Blood & Carrots - Silverpaw Ep. 18

"Just what kind of longevity do your kind have, Kazemde?" Alex spoke out curiously, his ears peaked in that way they did when he was genuinely interested in a topic.

The cobra gave a toothy smile before a casual shrug. "That depends on whom you ask my old friend. Who you ask, what field they study, what they... were before joining the circle. Why, you are a fine example of how someone's age can be a malleable thing at times.

He snorted out at the words and rolled his eyes. "Okay, how about... how long does an average one of you last? How old are you?"

Kazemde elaborately put his hand to his chest as my eyes rolled this time. "I, sir Alex, will be one hundred twenty-seven years old this coming winter."

"How does that work?" One of the twins chimed in, the male of the two of them, Jeremy.

"Well, I primarily focus on the schools of necromancy and restoration. This means longevity and life extension go hand in hand with my knowledge." Kazemde gave another shrug before continuing, "We are getting off subject once more though. Suffice to say the schools of magic are open to any who have the desire to pursue, some are just born with more will than others. Even the lowliest mundane could learn simple spells with enough effort, but only those touched by magic can excel, like Katrina there. A vampire, an angel, even a lycanthrope may be members of the circle, and demons regularly form their own circles."

"This is all very fascinating, sir archmage, but let's worry about this lesson after we stop the rampaging nature spirit that wants to kill us all." Lorelai finally spoke out, her words coming in a commanding tone, her will following with them, a clear signal for all small talk to halt.

The cobra quirked a brow at the feeling of her force of will but gave a nod. "Yes, let us get down to it then." Moving before the group he extended a gloved hand towards us. "As you know already, we here at the circle frequently study and even commune with the denizens of the Faemarch on a regular basis."

I felt the gentle pull of Kazemde's will as he invoked a simple cantrip spell to create a visual aid in his explanation. Four landmasses appeared, each taking on associated characteristics of each season. One of vibrant lush green, one that showed gentle hues of autumn leaves, and one that looked like an icy tundra.

"As you've most likely surmised, there is a great fae spirit that represents each seasonal cycle of our own realm." The mage waved a hand, bringing the fourth landmass into view that had remained non-descript until now. The small island burst forth with green and flowers, slightly translucent as he quickly sculpted the imagery with nearly no effort.

Cantrips were one of the first things you were taught as a fledgling mage. They were the most rudimentary spells, just a simple bending of light to create an image you could see in your mind. It took me nearly two seasons to create stable images and even that drew heavily upon my willpower. Kazemde had told me that was exceptional progress and that even highly gifted mages could take upwards of a year or two just to reach that level. Then again I had been using my thaumaturgy in such ways, shaping blades, spheres, even other shapes like roses, so perhaps I had a bit of a head start.

"I always assumed their realm was like the celestial and underworlds, attached but not directly influenced." The sheep brushed a curl behind one of her horns as she peered upon the 'spring' landmass.

"All of the realms influence one another, Empress Bloodstone." Kazemde hummed the words and Lorelai scoffed at the impromptu title, giving the archmage a fussy look for it.

"I'm no empress, just Lorelai is fine." She grumbled the words then shifted a hand to her hip. "So can these great spirits just invoke calamity upon our world at their whim? Droughts, blizzards, endless rain?"

The cobra tapped his chin in thought before speaking out, "The full explanation would take quite some time. The short answer is, yes. However, that would never happen."

"Why not?" Lorelai frowned, looking annoyed at getting the short version.

Kazemde offered her a knowing grin. "Well, I can give you all a detailed lesson on it at a later date, I know you're eager to get to the heart of the matter. Allow me to summarize."

"The great spirits are all on the same 'team' so to speak, but that doesn't mean they like one another. Fae by their very nature are a conniving sort. You've all heard the old saying don't make a bargain with a fairy, I'm sure. The higher courts of the Faemarch strive to maintain a balance between the four great houses for this very reason, lest they be weighed down by subterfuge."

"Why strive for balance if they are so underhanded?" Alice chimed in curiously.

"Because they know the other greater spirits are keeping a close eye on them. Any power shift would be noted and alliances would quickly be forged to deal with the imbalance, for their own sakes of course. It's a complex machine with many cogs in it, and the fae courts have been tinkering with it for thousands of years."

"So what stops a greater spirit from just coming in and rampaging as Triallia has done? Why has she alone taken up this task and why hasn't it happened in the past?" Sarnai growled the words, folding her arms as she spoke. I could see the anger in her eyes as she uttered the name.

"The short of it is, the spirits can only enter our realm at the height of their power. Triallia is the greater spirit of the renewal season, the other three could not cross the threshold of our worlds. To the second question, it very well may have happened in the past, we've no way of knowing at this point."

Elias cleared his throat before calling out, "Truly I'd enjoy sitting down at length to discuss this, sir Kazemde, but where does all this leave us?"

The archmage gave the fox a nod. "Yes, we've derailed quite enough for now." With another wave of his hand, the other three realms came back into view. "Spring is almost at its height, this means the other three lords and their realms will be weakened. They are complacent that Triallia has no inclinations on their power struggle. She is simply trying to balance things. Truth be told, the greater spirits of spring and autumn tend to be the more civil of them"

"Civil?! That bitch nearly killed us and spoke of rampaging across the world wiping out civilization, what's civil about that?" Sarnai snarled the words, clenching her fists as her tail whipped about in anger.

Kazemde gave her a contemplative look before speaking out in a matter-of-fact tone, "Lady Blackpaw, the fae are brutal in their war games. Had the spirits of winter or summer wanted to strike first, we would simply have the aforementioned blizzards or droughts on a global scale right away. The reason they don't is only the spirit of spring is concerned with the maintenance of their world."

"She did say she was doing this as a response to the mundane trashing the place." I shrugged as I gave Sarnai a level look, the fox snarled but gave a nod.

"Simply put, the other spirits don't care what the mundane generally do. Summer, autumn, and winter. None of these rely upon the cycle of renewal, which is what the mundane stunt when they pollute and destroy the planet."

"If anything, wouldn't this weaken just the spring spirit?" Lorelai raised a finger as she spoke in understanding, "Triallia doesn't give a damn about the world, this is just her trying to protect her own power."

"You've grasped the truth of the matter, Lorelai. The other three will sit back and watch. They can maintain their cycles all the same, regardless if the world is ripe with life or a barren waste."

"You plan to involve them, don't you, Teacher?" I finally spoke out directly to him, putting my hands on my hips. "You're going to drag them into this game whether they want it or not."

Kazemde showed me a wide grin at my words, pride in his eyes that I had put my finger on the pulse of his plan. "Astute as always. Yes, my student, we will be practicing our own subterfuge and shifting the pieces on the board around while the other players are not looking."

"Well, this is why you have to be careful which player you let control the bank and property cards, right?" Alice hummed the words, warranting a few snorts of amusement from Alex and Gloria, the others looking confused by the statement.

"Really, you guys need to... you know what, when we settle all this, I'm catching all of you up on at least pop culture within the last hundred years. We're going to have a weekly family night where I make you all play board games, video games, and watch movies until you're caught up!" The rabbit fussed as she glared upon the two foxes, and the sheep.

"Sounds like a lot of work," Sarnai grumbled but gave her a gentle smile at the idea of it.

"Perhaps such a thing would be relaxing, you two would do well to expand your knowledge of the present trends as well." Lorelai nodded at the twins as she spoke.

"Yes, let us all gather as a family more often after this is over with. We can share hosting duties." Jennifer spoke the words with excitement in her voice, her wiry tail whipping about eagerly.

"It's a splendid idea if it helps you all grasp Alice's random pop culture humor. I personally got the joke, I simply did not find it very amusing." Kazemde hummed the words, the rabbit offering him a fussy glare.

"Kaz, you're an ass!" Alice snarled and stomped her foot.

"I jest with you, my friend. I simply wished to get a rise out of you." The cobra offered her a playful smile, then waved a hand to make the four translucent islands vanish. "Let us continue."

The group calmed and re-focused on the mage as he extended his hand, a small set of seven crystal clear orbs appearing, six of them circling a central one. "Thankfully, the eldritch powers that be, have given us an ace up our sleeve. You see, each of the greater spirits have nodes of power scattered across their respective lands. Conduits as it were, that keep their power flowing throughout their realm and ours."

"That sounds awfully awkward to deal with." Alice frowned as she folded her arms.

"Well, they are focused at magical leylines within their realm. It's a stop-gap to keep them balanced as well."

"So we're going to go mess with the spring ones to destabilize her power?" Alex quirked a brow curiously as he spoke.

"Heavens no! Triallia is at the height of her power, each of the seven conduits will be heavily guarded and she would have a telepathic link to each. If we were to molest one, we would not only have an elite fae guard to deal with, we'd have her show up within minutes."

"You said you wished to drag the other three into the game. You want us to go after theirs!" Jeremy spoke out in understanding as Kazemde nodded, the mouse then shifted to rest a hand on the pommel of his sword. "Won't we end up with similar results though?"

"The other three great spirits will not be expecting outside influence. We will no doubt encounter some resistance, but it will be a trifle compared to Triallia's. We will enjoy a much longer window of opportunity to get things done as well."

"So we go in, take some of their power, bring them to the table, then bargain with them. Is that what you're planning with this, archmage?" Lorelai spoke out in understanding, already having figured out the rest of the plan.

"Correct, Lorelai. Three weakened spirits are still more powerful than one at its height. We force them to get involved, we force them to make Triallia stand down."

"This sounds great and all, but then we end up with all four greater spirits having chips on their shoulders. What's to stop summer from just rampaging in a few months after this is sorted, or any other for that matter. Hell, what's to keep Triallia from pulling the same stunt again in a year or two?" Sarnai growled the words, frowning upon the mage.

"We have the luxury of the fae sharing the same restrictions of oath that all the rest of the players in the game have. We force them to bargain and one of the stipulations is their word that we will have no retaliation."

"Yeah, sounds good, but I've heard stories about fairies and bargains, not unlike you mages. Never bargain with a fairy or a mage, that's what my pack elder always says." Alex cocked a brow as he spoke, giving the cobra a skeptical look.

Kazemde showed him a grin, as if full of pride at the words. "It's true, we are very versed at wording agreements to our benefit, so who better to set terms with the fae then?"

"It takes a con to know a con, eh?" Alice gave an amused laugh as she rolled her eyes.

"Can we just waltz into fairyland all nonchalantly like that, Teacher?" I spoke out curiously.

Kazemde gave me a smile before offering a quick nod. "As I've said. We've dealt with the fae for centuries, we know of several pathways to cross the aether and gain access. We must, however, coordinate this effort. It won't due to simply take one, and if we don't procure them all at once, the other spirits will reinforce theirs and be on alert."

"So who's going where on this little quest of yours, Kazemde?" Sarnai asked, already rolling her shoulder as if limbering up.

"I will brief each team individually when we decide on destinations, however for you, Lady Blackpaw, I will ask that you and your husband go procure one of the summer conduit. Also, please accompany them Lorelai."

"Why me specifically?" The fox cocked her brow. "I don't mind, of course, but why me?"

"Because our target is on a small island surrounded by violent waters, none of us have the skill to helm a ship other than you," Kazemde spoke out pointedly.

"Sure, I can handle that, the straits of Gibraltar would get pretty moody in the past, so I'm confident. What of a ship though? Are you going to just wave your hands and build me one? A ship is like a woman, you need to know her to truly enjoy her."

"Already talking like a sailor again," Elias hummed playfully.

Sarnai barked out and glared at him, "H-hush, I'm just speaking the truth. It's a lot easier to sail a ship you know, it's not like jumping into a car."

"Not to worry, Lady Blackpaw, I'll be using a gate to pull your personal ship into the sea once we arrive."

"My fucking yacht? You want to drag my damn yacht into a murderous fairy world?" She growled out and clenched her fists, obviously not happy with the prospect of risking her ship.

"I apologize, I can find another ship, of course, I simply assumed you would prefer a 'woman' you knew." The cobra gave the fox a crooked smile, using her own words against her.

She growled in response and thrust a finger out, "Fine... but if something happens to her, I swear to the gods..." She snapped her ears forward and glanced at me with a scowl, "Katrina, you come with us, I'll need help manning her."

I frowned at her words and was about to speak when Kazemde spoke over me. "Beg your pardon, Lady Blackpaw, but I need Katrina to focus on a different location that is better suited to her abilities. Can you not man the helm without her?"

"We sailed with you in the past, love. I and Lorelai will suffice to help you, will we not?" Elias chimed in gently.

"That's... true..." She spoke out and gave me a look like she didn't like the idea of splitting up from me, then hardened her gaze and nodded at the cobra. "Fine."

"Sir Kazemde, I don't mean to sound full of myself, but isn't that a lot of power in one group? Why I and these foxes have laid waste to entire armies on our own." Lorelai rested her fingertips on her cheek, tilting her head curiously. I had of course heard the tales, but to hear her affirm as much sent a shiver down my spine.

"Given summer is the next season, it will also be the most powerful of the three right now, so that was my line of thought in the matter."

"A sound decision, I have no issues with it then." The sheep nodded and sauntered over to the two foxes.

"Jeremy and Jennifer, please accompany me to the autumn conduit. Having your martial talents will be reassuring." Kazemde focused upon the two mice, giving them a polite bow.

"My sword is yours, Kazemde" Jeremy gave the cobra a quick nod, keeping a hand resting on the grip of his blade.

"Indeed, we'll keep you safe from harm while you do what you need to do." Jennifer gave her own nod, hands resting on her hips.

Kazemde glanced over his shoulder at me, the glint in his eyes saying he knew what I wanted all along. "My student, you take Gloria and Alex to the realm of the winter spirit."

"It'll be no big deal, we'll take care of it, Teacher," I spoke out casually, though in truth, I felt the nerves stirring in me. This wasn't just some walk down the road, we were going into a totally different realm of reality.

"The dream team, back together, eh Kat?" Alex barked the words cheerfully and I offered him a forced smile, trying to bury the concerns.

"The gods have put their faith in me, I shall do my utmost to protect this world, my flock, and my family." Gloria gave a resolute nod, clenching her rosary in her hand.

Alice looked around then frowned and put her hands on her hips. "And me?"

Kazemde smiled at her and shook his head. "You're honorary archmage while I'm gone, how's that sound?"

The rabbit gritted her teeth and glared at the cobra. "You're leaving me here? Kaz, what the hell!"

He offered her an apologetic smile. "Alice, Triallia specifically came to this realm to kill you. I can't be certain she doesn't have measures in place to sense your presence, nor can I be certain the other great spirits couldn't sense you and share in her desire."

"Then I'll kick her ass if she shows up, I'm not going to just sit around while you all risk your necks!" She stomped a foot and showed her sharp teeth in a scowl, her eyes having shifted to red.

"And if your presence alerts them to something being afoot, the whole operation could be thrown in jeopardy, it is too great a risk. I understand your frustration my dear friend, but it is safer for you to sit this one out."

"It will be fine my rabbit, just have faith in us," Elias spoke out gently, putting a hand on her head, rubbing it.

Alice fussed a little more before Sarnai grinned and joined in, both of them now petting her as she slowly calmed, like a fussy child being doted upon to avoid a temper tantrum. I frowned and couldn't help but feel a little jealous over it. Perhaps I should pout and fuss more often, then I'd get doted upon by both my foxes more frequently.

I gave a huff as I felt Alex's heavy hand rest on my head, petting at my ears and mussing my hair slightly. "Don't be jealous, Kat. I'll happily pet you too!"

"S-Shut up!" I snapped out and hip-checked him, bumping him away from me as I scowled and fussed to fix my hair, huffing as I tried to calm my heart, just his touch was enough to get me thinking about the situation to come with the two of them.

Kazemde gave a deep sigh and then nodded. "Well, no time like the present. Let's get this show on the road, shall we?"

Everyone gave him a nod, Alice still fussing a little before she huffed out and stomped away from the group. Moving over to the opulent desk Kazemde used. She kicked her feet up and planted the heels of her boots on the polished surface, offering the cobra a challenging glare.

"The real danger will be returning to an angry rabbit chimera. My sword can't protect you from that, Kazemde," Jeremy hummed out playfully as the cobra frowned at the prospect of it.

I hope you've enjoyed this week's episode, my dear reader. If you have, I'm thrilled and would love to know it, so please give it a vote and favorite, that will do wonders for my drive. If you really like my stuff, by all means, give me a follow so you can keep up with my releases, that would make my day.