Grey Sky

The sky was grey, and the, standing on the top of a ceremonial tower in the edge of this small village a gnome looked as a flying lizard moved slowly through the sky. Invisible in the woods, three kilometres down, a female shadow-leopard accommodated with his recent kill on a tall branch of a millennia old three paused for a moment, resting his head. In their minds, the three siblings talked to each other.

_“The elves are intimate to perfidy and aliens to honour. Even elves do not attack trading posts!!” he said, and I quote. You know how orcs are, their chiefs specially. Our dear Governor was barely awake during all that, and I almost revealed myself to him just to find out if my presence would make any difference.

Said the gnome, actually Prince Serko of KaBar, potential heir of the Cinnabar Throne. From the sky, his recently arrived brother still tried to identify him in the village bellow. The eyes of this kind of lizard are amazingly powerful tools, but the was looking for the involuntary clues his brother would have left in this face and body. Without know which race Serko had chosen this time. His brother predilection was elves, but this was a Moon-Elf village and being lost in the crowd was seldom an option attractive for this egotistic young Prince. If he was an elf now, that would not be a Moon-Elf, certainly.

Prince Kaithan of Kabar, also potential heir of the same kingdom, favoured the orcs. He was incapable of manage the most basic spells, but his mastery over shapeshifting was almost a match for their father. Far above the skill of his siblings. In telepathy, they matched their forces without clear advantage for any side. That’s why no one of them could steal any information from the mind of the adversary.

_Dear brother, I do not like the Governor more than you do, but he was not entirely wrong in his lack of interest. In this case. Orcs actually hold siege and storm trading posts, is rare but it happens. When they have a blood-score to settle, and the enemy seeks refuge in a trade post is considered acceptable…

_I don’t think you understand, brother.

The shadow panther purr interrupted the conversation.

Unlike the two princes, their aunt, did nothing to hide her current identity. Princess Niarra Rish Zaebar_ or mus Niarra Rish Zaebar, to give the proper formal designation, as the two young Princes are supposed address her_ appeared in the minds of both her nephews in full. Yellowish-green eyes and blood dropping form her whiskers. They immediately knew where she was, by her choice. She knew where they were, but by her skill.

Boys were good telepaths, but still had much to learn in that front.

_You didn’t understood your brother, Kai. The star-demons did not invaded this orc trade post hunting for someone inside it. They attacked the trade post itself. And for my accounts this orc chief was right in his indignation. Since the days of my grandfather, your gran-grandfather, trade post have been respected as sacred everywhere in this continent. I do not have to remind you two, but my father, your grandfather, was three times older than any other of our race when he died. He was younger than you when he ascended to the Cinnabar Throne. You know what it means in orc generations, even better than your brother here.

_It means eternity. Time beyond thinking. They attacked, the trade post, …itself? Was it not signalized properly? The Statues where missing…?

_That is the very thing, brother!! It was a regular trade post. Small, sure, but not a improvised camp. Those statues are impossible to miss, the marks were visible, there is no question about that. The star-demons, simply ignored all that. Goes without saying, orcs lack the intelligence and the memory to understand and judge the morality of elven behaviour. Despite that, this war chief has a valid point! No elf I can remember ever attacked a trade post like that. Those demons slaughtered every single person there, and who was there in that occasion? Orc females with their puppies. Exclusively. No warriors. Not even wounded warriors healing from recent wounds. Just women, and small children.

_But this is, …barbarians don’t do that. Trolls? Perhaps, do trolls do that?

_They do !_ answered Princess_ but only when they are in their bestial state. They stay rational less than half the time, but when they are with their tinny intelligent minds awaken they avoid trade posts. Rarely, the most intelligent among them even show up to trade something. By the rules, they are save, inside the trade post. Like anyone else who enters a post by free choice and keeps the rules must be.

_That is, …serious._ though Prince Kaithan, still digesting the implications.

The Cinnabar Throne was aware of this incident. This aunt do not move through the nation by accident. Her time is invested, never just spent. He learned that before he find out how to grow hair, feathers or scales. Even before he learned how to change the colour of his eyes staring at a mirror.

_Aunt?

_Yes, Kaithan.

_That was a trade post in our nation?

_Was.

_Could those star-demons by any chance be blind? Some beings that live in caves and tunnels, digging all their lives, have little to no capacity to see. Some deep swimmers as well. If their home was in the darkness above the skies…

_I understand your point. No, nephew, I don’t believe they are blind.

_That means, they saw the brand of my father above the entrance of the post. In the walls too.

All trade posts on Kallos have the same states surrounding them, the images of the Deities of Fair Trade. The brand on top of the entrance changes according with the nation. In nations under upala’s rule, the Royal Shield is used. Same symbol that acts as written name for the king of the country.

_Now, you understand. I leave you to your game, Princes.

Whit that, the big cat disappeared from both their minds.

_Do you think father is coming? _asked Prince Serko, from his chubby gnome body, standing on that balcony.

_Father? Probably not yet. You may count with a large family reunion brother. A good portion of the Royal Army is marching south right now, I promise you. How long ago that conversation in the Hall of Govern took place?

_One half a day ago.

_Then clear your mind, brother. In three days or less the air in this village will be dense with our siblings plots and schemes, mind traps and dream spies. Start working your filtering spells.

_If you are troubled by that prospect, dear brother, we don’t need to wait our father’s ****! I would accept your challenge, grant you the opportunity.

_You are not serious, brother. Do you think your magic spells would grant you the upper hand in a Flesh Duel? Have you been studding orc magic to strength your body, filtering spirit through it? If are under that illusion, your understand of upala nature is weaker than I could have imagined.

_Why don’t you make the challenge then? If you believe your victory would be easy. By winning the Flesh Duel you don’t just remove a future threat. You would gain my spiritual core too, and, after digest my memories you would have my skill as arcanist as well. The one thing you can never master by any other mean.

_Sure, true. However, you are not raising the challenge. You are offering me the courtesy of accepting it. If I challenge you. There is a trap in that gift, obviously. I don’t need to see it to know it is there, brother. Not arcanist arts, that would be too obvious. What are you up to, Serko? Learning politique games now? Legal trickery?

_You are too paranoid sometimes, Kaithan. A dozen million years from now you may remember this evening with regret for the missing opportunity.

_Everything is possible, brother. Everything is possible. Good night. Do not stay awake too late at night. Gnomes became huffy when they don’t sleep enough.

_Congratulations, brother! Well plaid. Care to meet face to face?

_Not tonight, Serko. Too much things to do, short time.

_Take care, brother!

_You too, arcanist.

By this point, a small winged serpent, no longer than the tail of a shadow panther, had danced her way from the forest into the elven city. Fast as hidden lust, it conquered the shadows between buildings, though alleys under sentinel towers. Like a suicide moss moving to a candle flame, the snake flied right to a magical barrier, visible only to arcanists with filtered eyes.

Instead of bounce back, burned, the snake crossed the protective aura into the balcony, growing and gaining legs. At same time, exchanging the feathered wings for white, delicate, arms. And dry fingers without nails.

In complete silence Princess Niarra captured a glass bottle and served herself a cup of strong syrup.

The hunt had been stimulating, after a night and morning of soft debauchery. Few pleasures can match the taste of fresh kill eaten as a panther, in her opinion. However, to taste spirit infused **** her upala shape was preferable.

“Dhaniss” her mind sounded, touching the gnome lassie in her room, two floors bellow.

_Yes, mistress? The iron-elf has left the Floating Orchidea a few hours after you, mistress. He took the girl with him. Dressed, but in **** camisk. She followed walking behind him. They walked to a rented room in the Humble District, mistress. He didn’t tried to sell her, yet.

_Good. You will send him an invitation, now. I want him here by the first light of morning, no need to bring the girl. Keep furtive guards with the girl when he leave her sight, just vigilance, no interference. If anyone shows to take the girl or kill her I want to know who they are.

_Anything else, mistress?

_Yes, go take a bath. This is the middle of autumn Dhaniss! What got into you, to use a early-summer fragrance?

_Sorry mistress! I was, trying to change mood, little bit.

_You gnomes have noses way too sensible. To feel the incongruence of that smell in your mind can really change my mood. Into something you would not like, lassie.

_Sorry again, mistress. I am running to fix it immediately!

Princess Niarra smiled alone in the room. No source of light was in her company, other than the reflexes of lamps burning inside other buildings.

Her brother predicted the fall of this Metallic Fruit from the sky days before it happen. His mastery of obscure deep filtering techniques was scary sometimes. How far could it go? He didn’t mentioned the star-demons in any detail. He knew it would be a delicate matter, however. And a unique opportunity for their nation.

Now, a was about to start. Soon it would grow and develop a mind of its own. If she didn’t stopped the process before too late.

Her brother, the king, didn’t wanted a full war against the star-demons. He would want them tested, slowly. Studied and dismantled carefully, bit by bit. The problem was that she didn’t only needed to satisfy his will. First and foremost, she needed to protect his Throne, act according to his true interest, the interest of his nation.

The attack to a trade post. Was bad luck.

Those “hu-man-sss” had no idea about what they where doing. That much she was aware of, after investigate the minds of a few selected prisoners taken from Pelican City.

Little difference, in the great scheme of things. There was a larger frame to consider now.

Some answer was necessary.