1949 Stepping into the Light (Part 1)

When Zoreth reverted to her human form, the main plaza was deserted. Only the members of her group remained and she now had a smug expression on her face.

"See, little brother? This is how we work. No subterfuges. We go straight to the point and wait for our prey to deliver itself on our plate." She said.

"That was idiotic!" Theseus blurted out. "I spent weeks running from both humans and Awakened. The Council knows who I am and is out for my blood. You just put a huge target on our backs for no reason!"

"Quite the contrary." Zoreth replied with a sly smile. "You see, the Organization is now part of the Awakened Council of Garlen. As long as you stay with us, they can't attack you without violating the treaty between the Councils.

"Your presence actually helps us because they have more than one good reason to come to us. They know that 'Dragon magic' doesn't exist and that I threatened them to expose the secret of Awakening.

"I was afraid that they wouldn't buy my bluff since making good on my threats would get me nothing but make me an enemy of the Garlen Council as well. Thank you, Theseus."

"If you are members of a Council, then why didn't you just ask Verendi's for a formal audience?" Dolgus couldn't deny her logic, yet it seemed too much effort for such a little gain.

"So naïve for someone one thousand years old." Zoreth clicked her tongue in disapproval. "The Garlen Council doesn't know about the Mouth, or we would have even more competition.

"The moment I mention the artifact and demand it be given back, what do you think would happen?"

She took a brief pause, letting a nightmare scenario play in the heads of their companions.

"We would be surrounded by some of the most powerful beings of Verendi, in their own home, under the effects of magical formations whose power I can't even fathom. They would kill us, leaving no trace of what happened but fake evidence.

"They would claim that you went on a rampage due to your blood madness, that we tried to defend you, and that they had to put us down in self-defense.

"They cannot afford to risk that we expose the existence of the Mouth to the Garlen Council.

"They would rather kill us all and face the political consequences of their actions than willingly give up on such a powerful artifact. This way, instead, we have the home advantage and we can set the rules."

"No array can be cast without us noticing and by forcing them to meet us in the open, in the richest block of one of the most populous cities of Verendi, they can't just try to wipe us out.

"If even one of us manages to escape, they would be done and even the Guardians of Verendi would side with Garlen. With a single move, I left them no choice but to play a game of my choice." Zoreth walked toward the Winged boar, the most luxurious hotel of the city, and the others instinctively followed her.

ᰍaꪧda ᱅o᱇ꫀl Her intelligence and charisma made her the leader of the group, not her power. Even Lith was inwardly gawking at her strategy. He had always had lots of power, but he had always been forced to hide it.

'So this is how you use sheer might strategically.' He pondered. 'Zoreth didn't shed a single drop of blood yet the entire city is under her control. By avoiding violence, she made people scared enough to not provoke her but not so desperate that they would attack her.

'I must say, I like how the Organization operates. Quick, smart, and straight to the point.'

"Does this place have suites?" Zoreth asked a young woman who wore a long elegant dress that covered her from neck to toe despite the heat of the day.

"Yes, Your Majesty. They are on the top floor of the building." She had big brown eyes and gentle features that would have made her lovely if it wasn't for the fear freezing her face and making her voice as deep and husky as that of a man.

"Good. We'll take the full floor and that below. I want no one coming in or out of my property without our permission. Are we clear?" Zoreth asked while bringing her nose so close to the concierge's that she stopped breathing in terror.

"Crystal." The young woman croaked more than speak, swallowing at every syllable.

"Perfect…" Xenagrosh looked at the nametag on the concierge's breast pocket and then at the prices listed for the rooms based on their floor. "Zyma. This is the advance payment for our stay."

She put a small pouch filled with gold coins of Verendi on the counter. The sight was enough to make blood flow again through Zyma's body, biting her lower lip in greed. She was paid in copper and she made one silver coin per month when the tips were good.

Zoreth noticed color and light returning to the young's woman face as a business smile appeared on her face.

"This is for you." Zoreth took a gold coin out of the purse and placed it in Zyma's hands. "Make sure that no one bothers us. If anything happens, let me know and I'll deal with it."

"Yes, Your Majesty." Zyma quickly hid the gold coin inside her pocket and thanked the gods for their generosity.

No one had witnessed the donation since the concierge was the only member of the staff who had remained in the hallway of the hotel. It had happened solely because Zoreth's stare had frozen her in place, but now Zyma considered it part of her luck.

"Is there something, anything you need? The kitchen is at your service and our hotel prizes itself for the skill of our masseuse and the thermal baths." She asked.

"What do you want to do?" Zoreth asked Lith. "Now we have to wait. Feel free to go back home. I'll call you the moment something happens."

Lith pondered the average response time of Garlen's Council and assessed that Verendi shouldn't be any quicker. Before sending an ambassador, the Awakened would surely discuss among them, preparing a plan and several contingency measures in the case it failed.

"Thanks, big sis. I'll come back after lunch. There are a few points that I want to discuss with you, but they can wait."

***

Just like Lith had predicted, no one had arrived during his absence.

Kamila had been happy to see him back again so soon and to spend the morning with him. The closer their honeymoon came to its end the more precious the time they had together became.

It was also the reason she didn't like always having Solus around much.

"You already spend more time with him than me these days. Can't we have a little privacy?" She grunted while setting the table for three while Lith cooked.

"I'm sorry, Kami, but I need my full strength. I need to be close to both Lith and the tower. I promise you that as soon as the issue with the Mouth is resolved, I'll leave you two alone."

Kamila understood how precious Menadion's legacy was for Solus and dropped the argument. Yet her compassion didn't make her like the situation one bit more.