A Tale of Revenge

Hey everyone. Thank you all so much for your lovely emails and comments. Your support is much appreciated. This chapter will answer a lot of the technical world-building questions I've been getting. I hope it helps all the fantasy fans who are invested in this world.

Enjoy!

***

Ch. 12

Three months ago...

The girl stumbled slightly as she crouched out of sight. Leonid watched dispassionately as she clutched her bow, her wild eyes darting about, to see if she'd been discovered.

"You have to do this," Emera said, standing next to him. Her presence helped still him somewhat, though he struggled to feel grateful given that she had been the one to drag him back here.

He drew a breath as he watched the girl get back up. She could not hear or see the gods as they stood a few feet from her discussing her fate in the plainest terms. "I have performed my penance, as you well know, and I have been pardoned by The Five for my trespasses against your interests. I have no desire to concern myself in the Realm of Men again," Leonid said, not turning to meet the goddess's eye. It had been some time since he had last seen her and though the edge of her anger had worn off, there was still plenty of it left in her tone.

"But you have a chance to set it right in a way you could not before now." Her blue eyes flashed at him, her face excited. She did not believe he would deny her. "We can restore balance, seek the progress we saw a century before."

Leonid turned to appraise her once more, seeing her sameness, the familiar dress and fashion, the same jewels and hair. For someone so obsessed with advancement, Emera seemed rather stagnant. Her mouth twitched into a small smile, as if she knew his mind.

"Don't be so literal, brother," her voice was soft and musical but it pricked him with its familiarity.

"It has been a long time since you last called me that," he pointed out, bitterness not withheld. "You are being manipulative,

sister

, and I am not interested."

She drew back, observing him again. Leonid watched as the goddess paced the clearing where they stood, her golden slippers silent against the deep moss at her feet. She had sought him out, a century after he'd disappeared from her wrath and he found the change off putting.

"Is it not enough that I have had time to forgive? Can I not address you as my family despite the history between us without it being a manipulation in your eyes?"

"If it had not been your reason for seeking me out, perhaps. But I find you're breaking my solitude only when it suits you." Leonid turned back towards the human, watching as she slipped between the trees out of sight. He stood silently as his counterpart moved about, flitting and dainty where he was solid and still. He watched the rays of light bounce off her pleated gown, the golden hue of which was several touches lighter than her skin. Beneath her skin soft veins of blue fire burned, accented by the sapphires which marched along her shoulders, holding the folds of her clothing in place. Her lips were also tinted with her glowing veins, making them almost as blue as her eyes. She sighed in frustration, turning from him as she traced her footsteps back and forth from the trees.

Leonid drew himself up, his own skin humming with the black power that made up his innermost core. For many years now he had existed away from other gods, kept to himself as he wandered the different realms, involving himself only in the lives of lesser beings when necessary to stave off the dangerous restlessness that ate away at him, and enticed him to do things he should not. She knew this, and yet she tempted him still.

"Your eyes are growing black, brother, are you angry?" Emera drew up in front of him, her own deep blue eyes shone as she looked intensely into his face. "What is it that requires you to deny me? Are you busy wrapping yourself in your cloak of seclusion and brooding penance? Do you keep yourself away from us because you are truly ashamed or because you are petulant and wanted us to seek you out and draw you back to the light?"

"I am not some cantankerous child, Emera. Do not treat me as one. There are good reasons for keeping myself in solitude as long as I see fit."

"Is that why you have neglected your responsibilities for more than a century? Do you know what has become of the realms you ruled? How kingdoms, empires and worlds have crumbled without their god? And what of your own interests with your peers? Have you even wondered what would become of you if you did choose to cease your sulking and return to your work? Would you be able to hold off those who seek your weakness for their own gain?" She was goading him, and it was working. But he chose to ignore it. There were more important things than his pride.

He laughed humorlessly. "You didn't believe I would deny you this, thinking I would leap at the chance to gain favor in your eyes again." He brought his fire-laced hand to her golden cheek and stroked the skin there with the pad of his thumb. "I have put this behind me. You should as well."

Leonid moved to turn from her, to leave this sphere that clamored to keep him enthralled. He was feeling suddenly weary of the entire affair, worn just by the effort it took to stand on that ground. But Emera caught his hand and clasped it to her chest in both hands, a grip ferocious and unyielding. "No brother, you have not. Do not deny me this. It is true I have not forgiven you. The Five were more concerned with the other realms you disturbed and left my most prized achievements in ruins with no hope of my being able to reassert my influence. You must help me. You were made to balance me as I was for you and I am asking you to right this wrong, to seek my forgiveness, not just the justice of others."

She was sincere, he knew her well enough to know that. And what was more she was right. Neither of them could be at peace with this between them. Could he resist the pull of the Realm of Men? Especially when asked so prettily? He quickly quashed the excitement that drew at him, the very earth beneath his feet singing sweetly to his darkest desires. He would do this for her and be done with it forever. No good could come of his further mingling with mortals in this sphere.

Recognizing that he had put up pitifully little fight, he sighed in defeat and she jumped into his arms, clasping him in an iron embrace. "Thank you Leonid," she said into his hair.

He chuckled and patted her exposed back. He could practically feel the beast inside him stretching its long unused limbs. This was a terrible idea. "I assume you have a plan of action?"

The two gods turned and Emera drew him through space silently and they appeared behind the girl again. She was clumsy and loud but there was something endearing about her determination. Emera stood by his side and they watched her toil on her way.

"Did you feel the deaths of the others? They were still attached to you," Emera asked, her eyes never leaving the mortal in front of her.

"Perhaps," Leonid frowned a bit. Had he felt those tugs as the threads of his power were severed? He couldn't be sure. He had removed himself so completely from their influence he may not have. "So this is the last hope for your empire? What is left of the once mighty empress's house?" It came out more mocking than he'd intended.

Emera gave him a look. "Her descendant sits on the throne. This girl is the last of the rightful line, the one you stole from me." Her voice was studiously casual. "Can you not feel her? Is she not bound to you still?"

Leonid felt the bond to the girl as it teased him beneath his own skin. Her soul called out to him to consumer her, and through her he could devour the rest of the sphere, finally tasting the limitlessness of his own power.

"I can."

"Well go to her, stop her from this suicide. It is your right," Emera said, eyes shining. She was unaware of the hunger he managed to keep out of his voice.

"And then what? Keep her in her burnt out village? Breed her with another human to maintain the line? What good does this do for you? How can saving one girl possibly regain your empire?"

Emera sighed. "It was not my empire. This is important, Leonid, this kingdom was once a bastion of advancement, a positive balance for the entire sphere. It was the seat of a mighty and just empire. We are at the brink of chaos, the war will not end till they rip apart everything that has been done. We must bring back balance to this realm."

"The Balance created chaos, sister," Leonid reminded her as they moved together to keep up with the girl. "Sometimes retreat is what is needed. There are other directions besides forward." He meant it to tease her but it came out rather grave.

Emera shrugged. "Ultimately forward is what is needed. I believe The Balance intends for progress."

"We all would like to believe The Balance wants what we desire most. Don't be so simple, Emera, you are not a fanatic. It's unnerving to hear you speak as if you know your wishes to be in line with the power that controls the universe as we know it." Leonid looked once more at the smooth face of the goddess. Because they did not age it was harder to see the changes time had wrought on her, but the hard set of her mouth and the slightest crease in her brow told him that the last century had not been kind.

She looked back at the girl who was crouching behind a log, trying to get a better look at the soldiers camped nearby. Leonid watched the goddess closely and saw her look change when she observed the girl. She had hope for this endeavor, perhaps a desperate hope to regain her power in this realm. He turned his gaze to the empress's great-great-great granddaughter, the one who sang to him, who tugged at the power he kept locked up deep inside himself.

"You haven't answered me. What am I to do with her?" Leonid knew what he wanted to do, but he doubted it was in line with what Emera had in mind.

"I trust you will figure out something. Just make sure she does not die tonight, that she understands that she will not be able to die without consent. Perhaps she will give up the violence."

"Doubtful," Leonid said as he watched the girl climb a tree. "This one is very determined."

"She has suffered greatly, I am not surprised."

Leonid gave her a sharp look. Emera was not the caring type. "What do you know of human suffering? You would see any number of them endure an array of horrors for your ideas."

She gave him a small smile. "I'm just trying to prepare you, brother. She may surprise you yet."

He looked back at the girl as she steadied herself on a branch and drew out her bow.

"I do love to be surprised."

*

Emera threw the doors of her chambers open with such force the walls shuddered on impact. The beautifully carved inlays suffered some splintering damage before a small globe descended from the ceiling and began to replace what had fallen until no sign of the damage was left. Leonid watched with interest as the spell did its work, ignoring the flaming glare coming off the goddess.

"You were supposed to keep her from dying, not enslave her to your whims," she did not shout but her voice rolled with anger so that it reverberated off the walls, once again sending the globe spell into a tizzy as it tried to repair every crack at once.

"I do believe you are going to shake your house from its foundation, Emera," Leonid sat back, making himself comfortable on a mountain of pillows that made up the seating area at the center of the room. "At the very least you will overwork your clever little spell until it bursts." He nodded at the glowing orb.

Emera did not take her eyes off him. Her golden skin was streaked with blue light as her anger burned beneath the surface, the blue of her eyes seemed to creep outwards, swallowing the white and black until her gaze was as vacant as it was penetrating. "You promised me you would help," her voice lost none of its edge.

"And I will, dear sister." Leonid reached over to the bowl of offerings set between the cushions and popping the silver morsels in his mouth as he leaned back. "Please join me."

Emera turned from him and went to the window. He felt her getting herself under control before she came back and sat stiffly opposite him. "Explain yourself."

"There are two issues as I see it. The first is that given the time constraint and the fickleness of mortal life, and the war that's being waged as we speak, there is but a small window to achieve your aims. It would not do simply to wait for her to spawn another, one I would have even less power over. Instead we must use this girl against the current king."

"You may be right but it needn't have been immediately. She is young yet, we could have prepared her at least. Instead you armed her and sent her out into this mess with nothing more than magic and a death wish. She will destroy herself on this crazed quest for vengeance by killing her own kind. It will warp her energy and she will ultimately be of no use."

Leonid nodded; he had considered it. "I am taking care of that with some deterrence to killing. Besides, she might surprise you, despite being consumed into thoughts of revenge she will likely choose a better path even without my stipulations. I have rarely felt such will from a human. She has something of the empress in her yet."

Emera glared at him, "And the second issue?"

Leonid lost his smile. He turned from her, observing the room. The walls had been carved so they were pockmarked with small cubbies, like the humans built to house their messaging birds. Each tiny chamber held a spell or contraption dreamed up by his sister, one even closely resembling the intended occupant. For a moment he watched one such space where several golden spheres circled each other in different elliptical orbits, always crossing and never interacting. He recognized it immediately as a model of the different realms.

"The artistry is impressive," he said, nodding at the object. Each sphere shone with symbols depicting the realm it represented.

"I did enjoy what the boys thought up for me," Emera said distantly, referring to the multitude of craftsmen who came to serve her both in life and death. "You are avoiding my question."

Leonid nodded but maintained his silence. He took a long turn around the room, looking over her display. Emera for her part seemed content to watch him take his time. Finally he came back to the model of the universe and contemplated it again.

"Have you often visited the Realm of the Living?" He asked, referring to the fourth sphere, which shimmered with symbols of foliage and beasts. The land there was populated with cognizant plant life and near mindless animals, which served as their food. The rocks themselves hung in mid-air and pools of molten minerals served as nourishment.

"In passing, the system there works differently than my talents, I find I have little to add and less to receive. Though Ion has shown me a great many intricacies I could not appreciate on my own." He knew this of course, but a point must be made.

"And what of the Land of Three?" he turned to look at her. It was not his imagination that the fire beneath her skin shone brighter for only a moment. Her eyes glowed with a far off look, easily recognizable.

"I have visited." She looked away from him.

"I know why you do not visit more." He felt it too—the dreaded desire to destroy and rampage at will. The Land of Three sang to her as the Realm of Men sang to him, ever louder now as he had ceased to ignore its pull. But both were imbued with a strong will to resist this decadent desire for chaos and so they did. Emera's eyes shone with understanding, the hunger there just contained by the carefully cultivated discipline she applied to herself.

"The Realm of Men?" she asked him. And he nodded. Both understood. The Balance had made them so—in order that when chaos demanded a new beginning, the realms they thirsted after would be crushed beneath their powers.

"But my nature is to build, not destroy." She looked forlorn. It occurred to him that she had much less exposure to her weakness than he did. She was always more controlled; it made sense that she would have studiously avoided the temptation she felt.

"Everything has a counterpoint, even within ourselves," he reminded her, putting his long arm around her shoulders and drawing her into his chest. She sought comfort from him for the first time since their long estrangement. It felt good to have her back.

Emera thought about his revelation for some time. "How can you stand to be there for more than a moment? Are you not tempted?"

Leonid gave a small smile. "Constantly. I am hoping to direct the desires and contain them. If I am able to focus the attentions on one individual, the need to devour the whole ebbs." He took a breath. "The mind is truly fascinating. I hope hers will occupy me enough so I can see this through."

Emera pulled away from him. "Her mind? You breached the sacred barrier of the consciousness in that realm?" She looked flabbergasted and Leonid relished the expression for a moment. It was rare that he had the opportunity to surprise her so.

"It had to be done. If I am not fully connected with her, the temptation to extend my influence beyond the bond would be too great."

"The Five will not approve."

"They would approve less to find there were only six realms."

Emera looked up at him, "You risk the destruction of this sphere. Why did you not tell me before?"

He had no answer that he could speak. It had always only been a matter of time.

"I trust that you will not let it come to that."

Leonid sighed and laid back. Emera curled up next to him, placing her golden head on his chest. He ran his fingers through the strands, thinking back to the deal he'd made with Anna. He'd barely touched her mind then and already he knew he'd underestimated its complexity. Indeed she would distract him for some time. After a long moment Emera stiffened, as if she were reaching some conclusion in her own line of thinking.

"Is that why your destruction spanned so many other realms? To spare the one you could devour?"

Leonid chose not to answer what needn't be spoke aloud. He got up, placing a kiss on her cheek, and disappeared.

*

Leonid paced his own abode on The First Level where gods resided. He'd avoided this place for so long and yet it was still familiar, as if he'd never been away.

He threw himself onto a large divan, feeling the soft fibers beneath him as he gazed up at the beveled glass ceiling that swirled with images of the deep woods but still let in the light of infinite stars. He ran his fingers through his hair as he contemplated his situation. What a fool he was to get himself sucked in and pulled apart again. Even now the urge to go down there and rip the world to pieces hovered on the edge of his consciousness.

He turned his thoughts to Anna, testing his theory that she might suitably sate his impulses. She was a fascinating little human, for all she'd barely lived and experienced next to nothing. He'd perused her memories only briefly, unconcerned with the narrative of her life. Now his focus was the structure of the mind, the layers of conscious and unconscious thought that drove humans to act in ways one might never have expected. The intellectual pursuit of mapping the human mind was interesting, though hardly base enough to serve as a proper distraction.

He sighed and reached out along the thread of power to see what his little human was up to now. It had only been a day since he'd last been there; surely she'd discovered her new abilities. He watched her test herself until she grew weary. The human form would never be able to truly contain his magic and he saw it draw on her. She set up camp and tumbled into her bedroll. Leonid followed his power into her mind as she fell asleep. He could feel the shifting of her consciousness, the ebb and flow of sleep and how it awakened the dormant and suppressed corners of her mind.