2538 Rites of Passage (Part 4)



The muzzle of the guard was impassible, but small tears drenched the fur around his eyes. He had not only witnessed the demise of Ikara, but also experienced his pain, love, and last wishes through the mind link the alpha shared with the members of his pack.

When the adult Hati opened the door, the desperate owls of the pup were drowned by those of the wargs outside who also had perceived the last moments of the late King and had been forced to resist the impulse to sacrifice their lives to save his.

Solus was still frozen in shock from the coronation of the new King when Ymnar the Fomor walked in front of the Queen, right where Ikara had stood until a minute ago.

"Do you need a moment, my liege?" He asked while helping her to sit down before her shacky knees buckled.

"No, Warlord." Syrah shook her head. "I could use help in choosing my son's spouse. We need fresh and better blood if we want to avoid repeating the mistakes of the past."

"I don't know anyone with better taste in men than my wife Urhen. Come down here, darling. I can't do this without you. I literally can't." The Fomor traded insults one last time with Warsage Phemet before preparing his own blade. 

After the King, it was time for a new Warlord.

The Balor lady in waiting walked through the double doors of the senate right on cue, walking hand in hand with a boy of pre-teen age. He was the most stable and powerful Fomor among the newest generation and had been chosen as Ymnar's replacement.

The young Fomor didn't share any blood with the Warlord but it didn't make the rite of passage any easier. The boy was Ymnar's disciple and had spent more time with him and his wife than with his own parents.

The Warlord had taught the boy everything he knew and now he could only hope that it would be enough for the boy to survive the struggles that abandoning their old home and dealing with the Undead Courts entailed.

"Master." The blue skin of the boy was grey, the blood drained from his face due to the terror he could barely contain.

"No need for honorifics, Uopha. Not anymore." Ymnar shook his head. "You can call me by my name, o Warlord."

Master and apprentice chuckled briefly before the gravity of the situation drained the joy from their laughter and faces.

"Do you have any last question?" Ymnar asked.

"No." Uopha actually had many, but none related to his soon-to-be role.

He just wanted to know why him and why now. Life in the underground complex was short and hard, but no one had a shorter and harder existence than the members of the senate.

Uopha still couldn't believe that his master had chosen him over his own son. Yet it was an honor he would have gladly turned down if only he had a chance.

"Very well. Urhen?" The female Balor drained the surrounding world energy, taking her husband's role and place.

'I think we've seen enough.' Solus said with a sniffle while husband and wife exchanged their final words. 'Can we please leave? I don't think there's anything else we can learn from watching more people die.'

'No. Ask Solus where the array control center is.' Lith replied. 'We can exploit the grief of the guards for the death of their leader to take a good look at it without being bothered.'

'Sure.' The Voidfeather ignored him and brought them out of the room as fast as he could. 'Solus, do you feel like looking for the array control center or do you need some time first?'

'Gods, Lith number three is definitely the kindest but also a bit creepy. I'm not used to so much care, at least not during a mission.' Her hiccups turned into a chuckle. 'That said, I know where the array control center of Zelex is.'

'Of what?' The Voidfeather asked.

'It's how they call this city.' Solus replied. 'Sadly, there's nothing we can do. The array control center is sealed by powerful magical formations and only those wearing the Harmonizer of the King, Warlord, or Warsage can open them.

'On top of that, the place is well-lit and under constant surveillance. Unless you can turn invisible, there's no way we can stare at the doors long enough to study the locks without being discovered.'

'Good point.' Lith nodded. 'We can still take our time and explore the city. We need to understand what kind of defensive array they have and how to deal with them if we want to have a chance in case we need to storm Zelex.'

This time the Voidfeather relayed the message as it was, reassuring Solus that Lith was still in there.

'Do you mind if we first go to a safe place and I talk with Lith for a while?' She asked.

'No problem.' The Voidfeather crawled from one shadow to another, leaving the balcony and then the senate.

The Hati and warg were already shocked by Ikara's death but as soon they learned that the rites of passage had begun, the surveillance became perfunctory. Most of the guards wore no Harmonizer and they would simply be culled.

Those who had one, would be forced to give up on their lives to pass it down.

Their distress together with the information that Lith and Solus had acquired while reaching the senate made it easy for them to escape the notice of the now distraught sentinels.

As soon as they reached an isolated area and the Eyes of Menadion ensured them that there was no one around, the shadows converged to a single point, taking the form of the Voidfeather Dragon that quickly collapsed into Lith's.

'Welcome back.' She gave him the telepathic equivalent of a warm embrace since she couldn't afford to waste energy by assuming her human form.

'I was always right beside you, dummy.' He replied, returning the hug. 'The Voidfeather simply cut direct communication between us, but he never tried to overtake me.'

'That's good news.' Solus nodded. 'Good, but unsettling nonetheless. I didn't expect that after the Void we would have to deal with your beast side.'

'Me neither, but it's not a big surprise. I mean, we knew that my life forces have yet to completely merge and that sooner or later we'd have to look into that. At least now we know the source of my problem and can start figuring out a way for me to reach the bright violet.'

'So, what's the plan now?' Solus asked.

'We don't really have one.' Lith shrugged. 'I came here to rescue you and collect information. Faluel wanted to know if the children of Glemos could be reasoned with and I say the answer is yes.'

'Agreed, but I don't think that walking in here with a smile and a box of chocolates will be enough to convince them of our good faith. They are stuck with Glemos' doctrine and have just lost a lot of good people.

'Even if we bring them an alternative to the culling, it would still bring them despair.' Solus said