The Calm before the Summit

Teri rolled the glyph sphere between her hands as she followed Mason towards the Kingdom’s entrance, a growing nervousness twisting her stomach into knots. The weight of what she had to accomplish today bore down upon her and she couldn’t help but wonder what could go wrong.

Was the Order going to react badly to her presence? Would they just decide to not work with John and Verida because they wanted her people to live in the Kingdom? Would they try and take it over by ****? Even if they didn’t object to that, would the Order let them operate freely? Or would they try to create so many stipulations and obligations, they would end up being in control by default?

“You holding up alright back there?” Mason called out, breaking Teri out of her worry spiral. “You’re a bit quiet.”

“Well, we don’t want anybody to hear my disembodied voice,” Teri deflected.

“I don’t think the birds and squirrels are going to tell,” Mason laughed. “And I don’t need to be able to see you to tell you’re nervous. I can hear you fiddling with the invisorb.”

Teri gripped the sphere tightly, as if that would reverse Mason’s observations. After a moment to collect herself, she asked, “Is it that obvious?”

“A bit,” the large cook admitted. “I would be too if I were in your shoes. A lot of things are going on for you guys today and they aren’t simple endeavors. But, I think you have a good team for this. John and Vivian are pretty smart and having an actual goddess on your side has to account for something.”

“But the Order isn’t exactly the sort to just roll over, are they?” Teri asked. “They’re not going to like some upstart power showing up and changing the status quo.”

“The status quo’s been upset since last Monday. Maybe even longer,” Mason said with a thoughtful hum. “And while that’s going to make the Order want to, well, reestablish order, they don’t have all the cards anymore, if they ever did. Between what John and the others have uncovered and what that Harker fellow’s group has found, you’ve got pieces of info they want. Hell, need if they have any hope of getting ahead of these blood thieves. That’s some great leverage.”

“Seems a bit distasteful to use that as a bargaining chip,” Teri muttered. “People’s lives are at stake.”

“Welcome to politics,” Mason said with a dark chuckle. “It sucks, but when you get a bunch of people wanting to do different things, even towards the same end goal, there’s bound to be some distasteful things that are done to reach those ends. Even by good people. The key is trying to keep one’s morals intact. I think we can count on our friends to do that.”

“Yeah,” Teri whispered, some of the weight on her vanishing. She trusted her friends to do the right things when they counted, but she still worried the Order would have something that would **** them to bend in a way nobody wanted. The two options that gave her the most worry were that they would deny her people a home or bind Verida to a deal of subservience.

“Well, if you have any more worries, I’m all ears,” Mason proclaimed. “As are our friends. There should be some time before the meeting gets underway. Perks of arriving with the catering! Speaking of, we’re here.”

Mason stopped at the empty space that marked the entrance to the Kingdom. Teri remembered when they came here nearly a week ago, before the looming threat of Phantom Reach truly came crashing down on them.

“Ladies first,” the tall cook said, gesturing as best he could towards the space with his food laden arms. Teri took a step forward, and right before slipping through, she dropped the veil around her.

She expected things to be as dim as the world outside, not the clearing bathed in soft white light emanating from several towering vines topped with glowing flowers. They stood on either side of her, creating a path from the entry point to the hall in the distance.

“All that’s missing is the red carpet, it seems.” Mason chuckled a moment after he entered.

“I suppose I could grow some red flowers,” Verida mused as she approached, seemingly manifesting out of nothingness. “But that might give the wrong impression if my knowledge of what events those are used for is accurate.”

“I suppose,” Mason remarked. “Best not to give an impression you’re treating this as some sort of gala or movie premiere. I presume you want the refreshments in the hall, yes?”

Verida nodded. “Indeed. Everyone else is there. Harker managed to get his hands on something to allow your phones to work, and John and Vivian are helping to set it up.”

“They must have parked their car somewhere else, didn’t see it,” Mason remarked. “Anyway, I’ll drop these off, set the spread and be out of your hair.”

“There’s no need to rush away,” Verida assured him.

“While I appreciate the sentiment, I’d rather be out of the way before the bigwigs of the Order show up,” Mason said as Teri picked up a bitter emotion well up through the large man’s usual amicable presence. “Being at these sorts of things reminds me of a life I gladly left behind. I hope you don’t take offense to that.”

“Not at all,” the goddess gracefully said, stepping to the side and motioning towards the hall.

Mason nodded and marched himself towards the building as Verida stepped towards Teri, a soft smile on her lips.

“How are you holding up?” she asked, her concern washing over Teri like a warm blanket.

“I’ve been better,” Teri admitted. “A lot’s riding on me today. I mean, on us.”

“I understand,” Verida said and placed a gentle hand on Teri’s shoulder, giving it a reassuring squeeze. “We all have something we need this meeting to accomplish. Yours happens to be one with more people directly affected and immediately so. But, in terms of achievable outcomes, I believe settling you and your people to be the one most possible at this point.”

“You think so?” Teri asked, taken a bit aback by the sheer sense of confidence Verida radiated with her remarks. “I know I don't know much about the Order but I haven’t heard anything about them being really friendly with, you know...”

“I confess what I know is too limited to what you all know, plus some insight gained from my chat with the Warden, but I don’t think they are inherently against you,” Verida said, before a look of frustration crossed her face. “It’s hard to put into words what I could see from her soul, but from how it reacted to our meeting, I don’t think she’ll have any objections to your people settling down here.”

“I sense there’s going to be a ‘but’ coming up,” Teri remarked, noting a growing worry from the goddess.

“Indeed,” Verida said, a slight smile breaking through her concerned features. “If there wasn’t the pressing issue with Phantom Reach, I believe the Order would only wish for us to keep the peace. But with the threats around us, I can’t say they won’t try and use your people as leverage to gain something. One doesn’t get to become the leader of a group like them without some level of political savvy. They offer to not infringe on our ability to house whoever we wish in exchange for, say, access to whatever resources can be extracted.”

Verida shook her head and sighed. In that moment, Teri could sense all of the goddess’ worry and unease, a veritable tide of fear and stress she was holding back by sheer **** of will. Just sensing it for a second was enough to cause Teri to step back unconsciously.

“My apologies,” Verida quickly said, reining in her emotions and projecting only a sense of calm.
“I didn't mean to bombard you with my emotions.”

“It’s fine,” Teri assured her. While it was a lot from just one source, it was hardly the worst outpouring of emotions she’d ever felt. The night her people were first attacked held that distinction. To distract herself from recalling that event, she continued, “I’m impressed with how well you’re able to keep that hidden.”

Verida couldn’t help but smile slightly. “Perk of having centuries of heritage experience to draw from. It’s an odd thing, knowing some things from my ‘mother’ but not others. I suppose it’d be like if you just knew how to cook a meal that’s been in your family for generations just by being born.”

Teri, focused as she was on the goddess’ emotions, could feel a ripple of frustration bleed through her efforts to maintain a calm demeanor.

“I can imagine it being hard,” Teri said, before grimacing. “Well, okay, maybe I really can’t. But I do know what it’s like to have a role decided for you from birth. I know it’s not the same but…”

“No,” Verida interrupted. “It’s close enough for the feelings to get across. Knowing there’s some goal preordained for you, regardless of your desires, weighs heavily no matter if those expectations come from within or without. Perhaps, if you wish, we could talk more about this once things get settled.”

“I would like that,” Teri said.

A wave of happiness surged past Verida’s emotional screen and Teri swore to herself to keep that promise. To be the friend someone with such a massive burden on her deserves. She almost laughed at how overly zealous she was yesterday.

“Now, I think we’ve given Mason enough time to prepare breakfast.” Verida smiled before gesturing towards the hall. “Shall we?”

Teri nodded and the pair made their way to the hall, walking under the lights Verida had grown.

“I like the light plants,” Teri mentioned.

“Thank you,” the goddess said, her eyes flicking towards one. “Oh, yes, that reminds me. John thought up a name for this Kingdom. Pruzonia.”

“Pruzonia,” Teri tested the name, finding it not unpleasant to say or hear, though she had no idea what, if anything, it meant.

Her puzzlement must have shown on her face as Verida continued, “He used some elements of the scientific names for cherry blossoms, which he said have meanings connected to rebirth and the cycle of life. I found it fitting. Certainly better than anything directly relating back to Amarlis.”

A sour feeling rippled through Verida’s serene emotional facade, not that Teri needed her empathic senses to hear the distaste in the goddess’ voice when she mentioned the far-off elven Kingdom. And given their earlier conversation, she didn’t have to muse long on why she might have such a distaste for it.

‘Probably not the best idea to bring it up right now,’ Teri thought as they entered the Hall. Her ears twitched as she began to hear the familiar tones of John and Vivian as they spoke with Mason and that Harker fellow. He was a hard one to read, Teri noted, his emotions well restrained behind an effective poker face. She could only barely feel his current irritation.

“Sounds like they are still having trouble setting up the device to allow your phones to work,” Verida remarked. Teri, distracted by the varying emotions her friends and acquaintances were emitting, mainly a mix of frustration and amusement, barely noticed a ripple of displeasure flash through Verida.

Before Teri could pry, Aeolia flew out of the side room everyone seemed to be in, her annoyed face lightening up when she spotted her.

“Oh, thank Gaia for a distraction,” she muttered as she landed.

“You okay?” Teri asked, confused.

“Just a bit too much noise in there,” Aeolia answered. “Turns out the phone thing Harker got should have come with a ‘some assembly required’ warning. There’s a lot of parts that need to be put together and it is way too early for that.”

“I understand your pain,” Verida said. “I much preferred it when there were only the sounds of the forest. Not to say conversations aren’t appreciated, but there’s something I just like about that over the noise of metal grinding against more metal.”

“Not judging you on that,” Aeolia assured her with a grin. “An early morning flight is nice and calming. Wouldn’t mind stretching my wings in this sky at some point without having to fight stuff.”

“If we didn’t have our summit, I would say take your flight,” Verida said. “Perhaps once it concludes, a nice relaxing soar is in order.”

“Certainly would feel nice after sitting for who knows how long,” Aeolia muttered before looking at Verida intently. “Fast or slow?”

Verida tilted her head. “I’m not sure I follow?”

“Flying,” Aeolia clarified. “Do you prefer to just glide around or do you like to zoom around?”

Verida seemed taken aback by the question, her surprise nearly overwhelming Teri’s empathic senses.

“I don’t know,” the goddess slowly said, her face growing concerned. “I haven’t really thought about it. And there isn’t much about that from…”

Teri looked on agape as the goddess’ emotions swirled more vibrantly than she’d felt from her, mainly varying flavors of confusion, but there was a sort of horrible, empty ache that made her guts twist sympathetically.

She glanced at Aeolia, who, while lacking her empathic senses, was able to clearly see the distress the goddess was experiencing. The winged woman, with the boldness she often exuded, said, “Sucks we can’t go out now. Bet the sunrise would look awesome. But, there’s nothing in the way of us going for a fly once this meeting’s done. How’s that sound?”

Verida looked at the winged woman, a surge of happiness flooding out of her, her face breaking into a wide smile.

“I would very much like that!” Verida replied, sounding more like an excited teenager than a draconic goddess, her tail swaying back and forth. “I’ve wanted to fly over to the mountains, but didn’t want to get distracted from today’s needs. Do you think you can make the distance? Or maybe I could carry you over there in my dragon form and you can fly normally once we’re there? Or…”

Verida’s expression suddenly grew serious and she looked back towards the entrance. The happiness flowing from her died, held back by the calm facade she erected around her emotions.

“It would seem our esteemed guests are not far from the Pathway,” Verida said, all trace of her excitement gone. “I believe it would be wise for those attending the meeting to gather here. I shall greet the Order.”