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39: The Witch
"Miezela?" Mirenel looked over at her sister from the other side of the tiny ship's cockpit.
Celestella didn't acknowledge Mirenel.
"Miezela?" Mirenel tried again.
When her sister continued to lean back in her seat, arms folded, staring out the front window, the younger girl reached out and was about to gently shake her sister's shoulder when Celestella suddenly reached out and slapped Mirenel's hand away.
"Don't touch me." Celestella growled without prying her eyes from the landscape rushing past them as they flew through the night, racing towards the capitol as quickly as the ship would take them.
They would arrive just before dawn – several hours from now.
The Malha had seen to it that they were both told exactly what to do once they had reached Rapha'owr.
There were so many pawns on the chess board now, and the game would only be getting more complex once Deun had been deposed. In fact, their first weeks at the palace would be mere child's play compared to what would come afterwards.
"I'm... sorry, Miezela..." Mirenel jerked her stinging hand back, "I know you don't like to be interrupted when you're thinking, but... what did the Malha tell you right before she went us away?"
Another long silence fell between the sisters, Mirenel staring at Celestella, and Celestella gazing into the darkness ahead.
Finally, the older young woman sighed and replied, "She told me many things, Mirenel. Things that I cannot tell you or that you do not need to know." Miezela's jaw tightened, "Perhaps it would be best if you did not pry too much into the affairs of the Malha."
Mirenel's pointed ears visibly drooped at her sister's reprimand. "I'm sorry..." she said quietly, "I know I'm only the channel you use when you summon the shêdim, but I thought that... maybe..."
"It is best that you do not know." Celestella reinforced, "You should get some rest. Once we arrive in Rapha'owr, there will be little time to sleep."
Deflated, Mirenel nodded, and without another word of protest, she reclined her seat and leaned back. Soon she had dozed off, leaving Celestella alone with her weighty thoughts once again.
As she sat there silently, the Malha's last words to her rang through Celestella's mind.
"It will not be easy, my child." the Malha warned, "Agents of the Enemy are everywhere – even in places you would least suspect them."
Celestella nodded, "I know, Malha. But I also know that you have prepared me for every contingency. I will not fail you."
"You say it now, my child, but when the Enemy has you surrounded, you may change your mind." Aurelia's gaze seemed to pierce through her. "The Enemy is no fool. He too has been roaming this universe since it's creation. He knows how to accomplish His will. Believe me, it will be the hardest thing you have ever done to persevere against Him. Are you ready for that?"
There was silence between the two women for a full minute. The reality of the challenge that faced her began to weigh on Celestella as it never had before. She had always thought that she could do anything the Malha willed for her to do. For her commander-in-chief to admit now that the coming days would be overwhelmingly difficult and that success would be hard-won almost capsized Miezela's confidence, but then she remembered all the times that the Malha had gotten her out of trouble, saved her from death, even healed her from near-fatal wounds.
She remembered that wound she had suffered years ago – the one that had nearly peeled most of her back off, then she remembered that the Malha had come to her and, though it had been the most painful thing she had ever experienced, Aurelia had healed her and brought her into her service permanently.
Celestella's expression hardened even more. "I will not fail." she breathed. "No matter what the cost; I will not fail." she gritted her teeth and looked the Malha in the eye.
Aurelia smirked, "Good. Your determination is refreshing, Miezela. Now, there are some... other contingencies I need to discuss with you."
Celestella returned from the memory. She turned the lights in the cockpit off, letting herself sit in the darkness and think, going over those contingencies that the Malha had instructed her on before their departure.
There were so many things that could go wrong in the upcoming conflict. The physical battle would be the easiest phase. After that... who knew what would eventually take place?
Celestella didn't sleep at all that night, though Mirenel dozed through the entire rest of the journey. When the first vestiges of dawn began to mark the sky, the walls of Rapha'owr skirted past beneath the ship.
Celestella woke her sister who sat up and rubbed her eyes fiercely, then stretched and yawned, trying to shake the last traces of sleep away so that she might be at least half-way presentable when they met Leader Deun for the first time in less than a half hour.
"Go get ready." Celestella ordered her sister, "you look like you just woke up."
"But I did just wake up." Mirenel replied, a little frustrated with Miezela.
"So go." Celestella replied, shooing the other young woman back into the other section of the ship.
Without a word, Mirenel disappeared into the back of the ship. Just before they set down in the palace courtyard, she returned, looking her usual radiant self.
"Don't forget to impress him." Celestella recited the instructions the Malha had given her for Mirenel.
"Impress him? How?" Mirenel asked.
"Anyway you can." Celestella replied, "Do whatever you must to keep his attention off of his brother."
Mirenel winced at the implications of that statement, but reluctantly nodded, "Alright." she ran her fingers through her hair one last time before they both left the cockpit and stepped off the ship.
As Celestella had suspected, there was no one there to meet them. Coming at this hour was meant to be an inconvenience – to throw Deun off guard from the beginning. He needed to know that there were some things in this universe that he couldn't control. Miezela, Mirenel, and their Malha were three of them and his brother Desslok was the deadly fourth.
When the two young women were half-way up to Deun's throne room, a strange, purple-skinned man met them – Deun's servant presumably. He looked disheveled, his eyes still sleep-heavy.
"Greetings." the man said, panting a little as though he had run all the way here to meet them, "We... were not expecting you for another two hours."
"We know." Celestella replied simply, not bothering to offer an explanation. Then she and her sister walked past the man and continued on their way to the throne room where they were to meet Deun.
"The Leader is not in the throne room yet." the man followed them protesting.
Celestella suddenly turned on the man and growled, "Then take us to him."
The servant stood stunned at her boldness and stuttered, "I – I – I cannot – do that. He is in his private chambers. I am not allowed to enter that part of the palace."
"I don't care where you're allowed and not allowed to go. Are you a dog that your master orders about?" Celestella bit back.
This stunned Yeshin and he didn't speak for a long moment.
"Well?" Celestella demanded.
Yeshin tried to find a suitable response, but could not. Finally he replied, "I – I will escort you to the entrance of his chambers."
"Good." Celestella smirked. "Now we're getting somewhere."
Yeshin didn't know what to make of this brash young woman and her quiet companion who looked to be a few years her junior.
Against his better judgment, the man led the two women through the palace and up to his Leader's chambers. He stopped in front of the door. The usual company of guards stood watch over the entrance and the men looked warily at the two Jireli women as they approached the door.
Celestella reached out towards the control pad next to the closed portal and one of the guards suddenly pulled a knife on her, intending to prevent her from entering.
Without warning, the young woman seized the guard, disabling him so quickly that he had no time to react.
The other guard looked on stunned. Seeing what happened to his counterpart, he stepped away to let Celestella and Mirenel pass undeterred through the chamber doors.
Yeshin remained outside, a look of apprehension on his face.
The door closed behind the Jireli, sealing them inside Deun's private chambers. Not missing a stride, Celestella walked confidently through the lavish quarters, weaving through the sea of ornate furniture and wall décor. The display of gaudy wealth disgusted her, but she hid her revulsion, focusing instead on the goal before her. She set her eyes on the last door – the door to Deun's bed chamber, which he obvious still occupied since he was nowhere else to be found.
Without hesitation, she opened the door and stepped in, followed closely by Mirenel.
The expression on her face changed from one of dispassion to severe annoyance. Deun, still in a state of half-dress – his shirt still sitting out, waiting to be donned – stood staring out the window, apparently taking his time getting ready to meet his visitors.
Celestella wanted to slap the pompous oaf where he stood, but propriety stopped her.
When Deun didn't turn to acknowledge their presence, Celestella cleared her throat loudly.
Finally the Leader looked nonchalantly over his shoulder. "Ah, you're early." he said, not seeming to care at all that they were in his private sanctum. "I see you've met my servant and guards." he chuckled, gesturing to a holographic video feed of the events that had just transpired outside of his chamber doors several minutes ago.
"Indeed." Celestella said, her voice low and just the slightest bit threatening. It was clear to her that Deun was still trying to take control of this situation even though he had been dealt a blow. She admired that he was able to keep his composure even now. Perhaps he was smarter than the Malha gave him credit for.
"I'm glad to see that you arrived safely. With all of the rebel activity you might have met with... tragic circumstances on your way here." he looked at the women with a condescending smirk.
"We met with no trouble." Celestella replied, an icy chill now settling in her tone.
If he noticed the change in her tone, Deun didn't acknowledge it. Instead, he merely continued, "It is good to have representatives of the zealot population here once more," then he looked at both women, "but I was led to believe that there would only be one coming." he eyed Celestella with disinterest then turned his eyes to Mirenel, eyebrows raised, "Not two. And certainly not one so... alluring." he eyed the younger woman suggestively.
Mirenel's face flushed and she looked away, inadvertently further encouraging Deun.
Seeing the exchange, Celestella interrupted Deun's appraisal of her sister, wresting his attention back to her, whom he clearly didn't find appealing at all. "We were given this posting because we were deemed the best choice for it. We come as a unit." she emphasized the last word to imply that to try to separate them would be... dangerous to his health.
Deun shrugged, "Very well. Better to have two than one." he looked directly at Celestella, a look of amused defiance in his eyes and his seemingly constant smirk still plastered on his face. "You may go now." he gestured for them to leave.
For a moment Celestella stood in shock at his absurd assumption that he was her master. She had only one master, and it was the Malha. Which, of course Deun didn't know, but his arrogance still disgusted her. She pursed her lips in defiance and turned to leave, Mirenel safely in tow.
She would have to watch this young man with her sister as it was clear that he had preconceived ideas about how much freedom he was entitled to as their "king."
"Ah well," she thought, "at least if he thinks he's in charge, he's more likely to make mistakes that will cost him more than he's willing to pay." she hid a triumphant smile as she and her sister left the royal chambers.
It wasn't long before the sisters were settled into a suite of their own. The furnishings here were not as extravagant as the ones in the Leader's quarters, but they were a close second. The rooms were vast, much larger than the two were used to from living in the Malha's desert hideaway these past years. In some ways it was a refreshing change, and in some ways it wasn't.
In lieu of sleeping, like she probably should have done, Celestella explored the area directly surrounding their new quarters. She studied the area in detail, noting everything that might be important, as well as the things that she thought could never be significant for any reason.
The hours passed slowly, but Deun finally summoned them to eat with him.
It was a more formal affair than either of the sisters were used to and the three were served in the Leader's private dining room, just off of his living quarters, which they had barged into that morning.
Once the three were seated and served the conversation began.
"So what qualifies you to be here as opposed to one of your military leaders?" Deun asked, intending the question to be for either of the sisters.
"We are skilled in areas that a mere soldier would not be able to master." Celestella replied.
"And what might those be?" Deun asked, leaning back in his chair, abandoning his food for the time being and intently studying Celestella as she spoke.
"You know the shêd-summoners; you have undoubtedly witnessed their effectiveness in combat. Am I correct?" she asked.
Deun nodded, intrigued.
"Shêd-summoners are not ordinary soldiers." she let that hang in the air for a moment before continuing, "We train for our roles very intensely. Our regimen is no less taxing than that of our counterparts. In fact, ours is more grueling than anything they could ever hope to imagine."
Deun raised an eyebrow, interested, but not yet impressed.
"My sister and I do not merely call the shêdim." she looked pointedly at Deun, "We wield them purposefully. As a pair, we guide them, using them for specific purposes as the need arises. I cannot tell you how draining such an experience is, but it is a small price to pay in order to see your enemy writhing in agony on the ground, dying from the inside out." Celestella smiled in perverse pleasure as she remembered several instances where just such an event had occurred.
"Hmm." Deun nodded, "Quite a... useful skill."
"Indeed." Celestella said, "Few are able to resist it."
"What of the Christians?" Deun immediately threw in.
This Celestella had anticipated, so she gave the answer she had prepared, "The Christians are no threat to us." she lied, "They can protect themselves, yes, but beyond that, there is little they can do."
She knew full well that the truth was much more troublesome than that, but she did not feel the need to reveal such things to Deun.
The Leader nodded, "This is good. It means that my brother's forces are not as much of a threat as we first thought."
"Go ahead and think that, you dolt. Pay him no mind for just a bit longer." thought Celestella, then she said, "Yes, Sire. They are merely an annoyance. They will be squelched before they are half-way to the capitol."
"'You can assure me of this?" he asked, still looking unsure.
"Oh yes," Celestella replied, pasting a look of complete honesty over her conniving face. "Do not give your brother a second thought. I will take care of everything involving him and his little rebel band."
"Very well," Deun nodded, seeming pleased, "But I will expect regular reports."
"It shall be done... Sire." she finally used the honorific and it left a sour taste in her mouth. To refer to a man like Deun as "sire" pushed the limit of how far she was willing to go with this little charade. Deceive him, yes, she could do that; betray him, yes, without a second thought; but bestow on him a title she had never used before for any aside from her commander-in-chief? That was almost too far.
Taking a sip of the wine she had been served made the awful taste a bit better.
"Now," she continued, "What other business is there to discuss?"
Nighttime in the palace was just as she had expected it to be – quiet.
It was well past midnight now and Celestella and Mirenel were not in their quarters. Instead, they had descended to the lowest level of the palace – the prison where many of their number had been held before Deun II had come to power.
The cells swam with dark energy, enough to make this the perfect place to take the first step in undermining Deun.
Celestella had spent the past several hours down here reconstructing an apparatus that would assist them in their work – one that they had brought with them from the wilderness base.
The construct was much like a cross between a bed and a neural-net mapping machine. Mirenel, as she usually did, would encase herself in the apparatus from the neck down to act as a channel for the shêd – or shêdim – who would assist them in whatever task they needed to accomplish.
Tonight, they would perform their first task given them by the Malha.
Everything was ready and Mirenel had entered the shell, closing it once she was comfortably inside. Then the summoning ritual began. Celestella called to the forces of darkness that she had been in tune with all these years, calling them to aide her and her sister in this task tonight.
She didn't have to wait long. Soon the shêdim came and one in particular took hold of Mirenel, possessing her and being instructed by Celestella.
Soon the image of the rebel camp appeared in both sisters' minds as the spirit sent to watch Desslok relayed what it was seeing back to its fellow who now helped Celestella and Mirenel.
"Yes." Celestella hissed triumphantly as she noted the approximate location of the rebel camp, seeing that they were not far from the half-way point of their journey. "Yes, Desslok, come to us. We have plans for you. Grand planssss."