Of Flesh & Bone Chapter 8

Chapter Eight: Council 

Whispers of heresy and mutiny marked Tez's ascent into the Sanguine, beyond the chapels of the Citadel. It was unheard of for a Weaving-Lord to defy a Cleansing the way Tez did. By directly fighting the Umbrals, the lord had broken more laws than he could remember.

But he couldn't let Adera get away with this. He knew the moment he ran out of Kozrin's laboratory, when he received Agolio's tendril, that he would have to defy the so-called 'order' the Weaving-Lords had loosely enforced.

Agolio. His commander was dead. Panic wanted to surge, but no adrenaline was left. Numbness clouded his mind. It all felt so hopeless. He remembered the dead, twisted face of Agolio. And now? Now Tez was truly alone, no one left he would call a friend.

Under normal circumstances, the lords could get away with much. Alliances, bribes and hidden deals lamented the political scene of Viskris.

Unfortunately, Tez had no friends left within the Weaving Council. Nor had he much wealth, or the subtlety to initiate hidden deals. No, Tez had not much left of anything.

Tez also had no longer a real body left. Chained with weavecraft-links, the Flesh-Lord was fleshless. A thin, shriveled skeleton. Additionally, his runes were nowhere to be found.

Agolio…

Tez was - by all means - dead. Now, he would be dragged in front of the Weaving-Lords for his final execution. The final ax to his head. They were making a show of it even, by bringing him to the Sanguine. That sealed Tez's fate in his mind. He would join his lieutenant in death.

At least they saved the Sinews. It hurt him greatly that it cost the lives of so many Fleshweavers, but… they had saved the district. That at least was something that brought him a flicker of hope., even if fleeting.

For too long, he had idly stood by, watching the lords play with the countless lives they were supposed to protect. He knew he couldn't really stop Adera from completing the Luring, but at least he had defied her in so many other ways. Tez had proved that Fleshweavers were not just dangerous, but also capable.

More than capable, the man thought as he remembered glimpses of Flesh's destruction, the faces of his dead flesh weavers. In a way, he had started a weaving war. And he didn't know if he really wanted to end it. But that didn't matter any longer. Now he was on trial before people that wanted him long dead, anyway.

Eight Weaving-Lords, each representing their discipline, towered over imprisoned Tez in the blood-red halls of the Sanguine.

Heart, Sense, Blood, Breath, Mind, Skin, Gut and Plague. No Flesh or Bone in sight. One was on trial, and the other no longer existed.

Sitting in their high-thrones, he could barely see them, his vision a blur, but their voices… their voices were too familiar.

"Flesh-Lord Tez I'zimare, Commander of the East-Watch Garrison," Breath-Lord Quon-Si's voice echoed through the enormous red halls of the Sanguine, "You are on trial for the direct interference with a sanctioned Cleansing."

The Breathweaver's voice was much louder than expected, his white weaving glowing, strengthening his vocal cords.

"After your reports of Seraph-Cultists arriving on the eastern Black River bank, you had asked Plaque-Lady Adera to examine them for Dead-Rot. She witnessed them to be infected."

Tez gritted his teeth. That was his first mistake. He was too distracted with Flesh and the Orphanage, he should have personally examined the cultists–

"The Blood-Veins of Venris led directly to the Eastern banks outside the walls. Therefore, Lady Adera was within the right to release the Umbrals. She had stated that you, Lord I'zimare, had attempted to interfere with the completion of her Luring."

Tez couldn't respond. His mouth was gagged, his body shackled. Although he didn't quite think he could speak, anyway. What muscles to move his lips, or clear his throat–

Suddenly, his head hurt like someone just poked it with a hot iron. Too familiar.

"There is great pain. His mind did not want the Cleansing to occur due to the Blood-Veins of Venris also leading into the Sinews, and prevent the indiscriminate murder of its citizens," a man's voice rang through the red halls. It was Mind-Lord Urav, relaying Tez's thoughts to the council.

Tez wanted to resist the familiar intrusion of mindweaving, but simply couldn't. There wasn't a single drop of Ink left in his veins.

Plaque-Lady Adera now spoke. Her voice like ice.

"Frivolous response. We all know that no matter what, some cultists will always make it into the city. And the Sinews district is where they first end up."

Blood-Lord Geel, the shadow-y figure furthest away from the chained skeleton of Tez, piped up.

"Indeed, Lady Adera. The Sinews harbors all diseases of Viskris. We should have eradicated that filthy district a long time ago. Do you know how many corpses there are in those streets alone? Imagine the Dead-Rot getting to them!"

Tez could barely listen to the conversations happening. His mind was a haze. Somehow, the weavecraft-shackles kept him alive enough to witness his own confusing death trial. But he barely understood it.

"--Agreed. The Eastern Walls are not safe and must be reinforced–"

"--the Umbrals will deal with the dead cultists affected by the Rot–"

"None of them made it into the city? Thank the Sanguine–"

Through the mumbled conversations and hissing whispers, Breath-Lord Quon-Si's powerful voice put a stop to the hushed discussions.

"Enough. Lords and Ladies, contain yourselves. Our weavers are securing the Eastern Walls. Most of the Deadrotten are being burned as we speak. The remaining Umbrals have returned to their veins. Viskris is safe, for now. This is about the judgment of Flesh-Lord I'zimare's actions–"

"Did he truly interfere?" a quiet voice followed the lord's. It was the voice of Heart-Lady Teema. Soft, but she quieted the room down more than Quon-Si ever could. If Tez could frown, he would.

No one responded, so the Heartweaver continued to speak.

"The Cleansing was initiated by Lady Adera because of the arrival of the Seraph-Cultists, correct?" Multiple murmurs followed, but no one answered. "Technically, it accomplished its desired goal… no? The Umbrals eliminated the threat outside the walls."

More silence. Tez felt… hopeful? For just a second, there was a rush of excitement– He swore he saw a purple glow through Teema's white linen dress.

Then he remembered Agolio.

"It is true, the Fleshweavers did not interfere with the Cleansing outside of the walls," Mind-Lord Urav said. Tez felt an intense headache creep up on him as the weaver spoke, before it suddenly stopped.

"He still attempted to halt the Luring when I was on the balcony," Lady Adera responded. "Practically, it is all the same. A mutiny. Disregard for our laws. The lord and his weavers murdered many of our useful tools. It will be months before we can recover the numbers of Umbrals."

Was she referring to Umbrals as tools? Tez couldn't believe her complete lack of emotions. The Plaque-Lady appeared upset at the fact that the Sinews weren't wiped out. Perhaps Tez wasn't as bad as he first thought. But no, the cost of losing Agolio, the rest of his fleshweavers… No, he was bad.

Feeling the unrest, Sense-Lord Lux, the spymaster of the Council, cleared his throat, before lazily placing his feet on the arm rests of his enormous silver throne. "That brings me to my point, ladies and gentlemen. As not all of us were there, of course…"

Lux smirked. Multiple eyes darted to the man.

"What?" Adera asked, obviously annoyed at the man's drawn-out pause to build suspense.

"Well, when my interior spies were observing the Fleshweavers… rather brutal massacre of the Umbrals inside the Sinews–" Lux readjusted his legs, posturing himself up. He seemed to enjoy this newfound attention.

"There did appear to be a rather, umm… large amount of our 'tools' released within the district. A suspiciously large quantity of Umbrals." The spymaster seemed to glance shiftily at Adera, though Tez couldn't really tell.

"I wasn't aware the Blood-Veins of Venris could contain so many, Plaque-Lady. Could you enlighten us on… why exactly there were so many?"

"My Luring was proportional to the amount of cultists I observed, Sense-Lord. It was by happenstance that more Umbrals were released in the Sinews. We cannot control the beasts fully, as you know." Lady Adera said, her tone so… formal and rigid, as if the lives of hundreds of people meant nothing to her.

Lux shrugged an eyebrow in response, returning his legs back on the arm-rests of his throne. He seemed pleased with her response, seemingly not pushing any further. Adera saw that opportunity to emphasize her absolute disdain for Tez.

"Besides, this does not absolve the destruction of them. They are Sanguine-property, the highest level of weavecraft classification. Any of our own citizens found to fight back against Umbrals - if they miraculously survive - are executed. What precedent would… pardoning him for this defiance set for the rest of the populace?"

Most of the Weaving-Lords agreed. Tez could see nods and hear whispers of assurance. Only Teema seemed hesitant.

"What about his accomplices? The other Fleshweavers?" Blood-Lord Geel inquired.

Agolio. Dead. Who survived?

The man had always seen Tez as his rival, as their realm of control often intersected. This was his opportunity to finally get rid of him and his weavers, once and for all.

"It will take years to recover the number of Fleshweavers lost," Adera said. "Only a small percentage remain, all who are currently not traceable."

His garrison was well-trained, and loyal. He hoped they would hide for now, but he knew them well enough. No, there will be more bloodshed when Tez dies. His Fleshweavers would not forgive his death.

He had started a weaving war, and he wouldn't end it. He couldn't. Tez didn't know how.