TBATE - Not Bound By Fate

Part 24

Seris Vritra

Sitting in the throne room of Taegrin Caelum, the other Scythes and I, except Cadell, were waiting for Agrona as he had called us for a meeting, but as usual didn't say what it was for. Melzri and Viessa were chatting while Dragoth was enjoying some brandy. After an hour of waiting Agrona finally entered the room followed by Cadell, the burn marks on his face a permanent reminder of his failure to capture Sylvia.

Agrona was dressing lavishly, wearing ruby red robes that seemed to flow down to his ankles like a liquid and somehow even more ornaments on his horns than the last time I'd seen him. What caught my eye was the obvious glee on his face, something that he rarely showed, especially so after Arthur and Sylvie escaped his grasp.

We all bowed down as he walked to his throne and waited for him to address us.

"You may rise now." He said after a few seconds. "I'm sure you are wondering why I called for a meeting, so I'll get straight to it. As you remember sometime ago Cadell was tasked with bringing back my wife and although he came back empty handed, he did learn of a lesser child that was in her care. Well, recently I've received word that our spies finally identified that child and confirmed that my daughter was with him. There is more to this than what I've said so far, but before we continue I would like a volunteer to keep a close eye on the boy named Arthur Leywin." He stopped waiting for a response.

Looking around I saw that Melzri wasn't interested in the job and Viessa mirrored her expression, it just wasn't in their nature to take on this type of task. Dragoth was considering it, probably out of boredom or to get Uto away from him, not that I blame him. Cadell simply kept his head down knowing he was on thin ice at the moment and wouldn't risk another failure, even if the mission was just to spy on a boy.

Since no one else was volunteering, I decided to do it. Taking on this mission would allow me to help Arthur avoid Agrona's gaze to some extent and communicate with him to figure out how to move forward considering the whole time travel thing he put me through. Of course there was a risk of getting caught as a traitor if things go wrong, but it was a risk worth taking.

"I'll do it, High Sovering." I declared while the other Scythes looked at me curiously, most likely trying to understand why I would volunteer when I tried to stay away from anything involving Dicathen.

"Very well Seris, I'll send someone with more details to you later. Now to get back on topic. The reason I want this boy to be surveilled is because there is a chance he stole and used a very special artifact from me." He paused so we could process the information he just gave us.

"What!? But how would a child steal from you?" Viessa was the first to react.

"Here is the interesting part, he didn't. You see, earlier this week I went to store one of the relics left behind by Djinn that was restored recently in a vault I made in case of emergencies. After doing so, I looked around to make sure everything was in order like usual, and saw that one of the relics was missing. What's so special about this one in particular is that it had the ability to let the user go back to a certain point in time through the use of the edict of Aevum." He paused again waiting for us to either say what he is implying or to ask him what he means. After a few seconds Melzri spoke up.

"So what you're saying is that this boy stole a time traveling relic and used it in the future? Forgive me for asking, but how did you discover this lord Agrona?"

"That is precisely what he did. As for how I figured it all out, there were a few giveaways, but nothing that will pose a problem to my plans. Some minor setbacks at most." He said in a dismissive tone. "All that matters is finding who he has shared his knowledge with and what his plans are. I trust that this won't take long Seris?"

"Not at all." I answered simply.

"Good. Dragoth, tell your people to start preparing our opening act for the war. Those pesky dwarves said that in a few months the rulers of Dicahten will announce they are uniting the three races, and to serve as proof one of their academies in the human kingdom will start accepting all races. Find out which one it is and use that as our stage." Agrona ordered, letting out the happiness of finally being able to progress his goals.

"Understood. Everything will be ready by the time you give the order to attack." Dragoth replied, eager to relieve his boredom.

"So we are finally taking over those lessers. What about the transportation of troops? Has that problem been solved?" Viessa asked.

"No, but it won't be a problem for much longer, courtesy of those lessers. They will be delivering the instrument of their downfall without even knowing." Agrona replied with a sadistic smirk.

After a few seconds of silence he dismissed us. Exiting the throne room I was greeted by Cylrit who had the displeasure of waiting with the other retainers. Between Uto, Jagrette and Mawar, only the latter could be considered pleasant company.

Following a step slightly behind me, Cylrit and I made our way through the halls of Taegrin Caelum until we reached the tempus warp that would take us back to Sehz-Clar, where we could finally talk freely without worrying about Agrona spying on us. Taking the carriage that was waiting for my return, I briefed my retainer on the topic of the meeting and instructed him on how to best approach Arthur.

During the ride Cylrit reported the progress of our rebellion, which would be much stronger this time, and how Alaric was efficiently turning the underworld of Alacrya to our cause. Recruiting him this early on really was a good move, as he made things go much more smoothly on other dominions thanks to his connections.

Reaching my estate I was welcomed warmly by my staff and notified that Caera and Sevren were here to see me, which left me quite surprised as they usually don't come unannounced like this. Quickly making my way to the reception room I understood the reason behind their sudden visit.

Looking at Caera I could her ruby red eyes were a shade brighter than before and horns were starting to grow on her head. Her blood had finally manifested, albeit later than the first time as my training wasn't as rigid as before.

"Scythe Seris." They both greeted me.

"Sit down you two, I can see why you're here. Tell me, who else knows?" I asked in a calm manner to not aggravate their internal panic.

"No one other than you. We came here immediately when it manifested." Sevren answered.

"Good. I knew this would happen sooner or later so I prepared for it. I procured an artifact that can change the users appearance, use that to hide your horns." I said and that seemed to calm them down a bit.

"Thank you Scythe Seris. I didn't know what to do with the start of the new semester so close." Caera told me and an idea popped in my mind.

"Actually, I was thinking it was time for you to transfer to another school, little Caera."