Tauli Ch. 04

Two soft arms wrapped around her, and Exilia's voice whispered in her ear, "She loves her sister. Find her own path. Be free, Kinny. Be free."

She blinked, feeling dizzy, as the magic dissipated in her afterglow.

---

"It reeks." Lawrence said emotionlessly, as the two of them stepped into the shop, off the main city square of the human capital.

Millie stuck out her tongue at him, and then regretted it as she tasted leather processing in the air. The neko wiggled her nose uncomfortably, and looked around. A dozen racks featured material at differing levels of development. All the way from fresh hide of wolf, all the way to a couple of belts that just needed their clasp fittings.

"Just minute!" A voice called from the back of the store, "Just... Nearly..."

The once-librarian blinked in confusion, recognising the tone. She looked at her boyfriend in confusion, but the many scarred man just shrugged. Uninterested in playing a guessing game.

Millie tip-toed over to one of the shelves, her tail going bolt upright excitedly. She picked up the strange object, and turned it over in her hands. She instantly gave an excited squeal and hugged the ridiculously soft leather object to her chest. The toy was even softer than a pillow, but shaped like an angry unigrad, with oversized eyebrows.

She'd never seen anything quite like it.

"Put it back." Lawrence said sensibly, tapping a knuckle at the price on the shelf.

Millie's ears flattened and glared through her cracked glasses at him, before letting out a defiant growl. "Want it."

"Mil-"

"Oh, that one? It's not quite finished. Still need to sew on the eyes." The earlier voice spoke, as they walked into the room, rolling one of their shoulders.

The woman who had spoken was taller than Millie, which was hardly a competition, but still short. She had soft white skin, brilliant blue eyes, and two floppy brown ears hanging down the sides of her face. A long braided ponytail of brunette hair hung down their back.

More remarkably, a loose silver chain went around their scalp, under their hair. In the centre of their forehead, hanging from said chain was a truly enormous ruby stone. The archivist openly stared at the engraved draconic characters scattered in what looked like a haphazard sizing and positioning, but had come from weeks of research whilst Toofy glared at her.

The girl blinked, "The toy isn't for sale, miss... Oh, fuckshit. You're neko. Why did you come here!? I don't agree with it, but don't want guards beating down me door!"

"We weren't seen." Lawrence replied, stating fact, as he always did.

"I'm a tradesmith! I don't have gold. Barely got silver. I... Can't... Help you." The woman whined, stepping backwards nervously, and grabbing for the rock on her forehead.

"Millie not stupid enough to reach for Grand Immolation Stone. So... Toofy had it made for you?" The archivist mused, still cuddling the toy in her arms, "Empress was real bitch about the geometry for the spell. Took Millie forever to get it right, and even though it were lost magic, Toofy got fucking pissed at her."

The dog's tail suddenly flashed back and forth, wagging excitedly, just for a moment. "You know Toofy!? Toofy... I miss Toofy."

"She made her life voiden crap." Millie sniffed, trying to cover up the formation of tears with arrogance, "Uhm... Empress... Left this, in one of her books."

The tradesmith took the bookmark curiously, turning it over a couple times and then biting the corner of it. The woman looked disappointed and then stared at the writing, "Uhm... I don't... Read neko. See the empress' signature. But... What's it say?"

"Find Baoel, save Sai, save the world." Millie shrugged and pushed up her glasses, "Kinda hoped that'd mean something to you."

The woman's jaw dropped open, "Say what?"

"Find -"

"No, nope!" The woman shook her head back and forth, frantically. "No, no, no! Take my toy, and get out of my store! I am not help-"

Millie blinked and sniffed the air in surprise, at the same time that Baoel cut off with an anxious whine. The woman's tail curling up between her legs as she turned towards the newcomer. Lawrence cocked his head, and his shadows spread out as a circle beneath his feet, stretching out to also protect his girlfriend.

"Sorry. Am I interrupting, ladies?"

"I did not witness his arrival. Nor how he entered the building." Lawrence stated in just-audible surprise.

Baoel pulled at her ears, "L-lord S-sai... Fuck, fuck, fuck! I'm so fucked!"

The man adjusted his shirt cuffs casually, his piercing blue gaze falling onto all three. Millie almost pissed herself. She had never seen that particular expression on the face of the crown prince. She had sometimes prayed that she never would.

"I could use a check over my stitching. I'm still quite terrible at it, I'm afraid." The lord stated to the doggirl, and then nodded in acknowledgement to the other two, "Glad to see you've survived, thus far. I suppose my wife sent you here?"

"Find Baoel, save Sai, save the world." Millie swallowed nervously.

"Curious." The lord acknowledged, "Wasn't aware I needed saving. Shall we go out back, Bao? Don't want your customers stumbling in on this. Your compression room would suit the task well."

"Fuuuuck." The woman moaned, and shuffled by the lord.

Millicent pushed up her glasses, and waited for Sai to turn and follow the woman. Then she turned to Lawrence and jabbed a finger in his chest, "Never. Ever. Ever. Fucking threaten... Sai. Do it, we dead. Got it!?"

"I must strike first?"

"Don't fucking touch Sai!" She screamed, "He... Lawrie... He... Is as dangerous as Toofy. She know everyone thinks of Lord Sai as cuddly, but he was son of Hammerhand. An experiment of Menes. He the fucker of fuckers, when it come war. Don't. Fuck. With. Him. We die, if her Lawrie is even thought of as a threat."

The man nodded emotionlessly, "As you wish."

She shook her head, felt her fur bristle uncomfortably, and crept carefully after the other two and into the workshop of the leathersmith. They were led into an underground space, and the moment they stepped into the compression room, Millie felt dizzy.

She put a hand to her mouth as she nearly threw up a furball.

The prince chuckled from nearby, "Takes some getting used to, I'm afraid. The walls are lined with a peculiar stone. You can still grasp your magic, but it requires quite a lot of effort and knowledge."

"I... Use it... When making cursed things." Baoel whispered glumly, "Stuff for Toofy."

Millie looked fearfully over at Lawrence, who looked slightly uncomfortable, but his shadows were still playing in a circle around the two of them. His particular curse, or maybe his expertise with it, meant he at least still had a little access to it.

Sai shrugged and sat on the bench, and began unbuttoning the front of his shirt, to reveal an enormous set of stitches, which were bleeding. "It makes it a convenient location for us to speak, a little more openly. I cannot tell you, of course, where I have taken safe harbour. Needless to say, it isn't particularly safe."

Baoel looked around at the people outnumbering her, and pulled on her ears, "You promised! You promised I'd never get caught up in politics, Saisai!"

"Saisai?" Millie couldn't help but giggle.

The prince nodded impassively, "I did. I'm afraid that I am breaking that promise."

"Fuck." Baoel whined and dropped onto the floor, curling up against the wall and beginning to rock herself.

Lawrence yawned, and stretched, causing his shadows to briefly rise off the floor. "It appears that the empress intended for us four to meet, at some point. I suppose it is too much to hope that she is not truly dead?"

"I held her, as she died." Sai lied.

Millie's eyes went wide, and she tried to hide her surprise by quickly toying with her glasses. She'd heard his heart skip a beat. Hearing his heart wasn't hard, right now. The organ was pushing hard, considering all of his injuries.

In all the time that Millie had known the royal family, she had never, not once, heard the crown prince utter a falsehood. Not even a slight falsehood. He dropped uncomfortable truths as easily as he dropped men with his blade.

The question, of course, was which part was the lie?

She hoped to the void and back that it meant that Toofy was alive. She, unfortunately, suspected that he was just lying about being around when the empress was cut down. It was more inspirational, and was more likely to cut off painful discussion, if Sai said that he witnessed her death.

Millie had felt the empress die.

She couldn't think of anything that might have felt like that, to every single neko within the border of the empire, that could mean anything else. If Toofy so much as touched the other side, the gods weren't likely to let her come back. They had many bones to pick with her.

"Has he... Heard from... Toofy's mother?" Millie asked carefully.

"Eratigan is beyond reach." Sai stated, "She was imprisoned when my wife ascended the throne, and she has yet to be forgiven. However, I'm afraid that there is a slight stink of divinity to our current circumstances, as well. The Darkthorn were assisted by the Golden Kitsune. Or, more accurately, driven by her."

"What!?" Millie squealed in terror.

The doggirl shaking, stared around the room, "Gods... Fuck, fuck, fuck! You all talking like gods are normal shit! Fuck! Leave me out of this! Pleeeaase... Please..."

She trailed off and into tears.

"Toofy... Was Toofy." Sai took a deep and regretful sigh. "My wife only did what her benefactor wanted of her, when it was convenient. Recently, that was not often. I am not aware of all of the details, but I believe that one of her projects became a thorn in the paw of the goddess."

Millie's eyes went wide, "Oh, no. Oh, no, no. Uh... Empress had Millie researching something, recently. Well, lots of things. But, an old story? It didn't seem much relevant to anything. Um... A god who forgotten. No longer worshipped."

"I don't particularly care." Sai interrupted, "The gods can war amongst themselves, until the end of the age. All I care about, is ensuring that the man responsible for our present circumstances, Lord Vanhern, experiences the most amount of pain and anguish that it is possible for a human being to experience. You will assist me, in this matter."

Millie's eyes narrowed, "Vanhern? He's behind killing... Every neko? It really him? Not just... Politics from his Darkthorn?"

"He's a racist fuck, yes." Sai replied darkly. "The Darkthorn requiring it of their leader, doesn't even make the bastard uncomfortable."

Lawrence nodded slowly, "Interesting. It is perfectly possible for me to penetrate the defences of the palace. I have tested the walls, now and then. For if your wife decided to bring harm to my woman, for keeping me a secret."

"Well aware of it." Sai said tiredly, "And I am afraid that your paths in and out of the palace were actually quite well explored. I do not know if Little Saia put anything on paper, but if she did, those paths will no longer be safe. I do, however, have other avenues of ingress. Access is not an issue."

Millie whined, "He doesn't just want to execute Lord Vanhern."

"No. That won't solve our problem." Sai shook his head, "That would only create a power vacuum, and bigger cunts than Vanhern would attempt to seize control. More nekos would die. The situation would become less predictable. I am fine with dying in this endeavour, but it would be my preference that you three, survive."

Lawrence frowned, looking annoyed, "Then what is your suggestion?"

"The salamander." Sai replied grimly, "The one who seeks vengeance for his bride. He is a king. He has already, technically, issued a challenge to other dragons for the title. Thus, he is also, technically, the Heir of Meirakeillian, who is in turn the Heir of Irrlichdan. We could give him, the throne."

Millie's jaw fell open, "He... He wants... A return to dragon empire?"

"It's a thought." Sai shrugged, "So, Baoel? Pissed off at my poor stitching, yet?"

"Yes." The woman muttered glumly, standing up shakily and grabbing a set of tools off a shelf. She walked over, still looking terrified, and began to unpick the stitches on his chest with a fluid and practised hand.

The archivist considered the situation that they were all in. She also wondered about Toofy. She was only here, now, because she was scared of the empress. She really just wanted to escape the city, and she was pretty sure that she and Lawrence could get out.

If she had a complete guarantee that Toofy really was dead... Then she would be leaving, right that minute.

She hugged the toy under her chin, and bit her lip, knowing that she was screwed. "Best way to find salamander, is to use another. Unless Lord Sai already knows where he is?"

"I don't. I will leave that particular set of details in your very capable hands, Millie." He replied calmly, as if someone wasn't stabbing a needle right into his chest. "However, the man with you? I have another task, in mind."

"I will not leave her side." Lawrence stated.

The prince smiled sadly, "I think Millie will disagree, once I explain."

---

"Sir?" The eunuch by his side asked nervously.

Lord Vanhern turned his judgemental gaze around the building. To most politicians, this had been one of the biggest points of contention with the previous empress. They did not want their every act recorded for all of history to judge, they wanted the freedom to modify the record of truth.

Yet, under Empress Twenty Four, this place had been put into the tender and obsessive care of one particular neko, who had a temper and the ability to open gateways in the fabric of reality. Pissing her off had ended badly, more than once.

The royal archives being put into the hands of a lover of literature and truth, where no one could vote to modify the truth, and which were open to the eyes of the public, had seriously hampered the efforts of various lords to enjoy benefits brought by their position.

Vanhern did not want to close the archives. They did provide an essential service. It was their independence from the government that had provided all the roadblocks, and the ability for the public to assess his own tax reports had very nearly led to Toofy discovering his connection to the Darkthorn before he was ready to send them against her.

However, there were strong rumours that the royal archives contained even more documents. That Toofy had kept the same rigorous records about her dealings with the criminal world, such as negotiations for peace with the Coiner's Guild. Including an extensive set of receipts for bribes.

He had reason to believe those rumours were true, and that similar financial records might allow him to discover the identities of those that Toofy utilised for less acceptable purposes. Assassinations, torture, and so on. He might even find records of magical experiments that were too dangerous for public awareness.

The archives were created by the twenty third emperor, Kaden. Toofy had seen the benefit of it, and wildly expanded upon the man's work. Vanhern was not yet certain how he would modify it, but he didn't think that he would simply burn it all down.

Information was the pathway to controlling the hearts of the people. Sometimes, information should flow freely. By itself, information could be incredibly misleading, or distracting. It could foster patriots who were blind to the sins of their betters, and willing to self-discipline the lower castes.

People who punished themselves were among Vanhern's most appreciated.

When Toofy had turned up on his doorstep twenty years ago, she had brought a dragon and a war with her, to make the point. That he was being offered a chance to become a war hero and end things peacefully. However, she didn't need him, to end things. She only needed him to make things easier.

He had known within only a few moments that Lord Sai may have chosen a bride, but he was not the master of that household. The empress was the ruler, and her ability to see into things was nothing short of astonishing.

The years since, had only confirmed it.

Somewhere in this archive, was a private space maintained by the woman who had planned out several ways of conquering an empire. Who had known and seen things coming that even he, had not.

He looked to the nervous servant, "Has it been found, yet?"

"The situation is... Complicated, m'lord." The eunuch bobbed his head, flinching. "Several locations have been identified, that are... Unusual, m'lord. Hidden shelves, or sections of shelves. Some by mechanical means, others by magical means. All of them with traps. However, there appear to be references to a central location, that has not been found. M'lord."

Vanhern gave a small chuckle. "Traps. In the public library. Of course. Are many of them lethal?"

"N-none so far, m'lord. Most appear to be a form of polymorph. Utilising the confusion of being transformed into a lesser creature, or a gender swap, to cause the victim to recoil, and cease their efforts. One or two involved transportation to the temple, as well, m'lord."

He rubbed his chin, and began to explore the library, himself.

Several of the secret caches were easy to spot. Every item on the shelves were numbered, and sometimes there were gaps in the system. Representing items that were still in sequence, but hidden from view. Obvious, really.

However, several other caches were not numbered in the same sequence. Entire shelves that had been found by his trained mages. Those appeared to be Toofy's. He did feel the need to keep his distance at most of those objects. Cursed things, barely contained behind spells and wards.

It was just like the empress to keep such dangerous things near the public. If you were dumb enough to break the ward, then you deserved everything you were going to get.

This was a woman who assassinated the head of an order of assassins, not because Lord Yu was a threat to her, but because he'd made one of his employees a little bit uncomfortable. She was utterly monstrous, merciless.

Vanhern paused, looking up at the lights overhead.

He chuckled softly to himself as he noted that they weren't all positioned over the aisles of the library. They were laid out in a geometric pattern, one from nature that repeated infinitely. Not a spiral, but a plotted fractal.

Except, a single light was missing from the pattern.

He turned and headed in that direction without a single hesitation. His aides trailing after him frantically. He passed by some of the mages he had looking over the archives, searching for all the hidden places that Toofy had forged. The places that had undoubtedly begun under Kaden.

He stepped beneath the exact point where the chandelier should have been hung, and looked up. He saw a small and tiny greying to the plaster. With that, he made a smirk and snapped his fingers.

A tiny spray of sparks momentarily lit up.

The moment that the flame came into existence, he found himself thrust into a new world. He blinked, surprised by just how great the transformation was. He really was in a completely differing space.

It was a small room, with walls made from some kind of black and polished stone. Nearby lay a desk, with dozens of books left open. A notepad covered in meticulous scratches of ink signalled the presence of a studious neko.

Vanhern frowned, surprised that he could walk into this place without triggering some kind of trap. It had been too easy to find something, forged by Toofy.

Yet, waiting, nothing came to deliver a lesson by carving a scar into his hide.

He didn't strictly have any magic of his own. He had expended one of the captured spells that had been the Darkthorn's secret weapon. They were hunting down magic users, but most were human. Magic was an anathema to them, despite the way it could level the playing field.