Prince Alekius, Zubotu's son and heir, followed reluctantly. His heart wasn't in the ceremony; it never had been. The ceremonial room was a massive hall, up and down the massive walls were old Umbra stonework still stubbornly clinging to life, a sharp contrast to the newer Zuli additions of lightning-carved murals. He hated those old stones, remnants of fallen people. He wanted to see them torn down, replaced by the glorious symbols of Zuli triumph and the will of Azusa, their god.
At the head of the hall stood the massive sixty-foot table, crafted from the very wood of the Forest of Tears. It gleamed, dark and polished, as lightning-shaped etchings pulsed faintly across its surface. How fitting, Alekius thought bitterly. Even their furniture was born of conquest. The enslaved Pagonians would do anything for their precious forest, that they agreed to a life of enslavement, so that no one else would touch their forest. The Zuli promised not to enter it, and allowed the Pagonians to bury their dead there.
The Umbra was another tale of conquest. Everyone knew the story. The Umbra were power hungry shadow casters who used nightmares to ruel. Until the day Azusa named her lightning champion who conquered the Umbra and then began the reign of the Zuli.
Low music broke Alekius' thoughts as he took a seat beside his father at the head of the table. He looked across the table and the Elder Ninji Ofeus was seated across from him. Alekius greeted the others nearby and as soon as he was seated the food was beginning to arrive at the table. Massive fruits and vegetables were lining the table. Boar, venison, and other meats joined them. When the feast began and the guests were distracted with food and wine, Ofeus made his move.
He approached Zubotu at the head of the table, his voice low but insistent.
"Leader Zubotu, the Baros are growing bolder. The Ninji villages are vulnerable. Perhaps... it is time to allow more Ninji into the safety of the palace walls."
Zubotu stiffened, but smiled politely for the gathered nobles. "This is not the time, Ofeus. It is a night of celebration."
Ofeus pressed, "Perhaps unity would strengthen us. A marriage, even, your son to one of our daughters,"
Zubotu's eyes flashed dangerously. "Enough."
Before the conversation could turn uglier, the chamber doors burst open. A Zuli guard raced to Zubotu and kneeled before him.
"Leader Zubotu!" he said. "A disturbance in the Pagonian work gardens!"
Zubotu's face darkened. "Must everything happen during the celebration?"
He rose heavily, motioning for the guard to lead the way.
As the council room settled into murmurs, Ofeus turned to Alekius with a knowing look.
"The Zuli rule is in danger, do you know who the enemy is?" Ofeus asked, voice sharp with sarcasm.
Before Alekius could reply, he continued, "Follow me young prince into my healing chamber. There is something that you must see."
Alekius had known Ofeus his entire life, and he never did anything random. There was always a purpose behind his thoughts or actions. So, Alekius followed Ofeus to the Healing Chamber, the soft shuffle of their footsteps echoing down the narrow corridor. The air grew cooler with each step, the heavy scent of herbs and crushed flowers wrapping around Alekius like an unseen veil. Dried bundles of lavender, sage, and bloodroot hung from the low ceiling beams, filling the passage with a sharp, earthy fragrance. The walls, lined with smooth river stones, glistened faintly under the glow of firefly lanterns. As they neared the chamber, Alekius caught the distant sound of water trickling, a soothing whisper against the tension knotting his chest. Ofeus was a Ninji Elder, which meant he was one of the many voices of his people. Ninji were viewed as healers, and not fighters. Ofeus may even be closer to a grandfather. Ofeus was definitely old enough to be. A small smirk appeared across Alekius' face thinking of it, but quickly vanished as he stepped into the Healing Chamber.
Ofeus knelt at the center of the Healing Chamber and placed a vial gently upon the stone floor. The scent of herbs and flowers grew stronger, almost dizzying in its potency. Alekius, wary, watched as the old Ninji elder pricked his thumb once, letting a fresh droplet of blood fall into the vial. The liquid shimmered, then darkened, swirling into a pool of starlit blackness.
Alekius took a hesitant step back. "Is this... blood casting?" he asked, unable to keep the unease from his voice.
Ofeus glanced up at him, a tired smile creasing his weathered features. "At my age, young prince, one learns that knowledge is not the enemy. Fear is. Blood casting is only a tool, and like any other magic. It is the intent behind it that matters. And for a Zuli, with your blood, there is little to fear."
Alekius swallowed his doubts and leaned in cautiously. The air and world around him shifted, he felt uneasy, almost like he was about to vomit on the floor. Then, he was standing, ghost-like, among the fields of the Pagonian gardens. The workers moved around him, their bodies passing through him like mist. The rain fell through him as it continuously hit the ground around him. He could not smell what he knew the garden usually smelled like, damp earth, and unwashed bodies. He could hear the murmur of the slaves moving crops, and children playing among the workers.
Ahead, loud shouting from a Zuli guard. A young Pagonian boy stood protectively before a twisted statue, formed of living vines.
"Ah, Attowa. an effigy of Attowa anyways, goddess of the Pagonians." Ofeus said, startling Alekius.
Alekius tried to reply, but nothing came out. He assumed the old man was watching from somewhere near his physical body. The silence was once again broken by the guard.
"You are not allowed to worship this here, or anywhere for that matter!" barked a Zuli guard, stepping forward with his blade drawn.
The boy stood taller, defiant. "Without her, your fields would rot! You would starve!"
The guard sneered, his lip curling with contempt. "Filthy slave," he spat, his voice dripping with disdain. "Groveling worship won't save your wretched hide. Azusa have mercy on you." With a cruel glint in his eye, he swung his sword down toward the boy.
In a blur of green and red, thorny vines erupted from the earth, spearing through the guard's chest with a sickening crack and yanking his heart free. The guard's eyes widened in a moment of stunned disbelief, his sword falling uselessly from his grasp. All around, gasps and horrified cries rippled through the Zuli soldiers. None had ever seen a Pagonian wield such power, and the impossibility of it left them frozen. The guard collapsed, lifeless, his blood soaking into the earth as the vines twisting the heart like a rag then retracted back into the earth, their task complete. The impossible had happened, and none of them could deny it now.
Alekius gasped, stepping back instinctively, only to remember he was intangible here, a ghost.
The boy, his strength spent, collapsed backward into the statue. Bark spread across his skin, leaves sprouting from his shoulders, until he was no longer a boy at all, but a tree. A monument of sacrifice and rage, rooted in blood.
Another Zuli guard, shouting in disbelief, fired a blast of lightning into the statue and the newly-formed tree. The blast incinerated them both, but not before the horror of it burned itself into Alekius' mind. His head felt light, and his vision blacked. He fell backwards, back in the Healing Chamber, Alekius staggered, blinking. Ofeus steadied him, his grip surprisingly firm for one so old.
"No more here," Ofeus said in a low voice, casting a wary glance at the walls. "This place listens too closely. You must speak with your father, Alekius. Only he can decide what must come next."
Alekius moved quickly back to his chambers in the Gold Palace. He closed his doors and decided to take a quick look around his room and began to run a hot bath in his personal washroom.
"What did I just witness?" He whispered to himself. "The Pagonian's are not casters. Are they? I must ask my father tomorrow. He would know the truth behind this or would he? The boy turned into a tree, there is no way this hasn't gone unnoticed."
Alekius sank down into the hot bath water and closed his eyes to try to remember if his father was there while he was in Ofeus' bloodcasting spell. It was too far away from his memory now, that he knew he wouldn't correctly remember it.