Red twilight the Weaver Chapter 14

Chapter 14:

King of the Mountain

When Jessica was last at the Kobolt stronghold, it was a blossoming community made up of two dozen families of farmers and craftsmen. Jessica's mate, Odidimus, was the newly elected Marshal Chaplain, such a thing was sorely needed as the people of the community were often struggling to find borderlines for fair trade and land divisions. The Weaver and her mate were chosen as the oldest and wisest of their kin and, as such, it was thought together they would reface the world as the kobolt saw it.

But Jessica, who at a young age traverse the world in search of unforeseeable wisdom, would not see the fruit of her passion grow. Now a lifetime later she has returned to the place of her youth. But it is nothing of what she remembers. Always the kobolt's have lived underground, tunneling into hillsides to build their homes, but no more it seems. The cabins have grown out of the ground and tall walls have replaced hidden doors.

A wall three times taller than even the tallest of kobolts could ever be a door twice the height and four times the with of the mightiest man mark the entrances to the village, it has arched gates and a long line of stonework mouse warriors watching the horizon. Jessica looks up the door with wonder and sorrow "my mother wouldn't know what to say. How our home has changed. What do you call this place?"

"Most call it home." Cream states

Preston calls over as the gates slide open "Today we call it Graywall Keep." Preston is someone who bares all the signs of one born into prosperity: he walks with a sway his fingers tucked into the rings of his belt, his fur and fangs are flawless, he stands straight and speaks with a voice to calm a crowd. "not what I was expecting from a messiah." He glances Jessica up and down.

"If you believe me a messiah, I think you have misunderstood our teachings." Jessica lowers her head with a hint of embarrassment.

"to be far my giving lady, there are very few who understand your teachings better then I" he kneels before his queen then takes her by the hand offering a nuzzle to her palm. Jessica lowers her head choking down her laughter.

"I understand you are the same Jessica from Saint Dove's gospel, that being the case you are over three thousand years old, and the mother of our race. It was you who drank from the vessels of wisdom in the court of Mistress Darklair queen of fire. and you drank wine alongside Lord Cravixs himself in the Kingdom of Tamriel. Thereafter being crowned A goddess, deemed 'Mother of all Children'. the history of our world balances on your shoulders, but with all these gifts you have been given, why not share your Immortality with your mate if no one else?"

"These are fables of an ancient time my good boy" she takes him by the hand and rubs him lightly.

"if that were true why do you blush so deeply." He smiles at her. "if you are not convinced of my wisdom already I also I'm versed in the origin of Kari herself."

Jessica's ears perk, she waves the children behind her as she spots a dozen more knights lining the wall "is that so?" she asks starting to back away.

"it is." Preston bastes "Kari is Adam Crow, a new body assigned to him during the age of the fourth race, after falling in battle to Marks Karingson, Crow was banished to another world and was forced to assume a new form to escape his earthly bonds. The void magus of Harm re-wrote Cravixs as a feminine god to respeck his dominion and make him more passive, lust a god of death becomes a goddess of life."

"Stop right there, Witch!" a voice calls form alongside them. Preston's partner Penelope brandishes a blade on Jessica. There is a sequel from one of the children and Jessica steps bladed to place herself between the threats. The wind howls as Jessica call on her ancient power. Penelope cackles pulling her blade back to strike down the weaver.

Preston hops forth drawing his sword "Stand Down!" He shouts to his partner "Jessica will come with us quietly, I have no doubt. Isn't that right?" He looks to Jessica, Jessica lowers her arms to her sides, and the wind fades to a whisper. "my lady, your mate requests you appear at the palace. Will you comply?"

"if she does not, I bet my blade is swifter then hers."

"I told you to stand down, one more outburst and I'll be forced claim sedition against you!"

"I will come," Jessica announces.

Pepper squeezes his walking-stick tightly as he looks to Jessica unsure if the lot of them are going to fight or not. Preston looks down to the courageous child, placing one hand on his head Preston rubs him by the ears "cute boy, one of yours?"

"if you are affiliated with my mate then surely you know who my children are," Jessica explains with a touch of shyness to her voice. "I am simply watching this lot while the mother runs errands on behalf of the town's healer."

"I beg to differ, in the time I have served my post always has the banquet hall been ready to serve the princes and princesses but never have I seen them dine." Preston turns to face the fortification moving his hand from Pepper's head to Jessica's back.

"How can that be?" Jessica's voice softens to a shuttering whisper. Her mind conjuring the worst of possible outcomes for her and her's.

** *

With an air of apprehension, the two honor guards lead Jessica and her flock across the blustering township and to the heart of the city, Odidimus keeps. The craftsmanship is something to behold, it is nothing like the fantastic cities of gold and stone that are ever-so-common mythology but it is borderline on Gothic Victorian. With mighty stone effigies placed over the doors of the most luxurious establishments, totem spirits watching over street corners, and the town cut into clear divisions of class in a slowly escalating tear cast.

Odidimus watches from the parapet as Preston returns home, Monetary standing over his shoulder "Oh dear Kari." He looks to his friend "there she is. My mate, Jessica is unchanged from when I was a lad."

Monty leans over the railing to see what Odidimus has already "then our scout was right. What do you wish to do about this outrage?"

"I want nothing more than to see her face to face."

"Kari will not be pleased that she is here."

"That is between me and Kari!" Odidimus shoves his partner off to one side to walk down the steps. "If I see it fit to hold the hand of my lover but one last time in my life then let it be so. If Kari sees fit to punish me for my weakness, then I am ready for judgment."

"Do not be so fast to tempt our Goddess. It was your hands that built this castle, but we built atop Her back." Monty calls down chasing his king.

After entering the keep Preston whispers with Jessica "you will find the king in his chamber, just carry on down this hall and to the twin doors, I will take the young to the dining room." As Jessica takes a few steps forward, demonstrating she knows her way around the keep, Preston lowers his eye stealing a peek at Jessica's tail.

The children look to Jessica, Jessica nods back waving them on "I will be back soon, then we will find Onion." With that, the lot part ways, Penelope fallow Jessica to the chamber and Preston take the kids to find a snack.

The Weaver and the King meet gazes for the first time in a lifetime, and the apprehension is clear and thick, booth stare the other down waiting to see what the other wants. At last, the king finds his feet, he takes his staff from the wall and walks slowly to her. Penelope grips her blade and Monty hides his hands in his sleeves. "Jessica, Jessica, Jessica." he wraps his arms around her neck and shoulder pulling her in to embraces his love once more. "so many years have passed. I have so much I want to say."

Jessica can think of nothing to say, the young man she knew as Odidimus was a brave young scholar, this man holds little in common with him, but while her eyes see a dying old man her heart and nose can see the fading remains of her love. She takes the old man by the arms and squeezes him in return.

Odidimus lets loose his grip and waves about, "we have finally arrived in the future you foretold my beloved. A time when no longer we have to hide in the ground, a time when all who live in the shadow of the wise will know the past and future alike, it has begun. Under my leadership, we are ready to fulfill our right as the fifth grate race. We have harvested cobblestone, we have mined oar from the earth, and we command the red flower. With Kari as our witness, we are becoming masters of our world."

"We have tried to master this world once already." Jessica starts to explain

"You are about to warn me of Elec mountain, and how when we tried to steal from others to grow ourselves we failed." Odidimus cuts her off "but this is not like back when, this time we did not take form the Gaia or the Huma, this time the power is ours and ours alone. And it is good."

"our elders have been clear, if we are to be strong, we first must be gentle, and wise."

"For how long would you have us hide in the crakes of the earth? We have clean water; we have fire, we have the blessings of Kari…"

"Why would you turn to Kari for aid?" Jessica intercedes "Kari is the god of hunger hiding in the skin of a goddess of lust."

"your wrong, Kari is the hope of our people, a wurm that grow wings and took to the heavens just as we will."

"it is no accident that the birds are Her sign."

"Enough of your Blasphemy! Utter another word about Kari and you will inspire my wraith. I will find the darkest, sweatiest hole in Graywall Keep for you to sleep in" Odidimus waves his arms enraged

"It seems you have upset our king." Monty walks over to separate the two of them.

"in the naivety of yesteryear, I may have said many strange things but to 'give oneself to the bird' I do not recall being of them." Jessica steps away from the mage.

"But why not turn your fate over to one greater than yourself in the name of peace and serenity?" Monty ask theatrically.

"the fly does not plead with the spider for his life nor should we pray to birds for peace. Need we do more than pray never to see war?" Jessica turns her gaze from the wizard back to her mate "this land is your land remember that. Now I must do what I came here to do I am here for the boy called Onion."

"Penelope, show this young lady to the dungeon." The king commands as Monty is whispering with him.

"good chose my lord" Monty lowers his head walking away.

"Think hard about what you are doing Odidimus; you are building up a theist nation, do you want our children to be risen under such a flag?!" Jessica asks hastily.

"We have no children… Anymore."

With those words, Jessica's mouth drops open in horror understanding just what Odidimus means to say with a whispering scream she shutters "what have you done Odidimus?"

Odidimus waves his hand and Jessica is struck in the back by Penelope knocking her over.

"Jessica!" Pepper calls from the doorway having snuck away with Garlic to look around.