Chapter 52

“Tell me, Seeker. What gives you the right to kill one of the Beoghra?” the Most high hissed as Crnnch stood before the Council of Archimandrites, flanked by two Saltigues.

“My duty is to seek out and deal with threats to the regime. Inquisitor Folar was clearly a threat in his excessive zeal in killing any Yr’ch that showed competence,” Crnnch replied carefully.

“A threat?”

“He killed the Adept who came up with the armoured ground vehicle concept. He killed the Adept who realised our lines could not hold at Grmmar and who ordered a withdrawal to stronger prepared positions and then threatened to decimate the grunts who simply obeyed orders. Yes, I doubt not that he was a threat to the regime and I believe Beog judged him so as he simply fell on my sword, unable to raise Beog’s power at all.”

“He accused you of cowardice, did he not?” Takkas asked.

“He attempted to. I believe the Vultoqi heads I brought back after his abandoning of the patrol answered his accusations.”

“Convenient that you happened to kill your enemy,” Takkas sneered.

“Revered Archimandrites,” Karkol stated. “Killing a member of the Beoghra with a sword would simply not be possible for one who is not of the Beoghra. The only instance this could happen is if the power of Beog is withdrawn from us.”

There was silence in the chamber as the Archimandrites considered the statement.

“Archimandrite Karkol is correct. We, from Inquisitor to Most High, could not be killed with a sword,” Frust finally replied into the silence. “Not unless Beog permitted it.”

It was fairly obvious that some Archimandrites, as well as the Most High, wished to object, however the statement forced them to hold their tongues as it simply could not be refuted.

“That was rather intemperate of you, young Seeker,” Brnnt chided once they were back in the meeting room the two Archimandrites used.

“He needed to go. He was destroying the morale of the hordes, revered Archimandrite,” Crnnch replied.

“This is so, but it has placed several unfriendly eyes upon you,” Karkol added. “Including those of the Most High, whose creature Folar was.”

“I will be careful, revered Archimandrites.”

“You should be. Now go back to Vultoq and see what can be done to protect our forces from the Vultoqi and their creatures,” Karkol replied by way of dismissal.

“Do you think we can protect him?” Brnnt asked his friend once Crnnch had departed.

“I don’t know, brother. But I intend to try, for Ar-Thenna’s sake, if nothing else.”

“It’s my intent to travel to Vultoq and inspect the disposition of our forces around Grmmar. I am also hoping Ar-Thenna will permit me to speak to her, so I can warn her of the danger our Seeker is in,” Brnnt replied after a moment’s thought.

“It may be his only chance. I rather suspect plans are in motion to set the Calatrava against him as a punishment for his impudence in showing a member of the Beoghra can be killed by a mere mortal,” Karkol nodded.

“I suspect you’re right, brother. Though killing our Seeker may well be beyond their capabilities ... what with that sword he has,” Brnnt chuckled grimly. “Yet if he does, that will certainly cause the Beoghra to move openly against him as a direct threat to the regime.”

“Nasty bugger,” I murmured as I gazed at the huge, half metre long ‘insect’ we’d seized.

“It’s dying,” Xi replied. “It’s designed ... for want of a better word, to seek out a host for its eggs. Strange thing is, those eggs are sterile, and there are no males. It doesn’t even have a food tract; it’s grown, finds a host, lays its eggs and dies.”

“We’re examining the venom that it injects with the eggs,” Kyra added. “It’s magical in nature like the Drow poison, meaning it would affect pretty much any carbon-based life form, converting its body into some form of growth liquid to feed the eggs to completion. Bigger the host, the more eggs can be laid.”

“Any idea on what the eggs are for? As I can’t see any other use for the creature other than a terror weapon,” Roxanne asked.

“Well, the eggs contain complex chemical chains, so my guess is that they are energy supplies, possibly for those big Vultoqi we noted emerging from the footfall temple,” Serena replied with a shrug.

“Three eggs to an Orc, probably only two for one of us,” Roxanne murmured thoughtfully then shuddered.

“And that stinger-cum-egg-layer has a shield-breaker, similar to the ghosin too,” Xi added.” The venom would take a Mage down very quickly as it’s more deadly than an inland taipan snake or box jellyfish. The good news is our powers can take them down; the bad news is there are thousands in a swarm and will come at you from all directions.”

“What of our armour?” I asked.

“It will mostly protect you, but these things are strong and there’s a possibility that they could puncture near a joint where, because of flexibility, the weave is weaker.”

“Recommendations?” Roxanne asked.

“Zones of inertia, disintegration spells, fuel air explosions over a swarm. Anything with area effects,” Serena replied.

“What about getting at their planting sites?” I asked.

“Difficult. They’re surrounded by ghosin, as well as adelshaut. They’re also shielded against an orbital strike, or at least one that wouldn’t destroy the planet.”

“Aye, well, we’ll look into this, but for now put them under ‘avoid and be prepared to use extreme measures’ if you get caught out,” Roxanne nodded.

“We have gathered the egg harvest, patripures,” a senior adelshaut announced to the caveatra who were gathered amongst the fields of troichin as they grew a new batch of the flying form.

“Let us feast again on the bounty of our world,” the senior patripure stated, spearing an egg with a flexible limb and draining it of the concentrated energy within, restoring itself to its full abilities for the first time since the banishment.

The other patripures began feasting; their skins beginning to glow as the old layers gradually peeled away exposing the orange layer of power and might to the surrounding adelshaut.

“What of the Yr’ch?” the senior finally asked the adoring adelshaut.

“They pulled back, my liege, to fixed fortifications where the troichin could no longer get at them. They were also able to fight back the adelshaut with massed fire, though a few lives were dimmed.”

“Expand the perimeter and prepare a plan to reduce those fortifications as we need to break out of this area and expand our re-conquest.”

“At once, my liege.”

“Are those these patripures we learned about from the ghosin?” Roxanne asked as she gazed at the huge figures the Seers were projecting on a screen from above the various shields the Vultoqi were maintaining over their conquest.

“Yes, Mage Roxanne,” Adsila confirmed.

“Initial thoughts?”

“Avoid. Very powerful magically if the quantum resonance emissions are anything to go by,” Adsila advised.

“How powerful?”

“Seer type powerful, possibly stronger,”

“Damn.”

“They may actually be powerful enough as a group to cause a Higher Power issues,” Adsila warned with a frown.

“You’re kidding?” Roxanne said with an amazed look.

“It’s hard to tell, but they appear to be giving off a broad-spectrum quantum resonance emission which might affect just what it is a Higher Power ... or Theurgist can affect them with.”

“What of ordinary magic?” I asked.

“Might work as it’s not frequency related generally, but you’re extremely unlikely to survive getting close enough to one to find out.”

“Null?”

“Depends again on how powerful, plus you’ll have several hundred thousand adelshaut to fight through as well before you get close.”

“And the Higher Powers expect us to sort this for them?” Xi muttered.

“Apparently.”

“Just bloody marvellous,” Roxanne sighed.

“We’ll need to consult the Council on this,” Arch stated.

“Aye, we will. This could end up bigger than the Sidhe war and we’ll need all our allies on board if we have to stop them getting out of this cluster and finding us.”

“They must think we’ll be able to win,” I posited.

“Probably, but I’m damned if I know how we will,” Roxanne replied.

“Getting some of the Orcs on board will help,” Adsila added.

“As far as I can tell from the records, Beog was unable to do anything other with the Vultoqi than banish them ... or lock them away somehow,” Xi replied. “Might be due to the fact that he uses those Orbs and doesn’t have complete power. But still, none of us would stand a chance against a Higher Power even if they were limited to some extent.”

“The Higher Power who warned us about them said they were an ancient power ... perhaps they’re from before the last extinction event?” I posited.

“Well, unless the Powers volunteer the information, we won’t find out from them. I think we need to come up with a plan to capture an adelshaut and interrogate it,” Roxanne shrugged, getting nods from all there.

“We will need to find a way to cage it, somehow,” Xi replied thoughtfully.

“We will give it some consideration,” Adsila added, speaking for the Seer group.

“Do so,” Roxanne ordered. “See what covert aid we can give the Orcs as well; I suspect they’ll need it.”

“Yes, Mage Roxanne,” we all replied.

“Major Thaumaturgical activity on Vultoq,” Adsila warned.

“Beog?” Arch asked.

“No, an Archimandrite. We suspect it’s either Brnnt or Karkol, though they are not easy to read,” she replied after a moment’s thought.

“Alert Athena once you’re sure it’s either, she might want a word if we get the chance,” Roxanne instructed.

“Of course, Mage Roxanne.”

“Revered Archimandrite, this is a surprise,” Crnnch greeted Brnnt as the rest of his staff prostrated themselves flat on the ground.