Call of the Abyss [Book 2 Complete]

"If the Assembly is corrupted, is this not the worst-case scenario? We have the entirety of Tûrathiin within Veshari's walls. If one or more of the Assembly has betrayed us, have we not brought them all here to die at once?" a woman at the end of the table farthest from Julia asked.

She had brought news back about her ambush, which implicated the Assembly pretty definitively as the information leak. The council of Zal'Nadir was quickly assembled to discuss how to proceed.

The good news was that the other strikes had largely gone without issue. Two of the six groups managed to destroy their Barrowlord targets, as well as several, or all, of the Revenant guards.

The other four, while missing the opportunity to eliminate the Barrowlords, succeeded in dealing significant damage to the large number of Nashiin in their respective camps.

The two that succeeded in assassinating the Barrowlords were, of course, Julia and Ithshar's groups—the difference being that Julia had managed to get her Barrowlord and its honor guard, while Ithshar's party had annihilated nearly half the entire camp, plus the Barrowlord and its guards, before retreating.

Julia wasn't surprised—leaving the camp a smoking ruin was exactly what she'd predicted Ithshar would do.

"Peace: we do not know the extent of the betrayal. Indeed, it is not even confirmed—merely supposed, albeit with substantial evidence," a man next to the first woman placated.

"The issue at hand is not discovering the full extent of the betrayal. It is managing this conflict with the Nashiin going forward.

"How can any decision made by the Assembly be trusted? How can the Assembly be trusted to do battle with the Nashiin, when at least one of their number is likely aligned with them?" a woman to Julia's right asked.

"Are you…are we suggesting that the Assembly's ability to lead be called into question? This is far outside the scope of the Zal'Nadir. Sedition is not our purpose.

"As much as it grieves me to say, we do not work for the Jadhariin: 'always among them; never one of them,' remember? We work solely for the Mother, and the Jadhariin's struggles are not Hers.

"The most that is within our authority is to report this issue to the Assembly, while also spreading the word among the populace. If their leaders are compromised or failing to represent their wishes and ideals, it is up to them to act," a man close to Ithshar and across from Julia lectured, though he seemed downcast, as though his own opinion saddened him.

Seyatha, who had remained silent and contemplative, arms crossed and eyes closed, throughout the meeting, suddenly lifted her head. Silence suffused the gathering immediately as she stirred, and she looked at each person around the table one-by-one.

"Regardless of any inferences being made, it is correct to say that the first step would be to inform the Assembly of this suspected betrayal. They will not take the news well, but it is what must be done. No matter what else comes, that is what we must do first.

"Thus, let us adjourn for the rest of the day. I will take this news to the Assembly, and we can reconvene again later for further discussion, once we've heard what the Assembly's decision—" she said before being interrupted by the door flying open.

A young man, probably in his early twenties, by Julia's estimation, burst into the room. He slammed his fist against his chest, and his rosy cheeks and breathlessness suggested he had sprinted here from a great distance.

"My lady, apologies for the interruption! I have urgent news!" the man exclaimed while bowing his head.

"Rise. Let's have the news," Seyatha commanded calmly.

"Scouts from the Dahmir'veth have reported Nashiin movement from within Tûrathiin! The waters stir with movement beneath, and several scouts have disappeared from the surveillance ring the Dahmir'veth established around our borders.

"They believe this to indicate that the Nashiin are making a final push to take Veshari!" he finished in a huff, to a room filled with tense silence.

"That—" a woman next to Ithshar began, but Seyatha silenced her immediately with a raised hand.

"You have done well bringing this to us. Go now and rest—but before you do, please find another runner. Send them to the Assembly to ask about defensive preparations. Ask them how the Zal'Nadir might best assist," she ordered the man.

"Of course, ma'am! Thank you!" he shouted, once again clanging his fist against his chest before bolting out of the room, the door slamming shut behind him.

Silence lingered for a few breaths before a man across from Seyatha broke it.

"How is this possible? The Nashiin received information about Julia's attack location, but not about our plan to bait them into an attack? This makes no sense," he wondered.

"Could the member of the Assembly that is compromised have not been able to communicate the full details? We do not know how they keep in touch with the Nashiin—perhaps it is a method that does not allow extensive details," a woman thought aloud.

"It might not be any of the Roots themselves who are compromised," Julia said.

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Eyes turned to her, urging her to expand, so she continued.

"Seyatha only suggested secrecy when she called the previous Assembly. There were no oaths taken, no guarantees given. Any one of the Roots could've leaked information to the true informant—not that this is a guarantee.

"We have so little information. It could very well be that the only information that the informant could get out so quickly was which camp was my specific target.

"Gohlmer did say that the information was 'late in coming,' though I'd be resistant to believing the words of my enemy outright without any additional confirmation," Julia reasoned, more thinking aloud than explaining.

"It changes nothing, ultimately," Seyatha said, all eyes moving to her.

"The Nashiin are making a final push. Whether or not information of our plan has reached them, they are still moving as we wished them to. We must prepare for the oncoming battle, making sure to watch out for any attempted sabotage by the informant—or informants—during the battle.

"We will adjourn now. No doubt the Assembly has received word just as we. I will go to them to discuss the battle and what preparations might be made. Ithshar and Julia, come with me—if you would?" she finished, looking at Julia.

Julia nodded and rose with the rest of the council, filing out of the door and heading for the Assembly chambers. The Roots would undoubtedly be on their way as well. They were not just the administrators for Tûrathiin. They were its leaders, which meant they would be orchestrating the specifics of Veshari's defense.

As Julia, Seyatha, and Ithshar loaded up on one of the barges, Ithshar taking the helm—as always, Julia looked up at Seyatha.

"Will the Mother intervene? Surely this represents a threat to Her just as much as the Jadhariin," she reasoned.

Seyatha glanced at her before looking wistfully ahead.

"She has not stirred, and I do not possess the power to make Her stir. We are on our own," she said flatly.

Julia's gut clenched tightly. She hadn't really expected any aid from Her—what could a tree even do, really—but it was still disappointing to hear it put so bluntly.

The barge sailed through the silent city. Floating markets stood empty, waves lapping against their stoops. The wind blew leaves and dust across empty stalls and the floors of unused public gathering spaces.

Though it was empty, Julia could feel many eyes on her, being one of the few watercraft moving about. All around were trees packed with residents and guests—filled nearly to bursting.

The Assembly had taken as many Jadhariin volunteers as possible to host the migrants from the rest of the marsh, and the Jadhariin were nothing if not generous to their own. Each tree was now filled to max capacity, many having no extra room for activities other than watching out their windows.

Migrants—or maybe refugees was a more appropriate term—that couldn't fit within existing homes were put up in whatever buildings were stable and had available space: warehouses, vacant stores, even the visitor quarters that Julia had initially stayed in were filled.

Out on the far outskirts of the city, Julia could just make out the "wall." This was an enormous barricade constructed of entwined roots. The elves somehow raised the roots from beneath the marsh floor, twisting and braiding them around each other to create an obstacle a full climb tall, and at least a jog thick.

Julia was initially concerned that this braided structure would enable the Nashiin to climb the wall—it was just treebark, after all—but she had been assured that it wouldn't be an issue. After seeing those huge roots tied together out of nowhere, she was inclined to believe it.

The roots were so colossal that a natural moat was created in front of them just from where they lifted off the marsh floor. The ground had collapsed without the roots holding it up, so the water in front of the wall was a solid climb deep, adding to the wall's defense.

Julia roused from her thoughts as the barge docked at the Assembly chambers. There was a noticeable increase in military presence here. Normally, there would only be a few guards at key chokepoints and doors, but there was hardly even standing room today.

Seyatha had briefly explained the Thalan'veth's—the Jadhariin military's—structure to Julia, so she recognized representatives from each corps.

The Dahmir'veth—The Shadebound—were scouts and assassins and infiltrators. Anything that required delicate maneuvering was within their realm. They had elves in black masks atop vantage points around the structure, watching for any trouble on the horizon and guarding against any attempted stealth attacks.

The Thalûm'Dahm—The Rooted Blade—were the soldiers of the military. They were comprised of pretty much all forces that one would expect to see on the frontlines: infantry, archers, and even cavalry—though the elven cavalry operated on raqsalin rather than horses. They were effectively shock troops.

They stood with pikes high, guarding doors, docks, windows, and any ingresses that one could feasibly fit through, with archers at key positions to back the infantry up.

And finally, the Zahri'thalan—The Bloomtouched. These were the auxiliaries—anyone that didn't fit neatly into the other two corps wound up in this one, with casters being the most prominent of their forces. However, there were also more civilian-oriented positions, such as healers, engineers, and even scholars that could lend their educated and studied opinions to tactics and planning.

These were more a mishmash that ran around here and there, seeking to lend their aid wherever their specialties were needed most, rather than the orderly ranks of the other two corps.

Julia gazed at the chaotic—yet somehow also orderly and disciplined—scene with awe. This military, even just this tiny portion of it, was a far cry from the rabble of guards she'd seen in Striton. She felt this military could take Striton with less than half its defenders' numbers if it chose—though, she quickly shook such a foolish thought from her head.

She followed Seyatha and Ithshar as they disembarked, making straight for the Assembly chamber. They were completely unchallenged by any of the Thalan'veth, and Julia even noticed several stand up straighter or straighten their robes and pins out as her group neared. Another small example of the kind of influence Seyatha wielded, she decided.

Guards at the chamber entrance bowed their heads slightly before opening the double doors and motioning the group in. This was an entrance that Julia had only been to a couple times, as it led directly to the chamber floor. Seyatha's booth had an entrance up a more private flight of stairs. She was intending to actively participate in this session, clearly.

Curiously, Ithshar split off from Seyatha and Julia, making for Seyatha's private booth. Julia looked at Seyatha questioningly, wondering if she should follow Ithshar, but Seyatha shook her head and beckoned her onward.

They entered the chamber and were immediately assaulted by raised voices. Some sounded angry, some sounded panicked, but they were all clearly emotional. Julia couldn't begin to guess how this session would unfold.