"In the name of Heaven, I Will Punish You!"
Starshadow, Emphyralis
Sonja and her family left Silvermoon early and arrived home around noon. They had lunch and then she decided to contact Ludvig's three sisters and inform them before announcing it to the public.
"We'll tell them together," Phaedra decided firmly, calmly, and decisively. She was the most like her mother in personality.
Ophelia nodded. "With us here, Aunties might hold back their tempers," she agreed.
They didn't exactly like their father's sisters. They were loud and overbearing. Their mother was tough outside and tender inside. Those three women were just boors. They always competed to outdo each other when it came to gifts on birthdays and holidays. It was about the giver, never the receiver. The result was years of ostentatious gifts that were ultimately useless and went into the state treasury.
Still, the women were still single and child free and they were the oldest nieces and treated them indulgently.
"You can't say no," they stated at the same time when they saw that their mother was going to argue.
Sonja pursed her lips. "Fine," she said. She turned to Roark who was holding back a laugh. "Have the attendants prepare the guest suite for your aunts and prepare the southern sitting room to receive your father's body. We'll pick out some clothes for him and bring him home this evening," she instructed him.
Roark sobered and nodded. "I'll see to it," he said.
Sonja stood up from the table. "Come along girls. We'll go to the study." The three siblings stood as well. Roark left the dining room to see to his tasks while Sonja and the girls went to her study. She took out a call stone and tapped it and said the names of Ludvig's three sisters. After a while the faces of three women hovered above the stone. One of them looked at Sonja superciliously.
"Sonja," she greeted primly, seemingly politely, but the omission of her title was inherently rude even if they were in-laws. "What brings you to contact all of us? Is there something wrong with our Ludvig?" When she suggested this, her face changed, genuine concern flitted over it. The other two sisters also looked concerned.
"I'm sorry to inform you, but Ludvig died," Sonja said evenly. As expected, there was an uproar as the women rejected the notion that their beloved younger brother had died.
The oldest sister was enraged though. "What did you do! How did a perfectly healthy young man die?" she demanded.
"Oh, my poor, innocent Viggy. What did you do to deserve this?" another sister sobbed.
Sonja pressed her lips together. Phaedra and Ophelia held hands tightly while listening to their words.
Soon three glares were leveled at Sonja. "Well, what do you have to say for yourself?"
"Much," Sonja said succinctly. "Your beloved brother died in the dungeon because he was a traitor." The women squawked. They had zero consideration for their nieces, saying vicious things and even called Sonja a murderer.
"Enough! Girls, go out. There are things I'll say to your aunts alone," Sonja said coldly.
The girls, pale faced and angry, left the study without a word. They didn't know what to do with themselves now. "Let's go find Troi," Phaedra suggested. Ophelia nodded. Troi would listen to them and help find a way to distract them.
Inside the study, Sonja stared at the three women. "If you want to see proof, I can show it to you when you get here. "The funeral will be the day after tomorrow. I'll be announcing his death and his crimes to the public today. I won't hide anything from the public. Prepare yourselves for any negative backlash you'll suffer," she said in a calm clipped tone.
Again, the women made an uproar. "He's already dead, why are you going to ruin his reputation?" one sister demanded.
"Why would I hide it? I'm committed to transparency in my term as Duchess Starshadow. The case is closed. If it's found out later? The backlash would be even worse," she said. She eyed each of them. "As for calling me a murderer? Don't worry, you can see for yourself. He died suddenly of natural causes. We welcome you to come to the Castle and sit vigil with your brother until the funeral, but he's already with Lady Elaides."
She tapped the call stone and cut them off before they could say more. There was no reason to argue with them. She rubbed her temples. There was a knock on her door. "Come in," she said.
Zane came in. "Your children ran to my residence to annoy Troi. I thought you may need back-up dealing with the Shadowclaw women," he said. He couldn't pretend grief over Ludvig Shadowclaw's death. He never liked the man. Didn't like that Sonja had to marry him. Didn't like his sisters. However, he would never be dismissive of the feeling of Sonja and her family. He would support them through this time in whatever capacity was required of him.
Sonja shook her head. "I didn't bother to argue with them on the call. There will be plenty of noise when they come in person. Come, stand beside me when I make the public announcement," she said.
Zane nodded and moved to stand slightly behind her. Official call stones for the Dracosenati had the special function of being able to broadcast to everyone in Myrkir. She tapped the stone. "Public announcement," she said. The stone glowed intermittently and made several tonal sounds. When the glow stayed constant, it was time to report to the public.
Unlike when telling the Shadowclaw sisters, she was incredibly detailed when explaining the death, the investigation before, and the investigation after, including the consultation with mages and Spirit Seers. She was completely transparent.
People watched on their call stones, the face of their Duchess and the High Guard standing behind her. Although they were shocked by the Duke Consort's behavior and his death, no one would blame her or their children. In the past hundred years, she's led them through dark times in a situation never before recorded in their history. They believed in their Duchess Starshadow.
--
Termina, Terranthea
The horizon in the distance was beginning to turn the color of a fish belly. "It should be about time," he announced.
Darius opened his eyes. He hadn't been asleep, merely resting.
She'd already been up. Lysithea had explained to her what she wanted to do. Britiana already knew the concept of angels from Thelessia. Even Guennit, Darius' former mercenary company leader, briefly mistook them for angels. She then changed out of her shirt and pants and into a flowy, ethereal white dress.
"It's time," she said. She'd already given Lysithea and Phryne a stasis cloak because they needed to be there to take videos. She stood up from the couch and adjusted her cloak and activated it.
Lysithea was strangely excited to try the stasis cloak and activated it herself. Phryne also activated her cloak, with a little less enthusiasm. The Crowley's were watching. They wanted to go but they also didn't want to get in the way. ZsaZsa picked up the capsules and put them in a small pouch.
She turned into her Drake form and began to fly in circles, faster and faster as they watched. They'd been told about this, but seeing it was eye opening. When she gained enough speed, she disappeared with a crack!
ZsaZsa reappeared with another crack! She flapped her wings and landed lightly on the high ledge of the roof they were staking out on. She turned back into her humanoid form and pulled out the capsules and released them.
"Oh, this is an interesting feeling," Lysithea said, holding her head woozily.
"Interesting is an interesting word," Phryne responded, rabidly blinking her eyes in an effort to stop them from spinning.
Britiana sighed. "I was really hoping I could say 'You get used to it!' but it seems I cannot," she said. "What's the game plan?" she asked. She wanted to look at her brother, but looking up or standing wasn't in the cards at the moment.
Darius looked down at the crowd that was beginning to gain momentum now that dawn was beginning to break. Some were all ready to beat on the doors. "Everyone else can infiltrate the crowd; cause some chaos when it's time. Sariya and I will stay here. She'll keep an eye and step in where she needs to. I'll lend you my Manifesting power," he pointed to a finger in the crowd. "There's the demon. We're sure he's a demon. Don't worry if you can't take him down in one blow. Amadeus and Lazarus will take care of it," he assured her.
Britiana made an affirmative gesture and stood up. She fluffed her hair, and then her skirt. She straightened her back and her white wings grew. She flapped them slightly and stretched them. "Oof. That feels good," she said.
Lysithea and Phryne blinked at her. They both gave her two thumbs up. Indeed, a perfect embodiment of an angel.
"Okay, go, it's getting lighter and lighter. The murky dawn light is better," Darius said. Everyone with displacement skills disappeared from the rooftop. Sariya took out her bow and an arrow, leaving it loosely nocked, watching the situation below.
ZsaZsa turned back into a Drake and perched nearby. Darius sat down and closed his eyes to channel all his telekinetic power to his sister.
Britiana waited until she spotted everyone in the crowd. She conjured some mist that started to seep around the crowd, almost like a low hanging cloud. She homed in on her target. He stood a little aloof from the mortals. She hopped up onto the roof ledge. She manifested a sword of glowing psionic energy and jumped, flapping her wings, gaining a little altitude before pivoting and dropping. "Die demon! In the name of Heaven, I will punish you!" she purposely made her voice louder and bigger, more majestic and magnified.
Suddenly the crowd saw an angel with a glowing sword drop from the sky and try to slash at a person in the crowd.
The demon panicked and changed into his true form, shiny red skin, almost seven feet tall, and with a thin whippy tail. The sword seemed to shatter into light, blinding most of the bystanders. When the light dimmed, the demon was gone and the angel was disappearing into the sky, leaving a sentence. "Heaven protects," the voice echoed around. It didn't say who it protects, but it was obvious. It was this alleged witch sanctuary.
What did it mean? Did heaven protect witches? Did it mean that Heaven was protecting innocents? The crowd remained in shock, trying to process what happened.
They had no idea that Britiana used a flash-bang spell as a distraction and then threw a cloak on the demon and activated it. She used Darius's telekinetic power to bring the capsule to her hand as she flew away. She used the power of Voidwalking to disappear into the sky. She tumbled out of the void in front of him and fell on her bottom. "Ugh," she grunted and just lay back on the dirty roof. She held up the capsule proudly.
Darius chuckled at her tiredly. ZsaZsa came over to check on her. "Are you okay?" she asked.
"It's fine. I just never Voidwalked before and phew!" she blew out a breath.
Darius grunted in agreement. "What's happening down there?" he asked Sariya.
"Some people were frightened by the demon and ran. Some people got frightened by the angel and ran. Most of them are bowing down. They appear to be praying and worshiping," she answered.
Everyone regrouped at the rooftop. Lysithea was already pulling a laptop out of the storage bracelet that had been passed to her and used her programs to start propagating the videos she, Phryne, and Delaney took. She looked around. "Can we do more? In different places that are far apart? There are many safehouses that are being targeted," she said, unsure of their unwillingness to help.
"I can take everyone where we need to go as long as you give me a landmark to focus on," ZsaZsa answered on her own behalf. Darius and Britiana were the ones doing the heavy work on this scheme.
Darius nodded. "Where are the most precarious places? We'll take advantage of the early morning, then go back to rest," he said.
Lysithea nodded. She checked the app, saw where there was the most turmoil and fear. When she saw the location, she found a picture of a nearby landmark and showed it to ZsaZsa. She nodded. "I got it," she said.
Britiana hopped to her feet and furled her wings, putting them away. "Let's go. We're wasting daylight," she said brightly and pulled out her cloak, wrapping it around herself and activating it. Everyone followed her actions. ZsaZsa hummed to herself as she gathered up capsules. She turned into a Drake and began to fly in circles and disappeared with a crack.
That day, several angels, male and female, appeared in various places all over the country, and several other countries around the world. By now, everyone realized Heaven seemed to be protecting the witches.
--
The morning was busy, and everyone found a place to sleep when they came back. The Crowley's doubled up so as to free up some beds for their guests. Even though they assured them it wasn't necessary, the family insisted. Thus, Britiana and Sariya shared a full bed, while ZsaZsa curled between them in her Drake form. Darius slept in a bed, but Lazarus and Amadeus made beds on the floor. They were soldiers, a soft carpeted floor was a luxury in some cases.
Darius was the first to stir, and his waking woke the soldiers. They walked downstairs and Darius went to the dining room and took a few food baskets out of his storage. It seemed Britiana's tendency to fill him with food before he went out with the Talon Hawk Company was hereditary. His mom gave them plenty of food before they left.
Maybe, despite their quiet movements, they disturbed the others as they began to stir as well. The first to come downstairs was Amalthea. She had a rolling suitcase that she put in front of the basement door. "Morning," she greeted, even though it was almost night. "Sorry, no one was up to take care of guests," she said when she saw them getting food out of baskets.
Darius shook his head. "It's no problem. My mother sent us plenty of food," he said. "Please join us. To thank you for the tacos," he said. When they'd gotten home earlier, they ate that Terranthean delicacy.
She smiled and wasn't polite. She brought some more plates and utensils from the kitchen so that others could eat when they came down.
The next down were Delaney and Deianira. She'd slept with her mother the night before and they were looking at each other grumpily. They were both sprawlers and they were reminded why they avoided sleeping together. "Food? Ooh, everberry tarts," Delaney said delightedly. Everberries on Emphyralis were as popular as strawberries on Terranthea. Everberries were much better.
Darius chuckled. "Mom sent plenty," he said, pulling out a basket filled only with everberry tarts.
Delaney's bad mood melted away. "Here Momma, Aunt Thea, try these," she said and began filling plates for the two older women. "Aunt Thea you'll really like this, it's super tender and juicy. Here Momma, these mashed wompils are amazing."
Deianira chuckled at her daughter but tried everything she recommended. Amalthea happily dove into the new food. She even tried a few things Delaney didn't recommend and found out why. Still, she had a good time.
More and more people trickled into the dining room following the smell of food. Lysithea was the last to come down. "Can I borrow a bracelet?" she asked, not even acknowledging the food.
Britiana gave her a necklace instead. "Is there anything you need help with?" she asked.
Lysithea shook her head. "I have equipment in the attic I want to take with me," she answered and dashed back upstairs.
Lysithea's request reminded Britiana and she gave the Crowley's storage equipment. She let them request necklaces, rings, or bracelets. They tried to resist at first, but she shook her head. "Don't worry. These are stolen goods. That's why I was able to use them to practice. They weren't worth much on Thelessia," she assured them.
Delaney sighed with a laugh. "It's the storage that makes them valuable," she said.
Britiana waved her hands and shook her head. "These are nothing. You'll see. Even village folk have bigger storage spaces. They aren't expensive or uncommon," she said.
They thanked her and took the equipment.
Amalthea, having eaten her fill, gathered her luggage into the ring she chose. She then went back up to her room and gathered more things. Much of their things were lost in the fire. Luckily, heirlooms and antiques were stored in the basement. She went around gathering the important things they'd take with her.
"Do we need to gather the beds?" Amalthea asked, popping back downstairs.
"Only if you want your bedding. We have beds and basic bedding," Delaney answered. Amalthea nodded. She did, in fact, gather her bedding. She was one of those people that needed familiar scents to sleep well. Everyone else began to gather their things as well.
Delaney had already packed up everything. "We're taking the Shaunessy family with us, right?" she asked.
Britiana nodded. "That was the point of the inn. We hadn't expected such an urgent situation when we arrived, however," she answered.
"We also have to figure out the logistics of getting more people to Emphyralis. We still haven't had a chance to look around the planet," he said. He looked at Britiana. "How often can people transfer back and forth?" he asked.
"It's only limited by the power of the type of Draconite. When the lines start to fade, we just have to add more ink," she answered. "It would take a couple thousand crossings for any noticeable fading to appear," she mused while she crinkled her face.
"Then we'll all go back first and come back once we get everyone settled. It'll also be safer to study these demons," he said. They had a handful of captured demons and demon spawn. They ran out of spare cloaks and ended up killing the last few. Demons were tough, but they could be killed by weapons made of higher-grade Draconite inscribed with magic.
The Crowley's perked up. "What will studying the demons do?" Phryne asked. She was genuinely curious. For ages, the only thing one could do with a demon was to try to survive or try to kill it.
"Figure out how to seal off the Lower Realm," Britiana answered.