"I played my part exactly as I was meant to, I just didn't think I'd have to go so far to do it," her voice cracked, catching Thorsen off-guard. "I opened the way for Grundvollr and Odensby, getting many of my friends killed in the process. I betrayed the man I loved beyond the limits of his forgiveness, and I have been banished from the Blodthall as a result," she threw her arms up in frustration.
"And now? Now, I have to stand here and listen to the very people that saved me ask me why I came to the only place I could think of where I could get away from my mistakes," she said, wiping a stream of tears from her cheek. "Why did you end up in the Warrior's Guild, huh? What pushed you to leave your homeland and everyone you've ever loved behind?" she looked up at Thorsen with fiery eyes.
The giant's brow furrowed as he leaned in even closer, nearly touching the tip of his nose with hers. "With everything you've told me just now: You did," he growled, causing her to flinch.
Bernar, feeling both their mana signatures beginning to flare, pushed them apart. "That's enough," he glared at both of them. "Unni, I don't know that you can ever truly escape what you've done, but you still have valuable information on Zari, correct?" he asked. "Yes, I do," she replied firmly, getting a nod from Bernar.
"I understand your resentment towards her, Thorsen. I do, but there might be things she knows about this country that aren't in that book," he gestured to Gwili. "What? You would trust the word of a traitor?" Thorsen gritted his teeth.
I need to be careful with how I word this, Bernar thought.
"I'm not saying that we trust her entirely, but if we can use her information to help bring this mission to an end, then I'm willing to for the time being," he sighed. Unni couldn't hide the surprise in her eyes when he looked at her, forcing her to avert her gaze momentarily.
"All I'm saying is that she's already suffered quite a bit for her crimes. We can never bring back the lives that have been lost, and we must bear our mistakes however we're able to. If she's willing to help us overthrow Zari and help secure the future of Hjalfar as a result, would that still not be enough to let her walk away?" Bernar asked calmly.
Thorsen took in a deep breath through his nose and closed his eyes. "It would, but I can never forgive her for what she's done," he glared at her. "I'm not asking you to forgive her; I'm asking you to trust me. She's trying to take a step in the right direction after fumble-fucking her way through life. I know you can't forgive her after hearing what she's done, and I won't force you to, either. All I'm asking you to do is trust me," Bernar put his hand on the giant's shoulder.
"Alright," Thorsen relented. "But if I hear even a hint of a lie in your words, I'll kill you myself," he threatened. "Oh, please. After this conversation, I almost want to die," she scoffed.
"I'm glad we could come to an agreement," Bernar said lightly as he tried to release the tension. "Unni, you will have to be put under Neko and Marte's watch. Thorsen, you're with me," he motioned dismissively. "As you wish, Bernar," Unni bowed before standing between the two youngest of the group.
What a fucking mess, Bernar sighed as he walked over to Leona.
"Maybe you are trained in politics, after all," she muttered wryly. "Heh, conflict resolution is one of the only political things I'm good at. I just prefer doing it with a sword," he shrugged, getting a giggle out of Leona. "Jashad, please lead the way," Bernar nodded, making the Pyrus spell glow a little brighter.
Within the hour, they'd come to an open chamber deep within the labyrinth. The ceiling was lit by the same green flame lamps as the streets far above it. Before them stood a large dark tent propped up by thick black rods that supported it at multiple points, making the fabric sag between them.
Bundles of supplies, weapons, and what Bernar recognized as stolen goods were stockpiled near the base of the large tent. They could also see a man sitting on a large throne draped in a fabric similar to that of the tent.
Those must be his servants attending to him, but who are the others? Bernar observed the interior of the tent.
There were only a small handful of armed personnel outside the tent, though there were nearly double the amount inside. As the group approached, Bernar noticed they were all sitting on their ankles with writing materials in front of them. "Jashad, who are they?" he whispered over his shoulder, undoing the Pyrus spell.
"Those men and women are known as the Voices. They're the ones that disseminate the information the Mouth gives them throughout all of Harut," the guardsman replied hushedly. "They're heralds, then?" Leona asked. "They're a bit more influential than heralds, but they serve a similar purpose," Jashad replied.
So the Mouth speaks through the Voices, but how does he get his information? Bernar thought as they approached the tent.
"What is the Wheel?" one of the armed men challenged in a wispy voice. His face was covered by a darkened cloth similar to the tent's. Before anyone could answer, Jashad stepped forward and put a finger to his lips to silence the others in his group.
"The Words of the Mouth by which we live," Jashad bowed, getting a surprised look from the others. "What turns the Wheel?" the guard challenged again. "The actions taken on the Words under the Voices' guidance," Jashad replied. "Who bears the Words?" the guard challenged a third time. "The Mouth devours the Words," Jashad replied for the third time.
The two guards stationed at the front of the tent nodded and stepped aside, gesturing for them to enter. "I thought the answer to the last question would be that the Mouth bears the words," Bernar muttered out of the corner of his mouth.
"That's the trick to it. The first two require little thought to answer if you have a basic understanding. However, the third question will determine whether you're a friend or foe of the Mouth," Jashad whispered as they passed the guards. "What did your answer mean?" Leona asked, getting only a wry grin in response.
As they walked in, the Voices paid them no mind. Their beige tunics sagged loosely on the ground beside them as ink-stained hands tirelessly wrote on pieces of parchment. Over forty of them were present, but not a single one dared lift their heads to the newcomers.
The fabric draped over the throne was pulled taut beneath the weight of the large man who sat in it. His thick, black beard was cut short at his sideburns, with one long braid adorned by a golden clasp beneath his chin. The dark robes draped over the throne, while skin around his eyes was painted with a dark, smokey paint, highlighting the dark irises within.
"Oh? What has the Wheel brought us today?" his voice boomed in the common tongue. Gold ornaments that hung around his neck and chest clinked together as he lifted his large head off a balled fist. "Mouth of the Underbelly, I have brought Words as tribute," Jashad kneeled, prompting the others to react accordingly. Unni grunted as she knelt, pressing a hand to the back of her leg, but was quickly supported by Neko and Marte.
"You have brought more than mere Words or Voices, it would seem," the Mouth said, noticing Leona's poise as she knelt. "What Words could make you risk your life to come home?" the Mouth leaned forward in his throne, putting his elbows on his thighs as his belly hung beneath.
"There has been a Revelation, Mouth," Jashad said cryptically. "A Revelation, you say?" the large man asked, licking his lips. "My, my. I never thought you would be the one to bring me a Revelation. Bestow it upon me," he spread his arms and lifted his chin. "It is not a spoken Revelation, Mouth. At least half of it isn't, anyway," Jashad replied, keeping his reverent tone as best he could.
The Mouth raised an eyebrow as he lowered his arms. "Show me, child," he tilted his head forward and outstretched his hand, causing the bracelets around his wrist to lightly clink together. "Gwili, Unni," Jashad whispered over his shoulder. Gwili quickly darted over to Unni's side to help her up, keeping their heads low as they approached the guardsman.
"These two are my Voices, Mouth. They will give you their Revelations that you may devour them," Jashad bowed his head as the two approached. "Caegweni and Hjalfarian Voices? Someone's been… busy," the Mouth grinned wolfishly. "Present yourselves that I may hear your Words, bringing the Wheel to spin once more," he continued, closing his eyes.
What the fuck is with this guy? Bernar thought, carefully watching as Gwili helped Unni along the middle of the carpeted floor.
"Voice of Caegwen, you may present your Revelation first," The Mouth held out his hand to take the book Gwili gave him. He brought the book up to his nose and breathed its scent in deeply. "Ah, it's a Royal Revelation," he said, prompting the voices around them to immediately flip to a new piece of parchment and begin writing.
He gingerly opened the book in his large hands and flipped through the pages quickly after reading the first sentence. Within the span of ten minutes, he turned over the last page and snapped the book shut. His voice boomed with an excited laugh after a few moments, making Unni flinch in surprise.
"What a delightful Revelation that was, Voice of Caegwen. How did you come across this?" he leaned back in satisfaction. "It's a long story, but I couldn't have gotten it without his help, Mouth," Gwili gestured to Jashad. "I see. Perhaps the Child of the Underbelly has finally reached the peak of his potential, after all," the Mouth said, stroking his beard and fiddling with the golden clasp at its base.
"Your turn, Voice of Hjalfar. Speak your Revelation," he said, raising his arms ceremoniously. Gwili could almost hear the anxiousness for her words in the Voices' shaky hands. "I bring this Revelation of Queen Zari Ibn'Escea and her actions outside of Harut," she began loudly. As she spoke, the sound of inked goose feathers scraped across the parchment, halting just as soon as she did.
They're so quick to write everything down, Leona thought, glancing around from beneath the fabric draped over her head.
"Zari has long since been funding her Hashishin to commit crimes both in Harut as well as Hjalfar. I was once allied to her and a mage known as The Masked One, and helped to coordinate an attack on the former ruler of my homeland, King Mads Oden and his family, using her Hashishins as part of the fighting force," she continued, watching the Mouth begin to shake with excitement as his head tilted back.
Thorsen's fist tightened around the fabric of his disguise, his fingers nearly puncturing the thick cloth.
"This was all to set a foothold in my homeland to make way for something farmore dangerous than anything our Realm has faced before. I know this because I have had to betray my friends, family, and allies to reach my goals," she said, feeling the shame of her actions begin to take over as she spoke.
Wait, she can't mean the Undergod, can she? Bernar thought, recalling a conversation he'd had with Taegin during the aftermath of the battle in Coltend.
"Zari has also embezzled funds from merchants and citizens alike, even going so far as increasing the taxes those above have paid to fund her own nefarious endeavors. Those who couldn't pay were kidnapped and forced into impossibly harsh training to add to her forces. Many of them died in the process, while the ones who lived were forced into servitude to her," Unni paused, looking over her shoulder at Thorsen's scowl.
"I would have been treated no differently, nor would any who didn't either escape from Grundvollr, or die fighting the mage," her head sank in dejection. Thorsen shifted his gaze away from her and quietly clicked his tongue.
Over the next hour, she continued to say all she could about Zari's machinations, nearly giving the Mouth an overload of information as his body began to shake. She even spoke of how she'd heard of the plan to use the crowned prince as bait to topple Coltend's ruling powers, causing Leona to shift uncomfortably.
"This concludes my Revelation, Mouth. I pray that it was to your satisfaction," she bowed as the Voices copied her words. "It was delectable, Voice of Hjalfar," he wiped the drool from the corner of his mouth. "You really meant it when you gave my guards the devour code, didn't you, Child?" the Mouth grinned as he stood up.
"Is that what it meant?" Leona muttered to herself.