. The reality is that Arval is very important to the old hag who may seem weak in combat, but she is an esoteric being in nature, most likely in touch with a divine in one way or another," Liesel paused. "Arval is safe for now. I'd like to focus on my job. In case you have not realized, if the Demon Army reached the marshes, they have killed thousands of people, if not more, by now. Some with even worse fates. We have to hurry and finish our task, and that means only two things."
Liesel glanced at the Thread Cultivation. Finishing her Crest, which shouldn't take more than a day or so, and then crossing the desert.
"I know, but doesn't it bother your heart that they are doing something to Arval? She was not herself today. She was another person."
Liesel held herself from answering honestly. It does, but her mind was inhumanly rational to be bothered by just that. "I am not making an enemy out of Drahk. That is my final consideration. You saw the gathering, so you must know how much of an oddball he is."
"He is not following Elder Ahura's every command," Auram commented. "You think that's because he is that strong."
"Yes," Liesel said. "Saaranam would be the chief under normal circumstances. I believe they couldn't stifle Drahk's potential and raise the loyal one as the chief without fracturing the mask of fairness they wear to the rest of the village. I'd have preferred to have him assist us, as he claims the Ashlord as his enemy, but that seems off the table now."
"Maybe I should go and talk to him."
"I am not going to tell you what to do," Liesel said. "Just don't approach Arval."
"Yeah," Auram nodded.
"And how's Fur?" Liesel asked. "Did he forget about me?"
"He's fine," Auram said, shrugging. "I don't know, actually. He's being taken care of, but he now lives in a different place, where people can always see him. He seems to like it too. Maybe he misses you, and that's why he likes humans, as they are similar to you."
Liesel nodded. She looked down at her slate-black blade.
"What are you thinking?"
"Maybe if I use Soul Sense, I may be able to trace the lingering presence of the Mindeater."
"Why?" Auram seemed bothered. Did she also believe Liesel no longer had the ability to withstand a Mindeater's magic?
"It has to be squashed before it becomes a problem for the future."
"You don't need the sword; maybe just destroy it?"
"It is worth too much to destroy it now. If nothing else, I'd like to auction it to the right buyer."
"Risk giving the Mindeater a mind to consume."
"Right buyer, not the highest bidder. And after I have purged the intent of malice or the memory the Mindeater left behind. After that, it should just be another sword with unique qualities," Liesel said. Its grade was too high. There was no way Liesel could destroy it.
"I am gonna look for Drahk," Arval said. "Don't hurt yourself."
Liesel nodded. She closed her eyes, using her Soul Sense as she traced her finger over the blade.
Have you considered—all this achievement, all this struggle, and all this power might be an illusion? Another memory.
A shiver thudded in her heart at the thought. A reaction. Her finger slipped. A sting ran up her arm. And the blood coagulated on the edge.
You have grown weak... There was a glee in its voice. Liesel's senses darkened. She was falling again.