Chapter: 679 – Audiences

Tala found an oddity as she came into the official reception hall of the House of Blood here in Croi.

First of all, it was entirely dressed in red stone. The otherwise oppressive, bloody color was broken up skillfully with gold and black gems and stone, seemingly mostly a mix of onyx, obsidian, and dark opal.

The House of Blood certainly knew how to make a statement.

Second—and a close second at that—was the fact that two thrones sat at the head of the room, on a dais.

No… that wasn’t right. It wasn’t ‘a’ dais. The raised platform was split in two, with a short step down between the two thrones, showing that they were separate powers but on equal footing.

One was white, reminding her of the dining room she’d just left, with carved depictions of crops, nature, and crafting.

The other was black, seeming to blend with the room far more easily, its carvings harder to see in its dark expanse. Tala could easily discern them of course, and they were images and patterns of weapons, battle, and war.

The white throne seemed to have centuries—if not milennia—of wear while the black throne seemed almost brand new, save the sense of age about it. Rarely used.

-If ever.-

I think there have been one or two Eskau of War throughout the history of the House.

-True enough.-

Head Corinis had requested a moment to ‘freshen up and change into something more appropriate,’ sending her on ahead.

He’d also suggested that she wear her armor, leaving the helmet off and possibly even setting it to the side as a visual.

She now understood what he’d meant, as well as why he’d made the suggestions.

It was obvious where she was supposed to sit, and how she would look there, in her armor.

House Guards stood at attention spaced down the sides of the room, recessed in alcoves clearly added for their stations.

Their armor was as she’d seen before, if a bit more ornate due to the nature of this space.

Just as for her reception, they were offset from one another, none looking straight across at one of their fellows.

The guards held decorum, not turning as she entered, but each bowed low as she passed, striding toward the black throne.

Her armor grew around her, pulled to the superficial and manifested around her. She did it in time with her steps so she grew as she progressed, adding just about an inch due to all the layers of integrated and ablative defense.

The protective gear would be unnecessary of course, except as a statement.

She turned and sat on the black throne. It was five steps up from the main floor, giving her a commanding view of the larger reception hall. It honestly reminded her a bit of where she’d been welcomed back to Platoiri, even if it wasn’t as massive as that one had been.

Regardless, it had a similar feel, a similar authoritative air.

Less than five minutes later, Head Corinis strode in, his Eskau flanking him. The man wore black robes that had clearly been expertly crafted, and Tala finally saw the full effect the man had been going for. She was to be the white Eskau of War, atop the black throne, he the black Head of House in the white throne.

They were opposites but united, separate but equal.

It was an odd thought, but in regard to leaders? It fit.

Head Corinis entered the room from a hidden side door, pausing to chuckle when he saw her. “I’m glad you took my suggestion on the armor. It does fit the… sense of this place so well.”

She gave a small smile. She thought she knew the answer, but since he was here, and they had the time, she decided to ask, “Did you have this crafted?”

He huffed. “Hardly. If it displeases you, we can have a new one made, but this dual chamber has long been used to project that we were a House at peace. We were founded and steeped in battle for long years, but we were at rest.” His smile returned, looking almost feral. “No longer.”

She nodded, understanding. With a thought, she created a helmet for herself, resting on the armrest of her throne.

It fit the place well.

In one sense, this was all insanity. She was a gated human—the traditional enemies and strategic resources of these people—additionally, she was once a slave in all but name—all but forced into a sort of puppet authority.

Now? She’d seemingly been handed the keys to the kingdom.

The truth was less… grand.

She had full authority with regard to executing the war that was yet to begin. If she tried to throw her weight around, as it were, her authority would quickly be eroded into uselessness. She had not been handed command of the House. Rather, she’d been given the opportunity to prove she could elevate the House with her actions, given both trust and a chance to succeed.

They were gambling on her, but it wasn’t blindly, or without cause. There were many, many reasons—most of which she realized that she was unlikely to ever know—but they weren’t betting everything, not by a copper or a gold.

But all of that wasn’t the purpose of her presence here. As such, it was less than five minutes after Head Corinis had taken his seat that the great doors at the far end of the hall opened once more.

As expected, the first group to enter was a pair of dwarves. The leader was more elaborately dressed, likely the ambassador, and the one trailing more martial, though he bore no weapon that Tala could see.

Still, no adult arcane was ever truly unarmed. And speaking of the magical side of things, both had fully suppressed their own power, hiding it deep within in a manner that would make it difficult to draw forth quickly.

The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.

The fact that it also obscured their advancement was likely not seen as important.