Chapter 365 - The Moonshadow Trading Company Short Stories: 8 - The Coven City of Lyserna (IV) (1/2)
*Eldovian Era 1722, 12th day of the 12th month*
”A city for your Coven,” Elsbeth spoke, ”I suppose I always expected it, though didn't think I'd still be alive when you finally did it. After all, how many of you are there, 15? 16?”
”21 including the Western Branch,” Rassa replied.
”Even with 21 of you, an entire city will feel fairly empty,” said Elsbeth.
”Even in a Coven City, you should only find 1 Vampire for every 100 humans, or else there would be a severe food shortage,” Rassa sighed.
”A little over 2000 is still just the population of a small town, Rassa, are you planning on expanding?” asked Elsbeth.
Rassa stood from his seat, looking out over the courtyard of the Southern Moonshadow Branch, his hood down low to shield his eyes from the burning sun.
”Down here, under the watchful eyes of those who conscript to the Order of the world, those of Chaos find themselves forced to blend in or face retribution for simply being,” said Rassa, ”When we have a place of our own, we can simply be. Not as rampant bloodthirsty beasts like the populace tends to believe we are, but as members of our own thriving society. As powerful as we are, Elsbeth, I will not allow my Coven members to kill without cause, and in a city that is their home, they will not feel the need to. Perhaps at first there will be hostilities, nervous humans tend to be that way, but give it a decade, maybe two. Give the humans long enough to get it out of their systems and they will learn. Hatred and Fear are awfully tiring emotions to cling to, no?”
Elsbeth sighed, ”I suppose I can agree with you there. Do make sure to build me a retirement home, will you? I am getting on in my years and am already well on my way to training my replacement”.
Rassa smiled, ”Of course. If there were such things as honorary Coven members, you would be one of the first on the list, Elsbeth. It would be just as much an honour to have you live the twilight years of your life among us”.
Elsbeth chuckled, ”Don't ever stop weaving those honeyed words, Lord Moonshadow. Nor should you let your claws and fangs grow blunt. If there is such a thing as reincarnation, I hope we meet again”.
Rassa nodded, ”I don't know, I think one Elsbeth is enough for a few lifetimes at least”.
”Good thing you'll live through those and then some,” Elsbeth finished the wine in her glass before she stood, ”Come, if you have so much to build no doubt you have plenty of materials you'll need, I'll help you source and transport what I can. No doubt Talo will help with that too”.
Rassa nodded, ”Much obliged, Elsbeth”.
***
*Eldovian Era 1722, 20th day of the 12th month*
Ebony stepped gracefully through the rows of cages at the slaver's market. Her green eyes appraising the numbers, her nose appraising their health. The cages were eight metres long and two metres wide, housing between 20 and 30 slaves in each. Most were divided by age rather than s.e.xes.
”Are there any that catch your eyes, Lady Moonshadow?” asked the Slaver who walked by her side, his stride a lot clumsier than her own. Ebony did not reply as she calculated the numbers in her mind.
”Perhaps if you told me what you were looking for-”
”There are roughly 4000 slaves here, considering at least 400 of them need urgent medical attention and another 1000 are too young, too old or too lame to work hard labour, I will pay 10,000 gold, for all of them,” said Ebony.
The slaver tripped over his own feet, ”10,000…All of them?”
Ebony nodded, ”Yes, all of them, is that a problem?”
The slaver's eyes widened, ”I, no, Lady Moonshadow, I've just never had an order of such magnitude before, I-”
”You need not worry about transportation, tomorrow several trains have been rescheduled to transport them, you need only ensure that they are at the station on time. My assistant, River, will handle the details,” Ebony said, pointing to the young man behind her before she turned and continued walking down the aisle towards the exit.
The slaver's market in Barday was one of the largest in Eldovia, though Port Lovolon got it's fair share as well. She'd already been there the day before though, Neva having already procured the needed supplies and sent all but those needed for the journey north. Mathius had diverted the trains for the week it would take to transport them all north.
Word had spread quickly thanks to both the trains and the communication crystals. The last she had heard, there were 20,000 slaves and free men in search of work headed north to Toulle.
The building supplies were harder to procure in time, but Kit and Ollie had been flying back and forth between the supply sites and the northern end of the Endless Lake. Talo was due soon enough with several supplies as well.
With such an enormous labour force and movement of supplies, the whole continent had been shaken by the power that Moonshadow wielded but had never put to use. Ebony could not wait for them to see the city itself. She had yet to lay eyes on the site, but she had seen the trail of monoliths that Rassa had built on his journey back, marking the way north through the Desolate Lands.
Ebony smiled, the humans truly had no idea what they were capable of.
Just as she was about to exit through the market gates, Ebony paused, turning at a scent that was so familiar to her, but that she could not quite place.
Her eyes scanned the slaves in their cages, zeroing in on one with several older slaves. She scented the air again briefly, and found her eyes focusing on a woman with her long, dirty white hair tied on top of her head with a strip of fabric. Her dress simple and like a uniform that all the slaves were wearing. Her skin perhaps not so wrinkled, but old and stressed from years of work none the less. Ebony frowned at the familiarity she felt towards the old woman.
Then, the woman turned ever so slightly glancing up and revealing emerald green eyes.
Ebony froze on the spot.
She'd been a child last time she'd seen her, and even then, their encounters had been few thanks to their individual work. Ebony had never expected to see her again, let alone recognise her. Yet those eyes were unmistakable because they were the same ones that had always looked back in her own reflection.
Ebony turned away, leaving the market with the knowledge that among the slaves she had just purchased, was her own mother.
***
*Eldovian Era 1722, 31st day of the 12th month*
Iah used the shadows to lift and set the stone into place. She and Sel had been working on Lyserna's City Wall for an over a month now. The wall, though, was far grander and more impenetrable than anything Iah had laid eyes on before.