Chapter 12 - Through the Gate

They stopped momentarily, taking one last glance back at the Dekaalenstaad from the same spot that Ja’Sessh had sworn his allegiance an hour earlier. From the vantage, the hidden sanctuary had changed. The quiet dreamless sleep of its inhabitants had swiftly turned to purpose filled wakefulness. Lights shifted through the trees, the people congregating and starting their preparations in the endless night. Winter nodded to Sessh, gesturing for him to continue ahead. The maw of the passage that led to the gate was open before them. His brow raised slightly before he nodded in return and disappeared into the darkness. She grabbed Ja’Ekavira’s upper arm, holding her in place as she moved to start after him.

“How much longer are you going to keep this act up? This feigned outrage.” Winter said sharply.

Ja’Ekavira glared at her, “Feigned?” she hissed, attempting to tear free of Winter’s grasp and failing, “Everything I understood was wrong.”

She stared at Winter, her saffron eyes clashing on Winter’s steel, “I wake to have my idiot of a brother staring at me. The only male of any species to have laid eyes on me in such a state.”

Winter released her, a subtle glint of incredulity in her eye, “Of any species…?”

“Then I find out that he is…” she gestured at the passage, “That.”

Winter’s eyes narrowed, “That?”

“The people look at him, showing respect he has not earned. If it was not for me…” Ja’Ekavira growled.

“Not earned?” Winter chuckled, “He has earned it and they respect him for a good reason.”

Winter shook her head and glanced back at the temple atop the cliff, “Gods, you sound like him when he attacked us in Escorath. So used to your glamour smoothing and getting your demands without contest or complaint. This arrogance has robbed you of reason.” Winter said sharply, “Very shortly you are going to have to speak on behalf of the people. Or are the Ke’Shasan nothing now that you have been found? You have led them for so long, are you going to abandon them at such short notice?”

Ja’Ekavira glared at her, “You dare speak to me of…”

“Yes, I dare berate you on responsibility. You have no idea what happened to me and mine own. Who I have been and who I am. Sessh returned knowing what is fast taking place outside this refuge, he is part of turning your request into action. He is shouldering your responsibility and demonstrating to all that he and his word must be respected.” Winter said, glancing back at her, “Despite the anger he bears toward you, he is placing the people first, he is making your next steps easier. Demonstrating to you that he can be relied on to lead the people to safety and a new life. Even though he would prefer to turn his back on you.”

She looked at the rakshasa, her steel eyes scrutinising her body language.

“You said it yourself, I am broken. What good would it do to meet with…”

“Are you so fragile? Is your ego and confidence so easily shattered?” Winter retorted softly, “The one who approached dragons to secure sanctuary before the coming storm?”

Winter shook her head, “When you leave this place you must be Ekavira, the Empress of the Ke’Shasan. Yes, you are broken, damaged, but you have always been so, from the moment you first set foot in the real.” she said calmly, “I am not your enemy. I have come to help you.”

Ja’Ekavira stared at her.

“I need the Ekavira from Antrandis’s memory to stand before me. Ready to stand for her people. Being the one who has known him the longest, I say now, that when he learned that he had freed you, he had agreed with my request.”

“Your request?”

Winter held out her hand, “To accept you as you were meant to be. To fulfil our purpose as we were designed to.”

Ja’Ekavira swallowed hard, “His memory?”

“That you are a beautiful creature, strong of mind and sharp of wit. Driven in her pursuits.”

“He said that?”

Winter gave a slight tilt of her head, “His words are not to be doubted, Vira. When it comes to any of us, he does not speak untruths. He was not interested in a fourth, but when he realised what had taken place and your connection to me and in turn him, he agreed.”

“You must understand, Vira. Each one of us share a bond in a way that can not be denied. To deny those bonds is against his nature. So he did what he could, it is not out of single-minded desire or possession that this has taken place. We each have a connection that is beyond what can be explained with words.”

Ja’Ekavira looked at her with narrowed eyes, “And if I refuse?”

Winter gestured to Ja’Ekavira and started walking, passing into the tunnel that led to the gate, “If you refuse, we will honour your decision. You are free to do as you please, protect and rule over the Ke’Shasan, guide them as they learn among the elves and dwarves of Meliandra. Experience what this world has become as the Empress of your people. Just know that you are safe and protected, a part of us, but without any expectation to act as our wife in body or mind. Consider us as family and nothing more.”

“You speak on his behalf or are your words just a guess at what he would say?”

Winter shook her head slowly, a tired smile on her lips as she continued walking.

The ebony gate ringed the walls of the passage. A faint hum permeating the air and stone as Winter approached. Ja’Ekavira stared at the sigils that had reawakened for the second time in less than the span of an hour in the Dekaalenstaad. She stared at the ruby glow in the glassy black.

“They have never…”

“Done this before? They have, when I arrived.” Winter said, her eyes skimming to Ja’Sessh as he stood, his voice low in heated discussion with Ja’Alexa.

“Why you?” Ja’Ekavira said, her eyes flashing as they flickered to Winter.

Winter smiled, “You don’t know what my original purpose was. Why I was made or what resides in me.” she leaned a little closer, “If you did, you would not be so surprised.”

She looked at the two rakshasa, noticing Ja’Alexa’s sudden sharp stare and twitch of her tail after a forced gesture from Ja’Sessh. Frowning, she watched Ja’Sessh turn, his expression calm in contrast to Alexa’s quiet anger. Her silvery turquoise eyes were fixed on Ja’Ekavira, her fitted caster’s robe swaying with her movements, its thick-woven scarlet cloth both accentuating her steps and worthy enough to be light armour.

Stopping before Winter, she bowed her head slightly, “The representatives of the Ke’Shasan have already passed through and Freya awaits in the Real. Please excuse me, I must quickly discuss something with our sister.”

Winter nodded and passed, gesturing to Ja’Sessh for him to walk at her side as Ja’Alexa’s voice chased them.

Ja’Alexa shook her head, “You chained him...Why? Because he disagreed with you?” she said with a lowered tone, “Had you forgotten his capability? He is a protector, a shield that defends, a sword that seeks justice and vengeance. I thought it was the confinement making him lose his mind. But it was…”

Ja’Ekavira stared at her, her teeth baring, “He questioned my…”

“As Freya did? You almost banished her from your sight when she asked why. You went too far.”

“It was necessary.” Ja’Ekavira said.

Ja’Alexa looked at her, “Then would you have you silenced me if I had questioned you? Just so you could lie, waiting in the temple, indulging in your dreams instead of fixing the problems among the people…”

Winter shared a glance with Ja’Sessh and passed through, his step less than a moment behind. The angered adviser to the Empress’s words swallowed by the roar of the gate, and warped by the shift in time.

Ja’Sessh immediately looked back, “When she steps through, will she still be the same…?” he said, his voice quieting as he noticed Winter’s shrug.

“She was drawn to Antrandis last time she left. That urge might be stronger. Within the Dekaalenstaad everything is…Muted, muffled, hard to hear.” she looked at him, “Like a great distance is between us. Though, not insurmountable.”

She stopped, a frown forming before she quickly turned, her eyes sweeping around and meeting the few that waited a short distance off. One of which was taking the offered hand of the valkyrie, getting to its feet and stretching while the others watched warily. Golden eyes met Winter’s steel and she padded over, the steel bands on her tail clinking.

“I did not expect to be waiting for hours.” Ja’Freya yawned, readjusting her clothing and belts, “Mathilde and I finished discussing plans quite some time ago.” she said, glancing around Ja’Sessh and peering through the gate with curiosity.

She let out a faint hacking chuckle, “Look how slow they are moving…” her brow raised, “They are arguing.” Ja’Freya said with an unsurprised air.

“So Sessh, you are looking a little on the scary side.” she commented, stepping back, her golden eyes taking him in, “It is good to see you again.”

She quickly grabbed his hand, sniffing it carefully, “It has been a long time since I saw the real you. Not that egotistical oaf you have been more recently.”

“Kneel or I will have to climb up that ridiculous torso of yours.” she said with a soft chuckle, shifting around him and patting at his side with one of her large paw-like hands, “Hurry up, I want to see it up close.”

His stoic expression slowly broke into what could be seen as a smile, “I almost forgot you are like this, Frey.”

She glanced at Winter, “He truly is no longer under her thumb, is he?” she asked, noting the valkyrie’s expression before turning back and sizing him up as he gave in to her request to kneel, “I heard your roar from the other side, Sessh. Just before I passed through the gate.”

Her eyes flashed gold in admiration, her hand running thought the fur on his shoulder, “A few weeks out in the Real and all that fluff is gone.” she said, “By Azzar Kar’Sharn, would you look at him, he’s an animal! He’s finally walking like a killer instead of a lover’s whimsy. Just looking, I know I can’t win an honest, even dishonest beat down like before. You are once again a monster I would be glad to have at my back.”

She quickly grabbed his other hand and inspected his thumb, her eyes wide in understanding and a broad smile exposing her fangs, “You tell me about this one later, I’m saving the best for last.”

Ja’Freya swept around him, the chiming clink of her steel bands sounding as they knocked against his arm, “Sessh, Jesse is quite sure about you, to mark you like this, I did not realise she was so inclined. While we were waiting I asked Mathilde.” she glanced at Winter, “She told me of things that I could not believe. Is it true Winter?”

Winter gave a short nod, “Yes.”

Ja’Freya inspected his shoulder, parting the fur and intently scrutinising the valkyrie’s mark, “You must understand Sessh, Jesse was the one who kept me from a possible death, pulled me from the meat-grinder before I was hacked beyond recognition. She commanded a small group; Mathilde here, was her second and an unnamed girl with long hair that was the colour of a fox.”

“You will be meeting her again at Dagnatheln.” Winter said offhand, her eyes on Mathilde’s as they spoke telepathically, “Talessia, as named by Sian.”

Ja’Freya’s golden eyes caught the twitch of Ja’Sessh’s ear, “I have heard that you did not just find the one our sister is pining over. But you fought…” she immediately stopped as she felt his shoulder tense beneath her hand.

“Not my finest moment.” Ja’Sessh rumbled, “And not one I intend to repeat, especially before her.”

She looked at him carefully, “Her?”

“Sian, the wielder of the Dark Flame of Scarosant.” he said softly.

“Sian lives? The child of the Dearil and Kieleanna, lives?” Ja’Freya’s eyes grew sharp, her eyes flickering to Winter, “Your woman…?”

Winter gave her a small nod.

Ja’Freya stared at her in disbelief, “How? She died, she was killed by the Violet. Being reborn like that, it is not possible. Not after what she did to her.”

“Sian was reborn many hundreds of times before Antrandis found her. Sian was not killed, Lumia, her familiar was. A detail that escaped me.” Winter frowned, her eyes focusing properly on Ja’Freya as they narrowed to slits, “The Violet… How did you know?”

Ja’Freya quickly glanced at Ja’Sessh.

“I fought what I knew, what I knew meant that it could not be her standing before me after you defeated me in Escorath. I could not trust any words that were spoken to me.” Ja’Sessh rumbled, his pale eyes meeting Winter’s, “Tell her before they arrive, Freya.”

“Neci, she had me follow the Violet when we heard of Sian’s death. Sessh tracked the Jade when he returned from Scarosant and the mountain trails.”

Winter stared at them, “Ekavira?”

“She does not know. She has always been focused on something else.” Ja’Freya said softly, quickly glancing back through the gate.

Winter nodded, her eyes following Ja’Freya’s to the approaching rakshasas, their movements slowed by the difference in time, “We will speak privately of this at Dagnatheln.”

Ja’Sessh rumbled softly in agreement, his eyes glancing over Ja’Freya as he started to stand, “How is it that you have remained free and you were not collared by her?”

Ja’Freya met his eyes momentarily, “You think you are the only one of us who bears a mark of a Valkyrie?” she said quietly, sliding close and running a hand through the fur on his back as he moved, “At Dagnatheln we shall speak of it.”

She held up a clawed finger as he moved to talk, “By the way, Sessh. I had to tend to one of your playthings who had got out of hand, what was her name?”

“She has a name?” he asked in a dismissive tone as he straightened, “I am ashamed to have sunk to such a stupor.”

Ja’Freya chuckled, “That righteous nobility I adore from the past has finally returned.” she purred, running her hands around him and hugging him from behind, scratching at his stomach gently.

“I was not happy that I could no longer sleep with you or even be in your company. I felt slighted.” she purred, burying her face into his back, “But I saw what was happening, the Empress had her hooks in you.”

She glanced at Ja’Ekavira, the Empress’s movements slowed on approach while she resting her head against his back, a sharp gleam in her eyes as she took in a deep breath and exhaled through gritted teeth. The dull throbbing roar hitting its peak as both the forms of Ja’Ekavira and Ja’Alexa emerged from the Dekaalenstaad.