Chapter 60
Chapter 60
Cordellia touched another bush that was overgrown and not taken care of.
This is the eighth one on this path. Who is failing at their job?
She stood up, and scanned the section of the forest, seeing that Alarin was correct in his assessment of the area. “Tell me, Alarin, how many other areas are like this?”
Her herald glanced down at the roll of parchment and scanned a few lines. “Based on the knowledge I have, you’re looking at at least a hundred acres, possibly a hundred and twenty-five that are like this. It gets much worse in the area near the level fifteen dungeon.”
“And why are they not clearing this space? Has Naelith given them the order not to?”
“She has not,” Alarin replied. “In fact, she reached out to me asking that I notify you of this, as there have been some changes in your people these last few years.”
Cordellia frowned and nodded. She had sensed it, seen it, and thought it was a phase. Now she knew it wasn’t.
Something has to be wrong… I’ve given them everything they need to grow and be successful… Why are they so lazy now?
She pointed in the direction of the Embergrove. “I’ll meet you there in a little bit. I want to see how bad this has gotten.” Alarin nodded and vanished a moment later, the white disc that appeared under him taking him away.
Cordellia started running, dodging trees and weaving between the overgrown sections of the forest. Her world flew past her eyes as she ran so fast that creatures couldn’t react to her approach or departure. Everywhere she looked the forest had become overgrown. As she neared the border of the dungeon, a pack of wolves appeared.
Without any effort her blade appeared, slicing through the three of them, ending their life and still moving before the wolves even knew they were dead.
More packs appeared, and the density of creatures that were spilling out from the dungeon meant that no one had come and cleared it in a while.
It’s not an event or something else causing it… just my children not doing what they’re supposed to.
Cordellia spent a few minutes eradicating the presence of the wolves over a few miles, thinning the threat to whoever might venture out here. If anyone actually ventured out here.
***
“I have tried to encourage them to be productive,” Naelith said, pointing at the different groups of elves who lounged by the stream that ran through the capital. “None of them care. It seems like every day this sickness of apathy or whatever this is spreads. Most of the older elves are immune to it, but the younger ones seem most likely to catch it.”
Cordellia grunted as the queen of her people took the list she handed back, detailing the different things that had been attempted.
“And all they do is gather and fool around?” Cordellia asked.
“Yes,” Naelith replied. “They’ll wander to the food court or into one of the wine halls, fill themselves, and then return to the hole where they have wallowed in the forest. You can see that some of them have gotten… thicker.”
Cordellia’s fingers drummed along the wooden rail, seeing strewn cups and plates littered around the edge of the water. Rage boiled inside her, and she wanted to go down there and slap some sense into them, but Alarin’s warning held her back.
“I see… Let me ask for some advice, and then I shall return.”
Naelith bowed and moved to join her herald, the two of them discussing some other options.
Alarin knows the answer… None of the other kingdoms has this problem except mine.
Without wasting another second, she used her transport ability, returning to their meeting room and preparing to find the one person who could help her.
***
“You’re too soft on them,” Sog said after only watching the elves below for half a minute. “Why do you keep feeding them and giving them a drink if they don’t do anything?”
“I’m sorry, what should I do? Not feed them? Let them starve?” Cordellia asked, her cheeks feeling warmer. “They’re my people! I’m responsible for them.”
“And yet you coddle them like a baby,” Sog replied. “If one doesn’t make a child crawl, they’ll never learn to walk, and your elves don’t have to do either. Look, here comes an elf now with a tray full of drinks. Why are they bringing those who do nothing wine?”
“Because…” Cordellia’s voice stopped working as she acknowledged that Sog was right. Inside her broke. She had wanted them not to experience pain or hardship. She wanted her people to enjoy safety. Everything she had done was to ensure their lives were as easy as possible. And now, those who fully embraced that reality weren’t contributing at all.
“Are you telling me I have to force them to do something to eat or drink?” she asked. “Is that all I have to do to fix this?”
Sog shook his head and chuckled once. “Yes and no. There is no simple solution. You can offer them food and drink, but make it be water and just bread. If they want to eat and enjoy the wine, they need to show proof of actual work. If no one clears that forest, you may have some of your children die because it wasn’t maintained. Whose fault would that lie upon?”
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He turned and pointed at Naelith, who was down below, having a conversation with a trio of elves that appeared thicker than the rest.
“You’ve bound her to rules that don’t allow her to rule ,” Sog said. “When is the last time she’s disciplined someone?”
“Naelith’s never had to discipline someone,” Cordellia replied.
“And that’s the problem right there,” Sog stated. He dismissed the chain armor he wore over his chest and turned around, displaying scars that traced across his back. They were tiny, barely there along his black skin, but he knew she would be able to see them. “I bear the marks for the first major offense my people made. Their actions were a direct result of my actions. So I took the first stripes, and do you want to know how many demons have been whipped since then?”
“None?”
Sog laughed and equipped his armor again, turning around, shaking his head the entire time. “Wrong. Over thirty times. Do you know why? Because my people push against rules. They want the easy life, and so they will be stupid and do the very thing they know will get them in trouble. Ask Max or Tanila how many of their people have been punished. I believe that number is over a hundred.”
The large demon leaned in, and his smile grew before he spoke. “Talk to Rakonath. Four dragons have felt the sting of punishment. None is immune to it. Not even the great dragons who boast about their wisdom,” Sog declared. “Like all other creatures, they desired themselves first and didn’t do what was required. Unlike you, the other gods have given their kings and queens the power to resolve these problems. You haven’t.”
Cordellia took a step back. She wanted to glare at Sog but couldn’t. Her mind told her everything he said was on point. She took a deep breath and moved to the rail, looking down again at her queen, who wasn’t having any luck convincing the trio to move.
“So what? I just whip them, and it will change?”
“No… that isn’t how it works,” Sog replied. “You have to figure out the right consequences for their actions. Do you whip a child for telling a lie? Or do you simply explain the consequences and teach them the right way? Better yet, what if one of your people kills another? Do you do nothing?”
“Of course not,” Cordellia grunted. “None of those things is the same.”
“Exactly,” Sog said. “You have to find what works based on the laws you set. Sharazael doesn’t whip every demon who breaks a rule. She employs a range of strategies to discourage the offender and others from following suit. I cannot just give you a list of what to do, but you must figure that out on your own. All I can do is give this warning.”
He paused, closed his eyes, and took a deep breath. “What I did just now is center myself. I let the rage and anger I might have vanish. So now when I must decide on how to correct someone it’s done through a mindset with wisdom and not anger.” Sog pointed a finger at her. “You’re the one who taught me how to center myself. You helped me change the way I wanted to find pleasure. Do I still sometimes struggle with wanting to gamble and the thrill of it? Yes! But I also remember the cost of my actions. I temper myself, center myself, and think about the consequences.”
Cordellia stood there a moment, her eyes aching as she tried to let the frustration she felt go away. Seeing the forest and how it wasn’t cared for, watching her people abuse her love, all made her furious.
“Breathe, slowly,” Sog said, his hand slowly coming and touching her arm. “Let it go. If you need to cry before you can, I’m here.”
Cordellia laughed and then covered her mouth. “Sorry, I didn’t—”
“No, you’re fine,” Sog replied, smiling. “I know I’m not the first choice most make when they think about needing a hug or crying over something. But even if I’m not the first choice, I’m okay being your last choice if it means you still come and do what you need to.”
Cordellia tapped her chest with her free hand and nodded. “It hurts… so much… I gave everything and they just… take it without seeing why I did what I did.”
Sog nodded and squeezed her shoulder. “I understand. I grew up in a world of taking what you wanted by force. Thankfully, I had someone who taught me a different path. Am I perfect? No… but I’m trying to be better. We’re all learning this god thing. Max, Tanila, Fowl, Batrire, Rakonath, they’ll all tell you they’re not perfect. I think that’s why the system gave us Jazzjak… or well, Alarin, in this case.”
She stood there, frowning, when a cough came from behind. Glancing over her shoulder, Cordellia saw Alarin standing there, hands behind his back and a small grin on his face.
“What’s so funny?” Cordellia asked.
“Nothing,” Alarin replied. “Just smiling at how much Sog has changed. You do realize he’s right though.”
“About?”
Her herald tapped his chest. “About me. I’m here to help you. I want you to succeed for selfish and non-selfish reasons. Could I have told you what you were doing wrong seven or eight years ago when I started to see this happen? Sure. But that wouldn’t have been the right moment for you to learn the lesson you just learned.”
“And what lesson is that?” she asked.
“That you can’t set something in motion and expect it to hit the mark you were aiming for without nudging it along the way,” Alarin said. “Every god… Every god hits this problem. They come in with ideas, thoughts, beliefs, or whatever you want to call it, and expect it to be perfect. The world you came from had problems. All of you commented on that. Only one race seemed to have it better than the rest, but it wasn’t perfect.
“How old are those gods Max talked about? 500,000 years. If you get a chance to talk with them when you reach the Archons, ask them how many times they have had to adjust the worlds they create.”
“So do I need to do what Sog recommended?” Cordellia asked.
Alarin shrugged. “You need to do something, and some of the advice he gave you rings true. I’m not here to say do this because if it goes wrong, I get blamed for it. All I can do is offer advice and help show you what is going wrong. I’ve shown you. You’ve seen it. Now the question is, are you going to fix it, or is it going to continue to get worse?”
“And it won’t get fixed overnight,” Sog said. “Trust me. It takes time to change the hearts and desires of your people, especially after you’ve planted a seed in it.”
Cordellia groaned and rolled her eyes at the demon who smiled back at her.
“What? Don’t like it when someone uses one of your analogies?” Sog teased.
“Am I that bad?” she asked.
Sog’s and Alarin’s laughter filled the canopy, ringing out through the forest.