Chapter: 654 – Eskau of War

Tala’s perception swept through all those around her, realizing that she’d removed all her backup during the walk over to the hold of the House of Blood. She could bring them back with an ease that these people likely didn’t realize, but even so, she was momentarily alone.

Rane, Lea, Terry, and even Eskau Meallain were watching right at that moment—Alat having set up their viewing slabs as soon as Tala entered the hold of the House of Blood—but she wasn’t about to call them out at such a moment.

Still, even with her ‘fight or flight’ instincts triggered by Pillar Sanguis’s pronouncement, Tala took the moment to realize a few things.

First, the Pillar had waited until everyone still in the room was seated in comfortable, slightly reclining chairs. No one was at the ready to fight her, nor was anyone drawing close in a vain attempt to contain or restrain her.

Second, he said that they needed to discuss the matter. The Houses were sticklers for protocol, and he hadn’t worded it like a trial or similar formal hearing.

Third, they’d waited until she was introduced to the ‘high society’ of the city, ensuring that she was closely connected with them in everyone’s minds. To kill her—or really to do anything that could be noticed by others as unusual—had the real potential of harming the House of Blood in one way or another.

Finally, Pillar Sanguis had waited until Eskau Pallaun was gone. Specifically, she could see the Eskau elsewhere in the hold, arranging for their refreshments. He wasn’t covertly hiding or anything of the like. He could likely return fast enough if Tala threatened Pillar Sanguis, but he was not in a position to threaten her.

That had to be intentional.

All this flashed through her mind—with Alat’s assistance—and helped to calm her emotions and magic before she took any outward action. Even still, she had to forcibly relax her grip on her authority as it had begun to bubble up, pushing at the edges of the ancient hold that the House of Blood had on this space.

She’d found that it would budge, but it wouldn’t be a fast process if she wanted to truly subvert the House’s authority within this hold, and that was even with the authority deferring to her given her position as an Eskau of the same House.

Old and powerful, indeed.

Pillar Sanguis did not react negatively to her questioning him. Instead, he waited a moment before he gave an acknowledging nod and restated himself. “The pall of Pillar Be-thric’s death still hangs over our House, and not just because Eskau Meallain has made a nuisance of herself by preventing any from taking his place.”

Within Ironhold, Eskau Meallain huffed a laugh and grinned a self-satisfied smile. The reaction almost causing Tala to smile in turn.

The Pillar continued, unaware of the reaction his comment had elicited. “Closure is paramount, and once that is achieved, we must discuss your role within the House of Blood going forward. There is little place in a Major House for an Eskau without a Pillar. You are a bared blade, seemingly with no hand directing you.”

Tala arched an eyebrow at that, causing the man to smile and lift a hand placatingly.

“I am not seeking to ‘leash’ you, nor take away your freedom of movement. I doubt anyone of worth would be willing to hold the other end of the lead, or take responsibility for your actions. My wife would also tan my hide if I were to try anything more forceful than that, but she has a soft spot for all the young women of the House of Blood, and you are that.” He waved his hand again, this time dismissively. “But I am getting off topic.”

Tala gave a slow nod from her chair. “That topic being the death of the Pillar who tried to mentally replace me with a slave identity?”

The man gave a sad smile. “Yes.”

“Then, what do you wish to know? I have told most to Eskau Meallain, but I imagine she was prevented from passing on all but the smallest tidbits through the messages exchanged?”

Within Ironhold, Eskau Meallain nodded. “She has that right.”

Within the Sanctum, Rane grinned. “I should think so.”

Tala was getting distracted, so she tuned out her otherwise constant perception of her expanded spaces, focusing entirely on what was around her in the House of Blood’s hold.

“Indeed.” Pillar Sanguis gave a wry smile at Tala’s words. A moment later, Eskau Pallaun returned, and once Pillar Sanguis had acknowledged the man, the questioning began. “Were you the direct cause of Pillar Be-thric’s death?”

Tala saw no reason to lie at this juncture, so she didn’t. “Yes.”

If Pillar Sanguis was surprised by her answer, he didn’t show it. Even so, others in the room looked shocked, some even muttering to their neighbors as the Pillar continued. “Was this on purpose, or accidental?”

Tala smiled without mirth. “With purpose.”

The man nodded. “Was it planned beforehand or something done in the moment?” She hesitated then, causing Pillar Sanguis to raise an eyebrow. “Are you, then, protecting co-conspirators?”

Tala shook her head. “Not at all, Pillar. I am simply trying to answer your inquiry truthfully and appropriately.” After another moment of thought, she nodded. “The specific act was done in a moment of opportunity. That said, it would be dishonest to say that I wasn’t trying to put together a plan for some sort of escape. In that, leaving a mind magic user at my back—one who had shown he was willing to pursue me even into the land of the Cycling Cities—would have been foolishness.”

“So, you had planned to kill him if you could, but how it happened was unplanned?” He tried to clarify.

A brief consideration left her nodding. “That sounds accurate, yes.”

“Understood.” His eyes flicked toward Eskau Pallaun, and the obsidian man stepped forward, clearly taking up the mantle of questioner.

“You seem to have your memories back. Is that the case, or have you rebuilt ‘Tala’ since your departure?”

Tala blinked, not having expected that question. “Oh, they are back.”

“Were they back when he was slain?”

“Yes.”

“When did you get them back?”

“The day before I claimed the position of Eskau.”

That got a storm of mutters, and Eskau and Pillar exchanged surprised looks before Eskau continued. “So early? Truly?”

“Yes.” She felt no need to elaborate further.

Eskau Pallaun grunted. “Understood.” A moment later, he seemed to remember something, then chuckled. “So, when I played with you about your name…?”

She gave a tight-lipped smile. “I understood immediately that you knew I had been subverted, my identity erased, and my self violated.”

He winced at that. “That is… fair. Understood.”

Tala nodded once, seeing no reason to say more.

The muttering slowly died down, and the silence lengthened until Pillar Sanguis cleared his throat. “I think that answers the questions we still had around Pillar Be-thric’s death. We’ll be curious to learn some specifics about your survival, but now is hardly the time. Before we talk about your position in the House of Blood going forward, I do have one other question.”

Tala shifted in her seat, getting a bit more comfortable. “I’ll answer if I can.”

“Why did you kill Adjunct Thorn?”

Tala frowned in confusion. “Are you asking why I metaphysically killed ‘Thorn’ because his name is actually Thron, and I destroyed his ‘Thorn’ identity by killing the Pillar he served beneath?”

It was Pillar Sanguis’s turn to look confused. “What?” He glanced toward Eskau Pallaun, but then quickly back toward Tala. “Does that mean he is alive?”

Tala shrugged. “To the best of my knowledge, yes.”

The Pillar shifted backward, clearly entirely taken aback by this news.

Eskau Pallaun huffed a laugh. “And here I thought it unimportant to correct his name posthumously.”

His Pillar sighed. “Indeed. So, Thron survived?”

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She shrugged again. “He was alive when Iast I saw him.”

“Do you know why he would not have returned to us?” Then the Pillar held up his hand and shook his head. “My apologies. It is obvious that he would not have returned because that would have exposed your survival. What I meant was, how did you convince him not to return?”

Tala bit her lip, then. “I… paid him for his silence and to allow him to start a new life.”

“Oh? You were able to pay him enough to go to another city and remain hidden? That must have been a tidy sum indeed.”

“My understanding was that he was going back to the other continent, where Adjunct Gallof found and rescued him in his younger years. I believe he intended to carve a place for himself there.”

Pillar Sanguis’s eyes widened, and Eskau Pallaun laughed. “Well, we know why the name of that Dwarven Lord is a mystery.”

Tala cocked her head to the side. “What is this?”

Eskau Pallaun grinned. “A year or so after you… departed, we began to hear rumors of a new power rising on the other continent, an unnamed Dwarf who was gathering not only his own people to him, but any who would join his cause—though, most who were purported to have joined him were dwarves.”

Pillar Sanguis shook his head. “She could not possibly have paid him enough to allow such a rise.”

The elder Eskau shook his head. “Not in coinage. But what of that which we have learned since, about an aspect of his power?”

The Pillar’s face paled, then flushed as his eyes snapped back to Tala. “You gave him a concept sword?”