† Mikhail †
"Somebody take it upon themselves to try and tame that demon?"
Mikhail resisted the urge to hiss at Yuen. The demon had a little laugh as he brought a hand to his lips and winced.
Kohryn may have been just a dream but the vypnyr had been real. He'd woken up with a raw tongue and swollen lips covered in cuts and scratches where the other man had nicked him with his fangs.
It looked like someone had smacked him across the mouth, very hard.
The fae was unaware of what transpired while Mikhail slept, but the way Yuen said 'tame' hit him uncomfortably. The demon had obnoxiously let the vypnyr pin him and be rough. Dominate him.
And perhaps it would have been more fun for Mikhail if the vypnyr didn't treat it as a challenge over Kohryn. By the end of their little encounter they were both growling between kisses while the bed and walls curled with jade. Their jealousy manifested into the dream. Possessive asshole.
Even more concerning was how Kohryn and the vypnyr were connected. Why had she called him to her dream? The demon hummed with pleasure. Pieces of a mystery were being solved only to find more. Mikhail rubbed his chest.
"Is that a yes?"
"I thought you were departing for your realm today, your highness?" Mikhail said with his ambassadorial flair.
"Tsk. You spit my title like my advisor when he mocks me." Yuen shook his head with a depraved chuckle. "But to answer your question since you do not seem interested in answering mine; I will be departing after I see you off this evening, ambassador." He sat at Samhir's kitchen table and sifted through a pile of papers. "I must ensure that my pawn is on her way and knows her mission." Yuen eyed Mikhail.
What the prince meant was that he needed to make it clear to the assassin that should they find Kohryn before Yuen returned, she was not to let Mikhail or Samhir make off with the sorcerer.
He annoyed Mikhail. The interesting way the vypnyr had said the fae's name like a dirty word replayed in his mind.
The being had mostly asked personal questions about Kohryn. Her favorite color, if she liked jewels or instruments. Did she prefer oceans to lakes, and if she'd ever been in a cave. Mikhail didn't know most of the answers, to which the vypnyr sung in glee, 'You really don't know her at all!' Then laughed in his face.
'Well, I do know her favorite color.' The vypnyr inquisitively looked down at him. 'Green, like the color of my eyes. She told me so herself.'
It earned him a mean bite. He tried to get Mikhail's own name and then tried to coax her true name from him. When Mikhail asked about Yuen the vypnyr paused in his explorations and warned to keep him away from Koha. It was hard to determine whether the man was genuinely concerned or just blindly jealous at the moment.
.
"Don't trust me?" Mikhail grinned, mirth filled eyes flashing.
"Not even a little bit." Replied the fae prince.
"I still don't understand why you wouldn't have kept her in Kissian?" Mikhail went back to prying, doing his best to restrain his annoyance.
If his assumptions were right. Yuen and the fae would want Kohryn for the same reason as his mother wanted her; to use as a weapon. So why not keep her somewhere close and controlled?
"The current emperor is not a kind man. Especially towards powerful females." The prince grimaced as dark thoughts crossed his mind. "Having her remain in the twilight was considered, but it was decided that it would be safest to keep her away from the whims and wants of my father. She's too valuable."
Value. The demon internally sneered.
But it wasn't a false sentiment. Kohryn was valuable. It's why the fae sought her, what called the vypnyr to her dreams, and what had led Mikhail to the middle of nowhere in the strange country.
Why the damn eenoans had her.
"Don't you think that her life should be her own?"
"Yes." Yuen's immediate confirmation shocked Mikhail. "But unfortunately I can not give her such a luxury. Sorcerers are too powerful to be left on their own. They are easily corrupted and with infinite access to vyra, they can become very dangerous. Those of the past left unwatched and unbound caused great calamity."
Who knows what the priests had done to her and the corruption it seeded inside her. She always seemed so level but Mikhail was sure the stoic woman had her limits.
He rubbed his face and groaned. "I regret not sneaking into the country. I did not think this," he gestured between them, "is where I would be.
Yuen tapped his papers together before neatly slipping them into the satchel. "I also did not think I would have to rely on a lazy aristocrat possessed by an ancient entity to retrieve my sorcerer. But," Yuen gestured between them, "here we are."
Mikhail rolled a lip.
Samhir cleared his throat from the doorway. Hollow yellow eyes ringed in purple almost looked as terrifying as his daughters. Mikhail could smell the alcohol on him from across the room. "Those capital crows have shown up. Let's get this over with so we can leave." Then he turned with a huff and a moment later the two heard the front door open and close.
"I think he is warming up to me." Yuen said sarcastically.
"Warming up the fires in the pit so he can toss you into it." Mikhail replied.
Samhir treated Yuen like a peasant. Mikhail found great amusement in it. The human refused to call him by name, let alone his title. Instead he referred to the prince as 'hey you' or simply, 'the fae'.
"Oh and you'll be right behind me." Yuen quipped. Mikhail's graces with the man were no better. Yuen stood his features morphing into more human ones. The sheen to his skin flattened, his ears shrunk and rounded, and the silver of his eyes warmed until they were a blue grey. "Shall we attend our meeting, ambassador?"
"Stay out of sight. The last thing I need is to be imprisoned here for sneaking in unregistered attendants."
"Oh, fuck off." The prince scoffed with a bemused smirk and shoved the demonborn's shoulder.
.
The capital had sent two council members and one elder. Umbra was a thin woman with pin thin sheets of dark hair and the sharpest jawline on any woman Mikhail had ever seen. Her fellow councilman, Jihnhara, was a broad man with a thick and daunting brow. He looked too much like a warrior for the peaceful Ipanish, whose guards even had a soft edge and ample bellies. Jihnhara had none of that. The man looked like he was made of stone.
Elder Kshar, a plump old fellow whose big jowls shook with every bellowing chortle, laughed with elder Ulias as if they were old friends. Teban once more stood quietly off to the side, like the tall man seemed fond of doing. Mikhail I'd not see the last Imore elder anywhere among the crowd.
He did not see either of the fae in the mix of faces either, but he did see councilman Tatch, who glowered at Samhir from across the room. Samhir only pushed his chest out and looked down his nose.
Mikhail approached the increasingly unstable alcoholic, gliding to his side and blocking his view of the shitty little man. "Remember what we talked about." He quietly reminded Samhir.
Samhir grumbled a string of curses. "Yeah, yeah. I've kept my head on my shoulders in this village for the last twenty years. I don't need to be reminded to behave." He shouldered past to take a seat at a table.
The room had been set up with a head table, where the mix of councilmen and elders sat, a smaller table parallel to theirs and a couple rows of seats on either side. Idoni, Menia, Amelia, Tatch and the two guards sat in them.
Mikhail took a seat next to Samhir at the smaller table. He leaned close and whispered, "What should I expect? I thought this would be a meeting and it looks more like a trial."
Samhir sighed. "It is kind of like both. The council and elders will question us. The audience and witnesses," he pointed to the small group on the side, "will give their testaments. The next steps will be decided by the council during a short break and we will all discuss how to proceed after."
"No jury or lawfully appointed representatives?"
"Nooope." Samhir leaned back in his chair. "Just whatever the hells they decide."
Umbra loudly began the 'meeting' with a booming "Let's get started, I don't want to have to spend the night here." Her voice was as sharp as her jaw. She'd put the absent Minora to shame, if the elders' hawkish gaze wasn't so crushing.
Umbra's eyes were more round, and they came to settle on the two men. "Samhir, a pleasure to see you as always."
"Hello, Umbra." Samhir replied casually, hinting that he might know the woman. If Mikhail was correct, he knew the man to be an Orphan from the capital. The two looked of a similar age.
Umbra nodded and picked up a file in front of her. "And hello, ambassador Maaroi." She pursed her lips squinting at him, then placed the file back down and folded her hands in front of her. "See," Umbra began, "I would be inclined to believe that a young woman got tired of her mountain, weary of her isolation, and decided to run away. However," A thin and equally sharp finger pointed at him, "I am extremely suspicious of a young ambassador, from a militant family, and a known dark practitioner, meddling around in the middle of nowhere and befriending a prisoner of the state."
"A prisoner?" The emotion he couldn't stop from leaking into his voice served him in the moment. The rise in tone making his scoff sound like a question of confusion. In a rare instance of rationality the demon kept itself hidden. Despite the country's strict laws on magic and religion, he could tell there were varying degrees of sight being used amid the table. Hypocrites.
"Yes." It was Samhir who replied. "Kohryn has been legally considered a prisoner of the state since she was six."
"Was it not obvious?"
"With all due respect to the councilwoman, I just assumed the paranoia was that of an isolated and superstitious people. As you are aware, Ipahn has no embassies and its customs and systems of governance are not public knowledge outside of its borders." Mikhail postured in his chair, proper and befitting of a Tellan ambassador. Samhir sat back, one arm tossed across the back of the chair next to him and an ankle resting on his knee. No one was spared from his scowl.
"Ambassador Maaroi, we do not have to pretend that she was a normal woman." Jihnhara glowered, voice baritone. "Everyone in this room was aware that she possessed some form of sinister power."
"Arguably, Jihnhara." Elder Ulias commented from the end of the table. "The nature of her power is unknown, and it is unfair to assume she is ill-intentioned."
Elder Kshar nodded next to him. "I must agree with my brother. The unknown can be frightening but we should not make assumptions."
Mikhail finally saw the resemblance between the two. The brothers possessed the same nose and Ulias' giant earrings resembled Kshar's jowls.
Jihnhara snorted and rolled his hand dismissively. "We had this argument twenty-two years ago, we do not need to revisit it. My point remains." His focus turned back to Mikhail. "I will not believe that a dark practitioner of your standing was unaware of her mysterious nature."
Mikhail pursed his lips. Then he slowly let his energy leak from him, careful to not pull forth the demon unintentionally. It filled the room and the councilmen shifted in their seats. "I did not say I was unaware of her mysterious nature. As a person of a mysterious nature myself, I found Kohryn's presence comforting.Especially in these godweak and drained lands."
"The lands are not godweak, they are godfree." Jihnhara rebutted. "And if they displease you so much, why have you spent so much time here?"
"If you look at my file, which I'm assuming has both mine and my aunt's declarations of entry, I believe you will see that we are here on vacation." Mikhail pointed to the paper strewn in front of Umbra.
Umbra scanned over the documents and nodded to her fellow councilman in confirmation.
Kshar scratched his neck. "Have you enjoyed the country, young man?"
Mikhail lightly shrugged, "Truthfully, I think it has been more to my aunt's taste than my own. Though, I will say you have the most beautiful mountains. Their magnificence is unparalleled." He thought of all the priests he and Nimara killed and buried in the Ipahnish slopes. The fae assassin had turned out to be quite ruthless and revenge driven. The council would never know it, but they'd exterminated an infestation before it could take hold.
"They are quite lovely indeed." Ulias agreed while Kshar nodded along.
"Yes, yes, they are splendid mountains." Jihnhara moved them along and held out a finger. "Shall we review then? You were on vacation and befriended the woman because of her 'similar' disposition. Despite your obvious difference in class and status—I boldly claim because you are Tellan aristocracy. And I will not exclude you from the influence and expectations of your social standing." He raised his bushy eyebrows, as he ticked off another finger. "You, somehow, did not find her lawfully imposed barrier to be of true significance. Even though an ambassador schooled in the policy and law of many countries should see the larger significance of seemingly arbitrary rules. You were present during her spontaneous 'disappearance' while also being affected by the mass hysteria. Even though it is noted that arguably less powerful men withheld the influences of the strange infection. Oh and you know nothing about the destruction wrought to the top of the mountain."
The councilman managed to toss in an insult after almost every observation.
"You are correct in all of your statements, Councilman Jihnhara." Mikhail nodded.
Even though Samhir had maintained his glare, he could smell amusment on the man. He enjoyed watching Jihnhara demean him.
The councilman frowned and Kshar spoke, "Let us not slight the young ambassador too hard. He still has hundreds of years ahead of him, Jihnhara. At his age you were still gambling away you fathers money in back alleys."
Jinhara gave the elder a mean glance and Mikhail fought the urge to smirk. Even though he was not disposed to spending his mothers money on a shady game of dice himself.
Umbra pulled forth a fresh sheet of paper and licked the tip of her pen. "Let's go over the events of the night of her disappearance one more time for official records, and then be done with this. I meant it when I said I didn't want to sleep here."
"Our humble beds good enough for a Tellan aristocrat but not some Ichar brat?" Samhir gave a humorless laugh.
"Do we have a problem, Samhir?"
"We'll always have a problem, Umbra." He growled and leaned forward. "How's your bastard husband?"
Umbra's head tilted to the side, jaw clicking, she blinked a few times thinking of what to say. "He still hates you."
"Hrmph." Samhir nodded with a smug look.
Umbra licked the pen again and this time slammed her hand down in annoyance. "Now, Maaroi," she barked, "recount the happenings of the night." Samhir had clearly gotten to her.
Mikhail dutifully recited his story. He was waiting with Samhir for Kohryn to return from her blessing with the elder. She eventually returned in a panicked and abnormal state. A strange feeling overtook them all and they started screaming and then Kohryn disappeared.
And went down the line of them. Writing down verbatim the testimony of them all.
It was a collaborative story they'd been mindful to make as flawless as possible. Menia, Idoni, and Amelia were all aware of what to say.
Ulias went last. He recounted meeting with Mikhail and Samhir on their way to report what had happened. Described inspecting the home with elder Minora. Then he detailed his investigation of the mountain. "There were clear signs of a fight a few meters away from where Kohryn and I enjoyed our dried Draco berries. It was clear there was a great struggle between her and at least a few adversaries. We are still unsure of who these individuals were or what their motives were, as they have disappeared as well."
"No evidence or bodies?" Umbra asked.
"No." Ulias shook his head. "The grounds had been cleaned and cleansed. Nothing."
Umbra dotted her notes with a slapping inky splotch and stood. "There is no need for a break to make our decision. Mikhail Maaroi, you are to depart Ipahn within the week and you will not be allowed re-entry. Your aunt is free to stay for her allotted time or may leave as well. Samhir son No One," the woman jabbed at him, " you are to remain in Imore. Should you disappear under any circumstances, your wanted poster will join your daughters. And you will be put in a cell." She pulled a thick ream of paper from a briefcase and slapped it on the table. "Councilman Tatch, I expect you to have the guards disperse these among the surrounding villages."
Hundreds of prints with Kohryn's face on them hauntingly slid across the table. 'Wanted by the People's Sate of Ipahn' read in thick script across the top. Mikhail frowned at her depiction. The illustrator made her beautiful eyes flat and ghastly. He hadn't bothered to color her skin and her little moles were large and exaggerated. Her glossy black hair was drawn limp and stringy.
Mikhail curled a lip at the vilified depiction. Somewhere deep inside he heard the demon hiss.