Chapter 109

“We can do it, but it will have to be timed to perfection and casualties on the Daoine Sidhe side will be very high,” Morgana stated to the Alliance group meeting chaired by Verenestra.

“You can take out Elphame, Annwn, Afallach, Emain Ablach, Cnoc Meadha, Cnoc na Teamhrach, Inis Vitrin, Niðavellir and Rathcroghan, in one strike?” Draíochta Sinnead of the Craebh Ruadh asked, looking astounded.

“Yes, though naturally we aren’t going into details,” Morgana replied with a thin smile.

I could see some sideways glances and other signs of nervous tensions amongst the beings representing their worlds in the meeting. It was clear that they now were finding that the power of the Mages of Earth had moved well ahead of their own ... or so they believed.

“How much in the way of destruction?” Mage William asked.

“Think Hiroshima, though no fallout,” Morgana stated.

“Dear God.” William swallowed nervously.

“Hiroshima?” asked Verenestra.

“The mundanes on my Earth dropped a single bomb which destroyed an entire city causing over 90,000 casualties over an area of 4.7 square miles,” William explained. “Mage Morgana is telling us that she has several weapons of similar potency that the Daoine Sidhe will not be able to stop and which will cause immense destruction.”

“Will the planet be endangered?” Verenestra asked, her eyes narrowing slightly at the thought of that kind of power being at our disposal.

“No. Though there will be a lot of dust and debris thrown into the atmosphere which may make for colder seasons. There may be volcanic activity and earthquakes too,” Morgana replied. “Though we can have our Mages ameliorate the severity of the outcome.”

“I’d like to know more of this. It is my planet after all,” Verenestra stated.

“I will tell you and you alone, Queen Verenestra. There are some secrets that should not get out into the public domain,” Morgana replied.

“I see,” Verenestra nodded.

“What is to prevent you using such a weapon at a later date against us?” Draíochta Sinnead asked.

“My solemn word and that of Simon Magus,” Morgana replied to her. “We’ve had the weapon for forty years now and have not used it, but these fortresses cannot otherwise be reduced without massive casualties on our part and may turn the tide against us if we do try to assault them with conventional means.”

“Your word is good enough for me,” Sinnead replied. “Though possibly not for my government.”

“If it weren’t for necessity, we wouldn’t even be revealing our capacity to do this,” Morgana added.

“We also have access to terrible weapons,” Chinc’lithss of the Veda buzzed. “We also do not use them against friends or even the likes of the Tuatha Dé Danann, tempted as we were at times. We trust the Mage Council of Earth not to use these weapons, save in extreme need.”

“The Æsir will have reservations about such a weapon, but our relationship with the Council of Earth has always been cordial,” Vanir Torsenn stated.

“Murias is not in a position to do anything about this so will rely on your word, Mage Morgana,” Kordanta spoke.

‘We have nothing the Council of Earth would want, so doubt they’d bother, ‘ piped Maurice the Maraú-Uxuí.

“The Azurans trust the Mages of Earth,” Hinnit added.

“The Rutasi will also trust your word, Mage Morgana,” Hector of the Rutasi stated.

“My word is my bond,” Morgana stated with a formal bow to those at the table. “The rest will be up to you, Queen Verenestra.”

“I’ll decide after we have spoken in private, Morgana,” Verenestra acknowledged.

Several hours later, Morgana and I were escorted to Verenestra’s private chamber for a face to face meeting with her and Mage William.

“I now understand what Hiroshima was, though Bill has also added that there will be no radiation from your weapon,” Verenestra began. “However that doesn’t explain how you can do this ... whatever it is.”

“Well, in essence you’re responsible at root for this, Verenestra,” Morgana explained with a slight smile. “After all, you founded the hidden Earth.”

“They have the weapon?” Verenestra asked, eyes narrowed.

“Yes, we just add one of John’s heavy duty Null medallions into the mix and can fire it from where they cannot possibly detect it,” Morgana replied.

“An orbital weapons system,” William breathed. “But how?”

“Launched through a portal from their base to Tír na nÓg.”

“Of course.”

“That’s why we don’t want the other Earths knowing about it,” Morgana nodded. “Sooner or later the idea would get back to say the likes of the Tuathans who would use it, or something like it, indiscriminately. So far the thought of dropping large rocks from orbit hasn’t occurred to the other Earths and we’d like to keep it that way as long as possible.”

“Yes, I see,” Verenestra agreed. “Frankly I’m not too happy about it myself; though, considering the alternative, it seems to be the lesser of two evils.”

“The Null and the speed of it will prevent any other Mages from detecting how it was done. We will arrange matters with the Loegrians in a timetable to suit your preparations,” Morgana added.

“Such as preparing the army for a jump to surround the environs of Keldravan?” William asked.

“Yes, Bill. From what Morgana says there will not be many, if any, survivors; at least not in sufficient numbers to trouble us,” Verenestra agreed.

“I’ll shift our reserves around to cover those areas,” William noted. “I’ll move the regulars and our elite troops into position to take advantage of the confusion and have Keldravan surrounded within twenty-four hours of the attack.”

“Then we’ll see if Oonagh is finally ready to talk,” Verenestra nodded.

“Our Seers believe they can prevent her influencing anyone with her mind, but we won’t know till we try,” Morgana added. “Then again I’m not sure what you will gain from talking to her.”

“Recognition. Oonagh’s position is that house Skarlett are at best caretakers of her throne, at worst usurpers, even though she was in the end forced to use my father to bolster her position,” Verenestra explained.

“Ah, so you want to be seen as an equal?” Morgana asked, though I suspect she knew better.

“She’d try to put it like that, but my intention is to have her come as a supplicant,” Verenestra stated with a wry smile.

“She comes to you, or you don’t see her,” Morgana stated with a knowing smile.

“Yes, that is my hope,” Verenestra agreed.

“You realise she will demand you submit to her?” Morgana stated.

“She can demand anything she wants, what she will get is a demand to abdicate and submit to house Skarlett and the sworn Calvagh,” Verenestra replied.

“She won’t accept that,” Morgana mused. “But it will be on record and will give you the final authority to remove her by force.”

“Yes, it will dot the i’s and cross the t’s as Bill puts it,” Verenestra agreed. “Up until now we have no evidence that she’s heard our demand, despite the fact we all know she has.”

“After that, the next meeting will be with Oonagh in chains, assuming she doesn’t commit suicide first,” William added.

“Best make sure she’s dead,” I chuckled. “She has a certain amount of form there.”

“True enough,” chuckled Verenestra. “Though any return would be without her fanatical Daoine Sidhe followers.”

“Yes, I suspect she’d have a little trouble rebuilding,” Morgana replied with a twinkle of mirth in her eyes.

“We will let you know when our forces are ready, Mage Morgana,” Verenestra stated, more or less ending the meeting.

“We will be ready,” Morgana replied as we both gave formal bows before leaving.

It was two weeks later that I floated with Seer Adsila on the Kinetic Bolide Launcher (KBL) Avenger high above what I regarded as the Atlantic Ocean. Other Mages and Seers were in similar positions on eight other launchers. The Over-master states had been informed that there was to be a test firing of the launchers, though only an ice ball would be fired and all over various oceans. They’d still gone to full alert, but would most likely stand down once the tracking and firing sequence was over.

Adsila was there to set up a hidden portal along with a linked Seer on Tír na nÓg as two bolides were to be fired, one real, one ice; the latter would burn up in the atmosphere. The real one had a gigantic Null device installed and would be activated by the Seer on Tír na nÓg as it passed through the portal to impact at about 17km/s. The material itself was ultra-dense compressed lunar rock covered with an ablative shield. Once in motion it would take approximately fifteen seconds to impact and the devastation or impact crater would be roughly a mile in diameter as the impact would be roughly ten megatons.

“All KBL stations, I repeat, all KBL stations!” came a voice over the speaker. “Begin test fire sequence on my mark! Authorisation Archon Rakona 277#GH14#112. Acknowledge!”