64 Volume 1 Epilogue: Fiancee (2/2)
Seven strode to the desk and retrieved the glass he'd poured for her, gently placing it in her hand before swiftly retreating, eyes glittering in amusement. Natalia eyed him suspiciously, the brat had gone out of his way to stay out of the range of her cane!
Rightly so, she would thump him for this effrontery! How dare he treat her like a violent woman incapable of controlling herself?
”Has the punk sent a reply?” Natalia asked after a moment, letting the powerful scent clear away the clouds in her mind. She was finding it harder to focus these days, probably age creeping up on her with its menacing tendrils.
[You shouldn't insult the Son of Heaven in front of one of His hands.] Seven shifted uncomfortably at the lèse-majesté.
”Don't give me any lip. I paddled that punks backside when he nicked my wine.” Natalia swung her cane menacingly, and the Hand leaned back apprehensively. ”Insufferable children. Take my stash?” Muttering under her breath, she took a sip of her brandy
Seven's lips twitched at her actions but he dutifully related the Emperors words.
[He's not happy. The Count was supposed to subdue those powers, not absorb them.]
”It's a losing battle. That punk better accept it and plan accordingly.”
[Emperors don't like losing control.]
”Well, you can tell him this isn't something he can change just because he doesn't like it. The boy is only the first and his skills will be necessary. I've Seen it.”
Seven's hands twitched, whatever he'd been about to sign pointless in the face of her words.
[What have you Seen?]
”Don't look at me like that! I'm not senile.” Natalia paused for a moment. ”Yet.” She took another sip and turned back to the courtyard to see Nikolai directing his apprentice in settling items onto one of the carriages. Magical devices no doubt. The boy had a surprising knack in their creation, far beyond his obvious combat capabilities. Leaning on a cane, he limped and berated Jarek for some incomprehensible mistake relating to force diagrams and power runes. While she hadn't activated her abilities, Natalia had picked up many skills as a child of House Suzdal, lip reading being one of the most useful.
Elya strode into the courtyard, dressed properly for once, probably at the Baroness' urging, with the Barsi girl trailing after her like a lost puppy. Natalia had caught her slinking from the manor so often that she'd sent one of her attendants to trail after the Knight.
The less said of her strange predilections the better. Natalia had called the Barsi girl into her chambers and berated her on behalf of the Elders of House Barsi, many of whom were her close friends, leaving her a shivering mess.
Chasing after married men like that was unbecoming.
Natalia grinned as Elya placed a hand on the boy's shoulder, drawing a smile from him and distracting him long enough for Jarek to slip away to some youths playing with sticks in one of the gardens. The boy leaned into Elya's hand, making some comment that had her chuckling and pointing at the carriages.
”The boy's capable. No doubt about that.” She remarked.
[The Emperor has high hopes for him.] Seven signed simply, standing beside her to observe the courtyard. [Silver Fang's a good choice for his companion.]
”Hardly anyone calls her that.” Natalia groaned at the effort of standing up. The boy had really spoiled her with the wheelchair. Comfort aside, there were little tricks he'd installed which she couldn't wait to try out on her stodgy brother. ”Those titles are foolishness. Given by entitled Nobles to massage each other's egos.”
[I thought she was given the name by your daughter.] How Seven was able to 'sound' so dry with just his fingers was astonishing.
”Entitled Nobles. The lot of them.” She grumbled, a hint of pride lacing her voice at the thought of her daughter, the wildly successful Commander of the Knights of Chernigov. ”The problem remains though Seven. Nikolai will be a focal point. At least for the foreseeable future.”
[I didn't think Truth Seers were able to foresee the future.] Seven returned to the small table holding the decanter to pour himself another shot of brandy.
Instead of answering she leaned out of the window a little, peering at the boy and circulating the essence of a Truth Seer to power her vision. The world turned into streams of energy and threads of existence, binding reality together. In her enhanced sight, Elya was a juggernaut of raw animalistic power, blood coloured strings of power rising to the sky in a dance of terrifying might, the chaotic mess showing how much effort Elya still had to put in to gain better control over her abilities. Yet woven within her power were black lines binding her to something in the East, it was something she'd noticed since the kidnapping on both her Grand Niece and Eva Morales. Natalia had her suspicions, having faced many of the Black Hand's agents, as both friend and foe, over the years but there was something deeper about Elya's connection.
It seemed the Savant had realised Nikolai's importance, which wasn't necessarily a bad thing. While the Savant appeared erratic and inscrutable, hidden in his mysterious lands on the border, the man always stood with the Empire. It was why so many generations of Emperors had left him to his own devices. Still, she would have to reach out to some of her old friends to dig into the matter.
Turning her eyes to Nikolai, she squinted, blinded by the innumerable bindings and threads of power which rose from him. Azure clouds of Magical energy spun over his head, crimson streams of Imperial essence wound through his veins, tiny in comparison to the behemoth that was Elya but still filled with terrifying might and his body seemed to glow mysteriously with the energy of something ancient. However his power paled in comparison to the ties he held, twisted cords spreading in every direction.
A heavy multicoloured cord stretched towards the Capital, glowing with Imperial might and majesty.
A golden thread filled with the power of a Dragon ran through him, splitting into innumerable strings that intertwined with every member of the Dragon Lords she could see.
A green binding from the North flickered constantly, almost ethereal, as if struggled to stay alive.
The most important cord shot into the sky, radiating Divinity and a demand for obeisance. Most of the time Natalia couldn't trace the cords to their end point, sometimes they dimmed after a few feet, vanishing into whatever ether underpinned the world. Unlike her predecessor, Natalia wasn't curious as to why some truths were easier to see than others but the Divine cord had drawn her attention since the moment the boy returned. Thick as a tree it crossed the heavens and stretched into the North-West, somewhere far beyond the Eskrar islands she feared.
From the lands of their origin.
The lands of their Gods.
The tendrils from the West had always existed, even now a fragment of the ties which bound Imperials to their Gods remained, but in Nikolai she saw a focal point. More than the Son of Heaven, the Savant, even that crazy Avarian woman in her tower beside the fractured lands, Nikolai was somehow related to whatever Divine intervention was coming and still she couldn't decipher whether he would be the bulwark of the Empire or an agent of the Divine.
”No. I can't see the future.” She whispered, shutting her eyes and turning away from the window. ”But tell that punk he better be ready for some changes. I've seen his brats and they're just as involved in whatever's coming.”
[You could have aided the Princes instead of the Count. They're just as likely to use their powers as he is. More so since they don't have War Magic to fall back on.]
”I would have.” Natalia gazed at Elya and her future husband, both of them staring back at her suspiciously. They must have sensed the use of her powers. Elya was far too sensitive, but the girl focussed on Seven who'd come to stand beside her instead. Natalia was the cantankerous Grand Aunt after all. Only the boy watched her, lips twisted in a knowing smile. The boy raised his cane, an obvious imitation of her, to tap his nose suggestively.
”I know where all the alcohol's gone.” He mouthed. Elya poked him and demanded an explanation, which the boy gave happily, no doubt exaggerating the nature of Natalia's pilferage. Elya's eyes shone in delight, chortling and hiding her growing smile with a hand.
”The punk messed with my girl.” Natalia said, sliding the drapes shut and settling back into her wheelchair. It was good to see Elya happy. Pride of the Suzdal's she may be but Natalia always made sure her descendants were treated right. ”Prince or not, he better run, otherwise…”
Seven nodded and leaned against a dresser, enjoying another glass of brandy.
”Why don't you pour me another glass and I'll tell you about the time I snuck out of Neva to become a Bard. There was this nobleman, barely noble, his family had lost their title in one of those odd branch feuds that pop up from time to time. In any case, he had the silkiest hair I'd ever seen. Both above and below…”
Seven nodded along and Natalia closed her eyes, satisfied with her choice and drinking companion.
The boy was perfect for Elya.
More or less.