109 CIX. | 'O, stalwart deluge...'

The negotiations were taking a while, but Hector wasn't complaining. He still just felt privileged for being allowed to observe.

Abel Sebolt and Salvador Delaguna headed up their side of proceedings, though for Salvador's part, it was his reaper Mevox who did most of the talking. Various others voiced their opinions as well, including Asad and Amaya Sebolt. Naturally, though, Chergoa and Emiliana's testimonies proved the most crucial.

That was the heart of the issue--how to handle the presence of this aberration. Even now, the Blackburns gave very little ground. They offered testimony from a variety of people, all claiming that Ibai could be trusted, which of course just made everyone on the other side of the table skeptical. At a few different points, Hector grew worried that another fight might break out. And when the arguably more pressing subject of Rheinhal came up, a resolution to the problem of Ibai had still not been reached.

Ismael Blackburn stood. "Before moving forward on that subject, I must tell you all about Parson Miles of the Vanguard. I am sure most of you are familiar with him, but I do not think any of you know him the way I do."

'I know he's one of the more powerful assbags we're up against,' said Mevox. His nonexistent bones had a darker glow than any other reaper Hector had seen so far. It made him easier to pick out of a crowd.

"Zeff, Evangelina, and I trained under him for several years," said Abel Sebolt. "As did Santos, though only for the few months before Lawrence took Parson's place."

"Let me guess," said Ismael. "You think Parson is a fool?"

Abel tilted his head. "He is a fool. But I was never able to determine if that made him bad at his job."

"Then I give you credit for seeing that much," said Ismael. "But Parson Miles is more than a fool. I am convinced that he intends to destroy each of our houses. He knows of Ibai's existence, and he used that knowledge to coerce us into kidnapping the Elroy children."

'How convenient,' said Mevox. 'Someone to take the blame for you.'

Horatio stood up with Ismael. "We do not pretend to be blameless, but please try to understand our reasoning. Ask yourselves: what did we have to gain by abducting the children? If we wanted them for our own nefarious purposes, then why would we keep them in Marshrock, where we knew you would come looking for them?"

'Maybe that's where you keep your freaky torture devices,' said Mevox.

Horatio's expression slackened. "This is hardly the time for jokes. The children will confirm that we did not harm them."

Mevox shrugged. 'Fine, then, what was your reason?'

"Because the whole point was to draw you away from Rheinhal and keep you occupied," said Horatio.

"He speaks the truth," said Ismael. "Parson wanted to divide your forces so that he could deal with you more easily. And given the recent news of Rheinhal, it appears his plan is working. He promised that he would come to Luzo after Rheinhal was secured and rescue us from your siege. Our task was merely to hold out. His only miscalculation seems to have been Lord Asad over there, whose presence allowed you to push your siege more quickly than anticipated."

The whole room looked to Asad, who just kind of flattened his mouth and scratched his cheek as he observed all the stares.

Lord Abel spoke next. "What do you hope to gain by telling us this information? I presume you intend to propose some new course of action for us to take."

"Now that you know about my son, Parson holds no leverage over us," said Ismael. "I have no reason to lie. And yes. I propose we leave Luzo immediately."

"You would come with us?" said Abel.

Ismael nodded. "If you allow it, yes. I do not know what Parson would do if he arrived to find only my family here."

"We cannot simply flee," said Salvador. "If our kin are held captive, we must retrieve them. Vanguard or not."

"I understand that," said Ismael. "Perhaps you do not believe me when I say this, but I do feel similarly. If we had strength, I would agree with you. But you must realize that our forces need time to rest. Melchor and Xuan are both unconscious, and without them, we stand very little chance against Parson--assuming it is he who arrives and not Sanko."

The Lady Amaya Sebolt nodded. "For all we know, Parson could arrive within the day. I believe the Blackburns speak the truth. Surely, they would not wish to accompany us otherwise."

'Hmm,' mused Mevox. 'I suppose Ammie has a point. I can't imagine you Blackburns would abandon Marshrock just to convince us.'

"Exactly," said Ismael. "The only problem is where do we go? I do not think retreating to Intar would be wise, given how strong the Vanguard's presence is there."

'Not to mention the Intarian Rainlords,' said Mevox. 'Those dickholes haven't lifted a finger to help us. They might turn on us if we show up on their doorstep.'

"To be fair," said Abel, "would we have gone to their aid?"

'Of course not. They're dickholes.'

Abel returned a calm stare, as if waiting for the reaper to realize the hypocrisy there, but it didn't seem to have much effect on Mevox. Hector was fairly certain that Mevox understood what he'd said perfectly well and just didn't give a shit.

And then, it occurred to Hector that if these people needed a place to lay low for a while, he could provide exactly that. But it could also be a terrible idea, another thought argued. He didn't actually know the Rainlords very well, and offering them refuge might well steer an angry Vanguard toward Atreya. What would the Queen think?

Before he could give the matter any more consideration, however, Asad beat him to the punch.

"I invite you all to Moaban," the Sandlord said.

The Rainlords were briefly silent until Mevox piped up.

'Why Moaban?' the reaper asked.

Qorvass chimed in now. 'We have a summer home there which can accommodate you all comfortably. It is a lovely place. Asad and Imas grew up there. We would invite you to Kuros, but we are not sure how our kin would react to your presence.'

"If you stay in your own territory, the Vanguard will be more likely to find you," said Asad. "But my involvement in your affairs is still a secret, no? Therefore, I think it would be best if you relied on me in this case."

"What are we supposed to do once in Moaban?" said Salvador. "Wait around and hope the Vanguard has a sudden change of heart? They have our kin!"

"It is a bad situation," said Lord Abel, "but our priority now should be to regroup. We can determine our next move later. I believe we should accept Lord Asad's hospitality and leave Luzo immediately."

"Agreed," said Amaya. "In fact, I believe we have already wasted too much time here arguing. The sooner we leave, the better."

Lord Salvador grumbled but conceded a nod.

'Alright, fine,' said Mevox. 'But what about--?'

The reaper stopped talking when the east door opened and a young attendant rushed up to Lord Abel and whispered something to him.

Abel stood up instantly. "I have just been told that the Lord Zeff Elroy has arrived in Luzo."

Hector heard a chorus of gasps, but for his part, he was mainly just confused.

-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-

The group gathered beneath the wide overhang of the modest building's front entrance. Zeff and Axiolis lay unconscious in the back of a parked limousine while the reaper Ezura recounted the tale of what had happened to them and her servant, the Lady Evangelina Stroud.

Asad was still having trouble believing that was really Zeff lying there. A part of him had thought he would never see his old friend again, and these were strange circumstances in which to be proven wrong. But after listening to Ezura, it was difficult to feel very relieved.

The ruling Rainlords stood there alongside him, as did the Elroys and Hector. Everyone else who'd been present for negotiations had since dispersed, given instructions to prepare for an immediate departure.

Once Ezura was done talking, Lord Salvador eyed the Blackburns. "It seems you were not lying about Parson Miles."

Lord Ismael merely returned a grim look.

"Do we have any of the Garzas with us?" asked Abel.

"A few, yes," said Amaya. "Cousin Carlos is quite close with Socorro's daughters."

"So is Lorenzo," said Salvador. "I remember wondering if he was going to ask one of them to marry him."

Amaya smiled weakly. "Those two boys. I would not be surprised if they intended to have a double wedding."

And for a time, no one seemed able to find anything else to say.

Asad hadn't known Socorro very well at all, but it was enough just witnessing the impact that the news of her death was having. These people were well-acquainted with death, of course, but Socorro was one of their peers, someone they had grown up with--not just kin, but an old friend as well.

And this was the second time. Perhaps the Vanguard could claim Mariana's death as incidental, but not so here. Parson Miles had killed Socorro in cold blood.

Asad wished he could do more for these people. Most of all, he wished his own kin could see them the way he did. Maybe things wouldn't have turned out this way.

At length, the conversation resumed as they remembered the sense of urgency. Amaya spoke of finding Socorro's daughters to deliver the news personally. Abel spoke of finding a private place for Ezura to regenerate Evangelina. And they gradually began to disperse.

It was Mevox who stopped everyone. 'Ismael. We never settled the matter of your son.'

"I suppose we will have to discuss it further in Moaban," said Ismael.

'Not sure that's good enough,' said Mevox. 'What if your son hurts someone during the journey?'

"He won't."

'If only it were that simple,' said Mevox. 'I'd like to believe you; I really would. You probably think I'm just a cynical jackass trying to cause problems for you, but we have to keep your boy under guard. You must be able to understand that much, right?'

"I do," said Ismael. "That is why House Blackburn will be the one doing so."

'That's not good enough, and you know it. How can we trust your people to do what is necessary to stop him?'

"How can I trust that your people will not harm him?"

Qorvass floated forward. 'Might I propose an apparent compromise?'

They waited for him to explain.

'Four servants will remain with Ibai at all times,' said Qorvass. 'Two will be chosen by House Blackburn, and two will be chosen by us. This way, if anyone steps out of line, be it Ibai or one of his guards, someone else will be there to help keep things in order.'

'Or to help escalate things,' amended Mevox.

'That is why I advise everyone to pick your guards wisely,' said Qorvass. 'But I believe this may well be the only fair solution, and since we are pressed for time, I ask that you decide quickly.'

"Very well," said Ismael. "I can agree to those terms."

"As can I," said Abel.

Salvador nodded, and Mevox gave a relenting sigh.

"Go and bring Ibai here," said Abel. "We will have our two guards chosen by the time you return."

The Blackburns departed immediately, and shortly thereafter, so did Lady Amaya along with a few of the other Sebolts.

Mevox sighed another time. 'Agh. Why do I always end up being the asshole?'

Salvador smirked. "Perhaps it is just your natural state of being."

'So you're saying I should embrace it? Alright. Salvador, you have a tiny head.'

"Hey..."

'You look like a little dude piloting a big dude's body.'

That earned a chuckle from Asad.

"Don't just do it to me!" said Salvador. "Asad is standing right there!"

'Asad, you're bald, and your tattoos look like doo-doo.'

'Okay,' said Qorvass, 'Perhaps we should go now. Always a pleasure, Mevox.'

'Same to you, Qorvass, you pile of cancerous dog balls. You son-of-a-bitch-baby's shit-filled diaper. You stupid-name-having motherfucker. You--'

Everyone was staring.

'...I'm really sorry. I got too excited.'

A beat passed, and then Qorvass said, 'I don't think we should allow Mevox anywhere near the aberration. Agreed?'

"Agreed."

"Yeah."

"Indeed."

'I hate you all.'

"So who should we choose?" asked Salvador. "I would volunteer myself, if not for this guy."

'Oh, whatever! I can control myself, if I want!'

'Asad can take a later shift, if need be,' said Qorvass, 'but he needs to rest first.'

Dimas stepped forward. "I volunteer, at least until Xuan is awake."

Asad blinked at the man. "That could be days."

"I will be fine."

"Dimas has chronic insomnia," said Lord Abel, eyeing his son. "That does not stop him from becoming tired, however. I will allow you the first shift."

Dimas nodded.

'Well, that's one,' said Mevox. 'Who else? How about Lorenzo?'

Hector stepped up. "I, uh... I volunteer, as well."

Asad eyed the young Lord Goffe. "Are you sure?"

Hector's expression suggested he was. "I just... I would like to know more about this aberration."

"I see no problem with that," said Salvador, slapping a huge hand against Hector's shoulder. "He held his own against Darktide, didn't he? And myself, of course. I'd say he qualifies."

The lone Sandlord frowned. Salvador and the others didn't know about the shield, but Asad recognized his brother's work well enough. Hector and Garovel hadn't explained the details--which was their right, of course--but it still left Asad slightly concerned for them.

He held his tongue, though. He certainly understood the desire to keep one's true strength a secret. He'd been able to do something similar in his youth, thanks to his tattoos. Without a doubt, they were the greatest gift his mother had ever given him, though he certainly hadn't thought so while receiving them.

And while Asad reminisced to himself and watched the Elroy children hovering around their sleeping father, his hands drifted into the pockets of his still-tattered robe.

Something metallic was there, he realized. Small and round. A ring.

He pulled it out and stared at it with wide eyes. It was simple enough in design--featureless tungsten carbide on the outside, concealing a row of tiny black spikes on the inside. They would tear into his skin if he put it on, Asad knew, but it was indeed meant to be worn on either one of his middle fingers.

Qorvass noticed the item. 'A new ring?' he said privately and in Valgan. 'When did you get that?'

'...Before we left Kuros,' Asad said, also in Valgan.

'And what does this one do?'

'It enhances the effects of my tattoos.'

The reaper paused. 'Enhances how, exactly?'

'It allows them... to absorb more damage and reflect it back at my opponent.'

'What?! You had something that useful on you this whole time?! Why didn't you ever use it?!'

'...I forgot about it.'

'Asad! Are you kidding?! Do you know how helpful that would have been?!'

'I... yes.'

'Why didn't you just show it to me when you first got it?! I would've remembered it for you!'

'...I'd already forgotten by then.'

'That quickly?! Asad!'

'I'm sorry! I remembered it later, on the plane to Rheinhal, but then I forgot again!'

'Agh, holy oasis!' said Qorvass. 'I knew your memory wasn't the best, but wow! Even for you, this is a new low. You're only forty-five years old, man. Are you already going senile? Should I stop you from aging any further?'

'I... I'm sure I would've remembered it if things had ever become too desperate.'

'Oh, you mean like when we were fighting off three people at once? Or when Darktide was stomping the hell out of all of our comrades?'

'Hey, everything worked out in the end, didn't it?'

'Yes, and if things had gone differently, you would have let us both die like idiots.'

'You're partly to blame, too. We were sharing memories for quite a while there, and you didn't remember, either.'

'How was I supposed to know that you had forgotten something so important?!'

'You should have checked. You just said that you knew I had a bad memory.'

'I cannot believe you, right now... Agh. If it is that powerful, then you should have just put it on and never taken it off.'

'I was afraid it might blow up.'

'It's a ring. Why would it blow up?'

'Because Haqq made it.'

The reaper hesitated. 'Okay, fair point. But why did you not test it, then?'

'There wasn't time! He gave it to me as I was leaving!'

'Agh...'

'Would you stop saying that? I apologized!'

'AGH.'

Asad pursed his lips and looked over the Rainlords and Hector another time. '...Let's never tell anyone about this.'

'...Agreed.'