Chapter 88

“Well done, the Shayetet Kheshig,” Roxanne congratulated Birry, Brinont and Quruth at the beginning of the debriefing. “The Dökkálfar once again proved they are amongst the most dangerous of our forces on the battlefield.”

“We are honoured,” all three intoned with a slight bow and a palm placed to the chest.

“Casualties?”

“Light, only sixty-three of our number, with two Mazdani, three Athenian Yr’ch being the others,” Birry replied.

“We mourn their loss and will say their names with pride during the leave-taking ceremony.”

“Again we are honoured.”

“Well done, your Alliance forces, Kordanta, though also my sorrow at the losses you took.”

“Yes, those new weapons they used are both powerful and terrible in their effects. The Murian women’s bolt guard lost over two hundred souls, the Rutasi, seventy, the Æsir, fifty and also it cost your Mages a further twenty-five. The Earth forces, Loegrians and the Azurans were not affected by any strikes on their positions,” he replied. “In total we lost three hundred and fifty-seven of our forces to those damned things.”

“Aye, they were a terrible surprise alright. Again we will mourn their loss and say their names with pride in the leave-taking ceremony.”

“Death is but a step on a new journey,” he replied with a nod.

“What information do we have on these weapons?” Roxanne asked in general.

“Some sort of high density plasma effect, designed to form over a target and drop like a hammer onto it, having both mass and energy. It’s also encased in that shield-breaking effect some of their guns use,” Melanie replied.

“Aye, it was very effective against our trenches when it hit,” Roxanne nodded.

“Yes, but it’s not too accurate against an unseen target, also they appear to be quite unstable. We saw four explode in their own lines, taking down several hundred of their own numbers with it.”

“Nevertheless, we need some sort of defence, be it magical or physical, so please look into it.”

“Of course, Mage Roxanne.”

“Other than that our forces did well against the Vultoqi and brought honour to their planètes,” Kordanta carried on. “So long as we can keep them at a distance, we can cope.”

“Morale?” Roxanne enquired.

“They will mourn, but they will be fine, so long as they know a solution will be found.”

“We will do our best,” Roxanne nodded.

“There are notes in Chakra’s records which speak of a similar sort of weapon he was working on. I will pass this information on to your Seers,” the hologram of Chakra added.

“We are most grateful,” Melanie replied with a formal bow.

The meeting then went on for several hours as the entire mission was gone over in depth with both the mistakes and the successes being gone over so lessons could be learned. A series of missions were then planned for future dates, dependent on the Seers coming up with some form of defence against the Vultoqi plasma hammer as we were now calling it.

“We failed, my patripures,” a senior adelshaut announced to the caveatra.

“We expected this. How did the more powerful weapons perform?” the senior patripure asked.

“We were able to smite the enemy hard, though not hard enough. Several of the weapons failed and dimmed the light of hundreds of our own.”

“A pity. We are looking into stabilising the weapon, so for the moment, none are to be used until we have created a solution.”

“By your command, my patripure.”

“We shall prevail!”

“WE SHALL PREVAIL! WE SHALL PREVAIL!”

“John, we’re off to Tír na nÓg to have another word with Oonagh,” Roxanne informed me a few days later.

“About the Nhuvla papers I presume?”

“Yes. Hermes is convinced that some sort of link to House Oddrassi is needed to bind the papers into a contiguous whole and reveal the true nature and means of operating the non-weapon.”

“Let’s hope she decides to be co-operative,” I shrugged.

“Aye, but the word is, no more concessions.”

“Verry has spoken,” I chuckled.

“Aye, that she has,” Roxanne replied as we headed for the portal to go to Loegrian space and hence to the various portals that would take us to Tír na nÓg and another meeting with Oonagh.

This time we simply went to Jingol and informed Taqual what we wanted and were immediately given the go ahead as well as a location for Oonagh who currently wasn’t in the arrondistrium.

It appeared that the former Queen had had to swallow her pride and do some work to get some income, not that it was obvious from the outside of the building where she ran a clothing manufactory, if a single person enterprise wasn’t aggrandising the term manufactory somewhat. Still, inside she did appear to be quite busy cutting and styling the silks the Fae used to clothe themselves with.

“Now what? Can’t you see I’m busy? Or are you just here to gloat like a good few of the Fae who stroll through here?” she groused when she noticed who it was.

“We believe you can help us. The works of Nhuvla seem to have a hidden sub-text to them and we believe it is linked to House Oddrassi, or that you at least may be able to combine it into a whole,” Roxanne replied.

“Why would I help you? What’s in it for me?”

Reaching into a pocket universe, I drew out a bolt of mulberry silk of the finest quality and handed it over. “Five of these in whatever colours or shades you want if you help,” I replied.

Oonagh reached out to touch and almost caress the material as I used a telekinesis spell to hold it in the air for her inspection.

“Ten. Genuine article as well, nothing you’ve created in your mind. I’ll know and so will my customers!”

“Deal,” I replied, shocking her slightly as I suspected she was expecting protracted negotiations.

“Just out of curiosity, how high would you have gone?”

“Not sure. Mage Morgana owns the company that produces it, so I can get a hold of these bolts quite easily,” I shrugged.

“I ... I do need a supplier of silk; a lot of the Fae on Tír na nÓg will not do any business with me except at exorbitant costs, to me, though they do appear to be willing to purchase anonymously. Nor can I leave Jingol to go to markets elsewhere,” Oonagh grumbled, clearly swallowing her pride.

“What of the Dökkálfar?” Roxanne asked.

“They’re indifferent to me, but it’s hard to make a profit if the base materials are so expensive. If I can cut my overheads, I can make life somewhat easier for myself, or at least buy a few luxuries,” she shrugged.

“I’m not sure what any exchange rates would be,” I said thoughtfully. “But if we can work something out, I’ll supply you with silk, yes?” I queried.

“Ugh! How the mighty have fallen,” she sighed. “But, yes, we have a deal.”

“Is your freedom worth it?” Roxanne asked.

“It is ... difficult. I no longer have a free roof over my head, nor free meals. Many of the Dökkálfar will have nothing openly to do with me and I believe my guard ... wherever she is, has had to deal with a few incidents. But yes, it’s been worth it to just be outside, plus my business keeps me fed and housed.”

“Happier?” I asked.

There was a long pause then a slow nod.

“Let me see the documents,” she said finally into the silence.

Roxanne handed over the original documents in their preserved form as Oonagh laid them onto her worktop and studied them, comparing them and correlating them one into another.

“Yes, there’s a sub-text,” she finally stated.

“But?” Roxanne replied.

“But I cannot read it, not without a special viewing tool. It will look somewhat like a magnifying glass, though tinted and will most likely be part of House Teighan’s possessions; certainly it will be unlikely to be part of House Oddrassi’s. If you can find this tool, I will translate the sub-text for you as it will be keyed to the Oddrassi genome.”

“You are being very co-operative here. I can’t help wondering why,” Roxanne replied in tones laden with suspicion.

“I need stimulus as, when I’m not making clothing, I get bored easily and funds are limited. Plus this will give me leverage at some later date, if I need it,” she shrugged.

“Always on the lookout for yourself.”

“Yes? And? I lost everything, but had become accustomed to having everything done for me. Now I’m reduced to turning a hobby into a business to keep myself housed and fed. This is a means to improve my life, so yes, I’m looking out for myself. I have had to realise that it doesn’t pay to be unreasonable; particularly as my Nemesis here can supply me with something I desperately need.”

“I’m not your Nemesis, not anymore,” I chuckled as the two ... women glared at each other.

“Fine, the one behind my downfall, if you’re going to be pedantic!”

“Hey, I said I’d help,” I replied my grin getting wider.

“Pah! Yes, I know, but I don’t like you and probably never will. However, as one of your quaint sayings goes, business is business.”

“I may come to grow on you.”

“Don’t hold your breath.”

“There are a number of heirlooms belonging to House Teighan,” Meruta confirmed as she sat with Serice, the new Holder of title to that house, as her son Legolas played in the background. “None, however, appear to match the description you have given me.”

“It is likely to date back to Nhuvla and possibly beyond,” Roxanne stated. “It may also be disguised to appear as something it isn’t. We’re talking prophesy here after all.”

“We can but look,” Serice replied. “After all, it may bring Talshish home to me and Legolas all the sooner.”

“All the family treasures are kept in the vault ... though to be frank, there is a lot of trash there too,” Meruta added with a wry smile. “The Teighans weren’t noted for their good taste and aesthetics after all.”

“Tell me about it,” Serice shuddered delicately. “That holding was astoundingly ugly; though Nhuvla and his Lady appeared to go against the grain with the Teighans somewhat.”

“They were considered somewhat odd by the rest of the family, yes,” Meruta confirmed as we left the historian’s tent and walked up to where the holding had once stood and was now just a series of foundations for the new holding to be built upon in the old Fae style of Keldravan.