The Bee Dungeon

High Councilor Konilias frowned and crossed his arms.

"So, the lost Tower being run by one of Lord Starami's people and the first Tower of a new god, was it? It is a compelling theory, General, but do you have any additional evidence to support it? Beyond these coincidences and circumstances you have brought to our attention?"

General Rippotis shook his head.

"I do not, but we should prepare for the contingency nonetheless."

High Councilor Stadvolous waved his hand.

"We already have, General."

General Rippotis raised an eyebrow, so Stadvolous continued.

"The preparation is built into the Grand Subjugation itself. All rogue humans shall be invited into the Conclave, peacefully of course, and only if they refuse our guidance shall things come to blows. Even then, it is our policy, is it not, to simply teach any rogue humans the errors of their ways. So, if the Tower Lord in question truly is one of Lord Starami's subjects, then it should be a simple matter, should it not? They would already understand the authority of the Conclave, after all. And if they come to blows, Lord Starami will not end the rogue outright, provided they are reasonable once the balance of power is made clear."

General Rippotis shook his head.

"With all due respect, High Councilor Stadvolous, that is an overly optimistic assessment. Grand Subjugation campaigns are rarely so clean, nor does any policy stand for long on the warpath. And in this scenario, Lord Starami's son has already burnt the rogue Tower Lord's home and wounded the lord personally, while Lord Starami has lost a son to this Tower already. Do you truly believe either of them will sit down and calmly negotiate when they meet again? Do you believe a limited show of force will be possible when blood has already been spilt?"

High Councilor Heigiosa then cut in.

"Regardless, I agree with General Rippotis that the potential consequences of a violent confrontation are not something I can ignore. We will not drive a new god out from the world, should it prove this Tower does belong to the God of Bees."

High Councilor Stadvolous bowed his head.

"But of course, High Councilor Heigiosa. But…is it not the case that this God of Bees has already become a secondary patron to General Rippotis' Tower, no less? Whatever the fate of the rogue Tower, even should it belong to her, she will not be driven from the world. No, if anything, I am certain General Rippotis will give her a place of honor and recognition far superior to anything a single rogue Tower can manage. Perhaps, rather than micromanaging a Tower Lord during a dangerous Grand Subjugation, General Rippotis should focus on expanding her worship in his own domain, so that she is not dependent on a single rogue Tower to begin with."

General Rippotis fell silent. Unfortunately, High Councilor Stadvolous had a point with his barbs. The general had indeed focused heavily upon the ongoing Grand Subjugation and the discussions with the High Council, perhaps he hadn't given the God of Bees the reverence she deserved. It was indeed also true that expanding her faith among his own people would also prevent her from losing her presence in the world should anything happen to her Tower…assuming the lost Tower was hers to begin with. General Rippotis expected as much…but could not assert it as fact.

High Councilor Konilias let out a light sigh.

"It is unfortunate timing for a new god to appear, General, with how complicated this Grand Subjugation has already become. I think it would be fair to inform the Conclave to be on the lookout for a Tower under the God of Bees and to inform us immediately if they find one…but there is still the matter of the fey. Until we know where the fey will appear and how much of a threat they present, it would be dangerous to divert attention away from finding them…or to restrain those who might encounter them. If, for example, it is the fey who have occupied the God of Bees' Tower and one of our armies approaches with their guard down, expecting diplomacy…we could quickly find ourselves in another pixie queen scenario."

General Rippotis grunted.

"If the pixies survived."

High Councilor Konilias made a troubled smile.

"General, do you truly believe that they wouldn't if the fey have?"

General Rippotis…could not retort to that. High Councilor Stadvolous, meanwhile, nodded along.

"Indeed, I would expect the man who won the Blackwood War for the wicked kings of old to understand just how dangerous contact with the fey can be. And was not the Hunger itself a result of trusting the fey? Were it not for your missions and my utmost respect for you, General, I would propose we destroy every rogue Tower without mercy on this Grand Subjugation. Even then, we cannot expose Tower Lords to the machinations of the fey, and gods forbid if the fey have usurped Towers of their own! Who knows what horrific schemes they could weave with the power of the gods themselves?!"

Heigiosa frowned.

"High Councilor Stadvolous, comport yourself. We are the High Council, we cannot give ourselves over to panic."

High Councilor Konilias looked over to High Councilor Heigiosa. He frowned and let out a sigh before beginning to speak.

"Indeed, let us refocus. High Councilor Heigiosa…forgive me for asking, but…has the God of Light broken her silence?"

Pain flashed across High Councilor Heigiosa's face for a brief moment. General Rippotis's heart constricted in his chest…but he said nothing. High Councilor Konilias knew what it meant to ask that question as well as he, General Rippotis knew the man would not ask if it were not vital to confirm. The God of Light was the one who gave them the Towers to begin with, the god they believed most invested in the salvation of humanity and the world. If she spoke, every Tower Lord would give her their full attention. If she did not, they could presume the fate of the world was not at stake.

Reading on Amazon or a pirate site? This novel is from Royal Road. Support the author by reading it there.

And she had not spoken since the first Towers were fully established.

"She…has not."

High Councilor Stadvolous tipped his nose up.

"So, neither the God of Light nor the God of Dragons consider this situation urgent, then. I am sorry, General, but with such major gods remaining silent I believe the High Council must therefore act as if your missions regarding both the fey and the lost Tower are simply the personal preference of the God of Fire, perhaps with the God of Water's support."

General Rippotis frowned.

"And the God of Flowers."

High Councilor Stadvolous nodded…with a light smirk.

"But of course, though I suspect she is simply dragged along by the God of Water she needs. In any case…the situation is too dangerous to restrict the Conclave's hands, even for you and your patron."

General Rippotis scowled…but he let his anger fade as he glanced at High Councilor Heigiosa again. Honestly, he couldn't say he fully understood his own god's intentions regarding the fey, they were indeed dangerous and hostile to humanity the last the two peoples met. And the fey were at their most dangerous when a human tried to deal with them with words, exactly what his mission would require. It was honestly a strange and difficult mission to begin with.

If it had been the God of Light who gave the mission urging peace, the High Council might suspect that a war with the fey would prove detrimental to humanity as a whole…but it had been the God of Fire, instead. A god who did not normally shy away from conflict and war, who was all too happy for his followers to take dramatic risks, even. General Rippotis…had to concede that the God of Fire probably had personal reasons to issue such a mission, perhaps treasured followers among the fey he would prefer survived. The God of Fire rarely hesitated to proclaim his desires, after all.

The general thus…could not bet the survival of the Conclave and humanity on the mission. He would simply have to do his best to, as the mission itself implied, restrain excessive escalation. Perhaps prevent the Conclave from harming any disciples of Fire after the fey were defeated, and prevent the lost Tower from being fully subjugated.

"Very well. I will redouble my efforts to locate the fey. I do request, however, that I am informed immediately once they or the lost Tower have been located. I will still do my utmost to see the gods' wishes fulfilled."

High Councilor Stadvolous grinned.

"But of course."

General Rippotis gave him a look but High Councilor Konilias cleared his throat.

"It seems we are decided, then. Let us refocus back on the task of locating the fey and determining the threat they represent. High Councilor Stadvolous, do inform Lord Starami that we expect him to uphold the highest standards of the Conclave on this subjugation, including if and when he locates the lost Tower. Will that relieve your concerns regarding your contingency, General?"

General Rippotis was not fully relieved, but he gave High Councilor Konilias a nod. It was the best he could demand under the circumstances. Konilias was wily and the general could never fully decipher his intentions…but he knew for a fact the man was an ally, one who had chosen to stand with him and Heigiosa in the darkest days all those years ago. And Konilias was certainly wiser than he regarding the politics of the High Council. He would accept Konilias's compromise...provided Heigiosa agreed as well. She was the most devoted among them, after all, so if she agreed it was necessary to defer his missions to the gods for now, then he would do so as well.

But then, he heard Heigiosa gasp. He quickly turned to her and gasped himself. Every member of the High Councilor did so, then stared in shock at the sight before them.

A bright column of light shone down upon Heigiosa, illuminating her with a golden glow. Tears streamed down her face as she clasped her hands together and then fell from her chair to her knees.

Every member of the High Council, General Rippotis included, stood absolutely still. For one minute, then ten, then half an hour. The High Council would not interrupt this moment, no matter how long it took. Even when the light faded, no one dared to speak. Only Heigiosa's sniffling broke through the silence as she rose to her feet.

Her face broke out into a smile even as tears continued flowing down her cheeks. She spoke in a tiny whisper.

"The silence…has finally been broken."

She took a deep breath and then hardened her expression, locking eyes with each of the High Councilors in turn.

"The God of Light has spoken and made her will clear, on this issue and others! Lord Starami is the one who will encounter the fair folk of the Calwaskon Compact at the end of his journey. We are NOT to make war upon them, nor are we to harm the lost Tower he is searching for! None of them are a threat to this world, but a war between our peoples is!"

She turned to General Rippotis and gave him a bright smile, brighter than he had seen in centuries. He gladly returned it. Even though the God of Light's intervention vastly increased the gravity of the situation, he could not help but be overjoyed that she had finally made contact with Heigiosa once more.

High Councilor…no, Oracle of Light Heigiosa dropped her smile, though.

"Additionally…the God of Light is concerned that we have lost our way. She wishes for us to refocus our attention upon the Hunger and to make war against our fellow mortals no longer, whether human…or otherwise. We are to let the gods decide who will rule their Towers and to battle against rogue Towers no longer."

She gave each and every one of them a stern look.

"And that specifically includes the beastkin. They do not serve the Sorcerer Kings anymore, they now fight against the Hunger, the same as us. We are to let the gods alone be their judge and treat them as fellow defenders of this world. The same goes for the fey as well. The God of Light wishes for every living being in this world to stand together against the Hunger!"

That got the High Councilor's attention, with nearly all of them muttering to themselves. High Councilor Konilias thought in silence for a moment before slowly nodding.

"So High Councilor Heigiosa, the Oracle of Light, has spoken. Who here has cause to defy her will, or the God of Light she speaks for?"

Not one High Councilor spoke a word. Oracle Heigiosa gave High Councilor Konilias a grateful nod, then turned to High Councilor Stadvolous.

"High Councilor Stadvolous, servant of the God of Dragons, lord of Stadvolous Tower, in the name of the gods I beseech you. Send word to Lord Starami and inform him of these developments. Pull him back, let us not risk provoking the lost Tower or the fair folk to violence."

High Councilor Stadvolous slowly lowered his head.

"I am at your command, High Councilor Heigiosa, Oracle of Light."

Oracle Heigiosa then turned to General Rippotis and smiled once more.

"We will send another, as decreed by the gods. General Rippotis, servant of the God of Fire, commander of the Dragon Banner Army, in the name of the gods I beseech you. Make for the lost Tower and the Calwaskon Compact with all due haste. Establish peace between our peoples, as the gods desire."

Rippotis saluted Heigiosa and then knelt before her.

"It will be done, Oracle of Light."

Her smile grew for a moment before she turned to the rest of the High Council.

"For the rest of us, the Grand Subjugation is over! All Grand Subjugations are over! Let us recall our armies and leave the Towers in peace! And let us prepare to assemble the Conclave, we have much we must change!"

Each and every High Councilor knelt before the Oracle of Light, for who would defy the will of the god that saved them all…?