Rebirth of the Nephilim

“Jadis, my friend, it is good to see you!”

Tegwyn happily embraced Syd as she stepped inside the cabin of the newly launched Roc. While she was happy to see the Dryad, she also had her eyes on her surroundings. The new airship’s design was virtually identical to the Leviathan, except that as Jadis entered the interior, she noted that most of the chairs and tables that normally filled the cabin were missing. Instead, it was more of a large cargo bay, which matched the style of the airship that had been crafted for Eir’s father. Since the Roc was supposed to be an exact duplicate of the Leviathan, Jadis guessed the lacking passenger accommodations was part of how the airship had been completed ahead of schedule.

“I’m very glad to see you, too,” Syd grinned at her friend. “I just wasn’t expecting to see you so soon. Is everything alright? How did the Roc get finished so quickly?”

Tegwyn’s face fell slightly, but his ever-present smile didn’t flee entirely. Motioning Syd further inside, the Dryad made room for the rest of his team to greet her as she made her way fully inside.

“Lady Jadis, we have urgent news,” Cora announced as she and the others gathered around her. “We apologize for the change in plans, but we felt you should know right away.”

“Know what?” Syd asked, looking around at her gathered companions. “What’s wrong?”

“One of the Demons killed a man!” Villum blurted out.

“What?” Syd blinked in confusion.

At first, she wasn’t sure what the elf was referencing. Demons were killing people all the time, that was sort of the whole problem with the demonic invasions. Then the context of the situation caught up with her brain, and Jadis’ stomachs fell out. Not Demons. Her Demons. The Demons who were supposed to be safe and under her protection.

“What happened?” Syd demanded, her voice hard. “Who was killed? Was it an accident? Did Crash—”

“It wasn’t Crash,” Tegwyn interrupted, putting up a pair of calming hands as he tried to settle the group down. “And all of your extended family and the workers hired for the compound are safe.”

“That’s good,” Syd let out a sigh of relief. “But what happened? Who was killed, and why, and which Demon did it?”

“A large group of men broke into the compound about three days ago,” Tegwyn answered. “Thirty or so. They were throwing rocks and torches.”

“They were shouting ‘death to the Demon lovers’ and tripe of that nature,” Nevan added. “They were a detestable lot of louts, many of whom stank of cheap booze and river mud. I should think half of them were not even locals, but sailors from abroad.”

“I think that spy that Maeve’s been trying to catch was involved,” Villum interjected again. “They attacked the compound when most of us here were away doing other things! Someone had to have given them information! Humbert had to hold things down with the normal guards by himself.”

Villum companionably put an arm across the withdrawn orc’s shoulders. Humbert looked grim, his expression even more stony than normal.

“Sorry…” the former dock worker grumbled in his deep voice. “I tried…”

“You have nothing to apologize for,” Cora said in a tone that spoke of repeated assurances. “You and the others protected everyone. What happened was not your fault.”

“What did happen?” Syd asked, trying to get the discussion back onto the critical event. “One of the assholes who attacked our compound was killed?”

“Yes,” Tegwyn confirmed, taking control of the explanation. “While Humbert and the other guards did an excellent job of protecting the workers from harm, several of the attackers split off from the main group and went for the greenhouse.”

The look on Syd’s face must have revealed her thoughts, because the Dryad was quick to reassure her. “Do not worry, Rolo the grub is well and uninjured. However, Grape was inside the greenhouse at the time.”

“Grape?” Syd frowned at the information. “Did she accept a class and get a body while I’ve been gone? She couldn’t possibly—”

“No, she is still undecided on her class,” Tegwyn shook his head. “But she was inside the greenhouse, under the supervision of one of the guards, Gert. When the men broke into the greenhouse, Gert took Grape and ran for the building where the rest of the Demons are housed. The attackers gave chase and caught him.”

“Gert’s arm was broken while defending Grape,” Cora said quietly. “He was very brave.”

“While the men were attacking Gert with clubs and torches, Cobbler rushed out of the building,” Tegwyn continued with a pained frown. “She killed one of the men attacking Gert and Grape before the rest of the guards could intervene.”

Cobbler?

Cobbler had killed someone? Jadis couldn’t believe it. The little Demon was a maniac when it came to repairing shoes, or clothing in general, but violence? Jadis didn’t think the Demon had a drop of violent blood in her body. The very idea of Cobbler killing someone, even as an act of self-defense as it seemed to be, was utterly unthinkable.

“Ah,” Syd let out a long breath, her mind racing. “Okay. Were there witnesses? It sounds like there were a lot. Where is Cobbler now? What happened to the attackers?”

“In short, Cobbler has been arrested for murder. Magistrate Vraekae has her in custody, along with all of the men and women who attacked the Fortune’s Favored compound. There has been a great deal of commotion in the city regarding the event, with much talk among both the common folk and the nobility about the safety of having so many Demons allowed freedom of movement, even within the walls of your compound. Prince Hraustrekr is already holding hearings.”

“Of course. Of course, that fuck would—”

Syd cut herself off. Tegwyn and the others didn’t need to hear her blowing her temper. They weren’t at fault, and getting angry wasn’t going to help the situation anyway. Syd quickly reined in her emotions as she rubbed a gauntleted hand across her forehead.

“Alright. I’m going to need more details but save them for after we land the Roc. Everyone else is going to need to hear the full explanation, so we might as well wait for that.”

Tegwyn and the others nodded in agreement. She was glad that they had come, since having familiar and competent people surrounding her while delivering such terrible news was a comfort. That said, their presence was an outstanding question that she wanted an answer to sooner, rather than later.

“I need to ask,” Syd said as motioned towards the group. “Why are all of you here? Not that I’m unhappy that you all came, I’m just not sure why you all launched the Roc so far ahead of schedule, and then you all flew here in the airship to give this news. I mean, sending a Seraphim courier would have been faster.”

Terrance let out a dry chuckle as he pointed towards the back of the cabin.

“We aren’t just bringing news with us,” he said. “We’re a full-service courier today.”

Looking where the bald man indicated, Syd saw the stacks of large crates that filled the rear of the cabin. Seeing nothing, Syd walked over to the closest pile and peered over the top of the secured stack.

A slapdash suit of armor had its helmet in its lap and was making adjustments to its straps while a glass sphere with an eyeball in the center rolled around between the armor’s boots. Both stopped what they were doing and looked up at her. The suit of armor waved one hand while the eyeball wriggled its tentacles in greeting.

“Why are Crash and Rune on the airship?” Syd asked in complete confusion as she gave a wave back to the two Demons.

“Magistrate Vraekae said that it would be best if the rest of the Demons under your protection were actually under your direct protection, rather than in the capital,” Cora answered in a subdued tone. “For the time being.”

“The magistrate said she would do her best to sort out the mess,” Tegwyn added. “We brought a letter from her as well that further explains the situation.”

“Why are we getting letters from old Ice Tits?”

Kerr’s commentary was met with a round of truncated greetings as Tegwyn and the group turned to the sound of her voice. Their words were cut off by surprised and amused gasps and laughs as they saw the therion strapped to Jay’s chest, swaddled in blankets and furs so tightly that only her head was sticking out of the top.

“Yeah, yeah, I know. I’m cute as fuck in this. Now what’s going on with Vraekae and letters?”

While Kerr got unstrapped and Jay and Tegwyn gave her the brief rundown, the rest of Jadis helped Orla guide the Roc into the city next to where the Leviathan was moored. Since Tacitus and Noct had flown up to meet the unexpected airship, Jadis had them fly back to Aila and the others so that they would know what was coming. Alex, in the meanwhile, quickly disentangled herself from Dys and set about talking with the collection of Demons who had been secreted away from Eldingholt. Jadis wasn’t sure what she was going to do with the Demons, but she’d have to figure something out soon. Keeping them under supervision in Volto had not been a part of her plans.

Inwardly, Jadis was cursing up a storm. The political ramifications of one of her protected Demons killing a man, even if it was justified under the circumstances, were going to be a massive pain to deal with. She needed to focus on the impending attack on Kastoria, not whatever social or legal or whatever maneuvers were going on with Prince Hraustrekr back in Eldingholt. The main saving grace for the situation Jadis could think of was that Vraekae was solidly on her side. Hopefully the magistrate would be able to smooth things over. If not… well, Jadis wasn’t sure.

It took some time to land the Roc and get everyone disembarked. It took even longer to arrange transportation for all of the Demons, both hatched and unhatched, so that they could be secured in the temple without anyone knowing about them. But, by the time all was said and done, Jadis and all of her lovers were gathered together in Lyssandria’s temple, along with her newly arrived companions and the majority of the Hero’s party. The only one who was missing from the impromptu meeting was Lucia, the Paladin. She had ridden out with several high-ranking officers to inspect some of the military preparations for the coming campaign and had not yet returned. Rather than wait for her, everyone gathered decided to start the discussion and fill the therion in when she eventually got back.

“This stinks of conspiracy,” Bridget said in disgust as she read Vraekae’s letter from over Sorcha’s shoulder. “There’s no chance that prick wasn’t involved.”

“Who, ah, are you referring to?”

Bridget blinked, then blushed as she looked at Jocelyn’s innocent face. Opening her mouth, she stuttered for a moment before finding her words.

“W—well, by that I mean, Prick—Prince! Prince Hraustrekr. I think that prince was behind the attack, probably.”

“You believe his highness the first prince would sponsor an attack against Fortune’s Favored?” the Oracle asked with wide eyes. “Why on Oros would he do something like that?”

There were a few things Jadis could say in response to Jocelyn’s naïve question, some of which were quite spicy if she were in the mood. She was in the mood, actually. But the honest question on the kind woman’s face helped Jadis to temper her reaction. There was, as she repeatedly told herself, no sense in flying off the handle every time she got angry at something she didn’t like did. For that matter, she didn’t have any proof that Hraustrekr had been involved at all. So, there was no point in throwing a tantrum over a suspicion.

She still thought Bridget was right, though.

“Prince Hraustrekr and I have a bit of antipathy towards each other,” Jay replied in carefully controlled tones. “This wouldn’t be the first time he’s done something to interfere with me and the people around me. Since there’s something of a pattern, it’s reasonable to suspect that he was involved.”

“But you have no proof that he was,” Wilhelm stated plainly while motioning with one hand towards the letter that Sorcha had just finished with. “Magistrate Vraekae states the culprits who were apprehended had no obvious connection to any nobility.”

Jay frowned at the Hero’s comment. He wasn’t wrong; his assessment was accurate based on the letter. But the fact that the first prince would have the power and forethought to put some separation between himself and any goons he might higher for an illegal act was obvious. Before she could counter Wilhelm’s point, Maeve spoke out for her.

“Any spymaster with a silver coin can buy the services of drunkards and desperate men,” Maeve said as she leaned her chin heavily against the heel of her right hand. “No connection needed. Even easier to convince a fool to do outrageous things if they’re already angered by recent events. I imagine there are more than a few people in the capital’s undercity that have a grudge against Demons, wouldn’t you say?”

“That’s true,” Wilhelm conceded without debate. “I imagine you have expertise in such areas.”

“Definitely,” Maeve admitted without hesitation. “My oaks and acorns have bought a few brawls and beatings over the years.”

Wilhelm didn’t look happy about that admission, but instead of diving down a path that wouldn’t lead anywhere productive, he turned his attention back onto Jay.

“I am not going to waste any of our time arguing against your suspicions concerning Prince Hraustrekr. Honestly, I understand them. He did not treat you well, and that was a terrible mistake on his part. Instead, I will simply say that I think your ill feelings towards him may be clouding your judgement, Jadis. Prince Hraustrekr is a good man, and a good leader. He cares for his people, and he cares for his men troops. I’ve fought by his side in battle, and I have never seen any commander do a better job of winning battles while minimizing casualties for his men. I think you may be attributing nefarious intent to a man who does not have any. Not towards you.”

Jadis was tempted to argue with Wilhelm, but again, she held back. What point would there be in arguing with a friend and colleague over something that Hraustrekr might have done? While she disagreed with his assessment of the man, this wasn’t the time or the place to have that debate. Better to focus on what was important.

“Besides. Prince Kestil is more the type to us underhanded tricks to get his way.”

Jay’s eyes snapped to Rein, who up to that point had been silently observing the discussion with little input. He was still sitting calmly, nearly motionless, as he held a glass of a strong spirit in one hand. The Lancer’s eyes stayed on his drink, but his words had been more than loud enough to get attention in the room.

Out of everyone in the room, Amarantha was the first to respond.

“Why in the hearth’s name would Kestil spur an attack against Jadis’ people? They’re allies! He has no reason to spit in her kindling.”

“If you offer the solution to a troublesome issue, you can look like quite the hero,” Rein responded without raising his eyes. “There are those who would create problems just to solve them. I count Prince Kestil among that number.”

“We all know how you feel about Kestil,” Amarantha rolled her whole head in an exaggerated fashion. “By my tail, get off of his already, would you?”

“That’s all beside the point,” Dys cut in before the elf could reply to the Lares’ words. “Investigations into who is behind the assault, if any, are already being handled by Vraekae. I trust her to find the truth.”

“It’s not like I can drop everything her to go back and deal with that shit right now, anyway,” Syd scowled.

“Definitely not,” Aila agreed from Jay’s right side. “You’re needed here. We’re a week away from having everything arranged for the march into Demon territory. We need you here, helping with the final preparations, not in Eldingholt.”

“I’ll fly to Eldingholt tomorrow to get news, if needed,” Severina interjected. “I can go there with messages in hand and be back quickly enough.”

“Severina we can spare for a day,” Aila agreed with a nod of her head. “You, Jadis, we cannot. Not anymore.”

“No argument from me,” Jay raised a hand to show her surrender. “I want to help Cobbler, but Vraekae’s probably the best person in the whole empire to have on our side when it comes to legal trouble. We’ll just have to rely on her.”

Jadis didn’t like it, but she really wasn’t in a position to help the strange little yellow-eyed Demon. Cobbler would have to follow the laws of the empire. All she could do was hope that those laws would be applied to the Demon the same as any other man or woman. There was no guarantee that they would be, since Cobbler had no pardon or proclamation from the emperor backing her right to exist. But if anyone could argue precedent in a court of law, Jadis was certain that Vraekae could.

“What I do want to ask is, what should we do about the Demons that Tegwyn brought with him?”

To that question, Tiernan immediately spoke up.

“I’ll take Rune,” the gnome said with an expressive gesture. “I would love to have her unique opinion on the sacrificial obelisk that Sabina and I have been studying. She might have some insight to offer.”

“Maybe she would,” Jay nodded with a half-smile at the Arch Wizard. “But I’m asking more about the whole collection of Demons. I’m not sure they can stay here in Thracina. Would Volto even allow them to stay here in containment? We have a deal with the Senate regarding Alex, but we don’t have anything in place for any of the rest.”

“Shouldn’t have brought the Demons here,” Kerr growled with a shake of her head. “They would have been fine back in the capital. Especially if Vraekae is putting guards all around the compound like she says in her letter.”

“No, it was the right choice to remove them from a tense situation,” Eir quietly rejected Kerr’s assertion. “Even with the inciting action coming from the attacking mob, a Demon promised to be both harmless and friendly killed a man. There will be bad blood in the air. Temporarily removing them from harm’s way is for the best.”

“That’s the problem, though,” Dys sighed in frustration. “I’m not sure bringing them here can be called the ‘safe’ option. Anti-Demon sentiment isn’t exactly low in Volto.”

That was a point no one could dispute. Even if Eldingholt was a bad place for the friendly Demons to be at the moment, Volto hardly seemed better.

“We might be able to leverage some protections for them, considering the work we are doing to help Volto,” Tiernan said after a few beats of silence. “We are here to save them, aren’t we?”

“Right, but I think we’d have more clout if we actually, you know, save them first,” Ludger pointed out between gulps from a large mug. “They might want to see some victories before we demand too much of them.”

“Asking them to not kill a bunch of harmless squids doesn’t seem like a big ask,” Bridget said dryly.

“For some people, who have suffered greatly as of late, it might be,” Wilhelm frowned with worry.

Jadis couldn’t help but agree with the Hero’s point. The attack on the compound might have been staged. But considering the many refugees of war who crowded the streets of Thracina, a silver incentive might not be needed at all to get an angry mob going once the city knew about the Demons. Jadis didn’t want to risk internal strife if she could help it, especially since there were cultists around who might be looking for ways cause problems.

“I could ask my grove.”

That simple suggestion brought Jadis’ thoughts up short. Turning her head to look at the Dryad, Syd addressed Meli directly.

“You think they would go for that? I mean, considering what happened at your grove recently…”

“Grandmother has the sense to know the difference between friend and foe,” Meli pointed out. “It is worth asking.”

“We might be able to set something up at the archive, if needed,” Aila added as she stared into the distance. “We have a sleepless guard to watch over them, potentially.”

“Archive?” Villum whispered to Tegwyn, who looked equally confused.

“I’ll explain in a little bit,” Jay told the two men. “Anyway, if you think they might go for it, I don’t see how asking will hurt anything. Tomorrow, you can come with me, Meli, when I go to pick up the Dryads. We’ll see what we can negotiate.”

“In the meantime, I’ll start writing a letter for you to take to Vraekae,” Dys told Severina. “And we’ll set that problem aside for later.”

“For now, let’s take this chance to get everyone caught up on our progress preparing for war,” Syd announced to the room at large. “We’ve got an enemy to defeat.”

“Finally,” Halvor grinned viciously as he sat up from his slumped lean against the far wall. “Now we are talking business!”

“Who’s first?” Jay asked the group.

“Well, Tiernan and I have made some great new enchantments that we think will be a big help to the army!” Sabina jumped in right away.

Jadis could see the eagerness melting right out of Halvor as he scowled at the back of Sabina’s head. Discussing enchantments wasn’t the sort of war talk the barbarian craved. She almost laughed as she raised a hand to stop the smith from going on a long explanatory rant, but before she could, the door to the room clicked open.

From the hall strode Lucia, who took in the large group in stride.

“Glad you’re back, Lucia,” Wilhelm called out to his companion. “You’re just in time. We were about to—”

“There are three more impenetrable shells approaching the army’s lines in the south,” Lucia interrupted the Hero, causing everyone in the room to fall silent. “We are needed. The Demons are attacking.”