knew for certain that her assassin had failed. All at once her mind was spinning as she realised that this would change everything.
“Lady El-on-ah, yes,” said Dux, appearing to relax a little. “It has been many years….”
“My Lord, I am sorry but I am afraid that I have no time for such pleasantries.” Said El-on-ah, as she gathered her thoughts, “I was sent here by Lord Ka…”
The guards redrew their swords and lunged towards her.
“Wait,” said Dux, raising his hand. “Lady El-on-ah is taking a big risk coming here. She must know that she risks her life by telling us this. Whether or not she speaks the truth, I would like to hear what she has to say.”
“Thank you, my Lord,” she said softly, her heart in her throat.
El-on-ah pushed at the tip of the sword that the guard held to her chest. Reluctantly he withdrew it, keeping it unsheathed at his side.
“I cannot lie to you my Lord,” she said softly “I am an Ophite and have been for many years. I had longed for the day when Lord Ka would return to us and lead the Afterlands into a new era. He promised to provide us with a world where the lives of the Hydrargyrum Bloods were not restrained by our barren lands and where we too could benefit from the rich fertile lands and riches of Ferrum and Aurum. However, now that he has returned, I fear that we have awoken a sleeping monster.”
Rose stepped gingerly out from behind Dux. As she looked across at El-on-ah, their eyes met and locked for a long moment, until Dux realised and stepped between them once again.
“May I ask?” said Dux, evidently intrigued. “What has Lord Ka done to generate this sudden ambiguity in your loyalties El-on-ah?”
“Lord Ka has perfected a way of reversing the Djinn’s assimilation process.”
Dux’s eyebrows rose ever so slightly.
“What do you mean by reversing?” He said.
“Phlegon attempted to assimilate Ka, but when Ka entered the crucible, he was able to reverse the assimilation using a charm. So instead of Phlegon assimilating Ka, Ka was able to assimilate Phlegon and now he lives within the body of the Djinn. Ka now controls them all, the Djinn, the Ophites and the Afreet.”
Dux pensively pursed his lips, but his eyes did not stray from El-on-ah’s unfathomable face.
“But is that not what you wished for my dear for Ka to take control?” Said Dux, “how has your Lord Ka changed so much that you come here seeking…. what? Asylum?”
“Yes, I seek asylum, for myself and for my servants,” she said.
She indicated to them to pull down their hoods. Tu-nek-ta and Che-vah-ra nervously obliged.
“We seek asylum because Ka has instructed all ascendant Ophites to enter the crucibles of the Djinn. He has ordered us to use his potion and incantation to assimilate the Djinn and take control of their bodies. However, not only is the thought of going through with this repugnant to me, but the process is severely flawed. What occurs is not purely assimilation, but a melding of two individuals. The outcome is a distorted combination of two bodies and more worryingly, of two minds.”
El-on-ah shook her head, seemingly in disbelief.
“Lord Ka truly has become Phlegon; evil, ruthless, cruel, and devoid of any compassion.” El-on-ah paused briefly and then her tone hardened. “That is why I did not obey his order to go through the assimilation process, and why I come here now, to ask for asylum and to offer you my help in defeating this monster.”
Wavering momentarily El-on-ah seemed uncertain as to whether she should say more. She bit her lip hard.
“I come here also,” she said, with a nervous sigh, “ to warn you that it is Ka’s intention to begin his assault on Aurum within days. Which is why I think it would be wise, my Lord, to get the young Whyte ascendant, who hides behind you, well clear of the city.”
Rose stepped from behind Dux. The guards tensed, raising their swords as she casually approached El-on-ah.
“Lord Baroque is, I understand,” said Rose “an Ophite like you.”
Rose edged in closer, her voice dropping until it was barely a whisper.
“He was sent to annihilate me, and judging by the look on your face when you saw me, you were well aware of this Lady El-on-ah, and yet you expect us to trust you?”
Che’s body stiffened as he sensed El-on-ah’s panic, but she kept it well hidden and when she replied, her voice held steadily.
“I was not only aware of Baroque’s attempt on your life Lady Rose,” said El-on-ah, “but it was also I who gave the order.”
Che sighed deeply as he raised his eyes towards the ceiling in exasperation. Then with a nervous cough he turned and exchanged an uneasy glance with Tu-nek-ta.
Arjan and Ash pushed protectively between Rose and El-on-ah, whose head was now bowed.
“I regretted it almost immediately,” she said guiltily, “ but it was too late to rescind the order. Please, I would very much like the opportunity to make up for this. I would offer you my protection, Lady Rose if you would take it?”
“Oh, I believe that I have enough protection Lady El-on-ah,” said Rose indignantly, “but I will take the matter under advisement.”
“Lady El-on-ah,” said Dux, moving again to Rose’s side. “Rose is right, your words have given us much to discuss. For now, I would ask that you go with the guards,”
He nodded toward the guard at her side.
“They will take you to our guest chamber and arrange for some refreshments. You will, of course, remain under guard. Get some rest, I will speak to the high council on your behalf and let you know of our decision before dusk.”
“Thank you Lord Dux,” said El-on-ah, “ I appreciate your advocacy.”
She turned again to Rose, her expression almost sorrowful.
“I promise that I will not let you down again, Lady Rose,” she said.
“Oh, I am sure that you will not,” said Rose, her voice cold.
As they were escorted out of the room Rose moved towards the others.
“I do not trust that woman,” she said quietly.
Ash smiled quizzically.
“Well, I can’t imagine why not?” he said with a snort, “I mean all she did was to arrange to have you killed.”
Dux returned to them with a solemn expression on his face.
“I am afraid that, as you can imagine, this changes things somewhat,” he said. “I am going to have to leave you for a while. Please make yourselves comfortable. Do not leave this room until I return. I will ensure that the guard on the doors is increased. Rose, may I speak to you privately for a moment?”
Dux took her arm and led her over to the doorway.
“What do your instincts tell you Rose?” He asked, his tone barely a whisper.
Rose’s voice, though equally quiet, did not waver.
“They tell me,” she said, her brows drawn together in a concerned frown, “that something is not right about all this. They tell me that she is not to be trusted, but for some reason that I cannot fathom, they also say that we have to trust her. I don’t know why, but I felt a strong connection with her the moment I saw her. I felt pulled to her. She is meant to be here with me; somehow I know that her place is here. I feel it, and the feeling is strong.”
Dux placed his hand on her shoulder, his eyes flickering with an expression of illumination as they looked deep into hers.
“It is the four Rose,” he said knowingly, “Although they are without voice, they still speak to you. Trust what they tell you, trust your instincts. I will investigate the validity of what Lady El-on-ah has told us, and then speak to the high council. I will return as quickly as I can.”
He gave her shoulder a brief squeeze and then he left.
Rose joined the others by the fire. Now, feeling hungry, they were all tucking into the pyramid of pastries and sweet cakes laid out on the small occasional table in front of the sofa.
“Have some pastries Rose,” said Ash with his mouth full of food. “These purple cream ones really
are bloody gorgeous. He looks after us, always puts on a good spread for us, Lord Dux, doesn’t he?”
Arjan laughed. “He does no such thing. Have you not realised yet. Our Lord Dux has one very sweet tooth. He always has a tray full of pastries in his quarters, they are his one weakness.”
“Lucky for us then,” said Ash, his mouth dripping with purple cream.
Lee was feeding Sloley with fruit cake that he had carefully prepared, cutting it up into small, perfectly uniform and equally sized portions. The little loris was curled up on his lap contentedly. Auriel, Rose, and Arjan settled down on some cushions next to the fire.
Ash went to join them, after grabbing the last of the purple creams, but hesitated briefly as he noticed the precision with which Lee was arranging Sloley’s food. Lee lined up the small squares of fruitcake in sets of three, taking great care to ensure that they were all the same size and the same distance apart. When he was satisfied, he picked one up and fed it to Sloley who was waiting patiently, his tiny jaw agape.
“You know you’re weird right?” said Ash with an amused frown, “You’re really starting to worry me mate. The fate of the Afterlands in our hands...”
“I would think that you should know,” said Lee, raising his brows condescendingly, “that being precise is not a flaw, especially for an Alchemist.”
“You’ve got me there,” said Ash. “I can’t argue with that, after seeing what happened to Tammy’s singularis potion when she got it wrong, but do you really need to count the raisins in every square of food?”
“It ensures that Sloley’s diet is in perfect