“You were taught accurately,” said Davelos. “There’s nobody higher than Pyre Lord or Lady north of the Iron Weald.”
“Which makes her willingness to spend so many years around here all kinds of crazy,” said Evelyn. “If it weren’t for the Gold mana produced here she’d have starved herself of mana ages ago.”
“She gets a cut?” asked Leonis.
Simeon smiled. “Yes. Enough to keep her burning brightly. But a Charnel Duchess needs Ruby mana if they’re to grow. Gold might be more powerful than the likes of you and I can fathom, but to her? Just about the equivalent of sipping from a gruel fountain.”
“But… if she can teleport,” asked Zala, “why can’t she just return if there’s ever a problem?”
“Oh honey,” said Evelyn. “She can teleport, yes, but it costs her. Within a band of mana, like back and forth across the Plains? Tough, but doable. From what we’ve learned, however, she can only manage to hop from one band to the next with great effort. She can’t just jump from Bastion to the Silver Unfathom.”
“So, like stepping stones?” asked Scorio. “Could she just work her way back?”
“From where she’s going?” Simeon smiled. “It might take her weeks to return. It’s why she’s remained all these years. By the time she hears of trouble back home it would already be old news, and then it would take her a week or weeks to work her way back. Not very efficient.”
“Speaking of,” said Leonis with a broad grin. “Is it too early to start congratulating ourselves? It sounds like the White Queen’s going to take our suggestions to heart.”
Scorio flushed. “It looks good, doesn’t it? But I’ll believe it when I see it.”
“If ever there was a time to push for change, this was it.” Simeon raised an eyebrow appreciatively. “Excellent timing, everyone. I wouldn’t presume to guess a Duchess’s thoughts, but she seemed favorably inclined to your arguments.”
“Which is all well and good,” said Jova, “but that doesn’t address our core motivation here. If she leaves before we get a proper audience, we’ll never get to ask her about what really matters.”
“And what’s that?” asked Simeon gently.
Evelyn grinned. “They’re adorable. They’re actually on a crusade to learn the truth about all of Hell.”
“That so?”
Jova flushed. “You’ll never learn anything if you don’t ask the right questions.”
“I couldn’t agree more. It’s why we all formed this independent outfit. It’s hard teasing the truth out of all the vested interests out there. Pyre Lords and Ladies, the more powerful figures in Deep Hell whose influence extends back to here. The Autocrators, accepted legends, traditions, and customs… and yet despite everyone’s confidence, you can’t quite dispel the sense that there’s much that’s being hidden. Am I right?”
“Exactly,” said Scorio even as Jova nodded.
Simeon leaned his head back against the wall. “What always got me is how nobody alive today can create machines like our ancestors once did. Everything that breaks is fated to become useless. We can’t repair anything, not even the smallest perpetual lanterns or the biers in the Academy, or craft new wonders. Why?”
“Here we go,” said Davelos.
“That’s exactly right,” said Scorio, resisting the urge to place his hand over his nub of enchanted chalk and the extending bridge in his robe.
“But fair warning: the more you seek, the more mysteries you’ll uncover. Some find that exhilarating. Others infuriating.” Simeon winked at Scorio. “Doesn’t mean we should stop searching.”
Lianshi placed her hands on her hips. “Nobody’s answered my original question. What happens now? How does everyone adapt to the White Queen’s departure?”
“Simeon?” prompted Evelyn.
“If I had to guess? The White Queen will move quickly to stop everyone scrambling for advantage. She’ll demand that the Autocrators swear Heart Oaths promising to maintain the peace, to take no aggressive action against each other, and to maintain the peace on the Rascor Plains.”
“The real crux of the matter will be the Celestial Consortium,” said Davelos dryly. “That’ll be an interesting needle to thread.”
“True. But she’s got Desiree advising her. She’ll come up with something equitable and comprehensive. The trick is to see if everybody’s upset. That’ll mean nobody got an unfair advantage, which is what would prompt people to upend their oaths.”
“You can’t break a Heart Oath,” said Scorio.
Evelyn smiled. “Oh, you’re so precious.”
“We can’t break a Heart Oath,” corrected Simeon. “Nor can Pyre Lords. But any Great Soul more powerful than the White Queen could lift it. There are four Crimson Earls still affiliated with the Houses. Darumbar with Hydra, Broic the Brawler with Kraken, The Seamstress with Basilisk, and Farolir with Chimera. Any of them could break the White Queen’s oath.”
“Then?” prompted Jova. “This is but a farce?”
“Hardly,” said Simeon. “For a Crimson Earl to travel from the depths of Hell all the way to Bastion to get involved with a political dispute that revolves around Gold mana would be…” He paused as he searched for the right term. “Ridiculous? Or, to be fair, an incredibly overt move on their part that would provoke the other House affiliated greats. No. I don’t think they’d bother.”
“The Iron Tyrant won’t be pleased,” said Davelos darkly.
“Lucky for us he’s in the Iron Weald,” said Evelyn. “And occupied with his own troubles.”
Simeon nodded. “As long as he receives his monthly shipments he won’t do more than grumble about the change. The real challenge will be to put in place a system where no one House has overt control over the Fiery Shoals.”
Naomi had retreated to one corner of the room as if drawn by the shadows. “They could rotate who oversees the process every month.”
“Or form a new council here composed of equal numbers of members,” said Zala. “Where everyone has oversight over each other’s activities?”
Simeon waved his hand. “Desiree will have figured something out. And I actually believe the White Queen. This may end up being good for us all. A sufficiently clever web of Heart Oaths might put an end to the jockeying for political power that takes up so much of the Houses’ time and result in greater prosperity for everyone.” He paused, considered, then smiled ruefully. “There’s room for hope, at any rate.”
Davelos sighed. “We’ll find out soon enough.”
“But the fate of the Fiery Shoals and the Rascor Plains aside, it’s damned good to meet you all.” Simeon smiled broadly. “I don’t think anyone’s made such a splash in such a short time since Mitoko, and they don’t really count. Very impressive, all of you. Evelyn said that once the dust settles you might all wish to spend some time with Manticore, to learn more about our ways and see if we could forge a long-term partnership?”
Scorio glanced at Jova. She still looked ornery, so he gave a tentative nod. “We’d appreciate that. Everything we’ve heard from Evelyn and Davelos makes your group sound like the kind of people we’d want to learn from.”
Simeon grinned warmly. “We’ll draw everyone’s ire for snatching you up before you can be recruited elsewhere, but it’s a risk I’m willing to take. Fair warning, however: word’s going to spread about today’s council and the words you spoke, the role you played in what’s to come. Don’t be too surprised if you receive invitations to interview for other outfits. If you wait long enough, you might even be courted by organizations based in the Iron Weald.”
Scorio didn’t know what to say. He flushed and glanced at his friends. “We didn’t court this notoriety.”
“That’s what makes you lot all the more appealing.” Simeon pushed off the wall. “You’ve all been Whispered.” He paused, catching himself. “You’ve heard of Fate’s Whisper?”