Path of Dragons 14 - Chapter 29 - The First Leg

Elijah stepped out of the hotel, ready for battle.  Not the physical sort.  Rather, he was prepared for a political fight.  After arriving in Gatehold, he’d left the compound at its center and explored the city itself.  And he’d come away simultaneously impressed and disappointed. 

Gatehold was an advanced city that looked like something out of a science fiction movie.  Everywhere he turned, there were smooth lines and glass buildings.  There were also plenty of vehicles, both mundane and futuristic. Some floated on cushions of air, while others used four wheels.  But they all looked sleek and fast.  Even the public transportation system – a streamlined, high-speed train that circled the city at an altitude of more than a thousand feet – maintained that aesthetic.

The people were dressed uniformly oddly, having eschewed the fashion of the old world for heavy-fabric robes in a myriad of bright colors.  The few people who opted for pants chose the wide-legged sort that, to a non-discerning eye, looked almost like long skirts. 

Pretty much everyone wore patterned makeup, with bars painted on their lips, heavy spider-webbing eye shadow, and other fanciful designs that even Elijah found intriguing, though in a modern art sort of way. 

The hairstyles completed that look, reminding him of high-fashion shows where the styles were meant more as artistic statements, rather than as practical, everyday wear. 

In short, Elijah felt like he’d stepped into the MET gala, though instead of being surrounded by celebrities, he found himself in the midst of the general public. 

He definitely stood out, too.

He wasn’t the only foreigner around, but there were few enough that he drew eyes wherever he went.  More than once, Elijah had considered finding a shadowy alley and adopting the Shape of the Scourge so he could use Guise of the Stalker.  He resisted that urge, though.  Instead, he spent most of the day sightseeing like a tourist.

And he’d come away with mixed feelings. 

Gatehold was remarkable, but it was also alien in a way he’d not really expected.  In addition, there weren’t any non-humans there.  No dwarves.  No goblins.  Not even elves, who Elijah felt would have fit the general aesthetic. 

At least the food was good.  When he stopped for lunch, he was served a maize-based porridge called sadza, which came with a hearty stew.  On the side was a type of spicy relish that Elijah found absolutely delightful.  For dessert, he ordered some extremely strong coffee – even moreso than espresso – and a caramelized sponge cake covered in a syrupy sauce.  Elijah made a point to come back for more if he ever returned to Gatehold.

But all good things must end, and Elijah returned to his hotel room to get a good night’s rest before his early-morning meeting.  And now, his focus was completely business-like as he made his way to the Conclave’s headquarters.

He wore the new suit Hope had made for him, which was dark green and felt a lot like silk.  There was no tie, and instead, the collar of the white shirt was meant to be left unbuttoned.  She’d even included some shoes, which were made of some supple leather that made the foot-prisons a little more tolerable than normal. 

Elijah kept Thorn in his Arcane Loop, mostly because it was obviously a weapon.  He didn’t want to give off too aggressive of a vibe.

The stroll to the Conclave Headquarters was a little more bearable than the previous day’s excursion, largely because his clothes, while clearly adhering to a different style than the city’s norm, were obviously high-quality and very expensive. 

It seemed that Gatehold put a lot of stock in that.

After riding an ethera-powered elevator to a platform suspended high above the city, Elijah took the sky train to the Headquarters.  Despite Gatehold’s size, the trip was over in mere minutes.  And most of that was due to the boarding and disembarking of passengers at a stop along the way.

Once Elijah arrived, he was unsurprised to see that the Conclave headquarters was mostly unchanged from his previous visit.  A little bigger.  A few more ornamental flourishes.  But still mostly the same. 

The same could not be said for the plaza leading to the structure, which played host to a large fountain, at the center of which was an enormous statue of Hu Shui and a slightly taller woman.  It looked like propaganda straight out of an authoritarian dictatorship.  But the work was high-quality, at least. 

Elijah passed it by with only a couple of second glances, and soon, he entered the massive, green-and-white building.  The interior was much as he remembered.  Spacious and luxurious.

He was greeted by a nervous looking man wearing a robed uniform in the Conclave’s colors.  For a long moment, Elijah just stared at the man.  Then, his eyes narrowed in recognition.

“Wilhelm?”

“You remember me?” asked the man.  He was older, with grey hair and enough wrinkles to suggest that he hadn’t advanced much over the past thirty or so years.  But his face was unmistakable.  He leaned most of his weight on a sturdy cane. 

“Of course I do.  How have you been?”

“I cannot complain,” he answered in a light German accent.  “Master Hu Shui bid me greet you and guide you to his office.”

Elijah nodded, and as the man led him forward – the steady click of his cane echoing through the crowded lobby – he asked, “Staying away from the gambling halls?”

“For a long time now,” Wilhelm answered with a tight smile.  “I learned my lesson years ago.  Forcefully.”

He tapped his cane against his crippled leg, producing a metallic thunk that told him the appendage was a prosthetic.

Elijah didn’t ask what exactly had happened, partially because he didn’t want to pry into what was probably a painful memory, but also because he didn’t particularly care.  He’d only known Wilhelm for a little while, and they’d never been close.  Even calling him an acquaintance would have been a stretch.

He followed Wilhelm through the lobby and to an elevator across the massive room.  The doors were gold with a pair of chevrons etched into the surface to create an art deco aesthetic that clashed with the overall architectural look.  But he didn’t remark on it.  Instead, he just rode the elevator in silence until it stopped on the top floor.

The second he stepped out, he felt a domain encapsulate him.  It was strong, though not so powerful that he couldn’t break it with a single pulse of his Mantle of Authority. 

Two people stood before him.

One, he recognized as Hu Shui.  The other was a dark-skinned woman wearing a flowing robe.  For most Conclave members, their attire was primarily white with green accents.  Her color scheme was inverted, and to a casual observer, she might’ve seemed to match Elijah.  But Elijah’s suit was much darker, almost to the point of being black.

He stepped forward, saying, “Good to see you, Hu Shui.  I don’t think I’m being presumptuous when I assume that this is your wife?  Nyasha, right?”

“You remembered,” Hu Shui said with a smile.

Elijah had spent countless days with the man.  He’d even put his life in Hu Shui’s hands.  But he still didn’t trust him.  Not entirely, at least.  They definitely weren’t friends, even if they’d once counted one another as allies.

Nyasha favored him with a beaming smile.  She was at least a head taller than Hu Shui, putting her at well over six feet, giving her an impressive stature.  Her skin was so dark as to be nearly black, though her eyes flashed silver.  Was that natural?  Or was that a result of her power?

She felt strong.  Two demi-gods, though like most others Elijah had met since returning to Earth, they had clearly evolved only recently.  If the situation called for a fight, he liked his chances.

“I did,” he agreed.  Then, he offered a small bow to Nyasha.  “Ma’am.”

“I thought you said he was uncultured, my love,” the woman chided, her voice slightly accented. 

“I said no such thing.”

“And if he did, he wouldn’t really be wrong.  Usually, I walk around barefoot and looking like a hobo,” Elijah admitted.

“Barefoot?” she asked, her eyes twinkling with amusement.

Elijah shrugged.  “Professional necessity.”

“And your profession?”

“Druid. Shapeshifter.  Overall protector of nature.  Something like that.”

“I like him,” Nyasha said, still smiling.  It made Elijah feel like she saw him as nothing more than a curiosity.  Like an exotic pet or a precocious child.

And he didn’t like that one bit.

Still, he restrained himself from acting rashly.  Instead, he said, “I heard you wanted to meet with me.  Am I right to assume that it’s because of what happened in Meridian Lux?”

“In a moment,” Hu Shui said.  “Come.  Let us go somewhere more private.  Can I offer you a drink?  Some other refreshment?  My sources tell me that you quite enjoy malva pudding.”

“Your sources?” Elijah asked, recognizing the name of the dessert he’d eaten the night before.  “Are you having me followed?”

“No, of course not.  I just like to stay informed.  People tell my people things, and then they tell me.  Nothing nefarious, I assure you.”

“I see.”

With that cold response, Elijah followed Hu Shui into a familiar conference room.  It was the same place he’d first met with the space mage, characterized by a large table and a series of black-and-white photographs depicting the creation of the first set of Conclave Spires.  Looking at them with fresh eyes, Elijah now recognized some of the runes, but the fact that he didn’t understand the rest reaffirmed just how impressive a feat the construction of those Spires truly was.

“Will you have some coffee, at least?  We are quite proud of our native blend,” Nyasha informed him.  “It is not Crying Dragon, but we can hold our own.”

Elijah shook his head.  “I’ll pass.  I don’t intend to stay here long.”

He sat.

Nyasha took the seat across from him, but Hu Shui remained standing.  He’d positioned himself over her right shoulder in a not-so-subtle reminder that he would respond to any hostility in like manner.  Elijah all but ignored him, recognizing that his one-time companion was not the person in charge.

“Tell me why I’m here.”

“Straight to the point,” she responded, reaching into her pocket and retrieving a silver case.  Opening it, she revealed hand-rolled cigarettes.  “Do you mind?” Elijah shook his head, and she plucked one of them from the case.  After she lit it, filling the room with acrid smoke, she let out a sigh, saying, “A nasty habit, but one we can afford to indulge.  Increased body cultivation and constitution makes us functionally immune to the ill effects.”

“Does it?  I wouldn’t know.  Never really been a smoker.”

“I find that it soothes me.  Moreover, I see no reason to deny myself these small pleasures.”

“What about the people around you?  Secondhand smoke is still a thing, and not everyone has your constitution,” Elijah pointed out.  Given everything he knew about the woman – which wasn’t much more than a first impression – she likely had a whole team of servants tending to her every need.  And those people definitely weren’t immune to the effects of smoke.

“Of no concern.”

“To you.”

“Just so.”

“Are you going to answer my question?  You asked me here.  I came out of respect for what Hu Shui did in the Labyrinth.  But my patience is not infinite.  Why am I here?”

“And if I said that I simply wanted to meet a living legend?” she asked.

“I would call you a liar.  You don’t really seem the fangirl type.”

She let out a full-throated laugh that even Elijah could recognize as fake.  “So straightforward!” Nyasha exclaimed.  “How refreshing.”

“I’ll ask one more time…why am I here?  Answer me, or I’m leaving.”

“You think you can?” she asked, hinting at her domain.

“I know I can.  You will not enjoy it if I have to force my way out.”

“This doesn’t need to be adversarial,” Hu Shui pointed out, playing the voice of reason.

But Nyasha cut him off by saying, “Be still, my love.  Mr. Hart and I are having a conversation.  You asked me why you are here?  The answer is simple – Meridian Lux.  We invested a good deal of money putting those Spires there.  And now, they are useless.  What do you plan to do about that?”

“Do?  Nothing.  I’ve done what I intended.”

“No offer of reparations?  No recompense?  You simply expect us to absorb the loss?”

“I never gave it much thought.  But sure.  The Conclave seems to be doing very well.  I think you can afford it.”

“I…see.  Then we have no choice but to ban you from the use of our Spires.  I’m sure you understand that we can’t be seen to support mass murderers.”

Elijah stared at her for a long moment.  Then, he just started laughing.

“What is so funny?” she asked.

“The fact that you think I need you.  That’s what’s funny.”

Sure, the Spires were convenient, but between Shape of the World Serpent and his dolmens, Elijah could circle the entire globe in less than a day. 

“You needn’t put on a brave face.”

“I’m not.  Believe me, I’m not,” Elijah remarked.  He pushed himself to his feet.  “I just don’t care. Now, if that’s it?  Okay.  I’ll be leaving.”

“Wait,” Nyasha said as he turned to walk away.

Elijah sighed. “What?”

“You are not the only person that might be affected by this ban,” she pointed out.  “What of your friends?  I’m told that you count Atticus Ariti among them.  What of Ironshore?  What of the Hartwood Grove?  They all make copious use of our Spires.  I’m certain that they would be quite devastated to find their ways barred.”

Elijah shook his head.  “See, that’s just overplaying your hand,” he said, turning fully to face her.  He stepped forward, placing his palms on the desk as he leaned forward.  “It’s one thing to attack me.  I can endure it.  I don’t even take it personally, even though it is troubling that you forget that your little empire wouldn’t exist without me.  It’s just business, right?  But the second you start attacking my friends or my grove, that changes.  Make no mistake, Nyasha – going down that road will lead to your ruin.  Let me save you from making a grave mistake – keep your eyes on me, and I’ll let you keep your little city and the power you’ve managed to accumulate.”

“And if not?”

“I held back in Meridian Lux.  I won’t do that in Gatehold.”

“That would set this world back by –”

“I don’t care,” he said.  Finally, he straightened to his full height, adjusted his jacket, and said, “Now, I’ll be on my way.”

And without further hesitation, he pulsed his Mantle of Authority, shattering her domain before casting Roots of the World Tree.  A small portal opened before him, and he stepped through. 

As he did so, he took one final look at Nyasha’s wide eyed expression of absolute shock before stepping through.