CHAPTER ASHBORN 444: OPERATION LIFELINE (TWO) (MAIYA)

Maiya waited patiently alongside Princess Ira and Ashani as Lord Reth paced back and forth, waiting for the other two Tribunal leaders to arrive. It was, interestingly, Ira who received the bulk of Reth’s glances. Ashani was in her demon form, and so, aside from an initial appraising glance at her unfairly ethereal beauty, Reth paid her little mind. Ira’s presence, however, must have had all sorts of thoughts flowing within his mind.

Good, Maiya thought. Each lady by her side was a card she could play in the upcoming negotiations. When hoping to pressure another party, Maiya had learned that it was often more effective to drop successive bombshells, giving the opponent not quite enough time to internalize one before presenting the next. Let him stew on the implications of Ira appearing whole and healthy. Maybe he’ll be the one to initiate a proposal.

That would certainly make Maiya’s pitch much easier.

Disanna, the petite black-haired red demon woman, was the was first to arrive. She acknowledged Maiya with a nod before taking her seat in the audience chamber. Such a chamber was far too large to receive a single person, but Lord Reth insisted this room was the most secure from prying eyes in all of Balindam.

Zora, the gangly ghael, arrived soon after. Had Maiya not seen Ekat’Ma and the other Iksana, she might once have been repulsed by Zora’s appearance. Yet she knew that her physiology was not the result of some deformation, but was, rather, completely natural for the Iksana Clan. Zora was perhaps one of the few ghael alive who didn’t belong to that clan, however. Maiya doubted she was even aware of their existence. A fact Maiya fully intended to bargain with.

“Well then,” Reth said with a clap of his hands. “While I'd ordinarily ease into such a conversation, considering your urgency, I suggest we get straight down to business. From your words earlier, I understand that our dear friend Vir was successful in navigating through the Ash?”

His words caused Disanna to raise her brow in surprise. While Zora didn’t display any outward change, Maiya knew the ghael expressed their emotions in ways difficult for others to understand.

“It took him years, and he nearly died, but yes,” Maiya said.

“Years, you say?” Reth replied with a frown. “Yet, not so much time has passed.”

“Time flows quite differently within the Ash,” Maiya said with a dismissive gesture. “Suffice it to say that the journey was a perilous one. In surviving the Ash, however, Vir grew far stronger than most, and that was but the beginning.”

Maiya summarized the situation in the Demon Realm—the various clans and their politics, and Vir’s status as the Gargan crown prince. She told them about his quest to restore his clan and of the resounding victory he recently achieved.

“Vir continues to stabilize his power base, and as such was unable to be present today,” Maiya said. “He has, however, sent this letter as proof of all I say today and of his commitment to the health of the Human Realm.”

Per Maiya’s request, they were alone in the hall, and as such Lord Reth personally took the letter, skimming the contents as he walked back to his fellow rulers.

There wasn’t anything especially profound inside—that was Maiya’s duty to convey. She merely wanted to allay any concerns the Tribunal might have had that this plan was a desperate concoction of a disgraced princess and her retainer. Maiya had had Vir put several details only he would have known for that very reason.

“It seems much has transpired since Vir left us,” Disanna said after skimming the letter for herself. “We appreciate you bringing us news of these events. I admit it will take some time to digest. To think that Vir was able to reach the realm of our kin…”

Disanna frowned, and Maiya could almost see the question forming on her face. Zora, however, beat her to the punch.

“How did you learn of all this? No. Communication orb. Might function. How did you obtain this letter?”

Maiya smiled demurely. “You are indeed correct to guess that I’ve been in contact with Vir via a Communication Orb. The orbs don’t function in the Ash, but they seem to work just fine in the Demon Realm. I’ve been in communication with Vir for some time now. As for the letter, however… It may be simpler to show you. Ashani?” ɽâ₦ОβÈṧ

Ashani stepped forward and dispelled her disguise, changing back into the pure white form that radiated divinity by her appearance alone.

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“Allow me to introduce myself. I am Ashani, an automaton created by Lord Janak of the Prime Imperium, and the last living being of my kind.”

Reth bolted up in his chair. “The Prime Imperium. You mean…”

“Those we consider gods, yes,” Maiya completed. “Ashani is a being from the Age of Gods. The only sapient being still alive, that we know,” Maiya said, glossing over the existence of Janak’s avatar. That revelation would be one bombshell too many, in her opinion, and would only distract from the topic at hand.

This time, even Zora showed a visible reaction, clutching her chair’s armrest with a vise-like grip. “Impossible!” she muttered.

Disanna simply stared, wide-eyed.

“You’ll have to forgive us, madam, er, deity,” Reth said awkwardly. “We don’t dare to question the veracity of your words, however…”

“Ashani? Feel free to make a Gate to Samar Patag if you like.”

“Of course!” Ashani said with a mischievous smile, extending a hand. The three rulers stared, transfixed.

A moment later, a brand new Gate sat where there had been nothing but air.

“You can go through, if you like,” Maiya said, gesturing to the Gate. “It’s perfectly safe and leads to the capital city of my betrothed’s clan. To the very realm you have sought to reunite with for so long.”

Maiya chose her words carefully to hammer in that she wasn’t just Ira’s Handmaiden anymore. She was participating in this conversation as a queen—an equal, at the very least, to all those present. Considering the divinity her side boasted, however, she might even say she was at an advantage. What mattered was making the Tribunal recognize that fact. Especially if they wished to extract other advantages, such as food and supplies.

Maiya needn’t have worried—all three of the Tribunal gawked, staring at the Gate transfixed.

“You mean to tell us,” Disanna said, her voice barely more than a whisper. “That the realms are now connected? That we can travel to the land of our ancestors when we please?”

Maiya nodded. “The Gates can only be created by Ashani and require maintenance by her or the Akh Nara, who are the only beings in all realms capable of sustaining them. But yes, these Gates will remain open as long as they wish them to be, and Ashani can create Gates between any two locations she’s visited. We could connect Sonam to Samar Patag if we desired it.”

“This changes everything,” Reth said, circling around the Gate as if it were some exotic Ash Beast. “With this…”

“We would no longer have to bother with the humans,” Zora completed. “We could live free of their influence!”

“That could certainly be a viable option,” Maiya said slowly, considering her words. “The Demon Realm is both vast and underpopulated. Its prana leaves something to be desired, though compared to the Voidlands, you’ll probably find it quite plentiful. The Akh Nara intends to change that by dispersing his innovations through the land. By leveraging Ashani’s Gates, we mean to make the Demon Realm even more prana-rich than the Altani’s lands near the Boundary.”

If the Pagan Order could indeed be made to abandon their plan of purging all humans from their land, life would be a lot easier for Vir in the months and years that followed. Difficult to be allies to demons who’ve committed crimes against humanity as well as the humans who hated them. This was not a path Maiya had thought possible, though it was one she gladly embraced. She was sure Vir would be of the same mind. They tended to think alike on things like this.

“You narrate one miracle after another as if it were normal,” Reth said. “You truly expect us to believe all of this?”

“Not at all,” Maiya replied. “You’re more than welcome to send people to the Demon Realm to ascertain these facts for yourself. However, I hope that you trust us at least somewhat, considering the miracle before your eyes.”

Maiya stepped through the Gate, just to prove her point, before stepping back.

“Tell me,” Reth said. “Does the Akh Nara plan to co-mingle the realms?”

“Not as of present,” Maiya replied without hesitation. “No such plans have been made, and he fully understands the impact such a decision would have. Believe me when I say that if this were to ever come to pass, it would only be after consulting demons in every relevant party, within the Demon Realm and without.”

There was, of course, an unmentioned motive in her words. That the Pagan Order would only be a relevant party in those discussions if they became allies of that realm. They, alone, held the keys within realms, and could deny the Order access whenever they wished. In essence, they were offering the Order their salvation, but chaining them in the process.

With the magnitude of the gift, however, Maiya wondered if they would even care.

Reth smiled tightly, no doubt fully aware of Maiya’s tactics. He was a smart man.

“So,” he said. “Why have you come here, then? If the Akh Nara commands forces beyond comprehension, if he’s graced a deity from the Age of Gods, what could he need from us?”

Though Reth exuded confidence in both gesture and speech, Maiya couldn’t help but notice how his gaze landed everywhere but on Ashani.

The goddess’ serene smile fell a little, and Maiya wanted nothing more than to hug her. Maybe it was because she’d known of Ashani for so long, and maybe it was because Vir had told her about her loneliness and the story of her creation, but Maiya couldn’t help but pity the deity. Everyone was so quick to bow down in worship at the goddess’ feet, but how many asked her what she truly wanted?

Maybe Maiya couldn’t change the way the world saw her, but she, at least, chose to respect Ashani’s wishes. At least she could be her friend.

“What the Akh Nara wants,” Maiya said, pulling her eyes off Ashani’s back, “is stability in the Human Realm. Allowing the Kin’jal to conquer this realm does not serve his interests.”

“Or mine,” Ira said, finally speaking. “As you’ve undoubtedly guessed, I am Princess Ira Kin’jal, and despite my recent shortcoming, I have not given up.”

Disanna raised a brow. “We heard you were boiled alive. You truly still intend to kill your father?”

Ira smiled, and though it looked vicious, Maiya was likely the only one in the room who saw the frailty behind the expression. “Not just kill him,” Ira said. “I intend to pay him back a thousandfold for all that he did to me. And I intend to found a new world order. One in which Kin’jal does not seek to expand its borders. A Kin’jal that does not value violence above all else.”

“Pray tell,” Zora rasped. “What role would demons have in this world of yours?”

Ira’s smile widened, and at long last, Maiya knew the princess had regained the fire that drove her.

“Everything,” Ira replied.