CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
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The first day began immediately. When she disembarked, soldiers greeted her by the door, saluting immediately after she stepped down from the ledge. Elenora returned the gesture. Her escort for the trip was Madam Mckenna, a Four who was assigned to the first district and a kind woman, voice unintentionally intimidating and assertive, but always put others before herself. The Mortem was very tall and her metals were polished and glossy, her hair was cut short and wavy, so black it seemed almost purple.
"Good day, Madam 18. I'm glad to see you arrived safely."
"Good day. Yes, I did. Thank you." she replied softly.
"I take it that you are ready to begin the conference?"
"Yes, ma'am."
The Mortem began walking, taking long strides, using animated gestures as she spoke.
"We will be holding it, as you know, at the Four base of District Unem, just up ahead. Were glad that you had scheduled a trip to visit and the Holds main Five ranks are currently waiting for you."
"Thank you, Madam Mckenna." Elenora nodded. "Is there any new information or activity regarding Hominums in the Tier?" Elenora asked.
The Four shook her head. "At the moment, activity in this Hold shows negative. No signs."
A nod reassured the Four, but the woman was a bit nervous, for they had given her time to adjust to circumstances, and this was her first meeting or conference. Of course, Elenora would have the highest ranking soldiers in the Tier to aid in her decisions, but ultimately, the verdict solely rested on her chest, not theirs. Madam knew what she wanted. Peace to her was the ultimate answer, but if that would be a wise choice given the circumstance itself, that itself would be different. Approaching the heavily guarded gate, the Four ranks stood tall, not a wrinkle in their coats and not a fold in their buckles. Their arms raised in a salute, and they stepped aside, opening the gate for the woman who returned it. She smiled, and proceeded inside. They shut it behind her. Greeted by numerous as she entered the base, none compared to the salutes thrown out as she marched through the corridor, and her nerves grew far more bunched as Madam Mckenna led her to the conference room where the highest ranking soldiers awaited her arrival. They stood, gathered around a table, maps spread and markers ready, gathered papers organized, weapons sheathed and boot laces tightened. It was a sight for anyone to take in. Considering, not a group one would want to carry on a fight with, or a war for that matter.
"Right through here, Madam 18." Mckenna said. "I'll leave you to your conference."
"Thank you very much, Madam Mckenna."
"By the phase bid you well." and the Four left Madam 18 to the front of the intimidating door.
Her hand lightly weighed on the handle, and the moment her presence was revealed, their heads lifted from their deep conversation and their arms raised in the like. The room set silent. Madam stood silently with a return. They were far from comforting to be in the same room with to an enemy, but far from the opposite as an ally. Their souls hit hard as a powerful presence, yet she's felt more power in a single body before. The five Mortems towered far past the fairly short woman, but she shown no emotion. Madam was one of them and at that was far more reassuring in itself.
"Madam 18." A Five, the highest ranking of The East Hold spoke. "Are we ready?"
"Yes, Madam Yui... I... suppose I'm as ready as I'll ever be."
A gloved hand fell on her back belonging to Sir Feliks, Five of The West Hold. A kind smile, one that make you reassured and lighthearted.
"Don't worry Madam 18." he said. "Don't feel too overwhelmed. You underestimate yourself."
"Yes, we'll help you come to a decision. You'll feel much better after information is passed." added Yui.
"Thank you... All of you..." she said. "Now..." the woman swallowed. "What... what is the current status on the Hominum City raid Recello? How far in are we?"
"About twenty six and a half human minutes have gone by in their Tier. Raid Recello is coming to a close."
"Where do we stand?" Elenora asked.
"Zero civilian fatalities." Madam Persephone of The North Hold assured. "It has been ordered that we fall back after we obtain our captive citizens."
"The goal ultimately was to take out Hominum troops, correct?" Elenora asked. The woman picked up a stack of papers, scanning over them.
"Yes. It was successful. We've rendered them utterly helpless, at that... Bloody excuse for soldiers, they are..."
Sir Ivon of The South. You could tell the disgust in his gleaming eyes as he spoke.
The Center Hold Five Rank listened silently, eyes covered by a blindfold, for she didn't have any. Madam Edite, careful in her judgement, experienced in her work.
"The title of The Hominum Tier Head will soon be passed to another." Edite commented. She encouraged more information. She preferred it spoken.
"Yes. Once the word is passed that they were rendered leaderless, another will step up..."
They all looked to Elenora now, a comment awaited. The atmosphere fell like a stone on tile.
"How do you propose the next leader should be handled, Madam 18?"
The woman pondered for a moment, cleared her throat and adjusted her sling.
"Well..." she trailed. "It does depend on who their leader is and we will not know that for ... well, in time, weeks." she said. "The only current information we have is ours, but what I do know is that we must make a decision quickly..."
"We do have the advantage of time, Madam."
"Yes, but we must act as we don't for it to take full action, correct? If we wait too long to react to our circumstances raid Recello grants us, time will no longer be our advantage..."
They were silent. The woman continued.
"One thing I know for a fact is that adjusting to the spontaneous act of being a leader is difficult. The Hominum race is weakened because their actions lie solely on the decision The Hominum Tier Head makes. The citizens have no say. So... we must strike at the moments of vulnerability for their new leader and that would only be at the new stages of leadership. We must give him a choice to make in moment that would normally take years of experience to correctly determine."
"Pressure him into what we are looking to achieve by his ignorance..." murmured Feliks. "Smart..."
"We have the upper hand. What exactly are we looking to achieve?"
"Peace." Elenora declared. They quickly looked to her.
"Peace? We just retaliated."
"Yes. They are weak. We could force a surrender... or convince a treaty. It was all be set equal by the retaliation."
"Yes... She right. Is that not what we ultimately want to achieve? Peace?"
The conference took no mercy on the phase. It dragged into it. Strategies of approach were discussed. Points added, contradicted and overruled. They discussed possibilities of what they would do if the treaty were declined or if they should sign a treaty at all. How they would advance. Elenora felt far more comfortable now, speaking with the soldiers and throwing out points that were never mentioned or pondered but not unraveled. The woman grew tired and ultimately, a yawn was what concluded the gathering and forced them to extend it to the next moon phase. Madam could now rest. Rest her mind, her thoughts. Offered a room to sleep in, the woman declined kindly, stating she was happy to return to the train and sleep there, and she did. The train was what she decided to make her temporary home, and there, she headed to the back beds and again, unbuttoned her shoes and pulled the sling over her head to free her arm. Her muscles fell loose and all she could long for was rest. Short bouts of sleep, triggering restlessly, on and off like a switch was hard to manage. Elenoras mind was heavy, weighted by multiple questions and answers that filed and discarded. The woman's pale eyes met the glass window. Light from the moon projected sharply on her face, her long lashes casting shadows on her cheeks as she thought in a daze. Her arm twitched, and her head pulled to it, stealing her falling attention, and she slipped under the blanket. It felt nice to rest her heavy shoulders and aching neck. The last thing that she looked at was the strong black shadow of the window pane on the bed across the train car. How it stared back at the woman, growing darker and darker. How it simply existed there, still and inky as the abyss past the waterfall, and all fell dark with the shut of her eyes.
By the precious moment of transition, Madam was already awake, reading vigorously because she couldn't calm her mind enough for sleep. Retrieved from the train car, again she was led to the Four base, again the soldiers let her in, and she was greeted by the Four's once more.
One approached her quickly, youth and confrontation mixed in his eyes. He asked her how one would approach a situation where a mutual treaty was rocked between two races, not their own, because Death was always the mediator between them, yet they greatly favored one over the other. No wars would be started. Inevitably, Death eventually came to everything. Even the immortal, like them. The young soldier asked her what she would do if that problem arose, for it hasn't yet, but it was only a short matter of time before it did. Elenora, they called "Domina in pace", for peace was all she encouraged and all she wanted through everything. This is what she told the young Four, eager to listen for his own benefit, and by the conclusion of the intelligent observation and opinion, it was time to complete the meeting of Fives. In her chest, Elenora felt a burning passion for it now, discussing and speaking among those who she once looked up upon. They now, looked to her. Marching down the length of the corridor, Madam, even after no rest, felt no exhaustion. It was there, it was simply clouded. Her hand weighed on the door handle, her bad arm, and she practiced with it, letting herself into the silence of the conference room. Once again, heads lifted in acknowledgement.
"Madam 18." Edite of the Center smiled. Her head faced her, but all that met Madam Elenoras eyes was the black, blank cloth shielding where her eyes once were. "You've arrived. Punctual as always!"
A smile sweeped her lips as she thought of another.
Yui smiled. "Are we ready to continue?"
"Yes, we are. Shall we?"
Nods were passed along with papers.
"So, it is decided, yes? A treaty?" Ivon pointed to a point on paper.
"I have decided, that we will wait for the early moments of the leadership passing, and only at that moment, no later, will we order for the signing of a treaty."
"And if they refuse?"
Madam was silent. She thought methodically.
"Lets just say, at the mention of it... they will sign if they do not wish for new Five bases in their Tier."
It was settled by that. Nothing more. Terms were easily discussed and made, reasonably and sensibly. They all made it to the exact standard that only pure incompetence would deny such a treaty. Simplistic statements. The treaty could be kept almost obliviously, yet it satisfied the needs of the soldiers and overall, the population. Finally, after long preparation and determination, they had concluded their meeting. It was completed effortlessly. Hands were shaken. Salutes were thrown. Smiles were passed. The conference was concluded, and she bid them farewell. It was an honor to her to meet the top ranking Fives from every hold, but to them, it was far past an honor to hold a conference with their new leader, as wise and kind as she was.
"How was your meeting, Madam? Smooth, I take it?" Mckenna was there to lead Elenora from the base.
The woman nodded. "Yes, it was." she said. "If you don't mind, Madam Mckenna, could you please schedule an announcement due next phase?"
"Of course, Madam. Right away."
"Thank you."
Past the gates, they stopped. The next step was what was lingering to be played out.
"Does this conclude your visit here, Madam 18?"
Elenora rubbed her shoulder. "I... I think I will take a short walk in the city before I return to the train..."
"Yes, of course. I will notify the conductor immediately..." The Four replied, fist to chest. "This would be our farewell."
"It certainly would. Thank you so very much, Madam Mckenna. I'll be sure to visit often." she smiled.
"I'm glad to hear that! Farewell, Madam Bordeleau. May the phase bid you well!"
"And the same for you!"
Madam Elenora waved as she marched from the base, gifting a smile along with it. The city now awaited her. The woman wandered farther into the mass of buildings, the paths uneven and the atmosphere always accompanied by the white sound of the waterfall. Bustling with crowds the more and more deeper you get. Smiles passed and sweet greetings given. The shops gleefully open to all, salesman at every corner. Streetlamps lit every turn, oxygenless flame sat peacefully, its heart burning a perfect blue as it was boxed by the glass. The unusual sight of a yawn brought some eyes to her. Finally, as the thirst of the completion of work had been quenched, nothing was left to mask the exhaustion that embraced her. Madam was tired. The unwanted companion of insomnia shook her often in the past few months. The taunting thoughts wouldn't silence. When she could get decent sleep, it was only for a short while until insomnia rudely interrupted. Madam Elenora always felt unimaginably exhausted. It was decided then, that she would take a potion. Elenora was certain that was the only single solution left. The only thing that could fend off the disruptive swarm of bees in her mind, and by that, she began scanning buildings for a sign. Again, the realization that she was far shorter than the passing Mortems resurfaced. Elenora would have to ask. Fleeing to the side of the street, is was merely a few seconds before another woman's attention was borrowed.
"Excuse me, Madam?" Elenora cooed. The Mortem turned quickly, spell book in hand and a welcoming smile on her face.
"Madam Bearer! What a pleasant surprise!" she said. "May I assist you in any way?"
"Yes, thank you..." she bowed. "Could you assist me to the nearest potion shop, please?"
"The potion shop! Of course! I just came from there. Its right around the corner. You're going to want to take a sharp right down this street and it'll be the biggest shop you'll find down the road. Its marked by a sign that's unmissable. You're sure to see it!"
"Well, thank you Madam! Goodday!"
"Goodday!"
Just around the corner. As easy as that. She thought it quick, but she wanted to stay and roam. Decided, she could complete the errand and gradually find herself back. It was like a stream flow. Carried by the crowds. The dead second the corner was turned, it was the single most easy thing to locate. The sign was written in Latin, but it did not hesitate to announce itself, stretching its letters across the large building front. It had stories. Peeling from the flow was challenging, but not impossible, and Madam was standing before the building in a matter of minutes. Two doors invited, yet it wasn't terribly busy inside. It was a popular shop, big enough to carry many. Mortems appeared here and there like electrons in an atom. Empty space became a body, teleporting from places near and distances away alike. The doors sucked her in and immediately, it felt like a home. Mortem cloth banners clung from the ceiling, embroidered with the sign of the three moons. Bottles neatfully lined the walls, sizes varying from a vial to a canteen. Containers sealed tightly with solids of variety. Some with the Mortem insignia and another joining it. Witches more often than not came to the Tier for ingredients in their own concoctions Donating, contributing, or just buying. Thus, Witches roamed the East and North, distinguishable against their towering and sharp toothed allies. Death was a great ally of theirs, bringing avoidance when it came to war with the Witches. Not one dared to declare such because of their strong and ancient alliance with Death, and if they dared, the Witch defense was not all they faced. Approaching the front desk, a quick salute was thrown to her, drawing attention and a few more. Some stopped their browsing, Witches at that, to turn and behold the leader of the Mortem race.
"Welcome. How can I help you Madam 18?" The counter man had a smooth voice. Slowed and deep. Madam pulled her attention away from the eyes around the shop that resumed their browsing. She smiled softly.
"Hello." she said. "All I'm in need for is a simple sleeping potion."
"Ahh, somno. What amount?"
"How much would you recommend?" Elenora asked.
The man smiled. "That depends. What is the purpose, if you don't mind, Madam?"
"It's... It's for me." The woman gazed down a bit, embarrassed. "I can't sleep."
"Ahh, I see... Common problem here. It must be the Tier! I'll get you some right away." he nodded and by that, disappeared. His presence was illuminated in a matter of half a second by just a flash. An assumption of a small wait was overruled. The man was back within a cluster of moments. Back with a small vial. His sudden appearance didn't frighten her a bit.
"Here you are, Madam." It was a small container, glass thinner than a hair. The purple tinted liquid awaited the touch of her lips and it's cue to begin.
"This should do."
"Thank you very much, Sir."
Currency was quickly sorted in her hands and she paid nothing short of three small coins. He thanked her, and the small potion was tucked in her empty fan pocket. What was needed to be done was done. The money was slipped away and she turned to the doors direction and began her way.
"Oh, please, sister? Please buy it for me! It won't go to waste, I promise!"
"Abbigael, I can't! Mother only sent with seven units! Do you even know what that is?"
Elenora slowed her pace, pretending to scan. She didn't want them to feel like they were drawing too much attention. Two witches. A young girl appearing in her teens, brown milky hair braided to the side in thick locks and eyes dark, knelt next to her younger sister of only six.
"Do you know what that is?" The young woman held a large bottle, the size equivalent to the child.
"Yes! I do!" she lied, arms crossed in a pout.
"This is high quality Mortem solidifying base! It's for older kids! And adults! Not children!"
The child stomped her foot. "I know! I just want to try it! Please? I promise I'll use it right!"
The eyes of the young witch glanced The Bearers way. Her voice plunged to a whisper.
"I said no! I can't afford it, Abbigael! Now please..." she swallowed. "put it back."
A soul like hers couldn't just leave. Elenora couldn't help herself. They couldn't afford it... but Elenora could. Brimming with crushing defeat, the little girl stomped to the shelf below Madam 18 in pure annoyance and anger.
"Excuse me, miss..." The small witch muttered.
Elenora stepped out of the way slowly. "Sorry."
"Thank you..." she pouted.
"You know," The leader knelt next to the child with a soft and kind smile. The young witch didn't know who she was by a glance. She knew not of the woman's importance.
"If you really like that base, I could buy it for you."
Tears rimmed her eyes in anger, but her face loosened and her eyes brightened at the sweet flow of words. The child wiped her eyes.
"You... would, Miss?"
"Yes, of course." Madam grabbed the large bottle and stood up. The little witch grabbed her hand as Madam 18 lead her to the counter again. The weight was burdened to the counter and Madam payed for it. The child watched her closely, wiping her eyes as the anger simmered down and from below, the bottle was handed to her. They stepped quickly out of the line and Madam knelt. The little witch thought as Madam smiled, that her eyes were the most beautiful and brightest two gems she has seen.
"Study hard, alright?"
A slow, assuring nod and two small arms wrapped around the woman, the bottle the girl was holding resting lightly on Elenoras back.
"Thank you so much, Miss! You're very kind!"
"You're welcome."
The girl stood now, a smile wiped across her face like candy was raining from the sky, and she ran off. Off to share the short moment with her sister. Madam rose and began her way to the door. The child was ecstatic, talking with her sister and pointing as Madam made her way out and into the street again along with her business. It warmed her soul to see smiles like that. Especially with children because she was familiar with life being poor at an age even younger than that. In her soul, she hoped they were happy. She knew they were happy and that made her so. Now, she had what she needed and some. Finally, something to put her to sleep, and that she would take when she returned to The Center Hold. The joining of stream that occupied the streets was abruptly stopped by a hand. It pulled gently on her shoulder and her eyes met those of a young teen.
"Madam! Sorry to bother-"
The girl's words cancelled. "Excuse me, Madam Elenora of 18... but... I want to thank you so much for buying the base for my sister."
The child stood proud, hugging a bottle almost as big as she.
"You're very welcome, young Miss."
"You Mortems... You all are so kind." The witch said. "I remember this is the same store my mother and I visited when I was just a small child... It was Mister. 18 who helped us then too... What a coincidence... Him and you... You both are the most generous two."
Elenora painted a smile she hasn't in a long time. A soft, warming smile lie familiarly across her face.
"Well... thank you very much. That means a lot. Now... you two take care of yourself. Alright?"
A nod. The young witch turned and began her way back the opposite direction. The girl had chased her down just to thank her. Before she left Madam to herself in the crowd, she waved and bid farewell. The walk back to the train was that of a daze and nothing but.
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The wrinkled bedsheets seemed to wait for her return patiently. Her ribboned marked book lie tucked partially under it along with her sling. Notified previously, the conductor was concluding preparation for start up and and was already setting it in motion. The train had already begun to move. The planted wheels finally peeling itself from the tracks, it slowly began its ascend. Madam Elenora sat on the blanketed bed and gazed out of the window. Light and shadows danced around the train car, skipping and running along the walls and the bedsheets as it passed scenes at gaining speeds. She was leaving. At that moment, she felt as if she were leaving home. In the small amount of time she was given, she loved this Hold just like any other. Elenora was leaving this home simply to return to another. She could return to the mansion, her spacey bed, her library. Soon, she could see Ann. The woman was sure her friend was eager to hear about her short trip and the meeting. She was first to hear about anything. Madam laid back on the pillow and brought the blanket over her mouth, watching the moons glare down at her with icy eyes in a still angle. The stars were beyond beautiful and they never ceased to be. Like little pinpricks of heavenly lights flickering in the blanket of sky. The love to gaze upon the blanket of unfathomable blacks and purples. It always brought her peace, swaying and rocking her like a mother to her child. It was then, staring out the window from the beds of the train car, that her heart plunged and fell stories from her once slow breathing chest.
