The Mother of Monsters

Teyva rose slowly to her feet and took a few cleansing breaths. She turned fully to face Batel, “Secure the doors,” She growled. The guardsman saluted her and hurried out the door. Teyva didn’t turn to Sari, she couldn’t look in Yaga’s direction right now. She felt like if she did she would lose all reason. She pursed her lips and stared at the empty space where Batel once was. Footsteps were already hurrying in her direction. Probably Azrael. She ran her fingers through her hair and looked up to the ceiling. “Sari, will you follow me?”

“What?” Sari asked, caught off guard by the question.

“Will you, or will you not, become part of my inner circle? Do you want the gifts I have to offer you? Will you serve me?” She asked, her words even and chilly. Before Sari could respond, Azrael stepped into the room with Myranda behind her. Teyva met Azrael’s gaze and the woman threw a thumb over her shoulder. Teyva took that as indicating that Viktor and Belya were somewhere safe. She drew her head up and moved her focus to Myranda who looked in the direction of Yaga in mixed horror and fascination. “Myranda.”

Myranda jumped, “Y-yes, Goddess?”

“Will you serve me?”

Myranda blinked, “I already do, I-”

Teyva snarled and shook her head, “Not as some fan-girl priestess! Will you kneel right here and now and swear an oath to serve me until the day you die?” She demanded, “I’ll ask you this only once!”

Myranda stood still for a moment, the words sinking in. She looked over at Sari who had moved around the bed to stand in front of Teyva. Sari nodded to her and Myranda looked back at Teyva. Sari took a knee and Myranda stepped forward to join her. The two women lowered their heads.

“You are my goddess, my vision of the future, you reunited me with my family and have taken up arms against my enemies,” Myranda said.

“You have offered me gifts of knowledge, you’ve proven that you are a woman worth following, you are an entity worthy of my respect, with you I have the chance to achieve my dreams,” Sari added.

“We are yours, Majesty,” They both said as one.

Teyva looked down at the two of them and accepted both prompts. She didn’t stop there. She looked up at Azrael, “Go get Paraklytus, I have something I want to give Sari,” Azrael nodded and hurried out the door. She returned her attention to the two kneeling women, their eyes going a bit distant as the prompts began appearing in their vision for the first time. “Ignore them for now,” Teyva ordered, “While we wait for Azrael to get back, lets start with you, Myranda.”

Myranda looked up at her, confused, “Majesty?”

“I am resuming our connection,” Teyva said evenly. 

Myranda gasped and a faint glow cast over her body, she let out a shuddering breath and pressed her head to the ground as the power worked its way through her veins. When she recovered she looked back up at Teyva with a frankly disconcerting flush across her face. Her eyes were wide and filled with tears, “I am whole again. I will follow you into the abyss and beyond.”

Azrael returned with a bundle in her hand and stoically walked around the kneeling women before placing it in her palm. Teyva nodded to her sister who took a step back and positioned herself at Teyva’s immediate right. Teyva opened the bundle. Inside was a fist-sized gemstone filled with what looked like bubbling oil. The ooze inside hissed and churned, wretchedness practically radiating off of its surface. Teyva let it fall into her palm and and a notification appeared that she quickly dismissed.

She approached Sari and placed a hand on her back.

Teyva mutely accepted, the stone dissolving into her hand as it did for Conrad. She felt it ooze into her skin, crawling down her arm and into Sari’s back. Sari let out a gasp of pain and clenched her eyes shut, pressing her palms to the floor beneath her. Teyva didn’t speak, she let the moment play out as Sari shuddered and trembled beneath the power being granted to her. Her body twitched now and then until finally she fell still and she let out a relaxed breath. Teyva pulled her hand away and let it fall to her side. She rejoined Azrael and reached out to take her sister’s hand. Azrael squeezed Teyva’s fingers and Teyva felt a little bit of ease come over her.

“Welcome to the family, you two,” Teyva said, “Stand, you have a lot of work ahead of you.”

Both women rose, Sari looking shaken but delighted. Myranda frankly looked aroused which, again, made Teyva a bit uncomfortable. Teyva turned to Azrael and fixed her sister with a hard look. Azrael released her sister’s hand and stepped around to join the other two, raising her hand to her heart. “Your orders, Majesty?”

“Myranda,” Teyva said, “How does succession work here?”

“I’m sorry?” Myranda blurted, coming down from her high, “Succession?”

“What happens when the King dies?” Teyva repeated.

“His eldest legal heir takes the throne, much like the humans,” Myranda said.

Teyva set her jaw and looked Azrael in the eyes, “Deal with the King. Take him alive if you can.”

Azrael’s eyes widened but she took a deep breath and set her shoulders, nodding, “Yes, it will be done.”

“Inform the others that they will be assisting Myranda in freeing the Eldest Prince. Carve whatever path you need to, I don’t care what kind of damage has to be wrought. As far as I’m concerned, the Elf King has declared war on Osan with the Humans. Force them to their knees and put the Prince in power as long as he’s willing to bend the knee to me when the time comes, Sari, you will keep my people alive.” Teyva ground out, not so much as blinking as she spoke. She glanced at Azrael, “Tell Paraklytus to flesh out the party with Aspects. Sari you have three, yes?" The orc nodded, Teyva turned to Myranda, "Four if I recall correctly," The elf nodded as well, "I want all of you at five, no exceptions.”

Sari and Myranda looked at one another, “What about you?” Sari asked.

Teyva swallowed and looked Azrael in the eyes, “I’m going on ahead.”

Azrael’s face went pale and she closed her eyes. Her sister took a deep breath and nodded, “I understand. Do you need anything to facilitate?”

Teyva shuddered and rolled her jaw, “Get me a knife and don’t tell Nephral. Keep him and the Mockeries contained for the time being. They will be upset but there’s no time to argue.”

The two new recruits looked at one another again and then at Teyva, “What do you mean going on ahead?”

“I’ll explain it when next we meet, I need to get to Osan as fast as possible,” Teyva said evenly, “Can you do as I asked or not?”

Both women nodded and hurried from the room. Azrael remained for a few heartbeats, reaching down into her boot and pulling out her throwing knife. She put it in Teyva’s hand before throwing her arms around her sister’s shoulders and squeezing her tightly. “I hate this.”

“I know,” Teyva muttered, squeezing Azrael back and pressing her face into Azrael’s shoulder, “I don’t have a choice. Respawning is the only way for me to get there fast enough. If I respawn in the Underfield I can ask Deshan to take me the rest of the way.”

“Nephral is going to be so angry,” Azrael whispered, “Are you sure you’re ready to face Rani?”

“I have to be,” Teyva said and pulled herself away, “One more thing...”

Teyva opened her inventory and plucked out the single Aspect Stone waiting inside. The small, craggy, pearlescent orb glowed and flickered in her palm. She rolled it between her fingers thoughtfully and looked up at Azrael. She placed the stone in her sister's palm. "Give that to Myranda."

Azrael took it gently, "Is this your stone?"

Teyva nodded, "Lead them for me, Az, I'm depending on you."

“I will not fail you,” Azrael said firmly, “Go save our home.”

One more embrace came and went, Azrael hurried from the room and shut the door behind her. Teyva looked over at Yaga, sleeping quietly beneath the healing magic cast by Sari. Cold fury boiled once again beneath her skin. Just looking at the broken face of the woman she loved was more than enough to settle her nerves. She glanced around and spotted a door leading to what was probably some kind of closet. It would do for privacy. She twirled the knife between her fingers, a faint tremor working its way up her leg that she quashed as she approached the door.

“Alright Rani, time to talk.”