Revelation (Seeds of Humanity: The Cobalt Heresy) by Caleb Wachter Page B
Authors: Caleb Wachter
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barbarian of the wastes,” my herald said in that silky smooth voice I had come to hate at least as much as I had come to depend on, “then we shall be charged with actively obstructing the Great Enlightenment and attempting to transport mythicite without permission, in addition to whatever other flowery charges their barristers decide to throw at us.”
I nodded solemnly. “Pi’Vari is right,” I confirmed, “and there is only one punishment for either of those crimes: Sundering.”
Aemir’s eyebrows shot up, but Dancer was understandably confused.
“What ‘Sundering’?” Dancer asked impatiently.
Pi’Vari leaned down toward Dancer, who stood his ground defiantly. “Sundering,” my herald smoothly began, “is when they annih-“
“It’s unpleasant, and it’s final in a way death probably never could be,” I cut him off. “Sundering doesn’t just kill you; it…repurposes you.”
Seeing that he still didn’t understand, and not wanting to continue in this vein any longer than absolutely necessary, I tried to put it in words with which he was familiar.
“Dancer makes the Dance of Life and Death, right?” I prompted.
“It first and last of Seven Dances,” he agreed.
I nodded slowly. “Sundering takes away the Last Dance and removes you from the circle,” I tried to explain.
Dancer shook his head adamantly. “Impossible,” he argued, “Last Dance for all: people, trees, even mountains make steps of Last Dance.”
I nodded patiently, “What about Gaeld?”
He cocked his eyebrow, prompting me to continue.
“Gaeld, Baeld and all of their kind,” I said slowly, “were once people who became Sundered.”
Dancer’s eyes widened. “Sun-dered make Gaeld?” he asked in awe, forcing the syllables of the first word.
Pi’Vari shook his head. “Only the lucky ones end up like Gaeld, Dancer,” he explained in a serious tone which he rarely used.
“Pi’Vari’s right,” I agreed, “Gaeld and Baeld were once people like us. But they were punished with the Sundering, making them eternally subservient to whoever holds their contract.”
Aemir raised a finger. “You say Sundering is a punishment of the Empire,” he said as though he had found a great flaw, “but you also say that you are the first Imperial to set foot in Coldetz. If that is so, how did Baeld find his way here?”
Pi’Vari replied before I could find the words. “The Empire did not invent the process, Aemir,” he said dismissively, “we took it from the God Sworn, like everything else they had of value. It is possible that Baeld is old enough to have been created by the God Sworn centuries before their destruction.”
I glared at Pi’Vari pointedly before continuing. “Baeld is another piece of the puzzle leading me to believe that the remnants of the Young Gods are behind these attacks,” I said darkly. “Which is why it is imperative that we secure Coldetz immediately for annexation, or we might find ourselves caught in a crossfire between those remnants and the unbridled fury of the Empire. And frankly, Sundering might be a preferable fate to whatever that particular scenario could bring down on us.”
Chapter IV: Politics
“You are summoned to the High Sheriff’s office at once,” reported the silver and yellow clad soldier after unceremoniously opening the door to our common chambers in the gate house.
I nodded and felt my stomach tighten. “Of course,” I replied as graciously as I could manage, simultaneously signaling to my cadre that they should stay where they were.
He showed me through the series of corridors and chambers which led to the central tower of Castle Coldetz. Even in this state of what amounted to constant, if protracted siege, the walls were adorned with the bright yellow standards of Coldetz. Every sconce held a brightly burning torch, illuminating the decorations of the Castle’s interior, and there were worked cleaning in nearly every room I passed through.
We
I nodded solemnly. “Pi’Vari is right,” I confirmed, “and there is only one punishment for either of those crimes: Sundering.”
Aemir’s eyebrows shot up, but Dancer was understandably confused.
“What ‘Sundering’?” Dancer asked impatiently.
Pi’Vari leaned down toward Dancer, who stood his ground defiantly. “Sundering,” my herald smoothly began, “is when they annih-“
“It’s unpleasant, and it’s final in a way death probably never could be,” I cut him off. “Sundering doesn’t just kill you; it…repurposes you.”
Seeing that he still didn’t understand, and not wanting to continue in this vein any longer than absolutely necessary, I tried to put it in words with which he was familiar.
“Dancer makes the Dance of Life and Death, right?” I prompted.
“It first and last of Seven Dances,” he agreed.
I nodded slowly. “Sundering takes away the Last Dance and removes you from the circle,” I tried to explain.
Dancer shook his head adamantly. “Impossible,” he argued, “Last Dance for all: people, trees, even mountains make steps of Last Dance.”
I nodded patiently, “What about Gaeld?”
He cocked his eyebrow, prompting me to continue.
“Gaeld, Baeld and all of their kind,” I said slowly, “were once people who became Sundered.”
Dancer’s eyes widened. “Sun-dered make Gaeld?” he asked in awe, forcing the syllables of the first word.
Pi’Vari shook his head. “Only the lucky ones end up like Gaeld, Dancer,” he explained in a serious tone which he rarely used.
“Pi’Vari’s right,” I agreed, “Gaeld and Baeld were once people like us. But they were punished with the Sundering, making them eternally subservient to whoever holds their contract.”
Aemir raised a finger. “You say Sundering is a punishment of the Empire,” he said as though he had found a great flaw, “but you also say that you are the first Imperial to set foot in Coldetz. If that is so, how did Baeld find his way here?”
Pi’Vari replied before I could find the words. “The Empire did not invent the process, Aemir,” he said dismissively, “we took it from the God Sworn, like everything else they had of value. It is possible that Baeld is old enough to have been created by the God Sworn centuries before their destruction.”
I glared at Pi’Vari pointedly before continuing. “Baeld is another piece of the puzzle leading me to believe that the remnants of the Young Gods are behind these attacks,” I said darkly. “Which is why it is imperative that we secure Coldetz immediately for annexation, or we might find ourselves caught in a crossfire between those remnants and the unbridled fury of the Empire. And frankly, Sundering might be a preferable fate to whatever that particular scenario could bring down on us.”
Chapter IV: Politics
“You are summoned to the High Sheriff’s office at once,” reported the silver and yellow clad soldier after unceremoniously opening the door to our common chambers in the gate house.
I nodded and felt my stomach tighten. “Of course,” I replied as graciously as I could manage, simultaneously signaling to my cadre that they should stay where they were.
He showed me through the series of corridors and chambers which led to the central tower of Castle Coldetz. Even in this state of what amounted to constant, if protracted siege, the walls were adorned with the bright yellow standards of Coldetz. Every sconce held a brightly burning torch, illuminating the decorations of the Castle’s interior, and there were worked cleaning in nearly every room I passed through.
We
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